“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday night that he had not yet decided whether to order military intervention to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive,” reports the Times of Israel. “When the time did come to decide, he added, however, objections from military and security chiefs would not prevent him and his government colleagues from ordering a military strike should they deem it necessary. ‘I’ve not made a decision yet,’ he told Channel 2 News. But he then invoked Israel’s 1981 air strike to destroy Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor at Osirak, Iraq. Menachem Begin, the prime minister of the time, made the decision to attack despite the opposition of Israel’s security chiefs, he noted. And it would always be the case, he said, that ‘the political echelon’ would make such decisions. It was the job of ‘the professional echelon’ — the IDF and security services — to carry them out….Netanyahu said he would be only too pleased were the international community to succeed in thwarting Iran’s drive to the bomb via sanctions and non-military methods. But ‘as of this moment,’ he said, while sanctions ‘have hurt the Iranian economy,’ they haven’t pushed back the Iranian drive by ‘so much as a millimeter.'” The article noted that IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz “said Tuesday that the IDF was ‘prepared, and ready to act’ and that, for the IDF, the oft-repeated statement that ‘all options are on the table’ is  ‘not a slogan, it’s a work plan.'”

>> New poll finds 80% of Americans believe Iranian nuclear weapon threats America; two-thirds say sanctions won’t stop Iran from getting the Bomb

>> For a political thriller about an American President pushing Israel not to launch a preemptive strike against Iran, but the Israeli Prime Minister choosing to launch the attack anyway,  read The Tehran Initiative, now out in paperback.

>> Please join the conversation and follow on Twitter @jcrflashtraffic

On Thursday evening, August 9th, I’m honored to be speaking and doing a question & answer session on my new book, Implosion, in the Denver, Colorado area. Given the horrific violence in nearby Aurora recently, and given the enormous national debate over gay marriage vs. traditional marriage, I think this will be a timely discussion. The occassion will be the annual fundraising event for Ministry Architecture, Inc., a ministry my parents (Len and Mary Rosenberg) started 12 years to provide architectural services for evangelical Christian ministries operating in developing countries who need orphanages, training centers, medical missionary hospitals, and other facilities to show the love of Jesus. Before I speak, my folks will share a bit about the exciting work God is doing through this ministry in countries such as Mexico, Nigeria, Zambia, Sudan, Romania, Haiti, Thailand, Turkey, Israel, etc. Then I will discuss the enormous economic and spiritual challenges facing the United States, whether we could face not just a decline but a collapse, and the prospect of a Third Great Awakening. And I’m especially looking forward to your questions as that is my favorite part of the evening. The event will take place at Calvary Chapel South Denver in Littleton, Colorado, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Doors will open at 6:30pm. A contribution of $25 per person is requested to help support Ministry Architecture. Contributions are tax deductible. Registration is required, and you can register at www.ministryarchitecture.com. Please join us — I hope to see you there!

Tonight and tomorrow, C-SPAN 2’s “Book TV” will air the talk I gave on Implosion as part of the “Implosion Simucast” event we did in June at Houston’s First Baptist Church. In fact, we’re told C-SPAN 2 will actually air the full three-hour simulcast, including all of the Q&A. Given the recent massacre in Aurora, the roaring controversy over gay marriage versus traditional marriage, and other sobering economic and spiritual events and headlines in recent weeks, I think the subject will be a timely one. I hope you’ll take the time to watch, or set your DVR to record the program and watch it later. Please also let family and friends who might be interested in the subject know when the program will air, and please be sure to post your comments on the book and/or the program on the Epicenter Team Facebook page.

The Implosion Simulcast will actually be broadcast twice on C-SPAN 2:

* Saturday, July 28th at 11pm eastern

* Sunday, July 29th at 9:15am eastern.

For more details from the C-SPAN website, please click here.

