Today's News for Prayer• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• UPDATE: IRANIAN PASTOR
• More News About Israel
• News from Turkey
• URGENT!! U.N. VOTE MAY BE IMMINENT!
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
Greetings! Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
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chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011
"Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
The Daily Brief
1. Iran Pastor Refuses To 'Abandon' Christ; Execution Perhaps "Thursday"
A young pastor of Iran's largest house church movement has told an Iranian court he will not "recant" his faith in Christ despite facing execution as early as Thursday, September 29, for abandoning Islam, church sources said.
White House Condemns Conviction of Iranian Pastor - Fox News
U.S. says executing pastor who won't renounce Christian faith would show 'utter disregard' for religious freedom.
- God, we trust You to protect this dear man of God and may his light shine brighter and brighter that reflects the glory of Jesus, our Savior. In Jesus' Name.
- "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (II Peter 1:19)
2. World Stock Markets Rattled by Europe Debt Crisis - NewsMax
World stock markets remained volatile Monday as investors grew increasingly convinced that Greece would default on its debts, an event that economists say has the potential to worsen a global downturn.
- God, we cry out to You to protect the world stock markets and hold back the powers of darkness that would bring in the new world order before its time. Control the global economy and fit everything into Your time scale, so that the works of man will be thwarted and become weaker until the appointed time of our God. In Jesus' Name.
- "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:7-8)
3. Alabama cheers ruling on immigration law - Washington Times
A federal judge on Wednesday said Alabama law enforcement officers can try to check the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally, but blocked other parts of the state's new crackdown law, which is the toughest in the country.
- God, we ask that You accompany this federal judge in all his rulings, and that You give him a heart to follow the Lord's dictates. God, protect America from militant terrorist-minded immigrants who come here to destroy our country. May this become a battle that will be led by the Lord. Let no force from hell prevail. Push our enemies out to sea that they cannot have access or entrance to our land. In Jesus' Name.
- "And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness." (Isaiah 5:15-16)
4. 26 states file Supreme Court health care appeal - Washington Times
States and a business group opposed to Obama's health care overhaul asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday for a speedy ruling that puts an end to the law aimed at extending insurance coverage to more than 30 million people.
- Father in heaven, it was You who turned this health care bill to sawdust many months ago, and it is You who declared its defeat. All the activity around it since then has been the enemy's fight to keep alive what was destroyed by the God of heaven. Now we declare with the authority given us by our God, this bill is forever defeated and nothing done by man can resurrect it. It is a dead issue. In Jesus' Name.
- "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away: but the Word of the Lord endures forever." (I Peter 1:24-25)
5. Massachusetts Man Plotted to Blow Up Pentagon, U.S. Capitol Using Model Plane, Feds Say - Fox News
A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using large remote-controlled aircraft laden with explosives, as well as attempting to assist Al Qaeda in attacking U.S. troops overseas.
- God, we ask that this man be stopped forever by those in authority who have arrested him. May any others who were working with him also be arrested and the entire ring be brought down. Reveal the trail of their plans and uncover that which was aimed at our destruction. We call forth continual protection of angels over the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol and our country. In Jesus' Name.
- "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, says the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE: "The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure." (Psalm 93:1)
1. Clinton calls on world to 'pressure' Israelis, Palestinians - Jerusalem Post
US secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called on the world to "pressure" both Israel and the Palestinians in order to bring about the resumption of peace negotiations, AFP reported.
2. Palestinian statehood bid stokes tensions in West Bank - Washington Post
In this village tucked among the rocky hills of the northern West Bank, flags are flying to celebrate the bid for membership of a Palestinian state in the United Nations.
3. U.S. condemns Israeli plan for new construction beyond Green Line - Ha'aretz
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that Israel's decision to build 1,100 homes in Jerusalem's contested Gilo neighborhood, which lies beyond the Green Line, is counter-productive to reviving peace talks with the Palestinians.
The Daily Jot
DOJ: Islamic Terrorist not reflective of a particular culture or religion
The current Administration has issued warnings that the biggest terrorist threat to the nation is now home grown terrorists. The Administration has released a series of videos "See Something, Say Something" that encourage Americans to be suspicious of one another. Of course, the videos depict the terrorists as white and those reporting the terrorists as black. In April 2009, Homeland Security sent a report out to local law enforcement fingering "rightwing extremist radicalization" as the most dire threat. Included in that group were Christians who believed in the Bible's end time prophecies, returning Iraq and Afghanistan war vets, and conservative political groups. Now the FBI has arrested a home grown terrorist.
