Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Terrorism seems to be everywhere, and it’s getting worse. Civilization Jihad has the same goal as the Violent Jihad—to conquer land for their Caliphate—but instead of waging war or staging terror attacks like their brothers in the violent jihad, these Civilization Jihadists wear suits and ties, and their work is much more subtle. They are working to make the US more like the Caliphate. They have infiltrated every level of government. They have to go.
In his first visit to a mosque, which he said was precipitated by concerns over Republican "rhetoric" about Muslims, President Obama Wednesday praised American Muslims and offered them a blanket pledge:
"I want you to know that from the president to the FBI director to everybody in law enforcement, my directive, and their understanding, is that this is something we have to do together," he said. "Engagement with Muslim American communities must never be a cover for surveillance. We can't give in to profiling entire groups of people. There's no one single profile of terrorists."
The president said Islam is not to blame for terrorism, and thanked American Muslims for their contributions to the nation during his visit to the Islamic Center of Baltimore. He then attacked Republican presidential candidates, and critics of his national security policy, without naming names.
"We've heard inexcusable political rhetoric against Muslim Americans that has no place in our country. We have to reject a politics that seeks to manipulate prejudice or bias and targets people because of religion," he said. "I often hear it said that we need more clarity in this [terrorism] fight, and the suggestion is somehow that if I would simply say these are all Islamic terrorists, then we would actually have solved the problem by now, apparently. I agree we actually do need moral clarity. Groups like [the Islamic State] are desperate for legitimacy. I refuse to give them legitimacy. They're not defending Islam. And we can't suggest that Islam itself is at the root of the problem. That betrays our values."
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Media Watchman Challenges Christians Not to Ignore This Demonic Movement
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When terrorism analyst Erick Stakelbeck first got his start, he soon realized sharing his expertise without a scare would be no easy task.
"I would lay out all these facts and say, 'OK, have a nice day,' and people are hiding under their chairs," he joked, referring to the heavy but necessary message of the threat of terrorism.
"But as I've grown, and God has continued to refine me, I know there's a blessed hope, and I try and impress that on people."
Stakelbeck, who reports for the Christian Broadcasting Network, is widely known for his knowledge on the Middle East and national security issues.
Through his show The Watchman and latest book ISIS Exposed, his call now is to uncover threats like ISIS while staying true to the charge of evangelism that all believers have.
"Billy Graham is one of my heroes and Franklin is too," Stakelbeck said. "I never cease to be amazed by Billy's boldness and Franklin's boldness to preach the gospel."
And with similar boldness, Stakelbeck is challenging Christians everywhere to get educated about threats in the Middle East and at home, as well as the message behind recent terrorist attacks that are dominating headlines.
"Here in the West, we have so many distractions. People think the Middle East is thousands and thousands of miles away and could never affect us here," he said.
"But ISIS has declared war against Christians. The leader of ISIS has said, 'We must destroy the defender of the cross.' ... Christians are in the crosshairs."
And that's why believers should be paying attention.
"I think ISIS is a sign of the times. We live in dark times. Perilous times. ISIS is clearly a demonic movement," Stakelbeck added. "We as Christians have a responsibility to be salt and light; to stand against this with the truth of the gospel."
ISIS Explained
The group we now know as ISIS first got its start more than a decade ago.
When the United States went into Iraq in 2003, Islamic terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led the insurgency against the U.S.—soon starting the group he called al-Qaida in Iraq.
They were eventually crushed and Zarqawi was killed.
But after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq, the group started to regain momentum.
"It got stronger in Iraq, spread to Syria, and grew into what we see today: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)," Stakelbeck said.
Now, ISIS is working to establish harsh Islamic Sharia law everywhere.
"There's genocide underway right now in the Middle East ... our brothers and sisters in Christ are being slaughtered," Stakelbeck said. "As a Christian, the body of Christ is being persecuted by this movement."
Fighting Darkness With Light
Stakelbeck often notes the growing threat of homegrown jihad—Americans joining the ranks of terrorists in the Middle East to carry out attacks on U.S. soil.
"ISIS has called for folks to rise up. They call them 'city wolves,' and they're calling on all their city wolves in Europe and the United States to rise up and carry out attacks," he explained.
Yet, even with that reality, Stakelbeck says now is not the time for Christians to be afraid or shrink back.
"I talk to secular people in America all the time who instinctively in their gut feel things are going in a bad direction. But they don't know the Lord, and they don't know what to do about it," he said. "As believers, we have a special responsibility to be that voice and to educate people."
