With the IDF killing of one the top Hamas military commanders — see video of the attack here — and the IAF bombing of at least 20 terror facilities in Gaza, Hamas terrorists say that Israel “has opened the gates of Hell” and that it plans a massive retaliation. At the moment, there are unconfirmed reports that the Israelis are calling up military reserves and making preparations for a possible ground invasion of Gaza. Developing….

(Netanya, Israel) — Night is falling here in the Holy Land. I was just emailing with a former U.S. presidential candidate about the latest developments here in Israel, and I thought I’d share the same information with you. 

Short version: it’s been a challenging week.

Here are 8 developments you need to know about.

1. Syria and Israel have fired at each other multiple times for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
2. More than 160 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israeli towns in the southern tier by Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorists in Gaza since last Saturday, and more than 40 Israelis have been wounded.
3. Under pressure from Egypt, Hamas is being told to stop firing rockets — and in the last 24 hours or so the rocket fire has slowed significantly. That said, four rockets were fired at southern Israel today (Wednesday), apparently by terrorists operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
4. BREAKING NEWS: On Wednesday afternoon, news broke that a top Hamas military commander was just killed in an IAF air strike. Now Israelis in the south are awaiting a possible new barrage of rockets from Gaza in retaliation. Still, Israeli officials believe they need to reestablish a deterrence factor by assassinating top Hamas leaders and thus raising the cost of rocket attacks. The IDF is preparing for the possibility of a major ground operation into Gaza, though it’s not yet clear Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet will feel that is necessary or wise. [UPDATE: “Shortly afterwards, the IDF struck over 20 underground rocket launchers belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an airstrike,” reported the Jerusalem Post.]
5. Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership which has lost control of Gaza is moving towards unilaterally declaring a state. It is seeking a U.N. General Assembly vote recognizing the state. At this point, the U.N. vote is set for November 29th, which is the anniversary of the U.N. Partition Plan vote in 1947. Such a unilateral step would be in violation of the Oslo Accords signed by the PLO and Israel which disallows unilateral actions such as this. [UPDATE: “Palestinians, supported by foreign activists, were demonstrating in dozens of places across the West Bank on Wednesday ahead of the 24th anniversary of their declaration of independence on November 15,” reports the Times of Israel. “Hundreds of protesters took part in the disruptions, during which Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli cars and tried to block roads, leading to clashes with Israeli security forces, who dispersed the protesters using tear gas. Several demonstrators were detained….Two Israelis were lightly injured north of the settlement of Efrat after protesters pelted their vehicle with rocks. Demonstrators also threw rocks at Israeli vehicles near the West Bank settlement of Tekoa and tried to block a road south of Hebron….The US consulate cancelled all non-official travel by US government employees to and through the West Bank on Routes 1, 90, and 443, as well as travel to Jericho and Bethlehem, due to the ongoing demonstrations.”]
6. The Obama administration is pressuring Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas not to take unilateral steps, including with a personal phone call by President Obama to Abbas.
7. Some media reports here say the Israelis are threatening to topple Abbas if he takes such unilateral actions in defiance of signed agreements.
8. If this all weren’t enough challenges, a new IAEA report due out this week will indicate that Iran is steadily moving its nuclear program into deep underground facilities and that there are now 2,700 centrifuges to enrich uranium located in the Fordow facility, close to the religious city of Qom.

As I note in my recently released e-book, Israel At War: “The corridor between Tel Aviv and Tehran is the most dangerous corridor on the planet. And make no mistake: Iran is already at war with the State of Israel. The radical mullahs in Tehran declared war against the Jewish state in 1979. They have been killing Israelis and other Jews ever since. Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his senior advisors are engaged in a high stakes diplomatic, financial and covert war to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat before the mullahs — driven by an apocalyptic, genocidal End Times theology – get the Bomb and the means to deliver it.  Now the question is: Will Netanyahu soon order his nation into a full scale, all-out war with Iran that could set the entire Middle East on fire?”

