As much as I wish peace in the Middle East was possible, it is difficult to see a path that gets us there. God’s Word is clear that, in the last days, Jerusalem will be a heavy stone, injuring those who try to move it. (Zechariah 12:3) Not only will Israel always have enemies, in the end, not one nation will stand with them. (Joel 3:2 and Zechariah 14:2)

That is not to say we should not pursue peace. God blesses peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and we should appreciate the peace efforts of the Trump administration and all who pursue peace. Yet, Iran provides no confidence they will be a good peace partner. For almost 50 years (since the Iranian “revolution” in 1979), Iran has shown its true colors, remaining faithful to religious ideology that drives them to believe their god calls them to bring about apocalyptic destruction of those who believe differently than they do.

The Iranian regime is driven by that ideology and, thus, do not care for the lives or wellbeing of their own people. They seek to survive as a regime in order to fulfill their “god-given” mission and have little regard even for their own lives because martyrdom for the cause of Allah means rewards in heaven. They do crazy things because they cling to crazy theology. It is a spiritual issue that no amount of geopolitical negotiation will resolve. Ultimately, not even the best dealmaker will succeed.

Within that context, I have pondered the ceasefire. What does it do and what does it not do? Many doubts and questions remain.

• Will Iran be forced to give up their ballistic missiles? They recently fired one at an American base on the island of Diego Garcia, after indicating for years their missile range was half of what they demonstrated. Missiles already reach Israel, and if they are able to launch from ships or aircraft, America becomes a legitimate target.
• Will Iran be allowed to keep their nuclear material, already enriched to 60%? The Iranians themselves admitted they have enough material for 10-11 nuclear bombs, and it takes only a couple weeks to enrich from 60% to 90% (weapons grade).
• Will Iran retain the facilities necessary to advance their nuclear program? Entire underground facilities house centrifuges that run 24/7 enriching nuclear material, and they possess heavy water reactors and other facilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons.
• Will the US allow Iran to continue to train and fund proxy armies whose only mission is to destroy Israel? Hamas was fully funded and supplied by Iran (with Qatar’s help) and Hezbollah continues to attack Israel from Lebanon.
• Will Iran continue to threaten the Gulf states? Moderate Arab nations who have entered into treaties or trade agreements with Israel have been heavily targeted by Iran.
• Is the “new leadership” in Iran any less brutal and dictatorial than the Khamanei regime? At the moment, no one seems to know whether the ayatollah’s son-turned-heir is alive and capable of running the country. However, the younger Khamanei or some other leader may well be more extreme than the previous ayatollah.
• Will the people of Iran get the chance to revolt against the evil regime from whom they wish to break? Not long ago, Trump promised “help is on the way,” but citizens who dare protest are still being mowed down by the IRGC and their thugs.

Does the ceasefire address these concerns?

Ultimately, there is a much more significant dilemma: Will the US ultimately back down, leaving the fight to Israel alone? Israel knows full well that a peace deal without fully incapacitating the Iranian regime will lead only to future attacks. Yet, the Bible indicates that Israel will eventually stand alone. Will it happen on our watch?

Watch and pray, Christian friends. We are children of the Most High God and He has promised an eternal home. However, He has also given us responsibilities to pray for Israel and to share the Gospel. Prophetic signs are all around and our time is short. Just like Jesus (Luke 2:49), we must be about our Father’s business.