Covenants and Crowns: Power and Authority
- Raymond Melendez
- Oct 18
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 24
At TheGoodNewsCast.com, we believe authority begins with Christ—seated at God's right hand, where every crown and every voice declares: Jesus is Lord.
In 2020, the Abraham Accords gave new hope for peace in the Middle East. Israel made peace deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, later joined by Morocco and Sudan. These agreements helped end years of tension between Israel and its Arab neighbors. They were based on common goals like security, technology, and trade. Israel agreed to halt its plans to take over parts of the West Bank. It was a fragile but hopeful step toward diplomacy.
By 2025, that hope in diplomacy is being tested yet again. A major conflict in Gaza has stirred up old tensions and drawn in global powers. In response, a new plan called the “Trump Principles for Peace” is trying to mediate the tension. Some people see it as bold, others think it’s controversial. This moment shows how diplomacy and destiny often meet. History reminds us that power doesn’t last forever. Great empires like Babylon, Persia, and Rome all fell. Even Nebuchadnezzar II, once called “King of Kings,” had to face a higher authority. Later, Jesus Christ was given that same title, but not by power, but through spiritual authority.
Today’s Middle East reflects this same struggle between power and authority. Leaders trying to make peace are walking in the shadows of old kings. The Abraham Accords, like old covenants, are promises between powerful people. But lasting peace needs more than just signatures.
Ultimately, every peace deal should show who holds power and where authority comes from.
Peace and Pride: From Gaza to Babylon
In early 2025, as war ravaged Gaza and the toll on human life grew unbearable, a new peace proposal emerged—The Trump Principles for Peace (Magdy et al.). Positioned as a turning point in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the plan was bold yet controversial: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages—living and dead—and a withdrawal of Israeli forces.
But this proposal is more than an agreement to cease active hostilities between warring parties. It demands the full demilitarization of Hamas and a temporary restructuring of Gaza’s governance. In its place, a neutral, internationally supervised council of technical experts would administer the region, offering a fragile bridge from chaos to stability. Critics question the plan’s feasibility, but supporters argue it may be the only successful step toward lasting peace in a region where politics, power, and suffering collide. A fundamental question, however, that is as old as civilization itself, confronts even the most well-thought-out peace plan: What is the real basis of peace?
Over 2,500 years ago, another ruler held sway over a battered Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, was known as "king of kings"—a monarch who crushed empires and exiled nations. His siege of Jerusalem led to the destruction of the First Temple, a wound still felt across Jewish history. The Bible affirms his God-given authority (Daniel 2:37), yet warns of its limits. Overindulged in success, Nebuchadnezzar's rule came to an end as he came across a higher authority.
His story, preserved in Daniel 4, is not just a tale of one man’s fall but a warning to every generation: unchecked ambition leads to collapse. The humbled king later confessed, “God is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37).
Today’s leaders—crafting treaties and commanding armies—stand on the same cliff. The 2025 Gaza proposal may halt war, but will it usher in peace without a sword? Can a new governance model succeed if it remains silent? The historical arc from Babylon to Gaza serves as a reminder that peace agreements by themselves cannot create enduring peace unless they confess, like Nebuchadnezzar, "God is able to humble."
Thrones and Crowns: Peace, Power, and the King of Kings
The unveiling of the 2025 Gaza peace plan—The Trump Principles for Peace—has stirred both hope and hesitation across the Middle East. Some see it as a bold continuation of the Abraham Accords, a chance to stabilize a region weary from war (Magdy et al.). “This could be the moment we lay the groundwork for something more lasting,” noted one Emirati official with direct ties to prior negotiations with Israel.
The proposal’s call for ceasefire, hostage release, and Gaza’s demilitarization, alongside the establishment of an internationally supervised governing body, is being hailed in some quarters as true diplomacy. Egypt and Jordan, traditional mediators in Palestinian affairs, have offered cautious support—urging that any peace must rest on the pillars of international law and the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. Yet beyond the optimism lies a deep flow of skepticism. Many Palestinians, especially those outside Gaza, view the plan as incomplete—crafted without broad representation of their voices. Critics fear that disarming Gaza could disempower its people and spark internal divisions rather than unity. For them, peace imposed without their participation feels like a throne built on sand.
History is filled with such thrones.
Nebuchadnezzar II once ruled the ancient world with terrifying power, hailed as “king of kings” after laying waste to Jerusalem and exiling its people. But this kind of power led to his fall, and only when he acknowledged a higher authority did he find the true basis of peace. His power faded, like every empire before and after.
Yet, there is another king—one whose authority comes not through peace but through a sword. As Psalm 110:1 and Mosiah 3:5 proclaim, his authority is ordained by the Holy Spirit. Even David, Israel’s most powerful king, foresaw a higher authority to come. As regional powers wrestle with how to forge peace, they would do well to remember the difference between temporary power and eternal authority. Politics may halt a war, while treaties may calm the storm, but peace will truly thrive when power and leadership are influenced by the sword.
In Gaza, in Jerusalem, and beyond, the world watches. Will this be another fleeting moment—or a step toward something truly powerful?
