Happy Passover from beautiful Japan! I arrived here in time to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and it is like nothing I have ever experienced before. At one point I was looking down a pathway with the flowery trees on either side. Then a slight breeze kicked up and the petals began to gently descend to the ground. It was like a floral snowfall. God makes all things beautiful!
Passover began Wednesday night and carries through today. It is the time that we Jews remember the Lord’s faithfulness and power in rescuing the Hebrews from their Egyptian slavery. As He did, He made a distinction between His people and those who followed other gods. As Christians, it is at this time of the year that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. It, too, was a marvelous demonstration of God’s faithfulness and power as He rescued us from our slavery to sin. It is a reminder to us that He makes a distinction between those who make Jesus their Lord and those who follow other gods or no god at all. That dissimilarity will be most evident on the soon coming day when our Savior returns in the clouds to take His church, both dead and living, to be with Him for eternity.
Colossians 2:16-17 KJV – “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Israel’s Jets vs. Iran’s Drone
Over the last two weeks, Israel has struck Iran’s proxies in Syria an unprecedented five times. The Islamic regime is taking advantage of the discord in Israel to pour drones, game-changing precision missiles, and high-ranking military officials into Syria. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, however, demonstrated very clearly that when it comes to national defense, we are not a country to be trifled with. Two Iranian officials have been killed and drone production facilities have been strongly targeted. The reaction of Iran, though, has been uncharacteristic. First, where normally they would deny they had military leaders in Syria, this time they named them and even published details about their funerals. Then, to show that their drone capabilities are unphased, they flew a UAV across the Syrian border and into Israel. Rather than shoot down the drone, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) brought it to the ground electronically so that they can tear it apart and study it. For much more information on this Israel/Iran battle in Syria, please watch my Breaking News Update from Monday.
Israel’s Conservatives Stand with Netanyahu as Nation Averts Coup
Last Thursday, close to 100,000 supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform plan gathered in Tel Aviv, blocking the same main highway that the anti-reform protesters had shut down just days before. While many are disappointed that the PM put a freeze on the judicial plan, most recognize the need for it. Moshe Saada, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, said that Israel was on the cusp of a military coup. Army generals had threatened the government, which led to the prime minister determining that a time out was needed for the judicial legislation.
Palestinians Employ Usual Tactics and Get Usual Results
Around major Jewish holidays, the Palestinian playbook lays out the following game plan. Invade and takeover the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount. Protest and throw some things around. Stay past the time allowed by the agreed-upon rules and protocols. Turn on cameras when the Israeli police come to clear them out. Show videos to the world to demonstrate how the Jews plan to take over the Temple Mount and persecute the Arabs. Why do the Palestinians continue to do this time after time? Because it works. While everyone who pays attention to what is really going on simply rolls their eyes and shakes their heads, most people don’t take time to learn the true story. They just see images of Israeli police on the Temple Mount, and they read the brief captioned Palestinian narrative. Before you know it, Israel is once again vilified, the UN is passing another resolution, and Israel and Gaza are back in a rocket vs. airstrike battle. That is what has been happening since Tuesday and will likely continue for several days to come. Today, it has all been escalating even more. Please watch my Breaking News Update from a couple hours ago to get the latest very important news! Happy Passover!
Turkey Opens Door for Finland’s NATO Admission
After praising Finland for taking significant steps to protect Turkey’s security, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan withdrew his country’s objection to Finnish acceptance into NATO. On Tuesday, the Nordic country became the 31st member of the security alliance. This is a major blow to President Vladimir Putin, as it greatly expands NATO’s presence on Russia’s border. The day after Finland joined NATO, the country announced that it is going to purchase the David Sling air defense system from Israel at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Former US President Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty in NYC Court
In a move that shocked absolutely no one who has any understanding of today’s Left, a Manhattan court arraigned former President Donald J. Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges stem from hush-money allegedly paid to two pornography stars. The 45th president pleaded not guilty on all counts. His next court hearing will not take place until December.
US Kills ISIS Leader
Another ISIS leader met his end Tuesday. Khalid `Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri found himself on the wrong end of a US strike in Syria, and now he will no longer be able to continue planning ISIS attacks in Europe. Thanks, CENTCOM!
US Advances Partial Iran Nuclear Deal Days After Iran’s Proxies Kill US Contractor
Less than two weeks after Iranian proxies killed a US civilian contractor and wounded five service members and a second contractor, the Biden administration is considering putting forth a partial nuclear agreement with Iran’s terrorist regime. In this proposal, the US would unblock $7 billion and ease other sanctions. In return, Iran would promise to hold their enrichment at 60%. Since the IAEA has already determined that the ayatollahs have enriched to 90%, that promise seems somewhat dubious. It’s no wonder the Saudi Crown Prince is turning his head from the American West to the Chinese East.
OPEC+ Production Decrease Causes Global Price Increase
The OPEC+ nations decided Sunday to cut oil production. The next day, prices rocketed up 6%. Describing the cuts as “precautionary”, the 1.16 million barrels per day (bpd) decrease brings the total recent cut in output to 3.66 million bpd. In a related story, Japan has decided to bust the sanctioned price cap on Russian oil so they can ensure continued access to the crude. The US had pressed for a $60/barrel max price for themselves and Europe. Japan presented their case to the US, and the Americans agreed to the exception.
Chinese Yuan Unseats US Dollar in Russia
For the first time, China’s yuan has surpassed the US dollar as the most traded currency in Russia. While continued western sanctions due to Russia’s belligerence against Ukraine have separated Moscow and Washington, Beijing has stepped in to fill the void. The growing partnership between the two nations should be a source of concern for Europe and America.
This is truly a weekend of celebration. On Friday, we celebrate the love, grace, and mercy that led Jesus the Messiah to willingly sacrifice Himself on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Then, on Sunday, we rejoice and revel in the power of God that raised our Savior up from the grave. He is the first fruits of the resurrection, assuring us that one day we, too, will be transformed from corruptible to incorruptible as we join Him in the air. Hallelujah! What a day that will be!
