Worthy Brief - 6/27/2016
Friend, kiss the Son, lest He be angry!
Psalms 2:10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Revelation 5:12-13 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
In the beginning of Psalm 2, David points out that the kings of the earth are against the Lord and his "anointed" [Mashiach "Messiah" in Hebrew]. David recognized the true authority of God and advises the kings and rulers of the world, as well as their subjects, to "kiss the Son, lest he be angry." The act of "kissing the Son" would be one of homage to a king, and would indicate submission to the kingship of the Son. Those who are wise will do so before the Son, the Messiah, comes to judge the world!
Men have often tried to appear holy and righteous before other men - but God is seeking those who will worship Him in "spirit and in truth". This reminds me of a story of Francois Fenelon.
In the 17th century, Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France. On one particular Sunday when the King and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, there was no one else present except the preacher, himself.
"What does this mean?", King Louis demanded.
"I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the King," Fenelon replied.
Friend, let's be sure that our worship of God is true and faithful and that we aren't trying to please men in doing so. Serve the Lord with a Godly reverence for who He is, and what His Son has done for you, since He is worthy of your worship, and... He is looking at your heart.
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
Post-Brexit global equity loss of over $2 trillion worst ever: S&P
The $2.08 trillion wiped off global equity markets on Friday after Britain voted to leave the European Union was the biggest daily loss ever, trumping the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis and the Black Monday stock market crash of 1987, according to Standard & Poor's Dow Jones Indices.
UK 'Leave' vote deflates hopes for U.S.-EU trade deal
Britain's looming exit from the European Union is another huge setback for negotiations on a massive U.S.-EU free trade deal that were already stalled by deeply entrenched differences and growing anti-trade sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic.
After the UK Bolts EU: France, Italy and the Netherlands Want Their Own Referendums
Voters in France, Italy and the Netherlands are demanding their own votes on European Union membership and the euro, as the continent faces a “contagion” of referendums.
Pope Francis says Christians 'must apologize' to gay people
Pope Francis told reporters on Sunday that Catholics and other Christians should apologize to gay people and seek their forgiveness 'for not having behaved as it should many times.'
Multiple suicide bombings kill five in eastern Lebanon
At least five people were killed in multiple suicide bombings early Monday in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria, officials said. At least four suicide blasts hit the predominantly Christian village of Al-Qaa, a military source told AFP.
Britain 'may never' trigger EU divorce: diplomats
Britain 'may never' trigger the formal divorce process with the EU despite last week's referendum in which the country voted to leave, EU diplomats said Sunday.
CIA weapons for Syrian rebels sold to arms black market: NYT
Weapons shipped into Jordan for Syrian rebels by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia were stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, the New York Times reported, citing American and Jordanian officials.
China, Russia pledge business partnership worth $50 billion
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to strengthen 'good neighborly' relations with China, including $50 billion in 58 business initiatives between the two countries.
2.2 million Brits sign petition for second EU referendum
More than 2 million people in the United Kingdom signed a petition seeking a second referendum to determine the county's exit from the European Union.
Investor George Soros calls for reconstruction of EU after 'Brexit' vote
Billionaire investor George Soros on Saturday called for thorough reconstruction of the European Union in order to save it, even though he warned that Britain's vote to leave the bloc makes 'disintegration of the EU practically irreversible.'
British exit from the E.U. sets up a European crisis of diminished power
Britain's historic vote to leave the European Union plunges the 28-nation bloc into an existential crisis, dealing the dream of an integrated Europe its greatest blow since the march toward unity began in the aftermath of World War II.
France presses for quick EU divorce with Britain, Germany cautious
France's foreign minister called on Saturday for the European Union to move ahead quickly to seal the terms of a British exit from the bloc, arguing that the other 27 members needed to give the EU new purpose or else risk populism taking hold.
ISIS calls for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to 'paralyse' Europe in wake of Brexit chaos
Islamic State has expressed its delight for the expected negative economic impact on the United Kingdom and the European Union following the British referendum - and called for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to 'paralyse' Europe.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Christians, Muslims and Jews to build joint house of worship in Jerusalem
In theory, this should not be a big deal: men and women of faith, who share a belief in one God and a love for the city of Jerusalem, coming together to pray, study and sing.
