Iran's Supreme Leader Hospitalized
in Critical Condition (Go here)
Learn about Moses in the House Chamber:
Go here.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"A National Prayer Alliance"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief:
"Praying for All in Authority"
Thursday, March 5, 2015
"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
"For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:11)
|
The Daily Brief
|
|||
 |
||||
1. Alabama Supreme Court orders halt to same-sex marriage licenses - BBC
Alabama's Supreme Court has ordered the state's judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A federal ruling says banning same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. But the court in Alabama has decided that does not preclude state law being followed, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. (Read more)
- Abba Father, We thank You for righteous judges who abide by Your word. We pray that Your Word would continue to be the touchstone for the laws in this country. In His Name we pray, Amen
- And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him. . . And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-24)
2a. House committee subpoenas Clinton's personal emails in Benghazi probe - Fox News
A House committee subpoenaed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's personal emails on Wednesday as part of its probe into the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks.
The move comes two days after a bombshell report revealed that the likely 2016 presidential candidate did not use her official account to conduct State Department business, a potential violation of federal law, raising questions over why she went to such lengths to keep her messages off the official government system.
The House Select Committee on Benghazi, led by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., issued the subpoenas, and also sent letters to Internet companies informing them of "their legal obligation to protect all relevant documents." (Read more)
While Hillary Clinton tries to deflect suggestions of wrongdoing in her use of a personal email account to conduct governmental business during her years as secretary of state, the US ambassador to Kenya under her watch, Scott Gration, was sharply reprimanded for doing the same. (Read more)
- Father God, we lift this matter to You for Your justice to be done. We ask that You cause all hidden things to be revealed, in Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light." (Mark 4:22)
3. Report of Shots Fired Near NSA Headquarters, Building Damaged - NBCWashington.com
U.S. Park Police are investigating a report of shots fired near the National Security Agency's headquarters Tuesday evening. A spokesperson for the police said the NSA is investigating damage to one of its buildings that appeared to be from gunshots. (Read more)
UPDATE: Police: Maryland shootings random; evoked DC sniper memories - AP
A man accused of firing at five public places in Maryland, including a building at the National Security Agency, chose his targets at random, police said Wednesday. . . that spurred a large-scale manhunt that ended Tuesday in the capture of Hong Young, 35, of Beltsville.
He was charged with attempted murder and assault in the first shooting Feb. 24 near Arundel Mills mall. Police said the other shootings were linked by ballistic evidence or surveillance video. Prince George's County Police searched Young's two-story, red-brick home Wednesday and said they found ten weapons, including several handguns, a cross bow, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. (Read more)
- Father, we realize that this scary incident was a close call, and perhaps a warning to all of us who live here in the nation's capitol to be extra vigilante at all times. We thank You that, in the end, no one was hurt and that Hong Young was quickly apprehended. Thank You, Lord, for Your safekeeping over us all. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" (Psalm 103:22c)
4. House approves Homeland Security funding in 257-167 vote - The Hill
The House voted Tuesday to fund the Department of Homeland Security, ending a months-long impasse over President Obama's immigration policies and averting a weekend shutdown at the agency. The spending bill cleared the House on a 257-167 vote only because of the unanimous support of House Democrats.
Republicans' best shot to stop Obama's immigration policies, Boehner explained, is now in the courts. A federal judge from Texas has temporarily halted the policies from taking effect, ruling that the president's actions violated federal law. The administration has appealed.
"I am as outraged and frustrated as you at the lawless and unconstitutional actions of this president," Boehner said. "I believe this decision - considering where we are - is the right one for this team, and the right one for this country. "The good news is that the president's executive action has been stopped, for now. This matter will continue to be litigated in the courts, where we have our best chance of winning this fight."(Read more)
- Lord God Almighty in Heaven, we appeal to Your courts to oversee this action. Abba, we thank You that You have blessed our nation with three branches of government, and that, in this case, the president's overreaching in taking an "executive action" on immigration policy has been stopped in a federal appeals court. We now ask that Your Court intervene, through the Blood of the Lamb, to put a permanent halt to this illegal action by the President of the United States. We ask this in Your name, giving You all the praise and all the honor and all the glory, amen.
- "Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name." (Psalm 100:4)
5. Senate fails to override Obama Keystone veto - The Hill
The Senate failed to override President Obama's veto of legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, falling five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed in a 62-37 vote.
