Israel, Politics, and the Moon

Op/Ed by Reuven and Mary Lou Doron : Mar 30, 2006
One New Man Call

As the results of the Israeli Parliamentary elections were being finalized, a near total solar eclipse enveloped the land in darkness on mid-day Wednesday. Even as the new political landscape was being defined, analyzed, and confirmed on earth, the sky went dark, the sun was slowly blocked out, temperatures dropped and animals howled, barked and crowed across the Land. Was it a fluke?

A solar eclipse occurs only at New Moon when the moon passes between Earth and the Sun. Viewed from inside the moon's shadow on Earth, the moon appears to be just the right size to completely block the brilliant sphere of the Sun. The Moon's shadow then sweeps across a portion of Earth's surface, but the ground covered by totality (the zone of full darkness) is a band of only about 30 miles wide with a length being that portion of the globe which is under the moon's shadow.

This week, the shadow began in South America, crossed the Atlantic, Western Africa, the Mediterranean and ended in Siberia. Total eclipses are rare because they require the tilted orbits of the sun, moon and earth to line up in great precision so that the moon obscures the sun completely.

The scriptures tell us that God created the "lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs…" (Gen 1:14) Their unique purpose, the Bible says, is for "the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night..." (Gen 1:16) From Genesis to Revelation, the moon is frequently associated therefore with the powers of the night (darkness), and serves as an apocalyptic witness signaling God's sovereignty and the nearing of the end of the age.

In light of the scriptures and the urgent prophetic nature of the hour, such a striking and well-timed lunar display over Israel on the day in which her political leadership is being reshaped should not be taken lightly. What might the Spirit be saying to those who have ears to hear and hearts to pray with understanding?

The newly formed centrist Kadima party changed Israel's political landscape winning the largest bloc of parliamentary (28 out of 120) seats, while the once-powerful Likud party was relegated to fourth place with only 11 seats. Kadima's campaign promises and objectives are to define Israel's borders with or without Palestinian agreement at the expense of vast land giveaways. (MORE. . .)

We have been asked in recent hours, is that good for Israel? Could Kadima's head, Ehud Ulmert, be able to form and lead a government able to navigate the troubled waters ahead at a time when Hamas assumes control over the Palestinian Authority; kassam rockets fired from Gaza continue to daily strike southern Israeli communities; and Iran's martyr recruitment website is boasting 53,900 Iranian wannabe martyrs on behalf of Islam's fight against Israel and the West? Does any leader in Israel have the answer to the flood of demonic rage as "…The garment of violence [Hamas] covers them?" Psalm 73:6) (We seriously doubt it, and they all need our prayers equally.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the preferred candidate of many Evangelicals and believing Israelis, will have to wait for the next political round which, in Israeli politics, may not take long. In the meantime, he will have to offer his contribution to whatever coalition government will be formed from a weakened, less influential position. We don't believe that his time is over by any means, and trust that the Lord is keeping him for a unique season when his strength, convictions and military background will be most needed.

The only victor in these recent elections is the Lord. The main parties received a very limited mandate and endorsement from the tired and disillusioned Israeli public, while fringe parties actually gained strength. This alone will make the task of forming a ruling coalition (with a minimum of 61 parliamentary seats) very difficult, and might even lead to early elections.

The bottom line is that there is no man who can save Israel from the troubles ahead. Heartrending but unavoidable hurdles are looming in the not too distant future, and barring a divine intervention or an antichrist false deliverance, there is no easy way out. Israel was gathered back to the land in unbelief, and the heart of the nation, rather than its territory, is the Lord's primary concern. The territorial and security issues will be addressed and resolved as the people of Israel re-enter God's parental embrace through repentance and faith, and the scripture will then be fulfilled which promises that, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Pro. 16:7)

Be at peace, watch and pray.

Reuven and Mary Lou Doron

One New Man Call

OneNewManMail@aol.com