Netanyahu to Kerry: Turkey deal to have 'immense' impact on Israeli economy
An agreement to normalize ties with Turkey after six years will have a positive impact on Israel's economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
Ministers push to ban online incitement, abusive content
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi) and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) announced on Wednesday that they would work together to pass legislation that would block and remove offensive or abusive content from social media, as part of the larger battle against online incitement.
Trump administration would back Israel annexing parts of W.Bank: Haaretz
A senior official in the Donald Trump campaign has said that if elected president, Trump would back Israel annexing portions of the West Bank, the Israeli daily Haaretz reports.
Inside the United States
Obama Designates Stonewall as First National Monument for LGBT Rights
With this weekend marking the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling on legalizing gay marriage, President Obama will designate the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a new National Monument, the first official National Park Service monument dedicated to the plight of LGBT Americans.
At least 2 dead, 60,000 acres lost to California wildfires
Wildfires continued to burn in California Sunday, scorching nearly 60,000 acres and claiming two lives as 4,500 firefighters battled the six blazes, which stretched from the Klammath National Forest in Northern California to the Mexican border in San Diego County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, The Los Angeles Times reported.
7 people stabbed at California capital during clash between neo-nazis, demonstrators
Numerous people were stabbed Sunday outside the Sacramento Capitol building during clashes between neo-Nazis and demonstrators.
U.S. Supreme Court poised to issue major abortion ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court is due on Monday to issue its first major abortion ruling since 2007 against a backdrop of unremitting divisions among Americans on the issue and a decades-long decline in the rate at which women terminate pregnancies.
Hawaii becomes first state to put gun owners in federal database
Hawaii signed a bill Thursday to become the first state to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.
Obama Invites 18.7 Million Immigrants to Avoid Oath of Allegiance, Pledge to Defend America
Under the Obama administration's expansive interpretation of executive authority, legal immigrants seeking citizenship through the nation's Naturalization process are now exempt from a key part of the Oath of Allegiance.
Meningococcal outbreak prompts SF warning on Pride weekend
A meningococcal outbreak in Southern California that has mostly infected gay men prompted San Francisco health officials Friday to issue a warning on the eve of Pride weekend and a plea for people to get inoculated against the disease.
West Virginia flooding leaves at least 24 dead
Rescue crews worked steadily on Saturday to answer emergency calls from residents stranded by fast-moving floodwaters that state officials say have killed at least 24 people. It's the nation's highest death toll from flash floods since May 2010, when 27 people died in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi.
Nuclear reactor at Indian Point plant in N.Y. shut down again after leak found
One of two reactor units at a nuclear power plant near New York City has been taken offline for the second time in four months after leakage was found in a pipe that pumps water into the facility, officials said Friday.
FBI can collect home IP addresses without warrant when probing websites - court
The FBI doesn't need a warrant to collect private IP addresses and other computer-related data during probes and dragnets, a federal court has ruled. The judge said the FBI's actions were within constitutional bounds, rejecting privacy concerns.
U.S. Politics
Memo Reveals Clinton Foundation Foreign Donor's $100 Million Registration, Turnout Push
A Swiss billionaire and seven-figure Clinton Foundation donor is pouring millions of dollars into a nonprofit voter registration and turnout operation and appears to have shared information about the project with the Democratic Party, a leaked document reveals.
CBS: Trump Beating Clinton In Battleground States With Voters Who Want Change
Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton in the polls in key battleground states among voters who want change, a possible roadblock in her bid for the presidency, CBS News elections director Anthony Salvanto said Sunday.
Clinton surges to 12-point lead in WaPo poll
Hillary Clinton currently holds a double-digit lead over Donald Trump nationally, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday.
Trump arrives in Scotland, hails British exit from EU
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, visiting Scotland the day after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, hailed the move, saying voters 'took back their country.'
Christian News
Nigerian knifed for not keeping Ramadan fast
A Christian was stabbed in Kaduna state, Nigeria, this month just because he was not participating in the annual Ramadan fast.
