| UNCONFIRMED: WAS EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN A NUCLEAR TEST?
Plus: Israeli elections coming soon.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., October 31, 2008) — Let me begin by saying I am hesitant to send this to you because it is an unconfirmed report, and I hope it is wrong. But I wanted you to at least be aware and we’ll track the story together in the coming days.
An Israeli news service is reporting this morning that an earthquake in Iran last weekend may have been triggered by an Iranian nuclear weapons test, citing an Iranian nuclear scientist working on the project as its source.
“This past Saturday night, southern Iran experienced what was reported as a significant earthquake – a seismic event measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale,” reports Arutz Sheva/Israel National News, attributing the story first to the Israel Insider website. “Its epicenter was just north of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, which separates Iran from Abu Dhabi and Oman and which is the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The report quotes an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to be working in uranium enrichment for the project, and who said that the ‘quake’ was acutally an undergound nuclear bomb test. Israel Insider adds that the test/quake was actually the second in a series. Nine days ago, a 4.8 Richter scale event occurred, with its epicenter only five kilometers away from the weekend tremor. The Israel Insider source reports that two nuclear rockets are currently ready – and are intended for use against Israel in the coming months. If the report is correct, it would belie previous speculation that Iran would not begin nuclear testing until it had more nuclear-bomb production capability.”
Let me stress again that this is an unconfirmed report. While the Associated Press did report a 5.0 earthquake in Iran this past weekend, as of 7:30am eastern on Friday the allegation that the quake was connected to Iranian nuclear testing has not been picked up by other major Israeli news services such as the Jerusalem Post, Ynet, or Haaretz. At the very least, let’s keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and preparing to care for those in the epicenter who would be severely affected if war is coming soon.
Meanwhile, Israelis will soon head to the polls to choose a new prime minister and a new parliament (Knesset). Kadima leader Tzipi Livni was unable to put together a governing coalition to replace the outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. So Israel will hold national elections on February 10th. Livni, who is currently the country’s Foreign Minister, will square off against former Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. Please be praying that the Lord’s will would be done in Israel as well as here in the U.S. with our own critically important elections coming next Tuesday. Americans and Israelis desperately need leaders like the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32)
[By the way, on was on CBN's "700 Club" yesterday to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel. I will post a transcript on the weblog when that is available.]
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EPICENTER PRAYER REQUESTS
 Over the past several days, The Joshua Fund has held a series of conference calls with several dozen pastors and ministry leaders who are prayer partners with us for Israel and her neighbors. Jeremy Grafman, TJF’s director of special projects, and I briefed the leaders on the latest developments in Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Key points we made:
1. Top Iranian officials are urging a preemptive strike against Israel.
2. Senior Israeli officials are considering a preemptive strike against Iran.
3. There has been much talk that an Iran-Israel war could break out between the U.S. elections next Tuesday and the U.S. inauguration on Jan. 20th, though we pray that this is not the case.
4. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fell ill this week.
5. Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, is in very poor health as well.
6. There is concern in the region as to whether health problems could affect decisions made by the Iranian leadership.
7. Meanwhile, Israel is now heading into a very tumultuous political period. Elections for parliament and prime minister will be held on February 10th. This could mean Israel is less likely to launch strikes against Iran during this time, but it could make Israel more vulnerable to Iranian strikes.
8. The Joshua Fund is doing everything we can to prepare for any possible war contingency — we are helping Israeli ministries and organizations stockpile food and essential relief supplies; we are helping finance the purchase of trucks and vans that can be used to transport those supplies; we are building alliances with Jewish and evangelical leaders and organizations in the country through which wartime relief can be distributed; we are continuing to pursue a Joshua Fund warehouse facility (please be praying especially about this); we have staff leaving for Israel this weekend to oversee these preparations; and Lord willing, I will be leaving for Israel soon myself.
9. We can trust God to bless Israel and protect her, but we must pray faithfully for her and mobilize evangelicals around the world to pray for her as well.
10. Amidst all the wars and rumors of wars in the epicenter, we must also remember the good news: the Holy Spirit of God is moving very powerfully and drawing more people to the Lord’s heart than ever before. Jeremy briefed the team specifically on the remarkable developments we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan where the churches are growing rapidly and the crying need is for more trained pastors and ministry leaders.
Meanwhile, last weekend The Joshua Fund’s staff and board of directors met for prayer and planning. Here are a few of the specific prayer requests we were focused on. We would be deeply grateful if you would join us in lifting these needs before the Lord. Thanks so much.
