Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries
Prophecy News Watch is a service hosted by Worthy Ministries to provide Christians daily news from a Biblical, and yet Prophetic worldview. Our news is gathered by our Christian News Service, Worthy News. For more about our vision for how we assemble our daily headlines, please read, "What is Worthy News?"
Around the World
Turkey Warns US Against 'Wrong Steps' in Addressing NATO Ally's Purchase of Russian Missile System
Turkey remained firm in its commitment to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense system Wednesday, saying the US ought to look out if it went ahead with its threatened sanctions against the sole Middle East NATO member.
International Pressure Increases on Iran as IAEA Verifies Breach of 2015 Nuclear Terms
A closed-door meeting of the UN atomic watchdog agency in Vienna Wednesday determined that Iran had indeed breached the 3.76% uranium enrichment limit of the 2015 nuclear deal, confirming reports from Iran Monday that it had ramped up its enrichment to 4.5%.
UK: Iranian vessels tried to block British vessel in Gulf
Britain said Thursday that three Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a further escalation of tensions over a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
EU, Israel, Egypt express unease about Turkey's gas drilling off Cyprus
Turkey said on Wednesday it rejected Greek and European Union assertions that Turkish drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus was illegitimate, and said they showed the EU could not be an impartial mediator on the Cyprus problem.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Pompeo assures Christian Zionists that Israel allows conversions to Christianity
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made a point of reminding a conference of Christian Zionists that Israel permits conversions to Christianity, just weeks after his department reported on the difficulties converts face there.
Inside the United States
Support for legal abortion matches its 24-year high: Poll
Sixty percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls since 1995. More also say their state should make it easier, rather than harder, for women to have access to abortion, with a plurality favoring no change in the status quo.
US lawmakers look to legalize pot in ‘historic’ marijuana reform hearing
U.S. lawmakers weighed reforming pot laws in what advocates called a 'historic' hearing Wednesday, with numerous members of Congress saying they wanted to loosen federal laws, even legalize marijuana.
Turkey Warns US Against 'Wrong Steps' in Addressing NATO Ally's Purchase of Russian Missile System
Turkey remained firm in its commitment to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense system Wednesday, saying the US ought to look out if it went ahead with its threatened sanctions against the sole Middle East NATO member.
International Pressure Increases on Iran as IAEA Verifies Breach of 2015 Nuclear Terms
A closed-door meeting of the UN atomic watchdog agency in Vienna Wednesday determined that Iran had indeed breached the 3.76% uranium enrichment limit of the 2015 nuclear deal, confirming reports from Iran Monday that it had ramped up its enrichment to 4.5%.
UK: Iranian vessels tried to block British vessel in Gulf
Britain said Thursday that three Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a further escalation of tensions over a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
EU, Israel, Egypt express unease about Turkey's gas drilling off Cyprus
Turkey said on Wednesday it rejected Greek and European Union assertions that Turkish drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus was illegitimate, and said they showed the EU could not be an impartial mediator on the Cyprus problem.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Pompeo assures Christian Zionists that Israel allows conversions to Christianity
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made a point of reminding a conference of Christian Zionists that Israel permits conversions to Christianity, just weeks after his department reported on the difficulties converts face there.
Inside the United States
Support for legal abortion matches its 24-year high: Poll
Sixty percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls since 1995. More also say their state should make it easier, rather than harder, for women to have access to abortion, with a plurality favoring no change in the status quo.
US lawmakers look to legalize pot in ‘historic’ marijuana reform hearing
U.S. lawmakers weighed reforming pot laws in what advocates called a 'historic' hearing Wednesday, with numerous members of Congress saying they wanted to loosen federal laws, even legalize marijuana.
Around the World
U.S. Eyes Military Coalition To Safeguard Key Shipping Lanes Amid Iran Tensions
The United States is moving forward with plans to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic shipping lanes off Iran and Yemen amid raised tensions with Iranian leaders.
'We Hope that Obstacles Will Be Removed': Iran Seeks to Build Railway Connecting Iran, Iraq, Syria
Iran, Syria, and Iraq signed an agreement Wednesday, July 3rd, to construct an Iran-funded railway from Shalamcheh in the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean coastal city of Lattakia in Syria, bypassing trade waterways typically patrolled by the US.
