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
New report details Iran's growing influence in Syria
Growing Israeli concern over Iran gaining an ever increasing foothold in Syria has been impossible to miss lately, as evidenced by the prime minister's statements along those lines. Mossad Director Yossi Cohen also alerted the government to the fact that Iran's influence in Syria in particular and the region in general is growing stronger by the day.
Promising to ‘win,’ Trump says US will keep fighting in Afghanistan
Declaring the US will win “in the end,” President Donald Trump vowed Monday night to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan despite his earlier inclination to withdraw. But he insisted the US would not offer “a blank check” after 16 years of war, and he pointedly declined to say whether or when more troops might be sent.
Hacking May Have Caused USS John S. McCain’s Collision, Say Cyber Experts
Amid reports that the destroyer USS John S. McCain lost steering just before collision with an oil tanker, experts have speculated the possibility of hacking as the cause of the incident.
Modern eugenics: Down syndrome ‘eradication’ in Iceland
A disturbing report from CBS News last week revealed Iceland is systemically aborting babies with Down syndrome. While some have hailed the news as a cultural advancement, pro-lifers note the so-called progress has only moved the country toward genocide.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Supreme Islamic Council Denies Any Jewish Connection to Temple Mount
The Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem is denying any religious or historical connection of the Jewish People to the Temple Mount, now calling the entire compound the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
UN blacklist of companies doing business in settlements to be released by year's end
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, plans to publish by the end of the year a blacklist of international companies doing business in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
Following attack, Barcelona’s chief rabbi says his community is doomed, Time to Move to Israel
The Jewish community in Barcelona is 'doomed,' because authorities in Spain do not want to confront radical Islam, the chief rabbi of Barcelona warned on Friday, a day after the deadly car-ramming attack in the city.

Inside the United States
Paul Ryan: Tax reform 'far easier' to pass than healthcare
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Monday that tax reform should be easier to pass than healthcare reform, which has no clear path forward after it failed in the Senate.
Pentagon orders temporary halt to US navy operations after second collision
The Pentagon has ordered a temporary halt to US navy operations around the world and a full safety review, after the second serious collision in two months involving its ships in the Pacific.
Over 160,000 Sign White House Petition Demanding Antifa Be Labeled a Terrorist Group
More than 160,000 people have signed a petition on the White House petition website calling for the federal government to officially designate the activist group Antifa as a terrorist organization.
Secret Service depletes funds to pay agents because of Trump's frequent travel, large family
The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission – in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump's family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast.
Grads returning diplomas to protest Falwell’s Trump support
Some graduates of Liberty University say they’re returning their diplomas to the evangelical school to denounce President Jerry Falwell Jr.’s latest show of support for Donald Trump.
Rise of antifa after violence in Charlottesville alarms free-speech advocates
Even those who despise neo-Nazis are worried about the rise of the antifa, the masked protesters whose stock rose after they took on white supremacists at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Christian News
Solar Eclipse Evangelism: Jesus Blocks God's Judgment Like the Moon Blocks the Sun
A Christian ministry is using Monday's eclipse to share the love of Christ with thousands.
Nepal Bill Criminalizes Religious Conversion
The Nepali parliament passed a Bill on 8 August criminalizing religious conversion and the ‘hurting of religious sentiment’. It is expected to become law once the approval of the president has been given.
New Bishop for Syrian Christians Brings Hope Following Genocide, Over 330,000 Deaths
Syriac Orthodox Christians in the northeastern city of Hasakeh celebrated on Saturday the inauguration of Archbishop Maurice Amseeh, giving the community a bishop for the first time in four years, since the last one left the country.
Around the World
Lebanon, Hezbollah and Syria launch two-pronged attack on ISIS
Lebanese troops launched an offensive against the Islamic State (IS) group Saturday close to the Syrian border where the extremists have been active for several years.
Russia hopes Iran won't withdraw from nuclear deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday he hoped that Iran would not quit the nuclear agreement it reached in 2015 with world powers, Reuters reported.
German intelligence warns of ISIS 'hit squads' among refugees
German intelligence services have evidence that “hit squads” from the Islamic State terror group have infiltrated the country disguised as refugees, the deputy head of Bavaria’s spy agency told the BBC Thursday.
USS John McCain collides with merchant ship east of Singapore, 10 Sailors Missing
The USS John McCain, a destroyer in the U.S. Navy, collided with a merchant ship east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca.
Biggest near-Earth asteroid recorded by NASA will make a pass in September
An asteroid called Florence will pass within 4.5 million miles of Earth on Sept. 1, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced in a Thursday press release.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Arab foreign ministers proclaim: No peace without two-state solution
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority met on Saturday evening in Cairo to coordinate positions ahead of the expected arrival of an American delegation to the Middle East as part of the Trump administration's efforts to try to renew peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu to meet Putin over Iranian presence in Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Saturday, amid increasing concerns that Iran is establishing a permanent military presence in Syria.
Following attack, Barcelona’s chief rabbi says his community is doomed, Time to Move to Israel
The Jewish community in Barcelona is 'doomed,' because authorities in Spain do not want to confront radical Islam, the chief rabbi of Barcelona warned on Friday, a day after the deadly car-ramming attack in the city.
Palestinian Authority threatens to cut all funds to Gaza
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday threatened to gradually cut all funding to the Gaza Strip until Hamas agreed to reconcile with Fatah.
Palestinian leader says White House peace efforts ‘in chaos’
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that the entire administration of US President Donald Trump is in “chaos,” and indicated that the White House disarray was affecting peace efforts.
More Israelis moving abroad than are returning
Of the 16,700 Israeli citizens who moved overseas for an extended period of time in 2015, only about 8,500 returned, representing a noticeable increase in the exit rate and a decrease in the return rate compared to previous years, according to a report the Central Bureau of Statistics published on Monday.

Inside the United States
Boston march against right-wing rally draws thousands
Tens of thousands of anti-racism protesters have opposed the "Free Speech" rally in the US city of Boston that featured right-wing speakers.
Millions of Americans to gaze upon Monday's once-in-a-lifetime eclipse
Twilight will fall at midday on Monday, stars will glimmer and birds will roost in an eerie stillness as millions of Americans and visitors witness the first total solar eclipse to traverse the United States from coast to coast in 99 years.
Trump's Evangelical Advisers Respond to Calls for Them to Abandon Him: It Would Be 'Immoral'
Jack Graham, pastor of the Dallas-area, 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church, told CP in a Friday phone interview that the group of evangelical pastors and leaders is now called The Faith Leaders Initiative, and that they are not an official council or government body. They function in a primarily pastoral and spiritual capacity even as they do have the president's ear on many issues that matter to them, he said. Amid the calls for members of this group to resign, Graham said that as far as he was concerned, it would be "immoral" to do so.
'There's a new sheriff in town': Inside Steve Bannon's ouster
President Trump's decision to remove Steve Bannon, his chief strategist, came after a period of internal and external pressure to part ways with the controversial figure, and it was no coincidence that the move happened just a few weeks into the tenure of chief of staff John Kelly, White House aides and allies said.
Report: Concealed-carry permits increasing as gun sales level off
More than 16.3 million American residents now hold concealed weapons permits, according to a new report that says even as gun purchases are leveling off, the rate of folks applying for permission to carry their firearms is still rising.
Obamacare Enrollment Program Signed Up a Fraction of Those Who Canceled Coverage in 2017
The Affordable Care Act Enrollment Assistance Program helped 14,500 individuals enroll in the Obamacare exchanges, which represented only 0.007 percent of the 1.9 million individuals who decided to drop their Obamacare plan in 2017.
Abraham Lincoln monument torched in Chicago: ‘An absolute disgraceful act’
Abraham Lincoln has joined George Washington on the list of those targeted by Chicagoans in a national debate over Civil War-era monuments.

