The Recent Peace Agreement

The recent peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain brokered by President Trump has raised numerous questions related to Bible prophecy. Some are asking: Is this the peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel (Daniel 9:27)? Others are asking: How does this agreement fit with the Gog and Magog prophecy (Ezekiel 38-39)? Still others want to know: Does this have anything at all to do with Bible prophecy?

I believe the Bible gives us some very specific clues to help us answer those questions.

1.      This is definitely not the peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel! The Antichrist will not be revealed until after the Restrainer is removed at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:3-10). Also, this new agreement with two Arab states does not in itself guarantee Israel’s safety.

2.      It is much more likely that the peace agreement with UAE and Bahrain continues to set the stage for the Gog and Magog invasion described in Ezekiel 38-39. That prophecy depicts a massive invasion of Israel in the last days (38:16) from every direction involving Magog (Russia), Persia (Iran) Cush (Sudan) and Put (Libya). Since this prophecy has never been fulfilled, it must come to pass at some future time. By today’s observation this appears to be a Russian-backed Islamic invasion of Israel in the last days.

In relation to the current situation 3 things stand out. Three entities will protest the invasion but will not act in Israel’s defense: Sheba and Dedan represent Arabia and Tarshish represents Western Europe (38:13). Unnamed in this prophecy are Egypt and Jordan, both of which already have peace treaties with Israel. In other words, there could not be a more clear scenario than we have now. Russia and Iran will head the attack with support from other Muslim states. Western Europe (EU) will object but refuse to intervene. The same will be true of the Arab states (the Saudis, the Emirates and Bahrain) as well as Egypt and Jordan. What part the USA will play remains to be seen. Will they stay out of the conflict like Europe? Time will tell. If the future political leaders of the US are anti-Israel this could well be the case.

3.      The current peace agreements certainly seen to be setting the prophetic stage for the final fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. If we understand the prophecy correctly this recent move should not surprise us. It should get our attention! We appear to be one step closer to the final fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. In the meantime should we pray for peace, work for peace and hope for peace in the immediate future? Yes! But at the same time, we need to be aware that there will be no lasting peace until Jesus, the Prince of Peace, returns. In the meantime, the prophetic clock is ticking. Keep looking up (Luke 21:28).

China Orders Christians to Stop Believing in God

House churches across China have experienced intensified persecution in recent months, with Communist officials telling Christians they are not permitted to believe in God in the atheist country. Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion which covers human rights issues in China, documented numerous instances where Christians were threatened and harassed by Chinese Communist Party officials.

In June, a group of officials in the county-level city of Leiyang, in the central province of Hunan, raided a house church. They confiscated the church’s donation box and destroyed Bible verses on the walls, telling the Christians their actions were “the result of their disobedience” and that it was “illegal to hold religious gatherings without a permit or joining the Three-Self Church.”

In May, the Religious Affairs Bureau in the province’s Yongzhou city shut down a house church for “holding illegal gatherings without permits” and confiscated all valuables in the venue, including a computer, a photocopier, and Bibles.

In April, police in Dengzhou city in the central province of Henan raided a house church, confiscated its Bibles and hymnbooks, and took eight congregation members to a police station for interrogation. One Christian later revealed that a police officer said to him that they could “not believe in God in China.” The believer also revealed that half a month later, police visited the eight arrested members at home to ask if they had continued to attend religious gatherings. Officers warned them that they would be sentenced to three to five years in prison if they gather again.

“We don’t break any law by believing in God, but the government treats us this way,” the believer said. “The government wants to eliminate all religions and threatens us with the future of our family members, forcing us to give up our belief. It’s really shameless.”

Protestant Christianity is one of five approved religions alongside Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Catholicism in China. Religious organizations must register with one of five state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations, which are supervised by the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

Christian churches that refuse to register with the government, known as “house churches,” are illegal. However, even Three-Self churches — those registered with the government — have experienced an uptick in persecution in recent months.

Numerous reports have revealed the persecution Christians have endured at the hands of the CCP, including arrests, detentions, imprisonments, and church attacks. Such persecution is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to abolish religion and enforce greater control over people’s lives.

The magazine reported that “countless number of churches” were also ordered to remove their crosses in Jiujiang, Fuzhou, Fengcheng, Shangrao, and a few other cities in the province in April.

Persecution watchdog Open Doors USA ranks China as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. The organization notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political, or invite foreign guests.

This type of persecution should not surprise anyone. Everywhere communism has spread, religious persecution has quickly followed. Communism, combined with the rise of secular atheism, has created a worldwide environment where persecution has risen dramatically. If the United States continues to become more secular and moves toward communistic ideals, then persecution could quickly follow and soon it could be illegal to go to church, read a Bible, pray or even believe in God.

PRAY: Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China who are being targeted for their faith. Pray that America will turn away from secularism and turn back to God.

Franklin Graham Warns Socialist Left Will 'Close the Church Down’

Prominent evangelical leader Franklin Graham says that the Democratic Party is “opposed to faith” and warns that the left will “close the Church down in many places” should the United States fall into the embrace of socialism. “The Democrats, if anything, they are opposed to faith,” Graham asserted after being asked to compare and contrast the major parties’ positions on faith.

“The Democrats have taken God pretty much … out of government,” he added, later stating that the changes that “the left want to make and take us into socialism is going to affect the Church. The government will … begin to tell the Church how [it] can be the Church and they’ll close the Church down in many places,” Graham warned. “We see right now because of COVID, the government trying to tell the Church that they can not meet and the Constitution gives us that freedom to do that. But because of COVID, they said we can’t meet.”

The outspoken evangelist assured that there are millions of Democrats who are “wonderful people” and stated that his father was a lifelong Democrat who “never switched parties.” He argued that his dad “saw the party that he grew up in changing and moving to the left. That’s what it’s done,” Graham contended. “The Democratic Party today is a party of the left. It’s a socialist party, they want socialism for this country.”

“I am just asking that God would spare this country, for another four years, to give us a little bit more time to do the work before the storm hits. I believe the storm is coming. You are going to see Christians attacked, you are going to see churches close and you are going to see a real hatred expressed toward people of faith. That is coming,” Graham continued. “Jesus told us. He said, ‘You will be hated by all people because of me.’ And if we are going to stand for the name of Christ, the world will hate us.” Graham had previously spoken about the “absence of God” at the Democratic National Convention in a Facebook post.

