FROM JOEL C. ROSENBERG:

I believe the presidential race has come down to a “Final Four.” Which candidates deserve closest scrutiny, prayer & consideration? Here’s my report from Iowa.

Note: THE FIRST HOSTAGE releases on 12/29.

By Joel C. Rosenberg (@joelcrosenberg on Twitter)

(Des Moines, Iowa) — As America continues hurtling down a dangerous path toward implosion, as darkness falls in the Middle East and North Africa, as the forces of evil advance and the forces of freedom retreat, anyone who cares about the American people and the people of the epicenter needs to pay very close attention to the American presidential race.

• We need a President who understands that Western leaders ignore the threat of Apocalyptic Islam at their peril.

• We need a Commander-in-Chief who truly understands the magnitude of the threats posed by Radical and Apocalyptic Islam.

• We need a President who has serious ideas about how to neutralize such threats, and has solid national experience that can assure us that he or she is really ready to confront this evil.

• We need a President who sees Israel as a faithful ally — not an adversary — in this showdown with the jihadists.

• We need a President who rejects the insane Iran nuclear deal, and the notion of allowing Russia and Iran to run wild in Syria.

• Commander-in-Chief is not an entry level position.

• There is no time for on-the-job training in the White House for a new President who has little or no experience thinking about foreign policy and national security issues.

• The next President must come in ready for war — because that’s what we’re in, and the stakes are simply too high to go with an untested outsider or newcomer.

This is why I accepted the invitation to attend the presidential forum here in Des Moines on Friday night that was sponsored and hosted by The Family Leader. This is why I traveled 27 hours from Israel to get there — to have the opportunity to meet, listen to and assess seven of the most compelling candidates vying to be the next Commander-in-Chief. I’m so glad I did. This was the most fascinating, informative and revealing political event I’ve been to in 25 years.

Moderator Frank Luntz did a fantastic job getting most of the candidates — most, but not quite all — to really open up and help the crowd of some 1,600 Evangelical Iowans to better understand the faith, values and experience that drives and animates them. This was far superior to any of the debates that have been held so far. It wasn’t a cage match. It was a conversation that gave us a unique window into the heart of these candidates.

It was an honor to be asked to close the event in prayer. Indeed, I’m deeply grateful to Family Leader president Bob Vander Plaats for asking me to do so. I prayed for the Lord to bless and protect all the candidates and their families and to keep them safe. In the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14, I also asked the Lord to forgive us of our sins and help us turn back to Him. I asked the Lord to grant America another Great Awakening, even though we don’t deserve it, and to show us whom He is raising up to lead this nation in 2017 and beyond.

“If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Amen.

I so wish I could take the time to share with you all the intriguing moments, key anecdotes and quotes from the event, as well as share with you my conversations with some of the candidates and many of the attendees. But at this point I sense two things are best.

First, let me highly recommend that you watch the entire event online (there’s a link on my blog to the video). Please also forward this link and column to family and friends and colleagues. Encourage them to carve out some time to watch as well. Then, please post your comments on the forum and this column on our “Epicenter Team” page on Facebook. I’m eager to know what you think. Above all, please pray and fast for the nation, for the candidates, and for wisdom on whom to support.

Second, allow me to share with you my key takeaways from this weekend in Iowa, and from the presidential race over all. Many of you have been asking for my assessment of the candidates. Thus far, I have written and shared mostly about the Biblical principles that are guiding me in my evaluation and decision-making process (i.e., prayerfully seeking a “Josiah”). But today I do feel the freedom from the Lord to write more specifically about how I see the candidates, given that we are a mere 70 days or so from the actual voting in the Iowa caucuses. I hope you’ll find these notes and observations helpful as you prayerfully seek the Lord for wisdom about whom to support.

* I believe the GOP presidential race has come down at this point to a “Final Four” — four candidates who deserve the most careful scrutiny, prayer and consideration. Maybe this “Final Four” idea comes from the fact that I graduated from Syracuse University. A touch of March Madness, perhaps. But it is where I’ve come down after months of analyzing the race closely….

* The four candidates are Cruz, Rubio, Santorum and Huckabee.

* Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are the two brilliant, up-and-coming, and very compelling young Cuban conservatives.

* Gov. Huckabee and former Sen. Rick Santorum are the two deeply principled, tried and tested, and very experienced previous Iowa Caucus winners.

Allow me to explain in more detail….

[To read the rest of this column — including a detailed analysis of the presidential race, these four candidates, the other candidates who attended the forum, and Donald Trump, please go to my blog,https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/]

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PRAYER NEEDS — please pray for….

* A Third Great Awakening — a sweeping spiritual revival — in the U.S. and Canada.

* The Lord to raise up a leader like Josiah to serve as the next president of the United States.

* The peace of Jerusalem — geopolitical but also spiritual peace through the Prince of Peace

* The Palestinian people in Gaza to be liberated from the reign of terror imposed by Hamas and other terrorist groups

* Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders to have wisdom to know how best to protect their citizens going forward and live in quiet and calm with their neighbors

* The President of the United States and his top advisors to have a change of heart and to truly stand unequivocally with Israel, America’s best friend and most faithful ally in the Mideast

* The President and other nations to know how best to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, defeat ISIS and stop the genocide, and prevent terror attacks on the U.S. and our allies

* Persecuted in Christians throughout the epicenter to be brave and bold for Christ and faithful lights amidst such darkness

* The protection of moderate Arabs and other Muslims in the region from Radical Islam, particularly in Jordan

* The Lord to strengthen His Church and reveal His Word and the transforming power of the Gospel to all the people of the epicenter, and that the Father would draw them to His Son

* The Joshua Fund to have the wisdom to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, as the Lord guides and provides.

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* TWITTER — Please track the latest developments @joelcrosenberg.
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To pre-order THE FIRST HOSTAGE (releasing on 12/29/15) in hardcover, e-book, and audio formats, please click here (or visit your favorite bookstore).
To read Joel’s blog, please click here — https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/
www.joelrosenberg.com
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