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.
Most Israelis want genuine and productive peace talks, but skepticism over the diplomatic process with the current Palestinian leadership has resulted in growing support for simply annexing Judea and Samaria, the so-called “West Bank.”
That according to the results of Israel’s monthly “Peace Index” survey published last Tuesday.
Asked if they are in favor of a renewal of peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, nearly 62 percent of all Israelis answered in the affirmative.
At the same time, nearly 68 percent believed such talks would fail to reach a solution in the short term, and only 29 percent felt peace process in its current incarnation would ever be successful.
The poll further revealed that a 45.3 percent plurality of Israelis now support annexing Judea and Samaria, thus ending the “dream” of a Palestinian state, while 44.8 percent oppose such a move.
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Tunnels being dug by Hamas from Gaza into southern Israel have been collapsing with greater frequency in the past several weeks. Last week, a top Israeli general hinted his force might have something to do with that.
At least nine Hamas terrorists were killed last month while working in tunnels running under the Gaza border. The terrorist organization confirmed the deaths and labeled the deceased as “martyrs,” an honor typically reserved for those who died participating in the campaign of violence against Israel.
Heavy rains were initially blamed for the collapsing tunnels, which are dug in an area with soft ground and sand.
But Hamas has been stealing much of the building material entering Gaza as humanitarian aid in order to construct the tunnels, most of which are reinforced with concrete. In other words, it would likely take a force stronger than rain and wet sand to cause such collapses.
The question was put directly to Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), in an interview with the Bethlehem-based Palestinian news agency Ma’an.
Did the IDF have a hand in collapsing these tunnels, which pose a threat to Israel’s citizens?
“God knows,” the general replied.
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Radical Revival Falls on China's State-Controlled Churches
"The number of Christians in China is growing rapidly. It means Christ is starting to play an active role in China's society, and that's good in many ways." (Courtesy/CBN)
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CBN News traveled to southern China and obtained exclusive, never-before-seen images from inside these churches.
When God Shows Up in a Communist Church
It's Thursday evening in Fujian Province, southeast China. Scores of men and women are dancing, waving flags, blowing shofars, singing and worshipping God.
You might think these images come from a charismatic service in the United States. But they're not. This is communist, and officially still atheist China.
And what Duan Huilai says is remarkable about this scene is that it's happening in an officially government-controlled congregation known as Three-Self Church.
"Dramatic changes are happening," Duan told CBN News. "God is moving in a powerful way inside these Three-Self Churches."
Duan and his wife have witnessed this move firsthand. Both are evangelists and have for several years crisscrossed the Chinese countryside documenting the Holy Spirit's move among Three-Self Churches.
"The most amazing thing is that the Lord is raising up God-loving people in these churches—so many brothers and sisters who love God deeply and want to serve Him," Duan said.
Signs and Wonders Now Allowed
Pastor Duan says what is happening today in Beijing and in other parts of China as it relates to the powerful move of God amongst the Three-Self Churches is quite remarkable considering where the church has been in the last 30 years.
"Every sermon that the pastor preached back then had to be vetted by the government authorities. Young people were never allowed to attend these churches, so you'd only see old people, mostly women," Duan said. "Preaching about the power of the Holy Spirit was forbidden. You couldn't talk about end times or preach repentance."
Topics on healings, miracles, signs and wonders were out of the question. Not anymore.
"Nowadays people have accepted these topics," Duan said.
Two main types of churches exist in China: registered and unregistered. Registered congregations, also known as Three-Self Churches, are government-approved.
Unregistered, sometimes called underground or house churches, operate outside government control, and for decades faced intense persecution. And with that persecution came tremendous growth.
Three-Self Churches, on the other hand, never experienced that kind of explosive growth. Until now.
"Now there's big revivals happening in the Three-Self Churches," Dr. Zhao Xiao toldCBN News from his offices on the outskirts of China's capital city.
Communist Encounters Christ
Zhao is one of China's foremost experts on Christianity. A former Communist Party member and atheist, Zhao converted after reading the Bible.
