CBN news report: Israeli Leader Thanks Evangelicals at Pa. ‘Epicenter’ . Excerpt: “‘I believe we are heading into a very dark moment — the darkest in my lifetime,’ Rosenberg said. Rosenberg told CBN News he believes war is coming to the Middle East. He says Turkey’s growing alliance with Iran and the forces of radical Islam against Israel raises the possibility that the war of Gog and Magog mentioned in the book of Ezekiel could happen in our lifetimes. ‘Turkey has moved from being a NATO ally to a member of the Axis of Evil, right before our eyes,’ Rosenberg said.”

To order a copy of the DVD collection of speeches and presentations delivered at the 2010 Epicenter Conference, please click here

UPDATE: In a blunt message at the 2010 Epicenter Conference that suggested a war between Israel and Iran may not be far off, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon on Saturday warned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to choose “the Bomb” or “survival.” 

Yaalon said he agreed with the U.S. assessment that Iran is between one and three years away from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He said there is still time to stop Iran, but time is running out. He warned that “any American hopes of attracting Syria, Lebanon, or Turkey away from Iran would effectively be dead” if Iran builds nuclear weapons.  He also said Turkey is rapidly shifting from a moderate democracy to an Islamic republic and suggested this is of great concern to the Israeli government. Yaalon delivered a powerful 55 minute address, and answered 30 minutes of questions.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the 2010 Epicenter Conference, and everyone who helped pull the event together. We were encouraged that people from over 90 countries around the world viewed the webcast, including those from Israel, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Sudan.

CBN correspondent Erick Stakelback posted an on-line report on Saturday night on Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon’s address and Q&A session at the 2010 Epicenter Conference.

“Yaalon was undoubtedly the most anticipated speaker for the roughly 1,500 in attendance and 20,000 tuning in via satellite from around the world,” Stackelback wrote. “I’ll be filing a report on the conference for Tuesday’s edition of the 700 Club, but I wanted to fill everyone in right away on what I think was a very newsworthy speech by Yaalon, who is the second highest ranking official in the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yaalon received no less than three rousing standing ovations at Epicenter–one lasting for at least two minutes and punctuated by raucous cheers of support. A former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Yaalon has a reputation for being a serious man who’s as tough as they come. But he appeared genuinely impressed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and affection he received from the Epicenter audience and gave it right back with some kind words for evangelical Christians throughout his almost one hour speech, which was followed by a hard-hitting Q and A session with Rosenberg in which “Bogie” addressed everything from Iranian nukes to Turkey’s Islamist turn to the state of U.S./Israel relations. Below are some of the highlights from a riveting afternoon with the Vice Prime Minister. Yaalon began his speech by outlining Israel’s four primary strategic challenges….”

To read the rest of the CBN report, please click here.

PEOPLE FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN THE LIVE WEBCAST: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria,  Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,  Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam

www.epicenterconference.com

Join us live from the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia.

Here’s today’s schedule:

• 8:00am – Doors of the Kimmel Center open
• 8:30am – Opening video
• 8:31am – Praise & worship
• 8:50am – Welcome, prayer and announcements by Pastor Joe Focht
• 9:00am – Introduction: Joel C. Rosenberg
• 9:15am – Pray: Israeli Pastor Wayne Hilsden
  (“How To Pray For The People of Israel”)
• 9:50am – Pray: Lt.-General (ret.) Jerry Boykin
  (“How To Prayerfully Fight Spiritual Warfare and Win”)
• 10:30am – Break
• 10:45am – Pray: Kay Arthur
  (“How To Pray And Fast Like Mordechai and Esther”)
• 12:00pm – Lunch
• 1:30pm – Praise/worship/prayer
• 1:45pm – Give: Greg Laurie
  (“How To Give Your Life Fully To Jesus in the Last Days”)
• 2:30pm – Time of prayer/quiet worship music
• 2:45pm — Give (presentation via video): Mosab Hassan Yousef
  (“How The Son of Hamas Gave His Life To Jesus Christ”)
• 3:0opm – Introduction
• 3:05pm — Keynote: Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon
• 4:00pm – Joel leads Q&A session with the Vice Prime Minister
• 4:30pm – Break/book signings/dinner (on your own)
• 6:30pm – Doors open
• 7:00pm – Welcome/Prayer, followed by praise and worship
• 7:15pm – Introduction
• 7:25pm – Testimony: Iranian Pastor Hormoz Shariat
  (“What God Is Doing In Iran”)
• 8:00pm – Go: Joel C. Rosenberg
  (“How To Go Build A Global Movement To Bless Israel and Her
  Neighbors, Come What May”)
• 9:00pm — Conference Ends

NOTE: On Sunday, Joel will be preaching at the 8am, 9:45am, and 11:45am services at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, the church that invited us to do the 2010 Epicenter Conference here. For more details, please click here.

