When Nixon Died, I Was in Israel — And I Didn’t Know Why It Mattered Until Now

by Arete Gune

⸻

April 22, 1994

I was 31 years old.
I was in Israel.
And I didn’t know why I was there.

A siren went off, and through a megaphone someone shouted:

“Former U.S. President Richard Nixon has died!”

I remember thinking, “Why are they announcing Nixon here? Didn’t he resign a long time ago? Why does this matter to Israel?”
I didn’t get it then.
But now — 31 years later — I see things I couldn’t see before.

The Watergate scandal that took Nixon down started on June 17, 1972.
And now… Trump.
He turned 79 in June 2025 and will turn 81 in June 2027.
Nixon died at 81.
Trump is back in office, right in the middle of global chaos involving Israel and Iran.
The patterns are hard to ignore.

⸻

How It Started

That night in 1994 I was working late at a bank office, reviewing loan documents.
Everyone else had gone home.

Out of nowhere I felt something stir inside me — not a hand, not a voice, but a clear sense:

“Let’s go.”

I said, “Where?”
The answer came: “Greece.”

No plan, no logic, just obedience.
I called a travel agent and said, “Book me to Greece — Rhodes, if you can.”
She did. Two weeks later, I was on a plane.

Before leaving, I started walking two miles every morning to prepare.
I cut my hair short so I wouldn’t need a dryer.
I packed light:

• Two shirts
• One red windbreaker
• One pair of black spandex pants
• Windbreaker pants
• Two pairs of socks
• Two pairs of underwear
• Walking boots
• My Bible
• A CD player
• And my American Express card (because back then, you really didn’t leave home without it)

In Rhodes, I met a Christian couple from Liverpool at a bus stop. Nobody else was around.
The woman told me, “You need to go to Israel. It’ll be once in a lifetime. Don’t miss it.”
I said I was planning to go to Spain.
She didn’t hesitate:

“We’re not rich, but if you don’t have the money, we’ll pay for your ticket.”

That stopped me cold. I knew it wasn’t just her voice. It was His.
I told her, “No need. I have money. I’ll go.”
And I did — by ferry, from Rhodes to Crete to Haifa.
That’s how I entered Israel.

⸻

The Number 31 — A Neon Light in Time

I don’t believe in numerology or mystical numbers.
But when the same number keeps showing up again and again, I pay attention.
For me, that number is 31.

I was 31 when Nixon died — and now, 31 years later, Charlie Kirk has died at the same age.

It feels less like coincidence and more like God using a bright neon highlighter to say, “Look here.”
God speaks through patterns — not for us to worship numbers, but to notice His timing.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the firmament shows His handiwork.” — Psalm 19:1

⸻

The First Torch — Nixon (1913 – 1994)

When Nixon died, Israel honored him as the American who had sent the “blank check” during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The airlift he ordered turned the tide of the fighting.

Inside the White House that decision sparked a power struggle. Henry Kissinger — holding both National Security Advisor and Secretary of State roles — wanted a slower, limited response. Publicly, he said it was to “keep bargaining power with the Arab world.” But in reality, that leverage would still circle back to benefit Israel in the long run. It wasn’t about protecting America’s energy or economy; it was about shaping the region to secure Israel’s advantage.

Nixon sensed that and overrode him. He gave the direct order himself, and only then did the resupply begin. The record shows that Israeli officials later said those shipments saved their nation.

Whatever anyone thinks of Nixon, this part is clear: he acted on conviction, against his most powerful adviser, and carried the cost. That’s the mark of the first torch — a leader who realized how little control he truly had, yet still made the call that changed history.

⸻

The Second Torch — Charlie Kirk (1994 – 2025)

The same year Nixon died, Charlie Kirk was born.
Thirty-one years later, he was gone.

Before his death, he said something that stood out:

“I cannot and will not be bullied like this, leaving me no choice but to leave the pro-Israel cause.”

I saw the video myself. He wasn’t angry; he was worn out — wrestling with truth and loyalty.
Not long after, he was praised by Israel’s leaders with words almost identical to Nixon’s farewell:

“A steadfast friend.”

Two men, two eras, two good-byes that sounded nearly identical.
When you see the same echo twice, you start to wonder if it’s building toward something else.

⸻

The Third Torch — Trump (b. 1946)

Now, in 2025, Trump is back in the White House.
He’s facing a flood of legal charges — a modern echo of Watergate itself.
He’s also back in the middle of peace talks involving Israel and Iran.
He’ll be 81 in 2027 — the same age Nixon was when he died.

I sense his time in office may be shortened — perhaps by age, illness, or scandal — only God knows.
I’m not predicting, only noticing how history tends to rhyme.
My task isn’t to forecast tragedy; it’s to stay alert and pray that mercy will overrule judgment.

Two torches are already out. One still burns.
If his time ends early, the cycle may repeat.
If God extends it, there’s still time for repentance.

The date June 17 keeps showing up — first in the Watergate break-in of 1972, then in my own scroll research as 6/17 BC, the time of the star the wise men followed to find the true King.
It feels like a signpost linking ancient and modern rulers: kings of the earth — Nixon, Trump — and those who sought the King of Heaven.
Even Charlie Kirk fits that image: a modern “wise man” who tried to read the signs, saw what few wanted to see, and spoke it aloud.

⸻

The Scroll Reopening — The Whisper: “Let’s Go”

That whisper from 1994 still matters.
Back then it meant travel; now it means trust.
It was God saying, “Follow Me even when you don’t have the full picture.”

Thirty-one years later, the same threads appear again: three men connected to Israel, the same number repeating, the same sense that God is saying, “Watch what I’m doing.”

When I relaunched Arete Gune on April 25, 2025, I didn’t plan for it to align with any of this — but it did.
It felt like the scroll that had closed in 1994 had just opened again.

Maybe the whisper wasn’t only for me. Maybe it’s for all of us — the Bride — to stay alert and pray.
God’s timing isn’t random. He repeats things so we’ll pay attention.

So I keep watching and praying.
Whether it unfolds further or not, I’ll still ask, “What are the odds?”
But if it does, I’ll know He was showing it for a reason.

When He says, “Let’s go,” I don’t ask for the map anymore.
I just go.

⸻

Notes & References

• White House recordings and Robert Dallek’s Nixon and Kissinger (2007) document the 1973 Yom Kippur War airlift dispute and Nixon’s private remarks about Kissinger.
• U.S. archives confirm that Nixon personally ordered the emergency resupply to Israel despite internal resistance.
• For context on Charlie Kirk’s 2025 statements, interviews, and media reaction, see “Charlie Kirk’s Evolving Views on Israel in 2025: A Summary of Key Statements and Commentary.” That research draws from verified reporting in Newsweek, Times of Israel, Townhall, Al Jazeera, Palestine Chronicle, and Mondoweiss, along with public videos and podcast segments available on YouTube, Rumble, and TPUSA archives. Readers can search titles such as “Charlie Kirk Israel debate 2025” or “Charlie Kirk Show Netanyahu letter” to review the material directly.