The report goes on to quote Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, as saying he sees little chance of a peace deal being reached between Israelis and Palestinians in this present generation. As for me, I'm not so sure about that.

As anyone who is following recent developments in the Middle East knows, state sponsor of international terrorism Syria is presently under fire from the United Nations, as well as heavy pressure from the United States. Not only that, the Quartet of Russia, United Nations, the United States and the European Union, pursuers of the so-called "roadmap to peace", are calling for Damascus to close the offices of Islamic Jihad located there, a move that would be unprecedented in Syria.

All of us who follow Bible prophecy have to be of a like mind when it comes to Syria suddenly being in the international spotlight, and particularly interested to see the peace-loving Quartet looking outside the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an attempt to stabilize the region in its pursuit of seeing a Palestinian-Arab state born on Israel's God-given covenant lands.

As I'm sure all my readers know, Damascus may well be living on borrowed time for the prophet Isaiah tells us, as recorded in Isaiah 17:1, Damascus is going to be "taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." Could the destruction of Damascus somehow stem from the world's sudden interest in Syria's wickedness? Time will tell, but, from my perspective, the Quartet's call for Damascus to close down Islamic Jihad's offices is BIG news.

An Interfax article states the Quartet's call for Damascus to shut down Islamic Jihad came after a recent meeting was held between the following parties: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jack Straw, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

Those of us familiar with the prophecies concerning the advent of the Antichrist - a leader who will, at the very least, eventually lead the revived Roman empire we presently call the European Union in the Tribulation Period to come - is he is going to somehow "confirm" a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East. When he does so, he'll do it "with many" we're told in Daniel 9:27.

Interestingly, as the world focuses its attention on Damascus and its state sponsorship of terrorism, as well as the newly-elected Iranian president's recent call for Israel to be wiped off the earth, the European Union, as a member of the Quartet, has quietly achieved what I believe is a milestone in efforts to solve the Middle East peace puzzle.

An EUBusiness.com article opens with the following remarks on the topic (emphasis added mine):

Soon, it appears, the revived Roman empire is going to have a presence on the ground in the Middle East peace process. That, my friends, is going to place them squarely in the driver's seat concerning all future efforts to bring peace to the troubled Middle East, potentially setting the stage for the advent Antichrist to occur, potentially in the not-too-distant future.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, as noted earlier, is far from certain peace is going to come in this present generation. As for me, I believe the verdict on that issue is out, especially when we consider that the EU is about to land in the Holy Land!

Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 24:44: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Who would ever think Middle East peace could be "confirmed" amid the heightened tensions currently present in the troubled Middle East? I would, for one! Remember, as we're told in 1st Thessalonians 5:3, "when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

All that needs to happen is for that one piece of the Middle East peace puzzle to be found which is needed to complete the picture painted in Bible prophecy leading up to the Rapture of the Church. Where the Church is concerned, it is likely no one is going to see that piece of the puzzle being slid into its final resting place before the Lord returns like a thief in the night to call His Bride to meet Him in the air.