In the summer of 2005, the newly-elected Ahmadinejad told followers the end of the world was just two or three years away, and that the way to hasten the coming of the Islamic Messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam was to annihilate Israel and the United States. Since then, his anti-American and anti-Israeli rhetoric has intensified dramatically. Now, two years into his cryptic but apocalyptic countdown, Ahmadinejad is telling the Muslim world that the return of the Mahdi is “imminent.”

In an address to the “International Seminar on the Doctrine of Mahdism” in Tehran last month (August 25-26), Ahmadinejad warned that the West’s day is almost finished and the preparations for the Hidden Imam “will soon be complete.” In a speech translated from Farsi by MEMRI.org, Ahmadinejad said: “The current situation in the world has led the nations to reject in disgust the rule of the oppressors. Now is the time to invite people to accept the rule of the righteous, and [especially that] of the most righteous of [rulers] — the Hidden Imam….The oppressors and tyrants are responsible for all the difficulties and problems currently faced by the nations, and the only way to establish justice is through popular uprising and determined resistance in the face of these oppressors….[the day] of these aggressors…who are oppressing and controlling the nations, is now coming to an end….The time of the righteous rulers will come, and the most righteous of rulers, [i.e. the Hidden Imam], will form a government and thereby instate the monotheism of Abraham [throughout the world]. That day is not far away….Our enemies naturally feel threatened by the call to [believe in] the Mahdi, for they do not want people to think about justice. But our reply to them is that the era of the aggressive [powers] has come to an end. We believe that it is time for the righteous to rule.”

A few days later, during a speech he delivered on August 28, Ahmadinejad went a step further, saying the Mahdi’s return is “imminent.”

“The current problems faced by the world result from [the rule] of unworthy rulers. The ultimate solution is to replace these unworthy regimes and rulers, and to establish the rule of the Hidden Imam….Those who are not versed in [the doctrine of Mahdism] believe that the return [of the Hidden Imam] will occur only in a very long time, but, according to the divine promise, [his return] is imminent.”

Perhaps this is why Ahmadinejad opened rather than closed his speeches at Columbia University and at the United Nations this week with a prayer for Allah to hasten the Mahdi’s arrival, because he is more convinced than ever that this apocalyptic moment is close at hand.

Political leaders in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East who believe we should negotiate with Iran are missing the big picture. Ahmadinejad is not operating by the norms of conventional, civilized behavior. He is actively trying to bring about the end of the world. He believes it is his mission, his divine calling. We should not expect any amount of diplomatic logic to dissuade or distract him.

The sad but sobering conclusion we must draw is that war is coming to the Middle East. Either the U.S. or Israel will soon launch an attack to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed nightmare, or Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and al-Qaeda will launch a cataclysmic war against the Jewish State, and possibly against U.S. targets and/or interests. When? No one knows for sure, but millions of innocent Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians and Jordanians are likely to be caught in the crossfire either way.

In light of this mounting threat, The Joshua Fund — a humanitarian relief organization my wife and I formed in the summer of 2006 — has just launched a three-year initiative known as “OPERATION EPICENTER.” The goal is to form a global alliance of evangelical Christians, Messianic Jews, Arab and Iranian believers, and other people of goodwill around the world who will join together to send $120 million worth of humanitarian relief aid into the region over the next three years. This aid will be used to bless the poor and needy in Israel and the Muslim world and to pre-position relief supplies ahead of coming wars.

We have been working around the clock this summer to develop strategic allies with whom we will work to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. We working closely with local believers and relief organizations in the region, helping them acquire warehouse space, buy trucks, buy forklifts, hire staff, train staff, and fill those warehouses with urgently needed relief supplies. To find out more about OPERATION EPICENTER, including our primary strategic allies, specific projects, and the initial budget, please visit our web site at www.joshuafund.net (see the links below). There you can also learn more about the first year operations of The Joshua Fund.

By God’s grace and the generosity of people throughout North America, we have already raised more than $600,000 to get started on the most urgent elements of this effort. We are currently seeking to raise $1 million by December 1, 2007 to help finance the acquisition of a major warehouse in Israel and to begin loading a ship in the U.S. with relief supplies to be sent to Israel early next year. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to The Joshua Fund for this effort, please visit our website where you can give securely on-line or send a check to our P.O. Box in Colorado. Also, we would be grateful if you would pray faithfully for us and our strategic allies as we seek to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus in every way we possibly can before the next war breaks out.