Hal Lindsey Report

This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report'On this week's edition of "The Hal Lindsey Report," we'll review President Obama's recent whirlwind tour of Europe. He attended meetings of the G-20, NATO, and the EU. He wound up the trip with a visit to Turkey, then made a detour to Baghdad before returning home. Overall, nothing of much consequence was achieved, mainly because the President backed off his original demands on several key issues. He discovered that the Europeans were in no mood to compromise on the major issues, so, in order to have the week appear successful, he declined to make substantial demands and chose to stick to the items on which he could join the consensus. Outside of a disturbing act of subservience to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Obama didn't make many waves or commit any major gaffes. He did agree to America's participation in the beginnings of a new, global financial regime. Some say he surrendered America's financial sovereignty, but the full extent of those commitments and the make-up of those governing structures is not yet fully known. I'll be discussing those in the future as more details become available. It was in Turkey, though, that the President hoisted the most red flags. Speaking to the Turkish parliament, the President first announced that America is not, nor ever will be, at war with Islam. He said that our relationship with the Muslim world is not based on opposition to Al Qaeda. It is, instead, based on mutual respect and our deep appreciation for Islam and the tremendous good it has done for the world and our country. Then, the President clinched the deal. He informed the legislators and leaders of Turkey, a nation where 99.8% of the citizens are Muslim, that America does not consider itself a Christian nation. Or, for that matter, a Jewish nation or Muslim nation. Apparently, we're simply a nation of citizens who share common ideals and values. I suppose the teleprompter operator omitted the lines about how the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock were Christians, not Muslims. And that our Founding Fathers and the principles they devised were inspired by the Bible, not the Koran. And that our laws and institutions are modeled after and based on clearly-defined, unmistakable Judeo-Christian precepts. But maybe it's just as well, his Turkish hosts might have been offended. And to this Administration, the name of the game is to not offend anyone! (Except George W. Bush and anyone to the right of Lenin and Marx.) The Mainstream Media didn't seem flummoxed by the President's pronouncements, nor did it take much notice that Israel now has a new government. This week, Binyamin Netanyahu assumed the office of Prime Minister in Israel. His new cabinet ballooned to 30 ministers and 8 deputies. It's the largest Israeli government ever -- an odd move for the man who criticized Ehud Olmert's government of 27 as being bloated and wasteful. But by expanding the size of the Cabinet, Netanyahu was able to draw more factions into his 'national unity' majority, giving him 69 of the 120 Knesset seats. He even coaxed the leader of the leftist Labor Party into joining the coalition. Ehud Barak will remain as Defense Minister. Barak's presence brings some comfort to the EU and the Obama Administration. They're hoping he'll keep the pressure on Netanyahu to continue the 'land for peace' process -- which the Prime Minister opposes. We'll see if it truly has that effect. Here's why I'm dubious. Information is now emerging that President Obama intends to effectively abandon Israel in order to gain Iran's cooperation in mitigating the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict. In essence, he is signalling Israel that he will not approve of Israeli actions to militarily interrupt Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. In fact, indications are that he will use American military force to prevent Israel from taking unilateral action against Iran's nuclear facilities. Further, the Administration believes that it must force Israel to make survival-threatening concessions to the Palestinians in order to secure the Iranians' cooperation in Afghanistan. I'm stunned that any clear-thinking person, much less an American President, would trust Iran's leadership. Even Jimmy Carter could testify to that folly! To compromise the safety of our long-time friend and staunch ally in order to curry favor with dangerous Iranian fanatics is either unbelievably naive, seriously delusional, or devious beyond description. Whatever the reason or motive, I fear that if America forsakes Israel -- the apple of God's eye -- it will be the last straw for God's patience with our nation. Finally, I don't even have to look at a calendar to know that Easter is near. I just have to look at Newsweek's cover. Like clockwork, if it bashes God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, or Christians, it must be close to the sacred holiday! True to form, the current Newsweek cover story makes a somber and sweeping pronouncement: "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Sounds apocalyptic, doesn't it? Tune in this week and I'll show you how Newsweek is right on the money in one regard and way off the mark in another. Have a wonderful and worshipful Resurrection Day! Take heart! HE IS RISEN! Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, Inspiration (cable only), CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. God Bless You, Hal Lindsey