The Associated Press is calling it "a once inconceivable notion," but it looks like it's about to be put on the table - the prospect of a holy city of Jerusalem shared by both Israelis and Palestinians. Talk about an end times bombshell! Jerusalem shared?

The Palestinians would get most of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods, according to Otniel Schneller, an architect of a plan Israel's Ehud Olmert-led government is considering proposing.

"Those same neighborhoods will, in my assessment, be central to the makeup of the Palestinian capital ... al-Quds," Schneller is quoted in the article as saying, referring to Jerusalem by its Arab name.

Jerusalem as the capital city of Palestine? Dear Lord, have mercy on those who would support such a mockery of the Word of God!

The article states "Israel would keep Jerusalem's Old City with its shrines sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike — an unacceptable plan to Palestinians, particularly if carried out unilaterally."

There are two points made in the article I want to highlight as they are demonstrative, in my opinion, of just how rapidly things are changing, leading us closer and closer toward prophetic fulfillment concerning the advent of the Antichrist, as well as the onset of the Tribulation Period, two events which will be preceded by the Rapture of the Church:

1. A division of Jerusalem looks realistic for the first time ever since Jerusalem was captured by the Israelis in 1967, whether it comes through agreement or a unilateral action on the part of Ehud Olmert's Israeli government!

2. As quoted in the article, this plan "reflects a sea change in the thinking of most Israelis, who once considered sacrilegious the idea of abandoning any part of the holy city." Let the record reflect that I believe the surrendering of even one inch of Israeli land to the Palestinians is sacrilegious, as we look at God's Word!

Remember what Bible prophecy tells us concerning Jerusalem, particularly noting what the world gathering against it implies concerning the timing of our Lord's return!

Zechariah 12:2-3: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Eventually, whether it be sooner or later, as seen in Daniel 9:26-27, "the prince that shall come", the Antichrist, is going to "confirm" or make strong a seven-year covenant of peace in the Middle East. Seven years later, the Lord will return to earth visibly, physically, and bodily to set things right once and for all to the glory of God!

Joel 3:1-2: For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Could it be that Israel, clearly yielding to the will of the people of the earth (the international community) that is persistently gathered against it, as seen in UN declaration after declaration against it, is now prepared to give its enemies what everybody seems to want them to - a piece of the holy city of Jerusalem to call their very own?

If Israel elects to do so, will such a plan require an outside power to confirm it? Presently, there is little doubt this will be a necessity as the Palestinians want nothing done that isn't reached by way of a negotiated settlement.

If Olmert's plan is enacted unilaterally, I can not imagine that it will be even remotely successful. This could open a window of opportunity for someone of Roman descent, the Antichrist, to arrive on the world stage with a solution to bring all this seemingly never-ending conflict to its conclusion, some form of confirmation of peace which will be supported by "many." I'm not saying that's what's going to take place, mind you, but it very well could, as this is an both an unprecedented development and an opportunity for something of dramatic prophetic significance to take place!

The world, should this come to pass, will likely view Israel's willingness to surrender part of Jerusalem as a sign of good things to come, but it isn't. Not at all, at least where the future of the lost is concerned!

1Thessalonians 5:3: For 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.

Time, I fear with all my heart, is running out for the Church to fulfill its mission prior to the Rapture. If there's someone - anyone- you know who needs to come to faith in Jesus Christ, I urge you to get serious about reaching out to them now. Why? Because the end is surely drawing near when the final point of contention in the never-ending conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is being brought to the table for consideration - possession of the holy city of Jerusalem!

Soon, I believe, the Rapture of the Church will come; the Antichrist will rise as a broker of Middle East peace and somehow confirm it "with many"; and all hell (literally) will break out on the earth as the horrors of the Tribulation Period unfold on a world that has forgotten its God!

SOURCE: Rapture Alert