This terrorist, however, was not a rightwing, Christian, TEA Party, National Rifle Association card carrying veteran. He was representative of the real terrorist threat to America--Islam. The FBI foiled an attempt by Islamist Rezwan Ferdaus, a US citizen from Massachusetts, to blow up the Capital and the Pentagon. The FBI says Ferdaus planned to pack large model planes with C4 explosives and remotely fly them into the buildings in Washington, DC. Ferdaus, according to officials, told officials repeatedly that he wanted to conduct Jihad against Americans which he called "enemies of Allah." He thought he was buying 25 pounds of plastic explosives from al Qaeda operatives, who in reality were FBI agents.
According to the Justice Department, "Ferdaus, a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, began planning to commit a violent "jihad" against the U.S. in early 2010. He obtained mobile phones, each of which he modified to act as an electrical switch for an IED. He then supplied the phones to FBI UCs, who he believed to be members of, or recruiters for, al Qaeda....Ferdaus believed that the devices would be used to kill American soldiers overseas. During a June 2011 meeting, he appeared gratified when he was told that his first phone detonation device had killed three U.S. soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq. Ferdaus responded, "That was exactly what I wanted."
The mainstream media is only reporting that Ferdaus is a "self-radicalized jihadist." Even U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz went out of the way to downplay that Ferdaus is Islamic saying, "I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion." Jeremiah 51:14 says, "Surely I will fill thee with men, as with locusts; and they shall lift up a battle cry against thee." Locust here means "devourer" and was sometimes a term that defined the nomadic Arab. So long as we ignore the root of these terrorists, we will be tormented by them. You can bet if it were a Christian who was caught, his religion would have been all over the media.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
UPDATE: IRANIAN PASTOR
Outcome Now Uncertain on His Death Sentence White House Issues a Press Release
The White House condemned the conviction and possible death sentence for an Iranian pastor who refuses to renounce his Christian faith on Thursday, saying the execution would further demonstrate Iranian authorities "utter disregard" for religious freedom.
"Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people," the statement released by the White House read. "That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran's own international obligations. A decision to impose the death penalty would further demonstrate the Iranian authorities' utter disregard for religious freedom, and highlight Iran's continuing violation of the universal rights of its citizens. We call upon the Iranian authorities to release Pastor Nadarkhani, and demonstrate a commitment to basic, universal human rights, including freedom of religion."
Attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told The Associated Press on Thursday that his client has appeared before the appeals court over the past four days and expects a ruling by the end of next week. Dadkhah said he believes there's a "95 percent chance" of acquittal for Nadarkhani.
Dadkhah said neither Iranian law nor clerics have ever stipulated the death penalty as punishment for converting from Islam to Christianity. Elise Auerbach, an Iranian analyst for Amnesty International USA, told FoxNews.com that an execution for apostasy has not been carried out in Iran since 1990. Naderkhani's sentence is a "clear violation of international law," she said. "The key is to keep up the pressure and to publicize the story because it obviously outrages most people," Auerbach said. "It's part of the pattern of persecution based on religion in Iran."
Kiri Kankhwende, a spokeswoman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization that specializes in religious freedom, told FoxNews.com that Naderkhani was asked for the fourth time to renounce his faith during a hearing early Wednesday and he denied that request. "We're waiting to hear the final outcome," she told FoxNews.com. "We're still waiting to hear what they've decided." Kankhwende said Naderkhani could be executed Wednesday or Thursday. "Iran is unpredictable," she said. "We can't say when it might happen. It's a very real threat, but we can't say when exactly." Officials at the U.S. State Department declined to comment when reached on Wednesday. Attempts to reach his attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, were not successful.
House Speaker John Boehner said Naderkhani's case is "distressing for people of every country and creed," according to a statement released on Wednesday. "While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith," the statement read. "This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran's leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Naderkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release." (Fox News) Read more.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners has released a prayer strategy for the release of Pastor Naderkhani. You can access that prayer strategy by visiting our blog: chpponline.blogspot.com
We continue to pray for Pastor Naderkhani's release, and for supernatural grace and strength to be with his wife and their two children as they await this news.
