The Bible in The News: Israel is at the epicentre of world events, just as the Bible prophesied for the End Times. By Alan Franklin.

12/07/2014

Israel, one of the world’s smallest nations, is never far from the eye of the storm. When that storm rages round the Middle East, Israel is usually at its epicentre. Ancient predictions about attacks on Israel by surrounding nations are fast becoming imminent events. These are the Bible's prophecies unfolding in today's headlines, for those with eyes to see.

The recent temporary closure of The Temple Mount following Arab unrest once more highlighted that this is the world’s most important 35 acres of real estate – the place where the Lord Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign for 1000 years following his second advent.

The fact that almost everything Israel does to defend itself enrages the whole world and sets up a storm at the United Nations shows that anti-Semitism is not rational. Its root is supernatural. If Satan can incite nations to exterminate the Jews, which he has tried repeatedly throughout history, he is foolish enough to imagine he can prevent the Jewish Messiah from returning. Satan, like all those who allow themselves to be influenced by him, is the world’s biggest loser, destined for the Lake of Fire.

Israel was robbed of nearly all the land pledged to it by Britain under the Balfour Declaration of 1917, when we promised the Jews a homeland that would include all of what is now Jordan. Britain, lusting for Arab oil, then went back on its word and created the modern state of Jordan out of the territory of Transjordan.

After further slicing and dicing the Jewish people ended up with a fraction – around 13 per cent by some measures - of what was originally promised to them.

Britain paid the price for turning on Israel, especially after 1948 when we supplied arms and officers to Arab armies seeking to destroy the new Israeli nation while simultaneously sending naval vessels to intercept and turn back Jewish refugee ships.

I give a Powerpoint talk called: “The decline of Britain and the rise of Israel,” showing how the United Kingdom, then commanding the largest empire in history with 25 per cent of both the world’s land surface and its population, fell apart and lost its lands faster than any previous empire.

We failed to give refuge to Jews fleeing the Nazis so today, instead, house millions of Islamics, some of them of hostile intent towards “infidels.” As few people study the Koran, consider some key teachings: ‘We will strike panic into the disbelievers’ hearts because they attribute partners to God…’ (Sura 3:151) ‘Fight those of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who do not truly believe in god and the last day, who do not forbid what god and his messenger (Mohammed) have forbidden…until they pay the tax and agree to submit.’ Sura 9:29

‘Fight’…’Strike panic’… Islam is NOT a religion of peace.

We have more detailed examples of this and many other false cults and isms in our book, “Cults and Isms, True or False?” which is available from the web shop on our website, http://thefreepressonline.co.uk/  The wider end times scene is set out in our other current title, Goodbye America, Goodbye Britain, which shows the spiritual causes of national decline.

There are terrible consequences for turning against the Jews, God’s special people: Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Despite the world’s hostility Israel is destined to become the world’s pre-eminent nation, vast and populous. (Isaiah 2: 1-4 and Micah 4: 1-7). Sound unlikely?  Well, nothing was more unlikely than the return of the Jews to their historic homeland in 1948, when the nation was re-established in a day, precisely as prophesied.

Furthermore, and also miraculous, is the fact that Israel’s main language is once more Biblical Hebrew, which our Israeli grandchildren speak in school. (They also speak English.) This came about in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, through the efforts of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. When he arrived in Palestine in 1881, Hebrew had not been the spoken language of the Jewish people since the dispersion. Jews spoke many languages including bastardized Hebrew like Yiddish.

Yet, thanks to scholar and teacher Ben-Yehuda, by 1922 enough Jewish pioneers were speaking Hebrew that the British Mandate authorities recognized it as the official language of Jews in the misnamed “Palestine.” When Pat and I walked down Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem we understood that this prophecy had been fulfilled: Zephaniah 3:9.  9 “For then I will give to the peoples  purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.”

Here are some further major End Times prophecies involving Israel– the main subject of Bible prophecy. Check to see how they match up with reality…..

The Jews will be regathered to the Holy Land in unbelief from the corners of the earth Isaiah 11: 11-12. This is an ongoing process which will be completed at the end of the coming seven year Tribulation - the worst time in the history of the world. Those who oppose this Jewish return should beware, for the prophet says in verse 13: “those who harass Judah will be cut off.”

God ensured that the state of Israel would be re-established: Isaiah 66: 7-8 and Ezekiel 37:21-22.  On May 14, 1948, this truly miraculous event happened, within 24 hours of the British mandate over “Palestine” expiring.

