Month: March 2010

What a week! Under the cover of the media circus surrounding the “Healthcare Reform” debate, our nation has been wrecking havoc with the traditional American-Israeli diplomatic relationship. The results? Ask people in the Northeast (11 die in unprecedented floods) or in Minnesota (worst storms on record). What message is being sent to us? It’s the same message. “Those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed”. Genesis 12:3.

One media commentator justified US verbal assaults on Israel by saying “Israel shouldn’t get a free pass”. What? Let’s analyze what’s really happening by viewing it in this way. Imagine that America has a treaty relationship with a major nation. Further imagine that the other nation decides that America shouldn’t have annexed the area of Arizona and New Mexico, demanding that the area be carved out as a separate nation. So, this “friendly” nation publically attacks America and, are you seated? Then it assails America for granting zoning and building permits for a new apartment project in Phoenix. Hunh? And add this, the attacks on the granting of building permits comes after America announced, months ago, that it is now committed to the idea of giving up its land in order to “make peace”, after years of saying it would never do so.

Only Israel is questioned by the world for building homes on its own territory. Only Israel’s leader is called by America’s Secretary of State and “reamed out for 43 minutes”. The New York Times (3/16/10) called Secretary Clinton’s comments a “harsh rebuke” to Israel. Where does our nation get off rebuking Israel? Who made us God? God didn’t. Why aren’t our leaders “reaming out” the leaders of Iran, who are daily building nuclear weapons that can be used to vaporize hundreds of thousands of human beings, maybe even Americans?

How will this all play out? Prophecy tells us that in the end times, after Israel, like a fig tree (Mark 11), is re-blossomed and re-gathered in the land, it will make peace with its enemies. America appears to be ‘hell-bent’ on forcing Israel to ‘make peace’ by giving up its land (contrary to God’s command not to do so) and by dividing Israel’s traditional capital – Jerusalem – God’s chosen city. Once the “peace” is forced on Israel the stage will be set for the Ezekiel 38/39 invasion by Russia, Iran and Libya. Thousands will die as Israel’s major friend/nation decides to look the other way, stabs Israel in the back and betrays her, contrary to our 1979 military defense agreement. May God help us then as we pay the ultimate price for our future treachery (Genesis 12:3 and Revelation 18:2).

The Daughter of Babylon/America will be destroyed, according to five Biblical writers of prophecy, when it stabs Israel in the back, leaving many in Israel to die when it is attacked by Russia (Gog), Iran (Persia) and other Muslim nations (Ezekiel 38/39). The attack will come when Israel is at peace with its neighbors. (Ezekiel 38:8 and 11). So, how close is Israel to making peace? Except for its peace with Egypt, which led to America signing an agreement to defend Israel if it’s attacked, Israel has not yet agreed to peace with those who seek to destroy it.

The prospects for an Israeli peace agreement are rapidly changing, however, behind the scenes. Vice President Biden is in Israel this week for a singular purpose. To push Israel. Under US pressure, Israel and the Palestinians are now starting a four months series of “proximity talks”, which means the parties aren’t talking directly to each other, but only indirectly through a mediator, the United States government. These “talks” are the first in several years, and only happened because the US provided the Palestinians a letter promising to “overcome…obstacles” (purportedly the Israeli government) and assuring them that “our core remains a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian State with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967”. The key word that helped lead the Palestinians to agree to the “talks” was the word “occupation”. The United States in the past has not referred to the land that Israel was given when it was attacked in 1967 as a land of “occupation”, though the word is frequently used by Israel’s enemies. The US promise to get the Palestinians a “State” from Israel, thus forcing Israel to give up the land that God gave to Israel (and which He told Israel not to give up), was quite an inducement.

In the midst of VP Biden’s visit, and the start of indirect talks, a major glitch developed. Israel’s Interior Ministry announced that it would approve the building of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem. Ooops. PM Netanyahu denied that he knew anything about the decision, saying he was “surprised”. Probably true, as the Interior Ministry is headed by Eli Yishai, who is ultra-Orthodox, and apparently opposed to giving up the land. How did VP Biden react? Not well. He “condemned” the “timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks”. The Palestinian Authority said that the housing announcement “ended efforts to renew negotiations with Israel”. True? We can be sure of one thing – based on Biblical prophecy – Israel will eventually enter into a peace treaty with its enemies. The US government, the United Nations, the European Union, the Vatican are all publically invested in making it happen. When will it happen? Stay tuned. We need to be packed and ready to go no later than when we learn that Israel is at peace with its neighbors. (Ezekiel 38:8 and 11).

That was my frequent question to my very pregnant wife during her labor with our two youngest children. I could see the meter registering spasms of pain on her electronic fetal monitor. My questions were usually answered by “Of course I felt it!”. Similarly, the Bible describes increasing earthquakes in the end times as “labor pains” or “birth pangs”.(Mark 13:8). Do the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, and now in Chile, have any prophetic meaning? Are these earthquakes “labor pains” prior to the end of time, or just random incidents?

Jeremiah in 15:17 said “They keep saying to me, ‘Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled’ “ Those who don’t believe in God and His Son will raise the same questions in the end times, doubting that prophecy will ever be fulfilled. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (II Peter 3:4). Last week’s quake in Chile actually shifted the axis of the earth, according to NASA scientists (AP, 3/9/10). The shift was only microseconds, but think of the power that it takes to move an entire planet. God was, once again, proving His omnipotence. The recent shift of the earth’s axis is just one more proof of God’s end times power and actions.

At the same time, what has been going on with Israel, the nation the treatment of which will determine the future of the world, according to scripture? For the last two years the 22 member Arab League has avoided any negotiations with Israel. The League cut off contact with Israel after it responded to rockets launched against it by invading Gaza. However, for the last few months the United States has been pressuring Israel and the members of the Arab League to resume negotiations. On Wednesday, after two years of no contact, the Arab League members voted to resume negotiations with Israel, hoping to convince Israel to give up the land Israel obtained when it was attacked in 1967. In voting for the resumption, the League affirmed that US pressure led to the change: “The American administration’s current direction for serious involvement in the peace process is a positive manner and a window of opportunity that can be built upon”, said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallam on Egyptian state television. Other League members, according to the New York Times, said that the vote was “a reaction to the sustained United States diplomatic efforts”. (NYT, 3/3/10).

What does this tell us? First, America is exerting maximum pressure on Israel to give up its God-given land, contrary to scripture. Second, America has quite obviously convinced the members of the Arab League that the US will be able to push Israel into surrendering its land to Palestinians. Otherwise, why would the 22 Arab nations agree this week to re-start negotiations with their hated enemy? Why should we care? “Those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed”. (Gen. 12:3). Unfortunately, our nation is embarked upon a regular, persistent and persuasive effort to make God’s chosen nation give up the land that He said not to give up. We will certainly pay the price for doing so.