Shortly after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate, Graham called the “the most pro-abortion presidential ticket in the history of our nation” a source of “great concern to all Christians." Graham also stated “the only hope for this country is God. Donald Trump can’t turn it around,” Graham stressed. “Biden isn’t going to turn it around. Only God can do this … and we need God’s help.”

An example of the types of actions Graham is warning about is already occurring in California, where Los Angeles County officials have attempted on four separate occasions to shut down Grace Community Church. Pastor John Macarthur has taken the officials to court over their bans, arguing that the First Amendment does not allow for the government to tell churches they are not allowed to meet in person. After four different count filings, Los Angeles County has notified the church that it will soon be evicted from a parcel of land it uses as a parking lot, a move lawyers say is retaliation for the church’s decision to hold indoor worship services amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some officials have even warned that the church could suffer fines and Pastor MacArthur has stated that he is willing to go to prison to keep the church open and meeting. Graham warns that if the Left continues its push towards socialism and gains control, more of these types of assaults on pastors and churches will become common throughout the nation.

Pray- Pray that our nation will turn back to God and move away from the secular culture that is dramatically turning the country away from its religious foundations.

Could the Coronavirus be setting the stage for the Rise of the Antichrist?

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,

or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 13:17

One of the questions that many Christians are asking is how the coronavirus could be impacting prophecy and the end times. While the virus itself is not a prophetic event, it could be setting the stage for the antichrist in three main areas: stronger government regulations (especially with regards to religious services), a push for a one world government and a possible move to both a cashless and global economy.

First, the coronavirus has created stronger government regulations throughout much of the world, even in most of the democratic nations that tend to be the most free. While some government regulations are necessary, continually increasing power and control in the hands of a few politicians and allowing them to make decisions on when people can leave their houses, which stores are allowed to be open and even when or if people are allowed to attend religious services. While it is true that many of these regulations may be lessoned if the virus lessens, it is also establishing a framework that would allow very few people massive control throughout the world. Perhaps the antichrist will one day be able to use this same type of structure to control and regulate the world, especially if people assume that the Rapture is some type of pandemic event.

Second, many, such as Al Gore, have taken the pandemic as an opportunity to push for a stronger one world government. When you combine this push for a single power in control with the stronger regulations that have occurred, it becomes very easy to see how someone like the antichrist could easily gain control of enough power to take control of the major nations of the world. Some have always wondered how the antichrist could possibly gain so much power and make so many changes so quickly during the time of the Tribulation. Perhaps this pandemic has shown us a blueprint of how something like this could occur. We would never have dreamed that so much of our daily life could be changed as quickly as it did in March. The Rapture, perhaps seen by the world as some type of pandemic, could very well be a catalyst that then allows the antichrist to rise to power in a similar manner.

Finally, the coronavirus has caused and will continue to cause dramatic changes to not only the economy of the United States, but also the entire world. Many have already been pushing for a cashless society for years and the pandemic has even heightened these calls.

A recent New York Times article was published entitled “Our Cash-Free Future Is Getting Closer: The pandemic is propelling a shift toward a cashless society in ways that no other single event has.” Liz Alderman writes, “Cash was already being edged out in many countries as urban consumers paid increasingly with apps and cards for even the smallest purchases. But the coronavirus is accelerating a shift toward a cashless future, raising new calculations for merchants and enriching the digital payments industry.”

Why would this be important? For centuries people have wondered how the antichrist could use the mark of the beast to control buying and selling of goods (Rev. 13:17). All of the different currencies and cash would make that a very difficult proposition. However, a cashless society makes this much easier, as the government could simply block off someone’s account and cards and completely cut off their ability to purchase goods. While it is not definitive that the coronavirus is setting the stage for the antichrist’s rise, these events do offer a blueprint on how his rise to power could occur in the future.

Historic Middle East Agreement

Last week, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations between the two nations and establish full diplomatic ties. In this agreement, led by the United States and brokered by President Donald Trump, the UAE became the first Arab country to formalize a relationship with Israel in more than 25 years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed agreed to exchange ambassadors and open each country to tourism and trade.

A joint statement released by the United States, Israel and the UAE, expressed that “this historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential of the region. All three countries face many common challenges and will mutually benefit from today’s historic achievement.”

This agreement launched the Strategic Agenda for the Middle East working to expand diplomatic, trade, and security cooperation, thus leading to better lives for ALL peoples in these regions. It also led to immediate cooperation between the nations to develop a coronavirus vaccine to help save Muslim, Jewish, and Christian lives.

As for their part of the deal, Israel said it would halt annexation in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank. Iran and Turkey have both denounce the agreement. However, Middle East expert Joel Rosenberg told CBN News that he believes Turkey’s reaction to the peace deal is revealing:

“Why is that interesting? Because Turkey has a relationship [with Israel]. They have full normalization with us here in Israel. So, the idea that the would-be ‘sultan’ of Turkey is condemning a Muslim state for creating a full normalization with Israel that he already has, it’s ridiculous and it’s hypocritical.

“It’s indicative of the fact that Erdogan [Turkey’s president] is taking his country out of the western moderate camp, into the Iranian, Islamism more radical camp. And that’s a long-term, very serious problem.”

The UAE is the third Arab country to have full diplomatic ties to Israel. Egypt and Jordan are the first two Arab countries to have such a relationship with Israel.

Pray: President Erdogan and the leaders of Iran have stated in the past that they want to conquer the Holy City. We must continue to pray for the ever-changing relationships in the Middle East and for the

peace of Jerusalem.

America is at the Tipping Point!

As we begin our 245th year, the nation faces its most serious crisis in recent history. Anti-American forces are attempting to undermine and destroy the very soul of the world’s greatest nation. The convergence of political extremism, social unrest, pandemic paralysis and general confusion has left us gasping for breath and groping for solutions.

Many are confused, asking: What is happening to our country? Where did all this begin? Why are we so divided?

