Today Filipino Pastor Peter Tan Chi — senior pastor of Christ Commission Fellowship, a wonderful evangelical congregation here in Manila — and our Epicenter conference team and I had the honor of lunch at the palace with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo. She and her staff were very gracious and we had a wonderful time of discussion and prayer.

For protocol sake I cannot share any comments she made to us, but I can give you a quick summary of the meeting from our perspective.

• An American evangelical Christian pastor — Ray Bentley from Maranatha Chapel in San Diego — thanked the President for the tremendous and historic friendship between the Philippines and the United States, including the republic’s support in the war against Radical Islam throughout the islands (against jihadist groups such as “Abu Sayyaf” and even in Iraq where they sent peacekeeping forces to help our coalition in 2003 and 2004).
• An Israeli pastor — David Ortiz from Ariel (whose 15 year old son, Ami, was nearly killed in 2008 when a terrorist sent a bomb to his home disguised as a Purim gift basket) — thanked the President for the wonderful, historic friendship between the Philippines, the Jewish people and the State of Israel. He noted that many Filipinos work in Israel and are hard-working and much appreciated, and that quite a few even marry Israelis.
• I added my thanks in both areas, noting that in 1939, then-President Quezon offered saffe haven to 10,000 European Jews trying to flee the Nazi Holocaust. While only about 1,200 were able to make it here before the country fell to Japan, it was still tremendous offer. Then, on November 29, 1947, the Philippines gave the decisive final vote in favor of the Partition Plan at the United Nations. I noted that this gave the way to the creation of the modern State of Israel and thus the Philippines helped fulfill Bible prophecy. The Philippines was the only country in Asia to voted for Israel, and the only Catholic-majority country to do so.
• As the luncheon continued, the pastors, their wives and I discussed with the President the continuing threat of Radical Islam to the Philippines, Israel, the U.S. and free societies around the world.
• We discussed the threat of Iran gaining nuclear weapons and her administration’s position on this.
• With all respect and deference, I asked the President in light of the strong historic ties between the Philippines and Israel to please graciously reconsider the vote the Philippines cast at the U.N. against Israel last fall over the Goldstone Commission Report. The U.N. resolution that passed asked the Security Council to consider war crimes charges against Israel because of the Gaza war. It did not, however, even mention the word “Hamas” or note Hamas’s terrorism or the fact that Operation Cast Lead (the war in Gaza in January 2009) was not an offensive action initiated by Israel but was a response to 12,000 rockets and missiles fired by Hamas terrorists from Gaza at the innocent civilian population in southern Israel over the course of many year. Israel responded when the U.N. wouldn’t. The issue will come back up for discussion in the U.N. in February and I shared that many Christians around the world will be praying that the Philippines reconsider their position and find a way to reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defense, while also expressing compassion for the Palestinians suffering under Hamas rule in Gaza.
• I presented her a signed copy of Inside The Revolution and a copy of the documentary film DVD and was able to explain the basic premise of the Radicals, the Reformers and the Revivalists.
• Finally, we prayed with and for the President that the Lord would bless her and her family and give her wisdom to lead the country as her10-year administration comes to an end. Presidential elections will be held in May.
• The president sent a police escort to pick us up from our hotel and to return us there after the meeting.

We would be grateful for your continued prayers for us. We are under heavy armed guard here due to the risk of radical Islamic terrorism.  Yet we are grateful for the doors the Lord is opening. Later this week, we will be doing media interviews; meeting with the Israeli ambassador; speaking to a dinner of business, government and military leaders; and then Friday we will host the actual Epicenter conference.

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Netanyahu and Israeli cabinet have joint cabinet session with Merkel government in Berlin
• Iran tops agenda in Berlin meetings

Today my team and I are heading to church for a day of prayer and fasting for the Filipino people….as I begin the day, I’m reminded that on November 29, 1947, the U.N. passed the historic “Partition Plan” offering Jews and Arabs their own states in “Palestine”….this plan opened the way for the prophetic rebirth of Israel, but it barely received the 2/3 vote to pass….at the last minute, three countries switched their votes from “no” to Israel to “yes”….these countries were  Liberia, Haiti and the Philippines…..let’s pray for the Lord to bless the people of all three countries and draw them to His heart, especially at this critical hour.

