Iran Unveils New Destroyer

Iran has recently announced a new destroyer for its navy, continuing its advancement in this arena. Iranian Army commander Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iranian Navy commander R.-Adm. Shahram Irani, and Iranian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri were present at the ceremony, Iran’s Mehr News said. The destroyer will be part of Iran’s Caspian sea fleet. The ceremony for the new ship was held at the port of Bandar Anzali on the Caspian.

Iran announced the commissioning of the new Iranian warship, named the IRIS (Islamic Republic of Iran Ship) Deylaman which they said has modern equipment and will contribute to Iran’s navy. The destroyer is part of an Iranian class of similar ships called the Mowj or Moudge class. They weigh around 1,500 tons and are based on Iran’s IRIS Jamaran destroyer which was launched in 2010.

These locally made ships have been produced since the early 2000s when Iran sought to bolster its navy. Tehran doesn’t have a very large navy or air force, in part due to sanctions. Often, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a separate military system in Iran, sponge up assets for defense needs, meaning that the actual Iranian army, navy and air force don’t receive key resources.

The new destroyer joins its sister ships, the Dena, Sahand and Damavand, along with the Jamaran. Despite being launched more recently, her superstructure is less modern than the preceding IRIS Sahand. That featured slightly canted sides to reduce the radar signature, and a new 30mm ‘Kamand’ AAA, which is based on the Russian AK630 family. IRIS Dena has older weapons, such as the 40mm Bofors AA gun. But the Dena does have a version of the Asr phased-array radar which may be a major step forward for the frigate program.

This announcement comes at a very strenuous time in the Middle East. Iran has technically stayed out of the Israel-Hamas fight up to this point, although how much help they gave to Hamas in the initial attack on Israel is still unknown. Iran has consistently been increasing both its own military forces and their proxy military forces like Hamas and Hezbollah over the last decade in preparation for a future conflict with Israel and the West. For example, Hezbollah, located in Lebanon, is said to have around 100,000 advanced rockets in their possession. This is on top of Iran’s work on their own nuclear capabilities.

Western powers have been reluctant to get tough on Tehran for fear of aggravating Middle East tensions as Iran grows its nuclear program and reduces cooperation with the United Nations watchdog, diplomats say. Worries of a wider regional conflict have sharpened since Hamas’ October 7 attack and Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive aimed at destroying the Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Recently at a Board of Governors meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the United States and the so-called E3 group — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — condemned Tehran’s lack of cooperation. Despite saying that Iran’s actions had “pushed unprecedented boundaries,” they held off on submitting a binding resolution. “The picture is pretty bleak, but the fact at the moment is that there is no appetite to provoke a reaction in Iran in the context of the war in the Middle East,” a senior diplomat said in summing up the current deadlock.

Biblical Connection: It is becoming clearer that the possibility of the Gog and Magog war described in Ezekiel 38-39, in which Iran will play a major role in, could be on the horizon. Iran certainly wants to destroy Israel and two of their major allies in the region, Russia and Turkey, are both mentioned in Ezekiel.

PRAY: Pray for God’s will to be done and for peace between these two nations, as well as the surrounding region.

Pastor Removed from San Diego Police Oversight Board Over LGBT Beliefs

A San Diego County human relations commissioner and pastor has filed a lawsuit against San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria for removing him from a city board, alleging discrimination against his religious beliefs. The action followed the pastor’s abstention from a vote condemning transphobia, citing his Christian faith. Dennis Hodges, pastor of the Church of Yeshua Ha Mashiach in Lemon Grove, California, and a member of the San Diego County Human Relations Commission since 2021, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

The complaint alleges that Hodges’ fellow commissioners influenced Gloria to veto his reappointment to San Diego’s Citizens Advisory Board on Police/Community Relations. Hodges, a member of the city board since 2017, abstained from a November 2021 Human Relations Commission vote on “an agenda item relating to the transgender community.” Video from the meeting shows that the agenda item in question was “a letter from the City of San Diego Human Relations Commissioner Tootie Thomas Regarding Ending Discrimination and Transphobia by Amplifying the Visibility and Voices of the Transgender Community.” One commission member identified the agenda item’s purpose as to “send a strong signal that the city and the county” are committed to “ending transphobia.” It would entail drafting a letter and sending it out on behalf of the commission.

 The lawsuit attributed Hodges’ abstention vote to his religious beliefs, specifically “because the agenda item conflicted with his Christian beliefs on creation, God’s design for humankind, and human sexuality.” When asked about his abstention at the meeting, Hodges assured his fellow commissioners, “I love all people. I love transgenders as well. But to me, it’s an abomination to the eyes of God, so I don’t agree with it.” While some of Hodges’ fellow commissioners urged him to resign following his “abomination” remark, he defended his position as consistent “with the Word of God.” He indicated that he had no intention of stepping down.

 In June 2022, a majority of Hodges’ fellow commissioners voted against removing him at a special meeting called by its chair. The lawsuit contends that efforts to oust Hodges from his post on the Human Relations Commission continued for over a year. The filing describes the effort as “a crusade to cancel a man for holding traditional, religious beliefs regarding the biological nature of a man and woman.” In August 2023, Gloria used the authority granted by the City Charter to veto Hodges’ reappointment to the San Diego Citizens Advisory Board on Police/Community Relations. The lawsuit cites a memorandum from Gloria, highlighting Hodges’ comments about the LGBT community, particularly trans-identified individuals, as a reason for his dismissal from the city board.

 The complaint contends that Gloria’s decision was “solely based on Hodges’ beliefs about human creation and transgenderism,” which the document stresses are “unrelated to his role on the Advisory Board.” Asserting that Hodges’ removal from the city board violated his rights under the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and reinstatement to the board. In a statement, Hodges said he is “standing up for religious people nationwide who have been discriminated against solely because of their faith.” “What happened to me at the hands of our government should never happen to anyone else,” Hodges said.

 Biblical Connections: In Matthew 10:22 Jesus stated, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Many have made the LGBT movement their religion and will not allow Christians to be involved in the world if they do not accept their movement without exception.

 PRAY: Pray the movement that is pushing the LGBT agenda throughout the Western World will be stopped and people will return to God’s understanding of sexuality.

Iran Backed Rebels Attempting to Close Red Sea Trade

The Red Sea trade route is one of the key trade routes not only in the Middle East, but in the entire world. However, recently Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have attacked commercial ships to try to shut down the trade route. Two Houthi attacks on the Maersk Hangzhou commercial ship in the Red Sea represent a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis. It also represents a forceful new approach by the US to stop small boats from trying to interdict the ship.

It is important to note that the Danish company Maersk said it was going to resume shipping via the Red Sea after several companies had paused shipping via the important waterway due to Houthi attacks. The BBC reported on December 27 that “Danish shipping giant Maersk has said it is preparing to resume shipping operations through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The move follows the deployment of an international military operation to prevent attacks on commercial ships by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Several firms have paused shipments via the Red Sea following the attacks.”

US Central Command said that at 8:30 pm in the evening in Yemen, the Houthis first attempted to attack the Maersk Hangzhou. The ship “reported that they were struck by a missile while transiting the Southern Red Sea. The Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned/operated container ship requested assistance, and the USS Gravely and USS Laboon responded to the ship. The vessel is reportedly seaworthy, and there are no reported injuries.”

