The end of a Heavenly marriage

Update

On Thursday New York Times MARK LANDLER and HELENE COOPER wrote, “Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East”. According to their story, one phrase at the end of Obama’s speech on Tuesday represents a shift in how the Administration views the continued conflict between Israel and Palestinians. “Obama declared that resolving the long-running Middle East dispute was a “vital national security interest of the United States,”.

According to their un-named source, Mr. Obama, frustrated by the inability of the Israelis and the Palestinians to come to terms, and will offer his own proposed parameters for an eventual Palestinian state.

“Mr. Obama said conflicts like the one in the Middle East ended up “costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure” — drawing an explicit link between the Israeli-Palestinian strife and the safety of American soldiers as they battle Islamic extremism and terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. “

Read The entire story here and compare to the posting below


The actual divorce proceedings are still some time off, and therefore, there is still hope of at least a temporary reconciliation. Prophecy believing Christians, however, know and understand that any reconciliation will only be temporary. The prophet Ezekiel wrote,

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?

(Ezekiel 38:13 NIV)

Although many of us hope that the U.S. and Israel will be able to rekindle the political flame that God fanned throughout the history of our great nation. There has definitely been a political separation between Israel and the United States. And we, the citizens of these great nations (Like children of a broken marriage) will bear the scars of this broken union.


It’s not the first time the U.S. has played the wayward partner in this political marriage. In the first decades of Israel's modern existence, when it fought and defeated Egyptian armies, the Eisenhower and Nixon administration’s twice twisted arms in Tel Aviv to force Israeli forces to withdraw - first from the Sinai Peninsula (1956-57), then from territory west of the Suez Canal which it had occupied during the October War (1973).

The difference between then and now, you ask?

America continued to provide Israel with strategic cover to counter Soviet threats of nuclear destruction and direct military intervention during the Eisenhower and Nixon years.

Today, Israel faces a Jew-hating Islamist coalition, of Iran, Hizbollah, and Hamas, which may soon have nuclear weapons. Turkey, a former ally and supporter of Israel, has aligned itself with the Muslim world at Israel’s expense (Haaretz Story). Key Arab nations like Syria and Libya have pressured Palestinian leaders to quit peace talks with Israel and return to violence (ABC News Story).

Again, this isn’t the first time that the U.S. Government has forsaken their first love (Christ Jesus) and turn their back on our adoptive sister state Israel. But this time is different in many ways.

Notice the tone of the scripture quoted above. Ezekiel doesn’t say that the so-called allies of Israel can’t help. He doesn’t write that Gog and the Islamic Coalition destroys the allies first and then makes their move on Israel. No, the battle spoke about by Ezekiel is given indifferent approval by the allies of Israel. Not the “We stand with Israel” of 1955-56. That message was clear; an enemy of Israel is an enemy of the United States. In the early morning hours leading up to the 6 day war, the Nixon Whitehouse received an urgent call for re-supply from the commanders on the ground in Israel. Although Nixon didn’t want direct involvement, the supply lines were eventually opened and the outnumbered, outgunned Israeli army took control of the conflict, and victory was secured. Once again, we (America) stood by Israel’s side and God delivered victory into their hands. And for our loyality and solidarity to that sliver state, smaller in area than the state of Rhode Island, God has richly blessed our country.

This is not the case today, according to Ambassador Dore Gold in his presentation to the Institute for Contemporary Affairs in Jerusalem on March 25, 2010, “We are in a period in which the U.S.-Israel relationship appears to be in flux”, said Gold. "But it is hard for many observers to establish whether the policies of the Obama administration represent a sharp break in U.S. policy toward Israel or a continuation of past U.S. policies", he added.

The policies of the Obama administration definitely represent a shift in U.S. policy towards Israel and Jerusalem because of the efforts to have Israel freeze all construction in the eastern parts of the city. The original Oslo Agreements in 1993 do not require a freeze of any kind on construction in Jerusalem. Furthermore, under the Oslo Agreements, Jerusalem was treated as having a completely different status than the West Bank and the city was kept under Israeli control, while seen as an issue for permanent status negotiations in the future. Israel kept building for its residents, just as Palestinian Arabs built for their needs in the areas under their control and elsewhere.

The relationship between the United States and Israel is not confined to their governments. It involves the people of the United States, who overwhelmingly support the State of Israel, and it also involves the U.S. Congress which reflects the will of the people. While U.S. administrations have not formally recognized Israel's unification of Jerusalem, back in 1995 the U.S. Congress adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act by a massive bipartisan majority. It called for the movement of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Equally important, it also acknowledged that Jerusalem must remain united under Israeli sovereignty.

Can this relationship be put back together?
There is one caveat to the idea that U.S.-Israel relations will get back on track in the near future. It is possible to discern a growing view, which has been reported in the Washington Post, that the Obama administration intends to put on the table its own plan for Middle East peace, based on a nearly full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines, that most Israeli planners view as militarily indefensible. As the Palestinians see this scenario unfold, their incentive to re-enter negotiations will decline as they look forward to the prospect that an American peace plan will be imposed. An Obama plan for a complete Israeli retreat of this sort would not only deny the Jewish state "defensible borders," but would also divide Jerusalem, placing the Old City and its holy sites within Palestinian jurisdiction.

