A document written to President Bush by three Rabbis in Israel won’t get any notice in the world press, and isn’t being given much attention by church leaders either, but in my view it’s an extraordinary thing, given the status of its authors.
Commentary by Jack Kelley
A document written to President Bush by three Rabbis in Israel won’t get any notice in the world press, and isn’t being given much attention by church leaders either, but in my view it’s an extraordinary thing, given the status of its authors. Rabbi Steinzaltz is the leader of the Sanhedrin, who Time magazine has called a once in a millennium scholar. Dr. Eshel heads up the New Jewish Congress, and Rabbi Richman represents the Temple Institute and Temple Mount movements. These are not kooks from the lunatic fringe, but respected scholars and leaders among religious Jews.
It’s being called The Bush Scroll and was written in the Name of the Lord, Eternal God, as if the authors believe they were His scribes in the effort, and calls to mind the phrase, “Thus aith the Lord.”
It was addressed to “esteemed Mr. George W. Bush, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, (Ezekiel 38:1) leader of the west.” By including a reference to Ezekiel in the salutation the authors were identifying Pres. Bush as the one called Gog in that verse. It seems like they intend it to be viewed as a letter from God to His adversary (I am against you O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal).
If so, it offers Mr. Bush a clear choice. Although by addressing him as the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,they’re saying that Mr. Bush is currently fulfilling this role, he can still decide to either;
Reject the role of Gog, and be counted among the truly righteous, on a par with Cyrus of Persia, who authorized the first re-gathering of Israel, and Lord Balfour of England, whose Balfour Declaration paved the way for the second, by defending Israel’s right to the land God gave them,
Or continue to accept it and willfully aid in Israel’s destruction, under the guise of peace, and be inscribed for eternal disgrace!
Students of prophecy have speculated for generations as to the identity of Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. But I don’t believe there’s ever been a time when Hebrew scholars of such distinction have so publicly and obviously done so. I don’t know if they believe that Mr. Bush is just one of several leaders who will fulfill the prophecy of Gog, or if he’s the one and only. If it’s the latter then they appear to be saying that unless he rejects the role, his vision of peace will materialize and the stage will be set for the Battle of Ezekiel 38.
I believe many Christians mistakenly deny the possibility that God can speak through anyone outside the Church. They forget that the very existence of the Nation of Israel is the fulfillment of prophecy and that absent the clear and direct intervention by God into the affairs of the modern state, it would have ceased to exist long ago.
When I was helping to sponsor visits to the US by Israeli leaders and teachers like Gershon Solomon of the Temple Mount Faithful and Chaim Richman, who signed this document, I was constantly opposed by well meaning but misdirected Christians whose only interest in these men was to confront them with the gospel and show them the error of their ways.
Surely any Bible believing Christian wants to see God and His people reconciled, both on a national and personal level. But the nation of Israel is following a path clearly laid out by the prophets of old, a latter day re-gathering in unbelief, followed by a return to the Old Covenant, a time of refining in the fire, and finally the recognition of their Messiah and restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
In all things there’s a time for speaking and a time for listening. (Eccl. 3:7) We in the Church would do well to listen to what these Rabbis are saying about where we are on that path, and if I were President Bush, I’d give very careful consideration to their view of my role, and whose authority they claim in defining it. As Jesus said these things are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. (Luke 17:1) 01-11-08
Transcript of the Bush Scroll
8 Tevet, 5768 / January 6, 2008
In the Name of the Lord, Eternal God
To The Honorable Mr. George W. Bush,
President of the United States of America,
Who comes seeking the presence of the Most High God, to Jerusalem, city of God, Divinely chosen site of the Holy Temple, eternal capital of our land, “the joy of the entire earth (Psalms 48:3),” may it be rebuilt and established speedily and in our days, Amen!
Esteemed Mr. George W. Bush, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:1), leader of the west!
Upon your arrival in Jerusalem you have the ability to make a declaration, as did Cyrus, King of Persia – whose memory is honored – who in the year 538 BCE returned the exiled nations to their lands and recognized the full right of the Jewish people to reestablish their Holy Temple, the “house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7), and called upon them to return to their land,
And in the manner of Lord James Balfour of England, who in 1917, called upon the Jews to reestablish a national homeland in the Land of
Israel.