It's the first time Congress has voted on whether to override Obama's veto, and could be a sign of things to come with Republicans in charge of the House and Senate. (Read more)
- Dear Lord, after more than six years of prayer and action to see this bill come to pass, we now come to You, offering a sacrifice of praise at this outcome. We know that You hold all things in Your hand, and we turn to You now for help in time of need. We ask for Your comfort to be with us, in this dark hour, in Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people . . ." (Isaiah 40:1)
6. 'Netanyahu is Our Esther'; Congressman Hails PM's Speech - Israel National News
Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) said he felt the comparison was a fitting one - and that Netanyahu was in his view fulfilling the role of the Jewish Queen Esther in exposing the threat posed by Iran not just to the Jewish people, but to the entire world. (Read more)
- Abba, History repeats itself. PM Netanyahu (Queen Esther) comes before Congress (the King) to ask for help for his people (the Jews). It is the desire of Iran to wipe Israel off the map. We pray that Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. May Israel rule over those who hate her. In His Name we pray, Amen
- "Now in the twelfth month, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of Adar when the king's command and his edict were about to be executed, on the [very] day that the enemies of the Jews had planned for a massacre of them, it was turned to the contrary and the Jews had rule over those who hated them." (Esther 9:1)
7. Finally a Real Leader Speaks! Thank you Netanyahu! - Canada Free Press
Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a speech to the Congress and the American people this morning! Wow! So this is what a real leader looks like and sounds like? I have forgotten how nice it is to actually feel pride during a speech to the country. It felt really good to finally have a real leader stand up and not only speak the truth, but show his love and appreciation for the United States. (Read more)
- Lord God, it is now several days since the Prime Minister addressed the Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, yet the invigorating impact among men and women of integrity in our nation remains. Thank You, Lord, indeed, for this wonderful event, and may P.M. Netanyahu always remain under the shelter of Your wing. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- Psalm 91
8. Ambassador slashed in South Korea - CNN
The U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was attacked in Seoul, and is in stable condition, receiving treatment at a local hospital, according to the U.S. embassy. According to Seoul police, Lippert was slashed on his right cheek and hand with a knife measuring about 10 inches long at 5:42 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
A South Korean news agency reported that the suspect was opposed to the joint South Korea-U.S. military drills that launched earlier this week, but Seoul police said the motive for the attack and how it was organized are under investigation.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf confirmed the ambassador had been attacked while giving a speech in Seoul Thursday morning, and said that the South Korean embassy is coordinating with local law enforcement on the attack. "We strongly condemn this act of violence. The ambassador is being treated at a local hospital. His injuries are not life threatening," she said. (Read more)
- Father, we thank You for the safekeeping of Ambassador Lippert last night in South Korea, and that his assailant has been captured. In this hour of increasing peril, terror, and tension among the nations of the world, we ask an added measure of Your heavenly protection to now rest upon all of our ambassadors, wherever they may be tonight, in Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (I John 5:14)
9. Top U.S. General Says Washington Should Consider Arming Ukraine; "Putin's Ultimate Objective is to Fracture NATO" - TIME
The U.S. military's leading general says Washington should now consider providing Ukrainian forces with lethal aid to help combat the nation's pro-Kremlin insurgency.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey argued during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the allegedly Russian-backed rebellion threatens to undo more than six decades of peace in Europe and could potentially splinter the NATO alliance.
"I think we should absolutely consider lethal aid and it ought to be in the context of NATO allies because Putin's ultimate objective is to fracture NATO," Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Read more)
- Abba Father, Many of our military are urging NATO to provide lethal weapons to the Ukraine. Abba there are many differing opinions. And the Ukrainians are paying the price of not being supported by the EU, NATO or the USA. Abba we want Your wisdom over this war. We want Your will to be done over the Russia/Ukraine war. Give godly wisdom to our military, NATO, and the EU as to what is Your agenda for this conflict. And Lord, have mercy on the Ukrainians. In His Name we pray, Amen.
