Church Scene

• 2,600 sign open letter of protest to Bishops: Anglican clergy and laity are uniting in a chorus of opposition to the House of Bishops’ recent guidance document urging transgender ‘baptisms’ to ‘celebrate’ gender transition. Read the letter and view the signatories by clicking here.
  
• Church bombing in Philippines kills 20: 81 others were injured during the double bombing at a Catholic cathedral in the Philippines last weekend. Read more here. Also this week, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has launched an independent review into Christian persecution worldwide. Persecution of Christians in India has risen to its highest levels in 70 years, according to one US charity.

World Scene

• Ireland’s pro-BDS bill passes first stage: The bill would lead Ireland to boycott all Jewish goods from the disputed territories (Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem). If passed, according to Israel’s ambassador to Ireland, Ireland would become the most anti-Israel country outside of the Middle East. Read more here.
  
• US anti-BDS bill clears major hurdle: The pro-Israel, anti-BDS bill advanced significantly through the US Senate on Monday evening. Read more here. Also this week, a new Democrat group has been created to counter anti-Israel trends within the Party. Read more here.
  
• 130 ISIS fighters to be brought back to France: The men, currently being detained in Syria, will be tried in France and imprisoned “if the judge estimates that it will be necessary”. Read more here. Not all European nations have been willing to offer repatriation to former citizens who volunteered to fight for ISIS.
  
• Malaysia stripped of Paralympic swim event: The International Paralympic Committee has stripped the country of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships after the Malay Government said Israeli athletes would not be welcome. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Syria and Iran boost partnership: On Monday of this week, the two countries signed 11 agreements, memoranda of understanding and an executive programme to boost bilateral ties and solidify Iran’s investment in rebuilding Syria after its civil war. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

• Issachar Ministries conference: Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 March. ‘Brexit: Hardship or Harvest?’. Swanwick, Derbyshire. Call the office for more details and to book: 01767 223270.
  
• A Day of Prayer in Westminster: Friday 29 March (Brexit Day). The Emmanuel Centre. Organised by Issachar Ministries. With Dr Clifford Hill, David Hathaway and others. Click here for more information and to book tickets.

Recommended Sources

At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!

Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.

We also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:

• Christian Concern (UK)
• Christian Institute (UK)
• JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
• Worthy News (Israel)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
• Kehila News (Israel)