Shalom from Osaka! 

Israel is in a very precarious situation. It will take the Lord’s intervention to protect His holy land. And that is the very reason why I am neither worried nor afraid. The land of Israel belongs to the Lord and He has promised that it will never be destroyed. So, no matter the plans that the ayatollahs or the mullahs or the terrorists or President Putin have for God’s tiny nation on the east coast of the Mediterranean, Israel will survive.

Please pray for the safety of the Israeli people and the Lord’s protection over the land. He is in control, and that is why I can sleep at night.

Iran’s Four-Pronged Proxy Attacks

First, let me encourage you to please watch my two Breaking News Updates from Saturday and Sunday. They contain information necessary to fully understand what I am about to tell you. Israel is facing the greatest threat in its history, because of the number, sophistication, and strength of the weapons that are currently levelled against it. The recent rocket attacks from Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza were simply feelers to gage the Israeli reaction. Sadly, that reaction was far weaker than it needed to be.

Iran has established and armed its terrorist proxy militias not only in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, but also in Iraq and now, even Yemen. There are today 250,000 rockets and missiles pointed at Israel. That’s right, look at that number again. Put yourself in the position of having your enemies situated on your borders, armed with that kind of arsenal, and motivated to destroy you. If you do, you’ll understand the mood in Israel today. The thinking behind this plan of Iran’s Islamic regime is that the Iron Dome missile defense system will run out of ammunition after the first few hours of defending the country. After that, there is nothing to stop the tens of thousands of remaining missiles from devastating Israel. Then, once the missiles have rained down death, there are rumored to be plans for a massive ground assault. And, because it is the militias that are carrying out the attacks, Iran can sit back with its plausible deniability. “It wasn’t us. We’re just sitting here waiting for the Mahdi.” Just yesterday, the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate warned that war is closer to calm. Many in Israel are saying that a preemptive strike against Iran is becoming absolutely necessary. This truly is a perilous time for Israel, but I can only scratch the surface in this newsletter format. Again, I would ask you to please watch my updates to be fully informed.

Terror Attack in the Jordan Valley

It has been a violent Ramadan in Israel. Last Friday in the Jordan Valley, Palestinian terrorists fired on a vehicle containing Lucy Dee and two of her daughters, Maya (20) and Rina (15). Their car swerved and crashed. The two gunmen then proceeded to go up to the car and shoot the three women execution-style. The girls were immediately killed, while the mother held on for a few days before succumbing to her wounds. The terrorists are still at large.

Terror Attack in Tel Aviv

The same day as the horrific attack in the Jordan Valley, a terrorist purposely drove a car onto the promenade in Tel Aviv. A 36-year-old Italian tourist was killed, and seven other people were injured. The Arab Israeli assailant was killed on the scene by police.

Quds Day is Coming

In Farsi and Arabic, Jerusalem is known as “The Holy” or al-Quds. When the US introduced General Qasem Soleimani to the power of a Hellfire missile, the general was the head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It likely won’t surprise you that the mission of the Quds Force is not to protect Israeli sovereignty over the Holy City. Every Ramadan, the last Friday of the month of fasting is known as Quds Day. It was so declared in 1979 by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini as an annual day of solidarity against the “usurper Israel”. This year, Quds Day falls on April 21. It is that day that has those involved in the defense of Israel particularly concerned this year. It is certainly a day for the church to be praying for the peace and safety of Israel.

US Sends Nuclear Submarine into the Mediterranean

An American nuclear submarine passed through the Suez canal on April 7 to deploy in the Mediterranean. The USS Florida is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles on board. Concerns over growing attacks against US troops has led to this movement. Recently, a US contractor was killed in Syria along with military personnel being injured. Monday saw a rocket being fired at a base in eastern Syria that houses US troops.

Macron Distances from US

All it took was a state visit to China and a little time spent with President Xi Jinping, and French President Emmanuel Macron was ready to separate himself from Taiwan and, more particularly, the US’s commitment to protecting the island nation’s independence. He urged other European nations to not get “caught up in crises that are not ours”, referring to the near-boiling tensions between Beijing and Taipei. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby downplayed Macron’s words saying the administration is still “comfortable and confident in the terrific bilateral relationship we have with France.”

China Surrounds Taiwan

Nine Chinese warships surrounded Taiwan while 71 fighters crossed the median line between the two nations as Beijing conducted three days of live fire drills designed to intimidate the Taipei government. The White House issued a statement saying they felt confident in America’s ability to protect its national security interests, by which it means the freedom of the Taiwanese people. Under this administration, I’m guessing the citizens of Taiwan don’t share the same level of confidence.

Azerbaijan and Armenia Engage in Bloody Battle

Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh flared again on Tuesday. A total of seven servicemen between the two sides were killed in the clash. Turkey and Israel have contributed to Azerbaijan gaining the upper hand in the conflict. But Armenia has drawn closer to Russia which has deployed peacekeepers in the area. Unfortunately, with Russia distracted by Ukraine, Armenia is seeing less support from Moscow leading to more conflicts with Azerbaijan.

North Korea Fires Missile as Palestinian Authority Makes Friends

North Korea has fired another ballistic missile toward the East Sea. Japan sent out an alert, concerned that it would fall near Hokkaido. Eventually, when it did land it was in water. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Abu Mazen sent flowers and well wishes to Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un on the occasion of the 111th birthday of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad likewise sent a congratulatory letter. Kim Jong-un, Abu Mazen, and Bashar al-Assad – that’s quite the trifecta.

A Deterioration of US Society

When the Roman Empire fell, it did so from within. The invading armies and the division of leadership were symptoms, not the cause. The roots of its implosion were the decadence and entitlement of its citizenry. We can see the same thing happening in the deterioration of America’s strength and culture. If you want to know why China is in the ascendence and the US is waning, look to the New York Times report that says that 6% of US teens and adults have cannabis use disorder. So many of my friends in the US tell me they can’t drive through their cities without being assaulted by the smell of marijuana coming from the cars around them. In addition, a Gallup survey reported that 7.2% of U.S. adults identify as LGBT. But when you break that down by age, you will find that within Gen Z (born 1997-2004) the number is 19.7%. These reports are just two evidences of the societal breakdown that is knocking the US from its place as the world’s number one superpower.