>> To purchase a copy of Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time in hardcover, ebook, or audio book, please click here

“White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to state the U.S. position on the location of Israel’s capital during a press briefing, Thursday, despite several requests for clarification from a pair of reporters,” reported the Times of Israel. “The exchange, caught on video and uploaded to YouTube, quickly made the cyberspace rounds as the latest example of world bodies’ refusal to name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.” Click here to see the video. Just to be clear, Jerusalem — not Tel Aviv or any other city — is the eternal capital of Israel and the Jewish people. “I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel,” declares the Lord God Almighty (2 Chronicles 6:6). “He has founded his city on the holy mountain. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.” (Psalm 87:1-2) “Jerusalem, the city which the Lord has chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there.” (2 Chronicles 12:13) “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” (Psalm 122:6)

>> C-SPAN “Book TV” to air “Implosion Simulcast” this weekend — click here for details

It’s been stunning to see the Left’s long knives come out for the leaders of the Chick-Fil-A corporation.  Why? Because the company’s president Dan Cathy, a devout born again follower of Jesus Christ, has said that while he and his company respect and honor people of all races, creeds, religions and sexual orientations, he strongly believes in traditional marriage between one man and one woman and is “guilty as charged” when it comes to defending a Biblical approach to family. Cathy also warned that America could trigger the judgment of God against us if we choose to continue defying the Bible’s teachings on marriage. “I think we’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than You what constitutes a marriage,” Cathy said in remarks reported by ABC News.

I completely agree. As I wrote about in Implosion, America is flirting with disaster if we continue to ignore the Bible and turn our backs on the teachings of the Lord God Almighty.

But Cathy’s strong stance on behalf of a Biblical approach to marriage is being taken by the Left as “anti-gay” and it has sparked a firestorm from coast to coast.

• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel denounced Cathy’s pro-traditional marriage stance and said, “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.”
• Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno announced he is working to block the fast food company from opening a new store in his ward because of Cathy’s stance.
• Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino told Chick-Fil-A they were not welcome to do business in Boston.
• The Jim Henson Company — inventors of the Muppets — chose to take the side of gay marriage and announced it was ending a planned promotional campaign with the fast food company.
• Actress Roseanne Barr sent out this Tweet, “anyone who eats S%#@ Fil-A deserves to get the cancer that is sure to come from eating antibiotic filled tortured chickens 4Christ.”
• Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is calling for a boycott of Chick-Fil-A.

Others, however, are strongly defending Chick-Fil-A and are grateful for Cathy’s defense of the Biblical standard for marriage. Among them:

• Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee started a Facebook page calling for a “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” on August 1st. “I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, led by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story.  Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick Fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO.It’s a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left.”
• Rick Santorum quickly joined Huckabee in defense of traditional marriage and Chick-Fil-A.
• Billy Graham has issued a statement defending traditional marriage and Chick-Fil-A. “I want to express my support for my good friends Truett Cathy and his son Dan Cathy, and for their strong stand for the Christian faith,” Graham said. “I’ve known their family for many years and have watched them grow Chick-fil-A into one of the best businesses in America while never compromising their values. Chick-fil-A serves each of its customers with excellence, and treats everyone like a neighbor. It’s easy to see why Chick-fil-A has become so popular across America. Each generation faces different issues and challenges, but our standard must always be measured by God’s word. I appreciate the Cathy family’s public support for God’s definition of marriage.”
• Franklin Graham also issued a statement defending traditional marriage and Chick-Fil-A.
• Jim Daly of Focus on the Family wrote an op-ed defending traditional marriage and Chick-Fil-A, as well.

The first thing I did when I heard of this controversy was ask my wife to pick up some Chick-Fil-A for dinner for our family. I look forward to dining there again on August 1st. One of our friends wrote, “Did you ever think a chicken sandwich could divide a nation?” Clever, but of course there is a much bigger issue here than one company or the views of one executive. The American Left has declared war against the traditional family, against the Bible, and against all who dare say that they follow Biblical principles. Maybe this controversy will wake up the sleeping Church in America and call millions believers to stand up for the truth. Maybe this firestorm will inspire millions of Christians to truly preach the Gospel, teach the Word of God, and do so with love, compassion, courage and without shame. Maybe seeing the vitriol of the Left will cause millions of Christians to begin praying and fasting for a Third Great Awakening for this beloved country of ours. I sure hope so, because without such a sweeping spiritual revival I believe this country is going to implode. And time is running short.

