Worthy Brief - 5/3/2023
Friend, understand the times!
1 Chronicles 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Among the mighty men of David were those of the tribe of Issachar whose special gift was their understanding of the times, a gift of prophetic insight; and this was such a precious gift because included in their discernment was the ability to know how to apply it. In our time prophecy is everywhere. Yeshua (Jesus) warned us that there would be false prophets in the last days, especially approaching His second coming, and He said the prophecy would be so subtle and the false signs so powerful that even the elect might be deceived if that were possible; [Mt. 24:24] While it's clear to many of us that we're living in prophetic days, there are also millions who have no clue of the current times and seasons.
So we're faced with a challenge and a profound, multi-faceted responsibility: to acknowledge the significance of our times, to awaken others to this reality, to rightly discern true from false prophecy, and to know what to do about the things we rightly discern. Wow! Not an easy task. How do we even begin?
I believe that we have a prophetic "anchor"...a fundamental sign, missing throughout all of Church history, until our day. This sign is the rebirth of Israel as a nation. Many of the OT prophets foresaw the in-gathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland in the latter days. [Jeremiah 30; Isaiah 43:5-6; Amos 9:14-15; and many others]. Isaiah prophesied the nation's rebirth in a single rhetorical question, "Can a nation be born in a day?" [Isaiah 66:8]. One hundred years ago Israel, (then called "Palestine" by the Romans, as an insult to the Jews), was a barren, sparsely inhabited province in the Ottoman empire, and Jerusalem was hardly ever mentioned in conversation unless someone was reading scripture. Today, Israel is a thriving resurrected nation, reclaimed from desolation, established in one single day, (May 14, 1948), and Jerusalem is in virtually every daily newspaper, the subject of intense controversy throughout the civilized world. This one sign assures me, personally, that we are really and truly living at the end of the age.
I believe we must acknowledge this, share it, WATCH very carefully, and PRAY as the developments in the Middle East conform themselves to the Word of God. The prophetic clock is ticking toward the final hours of this age when the Lord Yeshua will return in power and great glory to judge the entire world of men.
Friend, the sons of Issachar understood their times, and knew what to do. Watching and praying, we can too. Preparing ourselves with holy living for the Lord's return, we must also warn those who live in ignorance of these amazing days by showing them the prophetic sign of Israel's resurrection, and warning them to repent, believe the gospel, and be accounted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Going to Christian College in Dallas, Texas)
Arad, Israel
Hundreds Detained In France After Policeman Was Nearly Killed In Protests
The French interior minister said Tuesday that Labor Day rioters seeking to “kill a police officer” had injured at least 406 police personnel in violent protests across France.
Russia Rejects US Casualty Claims As Battle Continues (Worthy News Radio)
Moscow on Tuesday rejected a U.S. assessment of massive Russian military casualties in Ukraine but declined to give its own estimates. The United States said Monday that Russia's military had sustained 100,000 casualties in the past five months, including tens of thousands of dead. Many soldiers are killed and injured in the battle for Bakhmut, Ukraine's devastated eastern city that has become of symbolic importance for both sides of so far Europe's bloodiest conflict in the 21st century.
Mother of Kidnapped US Journalist Doubts Biden’s Assurances
The mother of detained American freelance journalist Austin Tice says assurances about efforts to bring him home from Syria have "lost their strength.”
BRICS Expands Threatening West’s Dominance
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, and Iran are among 19 nations seeking to join the BRICS group, which may outpace the global role of leading Western economies within five years, officials confirmed.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel, Gaza Armed Groups Agree to Cease-fire After Recent Flare-Up
Israel and Gaza armed groups agreed to a cease-fire early Wednesday after a day of increased violence, sparked by the death of a prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad member during a hunger strike in an Israeli prison. According to Al Jazeera and Reuters, Palestinian sources confirmed that the truce went into effect before dawn, mediated by officials from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
IDF hits terrorist targets in Gaza after series of day-long rocket barrages
The Israel Defense Forces struck terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night following a series of rocket attacks throughout the day, the army said in a statement.
Inside the United States
As evidence emerges in Hunter Biden probe, investigators see a political protection racket
A letter falsely insinuating a laptop was Russian disinformation. An IRS whistleblower. Suspicious activity bank reports. Suggestions of false testimony to Congress.
Customers Urged To Remain Calm After First Republic Collapse
Worried customers were urged Tuesday to remain confident in the U.S banking system after First Republic became the second-largest bank to fail in American history.
Kansas passes law defining gender as person’s biological sex at birth
With support from a range of groups including the pro-choice Women’s Liberation Front, Kansas has become the first state to pass a law that specifically defines gender as a person’s biological sex at birth, NTD reports. The law will prevent men, regardless of which gender they identify as, from entering women-only spaces and restricts participation in sports according to a person’s sex at birth.
Pennsylvania school district must allow After School Satan Club
A federal judge ruled Monday that a Pennsylvania school district must allow an After School Satan Club to meet on district property on the grounds that, in accordance with First Amendment protections, “the government’s first instinct must be to forward expression rather than quash it,” the Hill reports.
US Dust Storm Kills Six and Injures Dozens
At least six people died, and dozens were injured as a dust storm caused visibility to plummet along a Midwestern U.S. highway, more than a month after a similar phenomenon caused havoc in Europe.
Christian News
Sudan: Christians killed, churches destroyed in ongoing violent conflict
While it is not yet clear if Christians are being specifically targeted in the violent civil conflict in Sudan, four churches have been destroyed and Christians have reportedly been killed, wounded, turned away from state hospitals, and barred from receiving humanitarian aid being given to Muslims, Baptist Press reported on April 28. The violence broke out on April 15 as the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fought for control of the government.
Uganda: Christian college student murdered for sharing the Gospel
A 24-year-old Christian college student in northern Uganda was murdered last month by a suspected radicalized Muslim because he had been sharing the Gospel on his school campus, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. While Christianity is legal in Uganda, Christians, especially evangelists, have been increasingly vulnerable to deadly attacks by radicalized Muslims.