Christian News
Underground Churches in North Korea Growing
Christianity is spreading in North Korea as more North Koreans are rejecting the regime of Kim Jung-un and searching for faith a defector told The Telegraph.
Around the World
China and India are reportedly preparing for full-scale war over a Himalayan border dispute
Chinese and Indian troops are readying themselves for a possible armed conflict in the event they fail in their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to their border dispute on the Doklam plateau in the Himalayas, observers said.
NAFTA Trade Talks Begin
The United States drew a hard line for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, demanding major concessions aimed at slashing trade deficits with Mexico and Canada and boosting U.S. content for autos.
South Korea's Moon says North Korean nuclear-tipped ICBM is a 'red line'
North Korea would be 'crossing a red line' if it put a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korea's president said on Thursday, but the United States had promised to seek Seoul's approval before taking any military action.
U.S.-Backed Forces Steadily Advancing in Raqqa Despite Desperate ISIS Tactics
U.S.-backed forces have advanced roughly 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa over the past week, pushing back Islamic State militants in a grueling offensive to seize the terrorist group's last significant stronghold.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Hezbollah convoys hit nearly 100 times by Israel since 2012
Israel's former air force chief said Wednesday that it has carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah group over the past five years.
Why is the U.S. funneling weapons to Hezbollah?
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon announced the planned shipment of 32 M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles from America to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), at an 'investment' of $100 million.
IAF successfully intercepts target UAV with Patriot missile
A Patriot surface-to-air missile was successfully test fired Wednesday from a base in central Israel as part of an air force exercise designed to test Israel's air defense capabilities against threats.
Hamas warns it will ‘crush’ Israel in future war
Hamas’s chief in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, said on Wednesday that his movement was not interested in a war, but added that should a conflict break out, Hamas will 'crush' Israel.
Hamas commander killed in ISIS suicide bombing at Rafah crossing
A commander in Hamas's military wing was killed early Thursday in an ISIS suicide bombing at the Rafah border crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Inside the United States
Trump Administration Calls to End Marketing of 3-Parent Embryo Experiments
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has demanded a fertility doctor halt all marketing on an unapproved IVF experiment that creates a human embryo by combining DNA from three separate people.
Special counsel's Russia probe loses top FBI investigator
One of the FBI's top investigators, tapped by special counsel Robert Mueller just weeks ago to help lead the probe of Russian meddling in last year's presidential election, has left Mueller’s team, sources tell ABC News.
Antifa: Left-wing militants on the rise
The violence and murder of a protester in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend has been attributed to far-right elements that descended on the city to demonstrate against the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate war hero Robert E Lee.
U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group.
Trump disbands two economic advisory councils after mass resignations of business leaders
President Trump disbanded two of his economic advisory councils Wednesday, faced with the embarrassing resignations of numerous business leaders amid rising condemnation over his comments about violence at a white nationalist rally and a liberal pressure campaign.
FOMC Minutes Highlight 'Growing Rift' at Fed
Central bankers on the Federal Open Market Committee appear to be uncertain of what's in store for America's inflationary indicators, which could rankle investors and complicate interest-rate and balance-sheet decisions through the rest of the year.
Chicago Pastor Wants Names Removed From Washington, Jackson Parks Due to Slavery
A Chicago pastor has called on Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to rename two parks named for former Presidents George Washington and Andrew Jackson, both slaveholders.
Baltimore mayor says she wanted to remove Confederate statues 'quickly and quietly'
Baltimore's mayor said she wanted to move 'quickly and quietly' after officials approved a plan to remove four Confederate statues Monday night, a decision that came amid a national furor over a violent white nationalist gathering in Virginia organized to protest the removal of a Confederate statue there.

Christian News
Russia's Crackdown on Evangelism Leads to Prosecution of Mostly Christians 1 Year After 'Anti-Missionary' Law
Evangelical Protestants make up the majority of the 181 cases prosecuted by Russian authorities under the country's notorious 'anti-missionary' laws, which came into force last July, according to a report. Christians were also prosecuted in Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014.