In the Eye of the Prophetic Storm

The American Prophecies : Ancient Scriptures Reveal Our Nation's Future
by Michael D. Evans

There's a reason for the hostility of Islamic fundamentalists toward America.

It is rooted in bigotry, the ancient prejudice against Jews.

From the time George Washington placed his hand upon a Bible and swore the oath to become the first president of the United States, the Jews-and, more important, a Jewish homeland-have occupied a crucial place in America's history. Now internationally renowned Middle East expert and biblical scholar Mike Evans traces the efforts of American Christians to help establish a Jewish State, describing in fascinating detail the events that led in 1948 to the birth of the nation of Israel.

The hatred of the Arab world for the West-and toward America in particular-can be traced entirely to this nation's identification with Israel. America flirts with danger, Evans says, when it accommodates the Arab world merely for the sake of oil. As God said to Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse." Yet, says Evans, referring to Israel and the rebuilding of Babylon, or Iraq, "America is cursing what God has blessed and blessing what God has cursed. Does the Bible reveal what will happen to a nation that does this? A thousand percent yes!"

Chapter 1

You might be president one day. You will make mistakes, and God will forgive you. But God will never forgive you if you abandon the state of Israel.

Rev. W. O. Vaught, Pastor
Immanuel Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas,
to parishioner and then-Governor William Clinton

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Galatians 6:8
Scripture used by President-elect William Clinton
for his oath of office, January 20, 1993

On April 30, 1789, George Washington placed his hand on a Masonic Bible, randomly opened to Genesis 49. This chapter is a prophecy of blessing from a dying man—Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel—to his twelve sons. The prophecy concerned both their futures and the coming Messiah: Verse 10 reads, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah . . . until Shiloh come." With his hand on this portion of Scripture, Washington took the oath of office to become the first president of the American Republic. Each president since Washington has followed the same pattern, most of them choosing to open the Bible to a particular passage of Scripture as they swear to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. The choice of Scripture has often proved to be prophetic of a president's term of office, and on occasion the chosen verses have uncannily reflected America's role in the plan of Bible prophecy.

I find it intriguing, for example, that in January 1993, President Bill Clinton took his oath of office with a Bible opened to Galatians 6:8 (quoted above). No doubt the president-elect intended for his administration to be characterized by the latter half of that verse, but can any honest observer question the conclusion that the Clinton presidency came to be characterized by the former instead?

During his second term in office, Bill Clinton was impeached, yet not on charges stemming from the sleazy scandals that consumed the public's attention. It wasn't his affair with Monica Lewinsky or Gennifer Flowers, nor was it his sexual harassment of Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, or Juanita Broderick that brought the president of the United States before a congressional panel to face removal from office. No, Bill Clinton was impeached for placing his hand on the Bible, promising to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," and then lying to cover up his indiscretions. An American president had "sown to the flesh" and "reaped corruption"—with the entire world as witnesses. And the fact that the United States Senate could not muster the moral courage to convict a president in the face of obvious perjury shows the degree to which our national leadership has succumbed to the dangerous doctrine of moral relativism.

When I think of the significance of President Clinton's choice of Galatians 6:8 for his first inauguration, I cannot help contrasting it to President Reagan's first inauguration. On January 20, 1981, the warmest inaugural day on record—a crisp 55 degrees—he stepped to the podium to take the oath of office. As Chief Justice Warren Burger administered the oath, Ronald Reagan's left hand rested on a Bible prophecy—a prophecy that would decide the fate of the nation of which he was taking leadership, as well as the fate of the world. (Mr. Reagan's policies set the stage for the fall of the great "ism" of the twentieth century—communism.) That day the Bible was opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14, a prophecy given in the historic city of Jerusalem to King Solomon. God said to the king these words:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

During the early years of the Reagan administration, I once had a meeting with a presidential aide who showed me around the Oval Office. There, I saw the family Bible that President Reagan had used at his inauguration. It was still opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14, and I saw that in the margin next to that verse his mother had written this note: "Son, this scripture is for the healing of the nations." I was moved that the president had been influenced by this ancient prophecy, especially as I recalled the momentous events of that inaugural day in 1981. That was a presidential inauguration I will never forget.

I was at home watching the television coverage of the swearing-in ceremony and the commentary that followed when the networks cut away from Washington, D.C., to show scenes of the release of American hostages who had been held captive for 444 days by the revolutionary terrorist government in Iran. While watching these simultaneous events unfolding, suddenly I heard my phone ring. It was a call from Israel.

"Mike, are you watching TV?" said Reuben Hecht, senior adviser to Israel's prime minister, Menachem Begin. "Harel's prophecy is coming to pass before our eyes."