The Gravely is one of the numerous US ships now protecting ships in the Red Sea. It has joined the Laboon, USS Mason and others that have played a key role in trying to keep trade open in the region. “While responding, the USS Gravey shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the ships,” the US said. Central Command also specified that “this is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19.”

What’s interesting is that the Houthis did not stop with the missile attack. They then dispatched a number of small boats to attack the ship. US Central Command was blunt in its language about the second incident, which occurred at 6:30 am on December 31. “Iranian-backed Houthi small boats attack merchant vessel and U.S. Navy helicopters in Southern Red Sea,” the US said. This is an important statement blaming the Houthis and mentioning Iran. The Maersk Hangzhou issued a distress call saying it was being attacked by four small boats. “The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew-served and small arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel.”

The US ships in the area then sent helicopters, which represents a new tactic they are using to confront the Houthis. The statement by US Central Command says the helicopters came from the US aircraft carrier the USS Eisenhower and the Gravely. “The small boats fired upon the US helicopters with crew-served weapons and small arms. The US Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats and killing the crews. The fourth boat fled the area. There was no damage to US personnel or equipment.”

The incident is unique in several ways. First of all, it is interesting the Maersk had decided to resume shipping, and the Houthis then targeted this specific ship. It is not clear if the Houthis chose the ship, but it does send a message that a company that sought to resume shipping was then attacked. The US response to the attack was robust. The sinking of the small boats is an important development. The Houthis are trying to escalate, and they are being matched with the defensive capabilities of the US Navy.

Biblical Connections: This is yet another example of Iran/Iranian backed forces trying to stir up more trouble in the region. Their push for domination in the region and their hatred of Israel could eventually lead to a larger conflict, possibly even the Gog-Magog war.

PRAY: Pray that the United States and other allies will continue to fight against these rebels and that the shipping lanes will both stay open and be safe for innocent civilians.

Over 100 Harvard Faculty Say Accusing Israel of Genocide is not Anti-Semitism

Over 100 Harvard faculty members signed a letter to the university president declaring that labeling Israel an “apartheid state” and accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians should not automatically be considered anti-Semitism. The letter accused Harvard University President Claudine Gay of enforcing a “one-sided” debate about Israel by preventing students and faculty from criticizing the Jewish state. “As Harvard faculty, we have been astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni, and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students, and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel,” the document stated. “It is important to acknowledge the patronizing tone and format of much of the criticism you have received as well as the outright racism contained in some of it.”

The faculty members wrote the letter in response to Gay's Nov. 9 directive, titled “Combating Antisemitism,” which announced the plan to implement a program intended to educate Harvard students and staff about anti-Semitism. In the directive, Gay condemned the phrase “from the river to the sea,” noting that the phrase calls for the eradication of Jews and Israel and is harmful to the Jewish community. In their letter, the faculty members expressed understanding that Gay would want to highlight the importance of language following Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault against civilians in Israel that killed over 1,200 people. The terrorist group has called for the murder of the Jewish people, and Hamas members have bragged about the Jews they killed on Oct. 7.

While the faculty agreed that certain language merits condemnation, they argued that it is not anti-Semitic to criticize the Israeli government or to compare it to “ethno-nationalist” governments, like dictator Robert Mugabe’s government in Zimbabwe. “Nor can arguments that characterize Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state or its recent actions as ‘ethnic cleansing’ or even ‘genocide’ be considered automatically antisemitic, regardless of whether one concurs with such arguments,” the letter stated. The letter asserts that the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free” is a matter of debate, stating that the history behind the slogan is “complicated.” “Its interpretation deserves, and is receiving, sustained and ongoing inquiry and debate,” the letter reads.

The faculty also cited numbers from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry to imply that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes and a ground invasion seeking to eradicate Hamas, a terrorist group that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Days before beginning its ground invasion, Israel urged the over 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to flee to the south. Israel maintains it has the right to defend its citizens from the threat of Hamas and is doing all it can to prevent civilian casualties. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. The letter concluded with a list of steps for the Harvard president to support “intellectual freedom” at the university, including the creation of “an advisory group on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.”

The faculty members requested Gay resist calls to suspend the Palestine Solidarity Committee for releasing a statement holding Israel responsible for the violence committed against it. Several student groups that signed onto the letter — including Amnesty International at Harvard, Harvard College Act on a Dream and the Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association — later withdrew their signatures. A spokesperson for Act on a Dream claimed at the time that its board members were unaware that the organization had signed the letter, which does not reflect AOD's views on the situation in Israel.

Biblical Connections: The Israeli people have been hated throughout their history in both the Old and New Testaments and throughout much of world history. It should not surprise us that Satan has continued to attack the Jews in our modern time.

PRAY: Pray that this movement of hatred against the Jewish people will be stopped and that God would continue to protect them.

Biological Male Named 'Woman of the Year'

Trans-identified influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who has been recognized as a "Woman of the Year" by an LGBT magazine, is characterizing anyone who refuses to acknowledge the social media personality's preferred gender identity as "hateful." Attitude Magazine, which identifies itself as "the UK & Europe's best-selling LGBTQ magazine," unveiled Mulvaney as its Woman of the Year in a post on X. Mulvaney, a biological male, is one of several LGBT personalities included in the publication's "Awards Issue,".

The post announcing Mulvaney as Attitude's "Woman of the Year" includes a snapshot of the cover of the forthcoming Awards Issue, which features a picture of Mulvaney. Mulvaney is sporting blonde hair, makeup, lipstick, long nails and a dress in the photograph. Additionally, Attitude's post includes a quote from the influencer proclaiming, "Knowing that my community sees me this way and acknowledges my womanhood is all I need to keep going."

Mulvaney, who has documented his gender transition in a series of TikTok videos titled "Days of Girlhood," expressed gratitude for receiving Attitude's "Woman of the Year" award in an acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in London. The internet personality lamented that "some people don't see me as a woman at all," adding, "receiving this honor from a queer publication like Attitude means so much more to me" in light of many people's refusal to recognize him as a woman. "No matter how hard I try or what I wear or what I say or what surgeries I get, I will never reach an acceptable version of womanhood by those hateful people's standards," Mulvaney concluded. "As long as I have the queer community that sees me for my truth, I'm going to be OK."

Mulvaney recalled receiving a warm reception in London after traveling there earlier in the year, favorably contrasting the city's atmosphere with that of the United States. "I didn't walk into rooms and wonder, 'Oh, does that person hate me?' I was just another gal walking around in a Burberry trench on her way to a West End musical." Mulvaney claimed critics of LGBT ideology "want us to be in competition with each other; they would love nothing more than to see the Ls and the Bs and the Gs turn their backs on the Ts."

Several notable corporations have faced backlash from critics for partnering with Mulvaney. The beer brand Bud Light was the subject of a boycott effort earlier this year after presenting Mulvaney with a customized beer can featuring the internet personality's face on it to recognize his one-year anniversary of girlhood and tapping the activist as a brand spokesperson to "authentically connect with audiences." In response to Bud Light's collaboration with Mulvaney, country singer John Rich stopped selling the product at his Nashville bar Redneck Riviera while country singer Travis Tritt pulled all products manufactured by Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch from his tour hospitality rider. Kid Rock, another American musician, filmed a video of himself shooting at a stack of Bud Light cans with an assault rifle.

