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• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• Religious Freedom Threatened
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The Daily Brief - Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011
"Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
The Daily Brief
1. 20,000 Heat-Seeking Missiles Reportedly Feared Missing From Libyan Warehouse - Fox News
A recent secret White House meeting revealed that an estimated 20,000 portable, heat-seeking missiles appear to have vanished from an Army warehouse in Libya.
The new revelations stoke ongoing fears that such weapons, which are light, relatively easy to use and have the capacity to take down a commercial airplane, could end up in the wrong hands as the Libyan war that ousted Muammar Qaddafi winds down.
- Lord, we pray these weapons are quickly located. If they are already in the wrong hands, we pray You intervene and get these weapons back to safety.
- "He is a shield that helps you and a sword that wins your victories. Your enemies will come crawling to you, and you will stomp on their backs." (Deuteronomy 33:29)
2. Typhoon kills 16 in Philippines, floods Manila - MSNBC News
Downtown areas along Manila Bay saw their worst flooding in decades as a powerful typhoon dumped rain and sent surging waves as tall as palm trees crashing over sea walls.
At least 16 people were killed, most of them in metropolitan Manila, which already was soaked by heavy monsoon rains ahead of Typhoon Nesat's arrival.
- Father, we pray mercy and grace over the Philippines. Bring help to the people. Show them your love and compassion, and may many be saved and turn to You, Lord.
- "Don't you realize that it is God's kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act?" (Romans 2:4)
3. U.S. Calls Israeli New Settlement Plans Disappointing - Fox News
The United States is expressing deep disappointment in Israel's plans to build 1,100 new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem.
Department spokesman Victoria Nuland also called the announcement counterproductive to efforts to restart direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The criticism Tuesday was matched by the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who called on Israel to reverse the decision.
- Father, give wisdom to Israel's leaders as they continue their building projects. Give them favor, bless their efforts, and all they put their hands to.
- "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. You will be blessed when you come and blessed when you go." (Deuteronomy 28:3,6)
4. NASA - Sunspot 1302: It's Big. It's Bad. And It's Coming Our Way - NASA
Sunspot 1302 has already produced two X-flares (X1.4 on Sept. 22nd and X1.9 on Sept. 24th). Each of the dark cores in this image from SDO is larger than Earth, and the entire active region stretches more than 100,000 km from end to end. The sunspot's magnetic field is currently crackling with sub-X-class flares that could grow into larger eruptions as the sunspot continues to turn toward Earth. (Read more)
- Updated information from NASA states that this CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) has now settled down, but we ask continued prayers for the safety of all of our satellites and other communications networks during this event. Offer praise for NASA . .. they are on the job!
- "I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below . . ." (Acts 2:19)
5. NASA To Make Announcement On Near-Earth Asteroids - Irish Weather Online
NASA says it will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. GMT) on Thursday to reveal near-Earth asteroid findings and implications for future research. The briefing will take place at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The conference takes place on the same week that a 13-metre-wide asteroid, named SE58, passed within 0.6 Lunar Distances of Planet Earth. SE58′s approach occurred in the early hours of Tuesday 27 September 2011. (Read more)
- With all the signs in the heavens these days, we can expect to be hearing more and more from NASA. Again, offer praise that this latest asteroid missed earth, and offer prayer that any future asteroids will be detected by NASA and dealt with, by all means necessary. Pray!
- "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22,23)
6. Health reform lawsuit appears headed for Supreme Court - POLITICO
The Obama administration chose not to ask the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to re-hear a pivotal health reform case Monday, signaling that it's going to ask the Supreme Court to decide whether Obama's health reform law is constitutional. The move puts the Supreme Court in the difficult position of having to decide whether to take the highly politically charged case in the middle of the presidential election. (Read more)
- Begin to offer prayer now for this critical case that will come before the Supreme Court sometime during its next session, which begins next week. We are a nation under law -- the law of the Constitution -- and all other laws must be weighed against that foundation. Pray for a just and a fair ruling to come forth when this case is weighed. Pray!
- "I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. . . " (Isaiah 1:26)
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. Palestinian envoys vie for votes on UN membership bid - France24
Palestinian representatives began vying Monday for UN Security Council votes approving their formal application for full UN membership but face a certain veto by the United States. A final vote is not expected for weeks.
2. Abbas accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing - Ynet News
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas asked the United Nations on Friday to recognize a state for his people, accusing Israel of engaging in ethnic cleansing in his United Nations speech.
3. Ahmadinejad meets Bashir in Sudan visit - Rapture Ready News
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday said that Iran and Sudan stand together as "defenders of Islam" in the face of pressure from Western gov'ts. "Iran and Sudan will stand together as defenders of the Islamic world and the independence of the region," he said after meeting Sudan's Omar Hassan Al Bashir during a brief visit to Khartoum.'