Reuben Hecht and I had enjoyed dinner with Isser Harel (founder of Mossad, and head of Israeli intelligence from 1947 to 1963) at his home a few months earlier. Over dinner that night, I had asked Harel, "Who do you think will be America's next president?"

Harel responded, "The word on the streets is that terrorists might have a say about that. They are going to attempt to influence your elections by releasing the hostages precisely when Reagan is sworn into office."

Completely stunned, I responded, "What? Why?"

Harel said, "They want Carter out because of his passion to democratize Islam." The former intelligence head was referring to President Jimmy Carter's attempt to transform the shah's regime in Iran. Those actions destabilized Iran, and opened the door for Ayatollah Khomeini, for the Camp David accords, and to Carter's advice that Sadat give a speech in Egypt stating that religion and politics must be separate. This speech was heard by a blind cleric named al-Rahman, who issued the fatwa (decree) to assassinate Sadat; the same cleric was later indicted for his part in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

Reuben Hecht, Isser Harel, and I had quite a dinner conversation that evening. We talked about America's foreign policy and the tensions in the Middle East, Saddam Hussein's power play in Iraq, and how Carter manipulated the overthrow of the Iranian shah through the American embassy—contrary to the advice of Israeli intelligence, which asserted that instead of improving the country, it would give impetus to Islamic fundamentalists and provoke the Soviets to invade Afghanistan.

"They want to kill Sadat," Harel said. "Now they want to kill Carter's chances of reelection. They feel that if the hostages are released early, it would put Carter back in office."

Later on that same evening, I asked Harel another question: "Will terrorism ever come to America?"

"Will terrorism come to America?" he repeated my question back to me. "America has the power to fight terrorism, but not the will; the terrorists have the will, but not the power. But all of that could change in time. Oil buys more than tents. You in the West kill a fly and rejoice. In the Middle East, we kill one, and one hundred flies come to the funeral.

"Yes, I fear it will come in time."

"Where will it come?" I asked him.

He thought for a moment. "New York is the symbol of your freedom and capitalism. It's likely they will strike there first. At your tallest building, which is a symbol of your power."

That conversation took place in October 1980. Little did I know that Harel's predictions—the death of Sadat, the release of the hostages at the exact hour of President Reagan's inauguration, and the terrorist strikes against the tallest building in New York—would come to pass within a dozen years. And less than a decade after that, the United States would plunge headfirst into an apocalyptic tornado on September 11, 2001.

Where Is America Found in Bible Prophecy?

Is America in prophecy? Yes, it is. As a Middle East analyst and minister who has worked closely with leaders in that region for decades, I tended to be skeptical of attempts to come up with schemes to plug America into prophetic interpretations. I have often referred to such teachers as "Pop Prophecy Peddlers." But, after thousands of hours of research, I am totally convinced that America is found in prophecy, and I believe you will, too, after reading this book.

In a nutshell, here is how the United States fits into Bible prophecy. America has married two brothers, both descendants of ancient Abraham, who was told by God to get out of Ur of the Chaldees (modern-day Iraq).

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)

One of these marriages was based on America's guilt over its appeasement policies, which resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. America has attempted to use a tiny democratic state in the midst of a sea of instability in the Middle East—Israel—to assist in deterring communism, fascism, and terrorism. The marriage to the other brother, Ishmael, was one of convenience. A mortal enemy of the younger brother, Ishmael brought a dowry of black gold (oil) to the marriage, and then used it to blackmail America.

The Middle East is home to two-thirds of the world's global oil reserves. OPEC presently accounts for 40 percent of the world's oil imports. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2030 that figure is expected to rise to 60 percent. By that time, the Middle East will supply 50 percent of U.S. oil imports, 50 percent of European imports, 80 percent of China's imports, and 90 percent of Japan's imports.

While Middle Eastern oil flows to the West, we ship arms in their direction. In fact, the Middle East region is currently America's number one client in the world for weapons of war. The U.S. has sold Saudi Arabia alone more than $200 billion in weapons since the 1980s.

Even after September 11, petrodollars earned by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Libya have been used to sponsor terrorism, produce weapons of mass destruction, and finance a gospel of hatred that is brainwashing millions of Islamic youth. Yet America has been unwilling to admit that it is being blackmailed, let alone draw a line in the sand against it. Many Islamic regimes know that while they have the oil, as Ariel Sharon once said, "We have the matches." It's time for the U.S. to stand up to these bullies and quit capitulating to blackmail. Our future depends on it.

