With events unfolding in the Middle East, Newt Gingrich’s planned visit to John Hagee’s San Antonio church offers a window into how Republican candidates re-tool apocalyptic theology as foreign policy, for mass consumption. The pair have long been fellow travelers; despite Hagee’s history of anti-Catholic statements and Gingrich’s recent conversion to Catholicism, they have both orbited the same nexus of neoconservative foreign policy and apocalyptic biblical prophecy for quite some time. Examples: same claims about new “Holocausts;” same claims about cosmic, civilizational wars.
Most recently, there’s been a remarkable synergy between both mens’ comments about the revolutions unfolding in the Middle East. For example, on February 7, 2011, at the height of the Egyptian uprising, Hagee wrote in his weekly update, “The American media, with the exception of FOX News, is presenting the Muslim Brotherhood as moderate and lovers of democracy. This is utter nonsense. This is the hysterical jabber of our State Department that once again has fumbled the ball in the Middle East.” He then predicted that a Muslim Brotherhood figure would emerge as leader of Egypt, and “will appear initially as a moderate and within a few weeks embrace Sharia which is the Islamic law that now governs Iran.” (Meanwhile here, Haroon Moghul had already explained — with facts! — why Egypt is not Iran.)
Also on February 7, Gingrich appeared on CNN to claim the Obama administration simply doesn’t understand the threat to America. He called the Obama administration “amateurish” and maintained the Muslim Brotherhood is the “mortal enemy of our civilization.” He added, “Their way is jihad, their method is death . . . .This administration, I think, does not have a clue about those realities.” A few days later, at CPAC, Gingrich played those very same themes, and played his film, The War With No Name, which featured, among others, Zuhdi Jasser, King hearing star witness. Jasser maintains that the Muslim Brotherhood’s “common mission” is to “advance Sharia, to advance political Islam and the collectivism of a Muslim political movement in America that’s different from our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.” (For more on why that’s wrong, read about the shari’ah conspiracy theory industry.)
For Hagee, this is all part of getting into position for the end-times. From his February 7 update:
What are you seeing happen in the Middle East prophetically? You are seeing the King of the South come together with lightning speed.
Egypt has an army of one million men armed with 1500 Abram Tanks which are America’s best. We sold them to Egypt along with hundreds of our latest and greatest fighter jets because Egypt was controlled by Mubarak who was America’s friend.
Can you imagine what Israel faces with Iran, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Russia coming after them? The prophet Ezekiel clearly predicted this battle thousands of years ago and you are watching the players get into position with lightning speed.
Jesus said: “When you see these signs, lift up your head and rejoice. Your redemption draweth nigh.” Simply stated: The King is coming! Get ready! Planet earth is about to become the playground for the Anti-Christ and his New World Order. The church will be raptured before the Anti-Christ appears; and I believe he could be introduced in Europe at any time. Pray up! Pack up! We’re going up…and very soon. I’ll chat with you next week!
I hope his followers, for their sakes, didn’t pack up too much stuff, because he was back the very next week with this:
If there was ever a time to pray for America and Israel it’s now. If there was ever a time to support the preaching of truth in this millennium of politically correct deception; it’s now!
I thank you for your faithful and loving support that has permitted me for 35 years to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world. Today, the fight rages! The future of America hangs in the balance. This is not my fight…this is OUR fight!
The best weapon God has ever given us is television. It reaches millions with the click of a button in their homes. Thank you for making it possible for the light of truth to shine in this era of spiritual darkness.
I’ll chat with you next week about the world tomorrow…we are very close to the rapture of the church.
Hagee is so enamored of the rapture that he even played a raptured Christian in Hollywood.
