God’s News In The News

Week One Hundred Seventy

Bible Prophecy Update: Will We Ever Learn?

Weather You Care Or Not

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. (Gen 12:3, NLT)

Sometimes my bad puns and jokes are lost on people, and this heading is yet another one of those chances I take on being funny. And yes, I know how to spell, but I chose to spell “whether” with “weather” to make a point. You see, world leaders have short memories when it comes to how they treat Israel and dividing their land for peace. And as we head into the month of October, we see what happens to anyone who touches Israel, the one nation and people God calls the apple of His eye. Although I won’t go into a great deal of details in this lesson, I can tell you that history, going all the way back to America’s founding gives us example after example of what happens when you bless Israel and when you curse or oppose Israel. I know there are some people who think that such talk is foolishness, but there is ample evidence to the contrary. In light of my comments, a little review is needed.

From Its Founding, America Has Always Blessed The Jews

Jews have prospered in America since 1654. The Jews were some of the first immigrants to America and they have experienced a long and prosperous history here. This was no accident as our first president, George Washington blessed the jews and America was blessed. The first president of our country set us on the right course when he blessed the Jewish people. History also tells us that Washington was fond of the Jews and would constantly talk of how he wanted America to be like the time when the Messiah rules the world. In fact, he quoted Micah 4:3,4 in many speeches to the Jews living in America. And another beloved president, President Abraham Lincoln also was a good friend of the jews. Under his service another Jewish businessman came to our aid and lent the government one million dollars to buy much-needed uniforms during the Civil War. Lincoln also allowed Jewish chaplains to serve in the army for the first time. America became the place for Jews to live in freedom. No other place in the world offered this consistently to the Jews and it would play a big part in the United States becoming a united nation once again.

A Tale Of Two Nations

While America blessed Israel, another country didn’t follow that path and we can see to this day how things turned out. What nation am I talking about? That would be Russia. In 1882 Russia enacted what was called the May Laws, edicts that were meant to persecute the Russian Jews. This caused a mass exodus of Jews and many came to America. Over the next 35 years, two million Jews immigrated to our country which equaled the Irish immigration of the 1840s and 1850s. It is interesting to see how America and Russia’s histories turned out once they took these actions. America prospered while Russia suffered. The very things the May Laws did to the Jews was instituted on the Russian people through Communist regimes that rose up. Russia has only known poverty and instability while America has become the last remaining Super Power in the world. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

America Hasn’t Always Supported Israel

15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.(Obad 1:15, KJV)

Unlike in Europe, Jews never faced persecution in America. For most of our history the Jews were treated as equal citizens. However from 1920 – 1940 was an exception. During this time, a hatred of the Jews grew and took hold in many places in the country. And one day in 1938 showed that God was not pleased. September 1938 was a critical month in world history. All eyes were on Hitler and his move to take over the world. And all the world looked to America, in particular President Franklin D. Roosevelt who had the stature and presence to reason with Hitler and stop his move to war. But Roosevelt did nothing more than call a summit where the German mad man was appeased and Czechoslovakia was dismantled. After seeing that the world was not going to stop them, their plan to exterminate all Jews ramped up. It was open season on German Jews and America did nothing to stop them. God was watching and responded with remarkable preciseness.

The Great New England Hurricane Of 1938

While most of the country was hearing about Hitler, a massive storm was heading up the eastern coast. Meteorologists generally thought this category 3 storm was moving away from the coast and out to see, but it didn’t and rammed into Long Island, NY with such force that seismographs all the way to Alaska felt it. With winds topping out at 186 miles per hour the hurricane devastated the New England area killing an estimated two billion trees and altering the coastline permanently. But something more telling about that storm occurred. It makes our point of blessing and cursing come to life in a graphic way, even if it isn’t taught in history prominently. not.

The Eye Of The Storm

 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zech 2:8, KJV)

Meteorologists tell us about the eye of a hurricane. This is how a web site, worldatlas.com details the danger of that part of the storm (see https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-eye-of-a-hurricane.html):

The eye of the hurricane is usually between 20 and 40 miles in diameter, although some have been recorded at 120 miles. When this part of the hurricane hits land, it is the calmest area inside of the storm. In fact, people often think the storm has passed and go outside only to be caught by the approaching eyewall…however, the eye of a hurricane is one of the most dangerous places to be.

