Not About Oil...Not About Land

Har Megiddo...a.k.a. Armageddon.
If you happen to watch generic religious TV; that is, not a particular denomination, you will hear a sermon or two...or more that includes Israel, rebuilding the Temple, mid-east oil reserves, Palestine, and the war to end all wars...Armageddon.
What I find curious is that so much preaching-energy goes into something so spiritually vacant. Vacant? Yes, vacant. Here's why: The battle between Good and Evil is, and always has been, a spiritual war between Christ and Satan. The death of Christ on the cross was to redeem mankind...all of mankind.
To my ear the religious rhetoric is more about Israel and the return of the Jews to their homeland. When one reads the New Testament it is good to ask this question; "Why was the Christ rejected by the Jews?" As I read it, the reason is because Jesus did not fit the traditional "profile" of the expected Messiah. The Jews were looking for a political leader who would vault Israel into world prominence and dominance. But because He said, "My kingdom is not of this world..." He was cast out of the city and killed.
Today's preachers are following the same path as did the Jews in Christ's time: They are preaching the return of Christ who will reign from Jerusalem with a rod of iron. There is a lot of missing-the-point preaching these days and millions are being led astray.
Someone is shouting; "You're preaching replacement theology" and I say, "Spot on!" When Christ drove the merchants out of the Temple where they were selling animals to those who would offer sacrifice of blood for their sins, He said (essentially) 'You shall not make My Father's House a den of thieves!" Did you catch that? He said, "My Father's House!"
But just prior to the crucifixion, after denouncing the 'Doctors of the Church' (so to speak) He said. "Your house is left unto you desolate!" So the Temple in Jerusalem went from "My Father's House" to Your House."
Interestingly, there are protestant preachers...maybe you've heard them...who make it a policy to raise money to bring Jews back to Israel. The message has changed from a battle spiritual to one literal. In my view that is a fatal mistake and results in distracting believers from issues spiritual to political.
Anything Satan does that redirects our thinking from preparing for Christ's soon return brings Satan joy [read I Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5]. The apostle's words are very clear and don't leave any room for politics.
Christ and Satan are battling for souls; not for oil, and not for land (Jerusalem).
Peace? I don't think so. e.c.