Jerusalem

It is my conviction that one of the most important clues to World Peace lies in the Middle East - in Jerusalem, to be exact.

Jerusalem is a sacred place for three of the distinct religions in the world today, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. One would assume that Jerusalem is predestined to serve as a site of peace for all of humanity. But as of today, quite to the contrary, Jerusalem, just as the rest of the Middle East, is beset with violence, hatred and mistrust.

I visited Jerusalem in early 2023, at the end of my nine-years' trip around the world, to await the advent of the promised Saviour (cf. The Coming Saviour). And I thought to myself: Basically, it would be so easy so make peace. It's a pure matter of will, a question of decision-making. In the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a first step, the two sides (the Israeli government on the one hand, and the leaders of the Palestinian West Bank and the Gaza Strip on the other hand) would sit together and reach two simple agreements: First, the obvious statement and confirmation that, yes, we do want peace. Second, a compromise as to the future of the whole territory of Palestine/The Promised Land: is it going to be a one-state solution, or a two-state, three-state, four-/five-/six-state solution? From what I see on the ground, the only realistic approach can be to agree on a one-state solution - the details of all practical aspects of this to be discussed and settled at a later stage.

But, as long as there are irresponsable politicians who publicly proclaim they don't want peace, there is little chance we're getting anywhere.

What will the Saviour say?

Tuesday 7th March 2023

What a coincidence: During my stay in Jerusalem, on Tuesday 7th March 23 (a full-moon day, and less than two weeks before the promised coming of the Saviour), several religions all over the world celebrated special festivals, all of them different from each other, and yet, all of them somehow similar in their context. How do they all relate to the coming of the Saviour?

The Jews celebrated Purim, a festival of joy and dancing, commemorating the miraculous escape from extinction at the hands of a Persian king. It's wonderful of course to celebrate one's own survival and existence - but what makes them so confident that they'll survive next time? When the promised Messiah makes his appearance, and he sees there is no peace in the Middle East, no efforts are being made to bring about peace, there's even an unwillingness to consider peace - how will he react? Will he react in a benevolent way, promising to help out? Or will he be so outraged that he'll declare: This people doesn't deserve to live and survive, it deserves to be crushed and destroyed! A people that doesn't want peace has no right to exist!

The Muslims, at the same time, in many countries all over the world, celebrated Lailat al Bara'ah, the Night of Forgiveness. It's the time when they hope God will offer forgiveness for their sins. But, again: what makes them think they'll find forgiveness if they refuse to make peace with Israel? To live contrary to the spirit of peace is one of the greatest sins humans can commit - why should such sinners be forgiven? How will Al-Mahdi, the promised Islamic Saviour, react, when he appears at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice?

The Christians, in turn, were in the midst of celebrating Lent, a spiritual preparation for Easter. Easter symbolizes the very essence of Christian belief, namely the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the promise of his return as a Saviour at the end of times. All too often, however, Christians forget that the Saviour, before bringing eternal peace, will judge humanity - what are the chances that he will judge humanity in a benevolent way, in view of the misery that has been caused by the very same humans in the past (and continues being caused in our present times)?

The Hindus, meanwhile, celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colours, which is meant to symbolize the triumph of good over evil. It is dedicated to God Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, who, in the form of his tenth and final incarnation, as Lord Kalki, will return to earth at the end of the present evil cycle, and re-establish righteousness in a new world. In this sense, Kalki, before creating a new world, becomes the destroyer of the old world - will he thus destroy all of humanity because of our sins? How could he create a new world with the sinners of today as its inhabitants?

The Buddhists, finally, celebrated Buddha's teachings on this full-moon day, about the true nature of human suffering. It's a festival (called Magha Puja) celebrating the perfection of compassion. The ultimate aim of compassion is to make this world a better place where there is no suffering: It's about assuming fullest personal responsibility for the well-being of all living things in this universe. Now, do festivals and religious ceremonies make the world a better place? No, they simply serve as an alibi, to indulge in self-love and futile activism. This is what Maitreya, the promised Buddhist Saviour, will remind us of when he appears at the end of times.

So, of course, the question remains: Are we ready to receive the Saviour?