Let us begin by examining the root cause of the current chaos. In the nineteenth century, then Princeton theologian Charles Hodge warned that when American education ceased to be distinctively Christian it would only remain neutral (non-Christian) for a while and then ultimately turn decisively Anti-Christian. Within 100 years, his prediction came true.

The Supreme Court decision in 1962 (Engel v. Vitale) ruled prayer out of the public schools. Subsequently, even voluntary moments of silence were eliminated and in time all religious instruction was banned from American public education.

While students are still free to pray privately or in small groups, the absence of God in American public education is now glaringly obvious. The result is rampant secularization.

The secularization of America has increasingly grown into a stranglehold on public discourse. Nearly 60 years later the process looks like this:

1.  Secularism: There is no god

2.  Relativism: There is no truth

3.  Selfism: I am all that matters

4.  Materialism: Give me more stuff.

5.  Mysticism: Redefine reality.

The war against America is the result of the spiritual battle for the soul of the nation. It plays out in several areas under the disguise of social justice and political correctness. But make no mistake, it is a covert attack of Satan against the very heart of America’s Christian values. Here is how it works:

Deny Our Heritage: Eliminate any positive discussion of Christian influence in America’s founding. Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, and others seeking religious freedom are portrayed as “invaders” who mistreated Native Americans.

Defame Our Heroes: Emphasize their faults and weaknesses while neglecting their contributions. Denounce Christopher Columbus, who lived in 1492, by the standards of 21st century “correctness.” On that basis, nobody living in 1492 was “acceptable!” Everyone becomes a target of the culture wars: Washington, Jefferson, even Lincoln.

Desecrate Our Monuments: Public statues and government monuments are symbols of the America that extremists want to destroy. This is not merely about the Civil War or racial injustice. The extremists, like Antifa, want everything gone. “Tear it all down!” they keep shouting.

Dismantle Our Freedoms: Free speech is only acceptable for the radical, liberal left. Conservative Christians are denounced as racists, bigots, and anti-intellectuals. Any attempt to criticize or question the left-wing agenda is met with censorship, hostility, and ridicule.

Destroy Our Nation: The end result of the secular onslaught will eventually bring America down. Left unchecked, a godless society will implode. Perhaps this is why America is not specifically identified in Bible prophecies of the End Times.

America is in serious trouble and only the power of God can save us. We desperately need His divine intervention. America needs a spiritual awakening and a genuine revival of repentance, regeneration, and re-engagement with the culture. Nothing short of a radiant, Spirit-filled Christianity can speak truth into a decadent and self-destructive culture.

Scientists Use Corona-virus as Excuse to “Play God”

Recently, the world learned that researchers at London’s Francis Crick Institute used CRISPR technology to genetically edit 18 embryos. Around half of the embryos suffered the kinds of major mutations and genetic damage that could lead to birth defects and life-shortening medical problems. The horrifying results led one gene-editing expert to call for “a restraining order for all genome editors to stay the living daylights away from embryo editing.”

Unfortunately, the desire to play god with the human genome is not easily discouraged. For example, consider the title of a recent article at Wired which proclaimed a “From gene editing to brain computer interfaces,” the authors write, “our ability to engineer biological systems will redefine our species and its relation to all other species and the planet … And Covid-19 is accelerating this transformation.”

The authors quickly go from confidence to hubris, in language that resembles Satan’s from Paradise Lost: “Our ability to manipulate RNA and DNA, bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi gives us the power to engineer life.” We can, the authors promise, “prevent a future [COVID-like] lockdown,” and failure to do so would be “a crime against humanity.”

“Imagine the day,” they warn, “when your great grandchild sues her parents for not genetically engineering her to protect her” from inheritable diseases or even failing “to enhance her in order to compete effectively.” What is standing in the way of what they call “our godlike technologies”? Only “our Paleolithic emotions (like fear, jealousy, and greed) and our medieval institutions.”

Of course, all “neurobiological” revolutionaries with “godlike” abilities know that a few eggs have to be broken in order to make an omelet. Perhaps that’s why WIRED didn’t mention what happened at the Crick Institute and only offered a passing reference to “the risk of unintended consequences and a backlash from patients, consumers, regulators, religious groups, and more.” After all, according to this worldview of scientism (excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques), unleashing dangerous mutations on the human genome isn’t the real crime. The real crime is standing in the way of “Progress.”

What is meant, however, by progress? For whom is progress promised? For humanity and human flourishing? As C. S. Lewis warned in his masterful book The Abolition of Man, “The Power of Man to make himself what he pleases means . . . the power of some men to make other men what they please.”

In fact, to warn of the true risks and human costs of our “neobiological revolution” is to be labeled “anti-science” and “anti-progress.” That should not dissuade us in the least from teaching others that what we know as science emerged as a product of the Christian worldview during the medieval period, grounded by the belief in a rational God Whose creation could be known through reason and inquiry. Because this rational God is also moral, science is not autonomous, untethered from ethical, moral and even theological considerations.

With so much at stake, distinctively Christian voices are needed in the sciences exactly now, perhaps more than ever. Courageous consumers must refuse any and all “breakthroughs” or conveniences built upon human rights abuses. Courageous pastors and teachers must clarify for the faithful the moral stakes of our technologies, especially when it comes to genetics and human reproduction. And, may God give us a new generation of scientists, who love God and want to discover His creation, and who can lead these fields of study in ways that honor God and protect those vulnerable image bearers among us.

Pray- Pray that these types of manipulations of God’s original design will be stopped and Christian scientists will continue to stand for God’s design.

Supreme Court Favors Casinos Over Churches

Last week, the Supreme Court refused to grant a request from Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley to strike down an unconstitutional 50-person cap on worship services in Nevada. The church, located east of Reno, claimed that they should be able to adhere to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants and other businesses to operate at 50% capacity with proper social distancing.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley had argued that the strict limit on those who could attend religious gatherings was an unconstitutional violation of its parishioners’ First Amendment rights to express and exercise their beliefs.

This was another sharply divided 5-4 decision made by the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts once again sided with the liberal majority but did not give an explanation for his decision. Three of the four dissenting judges had plenty to say.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated that the courts should be “very deferential to the states’ line-drawing in opening businesses and allowing certain activities during the pandemic. But COVID-19 is not a blank check for a state to discriminate against religious people, religious organizations and religious services. Nevada is discriminating against religion.”

