Monthly Archives: March 2012

NETANYAHU GIVES OBAMA “ESTHER” SCROLL: Biblical story tells of a Persian tyrant who wanted to “annihilate” the Jews.

March 6, 2012 By in Epicenter

The biblical story of Esther became part of the Oval Office dialogue today. (photo by Doug Mills, NYT)One critical issue not clear after the two-hour Oval Office meeting today between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: Has the Israeli leader already made the decision to hit Iran, or not? One headline says yes: Israel’s Channel 2: U.S. Officials Believe Netanyahu Has Already Decided to Strike Iran. Another headline says no: Israel’s Prime Minister told President Obama on Monday that he has not made a final decision on whether to hit Iran.

After the Oval Office meeting, Netanyahu met with Defense Secretary Panetta to discuss military and intelligence coordination.Reuters is reporting that “Obama appealed to Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to give sanctions time to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but the Israeli prime minister offered no sign of backing away from possible military action, saying his country must be the ‘master of its fate.'” It’s not clear yet how hard Mr. Obama pressed Israel not to hit Iran. That may take a few days — or longer — to become clear. The NYT is reporting that “Mr. Netanyahu, sitting next to the president, declared that ‘Israel must have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.’ He thanked Mr. Obama for affirming, in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group on Sunday, that, as Mr. Netanyahu put it, ‘Israel has the sovereign right to make its own decisions.’ Israeli officials interpreted this to mean that the United States would not try to block a preemptive Israeli strike.” We’ll see if that interpretation holds up, but it would be a good development if true.

That said, the most interesting moment of the day to me was when Netanyahu gave a gift to Obama, a decorated scroll telling the biblical story of the Book of Esther.  The story from the Old Testament will be read this week at Jewish services commemorating Purim all over the world.  The story focuses on Persian king known as Ahasuerus and wicked Persian president, Haman, and their plot to annihilate the Jewish people on a date certain. ‘Then, too, they wanted to wipe us out,’ Netanyahu told the president.” Through the prayer and fasting of the believers at the time, God supernaturally intervened in the situation and saved the Jewish people, though they still had to fight the Persian enemy. Ultimately, the Jewish people were saved by God’s amazing grace. What encourages me about Netanyahu giving the scroll to the President is that is reveals yet again the Prime Minister’s growing interest in the Bible and even his desire to make the Scriptures part of today’s Oval Office discussion. You may recall that a few months ago, Mr. Netanyahu announced that he was starting a Bible study in his personal residence. Please continue praying for each of these world leaders and their advisors that they would turn to the God of Israel and the Bible for wisdom, discernment and courage during these critical times.

Last year, I recorded a video blog for The Joshua Fund explaining the story and it’s meaning — “Iran, Israel and the Threat of Annihilation: Modern Day Lessons From The Book of Esther.” I hope you’ll find it helpful, and share it with others. God bless you.

(photo credit: Doug Mills, NYT)

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>> Please register now for the “Israel, The Church and the Middle East Crisis Conference” at Biola University in southern California on March 23-24 — Joel will be speaking several times, including on the geopolitical and prophetic implications of the Russian-Iranian alliance.

OBAMA TO ISRAEL, “THERE IS TOO MUCH LOOSE TALK OF WAR”: Meets with Netanyahu today.

March 5, 2012 By in Epicenter

>> Please register now for the “Israel, The Church and the Middle East Crisis Conference” at Biola University in southern California on March 23-24 — Joel will be speaking several times, including on the geopolitical and prophetic implications of the Russian-Iranian alliance.

President Obama on Sunday addressed the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee saying, “There is too much loose talk of war.” He defended himself against mounting criticism that he is not doing enough to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons or being a strong and faithful enough friend of the Jewish State. He said he will keep the military option “on the table” and is not pursuing a policy of “containment” (ie, letting Iran get the Bomb, but then making sure they don’t use it.) But he said he believed so much talk of possible war is benefitting Iran, in part by driving up oil prices which helps fund the regime in Tehran. And he made it crystal clear he does not want Israel launch a preemptive, unilateral strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, at least any time soon. Now, if you live in a cave and just stepped out to attend the AIPAC speech, I’m sure the President sounded convincing. But to those in the real world, Mr. Obama’s speech was astonishing in its obliviousness to the seriousness of the moment. The President and his administration has dragged its heels for years, refusing to take decisive action to neutralize the Iran nuclear threat.

