BOOK REVIEW OF THE INVESTED LIFE: “2 simple questions, 1 great read”

October 2, 2012 By in Epicenter

A friend just sent me a link to a wonderful review of the new book I wrote with Dr. Koshy. The review was written by Richard Burkey, a senior pastor in California. on his blog. I was so encouraged by it I’m reblogging it here in full:

2 simple questions, 1 great read, that’s what Joel Rosenberg and Dr. T. E. Koshy’s book, The Invested Life offers. The 2 questions are:

1. Who is investing in me?

2. Whom am I investing in?

The goal is to make disciples of all nations for Jesus Christ one person at a time. From challenging Christ followers to have a big biblical vision and laying out the first baby steps to pursue. The Invested Life lays out a process to not only answer those 2 simple questions, but to live out that answer in a transformational way.

Yet the book is not only a step by step process to live out disciple making, it is also the story of how the disciple making process has worked and continues to work in the lives of the authors and those they have discipled. I loved the combination of here’s how you do it, and here’s what it has looked like in our lives and the lives of others.

I appreciated their affirmation that their approach is not the only approach. That sense of humility as well as honesty makes this book a great tool to build a discipleship relationship. They do not provide formulas to follow, but models to emulate. It’s how they learned discipleship, and how they teach their readers to fulfill the Great Commission.

Even more than the steps that are given and process to follow, there is a reliance on God and coming to Him in prayer. He leads the process.  As they say, “We don’t choose whom to disciple. God chooses for us.”

My one criticism of the book is their answer to the 1st question, “Who is investing in me?” Their answers and suggested answers always focused on finding one older than yourself. That is probably the typical relationship, one farther along in the journey of faith. Yet as I grow older, I find myself also learning from those younger than myself, for they open my eyes to new ways to learn from God.

I give The Invested Life 5 out of 5 stars. The topic, the models to follow and the stories that are shared make this a great read for those who want to invest in others and see that we all grow to not only follow the Great Commission, but watched it fulfilled. My thanks to Tyndale Publishing for a free copy to review. My only requirement in receiving a copy of the book was to provide an honest review. Thank you Tyndale for providing a great book to read.

You can read the opening chapter by clicking here. Learn more about Joel C. Rosenberg here or Dr. T. E. Koshy here.

ISRAELI STRIKE ON IRAN MORE LIKELY AFTER ELECTIONS THAN NOW: Also, Iran’s currency plunging due to sanctions

October 1, 2012 By in Epicenter

Could Israel soon launch a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities despite intense White House pressure not to? The scenario portrayed in my novel, The Tehran Initiative, could still happen soon. But in light of Netanyahu’s speech to the U.N., it now seems the likelihood is very low this month. That’s a significant change from a few weeks ago. Israeli leaders now seem prepared to wait in part to see if Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney wins on November 6th. Also, Jerusalem is watching Iran’s crumbling economy. The Jerusalem Post reports: “The Iranian rial plunged more than 13 percent in open-market trade on Monday to a new all-time low of about 33,500 per US dollar, traders and currency-tracking websites said, meaning the currency has lost about a quarter of its value in the past week.” Could international sanctions force political change in Tehran? Unlikely, but possible. Let’s keep praying for peace, but preparing for war. www.joshuafund.net

JOIN ME IN 40 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA (AND ISRAEL): Will we have revival, or implosion?

October 1, 2012 By in Epicenter

You and I both know America is on the wrong track economically and spiritually. In fact, more and more Americans realize we are in grave danger not just of further decline, but outright collapse or implosion. The question is: What are we going to do about it? Would you join me in committing to 40 days of prayer for revival in America? Will you join me and Christians from all over the country in humbling your heart, praying and seeking God’s face, turning from your wicked ways, and pleading with the Lord to heal your heart, family and nation? Now is the time to urgently get on our knees and plead for His mercy and forgiveness. We need to beseech Him to grant us repentance, to make it possible for us to see our sins and truly, humbly repent — to turn back to the Lord — before it is too late.

