TW News & Prophecy - Friday, March 02, 2018

The increasing rhetoric and military actions in Syria have “intensified fears that the Middle East is heading for all-out war”—although few think all-out war will become a reality (The Guardian, February 17, 2018). At the recent Munich Security Conference, the Israeli president made the following statement while holding up a piece of the Iranian drone that crossed into Israel’s air space: “Israel will not allow the regime to put a noose of terror around our neck. We will act if necessary not just against Iran’s proxies but against Iran itself” (Telegraph, February 20, 2018). In response, an Iranian official threatened “I should say that if they carry out the slightest unwise move against Iran, we will level Tel Aviv to the ground and will not give any opportunity to Netanyahu to flee.”
This tit-for-tat rhetoric is far from a “soft answer [that] turns away wrath” and is a powerful example of how harsh words stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1). The likelihood of Iran “leveling Tel Aviv” is very low given its proximity to Jerusalem—the city at the center of the millennia-long struggle between Arabs and Jews. However, it is this aggressive, war-like rhetoric, along with other global events, that may push the Vatican to take up the request of Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki to sponsor a “Conference on Jerusalem” (Agenzia Fides, February 17, 2018). Al Maliki recently argued at the Vatican that such a conference is needed to protect Arab and Christian interests in Jerusalem from the Jews!
For decades we have urged our readers to “watch the Middle East”—and for good reason. The Middle East, and particularly Jerusalem, will play a central role in end-time Bible prophecies, including being the precise location of Jesus Christ’s return! As “rumors of war” become more prevalent we can know their ultimate outcome by becoming more familiar with the prophecies of the Bible. To develop a clearer understanding of events that will occur in Jerusalem and the surrounding region in the future, be sure to listen to or read The Middle East in Prophecy.



Go to Church and Live Longer!

Multiple research studies now show that those who regularly attend church services are healthier and live longer. A 2016 JAMA Internal Medicine study reported that “women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period” (Time, February 15, 2018). A 2017 study published in PLOS One reported that “regular [church] service attendance was linked to reductions in the body’s stress responses and even in mortality—so much so that worshippers were 55% less likely to die during the up to 18-year follow-up period than people who didn’t frequent the temple, church or mosque.” Those who are religious but who do not attend services regularly do not experience these benefits.
Why is church attendance beneficial? Researchers suggest that “factors related to churchgoing—like having a network of social support, an optimistic attitude, better self-control and a sense of purpose in life—may account for the long-life benefits….” Researchers also credit “the values drawn from religious tradition—such as respect, compassion, gratitude, charity, humility, harmony, meditation and preservation of health” with tending to lead to longer life.
God not only set the seventh-day Sabbath apart as a holy time in which no work should be done (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8-11), He also commanded His people to assemble together on that day (Leviticus 23:3). Later in the Bible, the Apostle Paul repeated the importance of assembling together on the Sabbath (Hebrews 10:24-25; 4:9). Science is now shedding light on the importance of church attendance in general. How much more beneficial and pleasing to God is it when we not only assemble together, but worship Him in spirit and in truth on His holy Sabbath day (John 4:24). For more information on the importance of attending weekly Sabbath services, read or listen to Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?