‘Frogs in the Kettle’

The president of a nonprofit Christian persecution watchdog that monitors hostility to faith and freedom abroad warned that too few Christians in America and the West seem aware of how such trends are manifesting at home. “Basically, we are frogs in the kettle, and the bubbles keep coming up under us,” Jeff King, president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern (ICC), told The Christian Post. “Too many people are not aware politically, and they’re so used to thinking of how things were that they can’t figure out where these bubbles are coming from, not realizing they’re being cooked.”

ICC, which was founded in 1995 to advocate for the persecuted church around the world, has been speaking out, particularly about Staci Barber’s case in Texas. Barber is a school teacher who sued the Katy Independent School District near Houston in March after her principal allegedly reprimanded her last September for praying with two other teachers at the school’s flagpole as part of “See You At the Pole,” an annual international event. The administrator reportedly told her that teachers were not allowed to pray where students could see them and be influenced to join, according to the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). Teachers were told they “could not pray in any location where students would be present, even if this praying occurred before the school day began,” according to the lawsuit.

King told CP that Barber’s case “highlights the depth of ignorance among school boards and even at the principal level of what rights the Constitution grants people,” but he suggested her situation is symptomatic of a wider hostility toward Christians in the U.S. at all levels. King warned that the same trends his nonprofit has been tracking and advocating against overseas are increasingly manifesting in the historically free nations of the Western world, including the United States. He pinpointed a corrupt, cumbersome judicial process and proliferating hate speech laws as the main prongs of the attack on Christian beliefs. King explained that dictators and despots will promise religious liberty out of one side of their mouths while at the same time effectively mandating that religious citizens keep their opinions to themselves and out of the public square. “If that sounds familiar, there’s a reason,” he said. “The big picture, and what people need to grasp, is that’s what’s going on here in the West, and that’s what a lot of people who dislike Christianity are proposing and trying to push forward.”

Even if courts rule against the bad actors, King noted that the onerous judicial process itself is sufficient to convey the regime’s message. “People learn that you do not stick your head up, and you start being quiet because the process is the punishment,” he said, adding that he has even seen examples of similar situations in Christian ministries in the U.S. where employees have been dragged before HR for not “toeing on the line” on LGBTQ issues and pronoun usage.

King also observed that American culture has shifted dramatically within the past 30 years or so, and that the population has been “softened up” to the creeping totalitarian and anti-Christian impulses of their political leaders. Noting how such things have progressed gradually along a spectrum, he was reluctant to trace such trends to any particular year or event, but said they seemed to escalate as a backlash to the political rise of the Moral Majority during the 1980s. Likening their influence to “poison that’s been poured into the masses for the last 30 years,” King said media and the entertainment industry have played a pivotal role for decades in promoting immorality and portraying people of faith in a negative light. “When you use propaganda, you can turn the masses over time, and that’s part of what’s happened,” he said, adding that a hedonistic society views Christians as an unwelcome “giant stop sign” against such impulses, which leads to building resentment.

Biblical Connections: Paul warned that in the last days people would continue to turn against Christianity. We move closer and closer to this point every day.

PRAY: Pray this push to drive the United States away from its Christian roots will be stopped and that revival will come to the nation once again.

Iran's President Raisi Killed in Helicopter Crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister were found dead hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in the Shiite theocracy, quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker and insisted the government was in control, but the deaths marked yet another blow to a country beset by pressures at home and abroad. At first, many were quick to blame either Israel or the United States for the crashed chopper, assuming it had crashed through some type of sabotage or assault. However, Iran has offered no cause for the crash nor suggested sabotage brought down the helicopter, which fell in mountainous terrain in a sudden, intense fog.

A hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary, Raisi, 63, was viewed as a protege of Khamenei. During his tenure, relations continued to deteriorate with the West as Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels and supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine. His government has also faced years of mass protests over the ailing economy and women’s rights.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. continues to monitor the situation surrounding the “very unfortunate helicopter crash” but has no insight into the cause. “I don’t necessarily see any broader regional security impacts at this point in time,” he said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Raisi’s death is not expected to have any substantive impact on difficult U.S.-Iran relations, or Iran’s support of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. “We have to assume that the supreme leader is the one who makes these decisions and the supreme leader, as he did in the last so-called election, made sure to stack the deck with only candidates that met his mandates,” Kirby said. For now, Khamenei has named the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, as caretaker, in line with the constitution.

Condolences poured in from allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on the social media platform X that his country “stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.” Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi “as a true friend of Russia.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, China’s Xi Jinping and Syrian President Bashar Assad also offered condolences. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, said he and his government were “deeply shocked.”

The United States officially stated, “The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Many questioned why the US government would offer their “condolences” for a man that had not only been a part of orchestrating the October 7th attack on Israel, but has also been part of the government that supported terrorism throughout the region, including against US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Biblical Connections: In Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It should not shock students of the Bible that many of those leaders throughout history that have had a negative and hateful stance to the nation of Israel have come to their end in quick and sudden ways.

PRAY: Pray that this would wake up Iran and that new leadership would be less hostile to Israel in the future.

Fewer Than Half of Christians Regularly Attend Church

A new report recently came out that shows the decline of Christianity in America is increasingly on the rise. Three in 10 people in the United States attend religious services on a regular basis, representing a decline compared to the past couple of decades, according to a report by Gallup. Gallup reported that 21% of Americans said they attend religious services on a weekly basis, while 9% said they attend religious services nearly every week. By contrast, 11% of respondents reported attending about once a month, 25% reported attending “seldom,” while 31% said they “never” go to religious services.

This represents a decline from one decade ago, when Gallup found that 38% of Americans attended weekly or almost weekly, and from two decades ago, when 42% of Americans reported attending weekly or almost weekly. For its research, Gallup drew from aggregated data from surveys conducted over the phone in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with previous samples being collected from surveys done in 2000-2003 and 2011-2013, respectively.

Gallup found that Mormons were the most likely to report going to their services regularly, with 67% saying they attended weekly or almost weekly. Protestants were the next highest at 44%, followed by Muslims (38%), Catholics (33%), Orthodox Christians (26%), Jews (22%), Buddhists (14%) and Hindus (13%). The report also found that Catholics experienced the sharpest drop in attendance compared to two decades ago, going from 45% regular attendance in 2000-2003 to 33% in 2021-2023.

Over the past several years, much has been made about the rise of the religiously unaffiliated population in the United States, also known as the “nones,” especially among younger generations. In January 2023, for example, the Survey on American Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute, released a report which found that church attendance still hadn’t recovered from what it was before the COVID-19 lockdowns.