Mulvaney's emergence onto the national scene comes as many women view their identity as under attack, particularly as trans-identified males who identify as females break women's sports records. The social media influencer is not the first biological male to win a "women of the year" honor. In 2015, Glamour magazine named Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, as its "Woman of the Year." In 2022, Trans-identified Biden administration official Dr. Rachel Levine, formerly known as Richard, was named among one of USA Today's "Women of the Year." In March, first lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented an award designated for "women of courage" to an Argentinian man named Alba Rueda, hailed as Argentina's "Special Envoy for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade in Worship."

Biblical Connection: Romans 1:26-27 states, “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

PRAY: Pray that this madness will stop. God created humans as men and women, and we simply cannot allow for God’s creative design to be changed.

Israeli Ambassador Calls for UN Secretary-General to Resign

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called for the resignation of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for what he described as a “shocking speech” suggesting the Hamas attack against Israel “did not happen in a vacuum.” “The shocking speech by the UN Secretary-General at the Security Council meeting, while rockets are being fired at all of Israel, proved conclusively, beyond any doubt, that the Secretary-General is completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner,” Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan wrote on X. “His statement that, ‘the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum,’ expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder,” Erdan continued. “It’s really unfathomable. It’s truly sad that the head of an organization that arose after the Holocaust holds such horrible views. A tragedy!”

Erdan asserted in another post that Guterres “shows understanding for the campaign of murder of children, women, and the elderly,” and, therefore, “is not fit to lead the UN. I call on him to resign immediately,” he added. “There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people. There are simply no words.”

Guterres’ remarks came during a meeting of the UN Security Council, where he condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas targeting communities in southern Israel near the border with Gaza. At least 1,400 people, including 32 Americans, were killed, and over 200 were taken hostage. The attack drew retaliatory Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which the Hamas-run Palestinian health authorities claim has taken the lives of 5,700 people.

“Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians or the launching of rockets against civilian targets,” Guterres, a Portuguese politician and diplomat who has served as UN secretary-general since 2017, said. “It is important to also recognize that the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their lands devoured by settlements and plagued by violence, their economy stifled, their people displaced, and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their fight have been vanishing but the [grievances] of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas,” he continued. “And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Excellencies, even war has rules. We must demand that all parties uphold and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

An Israeli official said that Erdan’s call for Guterres to step down was the first time an Israeli ambassador has demanded the UN secretary-general’s resignation. Other Israeli officials expressed outrage in response to Guterres’ comments. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen canceled a planned meeting with him, saying that the Oct. 7 attack shows “there is no place for a balanced approach” and “Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet.” Knesset member Benny Gantz claimed Guterres is a “terror apologist.”

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a global coalition, echoed Erdan’s sentiments and called on Guterres to resign. “It is unbelievable and unconscionable how out of touch with reality the UN secretary-general is,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in a statement. “Over the last couple of weeks, our generation has had a chance to reflect and better understand how the Holocaust was allowed to happen by the silence and complicity of global decision-makers and opinion-shapers in the face of Nazi-style atrocities.” Dratwa went on to accuse Guterres of “victim-blaming” and exhibiting “different rules for Jews among all the other peoples of the world.”

Biblical Connection: When national leaders such as the Secretary-General of the United Nations shows blatant Antisemitism, it begins to give us an idea of what things will one day look like during the Tribulation when the Antichrist similarly attacks the Jewish people.

PRAY: Pray this rise in antisemitism within our world leaders will be called out and corrected and that people will be unwilling to elect these types of leaders.

Western Christianity in Trouble Because of Collapse of Family?

J.P. De Gance, the founder and president of Communio, a nonprofit that equips churches to strengthen the marriage and relationship health of its members, recently discussed the results of the Communio Nationwide Study on Faith and Relationships at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank. During his speech, De Gance said the study’s results suggest that the decline in resident fatherhood and the collapse of marriage are likely explanations for the increase in religious non-affiliation throughout the United States.

The study’s conclusions are drawn from a nationwide survey completed by 19,000 attendees at 112 different churches across 13 different states. The survey also analyzed a variety of denominations, including Protestant and Catholic churches.

Overall, the survey found that 80% of church attendees grew up in a home where their mother and father stayed married, a trend that remained true regardless of age. In addition, 87% of all 25- to 29-year-old never-married men in church had parents who remained married. “So what this means is folks in church on Sunday are categorically more likely to have grown up with a resident dad in the home than someone who is not in church on Sunday,” De Gance said, noting that the results are not “definitive,” as one in five people in church grew up without married parents. “But it does make it less likely for those folks to show up on Sunday morning,” he said.

Presenting the data on the growth of non-religious affiliation, De Gance said the findings show that religious non-affiliation began to increase between 1986 and 1991 and then rapidly grew in the mid-90s. According to De Gance, this result makes sense, as the children who grew up in homes where their parents didn’t remain married became adults. He asserted that a “married dad” is the “missing ingredient now,” citing an Oxford University Press longitudinal study referenced in the Faith and Relationships study. The longitudinal study followed 3,000 adults and 350 families within a 40-year time frame.

One of the study’s most notable findings, according to De Gance, is that adults who reported a close relationship with their fathers were more likely to report having the same faith as their parents by 25 percentage points. On the other hand, the study found that a closer relationship with their mother did not appear to have a statistical effect on whether an adult had the same faith as their parents.

De Gance referenced a book by Paul Vitz titled Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism, which analyzed 30 of the world’s most well-known atheists. Throughout the book, according to De Gance, there is a reoccurring theme of absentee fathers or broken relationships with a dad.

Biblical Connections: It should be no surprise to followers of the Bible that the statistical data backs up the idea that family matters when it comes to faith. God Himself established the family in the early chapters in Genesis and the Book of Deuteronomy has a strong emphasis on how the family is the main unit for sharing faith. For example, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” The breakdown of the family is a massive tragedy that has not only occurred in our culture but has also occurred in our churches. This breakdown of the family leads to a breakdown in faith and a loss of passing down our faith to the next generation.

PRAY: Pray this attack and destruction of the family unit in America will change and God’s design for the family will once again became the normal structure in society.

Young Woman Sues American Academy of Pediatrics Over Trans Procedures

A 20-year-old woman who detransitioned after being placed on cross-sex hormones as a young teenager is suing her doctors and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for allegedly lying about their long-term effects. Isabelle Ayala and her lawyers are accusing the defendants of “civil conspiracy, fraud, medical malpractice and other related causes of action” related to what she alleges was a misleading “gender-affirmative” model of care, according to the lawsuit first reported by The Daily Wire.

Ayala, whose suit characterizes her as “an unfortunate victim of a collection of actors who prioritized politics and ideology over children’s safety, health, and well-being,” names the AAP, the Rhode Island-based Lifespan Physician Group, as well as Drs. Jason Rafferty, Michelle Forcier, Meghan Gibson, Gillian Morris, Brittany Allen, Ilana Sherer, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Jill Wagner.

The young woman alleges that when she was first hospitalized for suicidal ideation at age 14, Rafferty and others rushed her down the “path of ‘gender-affirming’ medicalization” after a brief meeting instead of recommending psychological counseling. She claims that after six months of testosterone treatment, she attempted suicide. Ayala’s suit pinpoints AAP’s 2018 policy statement, spearheaded by Rafferty, as especially egregious, alleging it enabled an “entirely new model of treatment” that was based on “outright fraudulent representations.”

