In his address to the Israeli nation on the recent occasion of their 62nd Independence Day anniversary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, " Israel can only truly rely on itself."
Obviously, and with good reason, he was reminding his nation and people that they cannot depend on the United States or anyone else in the international community to defend them if and when Iran may try to fulfill their threats to "wipe Israel off the face of the map."
He quoted Theodore Hertzl, the respected Zionist leader of 100 years ago, who had said: "Don't rely on help from strangers, don't trust the charitable, and don't wish for stones to grow soft." And Netanyahu added, "A nation that wishes to stand tall must place all its trust in itself only."
While the international community has been deluding itself for years and seemingly ignoring Iran's nuclear intentions, Iran openly and arrogantly continues to threaten to destroy and annihilate little Israel.
The Islamic country of Iran has made clowns of all the world leaders who keep talking about statescraft, diplomacy and weak sanctions to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. But of course, that does not mean much to them, since the principal projected loser in this comical, if it weren't so serious, drama would be Israel.
So let's ask the question: What would happen if Iran nukes Israel? What exactly does this special microstate of Israel have to fear from an Iranian nuclear attack?
A recent report put out by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences included the following expectations of consequences from any nuclear attacks anywhere: contamination of food and water, disease epidemics in crops and animals and humans, widespread cancers, radiation induced abnormalities, and irreversible genetic diseases.
So what does all this mean to Israel, the obvious first target of any Islamic jihadist nuclear attack?
First or all, the dead would be uncountable. Tens of thousands would be crushed by collapsing buildings and torn to shreds by flying glass and objects. Raging fires would destroy additional thousands. Bodies would lie in the homes and streets all over the little country, and they would probably lie there for a long time before all the devastation could be tended to.
Overwhelming numbers of people would be injured and maimed, and health problems would afflict most survivors. Israeli medical facilities that might still exist would be taxed beyond capacity. Water supplies would be both insufficient and unusable. Millions of survivors would suddenly have no housing. Transportation facilities would be broken down. Food shortages would be critical.
Israel's economy would also be in ruins. Nearly everyone would lose their jobs and be deprived of their incomes and their most basic means of livelihood. Police and fire services would be decimated and unable to cope with the needs. Electric power would be destroyed, and all systems dependent upon electricity would stop functioning.
Along with the prevalence of unburied corpses, uncontrolled waste and untreated sewage, the situation would generate millions of flies and mosquitoes. These insects, breeding in the dead bodies and waste, would make it impossible to control rampant diseases.
Perhaps even worse than all the physical and medical consequences of a nuclear attack on Israel would be the sorrow and heartbreak that it would bring to virtually everyone in the country. No one could ever get over such loss of life of loved ones and friends, the loss of their homes and jobs and livelihood, and the devastation of their sacred homeland and country.
We talk now about how every person in Israel has already lost either a family member or close friend to war or to terrorism, but a successful Iranian and Islamic nuclear attack on Israel would become far more devastating to the Israeli people and nation. Many think they could never recover.
So Prime Minister Netanyahu warned his Israeli people and nation again that "Israel can only truly rely on itself." Israel cannot rely on the United States nor any of the rest of the international community to stop Islamic Iran from fulfilling their destructive and deadly threats to annihilate Israel. The Prime Minister stressed, with good reason and well documented evidence, that Israel cannot depend on anyone to help defend them in the face of such possible treachery and destruction.
But again we want to remind everyone, both in Israel and outside, that the God of Israel is still alive and well. He has assured the whole world that He will never slumber nor sleep in His efforts to watch over, protect and defend Israel. He has promised through His prophets that He will never again allow the restored special nation of Israel to be destroyed.
It doesn't matter how small or weak Israel may seem compared to other nations, their God is still stronger than all of them. The power of all nations put together is only like a drop in a bucket compared to the power of the God of Israel.
The Biblical prophets have also revealed that Iran and Russia one day will be leading a large coalition of Islamic armies to gather on Israel's land with plans to attack and destroy Jerusalem and all of Israeli. But God will meet them on the Plain of Megiddo and wipe out their armies before they ever even get a first nuclear bomb fired at Jerusalem.
Keep your eyes open. This may happen sooner than you may think.
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Dr. Al Snyder is a former professor of Communications at Liberty University in Virginia and North Greenville University. He has done extensive missionary work in Israel and Africa.