Monthly Archives: June 2012

IRAN: THERE WILL BE WAR, AND WE WILL WIN

June 30, 2012 By in Epicenter

“Just days after the breakdown of talks with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, the deputy chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards announced that there soon will be war – and that Allah will ensure his forces are victorious,” reports Reza Kahlili, the former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer who later turned and became a double agent against Iran for the CIA. “Gen. Hossein Salami, in a televised interview, boasted that, ‘Iran has complete control of all the enemy’s interests around the world and is on a path to reach equivalency with world powers.’ The commander emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program is irreversible, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Salami said war is inevitable, and the Iranian forces are ready. ‘The Guards’ operational plan includes a radius of deterrence in the region in which all interests of the enemy have been identified, and in case of war, those interests will be attacked.’….The Revolutionary Guards have more than 1,000 ballistic missiles capable of reaching all U.S. bases in the region, all of Israel and some capitals in Europe. In collaboration with China and North Korea, they are also working on intercontinental ballistic missiles.”

>> Help The Joshua Fund teach the Word of God in the epicenter, educate and mobilize Christians around the world to bless poor and needy Israelis, train pastors and ministry leaders in Egypt, strengthen the believers in Syria, and prepare for a possible major new war in the epicenter — please prayerfully consider a generous, tax deductible financial contribution to The Joshua Fund.

VIOLENT LAND HURRICANE HITS EAST COAST: “Catastrophic” power loss for 3 million+ may not be restored for days.

June 30, 2012 By in Epicenter

A massive land hurricane known as a “derecho” pounded the Mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast last night with winds of up to 91 mph, downing trees, knocking out power for more than 3.4 millions Americans and killing at least 10 people. Some utility companies are calling the power outages “catastrophic” and say it will take days to bring the power back online. “Last night’s thunderstorms caused the broadest non-hurricane related power outage in Virginia history,” CNN reported Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell saying. “This is not a one-day situation; it is a multi-day challenge,” he said. Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio have declared states of emergency. Especially hard hit will be the poor, the elderly, the infirm and shut-ins as many will have no air conditioning or fans despite record high temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, no refrigeration, no Internet service, lights, and sporadic, spotty mobile phone coverage. We got hit in the Washington, D.C. area around 10:30pm last night and we’re just turning on the Weather Channel to find out what was happening when everything shut down. Please join me in praying for all those who are affected here in the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as for tens of millions of Americans across the country being affected by scorching temperatures (Kansas hit 118F), floods, droughts, and the fires of Colorado. Consider this: more than 20,900 heat records have been set in the U.S. in 2012 thus far.

Is all this judgment from God? No, I don’t believe so. But I do believe God is using natural disasters, financial troubles, and other means to shake us. He is trying to get our attention, to cause us to turn our eyes to Him as the source of all of our power, hope and security. The question is: Are Americans listening, and turning their hearts to Christ? Or are we ignoring Him and shutting our ears to His Word? “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

WILL AMERICA EXPERIENCE A THIRD GREAT AWAKENING? Listen to sermon online

June 29, 2012 By in Epicenter

Here in a link to a sermon I delivered on Sunday, June 24th, at a church in Old Bridge, New Jersey. The topic was, “Will America Experience A Third Great Awakening?” My text was 2 Chronicles chapter 7. We looked at lessons from a period of implosion and revival in ancient Israel, and then drew lessons for our country today. I hope you’ll take 40 minutes or so, listen to the message online for free, and then share it with others. And feel free to send me your comments on Twitter @jcrflashtraffic, or on our Epicenter Team page on Facebook.