- "I therefore have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: Jehovah, the Judge, be judge this day . . ." (Judges 11:27)
10. 'The threat exists': Vatican on alert for Islamic State attack, says security chief - Sydney Morning Herald
Rome: The Vatican is on alert in case of an attack by Islamist militants against the city-state or Pope Francis, but officials are not aware of any specific plot, the head of Vatican security said in a rare interview. "The threat exists. This is what has emerged from conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues," Domenico Giani told Polizia Moderna, the magazine published by Italian police, when asked if threats from Islamic State militants were credible. (Read more)
- Lord God, we see that ISIS and other terrorists are now increasing their threats all over the world . . .. another sign of the perilous times in which we live. Thank You, Lord, that You are in control. We look to You as our Comforter and our Shield. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." (2 Timothy 3:1)
|
The Middle East in Focus
|
|||
|
||||
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)
1. How Netanyahu's speech played in Israel -Times of Israel
In America, pundits and politicians are wondering what Netanyahu's speech will mean for the next few months, years, even decades of US-Israel and US-Iranian relations.
In Israel, everyone is focused on the next two weeks.
Since the speech was announced in January, Netanyahu's critics have accused him of using the US Capitol stage to boost his polls ahead of Israel's March 17 election. Supporters say his only intention is to defend his country from a looming threat.
And in Israel, where there is not much political debate on the need to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon, reactions to the speech all addressed one question: What does this mean for the ballot box?
Read More
2. Israel to Double Water Supply to Gaza -Israel National News
Israel is to double the amount of water it channels annually to Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the government body said Israel is to increase the volume of water it provides to Gaza from five to 10 million cubic meters (175 to 350 million cubic feet) per annum, beginning within days.
The decision was in response to growing needs in the Hamas terror enclave, she told AFP.
The severe water shortage was due to "excessive overuse of groundwater resources along the coast" of Gaza, the spokeswoman said. The water is to flow through a new pipe already in place.
COGAT chief Major General Yoav Mordechai hoped that "Hamas would not steal water from civilians as they steal construction materials intended for the reconstruction of houses" in Gaza.
Read More
3. PLO to meet on future of Palestinian Authority -Times of Israel
The Palestinian leadership was set to meet this week for crucial talks on the future of the Palestinian Authority, whose existence is under threat after Israel cut off a key source of funds.
The Palestine Liberation Organization, recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and their ultimate decision-making body, will mull an array of urgent economic and political issues.
Of most immediate concern at the two-day meeting in Ramallah starting on Wednesday will be the financial crisis facing the PA.
Read More
4. U.S. budget caps could complicate Israel's missile funding request - Reuters
Mandatory caps due to resume this year for the U.S. defense budget could complicate Congress' ability to honor Israel's request for $317 million in extra funding for missile defense programs on top of $158 million already requested by the White House.
U.S. lawmakers continue to strongly support Israel, but congressional aides said Israel's push for more than $475 million in U.S. funding for missile defense programs in fiscal 2016 could run into trouble if Congress does not ease or rescind budget caps on the overall level of the U.S. defense budget.
"We've been very generous with the Israelis ... but the first step is to see where we are on the budget resolution. Anything else is putting the cart before the horse," said one aide on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.
Two other aides cited "frustration" about the size of the Israeli request given the current budget uncertainty.
Read More
5. Israel Lands Council approves housing for cleared IDF land - Jerusalem Post
The Israel Lands Council approved plans on Monday for building 60,000 apartment units in areas to be cleared by the IDF as it moves to the South.
The meeting at which the decision was taken, which was the last to be chaired by Construction Minister Uri Ariel, followed a month of negotiation between the Prime Minister's Office, the Israel Lands Authority, the Finance Ministry and the Defense Ministry.
Read More
6. Will the Last Jews of Yemen Be Able to Escape? - Israel National News
With Iranian backed Houthi Shi'ite rebels having taken over the capital city of Sana'a and expanding their control over the rest of Yemen, what is to become of the country's small remaining Jewish population?
To find out, Arutz Sheva spoke with Dr. Yigal Ben-Shalom, chairperson of the Association for Yemenite Jewish Tradition, who is in daily communication with the remaining Jews of Sana'a.
According to the chairperson, the Jews have been put in great danger since the Houthis seized the capital.
"As is known the aliyah (immigration to Israel) from Yemen never stopped, but still there are Jews left there who due to social and financial constraints are left in Sana'a and its surroundings," Ben-Shalom
Read More
7. On return from US, Netanyahu hails speech's 'resonance' - Times of Israel
Upon his return to Israel from a three-day trip to Washington in which he warned about Iran's nuclear threat, Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday responded to remarks by President Barack Obama saying that his speech was received "with great resonance."
