Prophecy News Watch - March 3, 2023
Around the World
Iranian warships in Rio de Janeiro raise alarm abroad
The arrival this week to Rio de Janeiro of two Iranian warships that Brazil‘s government authorized to dock has prompted rebukes both from Israel and the U.S.
Taiwan military to get $619 million in U.S. arms amid Chinese pressure
The United States on Wednesday approved the potential sale of $619 million in new arms to Taiwan as the island continues to warn of mounting Chinese military pressure.
Egypt announces new Great Pyramid discovery
Egyptian antiquities authorities on Thursday made public the discovery of a hidden chamber inside the 4,500-year-old Pyramid of Khufu — formerly known as the Pyramid of Cheops — or the Great Pyramid of Giza.
America’s Blinken and Russia’s Lavrov Meet For First Time Since Russia’s Invasion
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov briefly spoke one-on-one in their first private meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.
Denmark Cancels Prayer Day To Boost Defense
In a controversial move, Denmark's parliament has voted to cancel a centuries-old Christian public holiday “to boost spending” on the military.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel fears Russia to supply S-400s to Iran – report
Iran is seeking sophisticated new air defense systems from Russia that Israeli officials say would reduce the window of a potential attack on Tehran's nuclear program, media reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the issue.
Gantz Speaks to Netanyahu: Calls for Talks on Judicial Reform
Opposition MK Benny Gantz (National Unity party) was the first opposition member to break ranks today, after he announced that he spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and asked them to not open the Knesset plenum for discussion and legislation until things calms down, and they’ll go together tonight to speak to President Isaac Herzog. Gantz said, “History won’t forgive whoever didn’t try to stop a civil war.”
Inside the United States
Mississippi passes law banning sex-change treatment for minors
Mississippi has joined six other US states in passing legislation that bans puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and sex-change surgeries for minors under the age of 18 who identify as the opposite sex, ABC News reports.
Massachusetts Supreme Court upholds homicide conviction for man who killed a full-term unborn baby by killing its mother
Amid a raging public debate in the US over whether the unborn have personhood rights, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts last week upheld the first-degree homicide convictions of a man found guilty of killing not only his pregnant girlfriend but also her full-term unborn baby, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Senate unanimously passes bill to declassify intelligence on COVID-19 origins
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday evening that would require the Biden administration to declassify all intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and possible links to the origins of the COVID-19 virus, in light of the weekend report that the Department of Energy (DOE) that concluded the coronavirus pandemic likely stemmed from a lab leak.
US creates new antisemitism task force
In 2021, the United States recorded its highest level of antisemitic attacks in recent years — on average seven per day. The Anti-Defamation League, an NGO that fights all all forms of antisemitism, fears even worse figures for 2022. Doubtless many incidents also go unreported. As the US wakes up to a new, more anti-Jewish reality, US President Joe Biden has vowed to ensure that "antisemitism has no place in America." To this end, the White House set up an inter-agency group at the end of 2022, tasked with putting together the country's first national strategy for countering antisemitism.
Christian News
Suffering Churches Help Earthquake Victims
Suffering churches in one of the areas hardest hit by last month’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are still “delivering aid and letting people know they are not forgotten,” a spokesperson said Thursday.
Indonesia: Church allowed to reopen after local Muslims shut it down
In a remarkable piece of good news for persecuted Indonesian Christians, a church in Bandar Lampung has been allowed to reopen after local Muslim village authorities and residents interrupted a worship service and forced it to close down last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Kemah Daud Christian Church had been in the middle of a Sunday service on February 19 when the disruption and subsequent closure occurred.
India: Pastor and his wife arrested/imprisoned under Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion laws
A pastor and his wife in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have been criminally charged and imprisoned under harsh local anti-conversion laws for allegedly luring Hindus into becoming Christians, Scroll reports. Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
China: Church releases statement detailing torture of imprisoned leaders
An evangelical church in China has released a statement detailing torture and maltreatment inflicted on three of the congregation’s leaders who have been in detention since August last year, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Iranian warships in Rio de Janeiro raise alarm abroad
The arrival this week to Rio de Janeiro of two Iranian warships that Brazil‘s government authorized to dock has prompted rebukes both from Israel and the U.S.
Taiwan military to get $619 million in U.S. arms amid Chinese pressure
The United States on Wednesday approved the potential sale of $619 million in new arms to Taiwan as the island continues to warn of mounting Chinese military pressure.
Egypt announces new Great Pyramid discovery
Egyptian antiquities authorities on Thursday made public the discovery of a hidden chamber inside the 4,500-year-old Pyramid of Khufu — formerly known as the Pyramid of Cheops — or the Great Pyramid of Giza.
America’s Blinken and Russia’s Lavrov Meet For First Time Since Russia’s Invasion
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov briefly spoke one-on-one in their first private meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.
Denmark Cancels Prayer Day To Boost Defense
In a controversial move, Denmark's parliament has voted to cancel a centuries-old Christian public holiday “to boost spending” on the military.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel fears Russia to supply S-400s to Iran – report
Iran is seeking sophisticated new air defense systems from Russia that Israeli officials say would reduce the window of a potential attack on Tehran's nuclear program, media reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the issue.
Gantz Speaks to Netanyahu: Calls for Talks on Judicial Reform
Opposition MK Benny Gantz (National Unity party) was the first opposition member to break ranks today, after he announced that he spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and asked them to not open the Knesset plenum for discussion and legislation until things calms down, and they’ll go together tonight to speak to President Isaac Herzog. Gantz said, “History won’t forgive whoever didn’t try to stop a civil war.”
Inside the United States
Mississippi passes law banning sex-change treatment for minors
Mississippi has joined six other US states in passing legislation that bans puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and sex-change surgeries for minors under the age of 18 who identify as the opposite sex, ABC News reports.
Massachusetts Supreme Court upholds homicide conviction for man who killed a full-term unborn baby by killing its mother
Amid a raging public debate in the US over whether the unborn have personhood rights, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts last week upheld the first-degree homicide convictions of a man found guilty of killing not only his pregnant girlfriend but also her full-term unborn baby, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Senate unanimously passes bill to declassify intelligence on COVID-19 origins
The Senate passed legislation Wednesday evening that would require the Biden administration to declassify all intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and possible links to the origins of the COVID-19 virus, in light of the weekend report that the Department of Energy (DOE) that concluded the coronavirus pandemic likely stemmed from a lab leak.
US creates new antisemitism task force
In 2021, the United States recorded its highest level of antisemitic attacks in recent years — on average seven per day. The Anti-Defamation League, an NGO that fights all all forms of antisemitism, fears even worse figures for 2022. Doubtless many incidents also go unreported. As the US wakes up to a new, more anti-Jewish reality, US President Joe Biden has vowed to ensure that "antisemitism has no place in America." To this end, the White House set up an inter-agency group at the end of 2022, tasked with putting together the country's first national strategy for countering antisemitism.
Christian News
Suffering Churches Help Earthquake Victims
Suffering churches in one of the areas hardest hit by last month’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are still “delivering aid and letting people know they are not forgotten,” a spokesperson said Thursday.
Indonesia: Church allowed to reopen after local Muslims shut it down
In a remarkable piece of good news for persecuted Indonesian Christians, a church in Bandar Lampung has been allowed to reopen after local Muslim village authorities and residents interrupted a worship service and forced it to close down last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Kemah Daud Christian Church had been in the middle of a Sunday service on February 19 when the disruption and subsequent closure occurred.
India: Pastor and his wife arrested/imprisoned under Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion laws
A pastor and his wife in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have been criminally charged and imprisoned under harsh local anti-conversion laws for allegedly luring Hindus into becoming Christians, Scroll reports. Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
China: Church releases statement detailing torture of imprisoned leaders
An evangelical church in China has released a statement detailing torture and maltreatment inflicted on three of the congregation’s leaders who have been in detention since August last year, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.