The prophet Isaiah made this odd prediction: 66:7 8-9:” Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?

“Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery? says the Lord.”

On May 14, 1948, on the day British rule ended, the Jewish People's Council led by David Ben-Gurion gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three days later by the USSR. This in itself was a miracle because Russia was and is an enemy of the Jewish people, destined one day soon to lead an attack on Israel - Ezekiel 38 - 39.

The next prophetic fulfillment, precisely accurate as is all Bible prophecy, was that the birth pangs came after the birth - the creation of the new nation. For five Arab armies attacked to try and destroy the new nation and exterminate the Jews, completing the task which Hitler had just failed to fully accomplish.

The fact that in repeated attempts, invading Arab armies with vastly superior numbers and equipment have been utterly trounced by the Israeli Defense Force, which in 1948 consisted of a motley barely-equipped army, many of them Holocaust survivors, shows you that God’s hand is at work here. His mighty arm protects His chosen people and His special land.

Zechariah prophesied that the Jews would one day reoccupy Jerusalem. The Jews were scattered for around 1,900 years. Their homeland, renamed “Palestine” by the Romans as an insult to the Jewish people to whom God Himself had promised the land, became a wilderness. Some of it was swampy, most was barren and during the Ottoman rule most of the trees were deliberately cut down.  

‘Palestine’ was near derelict, including the sparsely populated, formerly noble city called Jerusalem.  It was not a highly desirable piece of real estate.  But once the Jews came back....the Islamics were not about to give it up.  The land mass of Israel is smaller than the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and only about nine miles wide at its narrowest point.  For every acre of Jewish land, the surrounding Arab countries have approximately 662 acres.  The Arab nations have about five million square miles; Israel has about 8,000.  Yet Israel is supposed to ‘give up land for peace’.

In the sixty plus years that Israel has been a nation, the Jews have turned this swampy, treeless, under-populated, barren land into a thriving modern nation, with education, health care, jobs and freedom for millions of Jews and the Arabs and other people fortunate enough to live there. They are under the constant threat of imminent attack and few days pass without rockets being launched into Israel.

However, God, speaking through His prophets, knows the end from the beginning. Zechariah in chapter 8, 4-8 predicted this reoccupation of Jerusalem which was achieved in June, 1967, when the IDF defeated the Jordanian army to reclaim their ancient capital - the city of King David.

Zechariah went on to state -12:1-3 – that all the nations of the world would join to attack Israel over control of this fairly small piece of real estate, now home to about 800,000 Jews, Arabs and others.

This event is shaping up in the world right now, where Israel is far and away the most vilified and condemned country at the United Nations, despite the fact that it is the only democracy in the Middle East where the rule of law applies to all and there is freedom of religion. Try practicing freedom of worship in Saudi Arabia– but be prepared for a lashing or worse. Remember, when the Jordanians controlled Jerusalem until June 1967 they destroyed all synagogues in the Jewish quarter.

There is much else in my talks and in our books and DVDs, on sale in our web shop. I am available to any church in America, Canada or the UK which wants me to give talks on this or other prophetic subjects, not least the second most important prophetic development of modern history: the rise of The Revived Roman Empire, now fast taking shape in Europe.

This Powerpoint lecture is based on Daniel chapter two where King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which the prophet interpreted, showing the sequence of world empires. The final one is the European Union, subject of my first book, EU: Final World Empire. Contact me atalan@thefreepressonline.co.uk

A CHRISTIAN NHS MANAGER IS SUSPENDED FOR PRAYING WITH A MUSLIM COLLEAGUE IN LONDON!! HOWEVER, SHOULD WE BE SURPRISED ANY MORE AT THIS FORMER CHRISTIAN COUNTRY IN WHICH WE LIVE??

BREAKING CASE NEWS: Christian NHS manager suspended for praying with Muslim colleague 

Watch Victoria talk about her case (2m 58s) >

A Christian occupational therapist has been disciplined for praying for a Muslim colleague, despite being encouraged by the colleague to talk about her faith.

Victoria Wasteney, Head of Occupational Therapy at the East London NHS trust, prayed for the newly-qualified Muslim worker after she expressed concerns about her health.  When Victoria offered to pray with her, she willingly agreed and replied, "OK".

But in June 2013, the colleague raised a complaint against Victoria, who was called before the Associate Director of Therapies the next day and suspended for nine months pending an investigation.

The colleague had never complained to her personally had always initiated discussions about Victoria's faith.