The lawsuit further notes Ayala experiences regret because of the experimental procedures performed on her, and that she “longs for what could have been and to have her healthy, female body back. The changes the testosterone have had on her body are a constant reminder that she needed an unbiased medical expert willing to evaluate her mental health and provide her the care she needed, rather than a group of ideologues set on promoting their own agenda and furthering a broader conspiracy at her expense,” the suit says.

Ayala further claims that Rafferty and the other defendants have continued “to promote and profit off” their gender-affirming model of treatment, which she said have rendered her and other young people “victims of a conspiracy entered into and perpetuated to the present day by certain ideologically captured individuals in positions of power at the American Academy of Pediatrics.” “[Rafferty] has gone from a little-known resident during his time drafting the Gender Policy Statement to having a highly successful practice in pediatric gender care and considered a leading authority on the subject, all while operating under the imprimatur of the authority he falsely created,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit further claims that the defendants have continued to advocate for the gender-affirming model despite mounting international skepticism. In 2020, the Finnish Health Authority recommended psychotherapy as the first-line treatment for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. In October 2021, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists also released a statement citing a lack of quality evidence and emphasizing the necessity of receiving a proper mental health evaluation before undergoing irreversible and disfiguring trans procedures. In February 2022, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, urged “restraint when it comes to hormone treatment,” which was followed by similar guidance from the National Academy of Medicine in France later that month.

Advocates of gender-affirming care, as laid out by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, have pointed to the AAP’s endorsement of such standards to shut down debate about such practices. “There is no debate in the medical community about the medical or scientific validity of gender-affirming care,” a spokesperson for Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine told Fox News Digital last year, noting that WPATH’s standards of care have been endorsed by the AAP, as well as the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Biblical Connections: In Mark 9:37 Jesus stated, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” We must protect our children from the forces of evil that wish to pervert them.

PRAY: Pray that America will wake up to the long-term damage that it is enabling to its children.

Abortion a Leading Election Issue

Pro-life organizations are criticizing a new advertisement released by President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign targeting his potential Republican rivals’ positions on abortion. The ad, published on YouTube and titled “These Guys,” is part of a 16-week, $25 million advertising campaign targeting swing states like Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The campaign ads will air on broadcast and cable television programming, including NFL games and the World Series.

The advertisement opens with a narrator declaring, “Reproductive health care decisions are among the most personal a woman will ever make,” adding, “They are choices that you and your doctor should make.” The video then airs several of the statements made by the Republican contenders on the abortion issue, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. The narrator asserts: “The last people who should be involved [in making decisions about abortion] are these guys.”

Pro-life groups reacted to the ad’s premise that Republicans have an “extreme” position on abortion by calling the Democratic Party’s position on the issue extreme. In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser lamented, “President Biden is spending millions of dollars on campaign ads attacking his GOP opponents on abortion. Tellingly, Biden’s ad never states a single limit he would support — not even to protect babies from brutal late-term abortions after they can feel pain, a standard over 70% of Americans including many rank-and-file Democrats favor,” she added.

She recalled how “Biden used to embrace commonsense limits on abortion based on science” before expressing disgust that “he and his party are fully in lock step with the radical abortion lobby position of abortion on demand at any time for any reason, paid for by the taxpayer.”

Dannenfelser stated that “Americans deserve to know where all candidates stand” on abortion, saying that the ad skirted around the Biden administration’s authentic position on the issue. “Everyone should be asking where the Democrats draw the line — is it 38, 39 weeks?” she asked. Dannenfelser took issue with the absence of “any mention of how the country can come together to support mother and child” from the video. “Women want to hear the president’s plan to ensure they can access tangible resources, including financial help, so they never feel forced into unwanted abortions,” she asserted. “Will Democrats support critical relief for moms like the Providing for Life Act? Or will they continue to demonize pregnancy centers and other life-affirming nonprofits while pushing pills and surgery as a cure-all instead? This callous ‘solution’ of killing the child fails to address many of the core problems experienced by pregnant women.”

The Biden campaign’s ad targeted to voters in swing states comes as Republicans and Democrats have embraced divergent federal policy proposals following the Dobbs decision. While the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act last year, it failed in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. The bill has not been brought up in the U.S. House in the 118th Congress now that it is controlled by Republicans. While Democrats tout the measure as a codification of Roe, Dannenfelser characterizes it as “an extreme bill forcing abortion on demand up until birth on all 50 states, even painful late-term abortions.”

Biblical Connections: The Bible clearly argues for the preservation of life from the moment of conception. A nation that refuses to allow for the continuation of human life is a nation that has largely turned away from a Biblical worldview. That much of the West has allowed for abortion on demand shows that many nations that were once anchors of Christianity have instead abandoned God.

PRAY: Pray for the elections next week and for godly, pro-life candidates to be elected. Pray that the right to life will be a right that everyone once again acknowledges and that the senseless slaughter of the unborn will finally be stopped.

AI Creates Fake Jesus Quote that Jesus Accepts Transgenderism

A fake Bible passage reportedly generated by ChatGPT about how Jesus accepts trans-identified individuals has generated responses from Christian scholars as some media outlets have touted the passage as an example of “much needed” tolerance. In July, one Reddit poster who was “feeling sad” shared a “fake biblical passage” that he asked ChatGPT to generate about “Jesus accepting trans people.”

The quote posted in the “r/trans” channel by user Psychological_Dog527 sounded eerily like a legitimate Bible verse, even going so far as to echo the cadence of the Gospel writers.

“And a woman, whose heart was divided between spirit and body, came before him. In quiet despair, she asked, ‘Lord, I come to you estranged, for my spirit and body are not one. How shall I hope to enter the kingdom of God?’” the fake passage states. “Jesus looked upon her with kindness, replying, ‘my child, blessed are those who strive for unity within themselves, for they shall know the deepest truths of my Father’s creation. Be not afraid, for in the kingdom of God, there is no man nor woman, as all are one in spirit. The gates of my Father’s kingdom will open for those who love and are loved, for God looks not upon the body, but the heart.”

While the passage is nowhere in Scripture, the poster said, “I know it’s not real, but it gave me some comfort.”

Pro-LGBT outlet The Advocate was among those outlets to hail the fabricated verse with a headline reading “ChatGPT Writes Trans-Affirming Bible Verse,” calling it “an affirming example of tolerance.”

Astrology columnist John Sundholm of YourTango went a step further, writing the AI-generated verse “is likely much needed given the all-out attacks being launched against transgender people by America’s right-wing, nearly all of it in God’s name.”

He added, “This verse has special resonance in 2023 because of the virulent transphobia and anti-[LGBT] sentiment and legislation that continues to sweep the country — much of it supported and funded by Christians.”

While it is not the first time a chatbot has generated theological controversy, the post raises questions about the role AI will play in offering interpretations of the Bible that may not conform to the authors’ original intent.

One of the real dangers in the modern age is that many people simply do not know their Bible in the way that previous generations did because of a reliance on technology. “Why memorize Scripture when you can just look it up on your phone?” is the anthem of many younger Christians. Whereas previous generations had entire books memorized, many Christians today in the West have very little memorized.

This creates a major problem if someone is attempting to “pass off” created verses that are clearly not in the Bible. If someone is not aware of what actually is in the Bible, then they are going to be much more susceptible to fall for these fake verses. Also, if they are reliant on technology to look up verses, what happens when AI begins to make websites and add these verses into the text? It will be almost impossible for many Christians to identify true passages for false passages.