I have joined with other American pastors and Christian leaders in a movement called “If My People 2012.” Together, we are urging people to pray for revival for 40 days and nights, leading up to Election Day. This is not a political movement. This goes way beyond politics. In this season as Americans prepare choose our national leaders to guide us into the future, it’s even more important that we decide to follow Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. As I write about in Implosion, I firmly believe that only Jesus Christ can save our nation from the path of self-destruction and judgment we are facing. That’s why I’ve joined with my fellow Christian servants in committing to praying for revival and a Third Great Awakening over the 40 days until November 6th. Please join us. Learn more at www.ifmypeople2012.org. Watch the daily prayer videos. Sign up for daily prayer alerts. Follow us on Twitter. And please gather your family and friends to pray like you’ve never prayed before.  “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

At the same time, please include all the people of Israel and the epicenter in your prayers for the next 40 days as well. Pray for peace. Pray for the persecuted Church. Pray for the Gospel to be communicated clearly to all those in danger and darkness. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in great power and grace. Thanks so much. These are dangerous and prophetic times. May God shake us out of lethargy and distraction and draw us close to His heart, come what may.

GUN & AMMO SALES IN U.S. SURGING TO RECORD HIGH LEVELS IN 2012: Why?

October 1, 2012 By in Epicenter

A friend of mine who used to work at the Department of Homeland Security told me something over the weekend that really stunned me: Americans are buying guns and ammunition at previously unheard of rates. People who had never even considered owning a weapon before are now eager to get armed and stockpile ammo. The first thing I did after my friend told me this was go home and do a search of recent news reports on the topic. Not that I doubted my friend’s veracity. He had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. military and then served in senior positions in the federal government. I trust his judgment. I simply hadn’t noticed any of this news before. But sure enough, his report is accurate. Consider some recent headlines:

Consider, too, some of the specifics reported in a recent article in the Dayton Daily News: “GUN SALES AT RECORD HIGH.” (Sept. 22, 2012):

  • “Smith & Wesson reported record net sales of $136 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, up 48.3 percent from a year ago. The company recently raised its full-year sales forecast from between $485-$505 million to $530-$540 million because of consumer demand.
  • “We are under serving the market at this moment, we all know that, and that’s a great opportunity going forward for us,” Smith & Wesson CEO James Debney said during a recent conference call with analysts.
  • “Since Obama has gotten elected, concealed carry’s been huge,” said Shannon Campbell of Campbell’s Firearms Training and Gun Accessories in Miamisburg. “People ask me all the time, it’s like, ‘So, who you like? You like Obama? I say yeah, I love him. He’s helped my business a lot.” Ohio is on pace to reach unprecedented numbers on issued conceal and carry permits and federal background checks. Through June, 35,022 new conceal carry licenses were approved. In all of 2011, the total was 49,828.
  • Nationally, 11.7 million National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks have been made through August. That’s well above the 10.4 million at this time in 2011, which ended with 16.4 million checks, a record.

So this is a real phenomenon. Sobering.

The second thing I began asking myself is, “Why are gun and ammo sales surging?” Do people fear this country is going to implode? Do they fear a wave of criminal violence? Are they anticipating a civil war? What exactly is motivating this record surge in firearms? Guns & Ammo published an article in February headlined, “Why Gun Sales are on the Rise in 2012.” The article included some interesting details and theories. But I’m not sure it fully captured the dynamic.

The core reason, I believe, is that Americans are growing scared. They know our country is in serious trouble. But they fear things things could completely spin out of control. Where ever I travel and speak these days, I hear Americans worrying that our country is so far off track morally, spiritually and economically that people aren’t sure we can actually get back on the right track. As I write about in Implosion and discussed recently on the “Implosion Radio Special”, more and more Americans fear the ice is cracking under our feet. They’re worried we’re not just in a period of decline, but that America might actually collapse. With that collapse could come chaos. I’m not saying it will. I’m saying people fear it will. Movies, TV shows, books and articles about doomsday scenarios and preparing for such scenarios is on the rise.