"I would have stopped praying immediately if I had thought I was distressing her in any way but faith was openly discussed and encouraged and welcomed by the Complainant," Victoria said.

A disciplinary hearing ruled that Victoria was 'guilty' of three offences: praying for her colleague, inviting her to church charity events, and giving her a Christian book entitled ‘I dared to call him Father’ – the story of a Muslim girl who had converted to Christianity.  Victoria had given the Complainant the book just before she was due to go into hospital for treatment.

The ruling against Victoria was made despite the fact that the Complainant failed to attend the disciplinary hearing and one of the witnesses had said he was pressured into making statements against her."Entrapped" 

"I fear I may have been entrapped by a colleague who encouraged me to discuss my faith, who willingly agreed that I could pray for her and who even accepted an invitation to a church charity event," Victoria said.

She added that Christian groups are required to fit around managerial arrangements in the Trust whereas, by contrast, joint staff and service-user Muslim fellowship meetings are always facilitated, regardless of any staffing issues.

"There is undoubtedly a pattern of inequality of treatment of Christians and Muslims in the NHS.  Regardless of allocated break times, Muslim staff can pray five times a day, which I am not objecting to, but Christians are often denied time off on Sundays or permission to take breaks during their lunchtime for prayer or religious worship," she said.

Victoria is bringing her Appeal under the Equality Act 2010 for discrimination and harassment on grounds of religion or belief.

She is supported in her Appeal by the Christian Legal Centre.  Standing Counsel to the Christian Legal Centre, leading Human Rights barrister, Paul Diamond, will represent her.

Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, commented:  “The NHS was founded and inspired by Christian principles and precepts. Such heritage meant that the NHS was a model of how to deliver health care across the world; a place of safety, care, freedom and flourishing. Sadly, this case, along with others, demonstrates that today’s climate in the NHS is increasingly dominated by a political correctness, and a lack of freedom to live out and manifest Christian belief."

"REVELATION 13 IS RIGHT ON TRACK" BY TERRY JAMES FROM "RAPTURE READY"!

New post on Terry James Prophecy Line Revelation 13 On Track by Terry James Global elitists continue their drive to bring all nation-states together into a one-world economy. National sovereignty must go by the wayside so that economic equity can be achieved. Stability can thus be brought to pass so peace will reign supreme throughout Planet Earth. All of this, of course, is--from our pre-trib prophecy perspective--the constructing of the beast regime of Revelation, chapter 13. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR,)  some years ago, weighed in on the need for moving away from national sovereignty and autonomy in monetary matters. “The director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations has launched a scathing attack on sovereignty and national currencies. Benn Steil, writing in the current issue of CFR's influential Foreign Affairs magazine, says ‘the world needs to abandon unwanted currencies, replacing them with dollars, euros, and multinational currencies as yet unborn.’ In the article, ‘The End of National Currency,’ Steil clearly asserts the dollar and the euro are temporary currencies, perhaps necessary today. He argues ‘economic development outside the process of globalization is no longer possible.’…” (The New World Disorder, Goodbye U.S. dollar, hello global currency. CFR chief: Monetary nationalism, sovereignty should be abandoned, Posted: May 09, 2007, By Jerome R. Corsi, © 2008 WorldNetDaily.com). It is more than merely interesting that the model for preparing for the transnational exchanges that will, the global elitists hope, eventuate in one-world economic order, was instituted a number of years ago in the area of the reviving Roman Empire. I received an article, parts of which are excerpted here, that was clipped and sent to prophecy watchers by Alan Franklin. He is a British journalist and author/lecturer on the European Union and how that governing authority looks to be the heart of the beast system prophesied in the 13th chapter of Revelation. Franklin said: “…this is a huge step towards a cashless society with a one world currency to follow - the SEPA programme launched by the European Central Bank…”. He pasted the following article: “[It is] A single currency--with a single set of payment instruments--in a single euro payments area. With SEPA, this becomes a reality. And we, as euro area citizens, will be able to make euro payments as cheaply, as easily and as safely as we do national payments. All euro payments will be ‘domestic’; finally, there will be no difference between sending a payment from Rome to Dublin or from Brussels to Antwerp. We can now make payments not only with euro notes and coins, but harmonised electronic payments by European credit transfer, direct debit and payment card as well. An important milestone has been reached today with the launch of ‘SEPA Credit Transfer’. We are now able to send euro payments quickly, and in the same way, to any beneficiary in Europe. This will be followed by 'SEPA Direct Debit' before the end of 2009. As a result, we will be able to make direct debit payments across Europe, as if no borders existed” (Speech by Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB Launch event organised by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Payments Council Brussels, 28 January 2008,http://www.ecb.eu/press/key/date/2008/html/sp080128.en.html). Considering developments involved with the North American Union (NAU), it is prudent to look at the EU implementation of this system of electronic funds transfer as a prototype for such a system lurking in wait for the North American continent. Such a system in its most virulent form will control all commerce on earth during the tribulation: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Rev. 13:16-18). It apparently seems to most of the world --including most within the professing Christian church-- that there is nothing in the news to be concerned about with regard to Bible prophecy on the brink of bringing on tribulation. In actuality, the circumstance couldn’t be more diametrically opposite than that perceived. The peace process, with America and others pressuring Israel to give up even parts of Jerusalem; the Russian/Iranian axis forming; Now, Iran and Iraq coming closer in alliance against the ISIS threat;  China growing and exerting economic, if not yet military, hegemony; the Church in an almost mesmerized state of euphoria with its stadium-sized congregations’ inward-turning, feel-good doctrines of devils –the stage is set for apocalypse. It is just at a time like this, Jesus forewarned, He will come for believers: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:44).