As Christians share God's Word and His promises in these dark times, doors can be opened for others to find security in Christ.
"If we are watchmen and watchwomen on the wall, we are on God's front lines as believers in this day and age," Stakelbeck said. "If we don't speak up about it, who's going to do it?
"No one else is going to do it. We were born in these times for a reason."
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“For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me; they have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.” (Psalms 109:2)
Amid Israel’s ongoing concern about the White House-brokered Iran nuclear deal, Pope Francis on Tuesday hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the Vatican to discuss possible solutions to the Middle East crisis.
After the leaders’ private 40-minute meeting, the Vatican issued a statement regarding the “relevant role Iran is called on to play” in combating terrorism and arms trafficking in the Middle East. The Vatican said that “common spiritual values” between Pope Francis and Rouhani emerged from the meeting.
Rouhani is leading an Iranian delegation on a four-day trip to Italy and France in hopes of reaffirming the Islamic Republic’s economic ties with Western nations. In Rome, top Iranian officials met with more than 100 Italian business executives from infrastructure companies, who agreed to billions of dollars worth of deals with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Rouhani’s visit, which marks the first meeting between a pope and an Iranian president since 1999, comes shortly after the recent implementation of last summer’s nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The nuclear deal includes about $150 billion in sanctions relief for Iran, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently admitted that some of that relief will likely fund terrorism. Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, including its funding of Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups sworn to Israel’s destruction.
“Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you.” (Genesis 26:2–6)
Western civilization is facing an onslaught of conflicting messages. On the one hand, hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees are being welcomed into countries around the world under the auspices of humanitarian aid. On the other hand, people are fearful of the spread of radical Islam and the terrorism which comes with this extremism.
Yet, Israel remains on the front page of news reports around the world. As the only democracy in the Middle East, a place where all religions are free to worship and all cultures attend its universities, Breaking Israel News sat down with David Rubin, the founder and president of the Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund and a survivor of a miraculous terror attack, to hear his views on Islam and the Biblical reasons to stand with Israel.
Terror survivor David Rubin, founder of the Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund. (Photo: Courtesy)
“I always talk about the role Israel plays in the world,” Rubin told Breaking Israel News. “Despite it being a tiny country, smaller than the size of New Jersey, it is the world leader for freedom against Islamic terror and the encroaching Islamic tsunami taking place today in Israel, the US and across all western civilizations.”
Rubin explained that the goal of Islam is to change western civilization from a Judeo-Christian way of life to one under Islamic Sharia law. “If that happens,” he continued, “freedom of press, religion, dress and speech will be done away with. Islamic Sharia law will take over which does not tolerate anything but Islam.”
Israel may be on the front lines battling terror and Islamic extremism. But, more and more countries are finding their demographic landscapes shifting dramatically. “Muslims are not only looking to destroy Israel,” noted Rubin. “Rather, they seek the end of all of western civilization and the rest of the free world as we know it.”
According to Rubin, today, people do not understand the need to stand with Israel. Rubin, who lives in Israel’s Biblical heartland, explained the Biblical reasons and practical importance of supporting the Holy Land.
Quoting God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you [Israel], and curse those who curse you,” Rubin shared, “As a religious person, I believe in God’s promises. When the US stood with Israel and didn’t force us to give up our land, America thrived. Since the Carter administration, presidents have pressed Israel to hand over land and the US has suffered the consequences.”
The word “Israel” is mentioned more than 2,300 times in the Bible, second only to the various names of God. As it says in Deuteronomy 11:12, Israel is “a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.”
“God is clearly passionate about the land of Israel and it’s people. Shouldn’t we all be?” asked Rubin.
Today, many people around the world believe that the prophecy of Isaiah 43:6 is being fulfilled: “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth”. Millions of dispersed Jews have returned to the Holy Land and the once barren country is flourishing.
“But, terrorism has taken its toll,” noted Rubin. “It is critical for the west to defend and help those that fight terrorism. I believe that God placed Israel in the Middle East surrounded by Arab countries so that we can be a light unto the nations as it says in Isaiah 49:6, ‘I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ We have a special responsibility to lead. But, we cannot do that without support.”
Rubin points out three ways that people can stand with Israel. He stated, “First, pray for Israel’s welfare and that we should meet the challenges we face every day, as it says in Psalm 122:6, ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love You.’”
