I was able to catch about half of Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the UN live earlier this morning.  In it, the Prime Minister addressed the threats from Hamas and Iran, and indicated that Israel will not accept the UN “dictating our security.”  He vowed never to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.  In addition, he offered this opportunity to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas:

“President Abbas, I invite you to come and speak at the Knesset in Jerusalem and I will gladly come to speak at the parliament in Ramallah.”

Netanyahu spent the last few minutes of his speech talking about the hope he has in his people and his land.  He put forth some of their accomplishments and talked of a future hope and Israel’s desire for peace.

You can see Netanyahu’s speech here.

Meanwhile, the tone of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was much different.  He spent much of his time complaining about plight of “Palestine,” and blaming Israel repeatedly for the violence and chaos in the region. On at least 3 occasions he referenced the two-state solution based on 1967 lines, and demanded once again that Israel stop building on Palestinian land.  (Lest we forget, Arabs started the Six Day War in 1967 and Israel won that war, re-taking parts of Jerusalem that had been illegally controlled by Arabs.)

Abbas also blamed Great Britain for the Balfour Declaration which he insists took away land from Palestinians and gave it to Israel.  (The land was virtually barren at the time of the Balfour Declaration!  No one wanted the swamp lands and sand dunes!)  Abbas’ speech was also filled with the typical accusations of “occupation” and “oppression” thrust upon Palestinians by Israel.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, responded:

“Abbas chose to use the UN pulpit to represent Palestinian terror. His dangerous words are sure to lead to even more terror attacks against Israel. The Palestinian youth listening to his speech today, will be the terrorists of tomorrow…..Abbas’s words are like a ticking time bomb.”

Abbas’ speech can be found here.

Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took his turn at the podium.  In a rambling speech that had little content other than toward the end when Rouhani provided statistics of Iran’s burgeoning economy, the speech was rather unremarkable.  Typical rhetoric blaming the US for instability in the Middle East, and warnings to the US, Saudi Arabia and other nations regarding potential actions against Iran dotted the script.

Find Rouhani’s speech here.

My friends, the battle lines are being drawn, and instability in the Middle East is not likely to lessen.  Now is the time for Christians to be about the Lord’s business.  It is time to pray.  It is time to commit to following the command of our Lord.  It is time to get ready.  Jesus is returning soon and it is time to get ready!  Speeches uttered at the UN are only evidence of the birth pangs.

Are you on the right side of God’s plan?  If not, now is the time to get there!  Blessings as you turn to Him for strength, guidance and wisdom!