“The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion,” wrote Justice Samuel Alito. “It says nothing about the freedom to play craps, or blackjack, [or] feed tokens into a slot machine.” He added that “by allowing thousands to gather in casinos, the state cannot claim to have a compelling interest in limiting religious gatherings to 50 people – regardless of the size of the facility and the measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Justice Neil Gorsuch summed it up best, “The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges. But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.”

Christians in the Age of Covid-19

There is a world-wide movement to suppress, quiet and even destroy those who claim Jesus Christ as their Savior. To receive Covid-19 aid, Christians in Bangladesh, India, Sudan and Malaysia are being told to renounce their faith or die of starvation. Last month we reported how Christians also in Vietnam and Pakistan were excluded from receiving food or emergency aid.

The Open Doors USA coordinator in Southeast Asia, Pastor Sam, reported “governments are giving assistance to a lot of people, but many Christians, especially those who come from a Muslim background or a Buddhist background, are not receiving the support when it goes to the villages. People may die or convert back to Islam if they don’t have the means to survive.”

A pastor in Sudan shared, “Believers from Muslim backgrounds have to be entirely self-reliant because they aren’t given any support from their family, tribes or community, because of their faith. They are told to give up Christianity if they want to be helped. It is a tragedy.”

In China, Christians are being ordered to renounce their faith and remove crosses, religious symbols, and images of Jesus. These symbols are to be replaced with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping. If not done, officials stopped their government subsidies.

“All impoverished households in the town [Linfen in the Shanxi province] were told to display Mao Zedong images,” a local pastor told Bitter Winter. “The government is trying to eliminate our belief and wants to become God instead of Jesus.”

The Christian Post reports that in Xinyu city in Jiangxi province, a disabled Christian’s minimum living subsidy and a monthly disability allowance of 100 RMB (about $14) was stopped because the believer continued to attend worship services despite government orders. The Communist Party is targeting images and photos of Jesus as part of its campaign to “transform believers in religion into believers in the party.”

According to Open Doors USA, underground churches in Iran have risked arrest to provide food and humanitarian aid to answer Jesus’ call to love their neighbors. David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, did not go into detail for security reasons, but he did say that “The church [serves] as a rally point [and] centers of care and compassion for Muslim communities they are living in. The Church has always been strong in the underground among supporting each other. This is something different because they are having to come above ground, so to speak. It’s a historic thing.”

Even in the United States, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently banned singing and chanting in churches and issued an executive order that effectively bans church members from holding Bible studies and other small group meetings in their homes.

Newsom had lifted worship restrictions in May but reinstituted them after an increase in COVID-19 cases. However, he supported anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd even though they violated California’s mass gathering ban, “To those of you who want to express yourselves… God bless you. Keep doing it. Your rage is real,” Newsom said.

Becket attorney William Haun said California should not single out singing in worship more than in other contexts: “The First Amendment protects both prayer and protest, and governments don’t get to pick and choose.”

PRAY and ACT: May we all show the love of Jesus to our neighbors, our communities and our world and share with those we agree with and those we do not. Despite persecution, the Church will prevail. Continue to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters to stand strong in their faith.

Turkey Continues to Stir Tension in Middle East

There are growing concerns about Turkey’s military operations in northern Iraq, after Ankara began bombing areas of the country claiming it was “fighting terrorists.” Turkey began operation “Claw-Tiger” on June 17 and it seems to come in the context of Turkey launching new military attacks every month in different countries to distract from failures at home by Ankara’s leading party. Turkey has had almost a year of near-constant new conflicts and militarist saber-rattling.

Last spring and summer it threatened to invade eastern Syria, threatening US troops and the Trump administration in the process. The US tried to appease Turkey by having its anti-ISIS partners on the ground remove obstacles to Turkey’s invasion. It wasn’t enough, in October Turkey told Washington it would begin bombing the region and US troops must move. After Ankara’s October offensive, in which some 200,000 people were forced to flee, Ankara signed a deal with the Tripoli-based government in Libya to help Tripoli fight opposition groups and secure Turkey’s energy demands in the Mediterranean.

Ankara then shipped thousands of Syrians to Libya to fight and sent drones to hammer the Benghazi-based Libyan National Army. In December and January, Turkey was busy heating up the Libya conflict, before moving on to stoke tensions with Russia and the Syrian regime in Idlib. Ankara threatened to send Syrian refugees to Europe during the Idlib crises of February and March.

In April and May, Turkey returned to fighting in Libya, capturing a key military base at Watiya. Then the Ankara regime decided to increase Turkey’s airstrikes in Iraq, claiming to begin fighting the “Kurdistan Workers Party,” known as the PKK. On June 17, Turkey launched airstrikes against Yazidi areas of Sinjar and near Christian villages along the border, forcing Kurds to flee the battles. Iraq has expressed increasing concern about the attacks, which appear to be coordinated with Iran.

Turkey has used the excuse of “fighting the PKK” to invade northern Iraq and Syria, taking over Afrin, Jarabulus and Tel Abyad, as well as to establish more than a dozen military bases. Turkey and the PKK once had a ceasefire before 2015, but it broke down. Since then, Turkey has claimed it has a right to bomb anywhere that members of groups linked to the PKK exist. This includes bombing unarmed people who are members of far-left groups that Turkey labels “PKK.” Turkey has produced no information that these groups are involved in armed attacks on Turkey this year.

The bombings in Iraq have created tensions with Arab states, including the Gulf which opposes Turkey’s actions. This is linked to the wider regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Ankara says it expects Iraq’s cooperation. Iraq has internal troubles with ISIS insurgents and disputes between the US and Iran, as well as Iranian-backed militias mobilized across the country. This means Iraq is so divided it has trouble opposing, even diplomatically, Turkey’s actions. A variety of Iraqi officials have nevertheless spoken up about the increasing war in northern Iraq.

