“Parade Magazine [...] featured an article entitled ‘The World’s 10 Worst Dictators,’ by David Wallechinsky. While the persecution of Christians was not specifically addressed in the article, for sure, these countries with these dictators are where the worst persecution takes place. Pray for the Believers in these countries, and pray for the dictators themselves as well as their henchmen.

1. Sudan: Dictator: Omar al-Bashir. ‘For 3 years his campaign of ethnic and religious persecution has killed at least 180,000 people in Darfur, western Sudan, and driven 2 million people from their homes.’

2. North Korea: Kim Jong-il. ‘The world’s most tightly controlled society.’ Much malnutrition among the people.

3. Burma (Now Myanmar): Than Shwe. ‘Leads the world in the use of children as soldiers.’

4. Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe. 80% unemployment; [greater than] 20 percent HIV rate; life expectancy: 38 years.

5. Uzbekistan: Islam Karimov. Hundreds of civilians massacred by the army [in 2005].

6. China: Hu Jintao. Hundreds of thousands of people held in labor camps without trial.

7. Saudi Arabia: King Abdullah. All citizens must be Muslims; women are severely oppressed.

8. Turkmenistan: Saparmurat Niqazov. Rules by senseless whim; any disagreement with him is treason.

9. Iran: Seyed Ali Khamane’i. Reforms had been occurring; the present ‘government’ has reversed previous progress.

10. Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang Hguema. ‘Torture is the normal means of investigation . . . there is no freedom of speech . . . no bookstores or newsstands.’

Countries 11-20 are as follows: Libya, Swaziland, Eritrea, Belarus, Cuba, Syria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Laos, and Vietnam.” Carol H. Blair,The Issachar File

“Good news in Canada! [...] The new Prime Minister is an evangelical Christian, and there are several others in the new government. One of the most exciting turn of events was the immediate announcement of the new Prime Minister that relations with Israel will be restored and business with Israel will become a major commitment of the new government!” David Hocking, Hope For Today Newsletter

“The pursuit of gratification [...] Frank Furedi, a British sociologist, says society sends a message that the pursuit of happiness is more important than work ethic, and that creates problems. ‘Happiness has become the buzz word of our times’ [...].

John Stuart Mill famously observed that happiness is the wrong goal: ‘Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.’ A sense of entitlement is a little like happiness—and unearned emotion—which is why it often coincides with the breakdown of the work ethic. ‘Happiness’ is more easily achieved through hard work. The opposite of hard work is sloth, and lazybones can’t be happy because he spends so much time trying to avoid what he doesn’t want to do. Instant gratification is an addiction, casting the seeker of instant gratification in the thrall of demanding more, more, more.” Suzanne Fields, The Washington Times

“The Middle East conflict is difficult to solve, but it is among the simplest conflicts in history to understand.

The Arab and other Muslim enemies of Israel ([...]this does not mean every Arab or every Muslim) want Israel destroyed. That is why there is a Middle East conflict. Everything else is commentary.

Those who deny this and ascribe the conflict to other reasons, such as ‘Israeli occupation,’ ‘Jewish settlements,’ a ‘cycle of violence,’ ‘the Zionist lobby’ and the like, do so despite the fact that Israel’s enemies regularly announce the reason for the conflict. The Iranian regime, Hizbollah, Hamas and the Palestinians [...]—as well as their Muslim supporters around the world, all want the Jewish state annihilated.” Dennis Prager, The Washington Times

“Up, Up, and Away!—‘Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth’ (Rev. 3:10).

The language of this verse makes it clear that the church will not go into the Tribulation. This hour of trial will be a time when God’s wrath will be poured out upon the world. Several things verify this fact.

1. The preposition from (Greek, ek) means ‘out of,’ that is, ‘out of the midst of,’ a clear indication that the church will not go through any portion of the Tribulation. If the writer meant to say that the church was going through the Tribulation, he could have used a different Greek preposition, dia.

2. This is not just any trial, but the hour of trial, a specific season of Tribulation that is coming.

3. Christ promised to ‘keep’ (protect or preserve) the church, not in, but from this season of trial.

4. Protection is granted to all believers, not just the Philadelphia church, because this time of Tribulation will come ‘upon all the world.’

5. The phrase to try them that dwell upon the earth refers not to the church but to unbelievers who will be settled into the world’s system during the Tribulation.”

David M. Levy, Revelation: Hearing the Last Word Used by permission from Friends of Israel

“The Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 15 establishes Israel’s title deed to the promised land [...]. In the words of John Hagee, ‘Israel is the only nation created by a sovereign act of God.’ It is an unconditional covenant that will be fulfilled literally through the preservation, conversion and restoration of Israel.” Jagged Edge