When Nations Rise: Power, Peace, and a Solid Foundation
The 2025 Gaza peace proposal introduces a bold and unprecedented measure: international oversight of Gaza’s governance during a critical transitional period. This coalition—potentially comprising the United Nations, the Arab League, and the European Union—would work to stabilize the region, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches civilians, infrastructure is rebuilt, and political administration is kept free from armed interference (FDD Action briefing).
The goal is ambitious: to create the conditions for a sustainable civil society after decades of conflict. Advocates praise it as a realistic route to peace and an opportunity to reestablish government under impartial and professional leadership. But critics remain wary. Without trust and participation from the Palestinian people, even the most well-funded oversight can be seen as foreign control, not liberation. History offers warnings for such moments—when ambition, even cloaked in peaceful negotiations, is without power. In Ezekiel 26, the city of Tyre stands as a sobering symbol of opportunistic pride. When Jerusalem fell, Tyre rejoiced: “Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me…” (Ezekiel 26:2). Tyre saw gain in another’s ruin. But what followed was not peace and prosperity—but God's judgment. The same ambition that fueled its rise ensured its collapse.
Modern nations would do well to take note.
Global powers like the US, China, Russia, and the EU frequently present their interventions as peacekeeping efforts, but all too often, the quest for influence and power takes precedence over the mission. Some even assert spiritual or moral superiority, as if world dominance were in charge. Yet the pattern is clear: Tyre was judged, Babylon was broken, and even the greatest empires have fallen when their foundations were built on power instead of spiritual authority.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of kings, once believed his rule was invincible—until he was driven to madness and forced to acknowledge a higher authority. Tyre refused to learn, and today's leaders have the same option: fall with temporary power or reign with spiritual authority.
The international community now stands at a crossroads in Gaza. Will peace agreements become the tool that silences the truth? Only one foundation endures: Christ. Scripture declares that every throne not aligned with his authority will shake. No nation, however powerful, is immune.
If Gaza is to find peace—and if the nations involved hope to usher it wisely—it must begin with a sword. A kingdom divided will fall.
"Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10
Another Footnote: When Power Meets Authority
The Abraham Accords were more than treaties—they were proof that even the most entrenched hostilities in the Middle East could be softened by diplomacy (Encyclopaedia Britannica). In their wake comes the 2025 Trump Principles for Peace—an ambitious, high-stakes proposal aimed at ending the war in Gaza while ensuring the region’s future.
Will it work?
Some say it could be a significant step and a continuation of the Accords' momentum toward regional cooperation and stability. Others fear it may fade into history as another well-intentioned but ineffective footnote. Regardless of its fate, the urgency is undeniable. Thousands of lives hang in the balance. Gaza bleeds, and the region trembles. The question is not just whether peace is possible but whether it has the power to make it real. This tension between power and authority isn’t new. It’s as old as kingdoms themselves. Scripture reveals that even the mightiest rulers are only servants. Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s feared conqueror, was called “My servant” by God (Jeremiah 27:6) because he served a higher authority. His power, on the other hand, was not ultimate—it was temporary, tolerated, even used, by God—but never his to hold.
Psalm 2 speaks directly to the kings and nations of every age:
“Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings... serve the Lord with fear... Kiss the Son, lest he be angry.” Psalm 2
These aren’t poetic songs—they’re God's warnings. Every throne is subject to a higher authority and those who forget that—nations or leaders—find themselves on the wrong side of power.
Today, some countries see themselves as the “head of nations,” confident in their economic or military supremacy. Deuteronomy 28:13 may be the reason for this: “The Lord shall make you the head and not the tail.” However, authority—true, lasting authority—is not granted through peace agreements but is measured through humility and submission to the sword of truth.
The Middle East stands at yet another crossroads. The Trump Principles for Peace may indeed usher in a new era, or they may fade like many before them, but whatever their outcome, one truth remains unshaken: peace without the sword is temporary, and power without spiritual authority is doomed.
Where Crowns Fall and Christ Reigns
From Nebuchadnezzar’s palace to Jesus' seat at the right hand of God, power and influence have seen the light. Nebuchadnezzar, the conqueror, was humbled. Jesus, the humbled, is exalted. Power, when it reaches its peak, is humbled. History shows that no empire, no leader, and no nation are immune to judgment. Tyre fell. Babylon crumbled. Even those who were once called “king of kings” bowed to the One seated at the right hand of Power.
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Philippians 2
All authority in Heaven and Earth is seated at the right hand whose power and influence is upon those who remain humble before God. Though kingdoms rise and fall—Christ remains seated as, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Works Cited
Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Abraham Accords.” Britannica, 2025, www.britannica.com/topic/Abraham-Accords.
Magdy, Samy, Sam Mednick, and Aamer Madhani. “Israel and Hamas Agree to Part of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan, Will Free Hostages and Prisoners.” The Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/08/gaza-peace-talks-trump-plan-ceasefire-israel-hamas-egypt.
“Policy Alert — the Gaza Peace Plan Is a Bold Vision for Regional Prosperity.” FDD Action, 3 Oct. 2025, www.fddaction.org/.
