Worthy Brief - 6/16/2016
Friend, follow through!
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
Knowing He was about to depart, Yeshua (Jesus) left His disciples with a final command: stay in Jerusalem, and wait...for the promise. Of the thousands who had witnessed His miraculous ministry and heard His amazing teaching, and the hundreds that had actually seen Him after the resurrection, we read in Acts that only 120 stayed and tarried until the promise arrived. But these 120 were steadfast. They waited the full term...
What would have happened if they had left after the 4th day? Or the 6th day? Or the 9th day? They would have missed the promise and the amazing blessing that came with it. But those 120 believers stayed - they stayed and pressed in until the Holy Spirit came!
Friend, do you want the fullness of the Spirit in your life? Continue pressing in. Wait with relentless faith and patience. Perseverance is often the critical factor in receiving the promises of God. Our Lord will fulfill every good promise in His perfect time.
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
U.S. Third Fleet expands East Asia role as tensions rise with China
The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet will send more ships to East Asia to operate outside its normal theater alongside the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a move that comes at a time of heightened tensions with China.
French attacker pledged loyalty to IS, had public figure 'hit list'
A man who stabbed a police commander and police administrator to death at their home in a Paris suburb pledged loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State group and had a list of other targets, including rappers, journalists, police officers and public officials, the Paris prosecutor said Tuesday.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Says U.S. Needs 'Robust Gun Regulation'
The United Nations' human rights chief called on the United States Tuesday to enforce more effective gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack, dismissing as 'irresponsible pro-gun propaganda' the notion that firearms make societies safer.
Damascus says German special forces in Syria, Germany denies
The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.
China shadows U.S. warships amid rising tensions in Asia
When U.S. commanders kicked off a major international naval exercise this week, they found an uninvited guest: A Chinese Navy warship.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
'Next war with Hamas will be its last,' senior defense source says
The next war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be the last for the Islamist regime, a senior source in the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, though he stressed that Israel is not seeking conflict and will not be the side to initiate hostilities.
Hamas tunnel expert defects to Israel: reports
A senior Hamas tunnel expert has absconded from Gaza to Israel and turned himself in to authorities, Haaretz reports, citing Palestinian news outlets.
Inside the United States
CIA Chief: ISIS Sending Operatives to US
CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses.
Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, signals fewer future hikes
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and signaled it still planned to raise rates twice in 2016, though it said slower economic growth would crimp the pace of monetary policy tightening in future years.
Report: Radical Islamists Have Killed 94 on American Soil Since 9/11
A new report shows that more than 90 people have been killed on American soil in attacks by radical Islamists since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Security firm that employed Mateen was contractor for the Department of Homeland Security
G4S, the employer of the Muslim terrorist who killed 49 people at the Orlando Pulse nightclub, is a major contractor for the Department of Homeland Security and State Department.
'Define the enemy': Republicans counter Obama's 'radical Islam' slam
Republicans roundly rejected President Obama's rationale for refusing to use the term 'radical Islam' in describing terror attacks, responding that: 'You have to define the enemy to defeat it.'
NY Daily News wants to ban already-banned gun
The New York Daily News' latest edition argues no American citizen should be allowed to purchase a style of rifle that is already banned from commercial sale.
Foreign selling of U.S. Treasuries in April was most since 1978: data
Foreign investors sold a record amount of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes for the month of April, according to U.S. Treasury Department data on Wednesday, as investors priced in a few more rate increases by the Federal Reserve this year.
Orlando Gunman Warned of Future ISIS Attacks Against U.S. in Facebook Post
Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay club early Sunday, reportedly posted to Facebook before the attack warning of coming 'attacks from the Islamic State' in the United States.
'Islamic Refugee' With Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County
Police in a U.S. town bordering Mexico have apprehended an undocumented, Middle Eastern woman in possession of the region's gas pipeline plans, law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch. Authorities describe the woman as an 'Islamic refugee' pulled over during a traffic stop by a deputy sheriff in Luna County, New Mexico which shares a 54-mile border with Mexico. County authorities alerted the U.S. Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) has been deployed to the area to investigate, sources with firsthand knowledge of the probe confirm.