Greetings from Manila…just arrived here from Israel….my heart is heavy with all the devastation in Haiti….wishing I could be there to help some how….but was blessed by a wonderfully warm reception from the Filipino team preparing the Epicenter conference and related events we’re doing here this week….these dear brothers and sisters have lived through their own traumas in recent months…multiple super typhoons, deadly floods, destroyed houses, deaths and injuries, and now the threat of a major volcano blowing not far from Manila….many Filipinos have been shaken by recent events and are wondering what they all mean….where is God?….is there any hope?….is there a certain way to know we can go to heaven when we die?….are we living in the End of Days?….are things going to get worse?

We will be addressing these issues this week, and offering answers from the Bible….I’m humbled to be here for my first trip to East Asia….I’m eager to see the Lord pour out His Holy Spirit in a powerful way….my prayer is that our Father in heaven will encourage true born again followers of Jesus Christ this week to “get ready, be prepared” to live holy and impactful lives in the last days before Jesus comes back, and to develop a special heart of love for Israel and the people of the epicenter….I’m also praying that the Lord will stir the hearts of those who are lost or struggling in their spiritual journey that they might come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord in a real and personal way, and in doing so that they would find forgiveness of their sins and hope for the future through Christ alone.

Each day, Lord willing, I’ll post updates on events here….upon arriving, I learned another Manila newspaper — the Philippine Star — that just published a story about our upcoming meetings here….excerpts from the article headlined, “What On Earth Is Going On?” — “One look at today’s news headlines would have even the worst skeptics’ heads spinning. Earthquakes, threats of terrorism, war, tsunamis and pestilence, a looming volcanic eruption, major financial debacles with global repercussions, global climate change, and continuing talk of the coming imposition of a new world order. All this seems to have been ripped right from the pages of the Bible because of its somewhat-apocalyptic tenor. New York Times best-selling author Joel Rosenberg hasn’t been helping the mood any, what with his penchant for assiduously following news headlines and tying them in with 2,000-year-old Bible prophecies. The mild-mannered communications strategist was catapulted onto the world stage when elements of his stories began occurring in real life just months after he had written them. Reviewers found his political thrillers set in the present day to be ‘eerily prophetic’ and ‘almost prophetically forecasting what you’ll read in tomorrow’s headlines.’ US News and World Report even called him ‘the modern Nostradamus,’ a label Rosenberg is uncomfortable with, saying, ‘I am not a clairvoyant, a psychic or a modern Nostradamus as some have suggested.’ Joel explains that all he is is an avid student of Bible prophecy, although clearly he is one with….”

Bible prophecies tell us to expect multiple severe earthquakes in the last days.

• Speaking of the signs in the last days that will indicate His return is drawing near, Jesus Christ said: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” (Matthew 24:7)
• During the vision that the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel had of events that would happen in the last days, the Lord said to him: “It will come about on that day when Gog [a Russian dictator allied with Iran, Turkey, Libya, et al] comes against Israel, that My fury will mount up in My anger. In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.” (Ezekiel 38:18-20)
• During the vision that the Lord showed the Apostle John of what would happen in the last days, John wrote: “I looked and He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood….every mountain and island were moved out of their places. The the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Israeli experts indicate, however, that while the Jewish State is due for a devastating quake, the country is not ready for anything close to what has happened in Haiti.

• Haaretz: Israel is due, and ill prepared, for a major earthquake
• Jerusalem Post: Is Israel prepared for the worst?