Secret meetings between U.S., Iran officials in Iraq
Secret meetings between United States officials and Iranian representatives were conducted in a hotel in Erbil, Iraq, i24News reported Tuesday evening. The Iranian representatives are led by Hassan Khomenei, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
TV: Israel intelligence foiled 50 Islamic State, Iranian attacks in 20 countries
Israeli intelligence agencies have prevented dozens of Islamic State terror group and Iran-sponsored attacks in various countries around the world by providing local authorities with key information, according to a television report on Tuesday.
Hamas conducts massive surprise drill simulating IDF incursion into Gaza
Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group launched a highly unusual training exercise Tuesday night that simulated the capture of IDF special forces operating in the territory.
Inside the United States
Trump threatens veto of House defense bill over spending levels, wall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defense bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.
Trump Administration Expediting Initial Screenings of Asylum-Seekers
The Trump administration is gearing up to expedite initial screenings of immigrants seeking asylum, moving to interview immigrants within one calendar day.
Judge's order on government lawyer shake-up adds hurdle for Trump in U.S. Census dispute
A judge in New York on Tuesday denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to shake up the legal team that was handling cases on the 2020 Census, adding another hurdle to the Trump administration’s bid to put a contentious citizenship question on the survey.
Christian News
Early Rain Covenant Church Member Escaped to Taiwan: 'No Long Safe' for Christians in China
More information has surfaced regarding the lockup of 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, in December.
Egypt Legalizes Over 1,000 Churches in Apparent Bid to Create Tolerant Islamic Society
The Egyptian government on Monday approved legalization of 127 churches, the culmination of a 2016 law by which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sought to make the world’s largest Arab nation more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity.
8 Christians Arrested in Iran, One Elderly Woman Freed
Eight Iranian Christians were arrested by Iranian intelligence officials at the beginning of July, and are currently being held at an undisclosed Intelligence Ministry site in Bushehr, a southern port city on the Persian Gulf.
U.S. Eyes Military Coalition To Safeguard Key Shipping Lanes Amid Iran Tensions
The United States is moving forward with plans to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic shipping lanes off Iran and Yemen amid raised tensions with Iranian leaders.
'We Hope that Obstacles Will Be Removed': Iran Seeks to Build Railway Connecting Iran, Iraq, Syria
Iran, Syria, and Iraq signed an agreement Wednesday, July 3rd, to construct an Iran-funded railway from Shalamcheh in the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean coastal city of Lattakia in Syria, bypassing trade waterways typically patrolled by the US.
Secret meetings between U.S., Iran officials in Iraq
Secret meetings between United States officials and Iranian representatives were conducted in a hotel in Erbil, Iraq, i24News reported Tuesday evening. The Iranian representatives are led by Hassan Khomenei, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
TV: Israel intelligence foiled 50 Islamic State, Iranian attacks in 20 countries
Israeli intelligence agencies have prevented dozens of Islamic State terror group and Iran-sponsored attacks in various countries around the world by providing local authorities with key information, according to a television report on Tuesday.
Hamas conducts massive surprise drill simulating IDF incursion into Gaza
Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group launched a highly unusual training exercise Tuesday night that simulated the capture of IDF special forces operating in the territory.
Inside the United States
Trump threatens veto of House defense bill over spending levels, wall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defense bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.
Trump Administration Expediting Initial Screenings of Asylum-Seekers
The Trump administration is gearing up to expedite initial screenings of immigrants seeking asylum, moving to interview immigrants within one calendar day.
Judge's order on government lawyer shake-up adds hurdle for Trump in U.S. Census dispute
A judge in New York on Tuesday denied the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to shake up the legal team that was handling cases on the 2020 Census, adding another hurdle to the Trump administration’s bid to put a contentious citizenship question on the survey.
Christian News
Early Rain Covenant Church Member Escaped to Taiwan: 'No Long Safe' for Christians in China
More information has surfaced regarding the lockup of 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, in December.
Egypt Legalizes Over 1,000 Churches in Apparent Bid to Create Tolerant Islamic Society
The Egyptian government on Monday approved legalization of 127 churches, the culmination of a 2016 law by which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sought to make the world’s largest Arab nation more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity.