An ambulance brings a wounded soldier to the Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem on October 17, 2015. The Israeli soldier was injured in a stabbing attack in Hebron, October 17, 2015. (Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Second, get politically involved. Support political leaders in the free world who stand with Israel, not those who ask to withdraw from Israeli land, especially the Biblical heartland.
Thirdly, connect directly with those on the front lines. God sent Abraham specifically to this land, as it says in Genesis 12:1, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation.’
“We, on the front lines have listened to God’s command and feel that we are holding down the borders for the ultimate redemption. But, we need help, especially when it comes to supporting children traumatized by terror,” Rubin explained to Breaking Israel News. “The Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund heals trauma and restores the lost innocence of children. This is our future so that they can grow into productive, idealistic and caring adults willing to sacrifice for the Holy Land.”
Rubin ended by noting that there is a Jewish tradition that after a person passes on to the next world they receive a review of their life, “similar to the self-reflection that people do as they approach the end of the calendar year.”
“We learn from Jewish sources that when a person dies and comes before his Creator, he is asked, ‘Have I stood with God and been good to my family? Have I stood up for my country, God’s chosen people, the people of Israel and the Land of Israel?’ Don’t wait until that point. Stand and support Israel today.”
LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE FEATURED BOOK
Why Israel? Why not?
This little booklet consists of messages previously written in my books, which of themselves contain many various themes. I wanted to devote one book to just Israel and the Jewish people, and so this small booklet was compiled.
As you read the following, consider the truth contained in Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, which spell out the commitment of God the Father to choose a people who will be a light to the nations. He chose the Jews, and gave them the Promised Land of Israel.
It does not matter what other national governments try to say, do, or accomplish apart from the plans and purposes of the Lord. They will fail. His Word is true. It is eternal. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and thus His commitment in keeping His promises made to the Jewish people will be fulfilled. I hope you stand with them in these last days.
Ex-Muslim Pastor: All Christians Should Take This Position Against ISIS
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When the supernatural presence of God "intoxicated" Naeem Fazal, the now ex-Muslim knew he was entering into a higher calling.
Fazal is now using that calling to challenge other Christians in how they should engage with the fight against the Islamic State.
While the world argues on how to best handle the terrorist organization, Fazal used a sermon to declare the specific position all Christians should take against ISIS:
"And that position is not a statement or an idea or a solution. The position is actually physically on our knees ... because no one else is getting on their knees. No one else is thinking that way. No one else is called to do this," Fazal says.
His comments come at a time when many in the secular world are "prayer-shaming," that is condemning Christian leaders and politicians for offering prayer and not specific actions to take against terrorism or to aid the victims.
But Fazal sees prayer as more than mere words, and wants other believers to have similar insight based on the Scriptures.
"Jesus is saying you have power by prayer to access and to control things you do not see."
He further says, God can "supernaturally show up to a suicide bomber and say, 'You are not going to blow all these people up ... Your plan was to kill thousands and thousands of people ... no, no no.'"
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“When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob” (Genesis 34:2-3)
In recent weeks, Israel’s home front has become its front-line. The war on Israelis has another consequence: the mistreatment of Jewish girls trapped in Arab villages.
For many years, Learn and Return, a non-profit organization, has tracked the phenomenon of Arab men seducing very young, vulnerable Jewish girls with gifts and compliments, until the girls willingly go into their Arab village. Once in an Arab village, the girl becomes the object of abuse and servitude to her Arab beau and his family, and her chances for escape are virtually nil.
“In the Arab world, it is considered an honor of the highest order to get a Jewish girl to convert to Islam,” explains Patty Kupfer, founder of Learn and Return to Breaking Israel News. “There are many stories where Arab men pretended to be Jewish until the girl ‘fell in love’ and then found out that the man was an Arab. By then, it can often be too late.”
“This situation is not at all like intermarriage in the US,” she adds. “This goes way beyond prevention of assimilation or intermarriage. It is literally about saving the lives of young girls.”
Every year, hundreds of girls trapped in Arab villages call Israeli hotlines, begging to be rescued. Whenever there is an Arab uprising or increase in terrorism, the number of calls skyrockets.
“The men are furious with Israel, and that fury is taken out on their Jewish wives,” Kupfer told Breaking Israel News. “At these times, the girls are beaten mercilessly. After a recent stabbing attack in Jerusalem, an Arab man came home and struck his Jewish wife in the face with an ax. She was bleeding and no one from her husband’s family came to help her. While Israelis are targets in the streets, Jewish girls are defenseless targets in the Arab villages.”