4. Hackers take over Syria government websites - Rapture Ready News
Some Syrian government websites were hacked on Monday by the opposition group 'Anonymous', who replaced the homepages with interactive maps of Syria showing data on the people killed in the government's crackdown since mid-March.
5. Blast destroys Egypt gas pipeline to Israel for sixth time - Haaretz
Unknown assailants blew up an Egyptian pipeline in Sinai that supplies Israel and Jordan with gas, security sources and witnesses said on Tuesday. A witness told investigators he saw three men jump out of a small truck at a pumping station in an area known as al-Maidan, southwest of the city of el-Arish, and open fire on the pipeline, the security sources said.
6. Erdogan: UN sanctions on Israel could aid Mideast peace process - Haaretz
Sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Israel would have resolved the issue of Mideast peace long ago, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview on Monday, adding that he felt the Quartet on the Middle East was not genuinely seeking to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
7. Shapiro: US opposes preconditions to peace talks - Jerusalem Post
Washington does not agree that a settlement building freeze should be a precondition to the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, United States Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said Tuesday morning in an interview with Army Radio. He said that "the US has had the same policy for the past 40 years - against building settlements in the West Bank." However, he stressed that the US believes that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, without preconditions, are the only way to resolve the conflict.
8. Dead sea scrolls published online - The Australian
The appearance of five of the most important Dead Sea scrolls on the internet is part of a broader attempt by the custodians of the celebrated manuscripts - who were once criticised for allowing them to be monopolized by small circles of scholars - to make them available to anyone with a computer. The scrolls include the biblical Book of Isaiah, the manuscript known as the Temple Scroll, and three others. Web surfers can search high-resolution images of the scrolls for specific passages, zoom in and out, and translate verses into English. (Read more.)
The Daily Jot
Palestinian state: not about peace, but rather war
The true colors of the "Palestinian" leadership were exposed moments before petitioning the United Nations for unilateral recognition as an official nation. The President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas told some 200 senior representatives of the US Palestinian community on Friday, September 23, "They talk to us about the Jewish state, but I respond to them with a final answer: We shall not recognize a Jewish state." Within hours, Abbas petitioned the United Nations to recognize as an official nation Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. So we have the president of terrorist organizations demanding the UN recognize their state while at the same time refusing to recognize Israel.
Abbas also said that "Our people will continue their popular, peaceful resistance." This should leave anyone with any sense at all questioning Abbas' definition of "peaceful." Peaceful to Abbas and his terrorist supporters (Hamas is the main group within the PA political structure, Fatah another group--both are terrorist organizations) must mean something different than what is written in the dictionary. Rockets firing at Israeli households; brutal murder of Jewish families; suicide bombers; and destructive and violent riots. Egypt announced September 26 that it had seized eight anti-aircraft missiles and four shoulder launchers destined for Gaza. This is Abbas' "popular, peaceful resistance"?
The only conclusion that a sane person can draw from the action of these terrorist groups dressed as diplomats before the UN is that the Peace of Islam is a far cry from anybody else's definition of peace. The "peace" of the Palestinian Authority is the annihilation of Israel and bringing all peoples of that region under submission to Islam. The Americans and Europeans championing a Palestinian state are delusional that dividing Jerusalem and Israel into two pieces (Israel would be split from East to West by a ribbon of land from Gaza to Jordan and Samaria under the current plan) would bring about peace. It is a recipe for war and destruction.
There is a clear prophecy in Zechariah 12:3 saying, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." This prophecy is specifically speaking of the Day of the Lord. We are not there yet. But as like birth pangs, where the pain comes stronger each time until the birth, prophecy can be witnessed in types and shadows the closer it comes to fulfillment. The nations gathered against Jerusalem wish to divide her into pieces shared by Jews, Christians and Islamists. The prophecy specifically says these nations will be cut in pieces. In this, there is no peace.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Religious Exemptions Under Fire in Health Care Coverage
Summary: Proposed rule threatens religious liberty; public comment period ends Friday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wraps up a public comment period Friday on a new interim rule requiring nearly all private health plans to cover contraception, sterilization and possible abortifacients as free "preventive" care for women. If the rule is adopted, insurers would be forced to cover all methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration -- including so-called emergency contraception pills -- and individuals who object to them on moral and religious grounds would be forced to subsidize them.
In August, the National Association to Repeal Abortion Laws sent out a call to action, and last week, the National Organization for Women (NOW) sent another, saying there should be no loopholes at all.
"Opponents of women's access to contraception have stepped up pressure on (HHS) to expand an exemption allowing some religious institutions to deny birth control insurance coverage to their employees," NOW wrote. "This exemption should not have been included in the HHS rules in the first place."
The way the rule is written, however, has led many religious groups to say the exemption is so narrow as to be completely useless: The only "religious institutions" that would not be forced to cover contraceptives and sterilization are those employing and serving only members of their own denominations -- churches. Every other ministry would have to comply.
