A group of Israeli rabbis has issued an open letter warning that the United States Secretary of State John Kerry’s reckless peace efforts, if they should come to fruition, “will result in divine retribution” against those involved. Kerry’s “incessant efforts to expropriate integral parts of the Holy Land and hand them over to Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian terrorist gang amounts to a declaration of war against the Creator and Ruler of the universe,” according to the rabbis’ statement.
The rabbis further stated that if Kerry continues on the path that he is on risks going down in history like Nebuchadnezzar and the Roman Emperor Titus, who “by heavenly punishment brought eventual destruction upon themselves for implementing destructive policies against Israel and the Jews.”
We, as Christians, believe that our God is ultimately in charge of the history of all the nations of the world. However, He lets the rulers of the nations plot their own courses for the most part, good or bad. God has on numerous times in history decided that the actions and deeds of a nation have gone beyond appropriate bounds, and He has definitely intervened with severe judgment.
It is true that several of these times God’s judgment has responded to nations that have mistreated Israel and/or the Jewish people. Look toward Egypt. They used to be the bright light of the Arab Middle East, but now they are no better than a struggling third world country. What has happened to the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the other tiny nations that used to occupy the land that God gave to the Jewish people? Obviously they have all disappeared.
What happened to that proud and powerful Adolph Hitler? He never made it to a normal death. However, we have often wondered how and why the nation and people of Germany seemed to escape retribution for their cruel annihilation of six million Jews. Perhaps it is still ahead of them, perhaps not. It is in God’s hands and in His plan. What happened to the great British Empire? It has fallen far from its lofty position as the greatest empire on the planet. Certainly God had His hand in all of these judgments.
What about the Arab-Muslim neighbor nations of Israel today, and the so-called Palestinians? How have they managed to lose five wars against an undersized, under equipped, and underdog military of Israel? There is no explanation apart from the mighty hand of God intervening in these battles on behalf of the Jewish people and Israel. The Palestinians are nothing more than a corrupt, terrorist infested, inept excuse for a “nation”.
The rabbis have added to their statements about judgments by calling for repentance and a return to God among the Israeli people. “Only God can guarantee Israel’s security, not the Americans,” said one rabbi. “The nation of Israel cannot rely on anyone but God.”
Of course, this is an opinion definitely different from the viewpoint of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. At the recent security conference in Munich, Kerry actually seemed to threaten Israel in urging a finalization of a peace agreement to establish a Palestine…, or else. Or else what? Retribution against Israel’s security from the United States? Kerry warned Israel that its current prosperity and stable security situation will not last. “Today’s status quo, I promise you 100 per cent, cannot be maintained,” he declared. “It is not sustainable. It is an illusion.”
Kerry has obviously ignored the fact that Israel has now existed as a restored nation for 65 years against seemingly insurmountable odds. Not only has Israel won those five wars against those militant Arab neighbors, who were bent on defeating and destroying the Israeli nation, but the Israeli nation has also developed and prospered beyond anyone’s expectations in such a short time. Do not discount the hand of God in all of this, in the surprising military victories, as well as in the incredible development and prosperity.
There is no doubt that Israel’s security depends on Israel’s relationship with God. America is not the final authority in securing peace for Israel. Peace is not based on any American or UN conditions or Palestinian promises. God Almighty determines Israel’s destiny and His Word says that no weapon formed against Israel will prosper. In fact, God’s Word also says that He will preserve and protect Israel as He destroys her enemies. My prayer as an American Christian is that America will continue to stand strong in support of Israel. If we do not, we will surely suffer the wrath of the Almighty who promises to protect Israel just as a mother hen protects her chicks.