Although US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said Netanyahu offered no "viable alternatives" to the current negotiations in his speech to a joint session of Congress, the prime minister responded by calling for major amendments to the agreement currently taking shape.
"Firstly, I called to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities in order to extend the time period needed to reach a bomb. This is the time it will take to produce the material needed for a nuclear bomb in case it breaks the agreement," Netanyahu said.
Read More
8. First poll since Netanyahu's speech still shows Zionist Union leading - Times of Israel
Even after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Tuesday speech at the US Congress, rival Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union party would still be the largest Knesset faction following the March 17 elections, according to a Channel 2 poll published Wednesday, the first since the Israeli leader returned from Washington.
Based on the survey - conducted among 790 respondents with a 3.5% margin of error - the Zionist Union would receive 24 seats, while the Likud would gain 23.
Read More
9. Iran's Supreme Leader Hospitalized in Critical Condition - Israel National News
Just in time for Purim, the Jewish holiday celebrating the redemption of the Jewish people from plots of genocide in ancient Persia, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly hospitalized in critical condition on Wednesday.
According to Arab media reports cited by Israel Hayom, Khamenei was urgently brought to a hospital in Tehran after several of his bodily systems had already failed. The reports add that the 76-year-old supreme leader of the Islamic regime has undergone surgery and remains in critical condition. Recently it has been reported that he was suffering from prostate cancer which had spread to additional parts of his body, and due to his poor health condition he had largely ceased taking part in public events. (Read more)
- Lord God Jehovah, we see indeed that just after Esther (P.M. Netanyahu) cried out for the rescue of the people of Israel, another "Haman" (Khameini) seems to be shaken . . . perhaps even perishing into eternity. We do cry out for his soul, as You desire that none would perish, but we also behold the TRUTH of Your Word, which never changes.
Abba Father, "Khamenei has threatened Israel with destruction numerous times in the past; last October he used his annual message to Hajj pilgrims heading to Mecca to call for the Muslim unity to bring Israel's annihilation." Abba he continually curses Israel. Let thy word come to fruition over Khamenei. In His Name we pray, Amen.
- "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)
|
The Daily Jot
|
|||
|
||||
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Same talking points--Iran, PA, US president
There should be no more telling sign on who's side the US "president" stands when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. Iran responded much the same way as did the US "president" to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told NBC News that Iran has no intentions of building nuclear weapons and blamed Netanyahu for the "hysteria" surrounding Iran's nuclear quest, saying, "There may be people have concerns, there may be people who may have been affected by the type of hysteria that is being fanned by people like Mr. Netanyahu, and it is useful for everybody to allow this deal to go through." "We are very close to a deal," he said.
Netanyahu told a joint session of Congress that the deal being cooked up by Secretary of State John Kerry and the "president" would pave the way for Iran to have nuclear weapons. He said, "To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle, but lose the war. We can't let that happen. But that, my friends, is exactly what could happen, if the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran. That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them." Netanyahu enumerated Iran's extensive network of terror sponsorship and its publicly stated goals of the annihilation of Israel and death to America.
The Iran Student News Agency reported Iran's Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, in a statement, denounced as "very repetitious and boring Netanyahu's continuous lie-spreading about the goals and intentions behind Iran's peaceful nuclear program." Haaretz reported that the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, "Netanyahu's speech was full of lies and distortions of history and geography." Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, added, "There was nothing new in the speech, except for more obstacles for the peace process." The US "president" also said of Netanyahu's speech, "As far as I can tell, there was nothing new."
Netanyahu, whose country is most endangered by a nuclear Iran, is saying that the White House "deal" with the terrorist state would only ensure that Iran would have a nuclear weapon. The US "president," Iran Foreign Minister, the terrorist-ally Palestinian Authority all say that Netanyahu offers nothing new and denounced Netanyahu's speech. How is it that a president of the United States sides with known terrorists and terrorist sponsoring states against Israel, and that they all are saying the same thing? Jeremiah 9:3 says, "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know me not, says the Lord." THAT is true.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
|
Netanyahu: Bipartisan Support
|
|||
|
||||
Netanyahu: The Support for Israel is Strongly Bipartisan
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets the bipartisan leadership of the Senate following Congress speech, thanks them for their support of Israel.
