Where Is the Outcry?
Word on the street is that George W. Bush was re-elected President of the United States due mainly to the votes cast by evangelical Christians. Depending upon the source, there are between 30-70 million evangelical Christians living in the United States. It is not known exactly how many of those actually voted in the last election.
One of the reasons given for the large turnout of evangelical Christians was that the focus of the election became one of morality rather than Iraq, terrorism, or the economy. This was due in large part to the work of Karl Rove, Bush's chief strategist.
The subject of Israel and a 'Palestinian' state was not mentioned very often during the entire election campaign. It never really became a major issue.
[Let me state right up front that I am a Christian. I believe that Israel has a G-d given right to the land "... from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates". (Exodus 23:31)]
A Little Background
At a meeting with congressional leaders on October 2, 2001, George W. Bush put forth a proposal to divide the land of Israel in order to establish a state for its sworn enemies - the 'Palestinians'. Bush stated, "The idea of a 'Palestinian' state has always been part of a vision so long as the right of Israel to exist is respected". (The proposal of a 'Palestinian' state has never been part of Washington's vision for Middle East peace. U.S. President Reagan specifically rejected statehood in 1982. U.S. President Clinton never mentioned a 'Palestinian' state.)
The timing of Bush's statement was actually a little late. The original plan was for U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to announce the Bush Administration's new Middle East plan at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2001. The terrorist attack on September 11th, however, put the proposal on hold for a few weeks. (Interesting how the United States was attacked within a few days of announcing its plan to divide the land of Israel.)
On June 24, 2002, in a speech given in the Rose Garden at the White House, Bush outlined his Middle East peace plan; a "vision" he called it. The plan would eventually be called "A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict", a.k.a. "The Road Map". Later that year, on September 17, 2002, it was endorsed by the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, who, along with the U.S., were to become known as "The Quartet".
Since that time, Bush has stated he is very proud of the fact that he is the first U.S. president to push for the division of Israel and the establishment of a 'Palestinian' state in its midst. During that time, the majority of the evangelical Christians in the U.S. have made excuses for him, such as, "he is being pressured by outsiders", "it is his speech writers", "he doesn't really mean it", and, "he won't push the Road Map plan if he is re-elected because he will not have to worry about a third term". (U.S. presidents can only serve two terms in office.)
Moving Forward to 2004
So now George W. Bush has been re-elected to a second term as President of the United States. If the evangelical Christians are correct, Bush will not give much attention to Israel, unless it is to offer support in their war against the Arab terrorists.
The votes for U.S. President are still not yet "officially" counted and already the White House has promised a new push in Bush's second term to revive the stalled Middle East peace plan - the Road Map. In his first post-re-election news conference, Bush reiterated his commitment to 'Palestinian' statehood. "It's very important for our friends the Israelis to have a peaceful 'Palestinian' state living on their border," Bush said.
Within a week after the elections, Bush, meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair hours after Yasir Arafat's burial, declared, "We have a great chance to establish a 'Palestinian' state.... I intend to use the next four years to spend the capital of the United States on such a state". (There is a major war in Iraq, a record U.S. budget deficit, major problems in the U.S. economy, record unemployment, and the U.S. President is committing the financial resources of the U.S. to divide the nation of Israel?)
The following week, Bush announced that promoting a 'Palestinian' state alongside Israel topped his agenda. In a meeting with Israel Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in Little Rock, Arkansas, Bush told Shalom that his appointment of Condoleeza Rice as U.S. Secretary of State testifies to the seriousness of his intentions to bring peace to the Middle East.
Rice has praised Bush as "the first President to say that there should be a 'Palestinian' state and it ought to be called 'Palestine'". In a recent speech, Rice stated that her top priority as Secretary of State would be the implementation of the Road Map.
Where is the Outcry?
I believe that Bush has made it quite plain: he is determined to use all of the power of his office as U.S. President and all the resources of the United States to divide Israel and form a 'Palestinian' state in its midst. I don't think evangelical Christians can continue to say that he does not mean what he says regarding this subject.
The question then is: Where is the outcry from these millions of evangelical Christians? Why aren't they using the resources they have at hand and speaking out against the dividing up of the land of Israel?
The problem, I believe, has several parts. For one, a large portion of those evangelical Christians do not support Israel, contrary to popular opinion. Many of them believe that G-d has abandoned Israel and now favors the Church (although this cannot be proven anywhere in the 'New Testament'; actually, quite the contrary).
Another problem is that, while many of those evangelical Christians do offer support to Israel, they also support the establishment of a 'Palestinian' state, so long as it is not run by terrorists (or persons who look like terrorists).
One other problem is that many evangelical Christians look to bless Israel so that the U.S. will, in return, be blessed, as is stated in Genesis 12.3: "And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse...." However, I don't believe that G-d will bless a nation who only blesses Israel to prevent itself from being cursed. (Christians in other parts of the world do not tend to bless Israel in order to bless their own country. They do it because of G-d's promises to Israel.)
Please do not think that I am condemning these evangelical Christians. I am not. It is not my business to tell people how to believe. It is G-d who convicts the heart, not man. I am only trying to encourage Israel and inform her of the truth.
The Remnant
Just as G-d speaks of the return of a remnant of Jews to the land of Israel (Isaiah 10.22), so I also believe that only a remnant of the Church will support her. It's no secret that much of Christianity has come to love this world more than the Kingdom of G-d.
But there are still a great many Christians in the U.S. (and around the world) who have no allegiance to any man, organization, or country but to the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone. "For Zion's sake [we] will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake [we] will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning" Isaiah 62:1. We shall be as watchmen. All day and all night we will never keep silent. We will take no rest for ourselves (Isaiah 62.6).
"Hear, O Israel! The L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4). To Israel I say, do not give up hope, for your G-d has given you this land. No man or nation will be able to remove you from it. Stand strong and see your deliverance by the Hand of the G-d of Israel! He is your hope; He is your strength. Do not look to men or governments. They have never delivered anybody. They cannot forestall the judgment that is coming upon them for their evil deeds. "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your G-d. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.
My Christian brothers, give up fighting for false gods. Stones engraved by men with the ten commandments are not holy. They do not mean anything in the Kingdom of G-d. Israel is facing its greatest enemy. The entire world is demanding that the Final Solution be implemented, once and for all. It wants to divide up G-d's land: "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 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 3:1-2.
Am Yisrael Chai!
[ Published: November 28, 2004 ]