EIGHT YEARS AFTER SHALIT, HAMAS REMAINS COMMITTED TO TERRORISM!

New post on IDF Blog | The Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces 8 Years after Shalit, Hamas Remains Committed to Terrorism by Israel Defense Forces Hamas’ recent kidnapping of Israeli teens came nearly eight years after its abduction of SFC Gilad Shalit. Eight years and dozens of attacks later, the organization still hasn’t changed its ways. Read more of this post

IS PSALM 83 JUST AROUND THE CORNER?

New post on A Mom Looking Up Is Psalm 83 just around the corner? by marciasettles Many prophecy watchers agree with Bill Salus' conclusion that Psalm 83 is about a yet-future war between Israel and its neighbors. An honest watchman cannot deny the plausability of such an event. Let's take a look at the Psalm: Psalm 83 Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! 2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. 3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. 4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” 5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah 9 Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon, 10 Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession.” 13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind! 14 As the fire burns the woods, And as the flame sets the mountains on fire, 15 So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm. 16 Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord. 17 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, 18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth. Just a brief glance at the headlines of today's news will reveal these events are unfolding before our very eyes. How many times in the past few years have we heard someone say they plan to annihilate Israel? Too many to count, obviously. The so-called peace process is fizzling out: Two-State Solution is Dead : Sixty percent of those polled, including 55 percent in West Bank and 68 percent in Gaza, reject permanent acceptance of Israel’s existence. The recent events in Iraq are what raise my eyebrows. ISIS taking over, the call for the rebuilding of a muslim caliphate and then there is this: Al Qaeda in Syria/Iraq Doubles in Size as ISIS and Al Nusra Kiss and Make Up How much longer before they all decide to lay aside their differences and deal with their common enemy, Israel? When will they form this alliance to "reclaim" the Middle East and wipe Israel "off the map" once and for all? Will the bride of Christ be here to see any of this? Maybe. Maybe not. We do know our departure is imminent and Jesus has instructed us to "look up". So, that is what I continue to do.

HERE IS WHY THE MIDDLE EAST WILL BE "ON FIRE" FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE BY MICHAEL B KELLEY.

MILITARY & DEFENSEMore: Middle East

Here's Why The Middle East Will Be 'On Fire' For The Foreseeable Future

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REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed

Iraqi security forces fire an artillery gun during clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Jurf al-Sakhar, 60 km (40 miles) from the capital April 16, 2014.

The Middle East is being shaken by an intensifying sectarian war stretching from the Mediterranean coast to Iran.

And all signs suggest that the situation created by the ongoing war in Syria — which has spilled over into Lebanon — and the Sunni insurgency in Iraq will get much worse before it gets better.

"The way things look and have progressed over the course of many months demonstrate the region is still hurdling into a highly sectarian future," Phillip Smyth, a researcher at the University of Maryland and expert on Shia militias, told Business Insider in an email.

The Obama administration, which has largely stayed on the sidelines in Syria, has sent U.S. Special Forces to Iraq in an effort to collect intelligence on extremist militants rampaging in the north of the country and protect U.S. interests in and around Baghdad.

The problem is that the most dominant Iraqi forces on the ground are backed by Iran. Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is directing Baghdad's reaction to the crisis (much like he has done for more than three years in Syria).