While some US voices have expressed concern, including a tweet by the State Department after three women were killed in a Turkish air strike in Syria, most remain silent. Representative Jim Cooper from Nashville tweeted over the weekend that he was extremely disturbed by reports of “Turkish military attack on Kurdish people in Iraq.” Voices at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom have also expressed concern and called for an end to the attacks. Anytime that Turkey shows aggression in the region, Ezekiel 38-39 come to mind and it is possible that that event could happen in our lifetime.

Pray- Pray that the tensions will lessen in the Middle East and that the innocents in the region will be protected.

New Danish Bible Removes References to Israel

The Danish Bible Society has omitted dozens of references to Israel from translations of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in their new translation. Defending the deletions, the society said they prevent confusion with the modern-day country. The omissions occurred in a project titled “Bible 2020” that was published earlier this year under the society’s supervision.

A press release of the Danish Bible Society says this translation decision was made because, “for the secular reader, who does not know the Bible well, ‘Israel’ could be referring only to a country. Therefore, the word ‘Israel’ in the Greek text has been translated in other ways, so that the reader understands it is referring to the Jewish people.”

Jan Frost, a Bible enthusiast and supporter of Israel from Denmark, drew the media’s attention to the omissions on YouTube and other social networks. He counted 59 omissions out of 60 references to Israel in the Greek origin for New Testament texts. References to “the People of Israel” were replaced with “Jews,” while “Land of Israel” became “the land of Jews.” In other places, references to Israel were translated as referencing all readers or all of humanity.

The Song of Ascents from the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible, a popular Shabbat hymn for Jews, originally states that “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” In the new translation, Israel is replaced by the word “us.” A Bible Society representative told Frost that the decision was made to avoid confusing the Land of Israel with the State of Israel. However, the names of other countries from that time that still exist, such as Egypt, have not been changed.

Olivier Melnick, the Northwest Regional Director of Chosen People’s Ministries, also has came out in objection to the new translation. In a recent article, he wrote that, “Such a Bible widens the divide between Christians and Jews. At a time when antisemitism is thriving around the globe, Jewish people need to be reassured that they have Christian friends. Publishing a Bible that erases Israel is sending a clear message to the Jewish People that ‘We the Christians do not think that Israel is important enough to remain in the Bible’.

The Bible Society in Israel also issued a press release about the new translation, stating, “While all translators must make difficult decisions, those decisions must be freed, as much as humanly possible, from any interpretation foreign to the text. Even if done to accommodate for a secular Danish audience, the meaning of the word of God must not be compromised. We believe that the replacing and removing of the term “Israel” in the way that it was done in the Danish Contemporary Bible 2020 was a harmful decision which has hurt many who love the word of God, in Israel and beyond.”

These types of changes are usually put in by replacement theologians who believe that the nation of Israel has been replaced by the church and that no is no future for national Israel. That idea goes against both the promises given to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament as well as the future for the nation spoken of in the New Testament in places such as Romans 9-11. This type of thinking also laid down the foundation in Germany and other places for the rise of the type of anti-Semitism that eventually ended up in the Holocaust. Words are very important, and scholars should be careful with the types of messages they send when they replace words in translations. 

Pray- Pray for the Jewish people as anti-Semitism continues to rise once again throughout the world.

Supreme Court Decisions

Last month, the United States Supreme Court ruled on two cases that we have been watching. (Original blog post: March 5, 2020.) Below are the judgments rendered.

June Medical Services v. Russo

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that a Louisiana state law requiring abortion clinics to have the same standards as surgical centers was unconstitutional.

Planned Parenthood hailed this decision as a victory for women’s health and abortion access. “Your ability to access abortion shouldn’t be determined by where you live, how much  money you make, and the color of your skin – we’ll keep working to make that a reality for ALL people,” stated Planned Parenthood on Twitter.

Justice Stephen Breyer referenced the precedent from past abortion cases: Health regulations that place an “undue burden” on abortion access are unconstitutional. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas dissented.

Justice Thomas wrote, “Our abortion precedents are grievously wrong and should be overruled.”

World Magazine reports Justice Gorsuch laid out the health concerns women faced in Louisiana. He listed abortionists’ health violations such as failing to sterilize equipment, not monitoring patients’ vital signs, and unauthorized staff improperly administering medications. They reported that June Medical had hired people ill-qualified to perform abortions, including a radiologist and an ophthalmologist.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins denounced the ruling, “Despite the Left’s hysterical fear-mongering, the case was not about the Supreme Court’s self-created ‘right’ to an abortion in Roe. This case was about whether the state has the right to ensure that abortionists who take women’s money also provide for their safety.”

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

In another 5-4 decision, the U. S. Supreme Court struck down Montana’s Blaine Amendment which barred public aid from going to educational institutions “controlled in whole or in part by any church, sect, or denomination.”

Those who support school choice and tuition vouchers celebrated this decision. Jeanne Allen, founder and chief executive of the Center for Educational Reform, called it “an extraordinary victory for student achievement, parental control, equality in educational opportunities, and First Amendment rights.”

Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, delivered the opinion of the court. “Montana’s no-aid provision bars religious schools from public benefits solely because of religious character of the schools. The provision also bars parents who wish to send their children to a religious school from those same benefits, again solely because of the religious character of the school. A State need not subsidize private education. But once a State decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious,” Roberts wrote.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented in this ruling.

Sudan Opens Path toward Religious Freedom

In what appears to be a promising positive change, Sudan’s transitional government and a rebel group that fought against the Muslim-majority country’s longtime authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted last year, have agreed to form an independent national commission for religious freedom that hopes to lesson religious persecution throughout the nation.

As part of the latest round of negotiations between Sudan’s transitional government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (Agar) under the Juba Peace Process, an agreement was reached “to establish a commission for religious freedom to address all issues relating to religious freedom in order to affirm the principle of peaceful coexistence in the country,” the Transitional Sovereign Council said on its Facebook page.