Presently, America's other marriage partner, Isaac (Israel), has developed the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world, knowing Islamic fundamentalists are hell-bent on annihilating the people of Israel. They are determined that what happened in the Holocaust, while the world kept silent, will never happen again. Israel has opened nuclear silos during three Middle Eastern wars, and has targeted cities such as Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, and even some in the former Soviet Union.

While we know that Israel has had nuclear strike capabilities since at least the late 1960s, today Islamic nations are very close to having their finger poised over the red button as well. It appears that at least one of these nations may have suitcase nuclear bombs paid for by oil sales to America. In addition to this, the Washington Post reported the following on December 21, 2003:

Documents provided by Iran to UN nuclear inspectors since early November have exposed the outlines of a vast, secret procurement network that successfully acquired thousands of sensitive parts and tools from numerous countries over a 17-year period . . . While American presidents since Ronald Reagan worried that Iran might seek nuclear weapons, U.S. and allied intelligence agencies were unable to halt Iran's most significant nuclear acquisitions, or even to spot a major nuclear facility under construction until it was essentially completed . . . Iran's pilot facility, which is now functional, and a much larger uranium-enrichment plant under construction next door are designed to produce enough fissile material to make at least two dozen nuclear bombs each year.

Through these two political—and spiritual—marriages, America has stepped into the center of the prophetic storm. America now finds herself trying to accommodate an ancient Jew-hating older brother (Ishmael) who has refused to make peace with the younger (Isaac). In order to live with both, America has appeased them with bombs and bribes—(more than $400 billion in military equipment and $100 billion in aid).

The Bitter Root of Bigotry

During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, I had lunch one afternoon with the governor of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed Khalid (commander in chief of the Saudi Royal Air Force and the Arab multinational forces). During the time he was head of the Syrian High Command and the Egyptian Third Army Commander, America paid Syria a billion dollars to support the Persian Gulf War—knowing Syria was a terrorist state. Syria went on to use that money to buy missiles from North Korea.

After we ate lunch, Khalid and I talked about Islamic fundamentalists and the threat they and their fanatical religion could be to the West. My words antagonized Khalid, and he said, "Listen, your country is a lot more dangerous than ours. You can walk our streets at two in the morning and nobody will bother you. You can't do that in L.A., New York, Chicago, or most of the big U.S. cities."

"You're right," I said. "But that's because you cut off people's hands and heads in public squares."

"Well, it works. What do you do? Put color televisions in your prisons and serve them Christmas dinner? And besides, don't insult our religion by exaggerating. Islam is a peaceful religion."

"Are you telling me Islamic fundamentalists are peaceful?" I asked.

"No," he said, "they're not. But they represent no more than 10 percent of Islam."

"Excuse me," I retorted. "That really comforts me to know that only a hundred million or so people want to kill me in the name of their religion."

I've heard the same argument about the impact of Islamic fundamentalism again and again. Liberal politicians and special-interest groups continue to propagate a myth that Islam is a peaceful religion. But think about this for a moment. Islam has around one billion adherents worldwide. The actual number is probably higher, but one billion is a nice, even number for the sake of argument. Now, even if 90 percent of the Islamic world is peaceful, as Prince Khalid assured me, it still places the planet at the brink of the greatest crisis of history. Even if 99.9 percent of the Islamic world is completely nonviolent, we are still in grave danger. If only one-tenth of 1 percent of all Muslims were radical Islamists, that is still a staggering number: It means that one million people are intent on killing us. It took only nineteen hijackers to wreak massive destruction on the United States on September 11. Each one of those men believed he was on a divine assignment from God.

The terrorists' war against America and Israel is rooted in this radical religious doctrine called Islamic fundamentalism. This distorted Islamic belief is very difficult for Americans to comprehend, partly because our modern secular world is still getting past the long conflict between science and religion—which most assume was won long ago by science and secularism. Suddenly, a religious adversary is attacking mighty secular America. It's no longer just the streets of Jerusalem that are threatened, but those of New York and Washington.

In April 2003, while the U.S. was in the midst of the Persian Gulf War, I wrote a book that ultimately became a New York Times best seller, Beyond Iraq: The Next Move. In the book, I stated my belief that weapons of mass destruction were in Syria. I also stated that, compliments of the Syrian government and the Iraqi embassy in Damascus, money and key Iraqi leaders were being moved through Syria. This, in my opinion, explains why President Bush had to move so quickly—Saddam Hussein was moving the WMDs and the funds to disseminate them out of Iraq.

There is no question in my mind that the U.S. must quickly close the borders of Syria to contain Saddam Hussein's money and weapons of mass destruction. I believe America will ultimately have to go to war against Syria, a much more dangerous terrorist-harboring state than Iraq. Hopefully, that war can be fought through economic and diplomatic means without the shedding of American blood. If not, America will still have to shut down the engine of terror in Syria.

