Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries
Prophecy News Watch is a service hosted by Worthy Ministries to provide Christians daily news from a Biblical, and yet Prophetic worldview. Our news is gathered by our Christian News Service, Worthy News. For more about our vision for how we assemble our daily headlines, please read, "What is Worthy News?"
Around the World
U.S. Eyes Military Coalition To Safeguard Key Shipping Lanes Amid Iran Tensions
The United States is moving forward with plans to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic shipping lanes off Iran and Yemen amid raised tensions with Iranian leaders.
'We Hope that Obstacles Will Be Removed': Iran Seeks to Build Railway Connecting Iran, Iraq, Syria
Iran, Syria, and Iraq signed an agreement Wednesday, July 3rd, to construct an Iran-funded railway from Shalamcheh in the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean coastal city of Lattakia in Syria, bypassing trade waterways typically patrolled by the US.
Secret meetings between U.S., Iran officials in Iraq
Secret meetings between United States officials and Iranian representatives were conducted in a hotel in Erbil, Iraq, i24News reported Tuesday evening. The Iranian representatives are led by Hassan Khomenei, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
TV: Israel intelligence foiled 50 Islamic State, Iranian attacks in 20 countries
Israeli intelligence agencies have prevented dozens of Islamic State terror group and Iran-sponsored attacks in various countries around the world by providing local authorities with key information, according to a television report on Tuesday.
Hamas conducts massive surprise drill simulating IDF incursion into Gaza
Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group launched a highly unusual training exercise Tuesday night that simulated the capture of IDF special forces operating in the territory.
Inside the United States
Trump threatens veto of House defense bill over spending levels, wall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defense bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.
Trump Administration Expediting Initial Screenings of Asylum-Seekers
The Trump administration is gearing up to expedite initial screenings of immigrants seeking asylum, moving to interview immigrants within one calendar day.
Judge's order on government lawyer shake-up adds hurdle for Trump in U.S. Census dispute
A judge in New York on Tuesday denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to shake up the legal team that was handling cases on the 2020 Census, adding another hurdle to the Trump administration’s bid to put a contentious citizenship question on the survey.
Christian News
Early Rain Covenant Church Member Escaped to Taiwan: 'No Long Safe' for Christians in China
More information has surfaced regarding the lockup of 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, in December.
Egypt Legalizes Over 1,000 Churches in Apparent Bid to Create Tolerant Islamic Society
The Egyptian government on Monday approved legalization of 127 churches, the culmination of a 2016 law by which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sought to make the world’s largest Arab nation more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity.
8 Christians Arrested in Iran, One Elderly Woman Freed
Eight Iranian Christians were arrested by Iranian intelligence officials at the beginning of July, and are currently being held at an undisclosed Intelligence Ministry site in Bushehr, a southern port city on the Persian Gulf.
U.S. Eyes Military Coalition To Safeguard Key Shipping Lanes Amid Iran Tensions
The United States is moving forward with plans to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic shipping lanes off Iran and Yemen amid raised tensions with Iranian leaders.
'We Hope that Obstacles Will Be Removed': Iran Seeks to Build Railway Connecting Iran, Iraq, Syria
Iran, Syria, and Iraq signed an agreement Wednesday, July 3rd, to construct an Iran-funded railway from Shalamcheh in the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean coastal city of Lattakia in Syria, bypassing trade waterways typically patrolled by the US.
Secret meetings between U.S., Iran officials in Iraq
Secret meetings between United States officials and Iranian representatives were conducted in a hotel in Erbil, Iraq, i24News reported Tuesday evening. The Iranian representatives are led by Hassan Khomenei, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
TV: Israel intelligence foiled 50 Islamic State, Iranian attacks in 20 countries
Israeli intelligence agencies have prevented dozens of Islamic State terror group and Iran-sponsored attacks in various countries around the world by providing local authorities with key information, according to a television report on Tuesday.
Hamas conducts massive surprise drill simulating IDF incursion into Gaza
Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group launched a highly unusual training exercise Tuesday night that simulated the capture of IDF special forces operating in the territory.
Inside the United States
Trump threatens veto of House defense bill over spending levels, wall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defense bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.