We as Christians need to be wary of these types of additions that AI is creating for the text and to understand that not everything on the internet is legitimately from the Bible. Satan has always been a master at trying to corrupt the Word of God and will use any means possible to drive people away from the Scriptures.

Biblical Connections: 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. God’s Word is perfect just the way that it is, and we do not need AI to “fix” God’s Word to make it more tolerable to sin.

PRAY – Pray for wisdom and guidance for believers in a world full of deception. Pray that believers will be students of God’s Word so they will not fall for the lies of the enemy.

Archaeologist’s Research Support Bible’s Claims about King David

While some scholars have argued that the Bible’s description of King David ruling over a great kingdom is exaggerated, new research suggests that the land overseen by the Old Testament king was more well-developed than some critical experts believe. Prof. Yosef Garfinkel of the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University theorized in a paper published in the peer-reviewed Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology that King David ruled over an urban network of fortified cities, which supports the Bible’s description of his kingdom. Garfinkel outlined five different sites in his study — Khirbet Qeiyafa, Beth Shemesh, Lachish and Tell en-Naṣbeh and a country hill — finding that these locations had a fairly similar layout. Three of the sites had what’s known as a casemate wall, a double wall that typically protects a city or fortress. Some sites also contained Canaanite inscriptions, which the study suggested showed an “increasing demand for communication and a marker of centralized authority.”

As The Times of Israel reported, those who believe King David ruled over a few thousand Bedouin shepherds near Jerusalem fall into the “minimalist school” of archeological thought. The other school of thought aligns with the Bible’s description of King David ruling a vast kingdom. While Garfinkel’s paper appears to support the Bible’s account of King David’s kingdom, the professor said proving the Bible’s accuracy was not the purpose of the study. The scholar acknowledged that there are differing opinions on the usefulness of the Bible, but he argued, “that’s not science; that’s theology.”

“I hate to use the term ‘trying to prove the Bible’ because I’m not trying to prove anything,” Garfinkel told the outlet. “There are biblical traditions, and we can see if these have historical memories or not. … It doesn’t mean that everything, 100 percent, is historical memories. Sometimes there are mistakes. Sometimes there is wishful thinking. Sometimes there is ideology.”

Prof. Aren Maeir of Bar Ilan University believes that Garfinkel’s research is an “oversimplification,” referring to what he described as the paper’s “generalizations” as “problematic.” One of the issues is the controversy about whether Khirbet Qeiyafa was a Judahite or Canaanite city, according to Maeir. While the Bar Illan University professor agrees that historically, King David existed, he does not see enough evidence to determine the size of his kingdom.

“It’s like when a fisherman tells you about the type of fish he caught, and with each story, his arms get wider and wider,” Maeir told TOI. “Is it a sardine, a mackerel, or a blue whale? If you read the biblical text and take it literally, then it’s a blue whale. I think that probably there was a small kingdom in Jerusalem, but we don’t know the influence that this kingdom had.” Maeir, clearly in the minimalist camp, will find any out that he can to deny the data found in the Biblical text.

While archaeology will always be limited it what it can definitively “prove”, these types of archaeological finds are very important in the area of apologetics to show that the Bible’s history is not some made up myth or legend but is based on facts. Minimalists will always try to downplay these discoveries because they are unwilling to accept the historicity of the Bible. But as more discoveries are made, the historicity of the Bible gains stronger credibility.

Biblical Connections: The Bible clearly describes King David as being a king over a large empire. If the Bible is inspired by God, then these archaeological finds help to establish this with extra-biblical support.

PRAY: Pray that more and more discoveries will continue to be unearthed and that as they are found, it will lead unbelievers to the truth and validity of God’s Word.

New Digital ID System Attempts to Create a Global ID System

After three years in development, digital ID platform Worldcoin has officially launched. Worldcoin aims to provide its users with a verified digital identity, plus a cryptocurrency token named Worldcoin (WLD)—and a crypto wallet app. According to Worldcoin, advances in artificial intelligence have made it increasingly difficult to tell whether online activity, written text, digital artwork or really anything that exists on the internet came from real humans or AI. The company proposes to help resolve this confusion by deploying a sort of digital passport, based on what it calls “proof of personhood.”

Worldcoin’s platform verifies a user’s identity by scanning their iris to create personal, secure identification codes. The codes are saved on a decentralized blockchain, and the company claims they cannot be duplicated or spoofed to create false identities or engage in fraud. The company says that it signed up more than 2 million users in the beta testing stage. It now plans to roll out scanning operations in dozens of cities in 20 countries worldwide.

Much like fingerprints, every person’s iris pattern is different. The Orb scans a user’s iris and uses its structure to create a unique identification code called an IrisCode. The code is not associated with a user’s personal information—it exists solely to prevent people from acquiring more than one World ID. Worldcoin Orbs are available in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Paris, Lisbon, Mexico City, São Paulo, Nairobi, New York, San Francisco and approximately 25 other cities around the world.

The World App is the repository for your World ID. Worldcoin claims that the app preserves users’ privacy while also providing access to a growing roster of decentralized finance applications. The app functions as a crypto wallet, but its primary purpose is to store user credentials so that users can verify themselves on any third-party application. Besides your World ID, the app can hold Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDC, and the company says more cryptos will be supported in the future.

The project has already received a fair amount of criticism for its lofty goals and dubious methods. After launching, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin expressed his concerns about Worldcoin in a blog post. He argued the platform’s iris scans could be harvesting more information than the company is letting on, or that someone could potentially scan someone else’s iris in order to determine whether they had a World ID. Worldcoin has also been criticized for widely promoting the platform in the developing world. A significant portion of new users are in Asia and Africa, raising concerns about exploitation.

Biblical Connections: During the Tribulation period, the kingdom of the Antichrist will attempt to control the economy of the entire world (Revelation 13:17). People for centuries have wondered how this could be possible? How could the Antichrist and the False Prophet truly control the entire global population and economy? It seemed impossible for so many centuries of Biblical interpretation. Systems like this Worldcoin will be needed in order to control the global economy. A system that could register the entire world could easily be used by the Antichrist and the False Prophet to control and dominate. If you combine a system like this identity system with another system that controls a global currency, then you could easily see how the events described in Revelation 13 could be accomplished. While Worldcoin itself is not some kind of evil corporation, systems like this could show that we are getting closer and closer to the time of the Tribulation.

PRAY: Pray that if we are getting closer to the day of Tribulation and the return of Christ in the Rapture that evangelism will continue and as many people as possible will be saved.

United Nations Attacks Traditional Values on Marriage

A key advisor for the United Nations suggested in a recent report that “discriminatory positions of prejudice” are not protected by religious freedom rights, a report one advocacy group said could have “exceptionally radical” implications for Bible-believing Christians. Costa Rican lawyer Victor Madrigal-Borloz, whose official title is “Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” for the U.N., made the statement in a presentation to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

In his report to the council, Madrigal-Borloz blamed “religious communities” for “violence, discrimination and exclusion” toward gays, lesbians, bisexual and trans-identified people. After receiving testimony from various LGBT-identified people over the last six years, Madrigal-Borloz said he frequently came across situations in which someone who wished to “pursue happiness by embracing their sexual orientation or gender identity” was deterred by the prospect that “the religion in which they were born would consider them as sinful, or evil; as inherently immoral, or not worthy of transcendence.”

