Chris Mitchell is no ordinary man. As Middle East bureau chief of the Christian Broadcasting Network news channel, he has covered every major news event in the Middle East since the year 2000 when he took the job.
With his extensive experience and in an effort to explain the major trends sweeping this part of the world through a biblical lens, Mitchell recently published his first book, “Dateline Jerusalem: An eyewitness account of prophecies unfolding in the Middle East.”
Recently, Breaking Israel News sat down with Mitchell to talk about his new book and get his take on current events in the Middle East.
Chris, thanks for sitting down with Breaking Israel News. What made you decide to write Dateline Jerusalem?
I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to be here in Jerusalem and to be on the front lines of Israel’s history. And also to help those who do not have the opportunity to be here, to understand what is happening here in Jerusalem, in Israel, in the Middle East. And hopefully, through the experiences I’ve had and the stories I’ve been able to report on, I can help glean some insight and understanding that readers can benefit from.
For the people we report to, there is tremendous interest in what is happening in Israel and in Jerusalem, so hopefully this will be an extension, perhaps in a deeper way, of what is actually happening here. It’s like walking into a history book when you visit here.
You talk about the news from a Biblical perspective. Do you look at the Bible from a news perspective?
A lot of people say if you have a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other it helps you understand what is happening. I’ve always been interested in history, so to see history unfold and see what’s written in the bible, it fits hand in glov
e and weaves together. It’s not always cause and effect, but I do think you see themes and trends in what is happening right now.
What do you think is God’s plan for the Middle East?
Well, right now, He seems to be restoring Israel and returning the Jewish people back to their land. It seems the events foretold by the prophets, whether its Ezekiel, Isaiah or Zachariah, are unfolding before our very eyes. One of the miracles I see is when you walk down the street you can see a reborn State of Israel, which is incredible. And then you see, for example like what it says in Zachariah 8:5, children are playing in the streets, just like the prophet said would happen one day.
In your book you write, “…I’ve had the opportunity – and privilege – to see the world turn more and more of its attention toward the ancient capital of David. I believe this trend will increase and eventually shape the history of the world and the destinies of its people. The news today might focus on Washington, New York, London, or Moscow, but history’s final chapter will be written in Jerusalem.” What should Christians should make of this?
Well I think like the sons of Issachar, they should understand the times and what we live in now. I also think we should understand Genesis 12:2 and 12:3, where it says they should bless Israel and they will be blessed. Psalms 122 says they should pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
And I know that is happening more and more around the world. In the book, I discuss this crescendo of prayer around the world and I think that’s increasing. I think the attention of the world will increase on Jerusalem and I think we can see a spike in just the last several weeks with this agreement in Geneva where the focus has been on Israel, on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and on the stand Israel is taking in opposition to many of the world’s powers. And I think this is sort of an intensification that we’ll be seeing more of.
How should Christians help this growing focus on Jerusalem?
Well first of all I think they can pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem. The second thing they can do is be informed from websites like Breaking Israel News and CBN News as well. And they can express their voice. There are lots of advocacy groups that are standing up on behalf of the Jewish people and I think that this phenomenon has taken place in an accelerated fashion in the last dozen years or so.
I see this myself, that there’s a growing cooperation between many Jews and Christians because they have found a common ground, a common enemy in radical Islam and perhaps a different perspective on the Jewish state.
Many groups are speaking out and they do not want to repeat the historic mistake that happened in the 1930s when the Jewish people were threatened with genocide and very few people spoke out.
In the book, I hope to convey the idea that if you put on biblical lenses, the Middle East becomes a much clearer picture. Israel and Jerusalem become much clearer. If you see it through a biblical lens, you understand a lot more about what is unfolding before our very eyes. If you look at the Middle East from a religious perspective, you start to understand why Iran is motivated to acquire a nuclear bomb because their eschatology is that they want to pave the way for their Messiah, the twelfth Imam. And when you combine their eschatology with technology, it’s a toxic brew.
What message do you want readers to walk away with after reading Dateline Jerusalem?
Well, hopefully more understanding and insight into what is happening in the Middle East. I hope they understand that they play a part and are not divorced from what is happening in Israel.
I write in the end, that everyone will have their rendezvous with Jerusalem. And on the back cover it says, that history’s final chapter will be written in Jerusalem. I think that’s the direction that the Bible points to and we see that unfolding. I am glad I had the opportunity and the privilege to be here and to be an eyewitness to that.
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