While the number of Americans who attended worship services had increased from 13% in the summer of 2020 to 27% by the spring of 2022, this was still below pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, according to the SAL, 33% of Americans reported in 2022 that they never attend religious services, an increase from the 25% who said the same before the pandemic. The largest declines in attendance were seen among adults younger than 50, Hispanic Catholics, black Protestants, and white mainline Protestants.

Biblical Connection: Paul, writing in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, stated, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

Similarly, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 he wrote, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” While we do not know for certain this decline of Christianity is the type of falling away Paul wrote about, it certainly fits the type of pattern Paul described would happen prior to the Rapture of the church and the start of the Tribulation with the rise of the Antichrist.

PRAY: Pray this decline in church attendance in America will reverse and Americans will return to church once again.

President Biden Wants Pride Flags to Continue at US Embassies

The Biden administration is promising to fight a GOP-led rule in the recently signed $1.2 trillion spending package that effectively bans the rainbow pride flag from being flown at U.S. embassies and consulates. A provision slipped in the bill spanning more than 1,000 pages requires that “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State,” other than the U.S. flag, with some exceptions, according to Axios. Other permitted flags include the POW/MIA flag, the U.S. Foreign Service flag, the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag, as well as flags that represent states, American territories, Indian tribal areas, and the District of Columbia. Flags of other nations are also allowed.

President Joe Biden signed the spending bill, but a spokesperson for the White House expressed the administration’s disapproval of the pride flag ban and promised to pursue repealing what they suggested amounts to discrimination against LGBT Americans. “President Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keep the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans,” a White House spokesperson told the outlet. “While it will have no impact on the ability of members of the LGBTQI+ community to serve openly in our embassies or to celebrate Pride, the Administration fought against the inclusion of this policy and we will continue to work with members of Congress to find an opportunity to repeal it,” the spokesperson added. It should surprise no one that President Biden would be against this provision, as he has been one of the most pro-LGBT leaders in the world, constantly promoting the agenda wherever and whenever possible and going out of his way to promote LGBT individuals within not only his administration but also throughout the entire government, including the US military.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a Southern Baptist, praised the provision behind closed doors as a win for conservatives, according to a source who spoke to Bloomberg News. Some U.S. embassies began displaying pride flags to mark so-called pride month or other LGBT-related holidays during the Obama administration. The blanket authorization was repealed under former President Donald Trump, though some continued to display the rainbow flags anyway, according to The Washington Post. The Biden administration then reversed Trump’s ban in April 2021, allowing the flag to be unfurled again at U.S. embassies such as the one to the Vatican, which prompted outrage from Roman Catholics in June 2022. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also permitted the Black Lives Matter flag to be flown at U.S. embassies, which critics denounced as unnecessarily political.

The provision in the current spending bill remains effective only until Sept. 30. In 2023, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., introduced the Old Glory Only Act, which would permanently ban such displays at diplomatic facilities. “Our beautiful flag, Old Glory, should be the only flag flying and representing our country over our diplomatic and consular posts worldwide,” Duncan said in a statement at the time, according to Fox News Digital. “The American flag is a beacon of liberty, and no other flag or symbol better portrays our shared values than the Stars and Stripes.” In 2021, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York proposed a similar bill and accused the Biden administration of permitting “inherently political flags that are in no way affiliated with the U.S. government.”

Biblical Connections: 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.” Any nation that continues to promote the things God calls evil is not a nation that follows after the Lord.

PRAY: Pray the sinful forces that are pushing this anti-God agenda will be defeated and the ways of the Lord will be established once again.

Erdogan: ‘Netanyahu Earned His Place Alongside Hitler and Stalin’

Turkey continued its recent push against Israel and toward Russia and Iran when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered another antisemitic speech, during which he compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fascist leaders. In the speech, Erdogan compared Netanyahu to historical fascist leaders, stating that “Netanyahu earned his place alongside Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin.”

It is blatant antisemitism to compare the elected leader of Israel with a man that killed 6 million Jews.

The Turkish President also refused to condemn Hamas’s actions on October 7 and even stood by the terrorist group in his rhetoric. Erdogan accused Israel of acting as “the Nazis of our time while committing humanitarian crimes in Gaza.” He refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization: “We cannot be coerced into designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. We communicate with them openly and stand behind them.” 

In response, Netanyahu said, “Israel observes the laws of war and will not be subject to moral preaching from Erdogan, who supports murderers and rapists of the Hamas terrorist organization, denies the Armenian genocide, massacres Kurds in his own country, and cracks down on regime opponents and journalists.” National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz weighed in on this exchange, criticizing Erdogan for his support of Hamas. “Erdogan standing with Hamas makes him a supporter of crimes against humanity, and comparing the Prime Minister of Israel to dictators is the height of hypocrisy,” Gantz stated in a post to X. “The fact that Erdogan believes that Hamas is not a terrorist organization explains his conduct towards his own citizens. Israel will continue to adhere to international law even in a war against those who have proven to have no humanity.”

In another statement supporting Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that “The murders and sex crimes of Hamas against Jews and the State of Israel makes it one of the greatest acts of oppression and antisemitism in history, and Turkey as the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world right after Iran. What a disgrace to the republic founded by the father of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk.”

This is not the first time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war that Erdogan has attacked Israel. “Netanyahu has gone down in history as the butcher of Gaza, and we are preparing to prosecute him,” Erdogan has previously stated. In another instance, the Turkish leader accused “Israel and other parties as being behind the terrorist organizations in northern Syria and Iraq. Israel would not have lasted three days without the support of Western countries. We are making preparations to declare Israel a war criminal in front of the world.” It is ironic that Erdogan attacks the “support of the west” for Israel when Turkey is an active member of NATO, made up of Western European nations and the United States. It shows just how far Turkey has moved under Erdogan to even make this statement. He is clearly attempting to move Turkey away from its NATO allies and into stronger ties with both Iran and Russia.

Biblical Connection: It is no surprise to followers of Bible prophecy to see Turkey becoming an enemy of Israel. They also have continued to build ties with both Iran and Russia over the last several years, despite being an active member of NATO. Ezekiel speaks of a future invasion of Israel where Iran, Turkey and possible Russia, along with others, will attempt to invade the nation but will be stopped by divine intervention. It is definitely a possibility that the events of our day could be leading up and setting the stage for this future event.

PRAY: Pray the enemies of Israel will not make any headway and will halt their commitment to evil and terrorism

Activism Replacing Religion in the West?