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TRENDS TO TRACK:

>> Follow me on Twitter and the get the latest news, analysis and insights — @jcrflashtraffic

SUPREME COURT DECISION MAKES IMPLOSION MORE LIKELY; HEALTH LAW TO ADD $1.15 TRILLION TO NATIONAL DEBT

June 28, 2012 By in Epicenter

UPDATED: A disastrous, appalling decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court today. The Court upheld the individual mandate and socialized medicine, saying both are constitutional, despite the fact that a recent poll found 68% of Americans want all or part of the law repealed. The federal government can now force us to buy what we don’t want. Washington politicians and bureaucrats will become the final arbiter of our most personal medical decisions, rationing care for many and denying care to some who are not deemed worthy of receiving it, especially if the care is expensive. The “Affordable Care Act” (nicknamed “Obamacare”) nationalizes 1/7th of our economy, imposes one of the largest tax increases in American history on an economy already struggling, massively increases government spending, and will increase the national debt by $1.15 trillion, according to a recent study. This, despite the fact that we already have a crushing federal debt of more than $15 trillion, and another $65 trillion in unfunded liabilities related to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid coming at us with breakneck speed. Our ship of state is hurtling towards massive debt icebergs, yet rather than slow down or change direction, we are accelerating our deficit spending. Bottom line: the implosion of the American economy has just become more likely.

Consider the facts:

>> Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time? debuts on the New York Times best-seller list at #13

OTHER IMPORTANT HEADLINES TO TRACK:

DOES BIBLE PROPHECY FORETELL THE DESTRUCTION OF DAMASCUS?

June 28, 2012 By in Epicenter

Earlier this year, a prominent Member of Congress asked to meet with me in Washington, D.C. I thought the topic was going to be the possible coming war between Israel and Iran. Instead, the official asked, “What are your thoughts on Isaiah 17?” For much of the next hour, therefore, we discussed the coming judgment of Damascus according to Bible prophecy, and how this scenario could possibly unfold in the coming years in relation to other Bible prophecies and current geopolitical trends in the Middle East. Here is a brief summary of what I said.

There are actually two key Biblical prophecies that explain that at unspecified time in the future, the city of Damascus will be completely destroyed — judged by God — and will not be inhabited again.

* Isaiah 17:1-3 — “The oracle concerning Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin. The cities of  Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks to lie down in, and there will be  no one to frighten them. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and sovereignty from Damascus….'”

* Jeremiah 49:23-27 — “Concerning Damascus. ‘Hamath andArpad are put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, it cannot be calmed. Damascus has become helpless; she has turned away to flee, and panic has gripped her; distress and pangs have taken hold of her like a woman in childbirth. How the  city of praise has not been deserted, the town of My joy! Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets, and all the men of war will be silenced in that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ‘I will  set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the fortified towers of Ben-hadad.'”

These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered. But Damascus has never been completely destroyed and left uninhabited. Yet that is exactly what the Bible says will happen. The context of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 are a series of End Times prophecies dealing with God’s judgments on Israel’s neighbors and enemies leading up to — and through — the Tribulation.

How exactly will Damascus be destroyed? When will exactly it be destroyed? What will that look like, and what will be the implications for the rest of Syria, for Israel and for the region? The honest answer is that the Bible does not say. I’m currently writing a novel entitled, The Damascus Countdown, that envisions how these prophecies could come to pass. This will be the third and last in the novel series that includes The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative (both out now in paperback and ebook). Lord willing, I will finish the manuscript by the first week of August (it’s about 90% finished already) and it will release early next year (probably in March). In the meantime, I am tracking events in Damascus and Syria very closely [i.e,, see blog posts: “Will Syria Implode?”; “More than 1,000 Syrian leaders attend premiere of Damascus film“]. I am also praying much for the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy on the people of that great city. The innocent blood shed by the Assad regime is reprehensible, and heart-breaking and is setting the stage for a terrible judgment. The believers in Christ there are being horribly persecuted, but some are still boldly preaching the Gospel and teaching the Word of God. Let’s pray that they reach all of the people of Damascus and Syria before the judgment comes.

HEADLINES WORTH TRACKING:

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>> Help The Joshua Fund teach the Word of God in the epicenter, educate and mobilize Christians around the world to bless poor and needy Israelis, train pastors and ministry leaders in Egypt, strengthen the believers in Syria, and prepare for a possible major new war in the epicenter — please prayerfully consider a generous, tax deductible financial contribution to The Joshua Fund.

50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, THE SUPREME COURT BANNED PRAYER IN SCHOOL: Has that served our children well?