To watch the conference on-line on Saturday, please click here

To pre-order a DVD set of all the speeches of this year’s Epicenter Conference, plus a special two-hour bonus feature of Iranian Pastor Hormoz Shariat and U.S. Pastor Tom Doyle teaching on “How To Share The Love of Christ With Muslims,” please click here.

FRIDAY NIGHT: The West Coast webcast will play from 7-9pm Pacific….thanks to all of you who joined us tonight….it was exciting after the event at the Kimmel Center to meet so many of you who traveled from all over the country to attend the conference….Lynn and I are amazed….a woman who flew from Shanghai, China….a man who came from Australia….people from Canada, Oregon, California, Texas, Florida, lots from North Carolina, Arkansas, all over the northeast, and so many more….what a joy to meet each of you….looking forward to being with you tomorrow.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Just met with Israeli Vice Prime Minister Yaalon and his team in preparation for his keynote speech and Q&A session tomorrow…it’s going to be timely, to say the least….then did interviews with CBN and a Canadian Christian magazine…I’ll post updates on the “Epicenter Team” page on Facebook as I can.

To watch the live webcast, please click here.

To pre-order a DVD set of all the speeches of this year’s Epicenter Conference, plus a special two-hour bonus feature of Iranian Pastor Hormoz Shariat and U.S. Pastor Tom Doyle teaching on “How To Share The Love of Christ With Muslims,” please click here.

Please pray for Gilad Shalit.

1.) Pray for the Lord to protect, encourage, comfort and provide for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who has been held captive by Hamas for exactly four years today. Pray, too, for the Lord to comfort and encourage his family and friends with His supernatural grace and mercy who have agonized with almost no information about their son all this time.

I know many of you have been praying for Gilad and Mosab in recent years. Thank you and please redouble your efforts. Let us not grow weary in well doing, but continue appealing to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to do a miracle and bless these two young men. May the Lord bless you as you do.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

 ———————————————–

• Israel marks four years of ‘cruel’ Shalit captivity
• Amb. Michael Oren in the Wall Street Journal: “Gilad Shalit: Hostage of Hamas — The struggle to bring the soldier home has become a national passion for Israelis.”
• Jerusalem Post: 4th anniversary of Schalit abduction marked around world
• The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles: Shin Bet Agent Breaks Protocol to Safeguard Ex-Hamas Operative
• Washington Times: Hamas founder’s son decries Islamic ‘god of hate’

Will the new sanctions stop Iran from getting the Bomb? Join tonight’s live webcast of the 2010 Epicenter Conference at 7pm eastern for a discussion of this, the state of U.S.-Israeli relations, the latest projects by The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and her neighbors, an update on efforts by the U.S. government to deport Mosab Hasan Yousef (“Son of Hamas”), information about next year’s prayer & vision tour to Israel and Epicenter Conference in Jerusalem, and more. Details at www.epicenterconference.com.

UPDATE: The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed tougher new Iran economic sanctions 408 to 8. The vote came a few hours after the Senate voted 99 to 0 for the same package. The bill was sent to the President. Please contact the White House to urge the President to sign it quickly.

“The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA) of 2010 (H.R. 2194) is the most comprehensive and toughest piece of Iran sanctions legislation ever considered by Congress,” said AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, in a detailed analysis of the legislation that I commend to your attention. “The legislation imposes smart, crippling sanctions on Iran aimed at persuading the regime to end its illegal nuclear program.

The sanctions are designed to supplement the U.N.’s new sanctions approach and follows the lead of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who’s government was the first to impose supplemental sanctions on Iran. I pray they work, but I concede that I’m concerned the world is taking these moves too late in the game. Another concern raised by some  on Capitol Hill and in the media is whether the Obama administration will pro-actively and aggressively enforce these tougher new sanctions. “The administration’s schizophrenic policy on Iran has long been apparent to Capitol Hill observers, but increasingly has frustrated even members of the President’s own party,” noted an  analysis by The Heritage Foundation. “Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who has been a leading advocate of stronger sanctions on Iran, complained that ‘The administration doesn’t carry out the laws that are on the books, and they want the new law to be as weak and loophole-ridden as possible.’” Several weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times explained this dynamic in a story headlined, “White House works to ease Iran proposal in Congress: The Obama administration fears tough U.S. sanctions against companies doing business in Iran would anger foreign allies.”