The Western world was the center of Christian civilization for centuries. Missionaries were sent around the world from places like Great Britain and America in the late 1700s and 1800s. Men like Hudson Taylor and CT Studd left everything to go out to the ends of the earth to spread the Gospel to the nations. The missionary movement has continued for the last two centuries, with people like Eric Liddle, Lottie Moon and many others continuing this great missionary tradition.

However, as the Western world has slowly moved away from its Christian foundation and become more secular, the passion and enthusiasm for the Christian mission has disappeared in many circles. It has instead been replaced by other causes. The younger generations today, specifically Gen Z and younger Millennials, are generations that are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. Earlier generations in the West found this purpose through religious devotion, pursuing God’s purpose in their lives. In contrast, these two generations, much of which are comprised of an increase in what has been called the nones (no religious affiliation) which is just another way of saying they are secularists, are searching for purpose and meaning in other places outside of the church.

Many are finding other places to fulfill this meaning and purpose through activism, either politically or socially. This activism really began to take off in the mid 2010’s with a focus on Global Warming/Climate Change. For example, Greta Thunberg became a worldwide celebrity as a small child because she became a climate activist. This expanded during the mid-2010s with the LGBT protests and activism during the second Obama term and the Trump Administration. This activism continued during the summer of 2020, when young people throughout the nation went to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, this activism continues with both the “Free Palestine” protests as well as the abortion protests, specifically in the US.

Many have noticed that a lot of the same people have been involved in all of these protests. Some of this comes from the predominately liberal academic institutions throughout the West that have been pushing both secularism and activism for several decades. It is no surprise when these protests begin, the universities are some of the first places to become activist hotbeds. While universities have certainly played a role, social media platforms, such as Tick Toc and Instagram also have played a crucial role in building this activism mindset into these generations.

The question that arises is why is this occurring now? The answer may be very simple. When religious conviction is denied or lost, people do not simply stop looking to fill that hole in their lives. Instead, they look to find something to “fill that hole” in their lives. Because they have no religious affiliation, they have turned to activism to replace their religious convictions. This is why many of these activists just move from one movement to the next, even if the movements themselves do not connect. It has become their religion and their purpose. They have turned from God to activism.

Biblical Connections: In Romans 1:24-25, Paul wrote, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Paul understood when people reject God, they try to fill that hole with paganism, sinful lusts including homosexuality and worshipping God’s creation instead of God. It should not surprise us then that many of these activists movements that are secularly driven mix in occultism, are LGBT affirming and in many ways worship the environment.

PRAY: Pray that this drift away from God in the West would change and that revival would break forth to move the West back to its Christian roots.

Believing Rights Come from God Now Considered Extremism

An award-winning investigative journalist for Politico claimed during an MSNBC panel on that believing rights come from God is a marker of “Christian nationalism.” Heidi Przybyla also claimed on “All In with Chris Hayes” that former President Donald Trump is surrounding himself with an “extremist element of conservative Christians” who are misusing “so-called natural law” in their attempt to roll back abortion and LBGT rights.

Przybyla went on to make a distinction between Christians and “Christian nationalists,” which she said are “very different.” What unites all Christian nationalists, she said, “is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don’t come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress, they don’t come from the Supreme Court, they come from God,” she added. “The problem with that is that they are determining — man, men, and it is men — are determining what God is telling them.”

Przybyla’s comments echoed assertions in her recent article for Politico titled “Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration,” which argued that Christian nationalism is likely to play a major role in public policy if Trump takes back the White House. The article, co-written by Alexander Ward, defined natural law as “the belief that there are universal rules derived from God that can’t be superseded by government or judges,” and likewise called it “a pillar of Catholicism” that has “been used to oppose abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception” in recent decades.

The main target of the article was Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, who was among many on X (Twitter) who excoriated Przybyla for comments they claimed showed ignorance of basic American political thought as found in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. “Mike Johnson should put a resolution on the floor reaffirming that we are one nation, under God. Make the Dems vote against it or be called Christian Nationalists,” Vought posted.

The Politico article also hit at former Trump administration official William Wolfe, labeling him a Christian nationalist because he “advocated for overturning same-sex marriage, ending abortion and reducing access to contraceptives.” ... [Wolfe] called for ending sex education in schools, surrogacy and no-fault divorce throughout the country, as well as forcing men ‘to provide for their children as soon as it’s determined the child is theirs’ — a clear incursion by the government into Americans’ private lives,” the article said.

Wolfe also responded to Przybyla on X, “Apparently believing in the ideas set forth in our Founding documents now makes you a — you guessed it — ‘Christian Nationalist’. Yes, Heidi, our rights do come from God. Again, the ignorance of these regime journalists is astounding. They know nothing about the American founding or Christian political thought.”

“Politico has twice now, in print and with its reporter on MSNBC, raised flags about an idea central to the founding of the American Republic,” journalist Erick Erickson posted on X. “This is troubling because it suggests a lack of education and understanding by its reporters.”

“Believing rights come from God is now Christian Nationalism,” wrote Andrew T. Walker, an ethics and public theology professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “This is a civics failure, a talent failure, an intelligence failure, a historical failure, an ethics failure ... shall I keep going?”

Biblical Connection: The founding fathers of America believed the Biblical concept that our rights come from God, not man. This has been the Christian understanding for 2,000 years. That it is under attack shows how far some in America have fallen away from the founding ideas of the nation, many which came directly from the pages of the Bible.

PRAY: Pray those seeking to drive America away from the Christian values it was founded upon will be stopped and fundamental Biblical principles will again reign.

Christian School Targeted in Maine

A Christian school in Maine must adhere to the state’s LGBT antidiscrimination policy to qualify for a state tuition assistance program while the lawsuit against the state continues, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock, a George W. Bush appointee, denied a preliminary injunction requested by Bangor Christian Schools run by Crosspoint Church, concluding the church’s lawsuit against assorted state officials is not likely to succeed. He ruled that Bangor Christian Schools must follow all the Maine Human Rights Act provisions.

“The Court determines that the educational antidiscrimination provisions do not violate the Free Exercise Clause because they are neutral, generally applicable, and rationally related to a legitimate government interest,” wrote Woodcock. “The Court concludes further that the educational provisions do not violate the Free Speech Clause because they regulate conduct, not speech. Finally, the Court concludes that the employment provisions do not proscribe any constitutionally protected conduct.”