June 27, 2012 By in Epicenter

>> Video shows Mohamed Morsi, the new Egyptian president, vowing to impose sharia law, calling for “jihad”

On June 25, 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that government-endorsed prayer in school — even if it’s voluntary — is unconstitutional. Fifty years later, do we still believe that driving God, prayer, and the Bible out of public schools has served our children well?

“The ongoing contention started when Steven Engel, a Jewish New Yorker, came together with other parents in 1958 to sue New York State over state-endorsed prayer that was being recited in schools,” notes one news story. “The Supreme Court inevitably sided with Engel and the decision was issued on June 25, 1962 — a day that lives in infamy in the minds of many religious individuals and free-speech advocates. The invocation in question was one that had been approved by the New York State Board of Regents. The prayer, which read, ‘Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country,’ was relatively benign in nature. Still, the parents were adamant that it shouldn’t be uttered in the public sphere.”

The Encyclopedia Britannica notes: “The Supreme Court’s ruling was released on June 25 and found New York’s law unconstitutional by a margin of 6–1 (two justices did not participate in the decision). Hugo L. Black wrote the Supreme Court’s opinion, in which the majority argued “that, by using its public school system to encourage recitation of the Regents’ prayer, the State of New York has adopted a practice wholly inconsistent with the Establishment Clause.” The lone dissent came from Potter Stewart, who argued that the majority had “misapplied a great constitutional principle” and could not understand “how an ‘official religion’ is established by letting those who want to say a prayer say it. On the contrary, I think to deny the wish of these school children to join in reciting this prayer is to deny them the opportunity of sharing in the spiritual heritage of our Nation.”

“A year later, the high court banned Bible reading in state schools, then overturned a state law prohibiting the teaching of evolution,” notes another news story about the anniversary of the Court’s decision. “Rulings that prayers during school commencements and athletic events also violated the separation of church and state further fueled the secular-versus-faithful battle. Even unrelated disputes over abortion and health care mandates have emotional roots reaching back 50 years to a bland prayer composed by education officials in upstate New York.”

Is America better off since we began telling God that He was not welcome in the lives of our children? I think the evidence suggests just the opposite.

>> IMPLOSION: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?

BOOK REVIEW: CAN EVEN GOD STOP AMERICA FROM IMPLOSION?

June 27, 2012 By in Epicenter

Here are excerpts from a book review published by Worldnet Daily:

  • The launch of a new Joel Rosenberg book is a much-anticipated event, and with good reason. Since landing on the bestseller lists in the past decade, Rosenberg has thrilled readers with his blending of geopolitics and biblical worldview. His area of expertise is the Middle East, but that doesn’t mean his discernment is confined to that epicenter….In his new book, “Implosion: Can America Recover from Its Economic and Spiritual Challenges in Time?”, Rosenberg tackles the issue most self-absorbed Americans are interested in most: What is going to happen to the U.S. Specifically, of course, how does all this chaos in the world affect … me?
  • Happily, Rosenberg has proven himself to be, if not exactly a prognosticator, at least a man of discernment gained from studying the Bible and being involved in politics. Frankly, in “Implosion,” his study of the data is something you do not want to be without. The book is that gripping. Right away, Rosenberg quotes former Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who said two years ago that America would implode. Not hard to see why he’d say that: Exploding deficits, insane spending initiatives and weak leadership have created a storm of instability. Interestingly, for Bible prophecy buffs, Rosenberg also quotes Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, who claimed that unless the country gets a handle on economic difficulties, we will be relegated to “second-class” status as a nation. That one comment goes farther to answer the question, “Where is the U.S. in Bible prophecy?” than any other I’ve heard.
  • Rosenberg…admits in “Implosion” that the data can be depressing: “Before we go any further, let me just say it has been difficult for me to write this book. To be perfectly honest, there were many times when I simply didn’t want to finish it. I didn’t want to study the data or examine the trends, much less draw any conclusions about the future of our country. The process was, at times, depressing, and if I’m not careful, I can still find myself becoming anxious or gloomy.” He doesn’t say exactly what is going to happen, or paint himself into a corner by making specific predictions, but Rosenberg does do an incredible job of connecting the dots. He also causes the reader to consider his or her own place in this country, at this momentous hour. In this way, he allows the reader to participate in the story….
  • In terms of whether the U.S. is specifically mentioned in Scripture, I won’t tell you even a tenth of what Rosenberg fascinatingly covers in “Implosion,” but he does, for example, surmise that the biblical references to future Babylon are not some symbolic revelation of America, but rather the actual location in Iraq. Rosenberg’s conclusions about America in prophecy make “Implosion” one of the very best books on the subject I’ve ever read. Your eyes will be glued to every page, I promise you.
  • One of the most interesting things about Rosenberg’s work these days is the fact that while he has real credibility even among media and politicians, he emphatically teaches the Rapture: “While the Bible does not indicate precisely when the Rapture will happen, it does teach that all true followers of Jesus Christ will be removed from the earth prior to the beginning of the Tribulation.” Frankly, it is gratifying that a writer and thinker like Joel Rosenberg is able to act as a counterweight to false teachers like Harold Camping. This is especially critical at a time when a growing number of evangelical leaders like Rick Warren are marginalizing the teaching of Bible prophecy. Because Rosenberg is smart and astute, he recognizes that no human can say with certainty just how the future’s details will play out. In other words, he establishes a brilliant thesis in “Implosion” by noting that God alone acts in history, and that He can show mercy when it pleases Him. To that end, Rosenberg writes an absolutely fascinating brief history of past revivals in America, and outlines the work of such Christian leaders as Jonathan Edwards: “The revival soon spread through 32 communities near Boston, then throughout New England and the rest of the colonies. Edwards’s tract was published in London and spread widely through Great Britain, Scotland and Wales, where pastors and laypeople were enthralled and began praying and preaching for revivals in their nations as well.”
  • “Implosion” wrestles with a whole host of important issues, among them the rebirth of Israel, terrorism, natural disasters and geopolitical convulsions. Yet none is as important as his appeal to the individual reader to meditate on these things and make the proper plans for a future that increasingly terrifies. There is a lot to chew on in “Implosion.” It’s one meal you do not want to miss.

>> Implosion hits #13 on the New York Times best-seller list.

EPIC FIRES IN COLORADO: Is God using natural disasters to get our attention?

June 27, 2012 By in Epicenter

“A three-day-old wildfire erupted with catastrophic fury Tuesday, ripping across the foothills neighborhoods of Colorado Springs, devouring an untold number of homes and sending tens of thousands fleeing to safety in what was shaping up as one of the biggest disasters in state history,” reports the Denver Post. “‘This is a firestorm of epic proportions,’ said Colorado Springs Fire Chief Richard Brown. The Waldo Canyon fire in El Paso County — which had been growing in the forested hills on the city’s west side — blew into an inferno late in the afternoon, raging over a ridge toward densely populated neighborhoods. An apocalyptic plume of smoke covered Colorado’s second-largest city as thousands of people forced to evacuate.” The fires have now forced 32,000 people to evacuate. Many of lost their homes and all of their wordly possessions. “The fire doubled in size overnight and by Wednesday morning, 15,324 acres were burning with only 5% contained, said Rich Harvey, incident commander of the Waldo Canyon Fire,” reports CNN.

Catastrophic. Epic. Historic. Apocalyptic. Is it possible God is using natural disasters to get our attention? As I write in Implosion, “Natural disasters continue unfolding one after another here in the at home and around the world as they always have. But have you stopped to notice that so many recently are described as ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented?’ Eight of the ten most expensive hurricanes in American history have happened since 9/11. The worst was Hurricane Katrina, which nearly wiped out an American city and ended up costing more than $100 billion. Hurricane Irene made 2011 the worst year in American history for natural disasters, with ten separate catastrophes costing $1 billion or more. In 2011, America experienced the worst outbreak of tornadoes in nearly half a century. In 2011, Texas suffered the worst fires in the history of the state, amid the worst drought in Texas history. In 2011, Virginia—and much of the East Coast—experienced its biggest earthquake since 1875.” The fact is that throughout the Bible and throughout history God has used natural disasters to shake families, cities, regions and entire nations. Why? To get the people’s attention. To warn people to stop drifting and/or rebelling from God and repent. To urge people to let go of anything or anyone else they are holding onto for peace and security and hope in this world and instead turn their hearts wholly and completely to faith in Jesus Christ.