Shortly after his speech to Congress, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday with the bipartisan leadership of the Senate, pursuant to an invitation extended last week by Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Harry Reid (D-NV). Also attending the meeting were John Barrasso (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John McCain (R-AZ), Al Franken (D-MN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (D-TN).
At the start of the meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu said:
"I do want to thank the leadership of the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, both sides of the aisle, for inviting me here, giving me an opportunity to state Israel's concern about an issue that could be the most important issue of our times. I believe it is.
"I was very moved by the attention and the responses to the speech from both sides of the aisle, and it's very clear to me and it was clear in that hall to anyone who was there that the support for Israel is strongly bipartisan, that there is a very broad support of the American people and its representative for the Jewish state and I'm very, very grateful for that," he added.
"Thank you, thank you."
Prime Minister Netanyahu told the senators that the two new items in his address to Congress were the need to enact more vigorous restrictions in the agreement being formulated and thus lengthen the time it will take for Iran to break through to nuclear weapons. Also, in the agreement being formulated these restrictions must not be lifted automatically within a decade but only after Iran will have fulfilled three conditions: Stopping its support for global terrorism, stopping its aggression against its neighbors and stopping to threaten Israel's annihilation.
Despite Netanyahu's outline of a plan of action, President Barack Obama responded to the speech by maligning it as "theater," and claiming Netanyahu hadn't presented an alternative to the Iran nuclear deal being formed.
Several Democrat lawmakers were not pleased with the speech either, and accused the Israeli prime minister of fear-mongering.
New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), however, welcomed the speech, and said afterward that the world should thank Netanyahu for unveiling the facts about the Iran nuclear deal being formed ahead of a March 31 deadline.
"Why did President (Barack) Obama fear this speech?" asked Hikind, referring to Obama's harsh criticism and refusal to even meet Netanyahu during his visit. "The speech is over and nothing catastrophic occurred. The world is still standing. Clearly, it's not speeches from our allies that we should fear. The onslaught against Netanyahu over the last two months has been unnecessary." (Israel National News) Read more.
|
Saudis Support Netanyahu
|
|||
|
||||
Al-Arabiya Editor Demands Obama Listen to Netanyahu
Al-Arabiya's English edition editor-in-chief Faisal J. Abbas wrote a surprising op-ed on Tuesday, calling on US President Barack Obama to listen to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after the latter addressed Congress on the dangers of an Iran nuclear deal being formulated.
Abbas, whose paper is openly anti-Israel and Saudi-owned, began by scornfully conceding "it is extremely rare for any reasonable person to ever agree with anything Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says or does. However, one must admit, Bibi did get it right, at least when it came to dealing with Iran."
The editor backed Netanyahu's recent comment that Middle Eastern countries are collapsing creating a void being filled by "terror organizations, mostly backed by Iran," in an op-ed following an article by a Saudi columnist similarly supporting Netanyahu's appraisal. "What is absurd, however, is that despite this being perhaps the only thing that brings together Arabs and Israelis (as it threatens them all), the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation is President Obama, who is now infamous for being the latest pen-pal of the Supreme Leader of the World's biggest terrorist regime: Ayottallah Ali Khamenei," Abbas wrote.
Criticizing Obama for his mismanagement of the region, Abbas continued by saying the president rid Syria of its chemical weapons but left the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in place to continue "to slaughter their own people."
Using this example of Iran's ally Assad, he opined "the real Iranian threat is not JUST the regime's nuclear ambitions, but its expansionist approach and state-sponsored terrorism activities which are still ongoing." (Israel National News) Read more
|
Moses in the House Chamber
|
|||
|
||||
The story behind the marble Moses in Netanyahu's speech
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced several cultural, political, and historical figures throughout his highly-anticipated speech to Congress on Tuesday March 3 - including Harry S. Truman, Queen Esther, Robert Frost, and Elie Wiesel - he concluded his historical address with the biblical figure of the prophet Moses.
The Israeli prime minister did not just mention Moses in passing, he also pointed to the image of Moses in the form of white Vermont marble relief, hanging over the gallery doors overlooking the lawmakers in the House of Representatives Chamber.
Netanyahu spoke of the biblical leader, saying "Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years."