1. First and foremost, let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire region.
2. While we pray for peace, let us also pray that the Church would be prepared for the next war — prepared with food, water, medical equipment, and other relief supplies.
3. Please pray specifically for the leadership of The Joshua Fund to make wise decisions in acquiring a warehouse and stocking it with the right supplies, and pray that we can move quickly, not knowing how much time we have before the next war.
4. Please pray for evangelical pastors, ministry leaders and believers to answer God’s call to bless the people of Israel physically, spiritually and emotionally, and to do so sensitively and humbly — with a willingness to learn from and walk alongside those men and women who already live and serve there.
5. Please pray for righteous and courageous national leaders to emerge in Israel.
6. Please pray for God to change the hearts of the leaders of Iran, or to put new leaders in office there, so there will be peace, not war.
7. Please pray for the next American President and the new leaders in Congress to stand bravely for the defense, support and blessing of Israel, while also showing love and compassion to Israel’s neighbors.
8. Please pray that the evangelical Church around the world would be prepared to stand with Israel with unconditional love, even if our commitment begins to cost us personally.
9. Please pray for the believers in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to have the grace, courage, wisdom and strength to be a shining light for the Lord, to love their neighbors, to love their enemies, and to a beautiful model of peace and reconciliation to all who live in that region.
10. Please pray for the pastors in Israel and the Palestinian territories to proclaim the “good news to the poor” as the Prophet Isaiah instructed, and to teach the Word of God in their congregations verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, so that people really know the Bible inside and out and are motivated to obey God’s Word more than ever before.
11. Please be praying for courage, protection and wisdom for Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul (ancient Ninevah), where violence and persecution has worsened dramatically in recent weeks. “More than 15,000 Iraqi Christians, or 2,500 families, have been driven out of Mosul over the past two weeks,” reports the Christian Post. “The number skyrocketed from last week’s estimate of some 3,000 Christians that fled the northern Iraq city, which is said to be the last urban stronghold of Al-Qaeda. Officials in Mosul also reported that some 13 Iraqi Christians have been killed in the past four weeks and at least three Assyrian Christian homes were bombed on Saturday alone, according to the Assyrian International News Agency.” Please also pray for comfort for those affected by the violence, and for God’s peace and tranquility to descend on that city and the entire country of Iraq.
12. Please also be praying for courage, protection and wisdom for Christians in Afghanistan. A Christian aid worker was just murdered in the capital city of Kabul, only a week or so after Jeremy Grafman and I visited there. Excerpts from the AP story: “Taliban gunmen killed a Christian aid worker in Kabul on Monday, and the militant group said it targeted the woman because she was spreading her religion. The dual South African-British national worked with handicapped Afghans and was killed in the western part of Kabul as she was walking to work around 8 a.m., officials said. The gunmen, who were on a motorbike, shot the woman in the body and leg with a pistol, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the slaying. ‘This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people of Afghanistan,’ militant spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press. ‘Our (leaders) issued a decree to kill this woman. This morning our people killed he in Kabul.’ The woman’s aid group SERVE – Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises – identified her as Gayle Williams, 34, in a statement on its Web site. ‘She was a person who always loved the Afghans and was dedicated to serving those who are disabled,’ it said….SERVE Afghanistan’s purpose is to express God’s love and bring hope by serving the people of Afghanistan, especially the needy, as we seek to address personal, social and environmental needs,’ the web site says….Last year a group of 23 South Korean aid workers from a church group were taken hostage in southern Afghanistan. Two were killed and the rest were released. In 2001, eight international aid workers, including two Americans, were imprisoned and charged with preaching Christianity. The eight were freed by Afghan mujahedeen fighters attacking the Taliban after the U.S.-led invasion.” Please also pray for comfort for the family and friends of Ms. Williams. Please also pray for God’s peace and tranquility to descend on Kabul and the entire country of Afghanistan.
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The Joshua Fund continues working to bless Israelis and Palestinians who are poor and needy, as well as those who could soon be victims of war and terrorism. We continue to help believers in Israel stockpile 400 tons of food in a warehouse in the North ahead of the coming war. We are continuing to work on securing a TJF warehouse in Jerusalem and hope to have an update on this shortly.
As always, The Joshua Fund will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
To contribute to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
To get the latest prayer requests and updates from Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan and other epicenter countries, please visit The Joshua Fund’s weblog
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Cool site, I plan to visit and read often
Comment by Jon | November 1, 2008