8 Christians Arrested in Iran, One Elderly Woman Freed
Eight Iranian Christians were arrested by Iranian intelligence officials at the beginning of July, and are currently being held at an undisclosed Intelligence Ministry site in Bushehr, a southern port city on the Persian Gulf.
Around the World
IAEA confirms Iran breached nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit
Iran has enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers, the UN nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran.
U.S., China to relaunch talks with little changed since deal fell apart
The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.
Iran warns British detention of oil tanker won’t go ‘unanswered’
Tehran warned Tuesday that Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker will not go 'unanswered' after denying earlier in the week that the ship detained in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Trump adviser: 'Iran is very likely a significant spoiler' to Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
Iranian officials could sabotage U.S. efforts to broker a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, according to one of President Trump’s top advisers on the issue.
Inside the United States
ICE Prepares to Deport Roughly One Million People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is gearing up to deport more than one million illegal immigrants who have been denied asylum or otherwise have final removal orders.
Trump's State Dep’t Launches ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights’
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced today that the U.S. Department of State has created the ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights,’ which is designed to advise the Secretary on 'human rights grounded in our nation’s founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights,' said Pompeo.
Barr says Trump administration can legally add citizenship question to census
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he believes the Trump administration can legally add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, though the Supreme Court ruled against its inclusion last month.
Florida county cannot ban invocations by atheists -U.S. appeals court
A federal appeals court on Monday declared a Florida county's ban on atheists and other non-religious groups from giving invocations before public meetings unconstitutional, even as it ordered the narrowing of an injunction against the practice.
Christian News
U.K. Report: Christian Persecution 'Overlooked in the West'
The final version of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office report was released at the beginning of July, detailing Christian persecution worldwide and citing a failure of Western governments to even recognize it.
Indian House Church in Telangana State Harassed for Third Week in a Row
A house church in India was violently attacked Sunday, June 30th during a worship service, marking the third Sunday in a row the church was harassed by Hindu radicals.
Mike Pence and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rally Christians for Trump
Vice President Mike Pence lashed Democratic opponents and touted President Trump's record during an annual summit of evangelical supporters of Israel in an address that saw the policy and lobbying conference double as a campaign rally.
IAEA confirms Iran breached nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit
Iran has enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers, the UN nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran.
U.S., China to relaunch talks with little changed since deal fell apart
The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.
Iran warns British detention of oil tanker won’t go ‘unanswered’
Tehran warned Tuesday that Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker will not go 'unanswered' after denying earlier in the week that the ship detained in Gibraltar was carrying crude to Syria, which would put it in violation of EU sanctions.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Trump adviser: 'Iran is very likely a significant spoiler' to Israeli-Palestinian peace plan
Iranian officials could sabotage U.S. efforts to broker a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians, according to one of President Trump’s top advisers on the issue.
Inside the United States
ICE Prepares to Deport Roughly One Million People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is gearing up to deport more than one million illegal immigrants who have been denied asylum or otherwise have final removal orders.
Trump's State Dep’t Launches ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights’
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced today that the U.S. Department of State has created the ‘Commission on Unalienable Rights,’ which is designed to advise the Secretary on 'human rights grounded in our nation’s founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights,' said Pompeo.
Barr says Trump administration can legally add citizenship question to census
Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he believes the Trump administration can legally add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, though the Supreme Court ruled against its inclusion last month.
Florida county cannot ban invocations by atheists -U.S. appeals court
A federal appeals court on Monday declared a Florida county's ban on atheists and other non-religious groups from giving invocations before public meetings unconstitutional, even as it ordered the narrowing of an injunction against the practice.
Christian News
U.K. Report: Christian Persecution 'Overlooked in the West'
The final version of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office report was released at the beginning of July, detailing Christian persecution worldwide and citing a failure of Western governments to even recognize it.
Indian House Church in Telangana State Harassed for Third Week in a Row
A house church in India was violently attacked Sunday, June 30th during a worship service, marking the third Sunday in a row the church was harassed by Hindu radicals.
Mike Pence and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rally Christians for Trump
Vice President Mike Pence lashed Democratic opponents and touted President Trump's record during an annual summit of evangelical supporters of Israel in an address that saw the policy and lobbying conference double as a campaign rally.