It was probably the first time that the marble relief portrait of Moses hanging in the House Chamber ever received such public acknowledgement.
The portrait, designed by artist Jean de Marco, is one 23 marble reliefs that depict historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principals that underlie American law, according to the Architect of the Capitol, a US government website.
The site is devoted to providing historic and current information about the function and architecture of the US Capitol Building where Netanyahu gave his speech before a joint-session of Congress.
On either side of the portrait of Moses, there are 11 profiles in the eastern half of the chamber that face left and eleven in the western half, which face right, so that all look toward the full-face relief of Moses in the center. He is described on the site as a Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, who transformed a wandering people into a nation and received the Ten Commandments.
The other profiles include writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the US, Thomas Jefferson; King of Babylonia, Hammurabi; Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman; Athenian statesman, Solon; Napoleon I, and Maimonides, among other significant leaders from different periods of history.
The image of Moses and other leaders of civilizations and societies have been hanging in the chamber for 65 years. Scholars from the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia Historical Society of Washington DC chose the subjects with the help of authoritative members of the Library of Congress over six decades ago.
A special committee of five Members of the House of Representatives and the Architect of the Capitol approved the selection, and the reliefs were installed when the House Chamber was remodeled from 1949-1950.
Prime Minister Netanyahu at the end of his speech quoted Moses from the Book of Deuteronomy, stating in Hebrew, "Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them," which were the leader's parting words to the Israelites before they entered the land of Israel.
(Israel National News) Read more here.
- Father, we thank You for the wisdom shown by the House Committee, 65 years ago, in displaying the sculpture of the face of Moses in the House Chamber. We thank You that Moses was held in such high esteem that not only is his the ONLY face shown facing forward, and but also is placed above the Center Aisle, facing the Speaker of the House.
Lord, we understand that those decisions were made, because the Committee recognized that the Ten Commandments, given to Moses, are the foundation of all other law. The placement of the face of Moses was set in place to remind our leadership of this fact, encouraging each Speaker and member of Congress to weigh each action based upon the truth of that law.
Father God, now that the "king" of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has pointed our nation towards Moses, we decree that we, as a nation, are in alignment with the Law of God and with the nation of Israel. We thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer, in Jesus' name, amen and amen.
- "You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; and light will shine on your ways." (Job 22:28)
|
Iran Negotiator Gets Orders
|
|||
|
||||
Top Iranian Nuke Negotiator Ordered to Stop Screaming at Kerry
Iran's foreign minister and lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the United States has been ordered by the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader to stop shouting and yelling at Secretary of State John Kerry during negotiating sessions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told his country's state controlled media in a recent interview that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed him to stop yelling at Kerry and other top U.S. officials during the talks.
Reports about Zarif's temper first emerged in the Iranian press last November, when the United States and Iran agreed to extend talks through June of this year.
Zarif is said to "frequently shout at Western diplomats" with such force that bodyguards have been forced to enter the negotiation room.
During one incident described by Iranian officials to the press, European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, a chief western negotiator, admitted that Zarif had been shouting, and she had gotten used to it.
Abbas Araqchi, an Iranian diplomat who is also a member of the negotiating team, is reported to have said in an interview that during past negotiations in Geneva, Zarif "shouted" at Kerry and spoke to him in a manner "unprecedented" in the history of U.S. diplomacy.
Zarif appeared to cop to this behavior during a recent interview with the state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), according to an independent translation of the report provided to the Washington Free Beacon.
Following reports that Zarif shouts at Kerry, Zarif was summoned to a meeting with Khamenei. He referred to this meeting during recent remarks made to a high school class, according to the IRNA.
"'Why you are yelling in negotiations? Smile and speak,'" he recalled the Supreme Leader saying. "'Do not quarrel on the negotiation table, reason with them,'" Khamenei continued, citing a verse from the Quran that states "Go, both of you, to Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds . . . But speak to him mildly; perchance he may take warning or fear [Allah]." (Washington Free Beacon) Read more.
|
How Iran Got Its Name
|
|||
|
||||
How Iran Got Its Name
. . . For thousands of years, the country we now know as Iran was known as Persia.
But in 1935, the shah of Iran, the father of the man deposed in 1979, was a Nazi sympathizer. He hated the Jews. So he decided to show his true stripes by renaming his country Iran, which literally means "land of the Aryans."