And thus if you truly desire peace and benevolence, and you would be counted in the company of the truly righteous, we call upon you to declare to all the world:
The Land of Israel was bequeathed to the nation of Israel by the Creator of the world. Neither could I, as a son of my faith, nor the Muslims according to their faith, ever take away even the slightest grain from the Eternal’s gift, which He gave to His people Israel, the eternal people. Thus I call upon all the nations to save themselves from certain doom, to return and recognize That this land is the exclusive rightful inheritance of the people of Israel, as is written
in the Torah of Israel, which constitutes the very foundation of our faith, as well as that of Islam; and is the basis for the decisions of the community of nations. He who denies this truth endangers all life on earth.
I shall dedicate all my strength and resources towards settling the Jewish people throughout their entire land. I shall greatly encourage
and empower the Jews all over the world to rise up to the Land of Israel and to settle it, to establish God’s sanctuary in Jerusalem, to
distance strangers from it and thus, I believe, I will be making a major contribution towards world peace.
I cannot simultaneously support the establishment of a foreign state for an alien nation in the Land of Israel, and I will not lend my hand to this wrong.
Or – Heaven forbid – you can choose the second option – to willfully aid in the destruction, under the guise of peace!
You certainly know what the God of Israel did to Egypt and Assyria and to all Israel’s enemies from time immemorial: Do you imagine that you will be able to save yourself if you have come to implement a plan that intends to steal the land of “the people that survived the sword” (Jeremiah 31:1), and to cut off those who survived the Holocaust, to rob the land that was given to them by the Creator?
All of the peace treaties and initiatives which have been based upon the decisions of the government of Israel, indeed the entire Oslo
process, and the ‘Disengagement,’ and the establishment of a terrorist state within the Land of Israel known as ‘Palestine’ – regrettably,
all of these agreements are the result of a lack of sufficient faith in the Divine promises that the Lord made to the patriarchs of our nation, and all that is written in the Torah of Israel.
Understand this well:
the nations of the world cannot excuse their actions and their decisions on account of the weakness of Israel and her government. God ordained that the role of the nations of the world is to strengthen the nation of Israel. This will benefit all humanity and bring about world peace, as the prophets have foretold.
Do you imagine you can escape from the struggles in Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon, by offering up sacrifices of
the Jews who are slaughtered daily by their enemies who speak of peace but live by the sword?
Upon your arrival in our land we would anticipate that you bring Jonathan Pollard home with you. Bring him home to Israel. He is an
emissary of the State of Israel, and he acted on behalf of our people. Authorize his immediate release while you are yet in Jerusalem, before
you return to the United States. This will be a positive step that will build confidence.
Remember our forefather Abraham, who pursued the world’s four greatest kings in order to redeem his nephew from captivity. We cannot forget the deeds of our patriarchs, whose example guides us through every generation.
We are the loyal representatives of the Jewish people, the New Jewish Congress, and its court of law, the Sanhedrin, as well as the Temple and Temple Mount movements, but we merely reiterate herein what is public knowledge.
No government in Israel and no representative of the Jewish people has the power or right to alter, by even the slightest degree, our covenant with God and the words of our holy Torah, which are everlasting, as expressed by the prophets of Israel and even by the wicked prophet Balaam: Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: ‘First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish for ever’ (Numbers 24:20).
Thus any desire, plan or agreement that challenges the eternal sovereignty and active possession of the nation of Israel over her entire land is utterly worthless, and has no basis in reality.
Therefore it behooves you to declare: “I, George Bush, Commander in Chief of the armies of the United States of America, will instruct all
of my troops to protect the Divine rights of the nation of Israel, and remove from her any threat.”
Before you is a choice: You can merit to eternal life, or be inscribed for eternal disgrace. Your fate and that of all those with you hangs in the balance of the destiny of our land.
“and you shall choose life!” (Deut. 30:19).
In Sincere Supplication – In the name of the Jewish people
Rabbi A Even Yisrael Steinzaltz
The Sanhedrin
Dr. Gadi Eshel
The New Jewish Congress
Rabbi Chaim Richman
The Holy Temple and Temple Mount Movements