Leftists suggest secret court to strip 2nd Amendment rights
A New York Times editorial advocates for a new law allowing a secret court to take away citizens' right to own a gun at the discretion of the federal government.
U.S. Politics
Trump's new Obama claims thrust him into uncharted territory
onald Trump's latest accusation against President Barack Obama -- that he's putting US enemies ahead of America's own people -- is thrusting him into uncharted territory for the presidential candidate of any major political party.
Trump: Obama 'More Angry' at Me Than Orlando Shooter
Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina Tuesday that President Barack Obama was angrier at him than at the Florida man who gunned down 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando over the weekend.
Donald Trump joins Democrats in post-Orlando gun control push
Brushing aside warnings that they'll tip off terrorists to secret investigations, Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with plans for new gun controls after the Orlando shooting, and even enlisted an unlikely potential ally -- Donald Trump, who said he's open to a discussion about banning firearm sales to those on the government's no-fly list.
Christian News
Christians Didn't Commit the Orlando Massacre
We are now fully through the looking glass. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 men and women, most of them gay or lesbian. He paused in the middle of his massacre to call 911 and a local television station, making clear that he wanted the world to know he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. There are no dog whistles here. This is a textbook example of jihadism in action, plain and simple. Yet somehow, Omar Mateen's massacre has put American Christians on the defensive.
Pope Francis Meets With Evangelical, Pentecostal Leaders in John 17 Spirit
Pope Francis and several prominent Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders met in Rome last Friday to discuss areas of mutual agreement and where they respectfully disagreed. The aim of the gathering, which had no official agenda, was to build unity between Christian traditions that have historic enmity.
Syria: Elderly Christian Man Forced to Convert to Islam for Not Paying Tax
An elderly Christian man has been forced to convert to Islam in Raqqa, Syria, because he can no longer afford to pay the tax levied by ISIS on non-Muslims.
Christians Live in Fear, Hide Faith In Migrant Camps
Christians in migrant camps in Germany say they are forced to hide their faith from Muslim migrants who threaten and abuse them.
3 Christians vanish after assault by 'Muslim extremists'
Three Christians working with an organization that delivers Bibles and the Christian message to the Middle East have disappeared following their release from a hospital where they were treated for injuries from an attack from 'Muslim extremists,' according to a new report.
Around the World
U.S. Third Fleet expands East Asia role as tensions rise with China
The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet will send more ships to East Asia to operate outside its normal theater alongside the Japan-based Seventh Fleet, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a move that comes at a time of heightened tensions with China.
French attacker pledged loyalty to IS, had public figure 'hit list'
A man who stabbed a police commander and police administrator to death at their home in a Paris suburb pledged loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State group and had a list of other targets, including rappers, journalists, police officers and public officials, the Paris prosecutor said Tuesday.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Says U.S. Needs 'Robust Gun Regulation'
The United Nations' human rights chief called on the United States Tuesday to enforce more effective gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando terrorist attack, dismissing as 'irresponsible pro-gun propaganda' the notion that firearms make societies safer.
Damascus says German special forces in Syria, Germany denies
The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.
China shadows U.S. warships amid rising tensions in Asia
When U.S. commanders kicked off a major international naval exercise this week, they found an uninvited guest: A Chinese Navy warship.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
'Next war with Hamas will be its last,' senior defense source says
The next war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be the last for the Islamist regime, a senior source in the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, though he stressed that Israel is not seeking conflict and will not be the side to initiate hostilities.
Hamas tunnel expert defects to Israel: reports
A senior Hamas tunnel expert has absconded from Gaza to Israel and turned himself in to authorities, Haaretz reports, citing Palestinian news outlets.
Inside the United States
CIA Chief: ISIS Sending Operatives to US
CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses.
Fed keeps interest rates unchanged, signals fewer future hikes
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and signaled it still planned to raise rates twice in 2016, though it said slower economic growth would crimp the pace of monetary policy tightening in future years.
