Tom Doyle - Two Nations Under God

Chaos. Carnage. Confusion. For many, that's the modern Middle East. But Tom Doyle gets it. Better yet, he can really explain it. With a pastor's heart, he clearly and concisely describes why God loves the Jews of Israel and her Muslim neighbors, and why we should, too. What's more, Tom reveals how powerfully God is moving in the modern Middle East, and how we can join Him. Two Nations under God is a must readfascinating, insightful, and deeply thought-provoking. Get one for yourself, and another for your pastor.

JOEL C. ROSENBERG

New York Times best-selling author of

Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the

Middle East Will Change Your Future

In Two Nations under God, Tom Doyle not only informs but inspires. Hope for the future is rare to find when it comes to the Middle East and Israel. Read this book and be informed not only about the history and political areas but of the witness of Jesus in the lives of people in the Bible lands. Tom helps us find ways to make a real difference and gives good news in troubled times. A must book for this day and time.

ARTHUR BLESSITT

The man who has carried the Cross into every nation of the world.

Guinness Book of World Records for world's longest walk.

Author of Give Me a J!

Tom Doyle knows no boundaries. He not only serves on the front line but on the spiritual front line in the Middle East, and has for many years. Two Nations under God is an extraordinary book! It looks into the political climate, turmoil, history, and future of the region. This is a must read for anyone hoping to understand why the Middle East is so volatile and what is driving this Holy War today. I am proud to call Tom Doyle a friend and brother in our Lord.

JASON ELAM

All-Pro Kicker for the Atlanta Falcons

Author of Monday Night Jihad

When searching for a word to describe the Middle East, most Americans would probably prefer inscrutablenot readily investigated, interpreted, or understood; mysterious. Why is the struggle in the Middle East so hard to understand?

In Two Nations under God, Tom Doyle guides the reader through the Middle East maze. He unscrews the inscrutableproviding direction, balance, and sanity to an otherwise twisted pathway of claims and counterclaims. But this is no dusty tome. Tom populates the book with stories and illustrations from real people he has met in his travels. He ends by focusing on a profoundly relevant question for those of us living in the United StatesSo what? His call to action applies directly to every true Christianand congregationin our country today.

I can summarize the book in three words: relevant, reliable, and readable. This book will change the way you think aboutand pray forthe Middle East!

DR. CHARLES DYER

Provost and Dean of Education

Moody Bible Institute

You are the love of my life.

Thank you for believing in me. I love you!

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.

To Shanna, Tommy, John-Mark, Lindsay, Joshua, and Sarah

You are worth more than treasure to your dad.

May your ultimate treasure in life always be Jesus.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION ONE

Israel is the place, and the Jews are the people whom God promises to love unconditionally forever. But this produces an enormous amount of tension within the region. The nations of the world have been given an opportunity to bless or curse God's chosen covenant people. Their choice decides the health of the nation and determines its destiny. Though modern Israel's existence was off to a shaky start, America made a conscious effort to bless Israel and since that time has enjoyed the promised blessing of God. This has resulted in the United States soaring to the top of the most-favored nation list in all of recorded history.

Chapter 1

When measuring the magnitude of an earthquake's impact, the most extreme readings are generated from the focal point commonly known as the epicenter. The earth's underground jolting quickly makes its way up to the surface directly overhead, where the data readings are then evaluated and analyzed, both historically and geographically. If an earthquake is large enough, its seismic waves can be measured all around the globe.

The same kind of thing happens in the spiritual arena. From time to time, when religions clash and new holy wars begin, spiritual earthquakes occur. And without a doubt, the spiritual epicenter of the world is found in the tiny country of Israelspecifically, in the city of Jerusalem.

Out of all the great cities of the world, God chose Jerusalem to reside in and to place His name over forever. As a result, Jerusalem sends out enormous shock waves worldwide on a regular basis. It is and has always been the focal point of all spiritual history throughout the ages. No city has ever received so much attention. No city ever will.

Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, is mentioned in the Scripture 881 times, and is given at least seventy different names and descriptions from cover to cover. God's love relationship with Jerusalem is seen in the tender words He often uses to address her: My holy city, My highest joy, My holy mountain. Spiritual history has been cataloged here. In Jerusalem. This is where God met with humanity and one day will meet with us again. God is attached to this citythis Holy Cityforever.

Notice how Yahweh feels about Jerusalem:

I have consecrated this temple you have built, to put My name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there at all times. (1 Kings 9:3b)

The LORD loves the gates of Zion. (Ps. 87:2a)

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home. (Ps. 132:13)

This was the city of the prophets, the home of the priests. Kings ruled here. Men and women of God served here. Abraham came here to sacrifice Isaac. Jesus came here to dieand continues to shock the world because He didn't stay dead here. And one day again in Jerusalem, He'll show the world that He's alive.

God's beautiful, eternal love for Jerusalem cannot be quenched. For more than a thousand years, His home address was here at the original clean room called the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, the very heartbeat of Israel's existence. And when eternity begins, the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven adorned like a bride on her wedding day.

When I first traveled to the city of God, the effect on me was like nothing I had ever experienced. The sheer spiritual intensity of the place gripped me and wouldn't let go. What was happening to me? I wondered. I couldn't get the ancient walled city out of my mind. I had already done a fair amount of world traveling, but I never once returned home and dreamed about Moscow, Buenos Aires, or even our own Washington, D.C. After being in Jerusalem, however, I often revisited the city in my dreams. Was I experiencing some kind of spiritual breakdown?