First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Lea Patterson, who represents Crosspoint, denounced the decision and expressed plans to appeal. “Government punishing religious schools for living out their religious beliefs is not only unconstitutional, it is wrong,” said Patterson, as quoted by Bangor Daily News.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Carson v. Makin that Maine cannot lawfully stop parents from using a state tuition program to send their children to Christian private schools. The lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court ruling was driven by parents from Bangor Christian School who sued Maine over the ban on state tuition assistance for families sending their children to a private school that includes sectarian aspects in its curriculum. In response to the high court ruling, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said that BCS was still ineligible for the program because of its conservative religious stance on LGBT issues. Crosspoint requires staff and students to support a biblical stance on marriage and sexuality.

“The education provided by the schools at issue here is inimical to a public education,” claimed Frey, a Democrat. “They promote a single religion to the exclusion of all others, refuse to admit gay and transgender children, and openly discriminate in hiring teachers and staff.” Frey promised to “explore with Governor Mills’ administration and members of the Legislature statutory amendments to address the Court’s decision and ensure that public money is not used to promote discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry.”

In response, Crosspoint sued state officials over the requirement that the private school adhere to Maine’s antidiscrimination policy on LGBT issues. The complaint labeled the state standards a “poison pill” and that “BCS was no longer eligible to participate in the tuitioning program, and eligible families could no longer use their tuition benefit at BCS. Thus the sectarian exclusion operated to allow religious schools to participate in the tuitioning program if, and only if, they held religious beliefs the State approved.”

Biblical Connections: It is hard to believe that in America a school could be discriminated against simply for adhering to their Christian beliefs. However, the secularists and LGBT proponents have made it their mission to try to destroy anything resembling a Christian worldview. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

PRAY: Pray this agenda that seeks to remove Christianity from the public square will be stopped and Christians will be treated fairly.

Hamas Rejects US Hostage Deal after UN Resolution

Hamas rejected a deal proposed by the United States to help secure the release of the remaining hostages amid ongoing tensions between the Biden administration and Israeli officials about how to best address the conflict. Israel agreed to a U.S.-proposed compromise that involved releasing around 700 to 800 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages, The Jerusalem Post reported. According to an update, Hamas reiterated its demands, which include the full withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip.

The Post shared a message Hamas posted on its Telegram channel in response to the deal, stating that the terror group is adhering to the demands presented in a March 14 press release, in which Hamas deemed necessary for an agreement withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. "The occupation's response did not respond to any of the basic demands of our people and our resistance: a comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and a real exchange of prisoners," Hamas wrote on Telegram. "Accordingly, the movement reiterates that Netanyahu and his extremist government bear full responsibility for thwarting all negotiation efforts and obstructing reaching an agreement so far."

Israel has been at war with Hamas after the terrorist group's surprise attack on Oct. 7, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and the abduction of over 240 Israelis and foreigners. Hamas released several hostages during a temporary ceasefire last year. However, over 130 individuals remain in captivity, and around 30 of the hostages are presumed dead. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says that over 32,000 people have been killed since the war began, figures that don't differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the proposal's rejection is a consequence of a United Nations Security Council resolution. Earlier, the Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the hostages. The U.S. abstained from the vote. “Hamas has once again rejected an American compromise proposal and has repeated its extreme demands: An immediate halt to the war, the complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving in place its administration so that it can repeat, time and again, the massacre of October 7, as it has promised to do,” Netanyahu stated. "Israel will not address Hamas's delusional demands. Israel will pursue and achieve its just war objectives: Destroying Hamas's military and governmental capacities, release of all the hostages, and ensuring Gaza will not pose a threat to the people of Israel in the future."

Netanyahu intends to send a delegation to Washington, D.C. to discuss a potential ground operation in Rafah, a strategy that the Biden administration opposes, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed. Netanyahu argues the operation is necessary to eliminate Hamas, while the Biden administration fears that Israel does not have a foolproof plan to prevent civilian casualties, Axios reported.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart that the civilian death toll in Gaza is "too high" and the amount of aid entering the territory is too low. Netanyahu previously canceled a delegation visit to D.C. after the U.S. failed to veto the ceasefire resolution. According to a press release by the Israeli prime minister’s office, Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with a U.S. congressional delegation organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Netanyahu discussed the war in Gaza, stating, "We have to win. There is no substitute for victory. What we've set out at the outset, with the support of President Biden and the administration — important support, which we appreciate deeply — was to say, the first thing: Our goal is to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas in Gaza. Hamas has to be eliminated. Not as in idea. Nazism wasn't destroyed as an idea in World War Two, but Nazis do not govern Germany," he stated.

Biblical Connection: Unfortunately, much of the public support globally for Israel immediately after October 7th has dried up and there are concerns that this continued war will only increase hate for Israel globally, something that we see when we read the Book of Revelation where the Antichrist is easily able to turn the world against Israel. However, Israel knows that it must eliminate Hamas if it is to survive as a nation.

PRAY: Pray that Israel will be able to end the war as quickly as possible, that as many hostages as possible will be recovered and that civilian casualties will be limited.

Attacks Against US Churches Doubled in 2023

Anti-Christian hatred is accelerating in the United States, according to a Christian nonprofit that has tracked violence against U.S. churches since 2018. The Family Research Council (FRC) released its annual Hostility Against Churches report recently, finding there were 436 hostile incidents against churches in 2023.

This is more than double the number tracked in 2022 and more than eight times as many as the group found in 2018. The group said it used publicly available data to track 915 acts of hostility against churches over the past six years. Most of the incidents were acts of vandalism. The report also found gun-related incidents, arson and bomb threats used against churches.

“From January 2018 to November 2023, there were at least 709 occurrences of vandalism, 135 arson attacks or attempts, 22 gun-related incidents, 32 bomb threats, and 61 other incidents (assault, threats, interruption of worship services, etc.). In 39 cases, multiple types of hostility occurred (e.g., vandalism and arson),” the report states. Vandalism against churches may be a sign of the culture’s increasing irreverence for places of worship and the Christian religion in general, the report said.

“Americans appear increasingly comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality. Attacks on houses of worship may also signal a discomfort with religion in general,” the report continues.

FRC President Tony Perkins said the hostility toward Christians displayed by the Biden administration is mirrored by the growing persecution against Christians worldwide.

“There is a common connection between the growing religious persecution abroad and the rapidly increasing hostility toward churches here at home: our government’s policies,” Perkins said in a statement. “The indifference abroad to the fundamental freedom of religion is rivaled only by the increasing antagonism toward the moral absolutes taught by Bible-believing churches here in the U.S., which is fomenting this environment of hostility toward churches.”