Keep in mind, the stakes could not be higher. “The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people,” reports Reza Kahlili, a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer who became a double agent for the U.S. and is now a consultant to American intelligence agencies. “The doctrine includes wiping out Israeli assets and Jewish people worldwide. Calling Israel a danger to Islam, the conservative website Alef, with ties to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the opportunity must not be lost to remove ‘this corrupting material. It is a ‘jurisprudential justification’ to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.’”

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Panetta says Iran could have the Bomb by the end of 2012, yet Obama is proposing more diplomacy, and more “international pressure.” It hasn’t worked yet. Why do we believe it will work now? Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team believe time has nearly run out for anything but decisive military action. Netanyahu knows that the regime in Tehran is run by fervant believers in Shia eschatology who hoped to destroy the U.S. and Israel and usher in the coming of the Twelfth Imam. From Netanyahu’s perspective, he is not engaging in “loose talk” of war; he is prudently preparing his nation and the world for what may soon be Israel’s only option. The Prime Minister believes the time to protect the Jewish people from a Holocaust is running out. I suspect when he meets today at the White House with the President, Netanyahu is going to ask for full U.S. support for an Israeli strike, if need be. How Mr. Obama replies will be the real test of his support for Israel.

 Here is the full text. Here are a few key quotes:

  • “As President and Commander-in-Chief, I have a deeply held preference for peace over war….We all prefer to resolve this issue diplomatically. Having said that, Iran’s leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States, just as they should not doubt Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs. I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say. That includes all elements of American power: A political effort aimed at isolating Iran; a diplomatic effort to sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored; an economic effort that imposes crippling sanctions; and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.”
  • “Iran’s leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And as I have made clear time and again during the course of my presidency, I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.”
  • “Moving forward, I would ask that we all remember the weightiness of these issues; the stakes involved for Israel, for America, and for the world.  Already, there is too much loose talk of war. Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefited the Iranian government, by driving up the price of oil, which they depend on to fund their nuclear program.  For the sake of Israel’s security, America’s security, and the peace and security of the world, now is not the time for bluster. Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in, and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built.  Now is the time to heed the timeless advice from Teddy Roosevelt:  Speak softly; carry a big stick.”

We need to pray for President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Lord gives them both wisdom to know the right thing to do, and the courage to do it. If there is a peaceful way to stop Iran’s nuclear program and bring down the Iranian regime so the Iranian people can live in freedom and all the region can live in peace and security, let’s pray the Lord shows them how to achieve this — and soon. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

Please pray especially for Mr. Netanyahu and his advisors, that they would be like the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32).

UPDATE AT NOON Eastern, Monday:

>> Help Christians bless needy Israelis and Palestinians now and be ready for a possible major new war in the epicenter — please consider a generous, tax deductible financial contribution to The Joshua Fund.

A CZAR IS BORN: PUTIN RETAKES POWER IN RUSSIA

March 5, 2012 By in Epicenter

A Czar is born. (Photo By RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Government Press Service)Vladimir Putin is now the supreme Czar of Russia. Humanly speaking, no one can stop his lust for power. The only serious contenders to defeat him in Sunday’s elections were actually far worse than he, though I realize that hardly seems possible. But make no mistake: a red storm is rising once again. Washington doesn’t seem to know how to handle the situation. Nor do most world leaders. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we must show great love and compassion for the Russian people at this critical time. Let us pray for the Gospel to be spread through all of Russia. Let us pray that Russians turn to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Let us pray for the harassed and oppressed and persecuted believers throughout Russia to be strengthened and emboldened to serve Christ faithfully and to make disciples and plant churches without fear. Russia has just taken a turn to the dark side. They may be moving steadily towards the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 and the judgment of Mother Russia, though it is too soon to say for certain. Either way, Christ commands us to love them whether they are our neighbors, or our enemies. Let us be faithful to the task.