"The proposed exemption (limits) its application to employers who do little (or nothing) but preach to the convinced," three members of the Witherspoon Task Force on Conscience Protection wrote yesterday in The Public Discourse. "Recent history demonstrates that many religious employers will exit from the marketplace rather than abandon their mission to offer faithful witness in the course of providing service. Those behind the new regulations must be willing to accept this effect, and perhaps even desire it.
"This is revolutionary. Never before in American history has any administration -- state or federal -- been so willing to force religious institutions out of business."
CitizenLink Senior Director for Issues Analysis Carrie Gordon Earll said it's important for everyone to make their thoughts known on the issue -- even though the Obama administration will make the final call on whether to change the rule.
"This is one opportunity people have to easily be on the record," she said. "This is an example of why elections matter."
TAKE ACTI0N: HHS is accepting public comment on this topic through Friday. Weigh in on this important issue. Go here.
Three talking points you might want to include:
Your opposition to mandatory contraceptive coverage, including possible abortifacient drugs, in all health plans;
Your desire to see the current narrow religious exemption language broadened to include religiously affiliated institutions such as hospitals and schools, as well as nonprofit organizations with a mission to oppose abortion and people with moral or ethical views opposing abortion;
The fact that as presented, this interim final rule poses an unprecedented threat to religious freedom; and an expanded religious exemption is a step toward protecting religious liberty.
(Source: CitizenLink)
Gallup: Americans Hugely Dissatisfied with Government
Summary: Record-high 81 percent say nation's headed in the wrong direction.
A Gallup poll released Monday shows that, for the first time in history, majorities of both Republicans and Democrats are unhappy with the way the federal government is handling its business.
According to the annual Governance survey of 1,017 adults, updated Sept. 8-11, 65 percent of Democrats and 92 percent of Republicans are unhappy now after a decade of growing discontent. By comparison, only 37 to 39 percent reported being dissatisfied between the early 1980s and 2003. From 2004 on, dissatisfaction began to grow -- from 44 percent in 2004 to 72 percent in 2009.
The poll also revealed that public confidence to be at all-time lows across several fronts:
- 57 percent of Americans don't trust the government to handle domestic problems;
- 55 percent have little or no confidence in public officials;
- 69 percent don't think Congress is able to do its job, and most believe the federal government wastes 51 cents of every dollar; and
- 49 percent say the federal government has become so powerful it threatens individuals' rights and freedoms. By comparison, less than 30 percent of respondents said this in 2003.
The poll has a sampling error of +/- 4 percent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Review the poll results. (Source: Gallup)
Good News Corner!
Rosh Hashanah Webcast This Thursday with Paul Wilbur
You are invited to join us this Thursday evening as CBN celebrates Rosh Hashanah. You can be a part of this live webcast event, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, featuring an incredible evening of worship and praise.
• Special greetings and teaching from Pat and Gordon Robertson
• Musical guest Paul Wilbur
• The Messiah Company and the Academie de Ballet Dancers
• Shofarist Don Heist
About Rosh Hashanah
The name Rosh Hashanah means "beginning of the year" or "head of the year." This celebration marks the beginning of the High Holy Days on the Jewish calendar. The Bible refers to Rosh Hashanah as the Feast of Trumpets, and it begins the Ten Days of Awe that conclude with Yom Kippur-the Day of Atonement. This is a wonderful time to seek the Lord, repent for wrongdoing, and consecrate ourselves to God, thanking Him for His work in our lives.
Watch this event live!
Worship With Us Today!
Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem by Chuck King
Psalm 122, put to music . . .
Yes, pray for the peace of Jerusalem: go here.
Happy New Year!
Rosh Hashana Greetings
From the International Embassy Jerusalem
"On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord." (Leviticus 23:24-25)
Rosh Hashana Greetings
The leadership and staff of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem wishes all our readers and friends a good and sweet Jewish New Year!
Shana Tova u'Metukah!
Special ICEJ TV Presentation
As Israel marks the holiday of Rosh Hashana, also known as the Jewish New Year on the biblical or Hebrew calendar, Jews worldwide take stock of their lives and prepare for entering the coming year with a clean slate before God.
It is also a time for collective reflection as a nation, to assess where the people of Israel are and where they are heading. Each year we sit down with a leading Israeli voice for a candid assessment of where the nation is as it enters the new year.
Take a moment to hear from our special guest Yossi Klein Halevi, a veteran Israeli journalist and scholar who is currently a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Yossi is one of Israel's most articulate commentators with a unique ability to speak for the vast Israeli consensus.
ICEJ TV presents . . .
A Rosh Hashana Conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi
Please view this video by going here. Toda! (Thank you!)
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners joins ICEJ tonight in wishing all a blessed Rosh Hashana -- the beginning of the High Holy Days, the Ten Days of Awe -- and ending with Yom Kippur. Shalom . . . shalom . . .