Later, that same shah welcomed Haj Mohammad Amin al-Husseini, the exiled grand mufti of Jerusalem, into the country. The mufti was on the run because of his pro-Nazi work and his efforts in attempting to bring the Jewish Holocaust to the Middle East. Al-Husseini would later go on to inspire and tutor Yasser Arafat in the art of Jew-killing. Arafat referred to al-Husseini as "uncle."
The Nazi shah may have received good notices from Berlin, but London was none too thrilled with his pro-Nazi position. And, unfortunately for him and fortunately for the rest of the world, Hitler did not conquer the world. The shah was deposed by the British and replaced with his son.
But the name "Iran" stuck. And it illustrates the visceral, underlying anti-Semitism that has shown itself throughout history in the Islamic world.
Today, we have Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. He sees visions of the coming "mahdi" - the Islamic savior who will wrest control of the world from the infidels. He threatens Israel with destruction. He denies the Holocaust. He threatens the West. He builds nuclear bombs.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. (WorldNetDaily) Read more.
- Father God, we call this nation by the name You have given it in Your Holy Word: PERSIA. In Jesus' Name, amen.
- "And he has on his clothing and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. on his vesture." (Rev. 19:16)
|
The Good News Corner
|
|||
|
||||
Prophetic Words Guiding Student Awakening in Mississippi Schools
"People praying for revival [and] school districts call us and tell us that prayer is breaking out in school and they can't explain it. Students are praying without anyone telling them. This is Ground Zero [for revival]... Look at the next generation! God is going to come back with a force in America because of the next generation that's coming up." -Steve Waldrip
Fourteen years ago, music evangelist Steve Waldrip embarked on a campaign to place "In God We Trust" posters in classrooms in Mississippi's DeSoto County, according to a then-new law.
Passed in 2001, the House Bill 51 requires any place of student assembly, such as a classroom to display the national motto at 11-by-14 inches with a framed background. The same law "allows children a moment of quiet reflection at the beginning of each school day which they can use to pray if they so desire," letting prayer return to the hallowed halls of education.
"We feel like when we walk into a classroom and put God's name back on these classrooms, we give Him back ownership of where's He's been thrown out," Waldrip says. "Teachers are happy students are getting to pray and God's name is in their classroom."
Waldrip says the work he does is part of a greater prophecy. "There's a prophecy that says Mississippi was a small rudder for a large ship. (This law) is like the prophecy."
The prophetic guidance goes beyond words-Waldrip and his wife have the support of prophet Clay Nash, who works largely with the "Appeal to Heaven" movement.
"We find people doing grass-roots work," Nash says of his involvement with the Waldrips. "We come along beside them, co-labor, partner... to help these godly endeavors."
And the team is seeing what could be a great awakening.
Read More
|
Signs and Wonders
|
|||
|
||||
Scientists discover black hole so big it contradicts growth theory
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Scientists say they have discovered a black hole so big that it challenges the theory about how they grow. Scientists said this black hole was formed about 900 million years after the Big Bang. But with measurements indicating it is 12 billion times the size of the Sun, the black hole challenges a widely accepted hypothesis of growth rates. "Based on previous research, this is the largest black hole found for that period of time," Dr Fuyan Bian, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University (ANU), told Reuters on Wednesday. "Current theory is for a limit to how fast a black hole can grow, but this black hole is too large for that theory."
The creation of supermassive black holes remains an open topic of research. However, many scientists have long believed the growth rate of black holes was limited. Black holes grow, scientific theory suggests, as they absorb mass. However, as mass is absorbed, it will be heated creating radiation pressure, which pushes the mass away from the black hole. "Basically, you have two forces balanced together which sets a limit for growth, which is much smaller than what we found," said Bian.
The black hole was discovered a team of global scientists led by Xue-Bing Wu at Peking University, China, as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which provided imagery data of 35 percent of the northern hemisphere sky. The ANU is leading a comparable project, known as SkyMapper, to carry out observations of the Southern Hemisphere sky. Bian expects more black holes to be observed as the project advances. (Reuters) Read more.
|
Worship With Us Today!
|
|||
|
||||
Worship With Us Today!
"Open The Eyes Of My Heart Lord"
Mercy Me
Worship Here