That said, this is a useful step, and let’s pray that it is effective.

“The Senate on Thursday passed tough new sanctions targeting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Iran’s imports of gas and other refined energy products as the Tehran government continued to defy demands it abandon its nuclear ambitions,” reports the Associated Press. “The House was also winding up debate on the legislation that would add muscle to U.S. penalties against the Tehran government. President Barack Obama was expected to quickly sign it into law. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the legislation, coming after a year in which Obama administration efforts at direct diplomacy with Tehran produced few results, represented ‘the most powerful sanctions ever imposed by the Congress on the government of Iran.’ Foreign companies will be given a choice, he said. ‘Do you want to do business with Iran, or do you want to do business with the United States?’ The Senate vote was 99-0. The House passed its version of the bill in October and the Senate acted in January. But Democratic leaders delayed final action so diplomatic efforts could play out…..” [To read the rest of the article, please click here]

According to the Associated Press, the congressional legislation would:

• “Expand the scope of the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act by penalizing foreign companies that assist Iran’s energy sector. While Iran is a major exporter of oil, it relies heavily on imports for its refined products such as gasoline.
• “Ban U.S. banks from dealing with foreign banks doing business with the Revolutionary Guard or aiding Iran’s nuclear program.
• “Ban foreign companies from U.S. government procurement contracts if they provide Iran with technology used to restrict the free flow of information. Iranians involved in human rights abuses would be barred from obtaining visas and be subject to having their assets in the United States seized.
• “Provide a legal framework for U.S. states, local governments and other investors to divest their portfolios of foreign companies involved in Iran’s energy sector.
• “Lawmakers from both parties stressed that the bill will be ineffective if the Obama administration, like past administrations, chooses not to punish violators in order to avoid confrontations with other countries.”

Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia and other Members of Congress should be congratulated for holding a hearing last Thursday on “human rights and religious freedom in Morocco.” Wolf held the hearing with Rep. Chris Smith (NJ), Rep. Joe Pitts (PA), Rep. Trent Franks (AZ) and Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao (LA) to explore the reasons for and possible remedies related to the expulsion from Morocco this year of more than 40 U.S. and European evangelical Christians without written charges or due process. Many of these Christian workers have lived and worked in the kingdom for years, running schools, orphanages and other NGOs aimed at blessing the lives of the people of Morocco in the name of Jesus. Several of those recently expelled testified at the hearing, as did other experts on religious freedom and observers of Morocco.

As I first wrote in this space back in April, I am deeply concerned that Morocco — one of my favorite Reformer countries in the epicenter — has reversed course and is now moving in the wrong direction on the issue of human rights and religious freedom. Turkey and Jordan are also moving decidely in the wrong direction. What is happening and why? We will discuss some of this at the 2010 Epicenter Conference this weekend. Please keep praying for believers in all of these countries and throughout the region to be strong and courageous. Please also pray for open doors for our brothers and sisters to be able to go back into Morocco and continue showing the unconditional love of Jesus Christ to the dear people of that special country.

• A useful summary of the hearing was posted on the website of the Project on Middle East Democracy.
• Weblog posting from April: Evangelical Christians Face Growing Hostility in Morocco: Please pray

>> The 2010 Epicenter Conference begins Friday evening — please click here for full details on live webcast, resources, etc.

An intriguing new survey of international public opinion indicates deep concern over the mullahs in Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, and strong support for preemptive military action to stop Tehran from getting the Bomb. According to the  Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project 2010…..

• In 16 of the 22 states included in the survey, people who were polled said they would support preemptive military strikes against Iran to prevent the mullahs from obtaining nuclear weapons compared to avoiding a military conflict with Iran, even if that means allowing the mullahs to have nuclear weapons.
• In the U.S., 66% support a military strike on Iran, compared to 24% who object.
• In France, 59% support a military strike, compared to 41% who object.
• In Germany, 51% support a military strike, compared to 39% who object.
• In Great Britain, 48% support a military strike, compared to 37% who object.
• In Egypt, 55% support a military strike, compared to 16% who object.
• In Jordan, 53% support a military strike, compared to 20% who object.
• In Lebanon 44% support a military strike, compared to 37% who object.
• In Brazil, 53% support a military strike, compared to 33% who object.
• However, in Turkey, only 29% support a military strike, compared 37% who object.