Learn and Return invests most of its efforts in prevention, reaching out to Jewish girls who have become involved with Arab men by providing them whatever was missing in their lives . Many of these girls come from dysfunctional, abusive or poverty-stricken homes and crave warmth, attention and affection. Some are living on the streets, where drug and alcohol abuse have destroyed their self-esteem.
Learn and Return has a shelter and provides rescue counseling, vocational placement, food, clothing and a safe-house, along with a lot of love and emotional support, to get the girls back on track. The cost to save and rehabilitate a girl can range from $500-$5,000.
The organization has saved close to 1,000 girls in its first three years of operation, but its work is far from finished. With hundreds, if not thousands, of Jewish girls involved in abusive relationships with Arab men, Learn and Return seeks much-needed funding from generous and caring donors. “Supporting Learn and Return truly fulfills the Bible’s command to preserve life,” Kupfer emotionally shares with Breaking Israel News. “Biblically, saving a life overrides virtually any other considerations.”
In this episode, Rick continues talking about the Syrian refugee crisis. He shares how we can glean wisdom from Israel and other nations in these kinds of situations by paying attention to how they have handled terrorism.
In this modern age of anxiety and unsettling images, fear seems to arrest the minds of many.
Based on what's being broadcast on television and social media, people are unsettled. Many envision atrocities that could afflict our families and unravel our quiet neighborhoods. Increasing unrest and suspicion grips the lives of multitudes.
I understand why. We live in an ever-plugged-in world of instant information and engagement. Every unfolding tragedy and crisis is presented to us in visceral video and sound bites. What once seemed far away, appears closer than ever.
I understand that being mindful of the world around us is essential. More importantly, as believers, we are called to carry the burdens of others and intercede for peace on the earth. No one who loves Jesus is given the freedom to disengage and ignore evil.
Yet, with all of that said, there's a line that cannot be crossed. Believers don't have the privilege of embracing fear. Whenever we're anxious, our incredible identity and calling is undermined. Christians simply cannot be world-changers if we're paralyzed by the fear of violence.
It may seem unnatural, but there should be an overwhelming freedom and joy - not trepidation. We shouldn't be anxious about anything. The trajectory of our lives should be shaped by the presence of God, not geo-politics. Those who love Jesus shouldn't fear man or be hesitant about where they stand - even as they take their final breath.
Even if a horrific event were to transpire, solace should be found in walking in the perfect love of Jesus.
The apostle John had the following to say about all this, "Perfect love casts out all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love" (1 John 4:18b).
Genuine citizens of the kingdom shouldn't be anxious about heaven or earth. Whether we live or whether we die, we're at peace. It's impossible to stop those who know the perfect love of God. Not even death can keep them from their destiny.
J.D. King, author and speaker, is the director of the World Revival Network.
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An undated photograph of a man described as Abdelhamid Abaaoud that was published in the Islamic State's online magazine, Dabiq, and posted on a social media website. (Reuters)
Franklin Graham: ISIS Terrorism Is at Our Doorstep
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While the city of love was in rampant chaos following multiple terrorist attacks, many took to social media to call for change to prevent violence from coming closer.
Among them was evangelist Franklin Graham, who spoke up about the ramifications of immigration around the world.
"We cannot allow Muslim immigrants to come across our borders unchecked while we are fighting this war on terror. If we continue to allow Muslim immigration, we'll see much more of what happened in Paris—it's on our doorstep," Graham posted.
"France and Europe are being overrun by young Muslim men from the Middle East, and they do not know their backgrounds or their motives and intentions. Islam is not a peaceful religion as George W. Bush told us and as President Barack Obama has said—that is just not true," he continued. "Our president and our politicians in Washington need to wake up before it's too late. This is not the time to be politically correct. Our nation's security is at stake. The future of our children and grandchildren is at stake. We should not allow any political or religious group who want to destroy us and our way of life to immigrate to this country."
Graham blames hate and evil for the increased violence around the world.
In a separate Facebook post, Graham pointed that the attacks will not stop until people understand the power of prayer.
"My heart is still very heavy as I think about the 352 people injured and the 129 lives that were ended much too soon in Paris Friday night—all because of hearts filled with hate and evil," Graham posted. "There is only one who can change the human heart and that is God. The Bible tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The good news for our world is that God can change any heart willing to turn to Him in true repentance and faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Prayers do make a real difference—so let's continue to let the people of France know that we support them and are praying for them during these difficult days."
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