(San Diego, CA) — Newly-inaugurated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wasting no time in laying out the existential threats facing Western civilization. In his first speech to the nation, as well as in various media interviews, he warned that Iran’s messianic, apocalpytic cult leaders will get their hands on nuclear weapons soon, and that if the U.S. won’t act decisively to stop Iran, Israel will.

“The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told The Atlantic. The Iranian drive for a nuclear weapon was a “hinge of history,” he said, emphasizing that all of “Western civilization” was responsible for preventing an Iranian bomb.

“You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs,” Netanyahu said of the Iranian regime. “When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

“Iran is a composite leadership, but in that composite leadership there are elements of wide-eyed fanaticism that do not exist right now in any other would-be nuclear power in the world. That’s what makes them so dangerous,” he said. “Since the dawn of the nuclear age, we have not had a fanatic regime that might put its zealotry above its self-interest. People say that they’ll behave like any other nuclear power. Can you take the risk? Can you assume that?”

On Wednesday, Lt-General (ret.) Jerry Boykin and I will be addressing about 150 evangelical Christian leaders from all over southern California. We will be briefing them on the latest developments in Israel, Iran and the epicenter. We’ll be talking about the vital importance of mobilizing a global movement of Christians who will bless the people of Israel with everlasting love and unwavering support. We’ll answer their questions about the 2009 Epicenter Conference set for this Saturday, and share with them about the work of The Joshua Fund and our urgent mission — to “pray for peace, but prepare for war.” We’ll also be discussing some new projects and initiatives that I will brief you on soon, too.

“Israel seeks peace with the entire Arab and Muslim world, but continues to be threatened by the forces of Islamic extremists, Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening,” reported the Jerusalem Post. “‘These are irregular times,’ Netanyahu told the Knesset plenum in opening marks to his speech….’Today Israel is faced with two tests — an economic crisis and a security crisis. The source of these crises are neither our past actions nor past mistakes… our [current] actions, however, will determine the results of these crises.’….Netanyahu pointed to the ‘spread of extreme Islam in our area, and all over the world,’ warning against the nuclear armament of these extreme forces, hinting at the development of Iran’s nuclear activities. The Iranian leader’s plan to erase Israel falls on deaf ears around the world, and is almost accepted as ‘routine,’ Netanyahu said.”

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