Consequently, Washington is working in parallel with a group whoseslogan is "Death To America" as well as Iran-backed Shia militias who boast about killing Americans during the Iraq War.

"It would be very hard if the U.S. worked with [Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki] and the apparatus he created to steer clear of dealing with Iranian proxy groups, including those on the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, namely Kata'ib Hizballah," Smyth said. "If anything, this has been one of the goals of these proxies, infiltrate themselves into official apparatuses so that they, in effect, have to be dealt with and can carry on their own agendas free from the state cracking down on them."

Two weeks ago, right after fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) overran Iraq's second largest city, Smyth detailed how Iranian proxy militias had already been recruiting and fighting in Iraq. That was months before Maliki, powerful Iraqi Shiite preacher Muqtada al-Sadr, and Iraqi Shia spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for mobilization in early June.

"Shi'a Islamist proxies of Iran been redeploying fighters they had sent to Syria from Iraq *and* recruiting since the start of 2014," Smyth told BI. "The proxy effort demonstrates how Iran via its proxies understood the front of battle was going to grow and that they wanted to take a leading role."

In other words, Iran is two steps ahead of everyone. And the crisis in Iraqplays into their larger geopolitical strategy of dominating the Middle East by claiming to be the defenders of Shi'ites and an enemy of terrorism.

"Simply put, it helps serve their narratives, particularly the one casting themselves as the 'defenders of Shi'ism,' but there also hard power concerns," Smyth said. "With their own build-up and infiltration of the Iraqi government's security establishment, it allows them even more abilities to project."

REUTERS

What can the U.S. do? Not much. Obama said that any U.S. military assistance "has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by Iraq's leaders to set aside sectarian differences." But the opposite has happened.

"Unfortunately, Maliki's government has already crossed the line in terms of being too sectarian," Smyth said. "There's very little the U.S. can do save for build its own synthetic groups — possibly some the U.S. has worked with in the past, make overtures to the Kurds who are increasingly pulling away from Baghdad, and combine that with some level of hard power projection. It truly is like threading the needle."

And given that the Obama administration has prioritized ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations over all else in the region, Washington is largely at the mercy of the geopolitical circumstances.

All in all, the region faces increasingly sectarian crises that are becoming more interrelated every day.

"Based on a steady progression of events, it would appear that the Levant [i.e., the Eastern Mediterranean] will be on fire for some time into the future," Smyth told BI.

Add the growing sectarian war in neighboring Iraq to the mix — in addition to the increasing threats to Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, andIsrael — and, it looks like the Middle East will be burning for the foreseeable future. 

Read more:http://www.businessinsider.com/the-middle-east-will-be-on-fire-for-a-while-2014-6#ixzz35XmtAl2B

GULLIBLE CHRISTIAN PROGRESSIVE LEADERS FALL FOR IRANIAN DECEPTION!

Gullible Christian Progressive Leaders Fall For Iranian Deception

June 23, 2014 | Ryan Mauro

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A Christian delegation recently visited Iran, led by Pastor Joel C. Hunter, a spiritual advisor to President Obama and a mega-church leader. The Iranian regime hopes that the prospect of better relations will silence concerned Christians. When asked about the oppression of Christians, Hunter replied, “We didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.”

The Iranian regime’s new strategy is to project its power through careful calculation. It has learned from Ahmadinejad’s counter-productive abrasiveness. The "moderate" reputation of President Rouhani will advance Iran’s nuclear weapons program over the long-term, enticing Western businesses to invest in Iran along the way. This will stabilize the regime and spark strategic shifts in its favor.

The American-Christian community is well-organized, politically active and is one of the most powerful voices against the Iranian regime. Rouhani and his cohorts recognize that starting a new relationship with the U.S. necessitates a new relationship with religious leaders.

That is why the red carpet was rolled out for a delegation of 30 Christian leaders last month, led by Pastor Joel C. Hunter of the 15,000-strong Northland Church. Hunter is on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships and is also on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals and the World Evangelical Alliance.

Hunter previously fought legislation meant to stop foreign laws, including sharia, from taking precedent in court over American constitutional rights. He did so alongside a former official of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity. Hunter therefore has a history of ignoring radical ideologies and track records in the name of interfaith engagement. 

He has also positioned himself as a counterforce to, in his words, “Christian Zionists.”