The SPLM-N armed group is based in Sudan’s predominantly Christian South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which fought against al-Bashir. “Today we have agreed to establish the religious freedom commission because the two areas have a considerable number of Sudanese Christians, so this is an important issue that has been resolved,” the armed group’s Deputy Leader and chief negotiator Yasir Arman was quoted as saying by the U.K.-based group Christianity Solidarity Worldwide. The two parties have also agreed to create a Ministry for Peace and Human Rights.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has acknowledged improvements in the country’s religious and political atmosphere. After a visit to that country in February, the commission’s chair, Tony Perkins, expressed optimism. “We are grateful to Prime Minister Hamdok and other members of the country’s bold transitional leadership who met with USCIRF to convey their explicit desire to bring a new era of openness and inclusivity to their country that suffered for 30 years under brutal and autocratic religious repression,” he said, according to Crux. “At the same time, we understand that the country’s challenges are deeply-rooted, and we urge the leadership to move quickly to turn that optimism into tangible and meaningful reforms for all people across Sudan, such as acting to formally repeal Article 126 of the 1991 penal code, which outlaws apostasy,” he added.

Since 2010 and the separation of South Sudan, the persecution of Christians had “intensified with church land being confiscated by the state, church leaders facing trial for national security crimes and latterly misdemeanors,” CSW’s Kiri Kankhwende was quoted as saying. “General harassment of the Christian community, human rights defenders working on FoRB by the intelligence service; harassment of women and interference with the administration of churches and confiscation of private land owned by Christian businessmen.”

Nasreldin Mofreh, Sudan’s Minister of Religious Affairs, signed an order in March requiring the dissolution of church councils that international advocates said legitimized the former government’s confiscation of church properties. “We are pleased by the minister’s decree, given the role these illegitimate church councils played in the former regime’s persecution of Christians and the obstacles they continued to present to churches’ ability to represent their own interests to the government,” Perkins said in a statement.

Prime Minister Hamdok and other transitional government officials met with USCIRF in Washington, D.C., during a visit last December — the first time in three decades that Sudanese leaders had visited Washington, D.C. The officials also shared at the time how they planned to expand religious freedom in a country that is ranked as the seventh-worst in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s World Watch List. Hopefully the nation will continue on this path and Christians that have been under intense persecution for many years.  

Pray- Pray that Sudan will continue on this path to enabling more religious freedom.

Christians Denied Food Aid During COVID-19 Pandemic

As the world goes through food security and financial crises due to the corona-virus pandemic, disadvantaged Christian communities in Asia, especially in Vietnam and Pakistan, are being hit the hardest as government and aid agencies discriminate against them due to their faith.

In the communist country of Vietnam in Southeast Asia, the government is denying food aid to more than 100 Christians, including children and the elderly, according to Open Doors, a ministry to persecuted Christians worldwide. “You are Christians and your God shall take care of your family!” authorities told 18 Christian families, comprising 107 people, in north Vietnam. “The government is not responsible for your families!”

A local partner of Open Doors, which was not identified due to security reasons, said, “They strive to put food on their tables, and they consume their rice little by little every day. When they learned that the government’s support was coming to their district, they were so happy — only to find out that they were not on the list because they are Christians.”

Christians often face ostracism, threats, torture and prison sentences in Vietnam, whose atheist government does not tolerate any faith or ideology other than communism.

Vietnam’s communist regime, which requires its officials to use a secret 600-page manual to repress religion, fears Christianity, which involves building a community of believers and promotes respect for human dignity. The government views citizens’ freedom to form associations as a threat to its power, according to the International Federation for Human Rights. Vietnam ranks as the 21st worst nation in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List.

“Estimates indicate that approximately 80 percent of the country’s Christians belong to the country’s ethnic minorities, like the Hmong, and face social exclusion, discrimination and attacks. Ethnic minority Christian children are discriminated against in schools; their medical needs also are often neglected. Some are not even allowed to attend school at all,” according to Open Doors.

In Pakistan, Muslim charities are excluding Christians from their distribution of food aid and emergency, according to Vatican News, which cited the international Catholic charity and foundation Aid to the Church in Need. ACN International Executive President Thomas Heine-Geldern said that many Christians earn the lowest wages, working as daily-wage laborers, domestic servants, cleaners, or kitchen staff.  “All these areas of employment are precisely the ones that have been most impacted by the economic shutdown,” he said after being briefed by Cecil Shane Chaudhry, executive director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “Many Christian employees have been dismissed without notice by families for whom they have worked for years,” Heine-Geldern added.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also took note of discrimination in aid distribution in Pakistan. “As COVID19 continues to spread, vulnerable communities within Pakistan are fighting hunger and to keep their families safe and healthy. Food aid must not be denied because of one’s faith,” Anurima Bhargava, a USCIRF commissioner said.

Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List ranks Pakistan as the fifth worst nation in the world in persecuting Christians. “Although there have been no major bombing attacks against church buildings in the 2020 World Watch List reporting period, dozens of smaller ‘everyday attacks’ against churches and cemeteries occur,” the ministry says. Christians are often targeted both by Pakistan’s blasphemy laws meant to protect Islamic sensitivities and by hardliners who carry out violence and have killed scores of believers in the past several years.

Pray- Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing severe persecution during this time of global pandemic.

The Great American Divide

America is in serious trouble! The social, political, and spiritual divide in our society is greater than it has ever been. Already ravaged by the corona-virus pandemic, now the streets of our nation are being taken over by a combination of peaceful demonstrations, extremist agitators, social anarchists, and opportunistic looters. The chaos playing out on television and social media has exposed the deep divide in the empty soul of the nation. America has been deliberately and progressively turning its back on God for the past 50 years. Now, it is more obvious than ever, and no one seems to really know what to do about it.

Twenty-seven centuries ago, the prophet Isaiah observed a similar problem in ancient Israel, which was on the brink of disaster because of a lack of leadership. When the spiritual and moral foundation of society erode, they expose a failure of spiritual and moral leadership. While the prophet spoke specifically to his own generation, his words have a stinging familiarity in our day as well.

Isaiah said: “For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, takes away…the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the elder; the captain of fifty and the honorable man; the counselor and the skillful artisan…I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. The people will be oppressed, everyone by another and everyone by his neighbor. The child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable” (Isaiah 3:1-5, NKJV).