One other important note. My brother-in-law wrote this on his Facebook page as a result of this controversy, and I thought he put it very well: “Of all the groups in the world who are “hated”, I often feel that none are hated more than Christians who are loyal to Jesus Christ and His teaching, who–despite popular belief–was not about hate, but love for and salvation of ANYONE who would ACCEPT Him as their savior. Bums me out how often His true purpose and message are completely overlooked or simply ignored. I love my Lord with all my he…art and as a true follower of Christ I’m called to love ALL people as well… and I do: gay, straight, black, white, old, young, sick, healthy, mentally or physically challenged or not, liberal, conservative, Redskins fans, Cowboy fans, country or rock fans… and yes, that means you too. If you translate God’s teaching to intolerance/hate (despite Him commanding us to love EVERYONE) than I don’t know what to say… but I do know what to DO because my purpose never changes. So like it or not… I love YOU despite our differences, allegiances, choices or values. Matthew 22:36-40 — “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

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

>> Consider helping The Joshua Fund bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus

This weekend, C-SPAN’s “Book TV” will air the talk I gave on Implosion as part of the “Implosion Simucast” event we did in June at Houston’s First Baptist Church. Given the recent massacre in Aurora and other bleak economic and spiritual events and headlines in recent weeks, I think the subject will be a timely one, though obviously I won’t be able to comment on these recent events since they happened after the program was taped. That said, I hope you’ll take the time to watch, or set your DVR to record the program and watch it later. Please also let family and friends who might be interested in the subject know when the program will air, and please be sure to post your comments on the book and/or the program on the Epicenter Team Facebook page.

The Implosion program will actually be broadcast twice:

* Saturday, July 28th at 11pm eastern

* Sunday, July 29th at 9:15am eastern.

For more details from the C-SPAN website, please click here. 

NOTE: At the moment I’m not certain whether C-SPAN will also air the Q&A portion of the event, but let’s pray that they will.

>> Join the conversation and follow on Twitter @jcrflashtraffic

On Thursday evening, August 9th, I’m honored to be speaking and doing a question & answer session on my new book, Implosion, in the Denver, Colorado area. The occassion will be the annual fundraising event for Ministry Architecture, Inc., a ministry my parents (Len and Mary Rosenberg) started 12 years to provide architectural services for evangelical Christian ministries operating in developing countries who need orphanages, training centers, medical missionary hospitals, and other facilities to show the love of Jesus. Before I speak, my folks will share a bit about the exciting work God is doing through this ministry in countries such as Mexico, Nigeria, Zambia, Sudan, Romania, Haiti, Thailand, Turkey, Israel, etc. Then I will discuss the enormous economic and spiritual challenges facing the United States, whether we could face not just a decline but a collapse, and the prospect of a Third Great Awakening. And I’m especially looking forward to your questions as that is my favorite part of the evening! The event will take place at Calvary Chapel South Denver in Littleton, Colorado, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Doors will open at 6:30pm. A contribution of $25 per person is requested to help support Ministry Architecture. Contributions are tax deductible. Registration is required, and you can register at www.ministryarchitecture.com. Please join us — I hope to see you there!

Ramadan runs from July 20th through August 18th, this year. Muslims around the world are fasting from all food and liquid during daylight hours, and then eating in the evenings. They are hoping Allah hears and answers their prayers. But they are lost. Would you join me in praying for the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims during this Ramadan season that they find the One True God?

Please pray that our Father in heaven opens their eyes and their hearts to the truth that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can come into a personal relationship with the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Please pray that God shows His amazing grace and unconditional love and draws many Muslims out of Islam and into salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (I John 5:1-5).

Millions of Muslims have come to Christ in the past three decades. Let’s pray that more find the Savior this year. Here’s a link to more suggestions of how to pray for Muslims — and for the persecuted Christians living in the Islamic world — this Ramadan.

• Iraq suffers deadliest day  of 2012 — at least 106 people dead from terrorist attacks — as Ramadan begins
• Haaretz: Gaza Christians fear the end of their tiny community — Fears exploded publicly when two members of the flock recently converted to Islam, prompting them to stage a rare public protest accusing Muslims of pulling followers from their faith.
• Christianity Today: The Other Iranian Revolution — In ‘godless’ eastern Germany, Iranian refugees surprise pastors with their interest in Christianity

America is in grave danger. The massacre in Aurora. The child sex abuse scandal at Penn State. The scourge of abortion and pornography and runaway spending and debt in Washington. The list tragically goes on an on. In Implosion, I try to document how serious the situation is, and how a Third Great Awakening is the only answer. In this context, I am encouraged by a new open letter to America written by Dr. Billy Graham. He makes some excellent points. Here are excerpts. Please read them, pray over them, and share them with as many as you can.