Obama's State Department Hits Israel Again
The housing authority in Jerusalem just took another step forward in the approval process to build new housing units. No big deal, right? Wrong! Obama's State Department bureaucrats immediately issued a statement condemning Israel for this provocation, calling it a threat to the peace process. Why? Because the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their new capital, and they intend to have it as a "Jew-free" zone. Thus new homes for Israeli Jews become a threat to peace. Here's an idea: Instead of Obama and the State Department's "ethnic cleansing crowd" focusing on whether Israel should build homes, they should examine the agenda of the likely leaders of a new Palestinian state. That agenda isn't about a "Jew-free" East Jerusalem. It is about a Jew-free Middle East!
Just a few days ago, Abbas Zaki, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told Al-Jazeera this about the preferred strategy to accomplish their ultimate goal: "The settlement [with Israel] should be based upon the borders of June 4, 1967. When we say that the settlement should be based upon these borders, President [Abbas] understands, we understand, and everybody knows that the greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go. If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and dismantles the wall -- what will become of Israel? It will come to an end. If we say that we want to wipe Israel out . . . C'mon, it's too difficult. It's not [acceptable] policy to say so. Don't say these things to the world. Keep it to yourself."
(Many thanks to the great research group MEMRI for this quote.) I am still waiting for someone in the Obama Administration to condemn Zaki's call for a second Holocaust. (Gary Bauer)
Turkey's Diplomatic War on Israel
Turkey's prime minister has called for United Nations sanctions on Israel at the same time that Turkish prosecutors are threatening to indict Israel's prime minister and others in connection with the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla raid. Coupled with other aggressive moves, including threats to break Israel's Gaza blockade with military force, Turkey is waging a diplomatic war on its former ally.
Leading the charge is Turkey's Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has become one of Israel's most outspoken critics on the international stage. Erdoğan has repeatedly attempted to humiliate and isolate Israel internationally, while forging military and intelligence ties with nations sponsoring terrorism against the Jewish state.
On Monday, Erdoğan told Time Magazine that "Israel's cruelty . . . cannot be continued any longer," before calling for U.N. sanctions. Without an Israeli apology over the May 2010 flotilla raid, "the relations between the two countries will never become normalized," he said.
Turkish prosecutors also compiled a list of 174 Israelis, topped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Israeli military officials for possible indictment over the flotilla incident. Although the Turkish government claims that the list was drawn up by the Turkish-based group IHH, which led the flotilla, the Turkish newspaper Sabah claims that Turkey's intelligence agencies were involved. Another Turkish newspaper, Zaman, even claimed that Turkish intelligence agents had operated inside of Israel to discover the identities of those listed.
Israeli officials challenged the list's validity, saying the names "were rather recycled from previous lists that were published on anti-Israeli websites following Operation Cast Lead" in reference to the December 2008 incursion into Gaza to take out Hamas missile capabilities. Military officials added the report is part of a psychological warfare conducted by Turkey. (The Investigative Terror Report) Read more.
URGENT!! U.N. VOTE MAY BE IMMINENT!
This just in . . . from the Jerusalem Prayer Team:
UN Security Council on Brink of Approving Palestinian Statehood
The Palestinians have announced that they have the support of eight members of the UN Security Council-only one short of the nine required for the measure to be approved. This news comes as a great disappointment to Israeli leaders who had lobbied heavily to keep Nigeria and Gabon from voting for the creation of a Palestinian state. My sources in Israel had expected those nations to at least abstain if not vote against the measure.
Though the US has promised to veto the measure if it passes, the fear is that such an action would unleash a torrent of terrorist activity against Israel . . . and possibly the United States as well. Bosnia and Herzgovina along with Columbia are the two remaining undecided members of the Security Council. If either of them chooses to vote for the resolution, a harvest of death and destruction will almost certainly result. Will you join me right now in urgent prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the protection of Israel? Our support of God's Chosen People has never been more important than it is right now.
Your ambassador to Jerusalem,
Dr. Michael Evans
The Good News Corner:
CORRIE TEN BOOM ON PRAYER
We praise the Lord for the life of Corrie Ten Boom. Her courageous witness continues to serve as a great inspiration and source of strength to us all . . .
Please be blessed as you watch this video of Corrie Ten Boom talking about prayer, forgiveness and things to come. Amen.
Worship with Us Today!
The Mighty One of Israel
'The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and you shall have a song in the night. Come to the mountain of the Lord. See His glory and His might. He's the Mighty One of Israel!"