“Russia’s opposition has vowed to continue protests alleging widespread  irregularities after a tearful Vladimir Putin claimed victory in an election  that will see him return for a third term as president,” reports the Financial Times. “Preliminary results on Monday, with nearly all precincts reporting, gave the former spy who has dominated Russian politics for the past dozen years 63.7 per  cent of the vote. That represents a comfortable victory with no need to go into  a second round….Mr Putin won 71 per cent of the vote when last elected president in 2004.”

“These are not going to be honest elections, but we must not relent,” said Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, as he voted in Moscow. “Honest elections should be our constant motto for years to come.”

Putin’s “victory” is even more troubling when you consider who the top alternatives were. In second place was Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party, who received 17% of the vote. In third place was Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the anti-Semitic, fascist, ultranationalist, who received 7% of the vote.

This is modern Russia — embracing a KGB thug, a Communist and a fascist. The people have “voted.” Now the drama begins.

(Photo By RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Government Press Service)

OBAMA PLANS TO PRESSURE NETANYAHU NOT TO STRIKE IRAN: White House mtg set for Monday

March 4, 2012 By in Epicenter

>> Please register now for the “Israel, The Church and the Middle East Crisis Conference” at Biola University in southern California on March 23-24 — Joel will be speaking several times, including on the geopolitical and prophetic implications of the Russian-Iranian alliance.

High-level meetings between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu are set for Monday at the White House. This could be the last face-to-face meetings between the two leaders before Netanyahu makes his final decision whether to go it alone on Iran. Please pray especially for Mr. Netanyahu and his advisors, that they would be like the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32). Pray for Mr. Obama, too, that the Lord would change his heart and that he would show far more support for Israel, and for the two countries to emerge unified in their determination to act decisively to neutralize the Iran nuclear threat and help bring down the evil regime in Tehran before it is too late. At the moment there remains real and serious tensions between the two leaders and Iran is working hard to exploit the divisions. America has enough troubles right now without potentially turning against the nation of Israel in violation of Genesis 12:1-3. I expect to address the latest developments at a pastors conference I’m speaking at this week in Tucson, Arizona, March 5-7, .

“At the White House on Monday, President Obama will seek to persuade the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to postpone whatever plans he may have to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months,” notes an important new article by Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic. “Obama will argue that under his leadership, the United States “has Israel’s back,” and that he will order the U.S. military to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if economic sanctions fail to compel Tehran to shelve its nuclear ambitions.” Goldberg’s article has triggered a series of other similar articles in the mainstream media, confirming the coming pressure by Obama against Israel. “President Obama plans to caution Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week against attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months, urging patience while international economic sanctions take full effect,” reports the Washington Post. “Obama’s meeting with Netanyahu on Monday begins a critical week in his effort to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions and preserve the trust of the United States’ closest Middle East ally. Israeli leaders have made clear they think time is running out to stop Iran from achieving the ability to build a nuclear weapon….‘We’re trying to make the decision to attack as hard as possible for Israel,’ said an administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.”

Key headlines to track:

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RESOURCES ON ISRAEL, IRAN AND BIBLE PROPHECY

NEW CZAR RISING: Russia’s election on March 4 may prove a bigger deal than our own.

March 1, 2012 By in Epicenter

>> Please register now for the “Israel, The Church and the Middle East Crisis Conference” at Biola University in southern California on March 23-24 — Joel will be speaking several times, including on the geopolitical and prophetic implications of the Russian-Iranian alliance.