Numbers of Americans have died because Syria allowed Islamic martyrs to use their country as a pipeline from other Arab states into Iraq to attack the "infidels" (American soldiers). There is no doubt that Israel will have to go into Iran and take out their nuclear reactor, and do it quickly (in the same way they did in Iraq). America will likely encourage Israel to do so, and then deny any involvement, as they did in the 1980s.

America will have to allow Israel to fight their war against terrorism that has never been fought. Israel must root out the terrorist organizations in the territories, and they will have to do it themselves. The war on terrorism will never be won as long as the Palestinian territories remain the point of exportation for suicide bombers. The dissemination of media propaganda that enrages the masses in the Palestinian territories must also be stopped.

True hope for peace lies in discerning the truth and acting on it, not in believing myths propagated by liberal power brokers and in ignoring bigotry. Yet too many people in America view the real enemy as the "narrow-minded, right-wing, Bible-thumping Christians" who believe in black and white, right and wrong. The same people who see conservative Christians as the enemy often legitimize the acts of cold-blooded murderers as steps to obtain freedom and peace. These apostles of appeasement have raised the hopes of the Islamic fanatics so high that the national security of America is now at stake. Equally as important, our very freedoms are at stake. We can echo the prayer of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "Death, throw off our grievous chains and demolish the thick walls of our mortal body and our blinded souls, so that at last we may behold what we have failed to see in this place. Freedom, long we have sought you through discipline, through action and through suffering. Now that we are dying we see you there in the face of God."

Why do they hate us? Everyone wants to know the answer to that question. Here's the answer: Simply because they hate us!

The more important question is this: What is fueling that hatred, and how can the engine of hate be derailed? If you don't think bigotry is at the root of it all, you're dead wrong. It is no coincidence that the World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, turned into a "World Conference on Jew-Hatred," and ended three days before September 11, 2001. Is there zero correlation between the U.S. and Israel walking out of the conference, and September 11?

Many believe that the current Palestinian crisis has much to do with the issue of "Jew-hatred." They are right, it does. The entire Palestinian crisis comes down to two things: refugees and terrorism.

Is there a refugee crisis anywhere on earth that has drawn the world into such a mess? The answer is, clearly, "No." Civilized countries solve refugee crises on their own. The truth is that the Arab world has fueled and fed the Palestinian refugee crisis, using it to exploit Jew-hatred. Their attitude is: "Blame the Jews for all the problems, just as Hitler did, and we will not be shot for our brutality." Since their "thugocracies" are run by the bullet, and not the ballot, someone needs to bear the blame . . . why not the Jews and the "crusaders." State-controlled media that brainwash the masses are the root of the problem.

America has done nothing to address this danger. It must be stopped. The U.S. must use every means possible to shut down the "Baghdad Bobs" who are recruiting children to kill in the name of Allah.

How did Israel solve its refugee crisis in Europe at the end of the Holocaust? How did they solve the crisis in Arab countries where Jewish citizens were being killed simply because they were Jews? They took care of their own.

Why did the Arab League tell the Arabs to leave Palestine and fight Israel, then turn their backs on the very refugees they created? Why did they make up the myth that Israeli Arabs must have a state inside Israel, even though they never had such a thing in three thousand years of history? Or that an Egyptian-born billionaire terrorist by the name of Yasser Arafat is their "George Washington"?

I believe there is a direct correlation between current events and prophecy. I am firmly convinced that President Jimmy Carter unlocked Pandora's box in the Middle East, and President Bill Clinton stepped into the maelstrom that was unleashed. I also contend that America has made a conscious decision to tolerate bigotry perpetrated in the name of Islam, a bigotry that is presently polluting and poisoning the peace of the world. The war on terrorism cannot be won without a war against racism and bigotry.

If America had maintained moral clarity, Iran might have continued to be a pro-Western country. Iraq might never have gone to war against Iran, a war that took the lives of 1.2 million Arabs. The U.S. certainly would not have assisted them in doing so. The U.S.S.R. might not have invaded Afghanistan, and America would not have armed and trained thousands of terrorists throughout the Middle East to fight the Soviets. These same American-trained and American-armed terrorists—Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda being the most infamous example—have now turned on America. The truth is, America might never have ended up in this mess if we had maintained our conservative policies of not negotiating with terrorists.

Copyright © 2004 by Michael D. Evans

About the Author

Michael Evans is the bestselling author of Beyond Iraq and has published articles in periodicals throughout the world, including the Wall Street Journal and the Jerusalem Post. He has been a confidant to leaders in Israel for more than two decades. He is the founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, which organizes thousands to seek peace in the Middle East.