If indeed there is such a plan being prepared, then the recent U.S.-Israel tensions over construction in east Jerusalem may only be Act I in a much longer drama that the two countries are about to face. Undoubtedly there are sober voices in the U.S. government today that would advise against the President taking such a course of action. But should he indeed advance a new division of Jerusalem, then in the months ahead the U.S. and Israel will be facing a serious crisis in their relationship, just as the military threats from Iran can be expected to worsen.

What about the future?
We may not know the details that the future holds, but as bible believing Christians, we know who holds the future. In order to truly know what’s coming, we have to put aside the political and social views that can be manipulated and adulterated, and view this relationship through what Joel C. Rosenberg (Author: Epicenter) calls the “Third Lens” of scripture. The fact is that this divinely inspired marriage will eventually come to an end. Not all the citizens, but the government of our country will become indifferent to the plight of Israel. Jerusalem will be divided in the future, and the nations that participate in this division will pay the ultimate price for their arrogance. The prophet Joel wrote:

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.”

(Joel 3:2 NASB)

For those that will argue this passage was taken out of context for our current discussion, again, look through the “Third Lens” of scripture. If those in power succeed in a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, placing the Old City and its holy sites within Palestinian jurisdiction, sometime in the future, the words of Revelation 11 will be fulfilled. The two witnesses seen by John will be killed and lie “in the street of the great city” that is, parts of Jerusalem or the Old City after its handed over to the Palestinian Authority.

How can we be sure?
Recently, I had an opportunity to discuss this and other issues with a friend. The conversation began about the increased number of earthquakes and other natural disasters, and quickly zeroed in to the activities in the Holy land. He made a legitimate argument, “If you ask 10 different Christians from 10 different churches, you’ll get at least 10 different interpretations.” Within my rebuttal, lies the answer to How can we be sure? The bible must be interpreted by the bible; anything else is subject to the sinful nature of the person making the statement.

Therefore, the fact that we know the love affair between the nation of Israel and the American Government will end in indifferent approval of an attack from an Islamic Coalition led by the still unidentified nation of Magog. (Ezekiel 38); we also know that never before in human history has all the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 (according to Rosenberg they are by identified by their current names below) been aligned politically and in ideology the way they are now under Islamic control.

I. Meshech and Tubal = Turkey
II. Persia = Iran
III. Cush = Sudan
IV. Put= Libia (possibly Algeria,Tunisia as well)
V. Beth-Togarmah = Turkey, Armenia

The breakdown of the political marriage between Israel and the west may just be the tipping point to the fulfillment of prophecy. The loss of Jerusalem as the unilateral capital of Israel would certainly be a foreshadow of Revelation 11:

“Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.”

(Revelation 11:7-10 NIV)

So using scripture to interpret scripture, Revelation 11 says, “in the street of the great city”, “where also their Lord was crucified” is “figuratively called Sodom and Egypt” therefore, before the two witnesses can prophesy against the Anti-Christ, the old city has to become wicked and vile (as Sodom) and at the same time deal harshly with Israel (as Egypt).

You don’t need to be a student of ancient history to know that the last time Israel made a wholesale trade of land for peace, that land was converted into a launching point for attacks against Israel. In December 2005 under international pressure and a promise of peace, Israel began to evacuate settlements in Neve Dekalim, Bdolah, Morag, and Ganei Tal,Tel Katifa, Atzmona, Kerem Atzmona, Gan-Or, and Shalev. Today there are no homes, schools, or Islamic places of worship in Neve Dekalim. The land that the people of Israel gave up for peace has been converted into an explosives and rocket test site for Hamas. The Synagogues where hundreds gathered to pray have been transformed into military bases used by Palestinian groups to fire rockets at Israeli cities and train for attacks against the Jewish State. Click here for more information

What do we do?
Contrary to what some might think, this is not an End Days posting. The fact of who the Anti-Christ is and where he comes from is really irrelevant. Our response to the current trends and events should be the same in good times and bad;

I. Prayer:

Pray for our leaders. Pray for the leaders and people in Israel. Our government needs our prayer to guide their decision making and prevent them from actively lobbying Israel to give up the Promised Land. Pray for the leaders of Palestine and the other nations listed in Ezekiel 38. God is the only one that can slow the momentum toward that irreversible conflict. That conflict will happen someday, but our petitions to God can make a difference.

II. Support Israel:

There are many ways to support the Nation of Israel. Find out what your churches position is on Israel. Do they preach separation theology (Christians replaced Israel as the chosen people)? If so, run don’t walk, regardless how long you’ve been a member. These churches are teaching a false doctrine and harming their members.

Join and support groups that support Israel:

Christians United for Israel
Christians for Israel International
Zionist.com

III. Evangelize:

Share your faith. This is the single most important thing we, as committed Christians, can do to make a difference. Knowing that bad things are coming, supporting Israel financially and spiritually are good places to start. However, Jesus said:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
(Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

The statistics about the blossoming of the apostate church are overwhelming. At the same time, there are many righteous church’s teaching the true faith of Christ Jesus. Only by aligning ourselves with these churches and assisting in thier growth, can we make a difference.

God Bless