In one of the report’s more targeted allegations, Madrigal-Borloz referenced “dark corners where LGBT people are regarded as sinners,” an obvious reference to the biblical teaching of various Christian denominations. He also blamed such theology for aiding in the denial of the “right to equality” for LGBT-identified people. “Laws enacted with the aim of mandating standards of conduct purportedly demanded by interpretations of religious dogma effectively deny LGBT and other gender diverse persons the right to equality and, often, equal recognition under the law,” he wrote.

Madrigal-Borloz equated “hate speech” against LGBT-identified people with “positing LGBT individuals as a threat to the traditional family and interpreting religious doctrines to exclude and promote violence and discrimination against homosexuality and gender nonconformity.” Religious freedoms, he added, are not adequate legal protection for anyone who uses their beliefs for not only violence but also “denial of the human rights of LGBT persons.” “Violent and discriminatory positions of prejudice are beyond the international legal protections of religious or other beliefs,” he said. While the report does not establish any new U.N. policy or guidelines, the Office of Independent Expert — which works on a voluntary basis — acts as the “eyes and ears” of the body and presents recommendations.

What does all this mean for Christians and people of other faiths? Arielle Del Turco, the director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council called the report “staggering” and warned it could potentially lay the groundwork for more religious interference from the U.N. While purporting to address violence against LGBT-identified groups, Del Turco said the report does not speak to violence but rather “the failure of religious groups to affirm LGBT identity or behavior.” “So by the U.N. independent expert making this report and supposedly trying to find a way for LGBT rights and religious freedom to coexist, we see even that at the very core of the report is a huge elevation for LGBT rights,” she stated.

Another troubling issue, Del Turco said, is that with this report, the U.N. appears to be acting as a theological or ideological authority for the religions of the world. “Essentially, this U.N. expert is telling religious groups that we ourselves are interpreting our own religions incorrectly, and actually, our religions probably do affirm some of these LGBT behaviors, do affirm gender ideology,” she said. “That is exceptionally radical.”

Del Turco said what is at stake is not merely religious freedom, but freedom of speech. She pointed to one section of the report: “hate speech and incitement,” which includes a discussion on how religious communities discuss LGBT topics. “For example, when Christian communities talk about sin, according to their reading of the Bible, that’s a problem to these LGBT activists who are now running the United Nations,” she said.

Biblical Connections: In John 15:18, Jesus said “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

PRAY: Pray that these extremists in the leadership of the UN will stop this madness and allow for the truth of the Bible.

Iran Develops New Weapons to Threaten Israel and US

When many think of Iran, they immediately think of their nuclear missile program, which is itself a dangerous endeavor. However, Iran also has been working on building up other areas in their military arsenal. They are already known as a major player in drone technology and recently have unleashed some new weapons and technology.

First, Iran recently announced a new generation of Ghadir midget submarines and Fateh submarines will be made for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy. The Iranian navy is historically quite small, but Iran does operate several submarines, including several Russian submarines it has used since the 1990sas well as these newly constructed midget submarines. While it is unlikely that Iran would be able to meet the West on the open seas soon, a submarine force could cause trouble in the region.

Second, Iran continues to advance their drone technology to rival the United States and Israel. Recently, Iran unveiled a new armed drone that resembled the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, claiming that the drone even has the ability to reach Israel from its launch sites in Iran. The drone can fly non-stop for 24 hours with an operational range of around 1,200 miles and is capable of carrying a bomb payload of up to 660 pounds, according to the state-run IRNA News Agency. It also can reach a maximum speed of 130 mph and is "equipped with electronic warfare and intelligence-gathering systems," a report from IRNA added.

"Today, we can firmly introduce Iran as an advanced and technologic nation to the world," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said. Iran has in the past captured U.S. drones or pieces of them, but there's no evidence that it has taken a General Atomics' Reaper, which is flown by the U.S. Air Force and allied American nations as a "hunter-killer" drone that can operate at high altitudes for long hours and follow a target before attacking. North Korea in July showed off drones mirroring the Reaper, possibly designed from publicly available information about the aircraft.

This is not the first time that Iran has attempted to copy American drone technology. In December 2011, Iran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel flown by the CIA to monitor Iranian nuclear sites after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan. Iran later reverse-engineered the drone to create their own variants. In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk in the Strait of Hormuz amid high tensions over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Some experts are also concerned that Iran will get their hands on some of the military equipment that was left over from the US withdrawal from Iraq and try to reverse engineer more military technology wherever possible.

Perhaps these new technological advancements have also boosted Iran’s confidence in a potential conflict with the West. At the event marking the creation of the new subs, Iran officials stated “The presence of the US military and the military in Syrian territory is completely illegal. The Syrian government has not invited the American military, and the official request of the Syrian government is the withdrawal of the American military forces from the territory of this country as soon as possible.” Tehran’s comments appear to be a warning to the US that Iran could encourage proxy groups to continue to target Americans in Syria. The Iranian Foreign Ministry says the US is the “source” of instability in Syria. “We consider the US presence in the region to be contrary to regional peace,” Iran said. “This presence has always disturbed peace.”

Biblical Connection: Iran is one of the nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39 in the war of Gog and Magog against the nation of Israel. Their continued military buildup, along with their strong ties to Russia, continue to possibly lay the groundwork for this future war.

PRAY: Pray that Iran’s military aggression will be limited and will not lead to a war in the region in the immediate future.

Israeli Judicial Reform Protests Continue

For months, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Israel in the most sustained and intense demonstrations the country has ever seen. The protesters rose out of opposition to a judicial overhaul spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The proposals include a bill that would allow a simple majority in parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions. Another would give parliament the final say in selecting judges. Last month, the first piece of that legislative package passed: Israel’s parliament approved a measure that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.” Netanyahu’s allies say the package is meant to restore power to elected officials and reduce the powers of unelected judges.

While protests are not unknown in Israel, these protests have taken on a new push as many of the protesters have said they will not show up for their military duties if the laws are passed. Israel has mandatory military service for most of its citizens and so having protesters ignore their military duty would be a major blow to their national defense.

The protesters fear the overhaul will push Israel toward autocracy. They say it is a power grab fueled by various personal and political grievances by Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, and his allies.

Proponents say the current “reasonability” standard gives judges’ excessive powers over decision making by elected officials. Israel does not have a constitution in the same manner as the United States. This means the judiciary are not judges whether laws are “constitutional” but instead are simply “reasonable”, a much vaguer term. But critics say that removing the standard, which is invoked only in rare cases, would allow the government to pass arbitrary decisions, make improper appointments or firings and open the door to corruption.

Protesters say Netanyahu and his allies want to change the law so they can appoint allies to government posts — and particularly so that they can fire the country’s independent attorney general, according to Amir Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.

The measures “make it more difficult to conduct oversight” over arbitrary decisions of elected officials, said Yohanan Plesner, the institute’s president. “This is one chapter of a broader plan and program of the government to weaken the checks and balances.” Netanyahu has dismissed accusations that the plan would destroy Israel’s democratic foundations as absurd. “This is an attempt to mislead you over something that has no basis in reality,” he said.

