Tipping Point Quick Hits (9.23.20)

Peace with Iraq, a bionic eye, and "trans Jesus" in Iceland

Could an Israel-Iraq peace deal be on the table?

United Arab Emirates. Bahrain. Next: Iraq? Over the past two months, a wave of peace has been washing over the Middle East. Now that the UAE and Bahrain have normalized ties with Israel, at least one Iraqi politician is saying his country should be next. Mithal al-Alusi, a Sunni Muslim politician and leader of the Ummah Party suggested that Iraq take steps to build diplomatic relations between the countries:

“There are nearly 700,000 Iraqi Jews who currently live in Israel. Why should we enter a war with them for the sake of Gaza or for the sake of the bank accounts of the Palestinian groups?”

He speculated that Iraq’s political leaders were open to talks with Israel but afraid of Iran “because Iran is the policymaker in Iraq.” Iraq declared war on Israel when the Jewish state formed in 1948 and has technically remained at war ever since.

Psalm 83 speaks about a regional war in which Israel will route her enemies. I have also written extensively about the Gog-Magog War, a second and larger war foretold in Ezekiel 38. This prophecy includes parts of modern-day Iraq, which represents the ancient biblical land of Mesopotamia and was home to Babylon, an enemy of Israel.

Of course, Babylon doesn’t exist any longer, and while the region may share a geography, Iraq’s people and culture are far removed from Israel’s Old Testament foes. Still, any discussions of peace between Israel and her enemies—past or present—reminds me that peace treaties will play a significant role in the end times. They may even provide evidence that prophecy is being fulfilled.

Paul wrote about this in a famous passage about Christ’s judgment and return:

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”—1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

I long for peace in the Middle East. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But I also know that peace will always be temporary until Jesus returns.

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Doctors prepare to implant bionic eye

In Melbourne, Australia, a team of university researchers is planning to launch human clinical trials of a “bionic eye”—a brain implant and device they say could restore vision to the blind.

The Gennaris bionic vision system implants micro electrodes in the brain and connects them to headgear with a camera and wireless transmitter. According to a professor involved in the project, the system can bypass damaged optic nerves to allow signals to be transmitted from the camera to the brain’s vision center:

“Our design creates a visual pattern from combinations of up to 172 spots of light (phosphenes) which provides information for the individual to navigate indoor and outdoor environments, and recognize the presence of people and objects around them.”

Previously, researchers were able to transplant the Gennaris array into the brains of sheep without adverse health effects. Should human trials be successful, researchers also hope the technology will have other neurological applications, including the restoration of movement to paralyzed limbs.

While the idea of a bionic eye restoring sight may seem like a positive advancement, I find these kinds of developments to be disturbing. This is a step toward transhumanism, which refers to scientific manipulation of the humanity body. Any attempt to “improve” God’s design leads us a step further toward the creation of a new super race.

The scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil has predicted that “Humans will be hybrids by 2030,” with technology-augmented intelligence and brains directly connected to computers. Transhumanists foresee this merger of humanity and technology as advancement. But it’s also possible it will create a new underclass of “subhumans”—in other words, normal people, exactly as God designed. Any attempt by humans to immortalize ourselves by improving upon or manipulating what He has created is arrogant. There is only one God, and we are not Him.

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Dress-wearing “Woke Jesus” causes uproar in Iceland

In early September, the Facebook page of the Church of Iceland published a graphic intended to welcome children to Sunday School classes. It featured a dancing, bearded Jesus in front of a rainbow—but He had breasts, wore makeup, and appeared to be wearing a dress.

The graphic has since been deleted due to enormous online backlash. After taking down the ad, the Church issued an apology:

“The 2020 Assembly of the National Church regrets that the picture of Jesus in a Sunday school advertisement has hurt people. The goal was to emphasize diversity, not to hurt people or shock them.”

A media representative for the Church of Iceland insisted it was positive for Jesus to appear in a variety of forms because people need to see themselves in Jesus. However, he said, “We know that not everyone agrees Christ should appear this way, and we do of course respect that.”

Another church representative said this:

“Each person interprets something in this picture. Some people interpret it as a trans Jesus, others as a woman. Some see Mary with a beard, and others see a genderqueer person. Views within the church are just as diverse as elsewhere.”

Obviously, Christians have been imagining Jesus in their own image for centuries. Some of our culture’s most popular depictions of Jesus show Him with a European complexion and long, light-colored hair. Those depictions are inaccurate. As a Jewish man from the Middle East, scholars and forensic anthropologists believe He likely had dark hair and an olive-colored complexion. Beyond that, Isaiah 53:2 seems to indicate He wasn’t traditionally handsome.

To be perfectly honest, all of us might be a little surprised by the actual physical appearance of Jesus. And I very much believe it is important for His followers to be able to identify with Him, just as the Church of Iceland representative said.

But I also believe gender confusion is an attack of the devil, and we need to stand firm against transsexuality as an option for sexual expression. Jesus is coming soon, and He told us that in the days of His return it would be like the days of Noah and Lot—a time of decadence, sexual experimentation and immorality. That describes this generation. But like Noah and Lot, we must not participate in the sins of our generation.