Worthy Brief - 5/31/2017
Friend, chag sameyach! (Happy Holiday)
Acts 2:1,4 And when the day of Pentecost (Shavuot) was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
In Israel, the celebration of Shavuot began last night. Most Christians would recognize this as the celebration of Pentecost in Acts 2. However, the very first Shavuot took place fifty days after the Israel crossed the Red Sea. It was on this day according to Jewish tradition that the law was given on tablets of stone.
Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, Shavuot was celebrated again when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the law of God became written upon the hearts of men. Just as God had promised in Ezekiel and in Jeremiah -- the law of God shall be written upon your heart.
Shavuot is both a celebration of the God's faithfulness in the early harvest and an anticipation of the abundance of the final harvest yet to come. Just as three thousand Jewish people came to faith in Messiah on this day a couple thousand years ago, the day will soon come when the fullness of the Gentiles will be completed and then "all of Israel shall be saved!"
Friend, let's celebrate how the Lord has provided for us today and be assured that this is only a glimpse of our awaited home in glory -- a home that the Lord has spent thousands of years preparing for us!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
N. Korea Fires 9th Missile Provoking U.S. to Ready 3 Aircraft Carriers
The communist regime of North Korea has test-fired its 9th missile this year. In response, in a dramatic show of force, the U.S. now has three aircraft carriers in the region.
US-Europe trade deal still possible, Commerce's Ross says
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday that the U.S. is still pursuing a trade deal with the European Union.
Iranian-backed militias reach Iraq-Syria border
Iraqi militias which are close to the Iranian regime have been able to reach a strategically situated village on the Syria-Iraq border. For Israel it means forces that are close to Tehran pose a risk of linking up through Syria The Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), reached the village of Um Jaris on the border in northwestern Iraq on Monday. The PMU's Badr Brigade militia, which spearheaded the dash over 40km. to the border, is close to the Iranian regime.
Successful U.S. missile interceptor test cast as warning to North Korea, Iran
The Pentagon successfully simulated the shootdown of a hostile long-range ballistic missile launch in the first-ever live-fire test of the anti-missile system widely seen as a warning to hostile regimes such as North Korea and Iran.
Car bomb in central Baghdad kills 13, claimed by ISIS
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a car bomb that killed at least 13 people and wounded about 30 in the early hours of Tuesday in a commercial street of central Baghdad, according to security sources.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: US no longer a reliable partner
The partnership between Europe and the U.S. has been strained, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the day after President Trump returned from the G7 summit.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: Israeli land swaps with Palestinians won't bring peace
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Tuesday that any future peace agreement reached with the Palestinians must include an Israeli military presence in the West Bank and offered insight on security concerns the government may have following a prospective deal.
Iran parliament speaker says Israel 'a threat to humanity'
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Monday called “racist” Israel a threat to the region and “humanity.”
'The Temple Mount Is in Our Hands!' Hope Reborn for the Third Temple
Rabbi Richman, director of the International Department at The Temple Institute, is dedicated to rebuilding the Jewish temple. He sees the time since the Six-Day War as a prophetic shift.
Netanyahu: We must retain full military control of West Bank
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that Israel must maintain its military control over the West Bank in the event of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
PA paid terrorists NIS 1.15 billion in 2016, intelligence official says
The Palestinian Authority spent some 1.15 billion shekels ($322 million) on payments to terrorists in 2016, a former Military Intelligence official revealed Monday.
White House may tacitly recognize Jerusalem as capital in Knesset-Congress event
The Knesset and the Congress will jointly mark 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem in an event scheduled to be broadcast on live video link between the two legislatures next Tuesday. The move could be viewed as tacit recognition by the White House of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and spark controversy.
Israeli Minister: Netanyahu No Longer Backs Two-State Solution
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio that neither he nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see the two-state solution as viable.
Inside the United States
Declassified memos show FBI illegally shared spy data on Americans with private parties
The FBI has illegally shared raw intelligence about Americans with unauthorized third parties and violated other constitutional privacy protections, according to newly declassified government documents that undercut the bureau’s public assurances about how carefully it handles warrantless spy data to avoid abuses or leaks.
