Worthy Brief - 4/21/2016
Friend, pass over!
Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Tomorrow night will begin the holiday of Pesach (Passover), the day we remember God's merciful redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. When the final plague struck Pharoh and the Egyptians in Exodus, those who were spared were were the ones who applied blood to their doorposts as God warned. Interestingly, the blood that God required them to apply then was the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb.
As believers in Messiah, we are blessed to have the blood of Yeshua (Jesus), our Passover Lamb, applied upon the doorposts of our hearts. The judgment we deserve has passed over us! And thankfully we can celebrate His redemption in our lives as well this season.
While this is a special time to celebrate God's passing over our sins, there is one thing we sometimes overlook. Not only should we remember the Lord's passing over our sins, but equally important is our obedience in passing over others' sins. Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This is the way Jesus taught us to pray, is it not? Today we have the opportunity to make this prayer a reality in our lives.
Has someone offended you? Committed a sin against you? It happens, and unfortunately, it will probably happen again, as we live in a world full of sin. But we need to pass over those offenses just as God has passed over ours.
Friend, Passover is the season to give our hurts to the Lord. Let's allow Him to heal and free us, and those we've hurt and who've hurt us. We have been forgiven many offenses by the innocent blood of our Messiah. How much more should we forgive?
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Russia Moves Artillery Units to Northern Syria
Russia has reportedly been moving artillery units to parts of northern Syria populated by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, a move that could indicate that Russia is readying to bolster its ally should full-scale fighting resume.
Iran Conducts Space Launch
Iran this week conducted the first launch of a new rocket that the Pentagon views as a key element of Tehran’s effort to build long-range missiles.
NATO security chiefs warn of ISIS plan for nuclear attack on Europe
Islamic State terrorists are plotting to carry out biological and nuclear attack on Europe warned NATO security experts on Wednesday according to reports by the Telegraph.
Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in 'at risk' areas
The Zika virus, which is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, triggered a global health emergency this year.
Nato and Russia trade accusations
Renewed Nato-Russia talks ended in 'profound disagreement' on Wednesday (20 April) over Ukraine and over Russia's harassment of Nato assets.
Japan earthquake Japan faces fresh earthquake panic as 6.1 magnitude tremor hits coast near Fukushima nuclear plant
Japan was plunged into fresh panic today as a 6.1 magnitude tremor hit the northern coast - the third major earthquake within a week.
Russia Bolsters Its Submarine Fleet, and Tensions With U.S. Rise
Russian attack submarines, the most in two decades, are prowling the coastlines of Scandinavia and Scotland, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic in what Western military officials say is a significantly increased presence aimed at contesting American and NATO undersea dominance.
Justice opens criminal investigation into Panama Papers
The Justice Department has an open criminal investigation into the Panama Papers, according to a letter the department sent this week.
Conservatives won big last night, in election nobody noticed
Just months after the Conservative Party went down to defeat in Canada to Justin Trudeau's Liberals, they've come roaring back at the local level in the prairie province of Manitoba. Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative Party got 40 seats in the 57-seat provincial parliament, the NDP got 14 and the Liberals 3.
Obama Seeks Meeting With Iranian President
President Barack Obama has sent two letters to senior Iranian leaders in recent months requesting a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, according to Persian language reports recently translated by a Middle East research organization.
Saudi Arabia takes out $10bn in bank loans
Saudi Arabia is raising $10bn from a consortium of global banks as the kingdom embarks on its first international debt issuance in 25 years to counter dwindling oil revenues and reserves.
Obama Admin Unsure If Iran Spent $3 Billion in New Cash on Terrorism
Obama administration officials disclosed Tuesday that Iran has been granted access to about $3 billion in unfrozen assets in the months since the nuclear agreement was implemented, but it remains unclear to the administration if the Islamic Republic has spent any of this money to fund its global terrorism enterprise, according to top officials. In the coming months, the U.S. and foreign governments will help Iran access another $50 billion to $55 billion in assets.
China Flight Tests New Multiple-Warhead Missile
China conducted another flight test of its newest and longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile last week amid growing tensions with the United States over the South China Sea.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was slated to travel to Russia Thursday morning for a quick round of a meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the leaders are expected to discuss Syrian fighting and weapons sales to Iran.
Lamb slaughtered at Passover re-enactment in Jerusalem
At a model Passover sacrifice ceremony on the Mount of Olives attended by approximately 400 people, several public figures expressed the hope that the Dome of the Rock shrine and the al-Aqsa mosque will soon be removed from the Temple Mount.
Hamas praises Jerusalem bus bomber as 'martyr'
The Islamic militant group Hamas is praising a Palestinian as a 'martyr' for carrying out a bus bombing that injured about 20 people in Jerusalem this week.
Islamic radicalization fuels 'dire' threat to Jews in Europe, congressional panel hears
A congressional human rights commission heard testimony from experts on how Islamic radicalization in Europe has ramped up risk for Jewish communities.
Jerusalem pride parade stabber convicted of murder
Yishai Schlissel, who stabbed six people at the Jerusalem pride parade in July 2015, was on Tuesday convicted of murder and six counts of attempted murder. One of Schlissel's victims, 16-year-old Shira Banki, succumbed to her wounds after having been critically injured.
Inside the United States
House votes to rein in IRS
The House Wednesday passed two bills aimed at reining in the Internal Revenue Service and holding the agency accountable.
Movement pursues the 'real story' of Saudi involvement in Sept. 11
Saudi Arabia’s grass roots of Muslim clerics, mosquegoers and wealthy oilmen funded al Qaeda’s $30 million annual budget at the time a Saudi-dominated platoon of terrorists carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Across U.S., thousands puff for legal pot at 4/20 parties
Thousands of people sent up a cheer and a collective plume of marijuana smoke at the stroke of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signs resolution calling porn a 'health hazard'
A state with a national reputation for wholesomeness is taking aim at a medium with quite a different reputation: the pornography industry.
Abortion clinics accused of fetal-tissue profiteering
Cecile Richards' longstanding insistence that Planned Parenthood has never profited from fetal-tissue sales drew scrutiny Wednesday as House Republicans noted that abortion clinics essentially get paid for doing nothing.
US Supreme Court: Iran owes $2b to terror victims' families
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a judgment allowing families of victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism to collect nearly $2 billion.
Court troubled by surveillance excesses at FBI, NSA
In a just-released court opinion, a federal court judge overseeing government surveillance programs said he was 'extremely concerned' about a series of incidents in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency deviated from court-approved limits on their snooping activities.
GAO to Investigate Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood
The Government Accountability Office has announced plans to investigate the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
Utah declares pornography a 'public health hazard'
Utah state Sen. Todd Weiler finds pornography 'vile' and 'degrading,' but it's more than that: As far as he's concerned, it's also bad for you.
Federal Researchers Build Massive Online Database of Genomic Data
A new online portal would let scientists access vast amounts of genomic data from patients involved in heart, lung, blood and sleep research studies.
Nation's largest health insurer to exit majority of Obamacare exchanges
UnitedHealth, the nation's biggest health insurer, will remain in public health insurance exchanges in only a handful of states next year after expanding to 34 this year.
U.S. Politics
Home field advantage: Trump, Clinton win New York
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won New York's Republican and Democratic primaries, respectively.
Republican establishment warms to Trump after big New York win
U.S. Republican officials began meeting on Wednesday, a day after Donald Trump's crushing victory in a New York presidential nominating contest, and said he has been winning growing acceptance within their ranks - but they want to see the billionaire do more to mend fences with the party establishment.
GOP delegates: Trump's attacks could backfire
Republican delegates are warning Donald Trump that attacks on them and their party's presidential selection process could backfire, sinking him at the convention or damaging his prospects in November if he wins the nomination.
Clinton scores dominant win in N.Y.
Hillary Clinton cruised to victory in the New York primary Tuesday night, securing the dominant win she needed to halt Sen. Bernard Sanders' momentum and tighten her grip on the Democratic presidential nomination.
New York values Trump as The Donald demolishes Kasich, Cruz in Empire State
Donald Trump crushed his opponents Tuesday night en route to a major victory in New York's Republican presidential primary, scoring a needed boost after a string of setbacks and putting himself back in the driver's seat as the campaign nears the final stretch.
Gallup: 63 percent say nomination fight hurting the GOP
More than six in 10 Republicans worry the party's nomination process is taking a toll on the GOP, according to a new Gallup poll.
Christian News
Turky: Gov't seizes six church buildings
The Turkish government has seized control of six church buildings in the country's Diyarbakir region.
Indonesia: Authorities attack prayer gathering
Authorities in Indonesia opened fire on a peaceful meeting in Timika, West Papua, as thousands of protesters gathered to pray for an independence referendum on April 5.
Noah's Ark theme park to search for all-Christian staff
The Ark Encounter, a theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky, modeled on the biblical tale of Noah's Ark, will soon be hiring, but non-Christians need not apply.
Church Leader's Wife Buried Alive, Killed by Chinese Authorities for Protesting Church Demolition
A Christian house church leader and his wife were buried alive in China's central Henan province for protesting against the government-ordered demolition of their church, and while the man managed to escape, his wife suffocated to death.
Vietnamese Police beat wife of jailed Mennonite pastor
Tran Thi Hong is married to Nguyen Cong Chinh, a Mennonite pastor who is in prison on charges of being an enemy of the state. Last Thursday (14 April), she was beaten by Vietnamese police in Pleiku, Gia Lai province (central Vietnam), because she refused to reveal the contents of a meeting she had with a US human rights delegation.
Around the World
Russia Moves Artillery Units to Northern Syria
Russia has reportedly been moving artillery units to parts of northern Syria populated by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, a move that could indicate that Russia is readying to bolster its ally should full-scale fighting resume.
Iran Conducts Space Launch
Iran this week conducted the first launch of a new rocket that the Pentagon views as a key element of Tehran’s effort to build long-range missiles.
NATO security chiefs warn of ISIS plan for nuclear attack on Europe
Islamic State terrorists are plotting to carry out biological and nuclear attack on Europe warned NATO security experts on Wednesday according to reports by the Telegraph.
Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in 'at risk' areas
The Zika virus, which is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, triggered a global health emergency this year.
Nato and Russia trade accusations
Renewed Nato-Russia talks ended in 'profound disagreement' on Wednesday (20 April) over Ukraine and over Russia's harassment of Nato assets.
Japan earthquake Japan faces fresh earthquake panic as 6.1 magnitude tremor hits coast near Fukushima nuclear plant
Japan was plunged into fresh panic today as a 6.1 magnitude tremor hit the northern coast - the third major earthquake within a week.
Russia Bolsters Its Submarine Fleet, and Tensions With U.S. Rise
Russian attack submarines, the most in two decades, are prowling the coastlines of Scandinavia and Scotland, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic in what Western military officials say is a significantly increased presence aimed at contesting American and NATO undersea dominance.
Justice opens criminal investigation into Panama Papers
The Justice Department has an open criminal investigation into the Panama Papers, according to a letter the department sent this week.
Conservatives won big last night, in election nobody noticed
Just months after the Conservative Party went down to defeat in Canada to Justin Trudeau's Liberals, they've come roaring back at the local level in the prairie province of Manitoba. Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservative Party got 40 seats in the 57-seat provincial parliament, the NDP got 14 and the Liberals 3.
Obama Seeks Meeting With Iranian President
President Barack Obama has sent two letters to senior Iranian leaders in recent months requesting a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, according to Persian language reports recently translated by a Middle East research organization.
Saudi Arabia takes out $10bn in bank loans
Saudi Arabia is raising $10bn from a consortium of global banks as the kingdom embarks on its first international debt issuance in 25 years to counter dwindling oil revenues and reserves.
Obama Admin Unsure If Iran Spent $3 Billion in New Cash on Terrorism
Obama administration officials disclosed Tuesday that Iran has been granted access to about $3 billion in unfrozen assets in the months since the nuclear agreement was implemented, but it remains unclear to the administration if the Islamic Republic has spent any of this money to fund its global terrorism enterprise, according to top officials. In the coming months, the U.S. and foreign governments will help Iran access another $50 billion to $55 billion in assets.
China Flight Tests New Multiple-Warhead Missile
China conducted another flight test of its newest and longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile last week amid growing tensions with the United States over the South China Sea.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was slated to travel to Russia Thursday morning for a quick round of a meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the leaders are expected to discuss Syrian fighting and weapons sales to Iran.
Lamb slaughtered at Passover re-enactment in Jerusalem
At a model Passover sacrifice ceremony on the Mount of Olives attended by approximately 400 people, several public figures expressed the hope that the Dome of the Rock shrine and the al-Aqsa mosque will soon be removed from the Temple Mount.
Hamas praises Jerusalem bus bomber as 'martyr'
The Islamic militant group Hamas is praising a Palestinian as a 'martyr' for carrying out a bus bombing that injured about 20 people in Jerusalem this week.
Islamic radicalization fuels 'dire' threat to Jews in Europe, congressional panel hears
A congressional human rights commission heard testimony from experts on how Islamic radicalization in Europe has ramped up risk for Jewish communities.
Jerusalem pride parade stabber convicted of murder
Yishai Schlissel, who stabbed six people at the Jerusalem pride parade in July 2015, was on Tuesday convicted of murder and six counts of attempted murder. One of Schlissel's victims, 16-year-old Shira Banki, succumbed to her wounds after having been critically injured.
Inside the United States
House votes to rein in IRS
The House Wednesday passed two bills aimed at reining in the Internal Revenue Service and holding the agency accountable.
Movement pursues the 'real story' of Saudi involvement in Sept. 11
Saudi Arabia’s grass roots of Muslim clerics, mosquegoers and wealthy oilmen funded al Qaeda’s $30 million annual budget at the time a Saudi-dominated platoon of terrorists carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America.
Across U.S., thousands puff for legal pot at 4/20 parties
Thousands of people sent up a cheer and a collective plume of marijuana smoke at the stroke of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signs resolution calling porn a 'health hazard'
A state with a national reputation for wholesomeness is taking aim at a medium with quite a different reputation: the pornography industry.
Abortion clinics accused of fetal-tissue profiteering
Cecile Richards' longstanding insistence that Planned Parenthood has never profited from fetal-tissue sales drew scrutiny Wednesday as House Republicans noted that abortion clinics essentially get paid for doing nothing.
US Supreme Court: Iran owes $2b to terror victims' families
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a judgment allowing families of victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism to collect nearly $2 billion.
Court troubled by surveillance excesses at FBI, NSA
In a just-released court opinion, a federal court judge overseeing government surveillance programs said he was 'extremely concerned' about a series of incidents in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency deviated from court-approved limits on their snooping activities.
GAO to Investigate Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood
The Government Accountability Office has announced plans to investigate the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
Utah declares pornography a 'public health hazard'
Utah state Sen. Todd Weiler finds pornography 'vile' and 'degrading,' but it's more than that: As far as he's concerned, it's also bad for you.
Federal Researchers Build Massive Online Database of Genomic Data
A new online portal would let scientists access vast amounts of genomic data from patients involved in heart, lung, blood and sleep research studies.
Nation's largest health insurer to exit majority of Obamacare exchanges
UnitedHealth, the nation's biggest health insurer, will remain in public health insurance exchanges in only a handful of states next year after expanding to 34 this year.
U.S. Politics
Home field advantage: Trump, Clinton win New York
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won New York's Republican and Democratic primaries, respectively.
Republican establishment warms to Trump after big New York win
U.S. Republican officials began meeting on Wednesday, a day after Donald Trump's crushing victory in a New York presidential nominating contest, and said he has been winning growing acceptance within their ranks - but they want to see the billionaire do more to mend fences with the party establishment.
GOP delegates: Trump's attacks could backfire
Republican delegates are warning Donald Trump that attacks on them and their party's presidential selection process could backfire, sinking him at the convention or damaging his prospects in November if he wins the nomination.
Clinton scores dominant win in N.Y.
Hillary Clinton cruised to victory in the New York primary Tuesday night, securing the dominant win she needed to halt Sen. Bernard Sanders' momentum and tighten her grip on the Democratic presidential nomination.
New York values Trump as The Donald demolishes Kasich, Cruz in Empire State
Donald Trump crushed his opponents Tuesday night en route to a major victory in New York's Republican presidential primary, scoring a needed boost after a string of setbacks and putting himself back in the driver's seat as the campaign nears the final stretch.
Gallup: 63 percent say nomination fight hurting the GOP
More than six in 10 Republicans worry the party's nomination process is taking a toll on the GOP, according to a new Gallup poll.
Christian News
Turky: Gov't seizes six church buildings
The Turkish government has seized control of six church buildings in the country's Diyarbakir region.
Indonesia: Authorities attack prayer gathering
Authorities in Indonesia opened fire on a peaceful meeting in Timika, West Papua, as thousands of protesters gathered to pray for an independence referendum on April 5.
Noah's Ark theme park to search for all-Christian staff
The Ark Encounter, a theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky, modeled on the biblical tale of Noah's Ark, will soon be hiring, but non-Christians need not apply.
Church Leader's Wife Buried Alive, Killed by Chinese Authorities for Protesting Church Demolition
A Christian house church leader and his wife were buried alive in China's central Henan province for protesting against the government-ordered demolition of their church, and while the man managed to escape, his wife suffocated to death.
Vietnamese Police beat wife of jailed Mennonite pastor
Tran Thi Hong is married to Nguyen Cong Chinh, a Mennonite pastor who is in prison on charges of being an enemy of the state. Last Thursday (14 April), she was beaten by Vietnamese police in Pleiku, Gia Lai province (central Vietnam), because she refused to reveal the contents of a meeting she had with a US human rights delegation.