The center of activity or eye for this storm was an amazing 50 miles wide. And when it hit land where it struck was important to note. It hit Yaphank, Long Island where Camp Ziegfried was located. This was the center of the recent anti-Jewish movement in America and where there was even an Adolph Hitler Street named. The largest Nazi rally in the world apart from those in Germany was held there. And one of the deadliest hurricanes in our history went right at it. Coincidence? On September 21, 1938, the largest American Nazi rally occurred and a mere three weeks later the eye of the storm raced directly for that location and nailed it. Poke God in His eye and there will be consequences.

And We’re Poking Again

Dividing the land God gave to Israel going all the way back to Abraham is not a good thing to do. As I mentioned earlier, I have a lot of information about when this happens going all the way back to Bush 41 when the infamous two-state plan which offered land for peace to Israel started. Bush 43 continued this push and it included Israeli soldiers forcefully removing Israelis living in settlements to give the land to the Palestinians. In the example of Bush 41, at the exact same time as he was detailing the land for peace plan, the Perfect Storm happened, battering his vacation home in Kennebunkport, ME and he had to leave the conference early to address it. Bush 43 would get hit worse as he pushed dismantling Israeli settlements and at the same time the Jewish families were being uprooted, a little storm called Katrina formed and we all know what happened when it hit our shores. I say all that to bring us to now and we see the current administration once again trying to keep the two-state option of land for peace alive as part of the ongoing Saudi/Israeli/American negotiations.

The Leaders Meet

In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. (Joel 3:1,2; NIV)

On September 28th Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Biden for an hour and according to sources, Netanyahu was pushed to consider a peace treaty with the Palestinians as part of the deal which would allow Saudi Arabia to get nuclear capacity. Without getting into the political ramifications of the Saudis getting into the nuclear club, yet another land for peace agreement is exactly what God warns nations about. So, shall we connect the dots now? Of course we will and we’ll lean on the reliable source of William Koenig (see https://www.watch.org/). Koenig is known for putting the weather pieces and the Bible together and sends his book, Eye To Eye to world leaders all the time, if only they’ll read it.

Hurricanes And Flooding

Such negotiations take time and the one on the table now heated up in August of this year. While talks got more intense, so did the hurricane season and the dates of specific calls for dividing the land of Israel coincided with deadly storms forming in the Atlantic as detailed by Koenig on his web site (see https://www.watch.org/eye-to-eye/eye-eye-saudi-arabia-and-hurricanes-hillary-and-idalia%C2%A0-william-koenig%C2%A0). And now that the leaders are meeting in earnest, we see massive and unheard of flooding in New York City (see https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/weather/new-york-city-northeast-rain-flood-forecast-climate-friday/index.html). Now there are some who will say that these things happen all the time and say that God isn’t judging anyone by these events, but the pattern is obvious if one is willing to keep an open mind and read the evidence. I could have detailed more as I have 8-10 pages of notes on the topic going back to Bush 41, to Clinton, to Bush 43, to Obama and going forward. While it is harder to tell in real time, I believe we are seeing what happens when you push Israel to give up land promised them by God Himself.

How Should We Respond?

I seem like I am constantly beating this drum, but praying for the peace of Jerusalem is an easy way to act in light of these events. And it isn’t a significant action at all. But we can and should use this information as a way of witnessing to people who need Jesus and making them see that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Prophecy is a powerful evangelism tool, stronger than we can imagine as it is being fulfilled all around us, so utilizing it will help people see Him and His Word as real. But it is also yet another sign that we are living in the last days as we know that one of the signs just before Jesus returns is an increased hatred of the Jews. All three of the Olivet Discourses point to the spirit of antisemitism growing to a fevered pitch right up to His second coming at the end of the Tribulation. And what should this cause us to do? There’s a verse for that:

So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near! (Luke 21:28, NLT)

Even so Lord, come quickly!