Spicer and Media Duke It Out Over Fake News
Defending the media against charges of pushing fake news, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta exclaimed, 'Can't reporters make mistakes?'
White House says 'full steam ahead' on Trump agenda
Returning from an overseas trip that was both celebrated and controversial, President Trump is plowing 'full steam ahead' with his domestic agenda, the White House said Tuesday, brushing aside jibes by foreign leaders and new questions about top aides' links to Russia.
Supreme Court rules statutory rape does not automatically trigger deportation
A legal immigrant convicted of statutory rape doesn't automatically qualify for deportation, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, saying that a victim must be under 16 years of age for it to be considered an aggravated felony deserving removal under immigration law.
Media ignored Trump's craft for clicks
President Trump on Saturday returned home from a nine-day trip that was extraordinary for its sheer breadth. First to Riyadh, then Tel Aviv, then Jerusalem, then Rome, then Brussels, then Taormina, Italy. First, he brokered a massive $100 billion-plus deal with Saudi Arabian leaders and delivered a powerful speech to 50 Arab leaders. Then he became the first to fly from the Arab nation directly to Israel, where he made history as the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall. He met Pope Francis. (Get it? He met Muslim leaders, Jewish leaders, Christian leaders, a brilliant stroke by the man the media says is over his head in the White House -- and historic.)
Obama's NSA rebuked for snooping on Americans
The secret court that oversees government snooping took the Obama administration to task late last year, suggesting it created 'a very serious Fourth Amendment issue' by violating rules the government itself had implemented regarding the surveillance of Americans.
Obama loyalist Brennan drove FBI to begin investigating Trump associates last summer
What caused the Barack Obama administration to begin investigating the Donald Trump campaign last summer has come into clearer focus following a string of congressional hearings on Russian interference in the presidential election.
Christian News
Police officer killed in murder rampage over Memorial Day weekend was devout Christian who had previously been a pastor
William Durr, a beloved Christian officer with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, was executed along with seven others after a suicidal man who said he wanted cops to kill him went on a deadly shooting spree in Bogue Chitto, Mississippi, beginning late Saturday night and ending early Sunday morning.
Egypt's Coptic Christians Declare: 'We Take Pride to Die' for Jesus Amid ISIS Terror Attacks
Coptic Christians have said that they 'take pride' in dying for their faith following the latest slaughter at the hands of Islamic State terrorists.
Islam on Track to Overtake Christianity as World's No. 1 Religion
Muslims will double their share of the population in the United States by 2050 and surpass Christianity as the world's dominant religion by the end of the century, according to a Pew Research Center report released last week.
Around the World
N. Korea Fires 9th Missile Provoking U.S. to Ready 3 Aircraft Carriers
The communist regime of North Korea has test-fired its 9th missile this year. In response, in a dramatic show of force, the U.S. now has three aircraft carriers in the region.
US-Europe trade deal still possible, Commerce's Ross says
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday that the U.S. is still pursuing a trade deal with the European Union.
Iranian-backed militias reach Iraq-Syria border
Iraqi militias which are close to the Iranian regime have been able to reach a strategically situated village on the Syria-Iraq border. For Israel it means forces that are close to Tehran pose a risk of linking up through Syria The Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), reached the village of Um Jaris on the border in northwestern Iraq on Monday. The PMU's Badr Brigade militia, which spearheaded the dash over 40km. to the border, is close to the Iranian regime.
Successful U.S. missile interceptor test cast as warning to North Korea, Iran
The Pentagon successfully simulated the shootdown of a hostile long-range ballistic missile launch in the first-ever live-fire test of the anti-missile system widely seen as a warning to hostile regimes such as North Korea and Iran.
Car bomb in central Baghdad kills 13, claimed by ISIS
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a car bomb that killed at least 13 people and wounded about 30 in the early hours of Tuesday in a commercial street of central Baghdad, according to security sources.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: US no longer a reliable partner
The partnership between Europe and the U.S. has been strained, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the day after President Trump returned from the G7 summit.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: Israeli land swaps with Palestinians won't bring peace
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Tuesday that any future peace agreement reached with the Palestinians must include an Israeli military presence in the West Bank and offered insight on security concerns the government may have following a prospective deal.