"If you go to Haidian Church, you'll find yourself in a more than 100-meter line trying to get inside and worship. In Shenzhen, there are usually an average of 500 people being baptized each Sunday!" he shared.
Decades ago, the Chinese government had a law that said that young men and women below the age of 18 could not attend Three-Self Churches. Zhao says those rules have been loosened in recent years.
"There's an increasing proportion of them in churches now—more young male believers, professionals, mainstream celebrities, especially in the big cities, that are attending the church unlike the past when it was mainly the elderly who attended."
Love Camp
Back at the Thursday night meeting in Fujian Province, folks have gathered for a four-day event affectionately called "Love Camp"
"Love Camp aims to help the believer grow in their faith walk and get closer to God," Sun Rengui told CBN News one evening.
Sun is a pastor and leads the camp. He says the idea came 12 years ago when he says the Holy Spirit one day showed up while he was preaching at the Three-Self Church he pastors here.
"We were in the middle of the service; suddenly everyone at the church felt the Holy Spirit anointing fall. Some couldn't stand straight, others fell down. Some were dizzy and nauseous. When the worship began, people started crying. After the service, some were being healed. I saw demons being chased away from people's bodies."
Pastor Sun says his church had never experienced anything like it.
"We were seeing something unprecedented. We had no theological training in the move of the Holy Spirit. This was completely new for us," he said.
Word quickly spread.
"We were one of the first churches to experience this in the area. Soon, leaders from other churches came to us and were eager to receive the Holy Spirit. Later they also started witnessing the Holy Spirit's move as well," Pastor Sun said.
But it wasn't without controversy.
"People doubted if this was real. There was even conflict among my church staff," Sun said. "But as time passed, more people accepted the power of the Holy Spirit."
Transformed Lives
Twelve years later, Pastor Sun says the impact of the Holy Spirit's move is seen in the transformed lives of church members.
"Our cell groups are expanding, more people are attending church, and more people are going outside the church walls into society to share the gospel."
The church runs two orphanages and two elderly care centers, and twice a year puts on the Love Camp.
"We have four goals in this camp: to evangelize people, strengthen the family, disciple believers and encourage other Three-Self Churches to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit."
For Pastor Duan and his wife, this is evidence that God is doing something special in the world's most populous nation.
"I was speaking in Shandong, Henan and Zhejiang recently. Around 8,000 people joined the meeting. Last Christmas, I was speaking at a Three-Self Church in Yuhuan and I was amazed there were 12,000 people," Duan exclaimed with joy.
They, Dr. Zhao and countless others say they feel honored to play a part in helping more Chinese turn to Jesus Christ.
"The number of Christians in China is growing rapidly. It means Christ is starting to play an active role in China's society and that's good in many ways," Zhao said.
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Former Super Bowl MVP Explains Winning in Defeat - Kurt Warner
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Kurt Warner was the quarterback of the Super Bowl 34 Champion, St. Louis Rams.
The 1999 Rams were the NFL's highest scoring offense, nicknamed "the greatest show on turf." The team's quick-strike passing game was led by Warner's sudden rise from undrafted backup — to the league's celebrated newcomer. Kurt explains, "That kind of success, that early, was I think the surprise to me. Just how quickly it came in my first season in the NFL, but here I am at 28 and it was like God sped up the whole career."
His impact was immediate, turning a last-place team into a division winner and leading the Rams to their first playoff appearance in St. Louis as the NFC's top-seeded team. His ascent launched him to stardom and led him to the first of three Super Bowls.
So how difficult is it to reach that game? Kurt emphasizes: "It's so difficult. So many things have to go in your favor. It's such a special thing when you put it all together. The chemistry that we had in the locker room with one another, the unselfishness amongst players."
It led to Super Bowl 34 — and a matchup against the Tennessee Titans — two 13 and 3 teams — contending in one of the most dramatic 4th quarter finishes ever. A game Kurt savored from the start saying, "Running out of the tunnel, being announced at that Super Bowl, and seeing the flashes go off, was really the first moment for it to really sink in what had happened that year. It was just about the journey that God had taken me on."