All that said, it should be noted that God is sovereign. As we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in obedience to Psalm 122:6, the Lord continues to protect the people of Israel, and He loves all the inhabitants of the land, Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, Palestinian Arabs, Christians and Muslims. What’s more, while there are serious tensions on the Gaza and Syrian borders, most of Israel is very safe. Tourism this year is at an all-time high. Indeed, the number of tourists coming into Israel in September was an all-time record. I’ve been here since Friday speaking at a pastors conference and I’ve never felt in danger. The challenges are real, but keep them in context that most Israelis and Palestinians are going about their daily lives without fear or interference. But please keep praying for peace, for wisdom for the leaders here, and for the followers of Jesus Christ to be a blessing to all the people here.

Thanks. Lord willing, I’ll continue to keep you updated as best I can.

• New e-book – Israel At War: Inside The Nuclear Showdown With Iran — now available on Kindle, Nook, other formats for $2,99 (includes sneak preview of material from forthcoming Damascus Countdown novel, as well)
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With tensions between Israel and Iran running high, Israeli President Shimon Peres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. “During the private meeting the two men discussed the Iranian threat, the ongoing situation in Syria, ways to restart the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as well as the strategic relations between the two countries,” reports the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “At the end of the meeting President Peres said, ‘It was a positive and efficient meeting and it is clear from the discussion that Israel’s future and security is important to President Putin.'”

Now the Weekly Standard has picked up on a report in the Russian media that President Obama is planning a state visit to Moscow, as well. “Russian president Vladimir Putin claims President Barack Obama is planning to visit Russia, the outlet RIA Novosti reports. US President Barack Obama has confirmed plans to visit Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Russian president’s spokesman said on Tuesday,’ the Russian outlet reports. ‘Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Obama made the statement when Putin called a second time to congratulate the US president on his reelection.’ RIA Novosti quotes Putin’s spokesman as saying, ‘Obama thanked [Putin] for the congratulations and the invitation and confirmed his readiness to come to Russia at a date to be agreed by the two sides. … Putin wished his US counterpart success in forming his new team’he said, adding that the two presidents confirmed their interest in ‘progressive development of bilateral relations in all spheres, including the economy.’ The White House has not announced plans for Obama to visit Russia since winning reelection. During the campaign Obama famously got caught on a hot microphone passing along a message to Putin. ‘This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility,’ Obama told then Russian president Dmitri Medvedev. ‘I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,’ Medvedev responded in the overheard conversation.”

• What is the War of Gog and Magog and the coming Russian-Iranian alliance against Israel?

As of 10:30pm local time here in Israel, more than 160 rockets and mortars have been fired at southern Israel.  Supposedly, the Palestinian terrorists have agreed to a cease fire or a truce, but rockets have continued to be fired at Israeli towns like Sderot in recent hours. Meanwhile, “the IDF fired into Syria on Monday for the second time in as many days, after a Syrian mortar shell landed in the Golan Heights,” reported the Jerusalem Post. “The events played out in a similar sequence to those on Sunday, when an errant Syrian shell elicited an Israeli warning shot at the Syrian military for the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. On Monday, however, the IDF said its tanks shot “at the source of the fire in Syria,” and scored a “direct hit,” taking out two mortar launchers….Syria has been in the midst of a brutal civil war for over a year, and the IDF has been instructed to prevent the battles from spilling over into our territory. At Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel was closely following events along the Syrian border, and was prepared for all possibilities on that front. Sunday’s scuffle came a week after three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights on Saturday afternoon, and remained there for several hours into the evening. Please keep praying for peace and security to be restored. Pray for those wounded on both sides of the conflict (there were some 40 Israeli injuries over the weekend). Please pray for wisdom for the Israeli government to know best how to respond. And please pray for followers of Jesus Christ on both sides to be able to love, care for and bless the people who are suffering, wounded and traumatized by the sudden spike in violence. On behalf of all of my colleagues with The Joshua Fund, thanks so much. To learn more about The Joshua Fund, please click here.

It’s been a challenging 24 hours here since arriving in Israel. Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 80 rockets and mortars at civilians living in southern Israel. The IDF has fired back. There are injuries on both sides of the border. Terrorists also fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF jeep, wounding four Israeli soldiers. The Iron Dome has been fired to shoot down rockets. Israeli forces are on high alert in the south. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed. Tensions are running high as Israelis wonder if Hamas and Iran are trying to draw Israel into a war in Gaza. “The IDF is striking and will continue to strike Gaza,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. “Terrorist organizations are suffering grave setbacks at the hands of the IDF. The world must understand that Israel will not sit idly.”

Tensions are also higher than normal in the north. Several days ago, three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone near the Golan Heights. Today, Syrian forces have fired three mortar shells at Israelis on the Golan Heights. One actually crossed into Israel, a 120mm shell. Within the past hour, the IDF has fired back at Syria for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Please pray for peace and security to be restored on both borders. Pray for Israeli leaders to have wisdom to know how best to respond. Pray for the innocent civilians — Jews and Arabs — on both sides of the border that are caught in the crossfire. I’ll keep you posted as best I can.

>> To learn more about The Joshua Fund, please click here

Greetings from Israel. I arrived here on Friday to meet with several Israeli officials, speak at several conferences, and visit The Joshua Fund team and warehouse and see how we’re coming along with preparations for a possible war between Israel and Iran. Unfortunately, the big story here this weekend is that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have begun firing rockets and mortars at innocent Israeli civilians along the southern tier again. As of Sunday morning at 11am local time, more than 50 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel and at least four Israelis have been injured by shrapnel. Meanwhile, an IDF jeep was hit by an anti-tank missile that was fired at it from Gaza, injuring four Israeli soldiers. The Israelis returned fire and Israeli officials are warning that a far more massive retaliation could be coming if the terrorists don’t cease fire. Please pray for calm and peace along the border. Please also pray for the Lord to comfort and heal those injured and traumatized by the latest attacks. Lord willing, I’ll be blogging daily from Israel over the next two weeks.

Can this relationship be repaired? Let’s pray yes. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called US President Barack Obama Thursday to congratulate him on his reelection victory two days earlier, seemingly extending an olive branch amid claims that the two leaders would find it hard to cooperate going forward,” reports the Times of Israel. “Netanyahu told Obama he looked forward to continuing to work with him to “address the great challenges facing the US and Israel and to advance peace and security in our region,” according to a press release sent by Netanyahu’s office. He added to Obama that that the election victory was a ‘vote of confidence in your leadership.'”

>> To learn more about the work of The Joshua Fund and invest in our efforts to provide food, clothing, medical supplies and other humanitarian relief to Israeli Jews and Arabs, as well as educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, please click here.

The reelected President Obama is being tested already by leaders in Tehran.”Two Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed U.S. Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf last week,” reports CNN. “The incident raises fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes. The drone was in international airspace east of Kuwait, U.S. officials said, adding it was engaged in routine maritime surveillance. Although the drone was not hit, the Pentagon is concerned.”

[CORRECTED VERSION: In the first version of this column, I incorrectly reported a figure of 25 million evangelicals voting for Obama in 2012. The actual number, as now noted below, is about 6.4 million. Please forgive my error.]

As the smoke clears from the wreckage of the Romney defeat on Tuesday, some intriguing yet disturbing facts are coming to light.

* Fewer people overall voted in 2012 (about 117 million) compared to 2008 (about 125 million).

* President Obama received some 6.6 million fewer votes  in 2012 than he did in 2008 (60,217,329 in 2012 votes compared to 66,882,230 votes in 2008).

* One would think that such a dynamic would have helped Romney win — clearly it did not.

* Incredibly, Governor Romney received nearly 1 million fewer votes in 2012 than Sen. John McCain received in 2008. (In 2008, McCain won 58,343,671 votes. In 2012, Romney won only 57,486,044 votes.)

Why? How was it possible for Romney to do worse than McCain? It will take some time to sift through all of the data. But here is some of what we know from the 2012 election day exit polls:

The President received a whopping 71% of the Hispanic vote (which was 10% of the total votes cast), compared to only 27% for Romney (McCain got 31% of the Hispanic vote in 2008). Obama also won 56% of the moderate vote, which was interesting given that Romney (who got 41%) was widely perceived by the GOP base as being a “Massachusetts moderate.” The President lost married women (getting only 46% of their vote to Romney’s 53%). But won decisively among unmarried women (67% to Romney’s 31%).

That said, what I’m looking at most closely is the Christian vote, and here is where I see trouble:

• 42% of the Protestant Christian vote went for Obama in 2012. This was down from 45% in 2008.
• 57% of the Protestant Christian vote went for Romney in 2012. This was up from 54% that McCain won in 2008.
• When you zoom in a bit, you find that 21% of self-identified, white, born-again, evangelical Christians voted for President Obama in 2012.
• You’d think this decrease in evangelical votes for Obama would have helped win the race for Romney, but it didn’t.
• 78% of evangelical Christians voted for Romney in 2012. Yes, this was up from the 74% that McCain received in 2008, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
• To put it more precisely, about 5 million fewer evangelicals voted for Obama in 2012 than in 2008. Meanwhile, some 4.7 million more evangelicals voted for Romney than voted for McCain. Yet Romney still couldn’t win.
• Meanwhile, 50% of the Catholic vote went for Obama in 2012. This was down from the 54% that Obama won in 2008.
• 48% of the Catholic vote went for Romney in 2012. This was up from the 45% that McCain won in 2008. Yet it still wasn’t enough.

Now consider this additional data:

• In 2008, white, born-again, evangelical Christians represented 26% of the total vote for president, according to the exit polls.
• In 2012, white, born-again, evangelical Christians represented 26% of the total vote for president, according to the exit polls.
• In other words, we saw no change at all in the size of the evangelical vote, –no net gain, certainly no surge, no record evangelical turnout, despite expectations of this.
• Of the 117 million people who voted on Tuesday, therefore, about 30 million (26%) were evangelicals. Of this, 21% — or about 6.4 million evangelicals — voted for Obama.
• By comparison, of the 125 million people who voted in 2008, 32.5 million (26%) were evangelicals. At the time, Obama won 24% of evangelicals, or about 7.8 million people.
• What’s more, in 2008, 27% of the total vote for president was Catholic, according to the exit polls.
• In 2012, only 25% of the total vote for president was Catholic.
• Remarkably, this means that Romney got a higher percentage of the Catholic vote than McCain, but millions of fewer Catholics actually voted in 2012, despite having Rep. Paul Ryan, a practicing Catholic, on the ticket.

What does all this mean? A few observations:

1. During the GOP primaries in 2012, it was reported that there was record turnout by evangelical voters — they were fired up and mobilized then (though largely behind Sen. Rick Santorum.)
2. There were concerns by a number of Christian leaders going into the 2012 elections that Romney’s Mormonism might suppress evangelical and conservative voter turnout.
3. The Romney campaign worked hard to not only to win the evangelical vote but to turn out more evangelicals to the polls — but it did not work.
4. Despite Obama’s pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-religious freedom record — a record presumably abhorrent both to evangelicals and conservative Catholics — Romney simply was not able to cut deeply enough into Obama’s evangelical and Catholic vote.
5. If Romney had been able win over significantly more evangelicals – and/or dramatically increased evangelical turnout in the right states – he would have won the election handily.
6. It is stunning to think that more than 6 million self-described evangelical Christians would vote for a President who supports abortion on demand; supported the same-sex marriage ballot initiatives that successed in Maryland, Maine and Washington; and was on the cover of Newsweek as America’s “first gay president.” Did these self-professed believers surrender their Biblical convictions in the voting booth, or did they never really have deep Biblical convictions on the critical issues to begin with? 
7. Whatever their reasons, these so-called evangelicals doomed Romney and a number of down-ballot candidates for the House and Senate.
8. This is what happens when the Church is weak and fails to disciple believers to turn Biblical faith into action.
9. Given the enormous number of evangelical Christians in the U.S., this bloc could still affect enormous positive change for their issues if they were to unify and vote for the pro-life, pro-marriage candidate as a bloc.
10. What will it take to educate, register and mobilize Christians to vote on the basis of Biblical principles, and what kind of candidates could best mobilize them? This is a critical question that Christian political leaders as well as pastors must serious consider. As we have seen, just a few million more evangelicals voting for pro-life, pro-marriage candidates could offset other demographics that are becoming more liberal.
11. That said, we need national candidates who take values issues as seriously as economic and fiscal issues, and have strong credentials on these values issues, and can talk about these issues in a winsome, compassionate, effective manner.
12. We need pastors registering voters in their churches and teaching the people in their congregations the importance of the civic duty of voting.
13. None of this should come, however, at the expense of pastors and other Christian leaders clearly, boldly and unequivocally teaching and preaching the Word, proclaiming the Gospel, and making disciples, and helping believers learn to live out their faith in a real and practical way in their communities, including being “salt” and “light” to preserve what is good in society. What we need most in America isn’t a political revival but a sweeping series of spiritual revivals — a Third Great Awakening. As men and women’s hearts are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they will, in time, vote for the values they are internalizing from the Bible. As I wrote about in Implosion, if we don’t see a Third Great Awakening soon, I’m not convinced we will be able to turn this dear nation around in time.