>> Op-ed in New York Times, “Israel’s Last Chance to Strike Iran,” by a former chief of Israeli military intelligence who was also a fighter pilot on the Israeli mission to destroy Iraq’s nuclear facility in 1981

The media is fixated on the GOP primaries and the American presidential campaign and giving scant attention to Russia’s upcoming election on Sunday, March 4th. But the Russian vote may prove to be a bigger deal than our own. Here’s why:

  1. Though protests movements against Vladimir Putin throughout Russia in recent months suggest a growing number of Russians finally see the former KGB chief for what he is — a thug and a bully — polls still suggest he is expected to win handily. If those polls are right and Putin does, in fact, reemerge as president then let’s be clear: we will be watching a new Czar rising, a tyrant who will rule with an iron hand over his own people, and look to project Russian power elsewhere in the world. Putin has, for example, drawn sharp criticism from Mikhail Gorbachev who says Putin’s political party is a bad copy of the Soviet Communist Party:  anti-freedom and corrupt.
  2. Putin says he will immediately begin to rebuild Russia’s tattered military, investing $772 billion to that end — we should take him at his word and consider seriously why he is so determined to have a stronger military in a world in which Russia faces no real or serious threats to its own national security.
  3. Putin is increasingly anti-American and has said Americans are “living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar.”
  4. Putin, at heart, is a fierce Russian nationalist, which means he is an imperialist, which means he is devastated by the weakness of “Mother Russia” and mourns how it has been shrinking over the past few decades. In 2005, Putin said, “The collapse of the Soviet Union was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century. For the Russian people, it became a real drama. Tens of millions of our citizens and countrymen found themselves outside Russian territory. The epidemic of disintegration also spread to Russia itself.” For most of us, the greatest geopolitical catastrophes of the 20th century include World Wars I and II, the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the genocide in Sudan and Rwanda, and the death of tens of millions under Stalin’s reign of terror, to name a few. Most sane people think the end of the “Evil Empire” was a good thing; Putin isn’t one of them.
  5. More than anything, Putin wants to regain and reassert the glory and the power of Mother Russia. That means he wants to expand her territory and enlarge her borders. The problem Putin faces is that Russia can’t signficantly expand westward because NATO is moving eastward (though Putin has spoken openly of creating a merger with the neighboring country of Belarus, which is also currently run by a tyrannical dictator.) Russia can’t expand eastward because China is now a rich and strong and nuclear-armed power. Russia can’t seriously expand northward because there’s not much to gain from the North Pole. Thus, we should expect him to project power southward. Since 2000, he has, in fact, been building strategic alliances with Islamic countries throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. He has sold billions of dollars worth of arms to Iran, Syria, Algeria, Libya, Sudan and other Islamic powers. He’s been particularly vocal in defending the tyrants in Tehran and Damascus. Expect Moscow’s focus on the Islamic world to increase dramatically. (Note: Putin has spoken openly of creating a Eurasian economic union in Central Asia, similar politically and economically to the European Union but likely dominated by the Kremlin.)
  6. Would Putin actually use military force to defend Iran and Syria, and challenge their enemies? We shall see, but I believe the issue is not one of will, but of timing. I think Putin is itching to find a place to showcase Russian military power, but he first has to make certain his forces are truly ready again for battle. UPDATE: Russia upgrades radar station in Syria to aid Iran
  7. It should also be noted that the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote in chapters 38 and 39 of his biblical text that in the “last days” there will be a political and military alliance between Russia (Magog), Iran (Persia) and a coalition of other “epicenter” countries that will move against an increasingly secure and prosperous State of Israel for an apocalpytic battle driven by greed and a lust for power. Ultimately, the prophecy tells us that Russia and her allies will be decimated in this war and face divine judgment, while Israel will be saved. It remains too early to say that we have arrived at such a fulfillment of the “War of Gog and Magog” prophecies, but the geopolitical, economic and spiritual trendlines suggest we are steadily moving in that direction.

For all these reasons, Sunday’s presidential elections in Russia may prove a bigger deal over the short-run — and over the long-run — than our own. The trendlines are intriguing, to say the least. Russia will pose an increasing threat to American and Western values and interests, and in time will pose an even greater threat to Israel and to the security and stability of the Middle East. The media may not be paying attention, but we should.

RESOURCES ON ISRAEL, IRAN AND BIBLE PROPHECY