It’s to be expected that Hunter did not allow thorny issues like Iran’s oppression of Christians, support for terrorism and support of extremist propaganda to get in the way. When asked about his talks with Iranian officials about religious persecution, he said there were “sidebar conversations,” but, “We didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.”

Another attendee was Pastor Bob Roberts of NorthWood Church in Texas, who held an Islamist-filled “Global Faith Forum” last year and spoke at an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference. The Justice Department confirms that ISNA is a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity and labeled it as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism-financing trial in U.S. history. Its leadership’s radicalism betrays its moderate presentation.

After the trip, Roberts blogged about his optimism about a new start with Iran, falsely equating the pro-Western population with the anti-Western regime. He came to accept — even respect — its ideology. Four quotes stand out:

“I’m writing in broad strokes so no doubt there are exceptions to everything I’m writing, and I met with people that were more open minded in their thinking – not as much with hardliners. But, the thing is, those open minded people are the ones in power now.”

“In their form of Islam, they have found a way to hold on to their faith and at the same time modernize it.”

“You thought they were a bunch of uneducated religious zealots – think again! They hate terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and they do not like being classified with religious extremist like that” [emphasis in original].

“Iran has never showed aggression in trying to take over the nations surrounding her – that in itself should be pause to evaluate.”

Granted, Roberts does acknowledge that the U.S. shouldn’t alter its foreign policy based on his observations because he is not an expert. Still, he has a large audience that will be influenced by his views. That’s why the Iranian regime hosted him in the first place.

Other delegates included Dr. Alex Roy Medley of the National Council of U.S. Churches, Professor Anthony Destro of Washington Catholic University and Dr. Barbara Skinner of the National Network of U.S.-African Priests. They attended a May 25 conference titled, “World Free of Violence and Extremism from the Perspective of Abrahamic Religions.”

Going to Tehran for an anti-extremism/anti-violence interfaith event is more than a bit ironic. The illogical absurdity of hosting such a moderate-sounding conference in the capital of the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism is a microcosm of the regime’s overall public relations campaign.

The United Nations said in March that Christian persecution in Iran is at unprecedented levels; meaning that it has actually increased under Rouhani. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom agrees, stating that Rouhani “has not delivered on his campaign promises of strengthening civil liberties for religious minorities.”

Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen who was arrested in Iran while setting up an orphanage, was recently brutally beaten when he was in a hospital and moved back to the notorious torture-house named Evin Prison.

The delegation discussed a “faith-based path to peace” with the speaker of parliament, advisors to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Christian and Jewish leaders and Grand Ayatollahs in Qom that form the theological spine of the regime and its Islamist oppression.

Yet, Hunter says they “didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.” To sum it up, the Christian delegation went to Iran to discuss peace and tolerance— with the officials driving extremism and intolerance — and without confronting their actions.

In other words, the trip was not only meaningless, it was damaging. The religious leaders came back to America and by talking about the wonderful progress they made with Iranian officials, the American public gets the impression that the regime would be a reasonable partner if only we were kinder.

A similar trip took place on March 11-17 when a small delegation from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops traveled to Iran to meet with the Iranian religious leaders of Qom. The trip was sponsored by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has allied with American Islamist groups in the past so, like Hunter, it has a history of looking past radical ideological track records.

Bishop Pates, chairman of the organization’s International Justice and Peace Committee, came back from the trip attributing the tension with Iran to “misunderstanding.” He said:

“We had a productive religious and moral dialogue that we hope will promote understanding between the peoples of Iran and the United States. We are committed to continuing and deepening these discussions in the future in order to contribute to a more just and peaceful world. As Pope Francis has said, dialogue is the key to discovering truth and avoiding misunderstanding.”

The fundamental message behind Iran’s outreach is that the tension is a “misunderstanding.” If the American public can be convinced that the differences with Iran are “misunderstandings,” then the U.S. will be less of a barrier to Iran’s ambitions.

The regime’s public expressions of extremism won’t be seen as a genuine declaration of belief and intent, but as a sign of frustration over its treatment. The nuclear program will be seen less as a threat. Sanctions and pressure will be seen as antithetical to correcting these so-called misunderstandings through dialogue.

The Iranian regime’s new face and softer voice is appealing to interfaith leaders, especially American Christians, just as it is to Western officials and businesses. 

The American-Christian community has been a thorn in Iran’s side, supporting sanctions and protesting the regime’s extremism. The regime hopes that Christians will choose “understanding” over confrontation.

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/June23/233.html#Jo9AJpcYE8PG7Ckz.99