That said, I don’t forsee a U.S. or NATO preemptive strike to stop Iran from getting the Bomb, especially with General David Petraeus moving from CENTCOM commander to running the war in Afghanistan. Will Israel launch a strike? That remains to be seen, but if Netanyahu orders one, don’t expect these poll numbers to hold up. International public opinion would likely turn decisively against Israel in such a conflict.

THURSDAY UPDATE: I have the greatest respect and admiration for General David Petraeus. He is an excellent choice to prosecute and win the war in Afghanistan. His service will be missed at CENTCOM, but the country is blessed to have such an able general willing and able to assume command of the most important war we are fighting at the moment. Godspeed, General.

ORIGINAL POST: U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal is by all accounts an extraordinary commander who played a key role in the allied victory in Iraq. He has a distinguished record of service to our country for which he and we should be proud. But agreeing to be interviewed and profiled by Rolling Stone magazine, allowing his staff to participate in those interviews, and his and their collective and repeated acts of insubordination to their civilian leaders and to American allies shows a stunning lack of wisdom and judgment. True, the President’s approach in Afghanistan has been seriously flawed, especially the hard and fast “cut and run” date of July 2011. The President has no military experience and his hand-wringing over truly winning in Afghanistan has been painful to watch. So it is not surprising that McChrystal and his team should be so frustrated with the White House. But this is no excuse. Such flagrant acts of insubordination can never be acceptable. Indeed, they must be dealt with firmly for their own sake and as a message to others that civilians run the military, not the other way around, and generals must show the President and his team respect in public and private. The President, therefore, should immediately accept the resignation of the General and his top staff who were involved in this episode. Losing them will be a terrible blow to an already difficult war, and on the eve of a major offensive planned in Kandahar. But it must be done.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Obama Relieves McChrystal of Command — names Gen. Petraeus as replacement

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Rolling Stone: The Runaway General
• Newsweek: How ‘Rolling Stone’ Got Into McChrystal’s Inner Circle
• General Stanley McChrystal tenders his resignation
• Wall Street Journal column by Eliot Cohen: Why McChrystal Has to Go — It is intolerable for military officers to mock senior political officials, including ambassadors and the vice president.

New booklet now available.

>> Russian leader arrives in U.S. on Tuesday for three-day visit

>> Netanyahu to meet Obama at White House on July 6

>> Former Israeli top spy calls for strike on Iran

The 2010 Epicenter Conference begins on Friday. My prayer is that this will be the most practical conference we have ever done. We don’t want to just talk about the importance of blessing Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus. We want to give you as many specific, actionable ideas as possible.

In that context, I wanted to let you know that this Wednesday night, I will be moderating a two-hour event at an evangelical congregation in the Philadelphia area on how to share the gospel with your Muslim friends. Jesus, of course, commands us to love Israel’s neighbors and her enemies. One of the most important ways we can do this is by not withholding from Muslims the good news that they can find true forgiveness and eternal salvation only through Jesus Christ. If we really love people, how can we let them enter eternity without having a chance to hear and respond to the good news of God’s amazing grace and love? Still, many of us are intimidated by the notion of sharing the gospel with Muslims in our hometowns. That’s why we can created this special two-hour training seminar. To help you with a Biblical and practical approach to fulfilling the Great Commission with Muslims.

There is no cost for this event. Details can be found by clicking here. The main teachers that night will be Tom Doyle, an American pastor who has extensive experience here and in the Middle East sharing the love of Jesus Christ and helping lay people do the same; and Hormoz Shariat, the Iranian pastor and evangelist whom I describe as “the Billy Graham of Iran.” These men know the Word of God. They have enormous experience. They really love Muslims with unconditional love. And they are very engaging communicators. I hope you’ll join us if you’re in the Philly area. If not, then don’t worry — we’re including the two-hour seminar by Tom and Hormoz on the 2010 Epicenter Conference DVD set that we will be releasing soon. The DVD will include all of the messages at this conference, plus bonus features like this seminar. More details coming soon.

I also want to let you know that a new booklet called Inside The Revival is now available at Christian bookstores and on-line at Amazon.com and elsewhere. It’s short — only 64 pages long. It’s inexpensive — only 99 cents.  But it has exciting stories of how Christ has changed the lives of Muslims in the epicenter. It also has a simple presentation of the gospel. I’ve designed it for Christians to share with Christian friends who don’t know much about what the Lord is doing in the Middle East, as well as to share with Muslims who don’t yet know the Lord to get a conversation started. I hope you and your congregation will find it useful as you ask the Lord to show how to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus.