Jesus warns to beware of the leaven of Herod and the Pharisees. He said for such -- those driven by power, position and money -- there can be no sign given (Mark 8: 11-15). Friends, nothing has changed. The fulfillment of the prophecies are before us -- as they were Herod and the Pharisees -- but the majority our modern spiritual leaders refuse to see it.

So, don't be surprised when even some of our own evangelical leaders give their support to the UN's new Alliance of Civilizations (AoC). Jesus tells us that, in the time of the end, the true colors of all professing believers will be exposed (Matthew 13: 24-30).

The news I've been following is about the power struggle between the rival Fatah and Hamas factions in Gaza, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to the Middle East, and Blair's visit today with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Read about it here. You see, I suspect that these stories are directly linked. In fact, I believe almost all that's going on in the Middle East is. And, the connection goes through the halls of Brussels, across to Washington, and on to New York.

As you may recall, I believe that Fatah leader Abbas may have been offered something that persuaded him to finally confront Hamas. After Blair's joint press conference with President Bush in Washington, Blair attended the EU's summit. From there he flew to Turkey, Egypt, Israel and now Gaza.

In his travels, I want you to notice what Blair is saying. In Egypt Blair says:

On the issue of Iran, the Prime Minister added: "Given that Iran seems to see its purpose as to derail the prospects for peace and stability and democracy, for many of us who genuinely want to see an alliance of civilisations - an alliance of moderation against extremists ..Read it here

This report from Afghanistan says:

Mr Blair visited the second largest mosque in the world, the Saudi-funded Faisel mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. He said he was sure there would not be a clash of civilisations, but instead an alliance of civilisations to fight terrorism Read it here.

This is what I think: Since Blair endorsed the initiative Read about it here, the AoC has become a central element to the international community's new approach to bringing a lasting and comprehensive peace to the Middle East.

If you recall, the AoC was co-sponsored by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And, Erdogan actually calls the AoC a global peace plan. He says: "We consider the Alliance Of Civilizations the global peace project of the 21st century" Read about it here.

Here's what I think: It's no coincidence that today Zapatero and Erdogan are in New York to participate in Kofi Anna's official presentation of the AoC project to the UN's General Assembly Read about it here.

Friends, I think it's all connected. The AoC isn't just another UN initiative.

It's their global plan.