Moral outrage over the unnecessary and tragic death of George Floyd, or anyone else for that matter, is certainly understandable. But turning that anger on innocent people who had nothing to do with his tragic death only compounds the problem further. It is still true that two wrongs do not make a right. Yes, we should speak out against racial injustice and call for serious correction in our law enforcement system when needed. But we cannot at the same time excuse the equally horrific acts of wanton injustice to innocent victims of that outrage, including those in law enforcement.

In a society that has largely forgotten God, the basic instincts of those on every side of the divide call out for revenge, retaliation, and destruction. Add to that the agenda of organizations like Antifa (anti-fascism) which is opposed to the ideologies, groups, and individuals of stable government. Its anarchist policies call for the abolition of law, order, police, military, and democratic governance in general. It is predominately a left-wing political activist group that promotes public protests, digital activism, property damage, harassment, and physical violence (check out their website). Then, toss into the mix passionate, angry, and frustrated young people and you can see the results for yourself on nightly television.

The truly prophetic voices in America have been warning for the past 50 years that unless there is genuine revival in our nation, this would be the inevitable result. Sincere believers have been praying for and calling for such a revival for an entire generation. That time has now come. Perhaps God has pulled back the curtain to reveal our deepest need for repentance, regeneration, and revival on every side.

America is strongest when we pull together and weakest when we pull apart.

More than ever we all need to pray for God’s intervention before it is too late. Believers -- black, white, rich, poor and everybody in between -- need to come together to pray, talk, act, and support one another. America needs healing and it must begin with the heart. Let it begin with you and me. Speaking for God, the prophet Jeremiah said,” Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? (32:27). “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (33:3).

Jewish Holy Site Set on Fire

Earlier this month, reports emerged that the tomb of Esther and Mordechai had been set on fire. Located in Hamedan, Iran, the tomb was labeled a world heritage site in 2008. US-backed Radio Farda reports there was no major damage.

The tomb is traditionally believed to be the resting place of the Old Testament Queen Esther and her relative, Mordechai. Esther was the queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. She is credited with helping save the Jewish people from being massacred. It is a popular pilgrimage site for Jews and Christians in Iran.

This is not the first time that the tomb has been desecrated. In February, members of Iranian Basij, a paramilitary unit, attempted to raid the historic site in an act of revenge against the Israeli Palestinian peace plan presented by President Donald Trump. And, Iranian authorities have threatened to destroy it and convert the site to a consular office for Palestine.

The Jerusalem Post reports US Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr condemnation of the attack, “Iran’s regime is the world’s chief state sponsor of antisemitism.” He called on the Islamic Republic to “stop incitement” and “protect its Jewish community” and its other minorities.

Several sites in Syria and Iraq sacred to Christians and Jews have also been targeted over the years by radical Muslims. In 2014, the Islamic State destroyed the tomb of Jonah in Iraq. In the Muslim mindset, anything that occurred prior to the founding of Islam is not true history and is open for destruction, especially Jewish and Christian sites and relics.

Iran ranks as the ninth-worst country in the world for Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List. Religious minorities are regularly arrested for worshiping in house churches. Muslim converts to Christianity are severely persecuted.

PRAY: Pray the Islamic forces in control of Iran will stop persecuting Christians.

QUARANTINE FRENZY

     Tired of isolation? Americans aren’t used to being alone. It makes us restless. Most of us have been sequestered and isolated at home now for more than 10 weeks. Many are thinking, this is enough! Most are asking, when will this end?
     Believe it or not, isolation can be a good thing! It gives us time to think, pray, evaluate and plan for the future. Every time Jesus' ministry became busy and hectic, He withdrew alone to pray (Matthew 14:23).
     If anyone understood what it was like to feel isolated, it was Moses. He spent 40 years in the wilderness of Midian. In Psalm 90:12, 14, he wrote: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom...that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Forty years = 14,600 days! During all those days, Moses was being prepared in isolation for God's real purpose in his life—to lead Israel in the Exodus.
     Why has God virtually shut down the entire world? Is the government quarantine really God's "Time Out?" Why has He forced us to be isolated and sequestered away for a season? Is it not to remind us that the days of our lives are a gift from God? The ultimate question is: What are you doing with all this extra time to make a difference for eternity?
     Consider these biblical examples of God's people who were in a divinely-imposed "time out" prior to experiencing their greatest ministry and God's greatest blessings.

·JOSEPH was in prison in Egypt for several years before he became the Grand Viser to Pharaoh.

·MOSES was in the wilderness of Midian for 40 years before he became the leader of the exodus.

·GIDEON was hiding in a wine-press before he conquered the Midianites.

·ELIJAH was hiding in a cave before he called Elisha and trained hundreds of prophets to confront the culture.

·JONAH spent 3 days and nights in the belly of a great fish and emerged to preach again.

·JEREMIAH was imprisoned in a pit for several weeks before he was released to continue preaching.

·DANIEL spent the night alone in the lions’ den before he delivered his final prophecies.

·ESTHER was hiding her identity alone in the palace before she risked her life to save the Jews.

·PAUL was under house arrest in Rome for 2 years during which he wrote several of his epistles.

·JOHN was isolated on the island of Patmos for 1-2 years during which he wrote the Book of Revelation.

     Why does God have you isolated right now? What does He want you to be doing to better prepare to serve Him? All those times you said, “If I just had more time, I would... pray more, read God’s Word, share my faith, read a book, watch a Christian video, call or text my friends and relatives and speak a word of faith, hope and encouragement to them.”
     Well, you have the time! What are you going to do with it to make a difference for eternity? Lord, “teach us to number our days.”

Persecution Persists

INDIA:

Reports that Christians and non-Hindus are being denied government aid during this coronavirus pandemic are coming out of India. Persecution watchdog Open Doors warned the lives of thousands, if not millions, of persecuted Christians are at risk due to the lockdown.

India was given a $1 billion aid package for coronavirus testing and management. A letter from multi-faith representatives from 34 organizations and ministries send a letter to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and World Bank Group President David Malpass calling for a committee to hold India’s leaders accountable and monitor use of this aid.

One of Open Doors local partners stated that he personally knows at “least 20 to 30 pastors who are starving because of the lockdown. We are receiving news of persecution incidents from many areas, even in this situation where people have been ordered to stay inside their homes. In fact, we believe that during this phase of lockdown, Christians are suffering even more than before, since most of them now have to combat economic problems as well as the opposition and hatred from the community.”