But the journey was just beginning after taking a storybook turn when the Titans kicked a game-tying field goal. Kurt recalls, "I just remember talking to Coach Vermeil on the sideline and he looked at me and just said, 'you know, this is how you write it. You know, this is what you want. Two minutes to go, quarterback, ball in your hands, lead your team down to win a Super Bowl.'"
Kurt did, on the Rams first play, a 73-yard pass to Isaac Bruce, saying, "It was called trip's right, ace right, 999, F-Seam, H Balloon. Everybody's running deep. I left it a little bit behind Isaac. And he adjusts to it and makes the catch. From there I was laying on the ground. And listened to the crowd go crazy. Now we're ahead with a chance to win it."
Kurt watched from the sideline as the Titans took their final drive down the field against the Rams defense. Kurt acknowledges, "That's always the hardest thing. We always want to have it in our control. But the hardest part about football is it's a team sport, in that you can't do it by yourself. Everybody will remember the reach by Dyson for the end zone, a one-yard difference between winning and losing. Those are the games that ultimately will be remembered."
The goal-line tackle preserved the Rams win. Kurt was named the game's Most Valuable Player — to go along with his MVP season. Just two years later, the Rams lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl 36. Is there a consolation in defeat?" Kurt answers, "It's not all about winning. You can win in losing. Success isn't defined by whether you have more points than the other guy. That's not how God defines it. It's defined by the journey; it's defined by where you find yourself and how far you've traveled and who you've become along the way."
Along the way, Kurt became one of only three NFL quarterbacks to start for two different Super Bowl teams. Resurrecting his career at 37 with the 2008 Arizona Cardinals who lost to the Steelers in the game's final 35 seconds, Kurt earned a beloved place in Phoenix. Kurt says, "You know, I was done, my career was over, he can't play anymore. Arizona will never win! We'll never go to a Super Bowl! It's just not going to happen. And we found ourselves in a place where nobody saw themselves. When we were able to take that journey here, a community came together around a football team."
The prolific quarterback still holds three Super Bowl passing records and hits the mark on defining his place among wins and losses. Kurt says "What happened on the cross ultimately defines Jesus and defines all of us. And what many saw as a loss, was our greatest win. He won. And that speaks to our everyday lives. But it also speaks to our Savior. That's what He created us for, was for relationship. And without that, what, at the end of the day, do we really have?
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The prophet Zecharia is known as one of the 12 minor prophets who lived during the exile period between the two Temples in Jerusalem. Zecharia describes what life will be like in the end of days and here describes the “living waters” emerging from Jerusalem bringing spiritual blessing and sustenance to the entire world. In Hebrew, the prophet’s name means “God will remember” זכר י-ה / zachar ya. Learn the essence of your Hebrew name with our popular Hebrew Name Certificates!
Archaeologists studying an aerial map of Israel discovered a strange formation of five concentric rings of loose rock. The formation is not recognizable from the ground, appearing as random piles of rocks, but from above it is incredible.
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Everyone has thought about life after death at some point. But millions of people have gone beyond thinking about it to actually experiencing it.
One Gallup study shows millions of people have had "near death experiences" that gave them a glimpse into the afterlife.
So what did they see?
Pastor and author John Burke has explored that question, by researching 1,000 of these near death experiences, writing about them in a new book called Imagine Heaven.
CBN News Reporter Lorie Johnson spoke with the New York Timesbestelling author about what he learned. He talked about people who have experienced the afterlife encountering a "man of light."
Burke contends it's clear from their descriptions that this man is in fact God, pointing out that those who believe in Jesus recognized the man as Jesus.
Each person said they had the remarkable sensation of being completely known and yet completely loved at the same time in the presence of the "man of light."
Burke also tells the story of a blind person who experienced the afterlife and was able to see for the first time ever. He observed a bright world where light was emanating from everything, just like the Bible describes the source of light in heaven.
These brushes with eternity have even made believers out of skeptics. Burke talks about skeptical doctors who became convinced about life after death, after hearing amazing stories from their patients.
While some patients experienced heaven, others were given a glimpse of hell. Overall, Burke said his research provides modern-day evidence for the biblical account of eternity.
Skeptical of Peace Process, Israelis Support Annexation