More than ever, we need to be praying and fasting for the Lord God Almighty to have mercy on our country. We need to pray for revival — for a Third Great Awakening. Before it’s too late.

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NETANYAHU TELLS U.N. IRAN COULD HAVE NUKES BY SPRING: Is war imminent? Analysis

September 27, 2012 By in Epicenter

Israeli leaders literally draws a “red line” before world leaders at U.N. (photo credit: Chang W. Lee/New York Times)

UPDATED WITH DETAILS FROM FULL SPEECH TEXT:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday that Iran is 70 percent of the way to building its first nuclear bomb, and could significantly complete its work by spring 2013, or by summer at the latest. 

In a powerful, sobering address to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu said it was getting “very late” to stop “Iran’s apocalyptic leaders” from getting The Bomb. He called for the world to impose a clear “red line” on Iran, stating precisely at what point Iran’s actions would provoke a military response. He said he did not have confidence that even the best intelligence agencies would know exactly when Iran had built its first nuclear warhead. The goal, he insisted, has to be to stop Iran from enriching enough uranium to be able to build its first warhead. Time to accomplish that, he made clear, is running out fast.

Netanyahu’s reference to Iran’s “apocalyptic leaders” was a direct response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to the U.N. on Wednesday in which he called for the end of the “hegemonic” powers of the United States and Israel — whom he described as “the uncivilized Zionists” — and said the world would ”soon” see new “global management” by the Twelfth Imam, also known as the “Mahdi,” and his deputy, Jesus Christ.

As Netanyahu told the world leaders: “Iran’s apocalyptic leaders believe that a medieval holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating Holy War, thereby ensuring that their brand of radical Islam will rule the earth. That’s not just what they believe. That’s what is actually guiding their policies and their actions.”

Does this mean war is imminent? It depends, I guess, on one’s definition of imminent. Israel may or may not launch an “October Surprise.” But by indicating Iran could be dangerously close to having the Bomb by next spring, it does appear as if the Israeli leader was laying down what could be a final marker before he orders his forces into battle.

“The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb,” said the Israeli Prime Minister. “The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb.”

Reports the New York Times: “Netanyahu of Israel told the United Nations on Thursday that he believes Iran’s ability to make an atomic weapon will be irreversible by next spring or summer — a far more specific time frame than he had asserted before — and he argued that a “clear red line” must be drawn to warn the Iranians they must halt their nuclear fuel enrichment before then.”

To read the full text of the speech, please click here.

See video clips from the speech here. Read key excerpts of the speech from ABC News:

  • The world must immediately draw a clear “red line” to prevent Iran from completing a nuclear weapon as soon as next spring, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today in an address before the United Nations. “To be credible a red line must be drawn first and foremost in one vital part of their program, on Iran’s efforts to enrich uranium,” said Netanyahu, who considers a nuclear Iran a threat to his country.
  • The premier said it was already getting “very late” to stop Iran, a regime that he said backs terrorist organizations and attacks around the globe.
  • Using a magic marker to literally draw a red line on a diagram of a bomb, Netanyahu said Iran was already 70 percent of the way towards developing a bomb. He said the international community must stop Iran before it could complete another 20 percent, a process of creating medium enriched uranium. The final 10 percent could be completed in a few short weeks, he said.  Once the uranium enrichment was completed, he said, Iran could easily assemble the necessary fuse in a secret location no bigger than a classroom.
  • The international community, he said, knows where to find the enrichment centers, and Iran cannot be given enough time to assemble the bomb in secret.
  • “Iran is 70 percent of the way there and … well into the second stage. By next summer, at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage,” Netanyahu said. “From there it is only a few more weeks before they have enriched enough for a bomb.”
  • “Some say a nuclear armed Iran would stabilize the Middle East. Yeah right. That’s like a saying a nuclear armed Al Qaeda would usher in world peace,” he said.
  • Netanyahu compared the situation to Europe’s unwillingness to confront Germany’s Hitler in his early aggressive moves. “Those who opposed that fanaticism waited too long to act,” he said.