Open Doors ranks India 10th on its 2020 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Earlier this month, a mob in central India attached members of five families after they refused to renounce their faith in Christ. The Christians had denied used of their land to be used to perform tribal animist worship.

Animism is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Local village leaders told the Christians “You are not partaking in our tribal rituals, and so we cannot allow you to profit from your agricultural lands.”

Eight Christians were injured, including one man who was stoned and had to be admitted to a local hospital.

NIGERIA:

Despite coronavirus-related restrictions, violence against Christians in Nigeria continues. Armed herdsmen shot Anglican Rev. Canon Bayo James Famonure, his wife and two sons while they were praying at home. Famonure is the founder of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO), an international mission with operations in several countries. He is also the head of the Messiah College high school in Barkin Ladi County, where the attack occurred. Neighbors carried the family to the hospital and all are currently in stable condition.

April was particularly vicious month. Four people, including the pastor of a local ECWA church, were killed in Bassa County. A 30-year-old Christian farmer was fatally attacked at his home in Bokkos County. And, in central Kaduna, attacks on five villages left 13 Christians dead and another 13 kidnapped as herdsman burned down homes, vehicles, and food supplies.

Showing no regard for gender or age, mothers and fathers are killed along with their children. Dede Laugeson, executive director for the nonprofit Save the Persecuted Christians told The Christian Post, “I am perplexed by the state of humanity when children as young as six months are routinely hacked to death in Nigeria simply for being Christian, and the world ignores their plight. This must stop. The international community must intervene.”

The U.S. State Department lists Nigeria on its “special watch list” of countries that engage in or tolerate violations of religious freedom. Nigeria is 12th on Open Doors World Watch List.

PRAY: Pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are attacked for their faith in Christ. Pray that the Lord would strengthen them and allow their faith to serve as a beacon to others. Pray for those who persecute Christians that they will be exposed to the truth of God and miraculously converted out of the web of deception in which they are entangled.

Iran Army Spokesman Warns US in Persian Gulf

A spokesman for the Iranian military said that the United States should be wary of any aggression in the Persian Gulf. His comments come in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to target Iranian IRGC fast boats that have harassed the U.S. Navy over the last month. The comments are the latest threats that continue between Tehran and Washington and have increased over the last year. Iran has launched attacks on ships and Saudi Arabia and has sent proxies to target U.S. forces in Iraq. The U.S. has responded with airstrikes. Both countries are wary of a war.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazi Shekarchi is a senior spokesman for the Iranian armed force. After hearing Trump’s comments, he went on a news program in Iran and described America’s threats as a kind of psychological war. “It is an attempt to gain points and public opinion in the upcoming US elections, and for the US President to escape from domestic problems, sometimes people say such things against us but we must say that in any case they are violating international law.”

He warned the Americans against making any mistakes. “They will receive a slap if they make a mistake and it will be a justifiable slap.” The Iranian armed forces are not usually leading the way in tensions with the US. Instead it is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that tend to harass US ships in the Gulf and mastermind the attacks in Iraq. The IRGC also downed a US drone last year. As such the comments by the Iranian army may also be designed to show that it is relevant. It recently took delivery of numerous new Iranian drones.

“We constantly critique our enemies, the Americans, and ask what are they doing in this region and the Persian Gulf.” He said all countries have a right to 100% security in the Gulf and he wondered what the Americans are doing so far from home, what are they “looking for,” he asked. “Not only do they have no answer to that question, but they are also harassing us and violating international law.” He said free passage of the Persian Gulf was a right for all ships. He reiterated that if the US takes the slightest action against Iran in its waters they will “be slapped harder than before, because we do not joke when it comes to the defense of our country.”

The Iranian army is working hard to fight the coronavirus he asserted. The armed forces have assisted at 58 hospitals, providing more than 10,000 beds and 31,000 staff members, he says. “In addition to preparing and being ready for the enemy, we are engaged in the fight against the virus,” he noted.

Trump's tweet comes one week after the Navy announced that 11 Iranian vessels had conducted "dangerous and harassing" approaches of U.S. ships in the international waters of the northern Persian Gulf, coming as close as 10 yards to a Coast Guard cutter.

"The IRGCN's dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, were not in accordance," with international regulations, the Navy said at the time. The statement referred the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy.

The incident was the first provocative exchange between the two nations since early March, when U.S. and coalition aircraft struck Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group locations in Iraq in retaliation for the deaths of two U.S. troops in a rocket attack a day earlier. While the coronavirus has dominated the news cycles, there is still strong tensions throughout the Middle East.

Pray- Pray for wisdom and guidance on both sides in order to avoid a massive escalation of hostilities.

The Gospel Changes Lives

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Jim Elliot

On Tuesday, April 28, former Waodani warrior Mincaye passed away in his home village in Ecuador. Born into the violent tribal culture of the Amazon Rainforest, Mincaye converted to Christianity and became known for preaching to other tribes in the region as well as sharing his testimony throughout the world.

In 1956, five young missionaries: Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian and Ed McCully moved to the jungle of Ecuador. Two days after they arrived, they were viciously martyred.

“People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives … and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted,” said Nate Saint on his reason for going to Ecuador.

The Waodani had been described as the most violent people on record. Mincaye was one of six warriors who participated in spearing the missionaries. What happened next transformed the tribe.

Armed with forgiveness, Elisabeth Elliot (widow of Jim Elliot) and Rachel Saint (sister of Nate Saint), moved into the village to share the Gospel with those who took away their loved ones. The Waodani listened to the story of God’s Son speared for their sake, believed and then their lives were radically changed.

“We lived angry, hating and killing, ‘ononque’ (for no reason), until they brought us God’s markings. Now, those of us who walk God’s trail live happily and in peace,” Mincaye shared in his testimony.

Steve Saint, son of Nate Saint, called Mincaye one of his “dearest friends in the world. He killed my father, but he loved me and my family.”

Mincaye was between 88 and 91 years old. His life story is told in the book and film, End of the Spear. He is survived by his wife, Ompodae, 13 children, more than 50 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Photo: Steve Saint and Mincaye