Some of President Biden’s critics have accused his administration of waging a war on Christians after several pro-life activists were charged with violating federal law for protesting at an abortion clinic in 2021. The activists could face up to 11 years in prison.

FRC report author Arielle Del Turco said the documented incidents show there is a “growing disdain for Christianity and core Christian beliefs” in the United States. 

“Although the motivations for many of these acts of hostility remain unknown, the effect is unmistakable: religious intimidation. They send the message that churches are not wanted in the community or respected in general. Our culture is demonstrating a growing disdain for Christianity and core Christian beliefs, and acts of hostility against churches could be a physical manifestation of that. Regardless of the motivations of these crimes, everyone should treat churches and all houses of worship with respect and affirm the importance of religious freedom for all Americans.”

It would have been unthinkable even 20-30 years ago to attack a church in these types of manners, as society, even unbelievers, had a deep respect for the church. However, that respect has dissolved through the rise of the secular left which only sees Christianity and the church as an evil that must be destroyed in any way possible.

Biblical Connection: In John 15:18, Jesus stated, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”. It should not shock Christians to know that a dark world hates the light. The Bible is clear that as we move closer and closer to the return of Christ that darkness will also increase.

PRAY: Pray these attacks on churches would stop and that America would be a place that respects the church once again.

Iran Claims New Satellite Launch from Russia

Iran has announced that it successfully launched a satellite from Russia. The satellite is called the Pars-1 and is considered a “remote sensing and imaging” satellite. It was launched with a Russian Soyuz launcher. It was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch base, which is 5,000 miles east of Moscow. It is a Russian spaceport first used in 2016, designed to move more launches to Russia’s far east, and out of Kazakhstan, where Russia used to conduct most launches. Issa Zareppur, Iran’s telecommunications minister, praised the launch and noted that Iran has launched 12 satellites in the last two years.

The Pars 1 was sent into an orbit at around 500km from the Earth’s surface, which would make it a low earth-orbit satellite. It weighs 134kg according to Iran’s Tasnim News. Testing was carried out at the Iranian Space Research Institute. It is part of a “series of research-measurement satellites of the Iran Space Research Institute and was designed and produced for the purpose of functional imaging, development of the domestic measurement data market, and the development and testing of technologies required for local operational measurement satellites,” Tasnim says.

It has three imaging cameras, which include visible, short-wave infrared, and thermal infrared imaging. “The thermal infrared spectrum camera with the capability of imaging at night is capable of imaging the entire territory of Iran in less than 45 days.” In addition,the “technologies used in Pars 1 satellite include V/UHF frequency band telecommunication link, wide range S frequency band telecommunication link, X frequency band telecommunication link, GPS positioning sensor,” and other capabilities.Iran’s sophistication with their weaponry continues to expand and they are clearly a major player in not only the Middle East but the world at large with their various alliances and relationships.

According to reports, Iran launched three satellites in January. This included a launch with Iran’s Simorgh rocket. Iran also launched a “research” satellite of the IRGC. Iran claims all these satellites are not related to its military ballistic missile and nuclear program. However, it is clear that Iran’s investment in the launch technology and increase in power in space is directly tied to the country’s attempts to grow its indigenous abilities in this realm.

Russia also launched an Iranian remote sensing satellite from Kazakhstan in 2022. Overall, the Iranian satellite launch and its partnership with Russia represent increasing threats by the Iranian regime to the region. Iran has exported Shahed 136 drones to Russia, and Russia and Iran have collaborated in the past on various programs that have helped Iran increase its technological capabilities in various realms. For instance, Iran’s rocket and missile programs have increased its abilities in the last decade, including the deployment of longer-range precision missiles.

In addition, Iran’s space program has increased its number of satellites. Iran continues to also enrich uranium and work towards achieving a nuclear weapon. All of these details put together, with cooperation between Iran and Russia, illustrate how Tehran is aiming to knit together its various military, space, and technological capabilities with links to countries that oppose the West. They have become one of the world leaders in drone technology, supplying drones to Russia as well as creating rockets and missiles for their proxies throughout the Middle East.

Biblical Connections: Iran and Russia continue to build their relationship in terms of technological and military arrangements. These types of continued arrangements, especially with Russia driven away from the West with the war in Ukraine, could lead to the type of military alliance described in Ezekiel 38-39.

PRAY: Pray that the forces of evil that seem to be moving the world closer and closer to a global conflict will be thwarted.

Hawaii Educators Deny Christian Afterschool Group

The organization that oversees the Good News Clubs in public elementary schools has sued education officials in Hawaii, accusing them of unlawfully blocking their student clubs from operating in four local school districts. Child Evangelism Fellowship of Hawaii filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of the District of Hawaii, alleging various education officials blocked the ministry’s student clubs from operating on public school campuses. Good News Clubs are described on the Child Evangelism Fellowship’s website as ministries “designed to bring the Gospel of Christ to children on their level in their environment.”

Defendants named in the complaint include the Hawaii Department of Education and Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi; Rochelle Mahoe, superintendent of the Farrington-Kaiser-Kalani Complex Area; Linell Dilwith, superintendent of the Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area; Janette Snelling, superintendent of the Honokaa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area; and Richard Fajardo, superintendent of the Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area.

“Defendants’ policies of unequal access, pretextual denials, and hostility to CEF’s religious message violate the Constitution and have denied some Hawaii elementary school students access to free, positive, and character-building Good News Clubs that enrich countless students’ lives in other Hawaii schools and throughout the country,” argued the suit. The ministry alleges defendants have regularly denied CEF’s requests to use public school campuses for meetings, even though comparable secular clubs are permitted to do so.

These rejections allegedly began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Hawaii Department of Education decided in November 2021 to allow student clubs to meet again on campuses. “By denying CEF use of HIDOE facilities on unconstitutional and specious grounds, Defendants deny CEF the ability to communicate with students on an equal basis with other similarly situated non-religious organizations, such as Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts,” claimed the lawsuit. “Defendants’ repeated denials of equal access therefore serve as a serious impediment to the operation of Good News Club’s and preclude CEF from exercising its rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, whose law firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of CEF, said in a statement that “Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school and that includes in these Hawaii schools. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public schools cannot discriminate against Christian viewpoints regarding use of school facilities.”

According to the State of Hawaii Board of Education, “Public school buildings, facilities, and grounds shall be available for general recreational purposes and for public and community use whenever these activities do not interfere with the normal and usual activities of the school and its pupils as provided by law.” According to state rules, “no available public school building, facility, or grounds shall be denied for use by the public and community on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or disability.”

In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Good News Club v. Milford Central School that public schools could not ban the Christian student group from meeting on their property after class hours solely because the club was religious in nature.  