The latest Reuters story adds these important facts:

  • “A red line should be drawn right here, before Iran completes the second stage of nuclear enrichment necessary to make a bomb, before Iran gets to a point where it is a few months or a few weeks away from amassing enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon,” he said.
  • “Each day that point is getting closer, and that is why I speak today with such a sense of urgency and that is why everyone should have a sense of urgency….
  • Netanyahu added that “the red line must be drawn on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program because these enrichment facilities are the only nuclear installations that we can definitely see and credibly target.”
  • Netanyahu was referring to Iran’s enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity, a level it says is required for medical isotopes but which also brings it close to bomb-fuel grade.
  • An August report by U.N. inspectors said Iran has stockpiled 91.4 kg of the 20 percent material.
  • According to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, around 25 kg of uranium enriched to a 90 percent purity level would be needed for a single nuclear weapon.

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EXCLUSIVE: AHMADINEJAD’S END TIMES SPEECH TO THE U.N.: Gives most detailed explanation of Twelfth Imam to date; tells UN leaders Mahdi will “soon” reign over world

September 26, 2012 By in Epicenter

The Iranian leader speaking at the U.N. on September 26, 2012.

4PM EASTERN UPDATE: WORLD NET DAILY PUBLISHES THIS ANALYSIS, “Ahmadinejad’s ‘end times’ address to U.N.”

3PM EASTERN UPDATE: PM NETANYAHU RESPONDS (SEE BELOW)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called for the end of the “hegemonic” powers of the United States and Israel, whom he described as “the uncivilized Zionists.” He said the world would “soon” see new “global management” by the Twelfth Imam, also known as the “Mahdi,” and his deputy, Jesus Christ. 

This was Ahmadinejad’s eighth and likely final annual address to the opening fall session of the United Nations General Assembly. He is expected to finish his second term in office in June 2013. In each of his past U.N. speeches, he prayed for the soon coming of the so-called Islamic messiah. This time he went much further, offering his most detailed explanation to date of his Shia Islamic eschatology (End Times theology) and his understanding of the coming rule of the Twelfth Imam. 

Ahmadinejad told the leaders of the world gathered in Manhattan that he had come this time “to voice the divine and humanitarian message…to you and to the whole world.”

“God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness, a man who loves people and loves  absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam Al-Mahdi,  a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ, peace be upon Him, and the righteous,” he said. Calling the Mahdi “the Ultimate Savior,” Ahmadinejad said his arrival on earth “will mark a new beginning, a rebirth and a  resurrection. It will be the beginning of peace, lasting security and genuine  life.”

Ahmadinejad said the coming reign of the Twelfth Imam on earth “will bring about an eternally bright future for mankind, not by force or waging wars but through thought awakening and developing kindness in everyone.” The Iranian leader did not offer a specific timetable, but he did say the “sweet scent” of the Mahdi’s global reign “will soon reach all the territories in Asia, Europe, Africa and the U.S.”

Despite his insistence that the Twelfth Imam’s reign would come without war, Shia eschatology experts say the opposite is true. As I document in my non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution, and dramatize in my most recent political thrillers, The Tehran Initiative and The Twelfth Imam, Islamic theologians say Muslim political leaders today are supposed to set into motion the annihilation of Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it and create the conditions of chaos and carnage to hasten the arrival of the Twelfth Imam. Then the Mahdi is supposed to turn all these wars and killings to his advantage and establish justice and peace. As I have both described and documented in my books, it is this Shia End Times theology that is driving Iranian foreign policy today. This is why the mullahs in Tehran are working so hard to pursue nuclear weapons and the means to deliver the, to prepare the way for the rise of this Islamic kingdom or caliphate. 

On Sunday upon arriving in New York City, in fact, Ahmadinejad wasted no time in announcing that Israel must be “eliminated” from the earth. He dismissed any concern about a possible Israeli preemptive military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. What’s more, he also refused to distance himself from – much less disagree with – the statement of a senior Revolutionary Guard commander in Tehran who said earlier that day that for the first time Iran itself is actively considering a preemptive military strike against Israel and an attack on American military bases and personnel, and that a war with Israel could turn into “World War III.”

