As Israel celebrated Jerusalem Day, the Arabs and Palestinians turned up the heat. Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling Fatah party said there will be no Palestinian State without possession of East Jerusalem. They also want the Temple Mount to be administered by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (the group of 57 Muslim states that refuse to recognize the existence of Israel). The OIC foreign ministers meeting in Damascus apparently agreed. President Obama is preparing to introduce his peace initiative based on the 2002 Saudi plan, but with ominous twists. However, both Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Jerusalem will never again be divided.
In a recent poll conducted by the Centre for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, 74% of Israelis say they don’t think the U.S. will stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. That’s apparently why 51% of Israelis want Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities now. And don’t hold out hope that a new president in Iran will ease the tension. One of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s major challengers in the June 12 presidential election is the former head of the Revolutionary Guards. He says that if Israel threatens, he’ll stop them “with one strike.” It brings to mind the old saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire!”

Well, North Korea’s at it again. Kim Jong-il must need money for a new shipment of his beloved cognac. Whenever North Korea is heading into a new round of negotiations or is in need of some quick cash, the Dear Leader explodes a nuclear test device or fires off some new missiles. Of course, the West scurries around, wringing its hands and muttering vague, indefinable threats, but, in the end, we give him more food, fuel, and funds. It would almost seem to be a game, if it weren’t for that pesky Electromagnetic Pulse threat hanging over our heads. It seems that every test North Korea (and Iran, for that matter) conducts fits right into the design parameters for an EMP attack on the U.S., South Korea, or Japan. That makes it a bit difficult to just ignore the spoiled brat!

When the world’s six wealthiest men met at Jekyll Island, Georgia, in 1910, the result was the creation of the world’s greatest criminal enterprise: The Federal Reserve. Earlier this month, seven of the world’s wealthiest people convened another secret meeting. The New York gathering was called by Bill Gates. Ostensibly, it presented an opportunity for these seven to present and promote their favorite charitable causes so they could pool their resources and really do some good in the world. However, according to the London Times, when all was said and done, the group decided that the world’s Number One problem was population control. And, apparently, Bill Gates has decided that the world’s population should be capped at 8.3 billion. Obviously, that means that in the next few years, criteria must be established and a mechanism put in place to decide who will be allowed to be born and who must go. If these seven are successful in putting their menacing plans in action, we may someday look back upon the creation of the Federal Reserve with a benign nostalgia!

Finally, atheists in Indiana weren’t able to place derisive advertising on buses in their home state, but they were welcomed to do so in Chicago. As a result, Chicagoans are now learning that, “In the beginning, man created God.” They’re also being informed that, “You can be good without God.” But as disturbing as that effort is, it doesn’t hold a candle to sinister developments in San Diego. A pastor and his wife have been holding Bible studies in their home. The small, weekly meetings usually consist of about 15 guests. They have a meal, share some fellowship and scripture, then pray. Recently, they were visited and questioned about the meetings by San Diego county employees. Later, they were informed that they must stop hosting the studies or prepare to do environmental and traffic impact studies, as well as make application for major use permits. All told, those demands could cost them many thousands of dollars. You don’t have to hold a Ph.D. to realize the chilling effect this could have on home Bible studies and home cell groups across the nation. The pastor and his wife have enlisted the help of The Western Center for Law & Policy to fight for their — and our — First Amendment rights.

Folks, things are starting to get serious right here in the good ol’ US of A. If San Diego succeeds in shutting down this home Bible study, then Christians and churches across the country are in for a rough time. These brothers and sisters need our fervent prayer and support. God promises that He will fight for us, but we need to get engaged and remain engaged through intercession and by defending our Constitutional rights that are now being assaulted on a daily basis!—Hal Lindsey