Israel has minimal local governance and lacks a formal constitution. This means that most of the power is centralized in parliament, where Netanyahu’s coalition has a majority. The “basic laws” — foundational laws that experts describe as a sort of informal constitution — can be changed at any time by that majority.

While this is strictly a dispute within the government structure of Israel, it has not stopped others outside of Israel from addressing the protests. President Biden, in a phone call with Netanyahu, told him that he was rushing the process and did not have a mandate to pass the laws, even though Netanyahu has a majority in his parliament. It is rare for a foreign leader to address another nation’s internal political situation, but Israel has always been under more scrutiny than other nations.

Biblical Connection: The Bible has a clear emphasis on justice within the government. As long as the Israeli government does not abuse this power, it fits within a Biblical structure.

How Does Russian Chaos Impact Prophecy?

The recent Russian attempted coup by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has created some chaos in Russia. Prigozhin was furious at the leaders of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, whom he repeatedly accused of sending tens of thousands of Russian soldiers to certain death through their corruption, incompetence, and cowardice. Over 20,000 of his own fighters were killed in the bloody battle for Bakhmut – a town of only 70,000 inhabitants before the war. He publicly blamed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for Russia’s casualties and battlefield struggles. This led him to try to a mild coup, which ultimately failed and led to his exile to Belarus. While the coup did little to impact Russia today, it did show that the nation is in serious chaos with the war in Ukraine.

This was by far the most serious threat to Putin’s 23-year rule. On the one hand, you’re not supposed to be able to defy Putin in Russia this way and get away with it. Yet the men who shot down and killed an estimated 13 Russian pilots on their way to Moscow were pardoned. And the man who openly defied Putin’s orders, discredited his rationale for the war in Ukraine, and whom Putin declared a traitor on public television, is still alive (at least for now). Putin has jailed and killed people for a lot less, so this makes him look weak before the Russian public and the elites.

On the other hand, Putin’s regime was tested over the weekend, and the regime ultimately held together. Yes, there were a lot of people who didn’t fire to stop Wagner troops from advancing, but there were virtually no defections inside the Russian government, the military, or among elites. The government is still functioning normally, and the war in Ukraine is going the way it did before the mutiny. Putin is more vulnerable on the back of it, but that’s more a long-term than an immediate issue. The likelihood of regime change in Russia remains near zero … until it happens. But these events show that the risks are more than initially thought.

How does this coup impact the war in Ukraine? The incident is a problem for Putin’s credibility with elites and the Russian public, and this political vulnerability could make him more sensitive to major battlefield losses in the coming months. If we get to a point later in the summer or fall where Ukraine starts to threaten Crimea or the land bridge, the risk of a major Russian escalation (such as blowing up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant or using a tactical nuclear weapon) in response would go up.

Biblical Connection: How does this chaos impact Russia in prophecy? When the Ukraine war began, many students of Biblical prophecy saw this aggression as a sign that Russia could be moving toward the Gog-Magog prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39. However, with the weakness of the Russian forces in Ukraine, it is clear that Russia is not as strong military as many thought. If Putin feels threatened or feels desperate, then he really only has two options. First, he may try to sue for peace and turn his resources to reestablishing his strength in his own nation. This would seem to point away from more Russian aggression in the near future. However, if Putin feels pressure to continue to show Russia is strong on the world stage, it could lead to more Russian aggression, which could lead to something like the Gog-Magog situation, especially if Putin turns to Iran to help its military exploits across the globe.

PRAY: Pray that the situation in Ukraine would end peacefully and that Russian aggression would be limited and halted.

World Economic Forum Calls for AI to Rewrite Bible

A top official with the World Economic Forum (WEF) has called for religious scripture to be “rewritten” by artificial intelligence (AI) to create a globalized “new Bible.” Yuval Noah Harari, the senior advisor to the WEF and its chairman Klaus Schwab, argued that using AI to replace scriptures will create unified “religions that are actually correct.” Harari, an influential author and professor, made the call while giving a talk on the “future of humanity.”

According to Harari, the power of AI can be harnessed and used to reshape spirituality into the WEF’s globalist vision of “equity” and inclusivism. Speaking with journalist Pedro Pinto in Lisbon, Portugal, Harari told the elitist audience: “It’s the first technology ever that can create new ideas. You know, the printing press, radio, television, they broadcast, they spread the ideas created by the human brain, by the human mind. They cannot create a new idea. You know, Gutenberg printed the Bible in the middle of the 15th century; the printing press printed as many copies of the Bible as Gutenberg instructed it, but it did not create a single new page. It had no ideas of its own about the Bible: Is it good? Is it bad? How to interpret this? How to interpret that?”

Harari then revealed that he and his allies at the WEF have a solution to the supposed problems he’d just highlighted. “AI can create new ideas; it can even write a new Bible,” he declared. “Throughout history, religions dreamt about having a book written by a superhuman intelligence, by a non-human entity,” he added. “In a few years, there might be religions that are actually correct … just think about a religion whose holy book is written by an AI. That could be a reality in a few years.”

Harari noted in another recent gathering that software like ChatGPT has mastered human languages and can harness that function to influence culture. “For thousands of years, prophets and poets and politicians have used language and storytelling in order to manipulate and to control people and to reshape society,” he said. “Now AI is likely to be able to do it. And once it can… it doesn’t need to send killer robots to shoot us. It can get humans to pull the trigger.”

Harari frequently pushes ideas that involve humanity being replaced by machines. He gloated last year that “we just don’t need the vast majority of the population” in today’s world and that most of the general public has now become “redundant” and will be of little use to the global elite in the future.

“The future is about developing more and more sophisticated technology, like artificial intelligence and bioengineering. Most people don’t contribute anything to that, except perhaps for their data, and whatever people are still doing which is useful, these technologies increasingly will make redundant and will make it possible to replace the people” he stated.

Biblical Connections: Romans 1:22 states “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” Throughout history people have tried to replace God and His Word with their own creations. In Biblical times, it was with pagan idolatry. Now, the invention of AI has given a new way to try to replace God. Sinful man will always try to find ways to replace God with the things of the world.

PRAY: Pray that those people who are trying to replace God and His Word with the inventions of man will understand the errors of their ways.

Fox News: Donate to Satanic Temple but not Christian Organizations?

Fox News donated money to several left-leaning advocacy organizations, including The Satanic Temple, according to a recent report, as the network comes under fire for its behind-the-scenes embrace of LGBT ideology and other progressive causes. Fox News has developed a reputation as the go-to media outlet for conservative Americans. However, whistleblowers who either currently work at or once worked at the media outlet recently said that Fox News’ parent company is willing to match donations of up to $1,000 to several left-wing advocacy groups through its “Fox Giving” app.

Blaze Media’s Director of Programming Rikki Ratliff-Feldman spoke with two Fox News employees and one former Fox News producer who revealed that the company matches donations to three notoriously liberal advocacy organizations: abortion provider Planned Parenthood, LGBT activist group the Trevor Project and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Fox also matches donations to The Satanic Temple, which is known for its After School Satan Club launched to counter the Good News Club.

Screenshots provided in the Blaze report back up the whistleblowers’ accounts. A close-up screenshot of the company portal’s page offering employees the opportunity to donate to Planned Parenthood describes the company as “a respected leader in educating Americans about reproductive and sexual health.” The portal makes no mention of the company’s role in performing nearly 400,000 abortions in fiscal year 2021-'22. As for the Southern Poverty Law Center, the organization came under fire recently for listing the parental rights group Moms for Liberty on its “hate map” alongside the Ku Klux Klan. The SPLC has developed a reputation for labeling opponents of progressive ideology as “hate groups.”