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Please post your comments on our “Epicenter Team” page on Facebook, or send them by Twitter — @joelcrosenberg.

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• To read Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?, please click here
• To read The Invested Life: Making Disciples of All Nations One Person At A Time, please click here
• Listen to the pre-election online podcast of the “Implosion Radio Special,” exploring the dangers facing the United States and what Christians’ role should be — spiritually and politically — at such a time as this.
• Follow Joel on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg
• To learn more about the work of The Joshua Fund and invest in our efforts to provide food, clothing, medical supplies and other humanitarian relief to Israeli Jews and Arabs, as well as educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, please click here.

Election results graphic on the Washington Post homepage, November 7, 2012.

UPDATED AT 6PM EASTERN: Waking up the day after the 2012 elections, I had many questions on my mind. But none so pressing as this: Is the implosion of America more or less likely now?

I’ll share my thoughts on that in a moment.

First things first: Many Americans are stunned by President Obama’s reelection. Most prominent conservative analysts and pundits had definitively predicted Romney would win decisively. Several even predicted a landslide for Romney (most notably Dick Morris and George Will and Michael Barone.) Yet in the end, Mr. Obama won 50.3% of the popular vote and 303 electoral votes, while Mr. Romney won 48.1% of the popular vote and only 206 electoral votes.

Many evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics are stunned and grieving by the fact that the President’s support for abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, massive deficits and national debt, nationalized health care, and large defense cuts have been ratified by the majority of the American people, as has his policies of appeasing the mullahs in Iran, misreading and mishandling the Arab Spring, and creating distance and daylight between the U.S. and Israel.  What’s more, same-sex marriages ballot measures were passed in Maryland and Maine; and marijuana-legalization ballot measures were passed in Washington State and Colorado (in defiance of federal laws prohibiting its use). Homosexual activists were ecstatic; and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin became the first openly homosexual person elected to U.S. Senate. “The tide has turned — when voters have the opportunity to really hear directly from loving, committed same-sex couples and their families, they voted for fairness,” said Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, a California-based gay rights group. “Those who oppose the freedom to marry for committed couples are clearly on the wrong side of history.” Pro-drug activists were thrilled, as well. “The significance of these events cannot be understated,” said NORML, a pro-legalization organization, in a news release. “Tonight, for the first time in history, two states have legalized and regulated the adult use and sale of cannabis.”

Many of those who read this blog and follow me on Twitter were hit hard emotionally but what unfolded Tuesday night. Here’s a sample of the tweets I received:

• “So what now?”
• “These election results just showed us exactly where our country’s morals are. It’s very scary.”
• “I’m grieving…but will prepare.”
• “I pray for [God’s] mercy but I think we know America has changed at its core. Sad and scared.”
• “Do u wonder if it has to be this way 4 end times prophecies to come about?”
• “I would sleep a lot easier if I thought the country doesn’t have to destroy itself before it comes to its senses.”

“I went to bed last night thinking we’re outnumbered,” said Rush Limbaugh on his radio program on Wednesday. “I went to bed last night thinking all this discussion we’d had about this election being the election that will tell us whether or not we’ve lost the country. I went to bed last night thinking we’ve lost the country. I don’t know how else you look at this.”

Why did God say “no” to the prayers of millions of Christians who were asking Him to save the Obama and Biden families spiritually but also remove them from office? It’s going to take time to prayerfully and Scripturally analyze what happened and why. We should be careful not to rush to conclusions.Instead, we need to take time to carefully analyze the facts. The Bible says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2) As we process all this, we need to ask a number of probing questions. Among them:

1. Did Mr. Obama win because America is becoming more liberal, more secular, more hostile to Biblical values and those who hold them? That is, are we losing the battle for the soul of America, and should now expect more liberal political leaders to dominate the American scene in the years ahead?
2. Or, did Mr. Romney lose because he was a flawed candidate, who made numerous unforced errors, flip-flopped on numerous policy issues, and campaigned as a conservative when he was in fact a Massachusetts moderate? That is, could a truly principled, experienced, articulate, conservative, orthodox Christian leader be able to persuade a majority of the country to change course?
3. Precisely how did self-professed born-again Christians vote? Did they vote on the basis of personality, or principle? For those who voted for Obama, why?
4. Did many born-again Christians stay home and not vote? If so, what caused them not to turn out for Romney? Was it for personality reasons? Policy reasons?
5. What significance did Mr. Romney’s Mormonism play in the decision of born-again Christians not to vote for him? That is, did many Christians refuse to vote for Romney for religious reasons, and if so, how many?
6. Why were GOP and conservative pundits so wrong, so far off the mark, and what role did wishful thinking rather than sound analysis play in their predictions (especially when the Real Clear Politics average of polls showed Obama pulling ahead of Romney in the last few days)?
7. Considering all the data, is the implosion of America more or less likely today? Will the Church in America wake up and repent and call the nation back to Christ before it’s too late? Without a Republican president in the White House, is it possible that American Christians will turn their focus back to the Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and take more careful heed to what He is calling us to be, and to do?

When I wrote Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time? I  was concerned about a moment like this when the nation would reject leaders offering bold, sweeping policies to grow the economy, reform our entitlement programs, stop deficit spending and begin to pay down our debt. By rejecting Romney-Ryan, I’m concerned that’s what just happened. But when I wrote the book, I was also concerned that the nation would reject leaders boldly offering principled policies to protect the unborn, protect traditional/Biblical marriage, and address the moral and spiritual decline of the country. That happened during the GOP primaries. Governor Romney was never a bold, decisive pro-life advocate. He never made the social, moral and spiritual troubles facing the country his significant concern. Rick Santorum did, but the GOP chose Romney instead.

This leaves us at a very vulnerable moment. I can’t say that the implosion of America is imminent. But how much longer will God be patient before He decides to judge us for 54 million abortions, a celebration of homosexuality, rampant heterosexual immorality, marital affairs, separations, divorce, the implosion of whole families, rampant pornography, unprecedented murder and violent crime rates, massive deficits, unfathomable debt, and a weak, increasingly apostate Church?

Just as we are living on borrowed credit, so we are living on borrowed time.

A few final thoughts for now:

• God is shaking our nation to get our attention, to get Christians — first and foremost — to wake up and focus on Him, not on Washington — The Lord said through the ancient Hebrew Prophet Haggai that the nations would be shaken in the future. “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)
• If initial efforts to shake us don’t work, God will shake us harder — We were shaken on 9/11. We were shaken by two wars in the Middle East. We were shaken in the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008. We have been shaken by repeated historic hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. But overall, despite all the shaking, Americans are not repenting of our sins and turning to faith in Jesus Christ.
• We need to remember that God is sovereign — He clearly He allowed President Obama to be reelected and we need to trust Him. The Hebrew prophet Daniel wrote, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever….He removes kings and raises up kings.” (Daniel 2:20-21)
• We need to remember that God tells us not to be afraid of the present, or the future — “But He [Jesus] said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.'” (John 6:20) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) “Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus said, “for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
• We need to prepare ourselves both for the possibility that God will judge this country and cause America to implode, and/or that the Rapture is coming soon  — “Get ready, be prepared.” (Ezekiel 38:7) “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming….For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” (Matthew 24:42, 44) “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows,” said Jesus. “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48)
• We need to devote ourselves to prayer for repentance and revival and for the Lord to set into motion a Third Great Awakening — “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2) “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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Bottom line: Washington is failing us. Government has its place, but we can not expect it to solve the most fundamental problems we’re facing. We need to focus our eyes on Jesus Christ. We need to faithfully study His Word, spend time with Him in prayer. The Church needs to wake up, step into the vacuum, and lead our country to true, living, active and practical faith in Christ. The Lord is our only hope. If we do not turn to Him — and soon — our nation faces both judgment and implosion.

UPDATE: Franklin Graham:  US on ‘Path of Destruction’
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What are you thinking today? What Bible verses is God putting on your heart? Please post your comments on our “Epicenter Team” page on Facebook, or send them by Twitter — @joelcrosenberg.

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• To read Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?, please click here
• Listen to the online podcast of the “Implosion Radio Special,” exploring the dangers facing the United States and what Christians’ role should be — spiritually and politically — at such a time as this.
• Follow Joel on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg