How is America tied into ancient biblical prophecies? According to author Michael Evans, a fundamentalist Christian minister, biblical prophets already predicted that America is doomed to collapse unless its government stops accommodating the Arab world for the sake of oil and instead offers full military and diplomatic support to Israel. He believes that God wants Israel to have full control of the West Bank and Gaza, and Americans are risking God's wrath by not fully supporting this biblical mandate. Evans also theorizes that much of America's problems--including the attack of 9-11--are indications of God's fury over America's split allegiance between the two famous descendents of Abraham: Ishmael and Isaac. "We are caught in a tug of war between two brothers--between oil, political expedience, and conscience in many ways--and it our decisions and polices concerning these two brothers that will determine whether the United States will survive or go the way of the Roman Empire," he writes. Evans's prophetic foundation begins with the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-44), in which he interprets the various signs Jesus gave his disciples to mark "the final age and his return." Obviously, the Bible can be interpreted many ways, and Evans uses 17 chapters to weave in interpretations of scripture that support his theory that America faces a mammoth choice--ruin or salvation. Although actual quotes from scripture are rather sparse throughout the book, he concludes with a five-page index of "Ancient Prophecies" that indirectly support his theory. One caveat--Evans (Beyond Iraq) does not hide his vehement anti-Muslim leanings. This book will probably be offensive to Christians who practice religious tolerance and lean toward a more-inclusive solution to American diplomacy in the Middle East. --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
Does America have an explicit role in biblical prophecy? Absolutely, says Evans, a journalist and popular Christian speaker who has come to believe that America is at a crossroads predicted in the Bible. Speaking from a deeply conservative perspective that lauds unqualified support of Israel and decries the "myth that Islam is a peaceful religion," Evans explains that the only reason why Islamic terrorists hate Americans is "simply because they hate us"-an unconvincing tautological argument that ignores the history of several ill-advised U.S. interventions in the Middle East. In 17 chapters, Evans employs a rather tortured biblical hermeneutic to persuade readers of the need for war in Iraq-and a future war with Syria-as well as for stepped-up support for Israel to conform with biblical prophecy. He often ties Muslims with Nazis, arguing that Muslims have adopted Hitler’s campaign to exterminate Jews. This book may resonate with ultra-conservative readers who already believe that America is the center of the cosmos. Other Christians will be alarmed by the way it promotes hate-filled stereotypes of Muslims even while it argues that Muslims are dangerous precisely because they promote hate-filled stereotypes of Jews.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Evans, whose last book, Beyond Iraq (2003), tied biblical prophecies to the current war, here ascribes the hostilities between Arabs and Jews to the ancient sibling rivalry of Abraham's sons: Ishmael, from whom the Arab world descends, and Isaac, a patriarch of the Jews. Evans believes that the U.S., if it expects to receive God's blessing, should side unequivocally with Israel and shun Arab countries despite the lure of oil. Readers will react to the author's theologically driven politics according to their own beliefs, but Evans does offer an interesting history of the relationship between Jews and the U.S. from the earliest days of this country (Haym Salomon was one of the chief financiers of the revolution). In a chapter entitled "Treason," Evans flays Bill Clinton for pressing for a deal between Israel and the PLO. Yet on the topic of the Bush family's well-documented relationship with the Saudi royal family, he is conspicuously reticent. Fans of LaHaye and Jenkins' Left Behind series will be clamoring for this incendiary but sure-to-be-popular work. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

New York Times bestselling author Michael D. Evans explains ancient biblical prophecies about current events that affect America's role and destiny in the 21st century.￯﾿ﾽWhy do they hate us?￯﾿ﾽ That's the anguished cry of Americans seeking an explanation for the terrorist attacks on the United States and the continued political violence against US soldiers, diplomats, tourists, and missionaries. Today, Americans live in constant fear of the next major act of domestic terrorism—but instead of gaining international sympathy, the US finds allied support more tepid than ever. Now, Evans sheds light on political events from a prophetic perspective in a thought-provoking look at the biblical prophecies written more than 2,000 years ago. America is targeted, he says, because of its friendship with Israel, its foundation on Judeo-Christian principles, and its basis in democracy. He also warns that the attacks will continue and that Scripture predicts a demise for the United States if it compromises its allegiance to Israel and its constitution's moral foundations.