Ratliff-Feldman reported that “I watched one source physically log in to their company portal, at Myfox.okta.com to confirm the giving app and to see some of the questionable charities and the donation match option for myself to verify nothing was photoshopped.” The former producer who spoke with Blaze Media cited the company’s willingness to match donations to the far-left advocacy groups as evidence of “complete disregard and hatred for Fox’s core audience, which is a huge part of the country.”

While some can argue that as long as the company is consistently matching donations to other groups as well, then it is not a big deal. However, Fox’s internal donation policy stresses that the company “will not match or provide volunteering rewards to: Donations to organizations that discriminate on the basis of a personal characteristic or attribute, including, but not limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity characteristics or expression, marital status, … pregnancy or medical condition either in its selection of recipients of the organization’s services, funds, or other support; in delivery of services or in its employment practices.” Additionally, the company does not match “donations made to organizations that are private and non-operating, or political, religious, or fraternal in nature.”

This means that Fox is fine with donating to these liberal leaning groups but will not match the same type of conservative leaning groups because they are “political or religious” in nature. How can Christian groups be considered religious, but the Satanic Temple not be considered religious? It is a double standard that makes no logical sense. It is clear that the head of the company making these decisions is picking and choosing which organizations they will support and not support, even while claiming to be a neutral or even a conservative leaning organization.

Biblical Connections: 2 Corinthians 11:14 states “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Satan has always attempted to make himself seem as a legitimate option in comparison to God and yet true believers know that this is clearly a deception that only fuels the powers of sin and darkness.

PRAY - Pray that these companies that donate to radical anti-Christian agendas will see the error in their ways.

Are Technological Advances Moving toward Mark of the Beast?

The Elon Musk-founded Neuralink, the medical device company developing implantable brain-computer interface microchips, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to start human clinical trials as early as this summer. The company announced what it calls “an important first step” and expects to share more information on recruitment for the clinical trial in the near future. “We are excited to share that we have received the FDA’s approval to launch our first-in-human clinical study!” the company tweeted. “This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people. Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trial. We’ll announce more information on this soon!”

While details are still scant, the trial is expected to focus on Neuralink’s brain-computer interface (BCI), a Class III medical device that connects the brain to an external computer using a Bluetooth signal. With this connection, the device — a coin-sized chip called the “Link” — allows for continuous communication and is designed to not only “read” neural activity but “write” signals into the brain. Musk has said Neuralink could potentially restore eyesight and motor function for disabled patients and offer the ability to control electronic devices mentally. Neuralink does not currently have any clinical trials available for enrollment but has created a patient registry for those interested in participating in future trials.

Musk has said his inspiration behind the company in the first place was to be a “risk mitigation for digital super-intelligence.” “The reason I created Neuralink long-term as a risk mitigation for digital super-intelligence, in that if we are able to effectively achieve symbiosis with digital intelligence, then … the collective human will is better able to steer things in the direction that we’d like, or even with benign AI, at least go along for the ride,” he said in a 2021 interview. Among other goals, Musk said he’s confident Neuralink will ultimately allow paraplegic or even tetraplegic to operate a phone “faster than someone who has … working hands.”

Dr. Travis Losey, the vice-chair of the department of neurology and co-director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Loma Linda University in southern California, said in a 2021 interview that when it comes to the use of brain interface technology, the purpose should be to heal something that was harmed by disease or a disorder. “The core ethical issue with the brain-computer interface is similar to issues with medication,” he offered. “I think it’s only ethical to use medications when they are being used to restore function that has been lost or affected by a disease. The same principles would apply to brain-computer interfaces.”

Biblical Connections: While the technology that Mr. Musk and others are creating could be a great benefit in the medical field, it could also be possible that this type of technology or something close to it could be used in the future to create the Mark of the Beast, written about in Revelation 13. If one combines the idea of a completely digital currency with the combination of neurochips like this technology, then one could easily see how a Mark of the Beast could be pushed through in the times of the Antichrist that cannot be faked, that could be taken everywhere and that would allow for access to the global markets. While we should not reject technology meaninglessly, we also should recognize that the advancements could be getting us closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation.

PRAY: Pray that these types of technological advancements will be used worldwide for good and to truly help people.

Digital Currency Continues to Create Controversy

Florida has become the first state in the nation to ban the use of any federally adopted central bank digital currency (CBDC) by excluding it from the definition of money within Florida’s Uniform Commercial Code. Under Senate Bill 7054, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law, both domestic and foreign-issued CBDCs are prohibited in order to “protect consumers against globalist efforts to adopt a worldwide digital currency.” “The government and large credit card companies should not have the power to shut off access to your hard-earned money because they disagree with your politics,” DeSantis said in a statement.

The signing of SB7054 comes just over a year after President Joe Biden signed an executive order last March to explore the creation of a U.S. version of a CBDC, which is a digital form of a country’s sovereign currency. Part of the reason for SB7054, said DeSantis, was that any CBDC “aims to increase government control over people’s finances, and we will not allow it.”

In a statement, DeSantis warned that any federally sanctioned CBDC, as proposed by the Biden administration, would “diminish the role of community banks and credit unions in our financial system as CBDC currency would be a direct liability of the federal government, rather than of a chartered financial institution, shrinking market lending power. “In Florida, we value personal freedom and won’t allow self-interested elites to chip away at our liberty,” he added.

While any Federal Reserve-backed digital currency won’t be used in Florida anytime soon, Texas is also taking steps that would allow the state to issue its own digital currency backed not by the U.S. dollar but by gold. Senate Bill 2334 would grant authority to the Texas comptroller to establish a digital currency backed by gold and to mint coins so that each unit of the digital currency would represent a particular fraction of a troy ounce of gold, the traditional unit of gold weight, according to the bill’s text.

If passed, SB2334 would also authorize the state comptroller to contract with a private vendor to establish the digital currency, as well as “a means to ensure that a person who holds the digital currency may readily transfer or assign the digital currency to any other person by electronic means” for everyday use. Those with digital currency accounts would see their balances fluctuate based on gold prices, which are currently around $2,000 per ounce.

While gold has been a trusted storage of wealth for millennia, it’s usually considered as either insurance or an investment rather than for everyday commerce. However, with central banks across the world increasing their gold reserves sharply in 2022 — up as much as 18% from the previous year — last year, the Federal Reserve of New York, along with other major banks, launched a pilot program for a digital dollar that will test the use of such tokens in the U.S. banking system.

According to Chuck Bentley, CEO of Crown Financial Ministries, since roughly one-third of all retail transactions in the U.S. are still conducted in cash, the implementation of a cashless economy is still likely a ways off. “It is not likely that this will go away as quickly as we may think for a couple of reasons: retailers want to retain the customers who use cash, and policymakers want to be sure that the ‘unbanked’ are not discriminated against,” he said. Still, the movement away from traditional forms of currency and to digital currency that could easily be controlled through a central governmental force could be a sign we are getting closer to the type of economy needed for the rise of the Antichrist.

Biblical Connection: Revelation 13:17 states “and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

PRAY: Pray that as we are moving toward the end, that God will spare more time for unbelievers to come to salvation.