Can America survive spurning Israel?

Several years ago, I edited a book for a man who was a mentor to mega-pastor John Hagee.

David Lewis's "Can Israel Survive in a Hostile World?" was one of those books that an editorial board can analyze to death, literally. A bane of the publishing world sometimes is too much market analysis. The project, after a long while on the shelf, is virtually dead before it gets into print.

But at the time, there was quite a bit of discussion about the title: Was it too strong? In the end, the original title was the one that was printed. For the constituents of such a book, the very question itself was almost blasphemous. After all, many of them said to me, the Bible says that Israel cannot disappear!

I thought a great deal about that as I prepared to read and review the latest book by Hagee, "Can America Survive? 10 Prophetic Signs That We Are the Terminal Generation."

I just knew that Hagee, a man for whom Israel is never far from his thoughts, would likely link America and Israel. I wasn't disappointed.

In "Can America Survive?" – a thoroughly absorbing book that reads almost like an action novel – the San Antonio pastor is clearly concerned for his home country. Hagee today is perhaps the quintessential prophetic pastor in America, a throwback not only to an early Billy Graham, or a Charles Finney, but also going all the way back to the fiery prophets of Judah.

Hagee isn't concerned about political correctness and thunders his Bible messages across the globe. For decades, he has been an unwavering supporter of Israel, and since 2006, his Christians United for Israel has become perhaps the premier political movement for Christians who support the Jewish state. In all this, Hagee also preaches as much about the lack of righteousness in America as he does the troubles facing Israel.

He sees a clear tie between America and Israel:

"As Christians, we believe that support for Israel is biblically mandated. The foundation of this mandate is of course Genesis 12:3. But it goes beyond that. If one sits down and reads the Bible, I think it's very clear that the Bible is a Zionist document.

The linkage between America's and Israel's fate is very real and very clear. As I've said before, a frontline in the war between the West and radical Islam is Israel's backyard. It is vital that the U.S. stand with our ally Israel, treat Israel as a friend and avoid pressuring Israel on matters of war and peace. Israel is a sovereign democratic nation, and it is the Israeli government's right and responsibility to protect its citizens as it sees fit."

In "Can America Survive?" Hagee outlines 10 signposts that tie current events with Bible prophecy, the idea that the world is hurtling toward an epic conclusion. He begins by comparing the U.S. to the Titanic. We all know how that ended.

If, however, there is one "weakness" of Hagee's premise, it is that he is writing to a postmodern audience, which does not even consider that the Bible might be true. Still, the pastor does a good job outlining the biblical warnings about the end and about man's grotesque excess.

In Chapter 1, "Anatomy of a Disaster," Hagee does a terrific job of profiling a series of problems in America. His presentation of these facts is really eye-opening, including the neglect of our still-magnificent military.

Because he has such vast contacts in the intelligence community, and because he talks to so many people in his travels, Hagee is able to gather a dizzying number of disturbing facts, "vignettes" that spell trouble for America.

For example, Hagee outlines the recruitment of young Muslim men in America by Al Qaida and other terror networks. One suspects that the pastor knows far more than he is telling about the danger threats to the West.

Perhaps the most valuable chapter in a fascinating book is Chapter 8, "Can You Trust Biblical Prophecy?" This is where Hagee shines. As he states so simply, prophecy "is the study of what is to come." Christian readers will be amazed by the so-called messianic prophecies, and Hagee presents them in a riveting manner in "Can America Survive?", outlining these prophecies from books like Psalms, Micah and Luke.

The culminating chapters of this book push us forward to a time that the Bible foretells, according to Hagee. In Chapter 12, "Armageddon: The Final Battle for Planet Earth," the pastor makes the point that there are specific reasons why God acts as he does.

For example, Hagee writes, God displays his power by causing havoc for Israel's enemies, "to testify to his beloved Jewish people that he alone is their God. Through their miraculous deliverance, the hearts of the Jewish people will begin to soften toward the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

What does that have to do with a book titled Can America Survive? Only this: Hagee does a tremendous job showing that individual nations' fates are determined by how they treat the Jewish people.

I won't ruin the end of this book for you, but Hagee presents a compelling case that America's survival also rests on how this great republic maintains her relationship with the Jewish state.

This is an arresting read, one that outlines this unique man's perspective after a lifetime watching current events and the Book.

Discover how real and relevant Bible prophecy is to you with Jim Fletcher's "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine): How to stop worrying and learn to love these end times"