Why I am not excited over Obama's visit- The Israeli Connection

^“I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

In Africa we appreciate the powerful effect of words spoken by someone in authority. We understand that a blessing or a curse can alter the whole cause of a man’s life. It can even affect his future seed.
The promise above was spoken by God, the ultimate authority. It was given to Abraham-the man who Islam, Christianity and Judaism claim as their father.

Today however, we are interested in Jewish history and the part that Obama might play in it.  The Jews trace their ancestry to Abraham. We are interested in Israel because throughout scripture God seems to be particularly interested in them. The Bible also predicts that Israel will play an important part in end-time events that will culminate in the termination of history as we know it.

At a personal level I treat Israel as I would treat my grandfather. Let me explain.
My grandfather may do many things wrong but one dare not treat the old man with contempt. For example; my grandfather could like a fish and generally make a fool of himself. No one in their right mind would dare scold him. His peers however, would every so often chastise him for his unbecoming behavior.

This is my attitude towards Israel and its people. I strive to be on the positive side of prophecy with regard to the promise given to Abraham. I urge you my friend, to do the same. There is in my view, evidence that the promise to Abraham is playing out in today's events. It is amazing that to this day, despite their comparatively few numbers, Jews command an out-sized influence on world affairs. 
 
Israel is bordered by at least 4 Arab states and two regions inhabited by Palestinians. None of these are friendly. In a sense the fact they have survived to this day is a miracle. 

The very fact that they are thriving in this part of the word without any oil reserves while their hostile neighbors mint colossal amounts of petro-dollars is an even greater miracle. What is written in Psalms 23 is literally true for this tiny country;

You(God) prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies... 

There are about 14 million Jews worldwide. Some 6 million of them reside in Israel. It is interesting to note that Israel is the same size as Kajiado county in Kenya. Some other interesting facts include:

• Since the Nobel  Prize was first awarded in 1901 approximately 193 of the 855 honorees have been Jewish (22%) despite the fact Jews make up less than 0.2% of the global population. In 2013 alone 6 of 12 laureates were Jewish. 
• In influencing global economic policy consider these Jews working at the heart of the world’s most powerful nation:
• Janet Yellen made history  when in 2014 she was appointed chair of the US Federal Reserve-the first woman to ever hold such a position. 
• Alan Greenspan, her predecessor a few years before, was also a Jew.
• Another is Jack Lew who is considered the most powerful bureaucrat in the US administration. He is currently the secretary of the Treasury.
• Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined and it has frequently been ranked amongst the top 20 most powerful nations on earth.
•  In entertainment, social media and fashion we have professing and non-professing Jews  notable for their outstanding achievements;
• Mark Zukerberg; Facebook founder and CEO
• Stephen Spielberg the film director of epic films such as Jaws, War of the Worlds, Saving Private Ryan and Jurassic Park.
• Aaron Spelling who produced the enduring series such as Melrose Place, Beverly Hills and 7^th Heaven for those old enough to remember
• Fashion designers Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren as well as Levi Strauss inventor of blue jeans
•  In sciences;
• Einstein was a Jew
• Israel's Givun Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera which can fit inside a pill. It helps doctors diagnose cancer and digestive disorders thus avoiding invasive endoscopies.
• Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the US, 70 in Japan, and fewer than 60 in Germany.

 And we have not even started looking into defence systems!
 

For me the only way I can make sense of these great achievements for such a small people-group is by reference to the ancient promise made to Abraham by God. This scriptural reference along with what I see as evidence of its fulfillment in our day, plus the many scriptures predicting Israel's central role in end-time prophecy put me firmly on the side of Israel. After all it is only prudent to be in the good books of the supreme authority-God.

But how does the Obama Presidency come into play here?

For starters, after following Obama's Middle-east policy for many months, I believe he does not consider the well-being of the Jewish state to be of utmost importance. It seems to me that the urge to secure his personal legacy is currently the main driver of American Middle-East initiatives. Let me explain using a Kenyan example.

If you remember well in 2007, there was the infamous 40 against 1 political strategy allegedly employed by the opposition. It was a terrible time for Kenya. Obama seems to have put Israel in a similar situation. Well, not exactly the same but very close indeed, and if I may add; much worse. How so?

Iran has been trying to develop nuclear weapons for several years. The U.S. has tried to restrain or delay their development with varying degrees of success. Iran also has a clause in their constitution declaring that they do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. The Iranian Ayatollahs have made no secret of their desire to obliterate Israel from the face of the earth. Meanwhile President Obama has in the recent past made overtures to Iran that border on deliberate negligence. As Obama pursues a diplomatic deal with Iran to delay the development of their weapons he has been quoted as saying;

  “... the notion that we would condition Iran not getting nuclear weapons, in a verifiable deal, on Iran recognizing Israel is really akin to saying that we won't sign a deal unless the nature of the Iranian regime completely transforms. And that is, I think, a fundamental misjudgment.”

In plain English, Obama is saying that he will not persuade the Iranians to drop the ‘destroy Israel posture’ even if they eventually succeed in making a nuclear weapon. In other words the Obama administration has now decided they will risk the Jewish nation’s existence.
In doing this Obama is placing Israel and the world at large in a precarious position. As far as Israeli’s are concerned, it is now the world against them! Netanyahu, the Israeli premier had this to say;
"Israel demands that any final agreement with Iran will include a clear and unambiguous Iranian recognition of Israel's right to exist; Israel will not accept an agreement which allows a country that vows to annihilate us to develop nuclear weapons.”

Why do I say we are all in a dangerous position?

1. Israel might launch a preemptive strike against Iran nuclear sites or other military installations at any time. If Iran has time to respond effectively then we could be in for the worst war in our day. Oil prices could spiral to stratospheric levels particularly affecting 3rd world economies such as Kenya whose citizens could be hit with higher taxes, higher commodity prices and potential strife.
2. Other countries could be sucked into the war.
3. Iran may succeed in dropping a dirty (radioactive) bomb on Israel. Israel could then exercise the Samson option which they have always had on the cards. The Samson option is;  Israel's strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons  if military attacks threaten its existence. In other words, Israel is willing (and perhaps capable) of destroying much of the world as it goes down. Going by past events, I do not think the Israeli’s are bluffing. In 1973 eight nations led by Syria and Egypt invaded Israel in what has come to be known as the  Yom Kippur War. As the Arab forces began to overwhelm Israeli forces, Prime Minister Golda Meir, authorized a nuclear alert and ordered 13 atomic bombs be readied for use. Had the sitting U.S. President not intervened, we would be facing a nuclear winter in the Middle East and world-wide economic and  environmental disasters.
4. If the promise given to Abraham is anything to go by then President Obama will lead America to decline.
   “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.”

For if God doesn’t speak idly and if the present record of the Jews’ accomplishments is taken as an authentication of His promise, then America, built up under God’s favor for sheltering the Jews for so many years, is now setting itself up for failure and shame.

If America declines then Christianity will lose a huge chunk of missionary support ( By 2013 America was still the top missionary sending country in the world). Christian persecution in many countries could increase dramatically as democratic values decline globally and the balance of power shifts to communist states such as China and Russia.

So for me the Obama Presidency represents all that could go wrong. From a political perspective, he is an excellent player but from a biblical perspective he knocks on all the wrong doors.
Which of the two perspectives matters to you the most?

kaka henri