Worthy Brief - 4/25/2017
Friend, take part of prophetic history!
Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
On January 1st 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed freedom for all slaves in the ten states which were in rebellion. At the time, when U.S. Secretary of State Seward took the document to the President to sign, Lincoln took a pen, and held it for a moment. He then removed his hand and dropped his pen. Lincoln turned to Seward and said, "I have been shaking hands since nine o'clock this morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it." He hesitated, then took the pen, and without wavering, took the document and boldly signed it!
When you do something for history, you want to do it right and with your whole heart! As children of God, what we do on this earth will redound to our eternal existence. As Abraham Lincoln recognized his quintessential moment in history -- we too must recognize our "moment in time". The season we are in seems filled with portent, and many of us may be making critical decisions and choices now. Like Esther, we were born "for such a time as this". We will need prayerful, scripturally based discernment, and then, resolute boldness to stand where the Lord has placed us, say what He wants us to say, and do what He wants us to do.
While untold millions have been waiting for the promised return of our Messiah for centuries– the one sign they lacked was the restoration of Israel. Through all those past generations it was only in our own that the Jewish people have returned to their homeland, the beginning of Ezekiel's vision, well under way, and inexorably headed toward the spiritual revival of the dry bones [Ezekiel 37]. We do not know all the details, but we are watching and participating in this with great excitement.
Friend, we are living prophetic history....and are probably in the last act. As history advances and accelerates there will be times when we must be decisive, bold, and unwavering in spirit – fully realizing that our actions are being recorded now...and in the annals of eternity!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Florida
Editor's Note: We are on a cross-country speaking/music tour this spring in the United States! If you see that we will be close to your area and you want to hear a timely word from Worthy News Founder and Director, George Whitten and powerful Israeli Worship Music from Baht Rivka Whitten, Lazman Hazeh Music, as well as testimony of life and ministry in the Land, we invite you to join us -- or even invite us to speak/sing at your Congregation, Conference, Church, Midweek Meeting or Israel focused Event, especially if you see a free date on our way! We hope to hug you! Send us an email to george [ @ ] worthyemail.com for more information. Check out our calendar and see if we're speaking near you!
Around the World
U.S. hits Syria with new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced new sanctions Monday against Syria for its chemical weapon attack, targeting 271 Syrian individuals involved in the Bashar Assad regime’s chemical weapons program.
Trump to set new executive orders on environment, energy this week
U.S. President Donald Trump this week will sign new executive orders before he completes his first 100 days in office, including two on energy and the environment, which would make it easier for the United States to develop energy on and offshore, a White House official said on Sunday.
French election: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen to fight for presidency
Centrist Emmanuel Macron has gone through to the second round of the French election, where he will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Obama's hidden Iran deal giveaway
In his Sunday morning address to the American people, Obama portrayed the seven men he freed as 'civilians.' The senior official described them as businessmen convicted of or awaiting trial for mere 'sanctions-related offenses, violations of the trade embargo.' In reality, some of them were accused by Obama's own Justice Department of posing threats to national security. Three allegedly were part of an illegal procurement network supplying Iran with U.S.-made microelectronics with applications in surface-to-air and cruise missiles like the kind Tehran test-fired recently, prompting a still-escalating exchange of threats with the Trump administration. Another was serving an eight-year sentence for conspiring to supply Iran with satellite technology and hardware. As part of the deal, U.S. officials even dropped their demand for $10 million that a jury said the aerospace engineer illegally received from Tehran.
Number of migrant criminal suspects in Germany surged in 2016
The number of migrant criminal suspects in Germany soared by more than 50 percent in 2016, data from the Interior Ministry showed on Monday - a statistic that could boost support for the anti-immigration party five months ahead of a federal election.
North Korea detains third U.S. citizen
North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country, bringing the total number of Americans held by the isolated country to three.
Trump calls Asian leaders as North Korea tensions rise
President Trump spoke Sunday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as tensions intensify with North Korea amid expectations that the reclusive nation plans a sixth nuclear test.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Reportedly Strikes Pro-Regime Military Base in Syria
The Israeli military launched an attack on a military base belonging to pro-regime forces in Syria Sunday, according to local reports.
Israel honors the millions who perished in the Holocaust
As the sun begins to set this evening, ushering in Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, the atmosphere will change. Slowly, the quotidian routine will give way to reflection as businesses and leisure venues close to allow the nation to honor the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
UNESCO head calls Temple Mount 'holiest place in Judaism'
The head of the United Nations' cultural body UNESCO defended Jewish links to holy sites in Jerusalem on Monday, criticizing her own agency's governing board for passing a series of resolutions that downplay or deny any Jewish connection to its most sacred spaces.
Inside the United States
GOP leaders, Trump team to talk taxes on Tuesday
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will host a private meeting Tuesday with top House lawmakers and Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to discuss tax reform and other legislative priorities.
US Antisemitic Incidents Jump 86% at Start of 2017
Antisemitic incidents in the United States surged by 34 percent in 2016 compared to 2015, and have jumped 86 percent in the first quarter of 2017, new data released by the Anti-Defamation League on Monday showed.
Christian News
Muslim Who Threatened Christians in Facebook Live Charged As a Terrorist
A Muslim man who went live on his Facebook page with disturbing threats towards Christian conference attendees in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will now face criminal charges.
America Unraveling: Anne Graham Lotz Warns We Must Return to 'In God We Trust'
Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz has warned that the United States is 'disintegrating into anger, anarchy, division' because of its 'rejection of God.'