I’ve spent the last ten days in Israel examining much of Israel’s glorious past. How do you do that? You go and visit the historical sites across the nation and you learn the history of Israel. I did just that with the assistance of one of — if not the greatest — guides in the nation.
Israel is not just about its people and what’s happened through the years. It’s more about the people of Israel and how and why Israel is a nation today. Make no mistake, Israel has taken its rightful place in the Middle East, and make it clear they are NOT looking for reasons to justify their being here.
Most Americans do not know that there is tremendous history between our two nations. I tie that to God’s blessings of the U.S. for its long-standing Israeli support in the U.N. and elsewhere in the past. But the U.S. support has not always been there on certain matters. And in those cases when former U.S. presidents have initiated actions that may have not been in Israel’s best interests, not only did the God-support go away, some bad things apparently happened. Here are some examples:
- When Bush 41 proudly promoted and signed the Oslo Accord at the Madrid Peace Conference on October 30, 1991, (which was an attempt to divide the land of Israel in exchange for “peace” with the Palestinians) the next day the famous “Perfect Storm” struck the northeast U.S. The storm defied all previous weather logic as it savaged both land and sea;
- Madrid Conference #1 was not successful, so Bush tried it again one year later. The 1992 Conference was August 23rd – the same day Hurricane Andrew crashed into Florida causing over $30 billion of damage and destroying 180,000 homes. Andrew was termed “the worst natural disaster to strike America;”
- September 13, 1993, President Bush (41 again) signed that famous “land for peace” Oslo Peace Accord. That same day Hurricane Emily slammed into the Outer Banks with 115 mph winds;
- President Clinton met with terrorist and Israel hater Syria’s President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva on January 16, 1994. They discussed a peace agreement with Israel that included Israel giving up the Golan Heights. The next day a 6.9 earthquake rocked California. It was termed “the second most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history, second to Hurricane Andrew;”
- January 21, 1998, President Clinton met with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeline Albright refused to have lunch with Netanyahu. Later that same day the Monica Lewinsky scandal was released to the World. Impeachment proceedings against Clinton were not far behind;
- Secretary of State Albright finished the details of an agreement that required Israel to surrender 13% OF Judah and Samaria. Clinton met with Yasser Arafat and Netanyahu to finalize another “land for peace” deal. September 28, 1998, Arafat addressed the U.N. and declared an independent Palestinian state by May 1999. The same day Hurricane George hit the Gulf Coast with winds up to 175 mph. It caused $1 billion in damage. At the exact time Arafat left the U.S., the storm subsided;
- On October 15, 1998, Arafat and Netanyahu met at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. The talks were to last 5 days with Israel giving up 13% of Yesha. Talks were extended and concluded on October 23. Two days later tornadoes hit south Texas. Floods ravaged 25% of Texas with over $1 billion in damages. Clinton declared the region a disaster area;
- November 30, 1998, Arafat was back in Washington to meet with Clinton to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. 42 other nations were represented. They agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million. The same day the Dow Jones average dropped 216 points, and the next day the European Market had its 3rd worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in the U.S. and Europe;
- On December 12, 1998, Clinton arrived at the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss another “land for peace” deal. On the same day the U.S. House of Representatives voted 4 articles of impeachment against President Clinton;
- On May 3, 1999, Yasser Arafat announced a press conference to present a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. The most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the U.S. whipped through Oklahoma and Kansas that day. Winds were clocked at 316 mph, the fastest ever recorded. Arafat postponed his announcement;
- June 8, 2001, Bush 43 sent Secretary Tenet to Jerusalem to promote his “Roadmap to Peace,” the continuation of the failed Oslo Accord signed by his father. Tropical storm Allison hit Texas – Bush’s home – causing over $7 billion of damages in the next 5 days;
- The U.S. pressured Israel to give up the Gaza Strip. Israel gave in and gave it up, evacuating all Israelis. The exact day the last settlers were evacuated from the Gaza Strip, a tropical storm formed near the Bahamas, and just days later on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast nearly completely destroying New Orleans. More than 1000 people died and is now the greatest Natural Disaster in U.S. history.
I believe God cares about Israel. I believe in all of His promises to bless those who bless Israel. I believe His promises to curse those who curse Israel. Are each of the above occurrences tied to those curses?
God in Genesis 8 gave the greatest laws of Nature to Man. After the Great Flood, God promised Noah He would never flood Earth again and that He would initiate 4 Laws that would never change: there will always be Night and Day; there will always be Summer and Winter; there will always be hot and cold; there will always be sowing and reaping. The first 3 are self-explanatory. The 4th needs explaining and is VERY different from the first 3:
“Sow and reap” is the Natural process of planting seeds and harvesting crops – the way Man has fed the World for centuries. What is planted is exactly what grows. But this applies not only to farming but also to the entire Human process. We are constantly planting seeds. We plant with our actions and our words. And though we do not think of those having literal outcomes, they always do. i.e. when we scream at our children, our screams result in anger, fear, and sometimes hate from our kids. When we lie to our spouses, those lies become seeds and always return to us – sometimes with lies coming back from them. Bottom line: when you plant apple seeds, don’t expect peaches to grow – apples are what we reap.
Like it or not, the above tragedies did NOT just happen: they are part of the “Sow and reap” process God mapped out for Noah. Some today call this “what goes around comes around.” Whatever you call it, it happens this way EVERY time.
What will happen to the U.S. “this time?”
