The US-Israel Biblical link
LAST Sunday, September 10, I received an e-mail query from one of the readers of this column. Here is the content of the reader’s e-mail: “Dear Nelly, “Just wondering, are the calamities happening now in the US something to do with the events or decisions of the US regarding Israel? I read in your column before about coincidences that when the U.S. decides on something not favorable to Israel, something happens to the US.” “Bobby Valenzuela “Med Support Trading Phils. Ltd. Co.
“31 Korea Street, Marikina Green-heights “Marikina City.” Let me try to enlighten my reader Bobby Valenzuela re his query. By doing this, I am also responding to many readers of this column who have likewise been requesting me to write more about Israel, about US, about calamities in US, and the connection of the US calamities, if any, with Israel. Last March 3, 2015, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech before the joint session of the US Congress. In that speech, one statement of Prime Minister Netanyahu stands out. He said: “But I know that Israel does not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel.”
Again, Prime Minister Netanyahu in a speech at the 2016 UN General Assembly in New York said: “Israel is ready. I am ready to negotiate all final status issues but one thing I will never negotiate: Our right to the right and only Jewish state.” Two things were conveyed by Netanyahu in his two speeches in US. That “US stands with Israel” in the latter’s continuing struggle to survive as a nation and that Israel will never allow the Middle East nations or any nation for that matter to occupy part of its land. Otherwise stated, the Israelites (the Jews) are resisting moves of other countries to change the boundaries of the Israel state, which from Biblical account was bequeathed by God to Abraham and to his descendants, the Jews. In the past, no nation in the world has been as generous to Israel as America. Because of America’s past generosity to Israel, the US has been the recipient of awesome blessings as promised in Genesis 12:3 (King James Version) which says: “And I will bless them (other nations/individuals) that bless thee (Israel) and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
That was in the past. Today, many Bible leaders say that what is happening in the US now is an example of a nation that has rejected God in the area of moral and spiritual degeneracy (referring to US government policies on abortion, same-sex marriage, and the banning of Bible reading and prayer in the public schools). Bible leaders/scholars also say that aside from the moral and spiritual degeneracy of America, the nation is starting to experience the dwindling of blessings promised in Genesis 12:3. How? Since mid-1980’s, there have been catastrophic natural disasters (tornados, storms, hurricanes, forest fires, floods, earthquakes) and economic as well as well as stock market crashes not to mention the World Trade Center attack in 2001 (9/11). Many Bible leaders/ scholars say that these incidents are clear warnings that Americans should repent. Not many know that America (as well as other countries) has been initiating the “peace” talks to pressure Israel to divide her land. Let me share some natural disasters/catastrophes that occurred at about the same time some US presidents declared that Israel has to give away part of the land for the sake of attaining peace in the Middle East. Here are the names of some of the US Presidents who were involved in the peace process to divide Israel and who experienced catastrophic natural disasters during their terms when they advocated for the division of Israel: President George H.W. Bush – The natural disaster named Perfect Storm happened when the Madrid Peace Plan was convened in Madrid, Spain; President William J. Clinton – Hurricane Emily hit Carolina when the Oslo Peace Accord (proposal for Israel to give away Gaza and Jericho for the creation of the Palestinian State) was to be signed; President George W. Bush, son of George H.W. Bush – Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the US. Hurricane Katrina was the largest disaster in US history at that time; it occurred during the term of President George W. Bush who said, a day before Hurricane Katrina hit US on August 23-29, 2005: “My vision, my hope is that one day we’ll see two states – the democratic states – living side by side in peace.” Probably, ex-President Bush (as well as the earlier Presidents like the late US President Richard Nixon) was in good faith, sincere, and with good intentions in his attempt to bring peace to Israel and the Middle East – but as we see from the Biblical account God had promised the land of Israel to the Jews and nowhere in the Bible is a verse that says that the Jews will have to share the land of Israel with the other people of Middle East or with other peoples outside the Middle East. (To be continued) This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 LRV Building, Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.
Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: villafuerte_nelly@yahoo.com.)