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This week, I want to discuss several diverse things that all add up to one thing: where we are prophetically with regard to Israel, Obama, and popular culture. If you believe, as I do, that Israel is the prism through which everything is reflected, the following will make sense.
First, the emergence of Barack Obama as president of the United States, is huge. Just so I can get this out of the way: I believe the day is coming when we will not be able to communicate with each other via the Internet. This makes it all the more critical that we understand the need for sustained prayer. We will always be able to be together in spirit. Let’s remember that as we move closer to the New World Order so beloved by our political leaders.
It is important to remember something about Obama’s character, or lack thereof. A man who so coldly supports abortion rights is not going to care one whit about Israel. This is moving us toward a direct and dramatic fulfillment of Jeremiah 30, in which God tells the Jews that they are going to be going it solo, humanly speaking. No government in the world will stand with Israel in the not-too-distant future. Obama’s rise to the most powerful job in the world is a very, very chilling reminder that the Bible is exactly right and true.
We have learned very recently, through Israeli sources, that the American government has put “intense” pressure on Israel to play ball diplomatically speaking. Natan Sharansky, the heroic former Soviet dissident, knows intimately just how much the Americans have demanded that the Jewish state cry “Uncle!” when negotiating with the barbaric Palestinians.
If that happened during the terms of “conservative” presidents like Reagan and Bush 43, what will happen under the reign of Barack Obama? (By the way, it pains some to admit it, but even the revered Reagan opened dialogue with the psychotic PLO more than two decades ago; this is an historical fact, however nauseating and disappointing.)
There is an interesting element to the latest Israeli attempt to confront terrorists. Some have speculated that the Palestinians in the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria, biblically) have not joined in the fight and do not support Hamas in the Gaza Strip. I’m not so sure.
In the past three weeks, as 571 rockets and 205 mortars were fired from Gaza into Israel, several “small” incidents in the heartland of Israel have come to light:
east of Palestinian terror nest Ramallah, in the Jewish community of Kochav Hashahar, a man was shot; IDF forces combed the area for the terrorist(s) responsible. a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Bethlehem. IDF forces interrogated two Palestinians suspected in the attack. rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Nablus (a notorious base for Palestinian terror).These incidents are not minor; they in fact indicate a radicalized Palestinian population that agrees ideologically with Hamas, but is given a protective label of “moderate” by the international press and political community.
Don’t believe it. The media want you to believe that there is a legitimate Palestinian bloc that will make peace with Israel. This is not true!
On the culture front, actors like Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) have in the past expressed solidarity with the Palestinians. Many such Hollywood types do this. When we see a plethora of actors attending Obama’s inauguration, we know that there is a turning away from Israel sweeping our land. An obvious aside: typical entertainment figures have no biblical world view, so their lack of discernment should not shock us. It is another paving stone on the highway of all-out attack on Israel.
The political, cultural, and religious forces opposing Israel are organic. They are the same entity. Obama’s advisors will make Republican administration pressure on Israel seem like a child’s birthday party.
A sharpening contrast is happening in our society: those who believe the Bible are being separated from the rest of the culture. A key component in that scenario is the division over Israel. We are all going to have to decide just how committed we are to the Jewish state.
When entertainment figures like Alexander, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins express support for dictatorial regimes, we must understand that the Shadow World — the realm of Spiritual Warfare — has intensified to the point that biblical Christians can legitimately “look up.” Watch the growing pressure on Israel in the coming days to see where we are prophetically.
A perfect storm of evil is emerging: Obama policy, terrorism, non-discerning Americans, and the religious world (let me be specific: the evangelical community) are aligning against Israel. I’ll explore this topic more later, but know now that folks like Rick Warren, Rob Bell, and others are going to be part of the crowd that aligns itself against Israel.
It’s coming, folks, but in all this I find a “strange” comfort. God is in complete control.
