Koenig's Recent Commentary

A Crucial Time in Israel and America
- Bill Koenig

July 14, 2002

The United States continues to attempt to appease the Arab interests pertaining to Israel’s covenant land.

The Merriam Webster dictionary provides one definition for appeasement: –“to buy off (an aggressor) by concessions usually at the sacrifice of principles.”

This definition is right on!

Isn’t it ironic that as the Bush Administration continues in its effort to “appease” the Arab nations, events continue to worsen weekly here in the United States.

We have weekly terror warnings, while we are becoming more obsessed daily with our protection. We hear our elected officials state weekly the nation’s security is foremost in their minds. However, we know the only security we have comes through the Almighty Lord. As the United States continues to throw billions of dollars at national security in an attempt to make us feel more secure, we continue to come against the only One who could give us real security, and that is our Lord.

We continue to rapidly move toward a direct collision with the God of Israel over His covenant land. It is our conviction that His fury is building over what is happening to the nation of Israel (not to forget our domestic condition).

Sadly enough, even the leadership in Israel is going along with the world’s plan over their land—yes, the land given to them by God through the everlasting Abrahamic covenant.

I asked an Israeli Embassy official last week about Israel’s government reaction to President Bush’s June 24 Middle East address. He stated they were very pleased about the message and the plan to deal with the Arafat issue.

I stated we (John McTernan and I) had written a book “Israel: The Blessing of the Curse” that approached the “land for peace” situation from two different perspectives. Our approach had to do with our observation of the nations of the world coming against Israel and Jerusalem as stated in the book of Zechariah.

I also mentioned that some of the largest catastrophes in the United States happened on the same day we [the US] applied pressure or spoke on plans pertaining to God‘s covenant land. He acknowledged there is a biblical view, but that they were looking to a practical solution. I quietly thought herein lies the biggest problem: man, the nation of Israel, and the US are looking for a practical solution when this is a biblical issue.

The same thinking is happening with our leaders at the White House. They have come up with a plan that looks good in the natural, but it is direct opposition to the Bible. With this in mind, should we expect any other outcome but a strong rebuke from our Lord?

The official also stated that 75% of Israel was in favor of a Palestinian state, and that they [Israel] preferred to have a state where the Jews were in the majority instead of eventually becoming a minority in the nation of Israel.

As I pondered his thoughts and watched the news this week in the United States and overseas, I sat in awe of how fast things are turning for the worse, especially in the United States.

This week President Bush and Vice President Cheney both came under attack for their previous business dealings: Bush over Harken Energy, and Cheney for his endorsement of Arthur Anderson. In addition, Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch sued Cheney on behalf of the Haliburton shareholders, for alleged accounting fraud while he was a director of Halliburton. This further undermined the Bush administration’s attempts to deal with the scandals shaking corporate America.

Wall Street is continuing to reel over significant past and potential future accounting scandals, as well as expressing concerns over the next terror incident and its potential impact on financial markets. The markets are at post 9-11 lows; the Bush administration expects the federal government to post a deficit of $165 billion this fiscal year, a 56 percent increase over earlier projections due in part to a surprise downturn in tax revenue caused by the stock market sell-off; there were calls for the SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt to step down, while Bush said he would stand with him; 40% of the U.S. is experiencing drought, with the expectation of the largest fire season in US history; the Bush administration is in intense negotiations on Capital Hill over the Homeland Security bill; the Democratic majority in the US Senate continues to be a thorn in the side of the Bush Administration; a report to Congress made public yesterday states that China has located all of its 350 short-range missiles in a province near Taiwan and that its buildup not only threatens the island, but Japan and the Philippines as well; China has about 20 missiles capable of "targeting the United States" and is increasing the number to 30 by 2005 and possibly as many as 60 by 2010.

When did this downturn begin? We can point to the time around March 31, 2001.

As a reminder, President Bush’s first seventy-five days in office were smooth and calm. He wanted to be a facilitator in the Middle East, not an active participant. He brought home CIA personnel and closed down the White House envoy office in Israel in the first few days of his term.