In a CNN interview with Piers Morgan, Ahmadinejad appeared to speak directly to the coming doom of the U.S. and Israel. Speaking of America’s role as the world’s only superpower, he said he believe an “historic period in the world is coming to an end, an era during which power has set the first and last word. Those holding the keys to power have set the fate of many populations. That era is coming to an end.” He later added that the State of Israel is “at the end of the line.”

Few world leaders are taking Ahmadinejad’s eschatology seriously. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, understands it. I’ve discussed it with him personally. Indeed, it is why he and his senior advisors in Jerusalem are seriously contemplating preemptive military action, to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Ahmadinejad and men like him who are members of an apocalyptic, genocidal death cult determined to bring about a nuclear holocaust and the End of Days.

Just before leaving Israel for New York to address the U.N., Netanyahu reacted to Ahmadinejad’s speech. “On the day that we pray to be inscribed in the Book of Life,” the prime minister said in reference to Yom Kippur, “the authoritarian Iranian regime takes every opportunity to condemn us to death.” He added: “The Iranian oppressor chose to call in public, in front of the entire world, for our disappearance… That is a black day for those who chose to to remain in the room and listen to these accusatory words.” The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu said his own speech on Thursday would constitute “our response,” and also pledged to “use every possible means” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The following are key excerpts from the address, specifically related to the coming of the Twelfth Imam:

Mr. President, Friends and Dear Colleagues,

Creating peace and lasting security with decent life for all, although a  great and a historic mission can be accomplished. The Almighty God has not left  us alone in this mission and has said that it will surely happen. If it doesn’t,  then it will be contradictory to his wisdom.

— God Almighty has promised us a man of kindness, a man who loves people and  loves absolute justice, a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam  A1-Mahdi, a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ  (PBUH) and  the righteous. By using the inherent potential of all the worthy men and women  of all nations and I repeat, the inherent potential of “all the worthy men and  women of all nations” he will lead humanity into achieving its glorious and  eternal ideals.

— The arrival of the Ultimate Savior will mark a new beginning, a rebirth and  a resurrection. It will be the beginning of peace, lasting security and genuine  life.

— His arrival will be the end of oppression, immorality, poverty,  discrimination and the beginning of justice, love and empathy.

— He will come and he will cut through ignorance, superstition, prejudice by opening the gates of science and knowledge. He will establish a world brimful of  prudence and he will prepare the ground for the collective, active and  constructive participation of all in the global management.

— He will come to grant kindness, hope, freedom and dignity to all humanity as a girl.

— He will come so mankind will taste the pleasure of being human and being in  the company of other humans.

— He will come so that hands will be joined, hearts will be filled with love  and thoughts will be purified to be at service of security, welfare and  happiness for all.

— He will come to return all children of Adam irrespective of their skin  colors to their innate origin after a long history of separation and division  linking them to eternal happiness.

— The arrival of the Ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ and the Righteous will  bring about an eternally bright future for mankind, not by force or waging wars  but through thought awakening and developing kindness in everyone. Their arrival  will breathe a new life in the cold and frozen body of the world. He will bless  humanity with a spring that puts an end to our winter of ignorance, poverty and  war with the tidings of a season of blooming.

— Now we can sense the sweet scent and the soulful breeze of the spring, a  spring that has just begun and doesn’t belong to a specific race, ethnicity,  nation or a region, a spring that will soon reach all the territories in Asia,  Europe, Africa and the US.

— He will be the spring of all the justice-seekers, freedom-lovers and the  followers of heavenly prophets. He will be the spring of humanity and the  greenery of all ages.

— Let us join hands and clear the way for his eventual arrival with empathy  and cooperation, in harmony and unity. Let us march on this path to salvation  for the thirsty souls of humanity to taste immortal joy and grace.