Iran parliament speaker says Israel 'a threat to humanity'
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Monday called “racist” Israel a threat to the region and “humanity.”
'The Temple Mount Is in Our Hands!' Hope Reborn for the Third Temple
Rabbi Richman, director of the International Department at The Temple Institute, is dedicated to rebuilding the Jewish temple. He sees the time since the Six-Day War as a prophetic shift.
Netanyahu: We must retain full military control of West Bank
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that Israel must maintain its military control over the West Bank in the event of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
PA paid terrorists NIS 1.15 billion in 2016, intelligence official says
The Palestinian Authority spent some 1.15 billion shekels ($322 million) on payments to terrorists in 2016, a former Military Intelligence official revealed Monday.
White House may tacitly recognize Jerusalem as capital in Knesset-Congress event
The Knesset and the Congress will jointly mark 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem in an event scheduled to be broadcast on live video link between the two legislatures next Tuesday. The move could be viewed as tacit recognition by the White House of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and spark controversy.
Israeli Minister: Netanyahu No Longer Backs Two-State Solution
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio that neither he nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see the two-state solution as viable.
Inside the United States
Declassified memos show FBI illegally shared spy data on Americans with private parties
The FBI has illegally shared raw intelligence about Americans with unauthorized third parties and violated other constitutional privacy protections, according to newly declassified government documents that undercut the bureau’s public assurances about how carefully it handles warrantless spy data to avoid abuses or leaks.
Spicer and Media Duke It Out Over Fake News
Defending the media against charges of pushing fake news, CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta exclaimed, 'Can't reporters make mistakes?'
White House says 'full steam ahead' on Trump agenda
Returning from an overseas trip that was both celebrated and controversial, President Trump is plowing 'full steam ahead' with his domestic agenda, the White House said Tuesday, brushing aside jibes by foreign leaders and new questions about top aides' links to Russia.
Supreme Court rules statutory rape does not automatically trigger deportation
A legal immigrant convicted of statutory rape doesn't automatically qualify for deportation, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, saying that a victim must be under 16 years of age for it to be considered an aggravated felony deserving removal under immigration law.
Media ignored Trump's craft for clicks
President Trump on Saturday returned home from a nine-day trip that was extraordinary for its sheer breadth. First to Riyadh, then Tel Aviv, then Jerusalem, then Rome, then Brussels, then Taormina, Italy. First, he brokered a massive $100 billion-plus deal with Saudi Arabian leaders and delivered a powerful speech to 50 Arab leaders. Then he became the first to fly from the Arab nation directly to Israel, where he made history as the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall. He met Pope Francis. (Get it? He met Muslim leaders, Jewish leaders, Christian leaders, a brilliant stroke by the man the media says is over his head in the White House -- and historic.)
Obama's NSA rebuked for snooping on Americans
The secret court that oversees government snooping took the Obama administration to task late last year, suggesting it created 'a very serious Fourth Amendment issue' by violating rules the government itself had implemented regarding the surveillance of Americans.
Obama loyalist Brennan drove FBI to begin investigating Trump associates last summer
What caused the Barack Obama administration to begin investigating the Donald Trump campaign last summer has come into clearer focus following a string of congressional hearings on Russian interference in the presidential election.
Christian News
Police officer killed in murder rampage over Memorial Day weekend was devout Christian who had previously been a pastor
William Durr, a beloved Christian officer with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, was executed along with seven others after a suicidal man who said he wanted cops to kill him went on a deadly shooting spree in Bogue Chitto, Mississippi, beginning late Saturday night and ending early Sunday morning.
Egypt's Coptic Christians Declare: 'We Take Pride to Die' for Jesus Amid ISIS Terror Attacks
Coptic Christians have said that they 'take pride' in dying for their faith following the latest slaughter at the hands of Islamic State terrorists.
Islam on Track to Overtake Christianity as World's No. 1 Religion
Muslims will double their share of the population in the United States by 2050 and surpass Christianity as the world's dominant religion by the end of the century, according to a Pew Research Center report released last week.