
<p>    Even so, with elections coming up, much can be accomplished. Of course, the best of all scenarios would be for the President to have an awakening and to stand up boldly, declaring that much of his agenda has been wrong. We should not give up on this, pray for him daily, as well as for his Administration. Because ultimate and basic issues are at the very foundation of the Republic and are coming to a head, we need to pray for peace and that they will be resolved peacefully. <br /><br />     A prophetic scenario I saw and have shared often over the last two decades was a move in America to the extreme left, followed by an even more drastic move to the extreme right in overreaction. This, too, would be a disaster. We should be concerned about the extremes in either direction, as either one could result in tyranny. When we are shown such prophetic scenarios it is to reveal where we are headed so that we can change where we are headed. This does not have to be the conclusion for America, but it is where we are headed if we do not change our direction. <br /><br />     For this to happen, Christians must wake up to what is happening, resolve that they are going to face it, be engaged as the salt and light they are called to be, and resolve to follow the Lamb, not the donkey or the elephant. The Lamb is also “The Truth.” Seek truth and resolve to stand on the truth at any cost. There has never been a time when such courage was needed more. <br /><br />     Even though we can only superficially address the issues in this format, there is another spiritual factor that is having great impact on the times. This is our national relationship to Israel. Is it a coincidence that the day after the Israeli Prime Minister was so humiliated at the White House, that the Deep Water Horizon exploded and an oil leak began that has no end in sight, and could be more devastating to the U.S. than any previous natural disaster? Is there a link between the U.S. pressuring Israel to give up Gaza, and immediately we are struck by Hurricane Katrina that devastated seemingly exactly the same amount of territory as Gaza? We can go back to other such links, which have been well-documented and even made into books, but what is the message, if there is such a link?<br /><br />     In Romans Chapters 9–11, at the very centerpiece of Paul’s greatest theological discourse, he brings up the place of the Jewish people, calling them “the natural branches.” At the end of this great discourse, the great apostle gave us a sober warning: “do not become arrogant” toward the natural branches. The consequence of becoming “arrogant” toward them is to be cut off ourselves. <br /><br />     This certainly does not mean that we must agree with everything Israel does, but there are certain definite consequences of disagreeing with arrogance. Every Administration that has crossed that line since Israel became a nation which has paid a terrible price for it. Israel is a divine barometer and a timepiece that God jealously watches over. He even called Israel “the apple of His eye” (see Deuteronomy 32:10), indicating that to touch Israel was like poking Him in the eye. That is supreme arrogance, and since it was such pride that caused the fall of Satan and virtually every fall since, how we deal with Israel does reflect our reverence to God and His purposes. <br /><br />     Again, I am not at all saying that Israel is doing everything right, but the propaganda put out virtually worldwide about Israel is so skewed, distorted, and one-sided that it virtually reflects the world’s true attitude toward God also. How does this work?<br /><br />     In Israel’s history, we see a repeated trend that whenever she fell into apostasy, the Lord allowed the heathen nations around her to invade or otherwise oppress her until she awoke, repented of her apostasy, and returned to worship the Lord. Then the Lord would smite the nations that He had allowed to be used in this way for their “arrogance,” which was demonstrated by their touching His people. As Paul also explained in his letter to the Romans, Israel will be grafted back in, and “all Israel will be saved” (see Romans 11:26). Israel is becoming increasingly isolated, and now even seems to be cut off from her most trusted friend, the United States. Having no one left but God, she will turn to the Lord. However, the consequences of our having touched Israel with such arrogance will be terrible if we do not repent quickly. <br /><br />     The oil spill is, believe it or not, grace from God to give us time to repent before even worse things come upon us in the form of natural disasters. The incompetence of the government to deal with the oil spill is illuminating just how helpless we are in the face of the problems of the times, and how badly we need the grace of God, not His displeasure.</p>
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