India: Man beaten for defending Christian cemetery
Last month in Punjab state, India, a Christian was severely beaten after he protested the desecration of a Christian graveyard by local Hindus.
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In a state facing attack, God is on the move. The epicenter is Burlington, North Carolina, where growing crowds now meet under a huge tent.
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Evangelicals are an important voting block in most elections. However, in the 2016 Presidential race, their vote may be more critical than ever. So, they are being courted - especially by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Around the World
Post-Brexit global equity loss of over $2 trillion worst ever: S&P
The $2.08 trillion wiped off global equity markets on Friday after Britain voted to leave the European Union was the biggest daily loss ever, trumping the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis and the Black Monday stock market crash of 1987, according to Standard & Poor's Dow Jones Indices.
UK 'Leave' vote deflates hopes for U.S.-EU trade deal
Britain's looming exit from the European Union is another huge setback for negotiations on a massive U.S.-EU free trade deal that were already stalled by deeply entrenched differences and growing anti-trade sentiment on both sides of the Atlantic.
After the UK Bolts EU: France, Italy and the Netherlands Want Their Own Referendums
Voters in France, Italy and the Netherlands are demanding their own votes on European Union membership and the euro, as the continent faces a “contagion” of referendums.
Pope Francis says Christians 'must apologize' to gay people
Pope Francis told reporters on Sunday that Catholics and other Christians should apologize to gay people and seek their forgiveness 'for not having behaved as it should many times.'
Multiple suicide bombings kill five in eastern Lebanon
At least five people were killed in multiple suicide bombings early Monday in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria, officials said. At least four suicide blasts hit the predominantly Christian village of Al-Qaa, a military source told AFP.
Britain 'may never' trigger EU divorce: diplomats
Britain 'may never' trigger the formal divorce process with the EU despite last week's referendum in which the country voted to leave, EU diplomats said Sunday.
CIA weapons for Syrian rebels sold to arms black market: NYT
Weapons shipped into Jordan for Syrian rebels by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia were stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, the New York Times reported, citing American and Jordanian officials.
China, Russia pledge business partnership worth $50 billion
Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to strengthen 'good neighborly' relations with China, including $50 billion in 58 business initiatives between the two countries.
2.2 million Brits sign petition for second EU referendum
More than 2 million people in the United Kingdom signed a petition seeking a second referendum to determine the county's exit from the European Union.
Investor George Soros calls for reconstruction of EU after 'Brexit' vote
Billionaire investor George Soros on Saturday called for thorough reconstruction of the European Union in order to save it, even though he warned that Britain's vote to leave the bloc makes 'disintegration of the EU practically irreversible.'
British exit from the E.U. sets up a European crisis of diminished power
Britain's historic vote to leave the European Union plunges the 28-nation bloc into an existential crisis, dealing the dream of an integrated Europe its greatest blow since the march toward unity began in the aftermath of World War II.
France presses for quick EU divorce with Britain, Germany cautious
France's foreign minister called on Saturday for the European Union to move ahead quickly to seal the terms of a British exit from the bloc, arguing that the other 27 members needed to give the EU new purpose or else risk populism taking hold.
ISIS calls for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to 'paralyse' Europe in wake of Brexit chaos
Islamic State has expressed its delight for the expected negative economic impact on the United Kingdom and the European Union following the British referendum - and called for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to 'paralyse' Europe.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Christians, Muslims and Jews to build joint house of worship in Jerusalem
In theory, this should not be a big deal: men and women of faith, who share a belief in one God and a love for the city of Jerusalem, coming together to pray, study and sing.
Netanyahu to Kerry: Turkey deal to have 'immense' impact on Israeli economy
An agreement to normalize ties with Turkey after six years will have a positive impact on Israel's economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
Ministers push to ban online incitement, abusive content
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi) and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) announced on Wednesday that they would work together to pass legislation that would block and remove offensive or abusive content from social media, as part of the larger battle against online incitement.
Trump administration would back Israel annexing parts of W.Bank: Haaretz
A senior official in the Donald Trump campaign has said that if elected president, Trump would back Israel annexing portions of the West Bank, the Israeli daily Haaretz reports.
Inside the United States
Obama Designates Stonewall as First National Monument for LGBT Rights
With this weekend marking the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling on legalizing gay marriage, President Obama will designate the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a new National Monument, the first official National Park Service monument dedicated to the plight of LGBT Americans.
At least 2 dead, 60,000 acres lost to California wildfires
Wildfires continued to burn in California Sunday, scorching nearly 60,000 acres and claiming two lives as 4,500 firefighters battled the six blazes, which stretched from the Klammath National Forest in Northern California to the Mexican border in San Diego County, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, The Los Angeles Times reported.
7 people stabbed at California capital during clash between neo-nazis, demonstrators
Numerous people were stabbed Sunday outside the Sacramento Capitol building during clashes between neo-Nazis and demonstrators.
U.S. Supreme Court poised to issue major abortion ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court is due on Monday to issue its first major abortion ruling since 2007 against a backdrop of unremitting divisions among Americans on the issue and a decades-long decline in the rate at which women terminate pregnancies.
Hawaii becomes first state to put gun owners in federal database
Hawaii signed a bill Thursday to become the first state to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.
Obama Invites 18.7 Million Immigrants to Avoid Oath of Allegiance, Pledge to Defend America
Under the Obama administration's expansive interpretation of executive authority, legal immigrants seeking citizenship through the nation's Naturalization process are now exempt from a key part of the Oath of Allegiance.
Meningococcal outbreak prompts SF warning on Pride weekend
A meningococcal outbreak in Southern California that has mostly infected gay men prompted San Francisco health officials Friday to issue a warning on the eve of Pride weekend and a plea for people to get inoculated against the disease.
West Virginia flooding leaves at least 24 dead
Rescue crews worked steadily on Saturday to answer emergency calls from residents stranded by fast-moving floodwaters that state officials say have killed at least 24 people. It's the nation's highest death toll from flash floods since May 2010, when 27 people died in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi.
Nuclear reactor at Indian Point plant in N.Y. shut down again after leak found
One of two reactor units at a nuclear power plant near New York City has been taken offline for the second time in four months after leakage was found in a pipe that pumps water into the facility, officials said Friday.
FBI can collect home IP addresses without warrant when probing websites - court
The FBI doesn't need a warrant to collect private IP addresses and other computer-related data during probes and dragnets, a federal court has ruled. The judge said the FBI's actions were within constitutional bounds, rejecting privacy concerns.
U.S. Politics
Memo Reveals Clinton Foundation Foreign Donor's $100 Million Registration, Turnout Push
A Swiss billionaire and seven-figure Clinton Foundation donor is pouring millions of dollars into a nonprofit voter registration and turnout operation and appears to have shared information about the project with the Democratic Party, a leaked document reveals.
CBS: Trump Beating Clinton In Battleground States With Voters Who Want Change
Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton in the polls in key battleground states among voters who want change, a possible roadblock in her bid for the presidency, CBS News elections director Anthony Salvanto said Sunday.
Clinton surges to 12-point lead in WaPo poll
Hillary Clinton currently holds a double-digit lead over Donald Trump nationally, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday.
Trump arrives in Scotland, hails British exit from EU
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, visiting Scotland the day after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, hailed the move, saying voters 'took back their country.'
Christian News
Nigerian knifed for not keeping Ramadan fast
A Christian was stabbed in Kaduna state, Nigeria, this month just because he was not participating in the annual Ramadan fast.
India: Man beaten for defending Christian cemetery
Last month in Punjab state, India, a Christian was severely beaten after he protested the desecration of a Christian graveyard by local Hindus.
Thousands Stretch NC Revival into 8th Week
In a state facing attack, God is on the move. The epicenter is Burlington, North Carolina, where growing crowds now meet under a huge tent.
Famous Evangelical says Trump accepted Jesus Christ
Dr. James Dobson says Donald Trump has recently accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and that Christians should be praying for him.
Are Christians Looking for a Political 'Savior' in a President?
Evangelicals are an important voting block in most elections. However, in the 2016 Presidential race, their vote may be more critical than ever. So, they are being courted - especially by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.