Trump Administration Expediting Initial Screenings of Asylum-Seekers
The Trump administration is gearing up to expedite initial screenings of immigrants seeking asylum, moving to interview immigrants within one calendar day.
Judge's order on government lawyer shake-up adds hurdle for Trump in U.S. Census dispute
A judge in New York on Tuesday denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to shake up the legal team that was handling cases on the 2020 Census, adding another hurdle to the Trump administration’s bid to put a contentious citizenship question on the survey.
Christian News
Early Rain Covenant Church Member Escaped to Taiwan: 'No Long Safe' for Christians in China
More information has surfaced regarding the lockup of 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, in December.
Egypt Legalizes Over 1,000 Churches in Apparent Bid to Create Tolerant Islamic Society
The Egyptian government on Monday approved legalization of 127 churches, the culmination of a 2016 law by which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sought to make the world’s largest Arab nation more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity.
8 Christians Arrested in Iran, One Elderly Woman Freed
Eight Iranian Christians were arrested by Iranian intelligence officials at the beginning of July, and are currently being held at an undisclosed Intelligence Ministry site in Bushehr, a southern port city on the Persian Gulf.
Around the World
IAEA confirms Iran breached nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit
Iran has enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers, the UN nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran.
U.S., China to relaunch talks with little changed since deal fell apart
The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.
Iran warns British detention of oil tanker won’t go ‘unanswered’
Tehran warned Tuesday that Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker will not go 'unanswered' after denying earlier in the week that the ship detained in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Trump adviser: 'Iran is very likely a significant spoiler' to Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
Iranian officials could sabotage U.S. efforts to broker a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, according to one of President Trump’s top advisers on the issue.
Inside the United States
ICE Prepares to Deport Roughly One Million People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is gearing up to deport more than one million illegal immigrants who have been denied asylum or otherwise have final removal orders.
Trump's State Dep’t Launches ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights’
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced today that the U.S. Department of State has created the ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights,’ which is designed to advise the Secretary on 'human rights grounded in our nation’s founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights,' said Pompeo.
Barr says Trump administration can legally add citizenship question to census
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he believes the Trump administration can legally add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, though the Supreme Court ruled against its inclusion last month.
Florida county cannot ban invocations by atheists -U.S. appeals court
A federal appeals court on Monday declared a Florida county's ban on atheists and other non-religious groups from giving invocations before public meetings unconstitutional, even as it ordered the narrowing of an injunction against the practice.
Christian News
U.K. Report: Christian Persecution 'Overlooked in the West'
The final version of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office report was released at the beginning of July, detailing Christian persecution worldwide and citing a failure of Western governments to even recognize it.
Indian House Church in Telangana State Harassed for Third Week in a Row
A house church in India was violently attacked Sunday, June 30th during a worship service, marking the third Sunday in a row the church was harassed by Hindu radicals.
Mike Pence and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rally Christians for Trump
Vice President Mike Pence lashed Democratic opponents and touted President Trump's record during an annual summit of evangelical supporters of Israel in an address that saw the policy and lobbying conference double as a campaign rally.
IAEA confirms Iran breached nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit
Iran has enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers, the UN nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran.
U.S., China to relaunch talks with little changed since deal fell apart
The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.
Iran warns British detention of oil tanker won’t go ‘unanswered’
Tehran warned Tuesday that Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker will not go 'unanswered' after denying earlier in the week that the ship detained in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Trump adviser: 'Iran is very likely a significant spoiler' to Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
Iranian officials could sabotage U.S. efforts to broker a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, according to one of President Trump’s top advisers on the issue.
Inside the United States
ICE Prepares to Deport Roughly One Million People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is gearing up to deport more than one million illegal immigrants who have been denied asylum or otherwise have final removal orders.
Trump's State Dep’t Launches ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights’
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced today that the U.S. Department of State has created the ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights,’ which is designed to advise the Secretary on 'human rights grounded in our nation’s founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights,' said Pompeo.
Barr says Trump administration can legally add citizenship question to census
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he believes the Trump administration can legally add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, though the Supreme Court ruled against its inclusion last month.
Florida county cannot ban invocations by atheists -U.S. appeals court
A federal appeals court on Monday declared a Florida county's ban on atheists and other non-religious groups from giving invocations before public meetings unconstitutional, even as it ordered the narrowing of an injunction against the practice.
Christian News
U.K. Report: Christian Persecution 'Overlooked in the West'
The final version of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office report was released at the beginning of July, detailing Christian persecution worldwide and citing a failure of Western governments to even recognize it.
Indian House Church in Telangana State Harassed for Third Week in a Row
A house church in India was violently attacked Sunday, June 30th during a worship service, marking the third Sunday in a row the church was harassed by Hindu radicals.
Mike Pence and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rally Christians for Trump
Vice President Mike Pence lashed Democratic opponents and touted President Trump's record during an annual summit of evangelical supporters of Israel in an address that saw the policy and lobbying conference double as a campaign rally.
Around the World
Trump warns Iran to ‘be careful’ after Tehran says it will breach uranium cap
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday to 'be careful,' shortly after the Islamic Republic said it would breach a uranium enrichment cap set by the 2015 nuclear deal.
'Seize a British Oil Tanker,' Says Iranian Official in Response to Iranian Ship Taken in by British
Iran is calling for the detention of a British oil tanker in retaliation for an Iranian ship carrying crude oil to Syria that was detained in the British territory of Gibraltar.
Ex-IAEA official to 'Post': Iran cutting nuclear breakout time by two months
Iran's violation of nuclear limits by enriching uranium to the 5% level will reduce its breakout time to a nuclear weapon by approximately two months, former deputy director-general for safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Olli Heinonen told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Iran says Europe has 60 days to save nuclear deal
Iran says the last chance for saving its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers will pass after a 60-day deadline.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Former PM Ehud Barak reveals name of newly-formed Israel Democratic Party
Former prime and defense minister Ehud Barak revealed the name of his new party on his Facebook profile as the Sabbath drew to a close on July 6, insisting that his 'Israel Democratit' party should be translated from Hebrew to English as 'Israel Democratic Party,' the Jerusalem Post reported.
Archaeologists say they found town where future king David took refuge from Saul
In a finding sure to inflame the debate about the historicity of the biblical King David, an international team of archaeologists claims to have identified the lost city of Ziklag.
Inside the United States
ObamaCare repeal lawsuit faces major court test
ObamaCare will be back in court on Tuesday in a closely watched case hanging over the health care system.
'The Truth Will Set You Free': Pastor Refutes Ocasio-Cortez Portrayal of Border Conditions
On Monday the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who toured the same Texas border facility maligned by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, disputed the freshman congresswoman’s characterization.
U.S. economy beats projections with 224,000 jobs in June
The United States added 224,000 jobs during the month of June, beating analysts' expectations by about 60,000, the Labor Department said in its monthly workforce report Friday.
Trump to sign executive order to lower drug prices
The White House is writing an executive order that would reduce what the U.S. pays for drugs so that it's more in line with the lowest price paid elsewhere in the world, Trump told reporters Friday.
Maryland voter registration will allow 'X' or 'unspecified' for gender identity
Maryland will soon allow people to put an 'X' or 'unspecified' for their gender on their voter registration.
FBI, ICE using state driver's license photos without consent for facial recognition searches
The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reportedly been using driver’s license photos for facial recognition searches without license holders' knowledge or consent.
Fight over vaccine exemptions hits state legislatures
State legislators across the country are moving to tighten limits on vaccine exemptions for children amid one of the worst outbreaks of preventable diseases in recent history.
Aftershocks in California Continue After 2 Major Earthquakes
Two remote California desert communities assessed damage after two major earthquakes hit the area at the end of last week, followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks.
Seismologist says 1 in 10 chance of another major earthquake in Southern California
A California seismologist said the two earthquakes near the city of Ridgecrest, Calif., over the past two days could be followed by an even larger quake.
Banners Promoting Atheist Event Offend Fort Worth Residents
City officials in Forth Worth, Texas received around 100 complaints from residents after banners with the phrase 'In No God We Trust' were hung along Main Street promoting an atheist event.
Christian News
Christian Student in U.K. Wins Appeals Court Ruling After Declared 'Unfit' to Practice Social Work by University
A Christian student at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., who was dropped from his MA program for a Facebook post defending traditional marriage in 2016, won his court of appeals complaint this week following a high court decision in 2017 that originally supported the university’s decision.
Church of England says it will recognize marriages of transgender worshipers
The marriage of worshipers who transition to a different gender will still be valid, the Church of England has said.
Trump warns Iran to ‘be careful’ after Tehran says it will breach uranium cap
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Sunday to 'be careful,' shortly after the Islamic Republic said it would breach a uranium enrichment cap set by the 2015 nuclear deal.
'Seize a British Oil Tanker,' Says Iranian Official in Response to Iranian Ship Taken in by British
Iran is calling for the detention of a British oil tanker in retaliation for an Iranian ship carrying crude oil to Syria that was detained in the British territory of Gibraltar.
Ex-IAEA official to 'Post': Iran cutting nuclear breakout time by two months
Iran's violation of nuclear limits by enriching uranium to the 5% level will reduce its breakout time to a nuclear weapon by approximately two months, former deputy director-general for safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Olli Heinonen told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Iran says Europe has 60 days to save nuclear deal
Iran says the last chance for saving its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers will pass after a 60-day deadline.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Former PM Ehud Barak reveals name of newly-formed Israel Democratic Party
Former prime and defense minister Ehud Barak revealed the name of his new party on his Facebook profile as the Sabbath drew to a close on July 6, insisting that his 'Israel Democratit' party should be translated from Hebrew to English as 'Israel Democratic Party,' the Jerusalem Post reported.
Archaeologists say they found town where future king David took refuge from Saul
In a finding sure to inflame the debate about the historicity of the biblical King David, an international team of archaeologists claims to have identified the lost city of Ziklag.
Inside the United States
ObamaCare repeal lawsuit faces major court test
ObamaCare will be back in court on Tuesday in a closely watched case hanging over the health care system.
'The Truth Will Set You Free': Pastor Refutes Ocasio-Cortez Portrayal of Border Conditions
On Monday the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, who toured the same Texas border facility maligned by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, disputed the freshman congresswoman’s characterization.
U.S. economy beats projections with 224,000 jobs in June
The United States added 224,000 jobs during the month of June, beating analysts' expectations by about 60,000, the Labor Department said in its monthly workforce report Friday.
Trump to sign executive order to lower drug prices
The White House is writing an executive order that would reduce what the U.S. pays for drugs so that it's more in line with the lowest price paid elsewhere in the world, Trump told reporters Friday.
Maryland voter registration will allow 'X' or 'unspecified' for gender identity
Maryland will soon allow people to put an 'X' or 'unspecified' for their gender on their voter registration.
FBI, ICE using state driver's license photos without consent for facial recognition searches
The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reportedly been using driver’s license photos for facial recognition searches without license holders' knowledge or consent.
Fight over vaccine exemptions hits state legislatures
State legislators across the country are moving to tighten limits on vaccine exemptions for children amid one of the worst outbreaks of preventable diseases in recent history.
Aftershocks in California Continue After 2 Major Earthquakes
Two remote California desert communities assessed damage after two major earthquakes hit the area at the end of last week, followed by thousands of smaller aftershocks.
Seismologist says 1 in 10 chance of another major earthquake in Southern California
A California seismologist said the two earthquakes near the city of Ridgecrest, Calif., over the past two days could be followed by an even larger quake.
Banners Promoting Atheist Event Offend Fort Worth Residents
City officials in Forth Worth, Texas received around 100 complaints from residents after banners with the phrase 'In No God We Trust' were hung along Main Street promoting an atheist event.
Christian News
Christian Student in U.K. Wins Appeals Court Ruling After Declared 'Unfit' to Practice Social Work by University
A Christian student at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., who was dropped from his MA program for a Facebook post defending traditional marriage in 2016, won his court of appeals complaint this week following a high court decision in 2017 that originally supported the university’s decision.
Church of England says it will recognize marriages of transgender worshipers
The marriage of worshipers who transition to a different gender will still be valid, the Church of England has said.