In his Middle East address this week, President Obama called Israel to return to the 1967 borders. Unfortunately, these borders are indefensible, which means that if Israel did heed this call, the nation would be set up for terrorist extermination. In fact, what keeps its terrorist attacks down is its military presence in the West Bank. But guess what? In his speech, the president also called for Israel to withdraw its forces from the West Bank.
Ironically, the president stated that negotiations should begin with territory and security. However, his plan (which will likely be accompanied by pressure on Israel to submit to it) would remove Israel’s security. In fact, the call for Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders (which, in reality, would be the pre-June 1967 borders, or the 1949 armistice borders), he seeks to bring the Jewish nation into what some have been termed “Auschwitz borders,” referring to the infamous concentration camp. In other words, as mentioned above, these borders would set up Israel for elimination.
In taking this stance, the president has aligned himself with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is no friend of Israel. However, in calling for a “full and phased withdraw of Israeli forces” from “occupied Palestinian lands,” he is putting a smile on the faces of Hamas leaders, as it has been Israel’s military presence that has, thus far, prevented Hamas from overtaking the West Bank. If Hamas would, in fact, overtake the West Bank at a point in which Israel is moved back to the 1949 borders (which would involve a land mass less than what was originally dispensed to the Jewish nation in 1948), every city in the Jewish nation would be within rocket attack. At that point, the entire country would be living in fear-every minute of every day.
This is truly a sad day for Israel, but, unfortunately, it is just as sad for the United States. The reason for that is because God has promised to bring trouble upon those who bring trouble upon Israel (see Genesis 12:3). Based upon the president’s speech, the U.S. should plan for much trouble ahead.
Fortunately, God will prevent Israeli leadership from falling into the trap of acquiescing to the president’s insane plan. How do we know that? It is because the Bible tells us that, as part of the end-times treaty-the seven-year covenant that will begin the final seven years leading to the return of Christ (see Daniel 9:24-27; also see Apocalypse 2012: The Ticking of the End Times Clock-What Does the Bible Say? for a detailed explanation of this treaty) – Israel will be granted permission to rebuild the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. We know that for at least three reasons.
First, Daniel 9:27 shows the interconnectedness of the rebuilt temple with the final, seven-year treaty by revealing that when that treaty is broken (in the middle of the seven-year period), there will be “an end of sacrifice and offering”. Israel cannot have “sacrifice and offering” without a temple (which is why Jews have not been able to offer up sacrifices to God since A.D. 70); thus, the temple will be rebuilt prior to the mid-point of that final seven-year era.
Second, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, the apostle Paul reveals that “the man of sin”-the future end-times character (called “the beast” in the book of Revelation) unveiled at the mid-point of that future, seven-year period-will enter into the Jewish temple to proclaim himself as god to be worshipped. Thus, this passage also shows a rebuilt temple within the first three and a half years following the signing of the seven-year treaty.
Third, the Lord Jesus also reveals that the temple will be rebuilt prior to the mid-point of that seven-year era. For in Matthew 24:15, He warns that “the abomination of desolation” will take place when the “desolator” stands in “the holy place,” which is the temple. This “abomination of desolation,” also mentioned in the book of Daniel, will occur three and a half years following the initiation of the end-times treaty.
So why does the rebuilt Jewish temple indicate that Israel will not withdraw to the 1949 borders? No Jewish individual longing for the rebuilt temple would even think of allowing it to be rebuilt anywhere but where the first two temples have been built, which is on the Temple Mount. In addition, this rebuilt temple is called “the temple of God” in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, indicating it will be built on the same site (the Temple Mount) where God’s temple previously existed and where Abraham was called to offer up his son Isaac (and where God provided a substitute offering for Isaac, typifying the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ)-a truly holy site.
The Temple Mount is outside of the pre-June 1967 borders. It resides in East Jerusalem, which is the place President Obama is proposing (in deference to Yassir Arafat) as the capital of a new Palestinian state. Certainly, then, if Israel were to withdraw to the borders being proposed by the U.S. president, the Jews would not hold onto East Jerusalem or the Temple Mount.
So, God will not allow Israeli leadership to submit to President Obama’s proposition; for His plan for Israel is much different than that of the president’s stratagem. However, while Israel will fortunately escape the consequences of that insane proposal, unfortunately, the U.S. will not. As nations have experienced in past history, leaders’ decisions to bring trouble to Israel result in trouble for the entire country.
Thus, this is one decision that will backfire on the president-and on the nation. Watch in the days ahead to see what consequences will transpire. We already know that the U.S. is not found in Bible prophecy (indicating that it will have stepped far away from Israel, which is at the center of the prophetic picture, by that point)-most likely due to decisions such as this plan by the president; however, this alignment with Israel’s enemies will undoubtedly bring greater consequences than that. We will see.
Did President Obama Side With Israel's Enemies?