ISRAEL OBSERVES YOM KIPPUR: May we all hunger more this year for God’s Word

September 26, 2012 By in Epicenter

>> Next year in Jerusalem: Come with The Joshua Fund on a “Prayer & Vision” tour through Israel and to the 2013 Epicenter conference in the Holy Land

My colleagues at The Joshua Fund and I are praying for our Israeli friends and Jewish friends around the world as we observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. We’re praying for the Lord to bless you and draw you close to His heart. We’re praying that more Israelis this year become hungry to read the Holy Scriptures and to know God who inspired His Word to be written down and given to us. We’re praying, too, for the peace of Jerusalem, and for peace for all who live in the epicenter.

“Israel came to a virtual standstill at sundown Tuesday as Jews began observing the start of the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, the 25 hours of fasting and contemplation known as Yom Kippur,” reports Haaretz. “Israel’s security establishment and emergency services have been put on high alert Tuesday ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. The IDF and Israel Police beefed up patrols in cities, and around synagogues, and officers were also stationed at the entrances to towns….The fast will begin in Tel Aviv at 5:11 P.M., and end at 6:09 P.M. on Wednesday. In Jerusalem, the fast begins at 4:56 P.M., and will end at 6:07 P.M. on Wednesday. In Be’er Sheva, fasting begins at 5:14 P.M., and ends at 6:09 P.M. In Haifa, the fast begins at 5:02 P.M, and ends at 6:08 P.M. As the fast begins, synagogues throughout Israel will open their doors for ‘Kol Nidrei’ prayers.”

Psalm 121 — “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.”

LISTEN TO IMPLOSION RADIO SPECIAL: 2 hour podcast now available online

September 24, 2012 By in Epicenter

This weekend, Janet Parshall and I produced a 2-hour “Implosion Radio Special.” It was one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had in recent years about the fate of our country and the problems inside the Church and some the Scriptures I’m reading these days to gain insight on whether there is hope for us, or not. We discussed America’s desperate need for a massive, game-changing spiritual revival, and the prospects for a Third Great Awakening. We also had a fascinating discussion about whether Christians should or should not get involved in politics and the five principles about this that I laid out in the Implosion book. The special will air on 1,500 radio stations between now and Election Day. But you can listen to the podcast of the full special on-line — just click here.

AS AHMADINEJAD ARRIVES IN NYC, IRANIAN COMMANDER THREATENS PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST ISRAEL AND U.S. BASES

September 24, 2012 By in Epicenter

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at the U.N. in 2010.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 55, has arrived in New York City to speak at the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly saying he does not take seriously the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Currently serving his second term as president, Ahmadinejad — a believer that the Twelfth Imam is coming soon to annihilate the U.S. and Israel and to set up a global Islamic caliphate — is expected to leave office in 2013. This may be, therefore, the Iranian leader’s last address to the U.N. in his current role. He has spoken about the imminent arrival of the Twelfth Imam or “Promised One” in every  U.N. speech so far. Will he go further this time? He is certainly projecting self-confidence in the face of a possible war with Israel.  “Fundamentally we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists,” Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York this morning. “We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves.”

One of Iran’s top military leaders went further over the weekend, however. He spoke not of his nation’s ability to defend itself from an Israeli attack, but of its potential desire to strike first — at Israel and at American military personnel and facilities. “Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state were preparing to attack it, a senior commander of its elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Sunday,” Reuters reports. “Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the comments to Iran’s state-run Arabic language Al-Alam television, according to a report on the network’s website. ”Iran will not start any war but it could launch a pre-emptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it,’ Al-Alam said, paraphrasing the military commander. Hajizadeh said any attack on Iranian soil could trigger ‘World War Three.’ ‘We cannot imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America’s support. Therefore, in case of a war, we will get into a war with both of them and we will certainly get into a conflict with American bases,’ he said. ‘In that case, unpredictable and unmanageable things would happen and it could turn into a World War Three.'”

President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu also address the U.N. this week, as does new Muslim Brotherhood leader turned Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. It’s going to be an interesting week in the Big Apple. Let’s be praying.