OTHER IMPORTANT HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Canada cuts funding to anti-Israel groups
• Al-Qaeda may have been been behind thwarted attack on Israeli diplomatic convoy in Jordan
• Erasing Ezekiel’s Jewish identity — report indicates Iraq may build mosque over Ezekiel’s tomb near Baghdad
• Israelis arrest cult leader

LEARN: To sign up for Joel’s (free) Flash Traffic email updates, please click here

PRAY: To join the “Epicenter Team” on Facebook and track regular prayer requests, please click here 

GIVE:  Would you like to help The Joshua Fund stand up a new warehouse in Israel; provide food, clothing, medical supplies and other aid to the poor and needy in Israel and the epicenter; stockpile supplies for the next war and/or natural disaster; and educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? If so, please click here

• December update for Joshua Fund donors

GO:

• Go to the Epicenter Conference in Manila, Philippines in January 2010
• Go get a copy of the “Damascus” film in English to share with a Muslim neighbor

>> Doomsday clock to be moved Thursday by top scientists

“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” Haitian President Preval told the Miami Herald. “There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.”…AP is reporting as many as 500,000 could be dead….3 million suffering….please pray for the Lord to show mercy to the dear, desperate people of Haiti…..please also give, if  you can, to the American Red Cross and/or Franklin Graham’s humanitarian relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse to help those who are suffering get food, water, medical supplies, and temporary housing….another wonderful evangelical Christian ministry I would recommend is GAIN USA (Global Aid Network), the relief arm of Campus Crusade For Christ…..my friend Duane Zook runs GAIN and it’s a first rate ministry….for details on how they are responding, please click here.

The Scriptures tell us in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that terrible earthquakes and other natural disasters will occur in the “last days”….things will get worse, but this is already a catastrophe of biblical proportions and a bitter foretaste of things to come….may followers of Jesus Christ respond with prayer, compassion, and practical assistance.

 “And there shall be great earthquakes shall be in various places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…” (Luke 21:11, 25-26)

 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

NOTE: Joel is scheduled to be interviewed live from Israel on the Janet Parshall radio show on Wednesday at 4:15pm eastern.

>> Iranian nuclear scientist killed in mysterious bomb blast

Since arriving in Israel last week, I’ve become concerned that a second Gaza war could be coming…Hamas has fired rockets and mortars from Gaza for the fifth straight day…more than 25 have hit southern Israel since Thursday…Israeli special forces soldiers we’ve talked to here are itching to strike hard and crush Hamas once and for all….let’s pray the Lord’s will would be done.

• Gaza rocket hits Israel for fifth consecutive day
• Israeli planes kill 3 militants in Gaza strike
• Israel vows “powerful response” to Gaza attacks
• Israel’s looming war in Gaza
• Israel denounces anti-Israel statement by Turkish PM
• Israel issues second apology for diplomatic row with Turkey
• Netanyahu agrees with Deputy FM on the essence of his protest to Turkey, but not the implementation of that protest
• Turkish PM: Israel’s apology is acceptable
• Shimon Peres helps resolve crisis with Turkey; Defense Minister Barak heading to Turkey next week

LEARN: To sign up for Joel’s (free) Flash Traffic email updates, please click here

PRAY: To join the “Epicenter Team” on Facebook and track regular prayer requests, please click here 

GIVE: To help The Joshua Fund stand up a new warehouse in Israel; provide food, clothing, medical supplies and other aid to the poor and needy in Israel and the epicenter; stockpile supplies for the next war; and educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, please click here

• December update for Joshua Fund donors

GO:

• Go to the Epicenter Conference in Manila, Philippines in January 2010
• Go get a copy of the “Damascus” film in English to share with a Muslim neighbor

“Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of endangering world peace by using exaggerated force against the Palestinians, breaching Lebanon’s air and water space and for not revealing the details of its nuclear program,” reports Haaretz. “At a press conference with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Said Hariri, Erdogan called on the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel over its nuclear program in the same way that the international community has been dealing with Iran.”

• Turkey lashes out at Israel
• Turkish TV show portrays Israelis as baby snatchers: Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon summons Turkish ambassador for inquiry following new serial thriller depicting Mossad agents, Israeli representatives in Ankara in negative light

Joel and the Ayalons overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.

Over the weekend I had the honor of having coffee in Jerusalem with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and his lovely wife, Anne. We discussed the Iranian nuclear threat, the U.S.-Israel relationship, the global effort to delegitimize Israel, and the Israeli government’s desire to build stronger and deeper alliances with evangelical Christians in the U.S. and around the world.

One of Ayalon’s concerns is February 5th. That’s the date the U.N. Secretary General is set to release an update on the Goldstone Commission Report. The Israelis will submit a report to the Security Council on January 29th explaining the steps Israel has taken to improve security in and around Gaza and even compensate some Palestinians whose property was unfairly damaged during Operation Cast Lead. But the expectation in Jerusalem is that the new report will be another harsh attack on the Jewish State. If that’s the case, the Netanyahu government will be hoping evangelicals around the world will speak out against the report and show their solidarity with Israel.

February will be critical for another reason. France takes over chairing the Security Council. That seems the best time, therefore, to press hard for crippling economic sanctions against Iran. The Obama administration is gearing up for a big push for sanctions since its diplomatic efforts towards Tehran have been a disaster. The question, of course, is whether Russia and China will agree to any sanctions, much less ones of such an aggressive nature that Iran’s economy and government would be severely impacted. Personally, I’m not holding my breath. But I would note that if some form of sanctions are passed, it would likely preclude Israel from taking military action in 2010. Rather, Jerusalem would need to wait and see if the sanctions had any effect. The problem if that the sanctions are imposed but don’t work, Iran will gain much needed time towards building nuclear weapons and bringing the region that much closer to a Holocaust.

MK Danny Ayalon served as the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. during the Bush administration. That’s where we met. He and his wife are real heroes in defending the Jewish people and state and in understanding the strategic importance of building strong ties between Jews and Christians. Let’s be praying for the Lord to bless their work and their family.

U.S. Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman, John Thune and John Barrasso arrived in Israel this weekend for private talks with Israeli leaders….McCain came from time spent in Lebanon…tonight, the Senators held a press conference at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem and criticized the Obama administration for threatening to cancel loan guarantees to Israel if she doesn’t knuckle under in the peace process….developing…

(Jerusalem, Israel) — Hamas terrorists have launched more than 20 rockets and mortars at southern Israel from Gaza since Thursday. Hamas targets in retaliation. It’s not immediately why we’re seeing a spike of violence from Gaza now after a very quiet year. It could be part of the “anniversary” of Operation Cast Lead last January. It could be that Hamas is trying to provoke a new massive Israeli response to scuttle a deal for Gilad Shalit (and/or to show Hamas’ toughness even though it has been negotiating behind the scenes with Israel). It’s simply not clear at the moment. But please pray for peace on that border and for the Lord to comfort innocent civilians on both sides.

>> IDF strikes in Gaza; 3 terrorists killed

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Ahmadinejad: Iran and Syria to create “new world order”
• U.S. Has Contingency Plan for Dealing With Iran, Petraeus Says
• U.S. to store $800m in military gear in Israel
• Can Hamas be stopped from seizing the West Bank?
• Obama official suggests in PBS interview U.S. could cut off aid to Israel if progress isn’t made on peace talks with Palestinians; White House insists remark wasn’t a threat
• Israel to build security wall along Egyptian border

>> NOTE: Joel will appear live from Israel on Bill Bennett’s nationally syndicated radio show on the Salem Radio Network on Friday at 6:30am eastern time. Guest host: Rick Santorum.

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza after terrorists fire mortars, rockets at southern Israel
• Report: President Obama may travel to Israel by mid-2010

LEARN: To sign up for Joel’s (free) Flash Traffic email updates, please click here

PRAY: To join the “Epicenter Team” on Facebook and track regular prayer requests, please click here 

GIVE: To help The Joshua Fund stand up a new warehouse in Israel; provide food, clothing, medical supplies and other aid to the poor and needy in Israel and the epicenter; stockpile supplies for the next war; and educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, please click here

• December update for Joshua Fund donors

GO:

• Go to the Epicenter Conference in Manila, Philippines in January 2010
• Go get a copy of the “Damascus” film in English to share with a Muslim neighbor