John Hagee draws large crowd to convention center

Television and radio evangelist Pastor John Hagee believes the recent eruption of the volcano in Iceland stems from Britain breaking God's covenant.

The day after Britain's Advertising Standards Authority said the Western Wall in Jerusalem could not be used in Israeli tourism ads in Britain because it is considered occupied territory, Hagee said, the volcano erupted, shutting down Britain's economy in one day.

"That's coincidence, like the flood was a coincidence. That's coincidence, like the Red Sea was coincidence. That's coincidence, like the earthquake and the Resurrection was coincidence," Hagee told about 3,200 people at Lancaster County Convention Center on Thursday night as part of John Hagee Ministries' Rally and Prophecy Seminar.

Prior to the event, several Lancaster County residents were in front of the convention center passing out brochures for Kairos Palestine, a group of Palestinian Christians, to those attending Hagee's rally.

"We have Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East that are encouraging us to take their concerns seriously. They are suffering a lot in the occupation," Harold A. Penner of Akron said.

Hagee told the crowd Thursday night that the United States is also on its way to breaking a covenant with God.

"(President) Obama is beginning to treat Israel like the worst enemy," Hagee said, because Israel wants to continue building houses for Jews in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the "eternal capital" in Israel, he said, adding that Israel was not born in 1948, but 3,500 years ago.

"Obama shunned Netanyahu and let the prime minister sit there by himself while he ate with his family. He was trying to pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem," Hagee said.

"But God is the president of Jerusalem, not the U.S. Jerusalem is the city of God.

"God made a covenant with Abraham 3,500 years ago, a blood covenant that there will be one Jerusalem then, one Jerusalem now and one Jerusalem forever," Hagee said.

A blood covenant is more binding than family ties, he said, because of the "precious blood of Jesus, the kinsman redeemer."

The land belongs to Israel because of the covenant and "any country who tries to change that will get the judgment of God," Hagee said. "It's like sticking your finger in the eye of God."

Hagee urged American Christians to "stop arguing over the Bible" and instead become one undivided church, "and this nation can turn around in one year's time."

Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a nondenominational charismatic church with more than 19,000 active members. He also has written best-selling books and is a Southern Gospel recording artist.

Hagee will continue with the prophecy seminar, speaking out of the biblical Book of Revelation, at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday.

lvaningen@lnpnews.com