Biblical Connections: John 3:19 states, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Public schools in many places have become a cesspool of secular agendas with educators who will not allow the light of the Gospel into their schools even when it is against the law to do so.

PRAY: Pray this lawsuit will be successful and that movements such as this to eliminate the Bible from our schools in any way possible will be defeated at every turn.

Biden HHS Rescinds Protections

The Biden administration has issued a new proposal seeking to amend conscience protections for healthcare workers and institutions that wish to refrain from performing abortions and other procedures that violate their religious beliefs, drawing concerns from pro-life activists. In a final rule slated for publication in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its intention to partially rescind a rule implemented by the Trump administration in 2019. The rule, due to take effect 60 days later, amends the 2019 rule and returns federal policy to “the framework created by the February 23, 2011, final rule entitled, ‘Regulation for the Enforcement of Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Laws.’”

The 2019 rule, titled “Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority,” contained several provisions outlining explicit protections enabling “individuals, entities, and health care entities to refuse to perform, assist in the performance of, or undergo certain health care services or research activities to which they may object for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons.” The rule was blocked by federal courts and was never able to go into effect.

The Biden administration’s proposal eliminates several provisions outlining protections for individuals and healthcare facilities that receive federal grants, contracts or loans. Specific declarations include protections stating that federal law shall not require individuals “to perform or assist in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if his performance or assistance in the performance of such procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

Protections also prohibit mandating that recipients of federal funds make their “facilities available for the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance of such procedure or abortion in such facilities is prohibited by the recipient on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions” and “provide personnel” for the provisions of said procedures. The 2019 rule also forbids discrimination in employment against people who refuse to participate in abortions or sterilizations.

Part of the rule remains in place, including a section proclaiming that certain federal statutes “protect the rights of individuals, entities, and health care entities to refuse to perform, assist in the performance of, or undergo certain health care services or research activities to which they may object for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons.” The provision also maintains that “such laws also protect patients from being subjected to certain health care or services over their conscientious objection.”

The department’s proposal comes a year after it attempted to amend the 2019 rule in a proposed rule titled “Safeguarding the Rights of Conscience as Protected by Statutes.” As noted by the pro-life advocacy group CatholicVote, the proposal would have had the effect of returning federal policy to the way it was in 2011. More than 9,600 people submitted letters to the Biden administration against the proposal in response to a campaign started by CatholicVote warning that changes to the 2019 rule would revoke the moral exemption for employers who did not want to pay for abortifacients in their employer-sponsored healthcare plans. The proposed rule did not go into effect.

Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, addressed the new rule in a statement. “President Biden is once again showing his allegiance to pro-abortion groups and their demands,” she said. “His administration is willing to trample on the rights of millions of healthcare workers by changing a rule designed to protect them from having to perform abortions against their religious or ethical convictions,” Tobias added. She said, “This administration has been more than willing to comply with the demands of pro-abortion groups and their allies.”

Biblical Connection: A nation that does not accept the sanctity of life is a nation that puts itself in the crosshairs of God’s judgments.

PRAY: Pray these regulations that force believers and businesses to assist with or perform abortions will be stopped and the unborn will be protected.

Iran-Backed Proxies Escalate Attacks

Three American service members were killed in a drone attack in Jordan, the White House said in a statement. The soldiers were killed near the Syrian border. The US is continuing to gather information about the attack, but the White House has blamed “radical Iran-backed militant groups.” The pro-Iranian “Islamic Resistance” in Iraq claimed in January that it had attacked five locations in the region: Erbil in Iraq, as well as Shaddadi, Tanf, and Rukban in Syria. US forces were present in four of these locations.

This is a major escalation in the region and shows that Iran is willing to expand the war into new countries. Iran has already operationalized the Houthis in Yemen to attack ships in the Red Sea. It has also prodded its proxies in Syria and Iraq to carry out more than 150 attacks on US forces. Iran has also pushed Hezbollah to fire more than 2,000 rockets at Israel. Iranian-backed proxies have already become a headache for Jordan because of drug smuggling. Now, it appears they have crossed yet another red line in the region.

Tanf is a US garrison in Syria in a desert area that is near the Jordanian border and also not far from where the Jordan-Syria and Iraq borders meet. The US came to the area during the war on ISIS to support anti-ISIS fighters. Since then, the garrison has become a forlorn area. It has been targeted by drones linked to Iran in the past. Iran and its proxies have now escalated.

The Iranian pro-government Tasnim News says that “Islamic Resistance” in Iraq also claimed they had targeted a place called Khirba Adnan in Syria. This regional escalation constitutes Iranian willingness to expand its wars by proxies. The Iranian Tasnim News mentioned the deaths of three US soldiers in a separate article. Jordan’s Al-Ghad also discussed the attack but did not elaborate. There have been numerous attacks over the last two days by the Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria. This appears to be the sign of a new campaign by Iran against US forces. Pro-Iranian politicians in Iraq, many of them linked to militias, have also called for US forces to leave Iraq.

The pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen media also carried coverage of other attacks in the region. Hezbollah claimed it had targeted Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis also targeted the HMS Diamond with a drone overnight. Even if all the attacks on the evening of January 27 were not directly coordinated by Iran, it is clear that Iranian proxies carried out drone attacks and other attacks from Yemen and also in Iraq and Syria. This represents a new stage in the Iranian-backed attacks on the US and UK. The attacks began in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The Daily Wire reported bipartisan Senate support for direct military action against Iran. Senators from both parties called for accountability and decisive action, with some advocating for strikes inside Iran. “I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was quoted as saying. “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard.” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., wrote on X: “Iran must be held accountable.”

Biblical Connections: We have seen over the past few years Iran’s continued push to make significant disruption in the region. It is safe to say that if Iran continues on this path, either the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel or another conflict will be on the horizon.

Arrested for Praying in America?

A Christian father of 11 children is facing prison time alongside five other pro-life activists after being convicted of violating a federal law against blocking access to abortion clinics. A federal jury found Paul Vaughn guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act when he and five others blocked access to an abortion facility in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in March 2021. In addition to Vaughn, the other defendants found guilty of obstructing access to the Mount Juliet facility were Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd and Dennis Green.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 2. The six pro-life activists are facing up to 10.5 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine not to exceed $260,000.

“These defendants knowingly chose to violate laws they disagreed with. The jury’s verdict today is a victory for the rule of law in this country and a reminder that we cannot pick and choose which laws we follow. It is also a testament to the outstanding work done in this case by the trial team and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee in a statement.

The Thomas More Society, a religious liberty law firm that helped to represent Vaughn, has expressed disappointment with the jury decision and intends to appeal the verdict. “This was a peaceful demonstration by entirely peaceable citizens — filled with prayer, hymn-singing, and worship — oriented toward persuading expecting mothers not to abort their babies,” said TMS Senior Counsel Steve Crampton in a statement.

“Unfortunately, the Biden Department of Justice decided to characterize Paul Vaughn’s peaceful actions as a felony’ conspiracy against rights,’ to intimidate and punish Paul and other pro-life people and people of faith.” Crampton described the jury decision as “a frustrating setback, for Paul, for his family, and for the extended pro-life community,” adding that he believed the Biden administration’s “pattern of arresting and prosecuting peaceful pro-life advocates is disturbing.”

In October 2022, Vaughn was one of 11 people originally indicted for their blocking of the entrance to the Mount Juliet clinic, which was advertised by Gallagher and Boyd on social media. Seven of the 11 defendants faced conspiracy charges under the FACE Act, while the remaining defendants were charged with misdemeanors that carried a punishment of up to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser released a statement at the time condemning the indictments as the latest example of “the Biden administration’s egregious abuse of the Justice Department.”

“Pro-abortion Democrats will stop at nothing to protect the abortion industry that spends millions to elect them while demonizing pro-life advocates working to save lives and turning a blind eye to violence against them,” stated Dannenfelser in 2022.

The FACE Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, coming in response to a reported increase in violence against abortion facilities and personnel. “We simply cannot — we must not — continue to allow the attacks, the incidents of arson, the campaigns of intimidation upon law-abiding citizens that has given rise to this law,” said Clinton in 1994, as quoted by The New York Times. “No person seeking medical care, no physician providing that care should have to endure harassments or threats or obstruction or intimidation or even murder from vigilantes who take the law into their own hands because they think they know what the law ought to be.”

Biblical Connection: John 15:20 states, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

PRAY: Pray for the individuals who are facing prison sentences. Pray for their families. Pray for all who are dealing with persecution for simply praying, singing hymns and trying to save the lives of the unborn.

Iran’s President Raisi Visits Turkey

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi flew to Turkey for key meetings with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both countries oppose Israel’s war in Gaza and support Hamas, but their support is not identical. Iran recently carried out missile attacks on northern Iraq and Pakistan, killing civilians, and has pushed its proxies to attack Israel and the US. By contrast, Turkey is more complex in how it backs Hamas; it has also recently carried out a bombing campaign in Syria, targeting the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Iran’s official line is that Raisi’s visit is about economic and commercial issues, while the Palestinian issue is only a close second. According to Iranian pro-government media, Raisi said that “Turkey, as a neighboring and Muslim country, is an important economic and commercial partner” for Iran. Iran expects to sign several deals with Turkey but has also said that the Muslim world is concerned about the war in Gaza. “Iran and Turkey have a common position in supporting Palestine and the resistance of the oppressed and powerful Palestinian people,” Iran’s Fars News reported.

Iran is convinced that Hamas will prevail, saying it wants to “cut off the vital arteries of the Zionist regime. Therefore,” Iran says, “the issue of Palestine will be one of the issues discussed between us and the president of Turkey,” implying that Iran wants to discuss trade between Turkey and Israel.

Overall, the agenda is also one in which Iran and Turkey seek to work together outside the orbit of the West. While the US praised Turkey for finally backing Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Ankara has increasingly been at odds with the West. Ankara’s foreign policy in the region often supports extremist groups and has sought to destabilize eastern Syria. For example, the US backs the SDF, which has suffered bombs by Iranian-backed militias, meaning, in essence, that Turkey and Iran cooperate against the US.

Turkey also operates in northern Iraq and Iran and recently carried out attacks on Erbil. However, in Iraq, the countries do not always agree. Turkey and the Kurdish KDP party in Erbil have good relations, while Iran has better relations with the Kurdish PUK party; Iran even murdered a key Kurdish businessman in Erbil along with his family.

Overall, Iran is seeking to shift its policies toward China, looking to work with Turkey on other organizations, like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, which Iran has joined.How does Turkey see the coming meetings? The country’s Daily Sabah paper, which is pro-government, wrote that “the turmoil engulfing the Middle East since Israel went to war on Oct. 7 has added a new layer of complexity to Turkey’s close but uneasy relationship with Iran. Erdogan considers Iran-backed Hamas as legitimately elected liberators and not the “terrorist” organization it has been proscribed as across the Western world.”

The paper noted that Turkey’s leader has “compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler for attacks that have killed more than 25,000 people – mostly women and children – in Gaza. Relentless Israeli attacks have also left much of the besieged Palestinian territory in ruins and starved of food.” In this sense, Ankara’s anti-Israel views are as strong as Iran’s today.

Biblical Connections: For several decades, as Turkey was moving to establish closer ties with the West through NATO, people questioned how they could ever be involved in something like the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39, in which Ezekiel predicts Turkey will be allied with Iran and others to attack Israel. However, with Turkeys dramatic push to make friends with Iran in recent years, this is no longer seen as impossible but instead likely possibility.

PRAY - Pray that this increased tension in the Middle East would soften and that Israel would be protected from Iran’s planned attacks.

School Board Member Sworn in on Stack of LGBT Books

A member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia was sworn in on a stack of LGBT books, some that are pornographic in nature, that have stoked outrage among parents who object to such material being used in public schools. Karl Frisch, a Democrat who serves as vice chair on the Fairfax County School Board opted to be sworn in for his second term on books that reportedly included The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Lawn Boy, All Boys Aren’t Blue, Gender Queer: A Memoir, and Flamer. Four of the books Frisch featured during the ceremony are among the top five most banned books, according to the American Library Association, and have been at the center of a political firestorm that has engulfed the largest school district in the U.S. for years.

A graphic novel by self-identified nonbinary author Maia Kobabe, Gender Queer: A Memoir details the author’s struggles with gender confusion and contains violent nudity and graphic descriptions of various sex acts. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison depicts scenes where an older man grooms an underage boy, prompting critics to allege that it effectively promotes pedophilia. Flamer by Mark Curato featured during a school board meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, last year, when a mother read explicit passages from it that referred to ejaculation. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson contains graphic descriptions of homosexual sex, excerpts from which Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., recently read during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on alleged “book bans.”

After a school board meeting in 2021 during which an outraged mother read aloud from the sexually explicit content in Gender Queer: A Memoir and Lawn Boy, Frisch tweeted in apparent defense of the material, writing: “It’s not every week the School Board receives two exorcisms during public comment. To be clear, nothing will disrupt our Board’s commitment to LGBTQIA+ students, families, and staff. Nothing.”

After his swearing-in, Frisch said: “Fairfax County residents want safe and inclusive schools with exceptional, well-compensated educators and equitable access to the rigorous academic and enrichment opportunities every student needs to succeed. I am grateful for the trust Providence District families have placed in me, and with tonight’s Oath, I commit to standing strong for these values and advancing these priorities with my new and returning colleagues,” he added.

The video of Frisch’s swearing-in was widely panned by users on X, with some describing the swearing-in ceremony as “demonic.” “We have never before seen American figures publicly mock God like this,” Christian author Eric Metaxas tweeted. “It is a chilling thing. Pray for this nation every day. We are in a spiritual war between good and evil. God deliver us.” “Karl Frisch getting sworn-in on a stack of kiddie porn he wants kids to access without [parents’] knowledge or approval is perfectly on brand for the Fairfax County School Board,” radio host Larry O’Connor wrote. Former White House strategic senior advisor Mercedes Schlapp called the gesture “disgusting,” adding that the “leftist goal is to sexualize the children at a young age.” “They are more obsessed with promoting sex and gender confusion than they are in teaching them how to read,” she added.

Biblical Connection: The Bible has long been a standard in American political and legal work for swearing in new political leaders, witnesses, jurors, etc. for centuries. That a public political figure would feel comfortable removing the Bible for books that are contrary to the Bible shows just how far many in our nation have moved away from the biblical foundation that established America.

PRAY: Pray that the agenda that seeks to remove the Bible from society and replace it with pagan idolatry would be stopped and the Bible would be restored again.

China Continues Crackdown on Christianity

The level of control imposed on Christians by the Chinese government continues to increase — particularly on children. Since 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping has implemented a campaign framework called “Sinicization” to govern religious affairs in China. Under this movement, religions in the country must have Chinese characteristics and adapt to socialist Chinese society.

Beijing is most heavily reinforcing its religious restrictions on minors, with the goal of ensuring that future generations are ideologically indoctrinated to listen to and follow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A pastor who founded a house church in the coastal area of southeast China recently shared with Global Christian Relief the strategy the Chinese government employs to strictly control minors, which he calls “The Pharaoh Policy.” Just as Pharaoh targeted the Israelites’ children in Exodus 1, Beijing’s tactics highlight its determination to eliminate opportunities for young people to learn about God.

Before Xi came to power, children during the era of former President Hu Jintao were allowed to attend Sunday School. Now, under Xi, many parents of kindergartners and middle schoolers must sign and submit a “pledge to not believe in religion” to their children’s schoolteachers. Government staff monitors to make sure no child enters places of worship. Protests by parents who say they cannot leave their children home alone go unheard. To bypass these restrictions, many churches secretly host Sunday School in member’s homes.

To further deter Christians from setting up home schools, authorities have issued fines starting from $98,000 to an astronomical $838,500. School leaders refuse to accept the unreasonable penalties to delegitimize the government’s actions. Given these challenges, many Christian parents have little choice but to send their children overseas for education. Those who cannot afford this option continue their homeschooling in secrecy, believing that education based on biblical principles, coupled with homeschool co-ops with other Christians, is vital to the upbringing of their children.

Christian college students are also facing increased crackdowns on college campuses. In the past, campus fellowships run by churches were common at universities. But beginning in 2014, many churches were forced to display signs that read, “Minors and college students are not allowed to participate in religious activities,” leading to the shutdown of campus activities. Christian students in universities are prohibited from proselytizing to their classmates on campus, and face being reported to authorities for doing so. Fellowship leaders are targeted with threats and surveillance. Christian professors are also not allowed to share the Gospel with students.

The harsh clampdown on seminaries associated with unregistered churches is another indication of Beijing’s willingness to reign over religious education. In the cities of Chengdu and Xuzhou, several seminaries have been raided by the police and their leaders have been taken away for questioning. In 2022, two Bible institutes in Wenzhou were labeled as “illegal social organizations” by a civil affairs bureau and disbanded.

Historically, Chinese Christians would travel to Hong Kong for seminary or to connect with believers there. After the pro-democracy movement in 2019, Beijing grew wary of the region’s influence over Chinese citizens. Chinese Christian leaders who visit Hong Kong risk interrogation after their return. Studying at seminaries is now more precarious for Christians looking to escape the mainland. Hong Kong, along with the rest of China, is no longer a haven for Christian education.

Biblical Connection: Daniel 1:8 states, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” While persecution like this runs rampart in China, it is only a matter of time before similar things come to the West. Believers must be like Daniel and determine that they will stand up for God and His Word no matter the circumstances.

PRAY: Pray for the believers in China that are putting their very lives on the line for their faith. Pray that this level of persecution will stay away from the rest and that the Gospel will still move forth with freedom.

Catholic Church to Allow Blessings for Same Sex Couples

Pope Francis has approved a measure that will allow Roman Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, under the condition that the blessing is not considered akin to marriage and while still labeling such relationships sinful. In a Declaration titled “Fiducia Supplicans” that was issued, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith provided “a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective.”

“It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage,” stated the Catholic Church leadership. “This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church.”

The Vatican document goes on to state that “when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it” and that “those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.” For same-sex couples, “a blessing may be imparted that not only has an ascending value but also involves the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon those who—recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help — do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.”

The declaration warned that “one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation.” “At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing,” the Vatican document continued. “In a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance — but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely.” The declaration was part of a series of guidance given by the dicastery regarding Catholic doctrine in response to “dubia“ or questions issued by bishops from across the world. The dicastery released guidance clarifying that single mothers who have confessed their sins can receive the Eucharist even if they “lead a very complex existence.”

In October 2020, Pope Francis garnered controversy when he appeared to endorse civil unions for same-sex couples, being quoted in an Italian documentary. “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it,” said Francis in the film, adding, “what we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.” In response, the Vatican Secretariat of State sent out a statement to Catholic Church officials around the world explaining that the comments did not change church teaching on the issue.

Biblical Connections: While the leaders of the Catholic Church claim that these blessings are completely different than accepting civil unions and that the church has not changed its acceptance of homosexuality, it is clear that Pope Francis continues to move the Catholic Church closer and closer to outright accepting these unions, something that is clearly against the teachings of Scripture.

PRAY: Pray that the Catholic Church and its leadership will stop moving closer and closer to accepting something so clearly against biblical teaching.

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.