Getting into that whole weird area of Bible prophecy and curses on nations, et cetera (which is now playing a part in policy formulations in the GOP:)
The modern nation of Israel was created in 1948 with the cooperation of the United Nations. To millions of evangelical believers in 'bible prophecy,' the creation of a new Israel in 1948 "started God's prophetic clock ticking" again.
By that I mean, it was a signal that "as-yet- unfulfilled Bible prophecies about how the world will end" were going to be fulfilled, perhaps in our lifetimes.
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The number of Bible-believing American Christians who accept this would probably astonish you if you don't already know it. To give you a rough idea: the "Left Behind" series of novels is a fictionalized version of "how post-Israel bible prophecy is going to play out." Total sales for the books in the series have surpassed 65 million copies. The "Left Behind" series is set in modern times/the near future because that's when fans of those novels and this theology believe that these Bible prophecies will be fulfilled.
So the nation of Israel occupies a very special place in the hearts and minds of American evangelicals who focus on "end times theology." According to some of the most popular interpretations of what is called "dispensationalist" theology, an attempt will be made by an invading power to destroy the nation of Israel--that attempt will be miraculously thwarted. Two "witnesses" (probably Moses and Elijah) will return to Israel and they will make themselves known to the world before they disappear again.
A popular world leader will appear, coming as a man of peace, and yes, he is--wait for it--the anti-Christ, and he will form a one-world government and there will be horrifying natural disasters, plagues and slaughter. And the Antichrist will desecrate the Holy Land, etc. before Christ comes back to beat him down, and create a new heaven and a new Earth. And, oh, yeah--many Jews will convert to Christianity.
You have probably seen television specials on all of this stuff on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel, etc. Dispensationalism has entered the popular culture and mindset, though it is not agreed upon or even believed in by many millions of Americans who identify themselves as Christian.
But to evangelical Christians who focus on the prophetic nature of the Bible (and believe that no Bible prophecy can ever fail to come true because all are God's word)--these prophecies about Israel and how the world will end are every bit as important as, e.g., the Sermon on the Mount and moral teachings of Christ.
Perhaps more so, because we have now seen (within the past century and nearly two thousand years after its destruction by Rome) the revival of the nation of Israel. Incredible, right? Surely proof that the other Bible prophecies relating to Israel and the world in Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelations will come true.
And this theology and its popularity explain a lot about a strange political romance that has grown up over the past thirty years: a romance between the evangelical conservative political movement here in the US, and those who believe that the United States must guarantee--by any means necessary--the continued integrity of the state of Israel as a Jewish nation.
And now you have the context in which to read the following, a statement by Michele Bachmann reported by the Minnesota Independent. Bachmann was speaking at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Los Angeles last week:
I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States . . . [W]e have to show that we are inextricably entwined, that as a nation we have been blessed because of our relationship with Israel, and if we reject Israel, then there is a curse that comes into play. And my husband and I are both Christians, and we believe very strongly the verse from Genesis [Genesis 12:3], we believe very strongly that nations also receive blessings as they bless Israel. It is a strong and beautiful principle.
http://minnesotaindependent.com/...