On March 31, 2001, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak came to Washington (followed a few days later by King Abdullah II of Jordan) in a visit designed to convince President Bush of the importance of his reengaging in the Middle East talks. On the same day Mubarek arrived, a Chinese fighter jet bumped into a US reconnaissance plane, forcing an emergency landing. This became President Bush’s first international crisis and the main focus when Mubarek and Abdullah were in Washington (the stand-off was finished the day after Abdullah’s meeting with President Bush and his departure from the United States). We have also seen the impact the standoff with China has had on US-China relations.

On May 22, 2001, President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed the Mitchell Plan—the same day Vermont Senator Jeffords acknowledged he was leaving the Republican Party, costing the Bush Administration their majority in the US Senate. This strategic blow has kept important legislation from passing, as well as the confirmation delays of important judicial appointments. This is costing the Bush Administration more every week.

Then we find out after the 9-11 terror events that the State Department, at the approval of the Bush Administration, had been working on a comprehensive covenant-land-giveaway message with the Saudis five weeks prior to 9-11 to be given by Colin Powell to the UN General Assembly on behalf of the Bush Administration. The 9-11 events stopped that address from being given, and life has not been the same since in America.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar bin Sultan stated he went from being "the happiest man in the world" on Monday night, September 10, to experiencing the worst crisis of his career on September 11. Dreams of a new Middle East peace initiative evaporated. The realization that most of the hijackers were Saudis "fell on me ... like the whole house collapsed over my head," Bandar said later. He couldn't imagine a way to "do more damage or worse damage to Islam or to Saudi Arabia."

The Bush Administration has continued to pursue the peace course through cease-fire meetings in Israel, speeches, meetings, and public statements since then. In this time period (from March 31, 2001, to the present) matters have continued to worsen and deteriorate substantially in the United States.

My spirit is heavy, as is the spirit of many others that I have spoken to this week. We all know in the natural and in our spirits that we are rapidly moving into a very serious time; to this extent things are worsening weekly.

This coming Tuesday, July 16, there is a crucial meeting in New York of the "Quartet" of American, European Union, United Nations, and Russian officials. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked Syrian President Bashar Assad to be a major part of the meeting. (In today's Jerusalem Post it was stated that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in protest, yesterday canceled a visit to the US by two of his top aides and postponed a meeting between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority negotiators.)

Then on Wednesday at sunset the Fast of the 9th of AV will begin. The 9th of AV has been the day of catastrophe for Israel, the First and Second Temple were destroyed on that day (for a history on the 9th of AV please click here ) .

We know many people are praying for President Bush on many different fronts, but unless he changes his course on the covenant land of Israel, we are going to experience the fury of the Lord, and the resulting “tsunami” that is building in size and force will devastate the United States. That includes the nations of the world, as well as Israel. The Lord is no respecter of man, especially when it comes to something as precious to Him as the nation of Israel and His people.

I know for a fact that high profile Christian leaders (not from the replacement camp, either) have congratulated President Bush on his Middle East message. I am sure this probably gave the President a feeling of assurance on his course.

The reform and conservative Jews who make up eighty-five percent of Jewry are in favor of land being traded for peace. The Bush Administration is in pursuit of the Jewish vote in the upcoming election. With this in mind this (along with the promised cooperation of Israeli leadership), I’m afraid our president has been given a temporary, artificial sense of well being and the false assurance that he is on the right course . . . prior to our further demise.

Yes, the Lord has a plan in all of this. And, yes, life is certainly worsening in Israel as they hope for a peace settlement, but that too will prove futile until the return of the Messiah to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Respectfully, we should seek God’s will though this and pray accordingly. This is about souls, and we know many have come to know His Son Jesus Christ in recent times of hardship. These times and the future times will not be any different.

I sincerely sense these continued warnings will only be heard and not responded to by our leaders. However, at some point they will remember the warning calls; then our leaders will understand the importance of Israel, their people, and the significance of God’s covenant land. As we stated in our book, “Israel: The Blessing or the Curse,” God is using the nation of Israel as the anvil to expose false prophets, doctrines, and to produce a literal witness on earth to the authority of His word.

We will continue to cry out to our leaders and the White House on the importance of not partaking in the “land for peace” calamity. History has shown us, should they not respond, life will get even more intense and challenging in in America.

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