This book was previously published as The Last Word on the Middle East (1982) and Promised Land (2005). The current version has been updated partly by Derek Prince himself and later by the editorial staff of Derek Prince Ministries. As such it is a classic which remains one of the most significant books on this topic.
Personal Perspective
The first part of the book (three chapters) is entitled ‘Historical Perspective’ and is greatly enlivened by the author’s own experiences and reflections from his time as a young man in military service in Palestine and his later marriage to Lydia Christensen who ran a small children’s home in Ramallah. These autobiographical details provide a special flavour to the background of the historical and political events leading up to the establishment of the nation of Israel and its immediate aftermath.
As Prince witnessed the extraordinary birth pains of a nation about to be born in a day, he became acutely aware of one simple fact, that God watches over his word. “From the new perspective I had gained since coming to Israel, I saw it as the outworking of the most powerful force in human affairs – the prophetic Word of God” (pp47-48). This was the key that was unlocking this portion of history in the Middle East.
He describes the hardship and danger he endured at the time but adds it was “a small price to pay for the privilege of witnessing perhaps the most important fulfilment of biblical prophecy since the first century” (p49).
This is a classic which remains one of the most significant books on the topic.
Fulfilment of Prophecy
Part 2 continues to explore this theme in six chapters. Prince describes Israel’s miraculous growth under pressure without parallel and relates this to Isaiah 11 and 43. The process of re-gathering has an ultimate purpose – namely, God’s glory.
There is a chapter on the ‘times of the Gentiles’ (Luke 21) before the author tackles “one of the most controversial issues in modern politics” (p105) in a chapter entitled ‘Whose is the Land?’
Prince appeals “to a higher authority: the Bible” (p105) where the answer is clear. “By right of creation, God owns the entire earth and everything in it” (p106) and he can dispose of it among peoples as he pleases.
After his thorough examination of the prophetic scriptures, the author draws things to a conclusion by asking “how then shall we respond?” He asserts that we are to be co-workers with God in his purposes and suggests four main ways to do this: praise, proclaim, pray and comfort.
Full of Gems of Wisdom
The final chapter covers the end-time judgment of the nations, but the book does not end there. A special section of over 30 pages follows, entitled ‘A Chronological Survey of Events in Israel 1947-2012’. This greatly adds to the value of the book and makes it even more indispensable.
Overall his writing is typically full of gems of wisdom and solid scriptural exposition. The book is also well-indexed. A ‘must have’!
‘The Key to the Middle East: Discovering the Future of Israel in Biblical Prophecy’ (187pp, paperback/e-book) is available from Derek Prince Ministries, also from CFI and on Amazon.