Pastors, would you consider reading excerpts from Dr. Graham’s letter at your Wednesday service this week? Would you consider turning your mid-week service into a call to prayer, fasting and repentance, along the lines of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Joel chapter 2? America urgently needs a wake up call, beginning with the Church. May Christ Jesus use you to preach a clear message of repentance, and to lead the congregation you shepherd before the throne of grace to seek God’s mercy on our country before it is too late.

————————–

Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me by exclaiming, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”

She was probably thinking of a passage in Ezekiel where God tells why He brought those cities to ruin. “Now this was the sin of … Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen” (Ezekiel 16:49–50, NIV).

I wonder what Ruth would think of America if she were alive today. In the years since she made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.

Just a few weeks ago in a prominent city in the South, Christian chaplains who serve the police department were ordered to no longer mention the Name of Jesus in prayer. It was reported that during a recent police-sponsored event, the only person allowed to pray was someone who addressed “the being in the room.” Similar scenarios are now commonplace in towns across America. Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone—except God.

Yet the farther we get from God, the more the world spirals out of control.

My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance. In Jonah’s day, Nineveh was the lone world superpower—wealthy, unconcerned, and self-centered. When the Prophet Jonah finally traveled to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s warning, people heard and repented.

I believe the same thing can happen once again, this time in our nation. It’s something I long for, and my son Franklin recently shared a vision for perhaps the greatest challenge in the history of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—to launch an outreach called My Hope with Billy Graham that would bring the Gospel into neighborhoods and homes in every corner of America next year.

———————-

• Breakpoint: Eric Metaxas’ excellent analysis of Office Depot promoting homosexuality, Oreo introducing a “rainbow cookie,” and Chik-Fil-A’s president defending traditional marriage
• Federal Government’s Debt Jumps More Than $1 trillion for 5th Straight Fiscal Year
• WSJ: Philadelphia Monsignor Gets Up to Six Years in Prison — “A Roman Catholic monsignor was sentenced Tuesday to as many as six years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to have continued contact with children.”
• Woman dies after abortion at Planned Parenthood clinic
• Fresno’s murder rate surges
• As murder rate climbs, Chicago mayor makes ‘values’ appeal — “Since coming into office 13 months ago, Emanuel has been shouldered with a soaring murder rate. As crime overall has dropped in the city and  across the nation, Chicago already has had 275 murders this year.”
• NPR: New Orleans now has the highest per capita murder rate in the country
• 2012 Evansville (Indiana) murder rate being described as “off the charts”

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

New rumors of war are emerging in the epicenter in the last 24 hours. “Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday said any attempt by Hezbollah to attain non-conventional weapons from Syria would prompt Israeli military intervention,” reports the Times of Israel. “He also commented on the Iranian nuclear threat, saying that ‘negotiations must end and actions must begin.’ ‘In the moment we see that the Syrians transfer chemical and biological weapons to Hezbollah, this is a red line for us, and from our point of view it’s a clear casus belli,’ Liberman said at a press conference in Brussels. ‘We will act decisively and without hesitation or restraint. It will be a completely different ballgame. And we hope for the understanding from the of the international community and we hope for cooperation.'”

Haaretz, meanwhile, reports that “IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said on Tuesday that if Syria’s chemical weapons were to get into the wrong hands, such as those of Hezbollah, IDF military action could turn into an unintentionally broad campaign.”

Another report in the Israeli media suggests Netanyahu is planning a September-October war to neutralize Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The economic sanctions against Iran are clearly having a serious effect, but there is no evidence they are persuading the mullahs to abandon their nuclear program. To the contrary, Tehran seems to be accelerating their efforts. Netanyahu commented on the Syrian and Iranian threats on Fox News Sunday, an interview worth watching given the current climate.

At the moment, I’m working on the final chapters of my next novel, The Damascus Countdown. It’s a look at how Syria’s alliance with Iran and Hezbollah could lead to the prophetic destruction of Damascus, as prophesied both by Jeremiah and Isaiah. I’m praying for the people of Syria that they will turn their hearts to Jesus Christ before judgment comes. Would you join me in praying for the Syrians, as well?

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