Report: Radical Islamists Have Killed 94 on American Soil Since 9/11
A new report shows that more than 90 people have been killed on American soil in attacks by radical Islamists since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Security firm that employed Mateen was contractor for the Department of Homeland Security
G4S, the employer of the Muslim terrorist who killed 49 people at the Orlando Pulse nightclub, is a major contractor for the Department of Homeland Security and State Department.
'Define the enemy': Republicans counter Obama's 'radical Islam' slam
Republicans roundly rejected President Obama's rationale for refusing to use the term 'radical Islam' in describing terror attacks, responding that: 'You have to define the enemy to defeat it.'
NY Daily News wants to ban already-banned gun
The New York Daily News' latest edition argues no American citizen should be allowed to purchase a style of rifle that is already banned from commercial sale.
Foreign selling of U.S. Treasuries in April was most since 1978: data
Foreign investors sold a record amount of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes for the month of April, according to U.S. Treasury Department data on Wednesday, as investors priced in a few more rate increases by the Federal Reserve this year.
Orlando Gunman Warned of Future ISIS Attacks Against U.S. in Facebook Post
Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay club early Sunday, reportedly posted to Facebook before the attack warning of coming 'attacks from the Islamic State' in the United States.
'Islamic Refugee' With Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County
Police in a U.S. town bordering Mexico have apprehended an undocumented, Middle Eastern woman in possession of the region's gas pipeline plans, law enforcement sources tell Judicial Watch. Authorities describe the woman as an 'Islamic refugee' pulled over during a traffic stop by a deputy sheriff in Luna County, New Mexico which shares a 54-mile border with Mexico. County authorities alerted the U.S. Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) has been deployed to the area to investigate, sources with firsthand knowledge of the probe confirm.
Leftists suggest secret court to strip 2nd Amendment rights
A New York Times editorial advocates for a new law allowing a secret court to take away citizens' right to own a gun at the discretion of the federal government.
U.S. Politics
Trump's new Obama claims thrust him into uncharted territory
onald Trump's latest accusation against President Barack Obama -- that he's putting US enemies ahead of America's own people -- is thrusting him into uncharted territory for the presidential candidate of any major political party.
Trump: Obama 'More Angry' at Me Than Orlando Shooter
Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina Tuesday that President Barack Obama was angrier at him than at the Florida man who gunned down 49 people and injured 53 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando over the weekend.
Donald Trump joins Democrats in post-Orlando gun control push
Brushing aside warnings that they'll tip off terrorists to secret investigations, Democrats pressed ahead Wednesday with plans for new gun controls after the Orlando shooting, and even enlisted an unlikely potential ally -- Donald Trump, who said he's open to a discussion about banning firearm sales to those on the government's no-fly list.
Christian News
Christians Didn't Commit the Orlando Massacre
We are now fully through the looking glass. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 men and women, most of them gay or lesbian. He paused in the middle of his massacre to call 911 and a local television station, making clear that he wanted the world to know he had pledged allegiance to ISIS. There are no dog whistles here. This is a textbook example of jihadism in action, plain and simple. Yet somehow, Omar Mateen's massacre has put American Christians on the defensive.
Pope Francis Meets With Evangelical, Pentecostal Leaders in John 17 Spirit
Pope Francis and several prominent Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders met in Rome last Friday to discuss areas of mutual agreement and where they respectfully disagreed. The aim of the gathering, which had no official agenda, was to build unity between Christian traditions that have historic enmity.
Syria: Elderly Christian Man Forced to Convert to Islam for Not Paying Tax
An elderly Christian man has been forced to convert to Islam in Raqqa, Syria, because he can no longer afford to pay the tax levied by ISIS on non-Muslims.
Christians Live in Fear, Hide Faith In Migrant Camps
Christians in migrant camps in Germany say they are forced to hide their faith from Muslim migrants who threaten and abuse them.
3 Christians vanish after assault by 'Muslim extremists'
Three Christians working with an organization that delivers Bibles and the Christian message to the Middle East have disappeared following their release from a hospital where they were treated for injuries from an attack from 'Muslim extremists,' according to a new report.