Thousands of years ago, God told the Hebrew prophet Haggai to write down these words: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations. . . . I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations’” (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22). This is Bible prophecy. This is an intercept from the mind of the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe. It is a weather report from the future, if you will, a storm warning. It was given to us so that we would be awake and ready and faithful and walking close to Jesus when the tempests come. God told us well in advance that he was going to “shake all the nations.” That certainly includes the United States. On September 11, 2001, God allowed America to be shaken by horrific terrorist attacks, the worst in our history. In the fall of 2008, God allowed America to be shaken by a financial meltdown on Wall Street, one of the worst in our history. Millions lost their jobs, their homes and much of their savings as a result. Today, God is using natural disasters to shake us as well. Let us pray for the people of Colorado. Let us pray that the firemen are able to get these blazes under control. But even as we pray for these immediate concerns, let us also be praying for all Americans to realize how desperately we need to turn our hearts to Christ, how desperately we need a massive, game-changing, transformative spiritual revival, a Third Great Awakening. Let us urgently begin praying 2 Chronicles 7:14 for our country. In this passage, the Lord God Almighty said, ”If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  Time is running short.

>> Help The Joshua Fund teach the Word of God in the epicenter, educate and mobilize Christians around the world to bless poor and needy Israelis, train pastors and ministry leaders in Egypt, and prepare for a possible major new war in the epicenter — please prayerfully consider a generous, tax deductible financial contribution to The Joshua Fund.

EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO IMPOSE SHARIA LAW: Bible prophecy warns Egypt of a “cruel master” in the last days

June 27, 2012 By in Epicenter

In a recently posted video on the MEMRI.org website, we can see a speech that the Muslim Brotherhood senior leader turned new President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi gave in Cairo on May 13, 2012 in which he declared: “The Koran is our constitution. The Prophet Muhammad is our leader. Jihad is our path. And death for the sake of Allah is our most lofty aspiration.” Then, Morsi proclaims “This nation will enjoy blessing and revival only through the Islamic sharia [law].” He adds: “I take an oath before Allah and before you all that regardless of the actual text [of the current Egyptian constitution], Allah willing, the text will truly reflect sharia law, as will be agreed upon by the Egyptian people, by the Islamic scholars, and by legal and constitutional experts. Rejoice and rest assured that these people will not accept a text that does not reflect the true meaning of the Islamic sharia as a text to be implemented and as a platform. The people will not agree to anything else.”

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Bible prophecy — particularly Isaiah 19— indicates that in the last days Egypt will go down a very dark path, and suffer under a terrible dictator. “I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master, and a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord God of hosts, we read in Isaiah 19:4. Then Egypt will face tremendous judgment by the God of Israel. Eventually, however, the prophecies indicated that the Lord will show the Egypt His love and mercy and reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to them. There will then be a great spiritual awakening as many Egyptians turn away from the false prophet Muhammad and fully embrace the salvation, forgiveness and healing found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. “They will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with  sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but  healing; so they will  return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them.” (Isaiah 19:20-22)  It’s far too soon to say Morsi is the “cruel master” described by the prophecy. Indeed, some argue that phrase describes Radical Islam. Others argue that phrase refers to the Antichrist during the Tribulation. My point here is simply this: prophecy indicates that God is going to let the Egyptians go down a very dark and terrible path by their own choice, but eventually He will redeem them by His mercy through Christ. In the meantime, the Church needs to do all we can to pray for the people of Egypt, preach the Gospel to all of Egypt, teach the Word of God to all Egyptians, strengthen our Christian brothers and sisters as they face persecution, help them train pastors and plant new churches, love the Muslim people with Christ’s sacrificial love, and continue to stand with Israel and bless Israel with unconditional love and unwavering support. This is precisely what The Joshua Fund is seeking to do. Please pray with us and stand with us as we seek to love Egypt during this very difficult time.