No, we are not embarking on a story-telling adventure from the animal kingdom. Nevertheless, I wish to tell you about an important event that just took place in Europe last weekend. Of course, I am referring to the nuclear agreement between the P5+1 and Iran that was announced in Geneva just a few days ago. It does involve many parties and I would like to feature the three key players: The canary, the crocodile and the Eagle.
• The Canary:
It was over eleven years ago that I first read a powerful article about the danger of anti-Semitism and its lethal ramifications. Columnist Jeff Jacoby was almost speaking prophetically when he wrote:
Jews, it is often said, are the canary in the coalmine of civilization. When they become the objects of savagery and hate, it means the air has been poisoned and an explosion is soon to come. If Europeans don’t rise up and turn against the Jew-haters, it is only a matter of time until the Jew-haters rise up and turn against them.
The idea about Jews being the canary in the coal mine of civilization is rather simple but terrifying. Back in the days of coal mining, miners would take caged canaries down the mine with them. The cage would be placed within the visual field of the workers who constantly kept an eye on it. If a gas leak would take place, it would kill the canary and would also give the miners the necessary heads-up, so that they could evacuate the mine before a likely explosion.
Back in 2002, Jews were being called the “canaries in the coal mine of civilization” because their mistreatment seemed to be a warning for all of us about how our world was changing, and how what happened to them could also happen to the rest of Western civilization.
Today, even more than ever, we see a global coalition of Jew haters from so many venues within so many countries that it would be a mistake to ignore the signs, because the enemies of the Jews will not stop at the eradication of Israel. The canary is still alive only by God’s grace (Jeremiah 31:35-37), but postmodern westerners are treading dangerously on the shaky grounds of the coal mine of civilization, and they do it without keeping an eye on the canary, putting the bird at risk within dangerous reach of the crocodile.
• The Crocodile:
We have to go back even further in history, to Europe in 1938 to learn about the crocodile. British Prime minister Neville Chamberlain was sent to meet with Hitler, and on September 30, 1938 in Munich they concluded what is known as the Munich Agreement. This would allow Nazi Germany to regroup, rearm and reorganize under the nose of the allies, fooled into thinking that they could use diplomacy with Hitler. History told us otherwise. Appeasement has since then become a synonym for weakness and even cowardice.
It was sir Winston Churchill who said: An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last. The implication is clear. Who would attempt to feed a crocodile and pretend that there was no danger in doing so or even worse, think that they could tame the ferocious beast in the process?
Seventy years ago, the crocodile was Nazi Germany and Hitler. Today the crocodile is Iran and its supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini. What took place in Geneva is crocodile feeding at its worst. The unilateral lifting of the sanctions on Iran by the P5+1 was a grave mistake and could soon lead to a tragedy in the Middle East. As it turns out, the “agreement” for a six months deal hasn’t even gone into effect yet. So currently, Iran is not bound by ANYTHING and could continue to enrich uranium, and we know they will. No matter how much time or room Iran is given, they will continue their program and will divulge only what a coalition of very naive countries will buy as good faith. In the meantime, they are inching their way towards obtaining the bomb. Israel knows it, France seems to know it as well (which is unusual to say the least) and even Saudi Arabia sees the crocodile on the not so distant horizon. New alliances are in the making; some of them might even surprise us.
Let’s face it, the crocodile is after the canary but that won’t satisfy its hunger. We know that the beast will go for more, and that leaves us with the eagle.
• The Eagle:
I have a beautiful painting of an eagle over an American flag in my office. I see it everyday and it reminds me how proud I am to be an American and live in what I still consider the greatest country in the world. The eagle is a symbol of power, endurance and majesty. It is both the national bird and national animal of the United States and has appeared on its seal since it was introduced by the Continental Congress in June of 1872. It also appears on the Seal of the President of the United Sates. I would have to agree that the bald eagle is a perfect symbol for America and what we stand for. At least for what America stood for until recently.
Sadly, I do not believe that America is the number one super power in the world anymore. I will not speculate about who has replaced us, but we are no longer leading the pack and at the very least, Iran knows it.
The talons of the American eagle have been filed down to nothing and the wings of the American eagle just got clipped. If you ask me, we are starting to look more and more like a lame duck and less like a bald eagle!
Yet, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God continues to be in control. So even though it saddens me to see where our world is going and it saddens God as well, somehow it is part of His plan.
Looking at the current situation, I understand and I pray you do too, that we shouldn’t feed a crocodile, let alone try to tame a crocodile. Frankly we shouldn’t even trust a crocodile!
Unless of course you are looking at animals in God’s Messianic Millennial Kingdom to come, where tame and wild will get along with each other and with mankind. Until then, it is our responsibility to do all that we can to introduce those who hate us and who loathe Israel to the One who will give them life eternal and entrance into the Kingdom, that is Yeshua the Messiah!
kill the croc.
The world is at war….and America is at the mall.
Well say, to the point!