The Faithful Watchman

Ebola outbreak: WHO puts six countries on urgent alert as deaths spread

Simon Osborne – February 16, 2021

HEALTH chiefs have warned of a looming Ebola crisis after fresh outbreaks were reported in Guinea and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has put six neighbouring African countries on alert after a resurgence of the deadly virus. WHO’s Margaret Harris said: “We have already alerted the six countries around, including of course Sierra Leone and Liberia, and they are moving very fast to prepare and be ready and to look for any potential infection.”

Guinea has recorded up to 10 suspected cases of Ebola and five people have died since the start of a new outbreak of the deadly virus in the southeast of the West African nation.

Guinea’s ministry of health said it had identified 115 contacts of the known cases in the city of Nzerekore in the country’s south east and 10 in the capital Conakry since the outbreak was confirmed on Sunday.

Unlike the deadliest known outbreak, which tore through West Africa between 2013 and 2016, Guinean authorities have said they are better prepared to stop the spread of the virus.

https://www.express.co.uk

Australian Christians In Shock: Ten Year Jail Sentence For Preaching Repentance

Evangelical Focus – February 08, 2021

The parliament of Victoria (Australia) is about to conclude the process of the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill.

The law has been approved by both the Lower House and the Legislative Council of the Victorian parliament and could be soon ready to be implemented.

Any practice that aims to “change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity” will now be illegal.

According to Australian evangelical magazine Eternity News, this ban includes “prayer conversations suggesting change, and counselling when targeted at an individual”.

Melbourne, the State’s capital, is known for being Australia’s region with a strongest support for LGBT movements – as seen in the Pride Marches and other demonstrations in the last years.

The law becomes a real challenge to churches that hold to a traditional and biblical view of sexuality. Jail sentences up to ten years and large fines can be imposed by courts if there is a perception that a ‘conversion’ practice has caused injuries to a LGBT person.

According to the analysis of Eternity News, the law distinguishes between general teaching and personal counselling. “Sermons and general discussion of same-sex and gender issues which might take a conservative line” would not be prosecuted but “activities which are directed at an individual, on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and have the aim to change or suppress that person’s identity” would.

The law will not come into effect right away, but there will be one-year period in which the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission will lead consultations to clarify the details of how the law would be applied in different scenarios.

Several church denominations in Victoria have expressed their concern about the law.

https://www.prophecynewswatch.com

South Carolina Abortion Law Suspended a Day After Passage

Newsmax – February 19, 2021

South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions was suspended by a federal judge Friday on its second day in effect.

Judge Mary Geiger Lewis put a 14-day temporary restraining order on the law and will renew it until she can hold a more substantial hearing on March 9 on Planned Parenthood’s request that it not be enforced until the group’s lawsuit against South Carolina is resolved.

Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill into law Thursday less than an hour after it was sent to him, but the national reproductive health services organization sued even before the governor put ink to paper.

The temporary restraining order was needed in part because more than 75 women are scheduled to have abortions in the state over the next three days, and most of them would be banned under the new law, Planned Parenthood and The Center for Reproductive Rights said in court papers.

The “ South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act ” is similar to abortion restriction laws that a dozen states have previously passed. All were stopped from taking effect and currently are tied up in court. Federal law, which takes precedence over state law, currently allows abortion.

Planned Parenthood’s lawyers said South Carolina is “openly flouting this law.”

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said in court papers filed Friday morning that Planned Parenthood can’t be sure the law will be rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. With three justices appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump, they said, the court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision supporting abortion rights.

https://www.newsmax.com

Apophis asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend

Aprylete Russell – February 18, 2021

ST. LOUIS – An asteroid the size of three football fields will pass by a star and be visible from Earth on Sunday, February 21. But have no fear, there is no danger of it hitting our planet.

“The more that we can understand the orbits of asteroids like Apophis the better we can prepare,” said Will Snyder, Manager at the St. Louis Science Center McDonnell Planetarium.

According to experts, the 1,000-foot wide asteroid will sweep across the United States around 11:50 p.m. But in order to see this rare event, you have to be located exactly along its path. You can find that path here.

“At home scientists and citizen astronomers will have the opportunity to observe this near-Earth asteroid from their telescope,” said Snyder.

Apophis was first discovered in 2004 and scientists say it’s expected to pass earth and visible to the naked eye with upcoming flybys in 2029, 2036, and 2068.

For more information or a fascinating look at asteroids catch the IMAX® original film Asteroid Hunters at the St. Louis Center showing this month.

https://fox2now.com

U.S. headed for war with China, warns top Beijing academic

Bob Unruh – February 7, 2021

A prominent Beijing scholar on international relations is warning that without a “new stability” in China’s relationship with the United States, “there will be war.”

“It cannot be taken for granted and fantasized that conflict will never erupt between the two,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at Renmin University.

A transcript of his speech at the National Institute of Development and Strategy of Renmin University was posted Monday on Guancha, a news site affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

He said the stability that the U.S. and China have had in the past is gone.

“So there must be new strategic stability which will be achieved by being practical, sufficiently focused, and through specific and important proposals, dialogues or negotiations,” he insisted.

“I think the trend of China-U.S. relations after the U.S. election can be influenced or shaped by China to a large extent,” he said. “Therefore, China’s strategies and policies, as well as appropriate adjustments to these strategic policies, are very important. The current situation of China and the U.S. determines that it is impossible for the two sides to significantly back down from their confrontation or rivalry.”

https://www.wnd.com

Amazon’s design for new corporate headquarters resembles Biblical Tower of Babel

WND – February 11, 2021

(ISRAEL365 NEWS) – Amazon has just unveiled the plans for its new corporate headquarters that will stand in Arlington, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC. The announcement inaccurately describes the design as a “double helix” but scholars of ancient history and the Bible will readily recognize the ancient model for the design: the Tower of Babel.

Construction on their second corporate headquarters is expected to begin next year and when completed in 2025 at a cost of $2.5 billion. It will include 2.8 million square feet of new office space distributed across three 22-story buildings. The location is less than four miles from the Capitol Building. John Schoettler, head of Amazon’s global corporate real estate portfolio, announced the second half of the project designed by architecture firm NBBJ.

“The natural beauty of a double helix can be seen throughout our world, from the geometry of our own DNA to the elemental form of galaxies, weather patterns, pinecones, and seashells,” the company said. “The Helix at our Arlington headquarters will offer a variety of alternative work environments for Amazon employees amidst lush gardens and flourishing trees native to the region.”

https://www.wnd.com

Ring of Fire earthquake ALERT: TEN huge quakes hit Indonesia in 4 hours – tsunami warning

James Bickerton – February 10, 2021

A SERIES of powerful earthquakes struck off Indonesia and New Caledonia – sparking tsunami fears.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck southeast of Loyalty Islands on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake’s epicentre was 401 km east of Tadine, New Caledonia, and was at a depth of 2 km, EMSC said. Ten earthquakes and aftershocks hit the region in a short space of time – ranging between a magnitude of 5.0-6.2 – with the first quake at 12.24.21 (UTC) and the final at 14.59.37 (UTC).

In response, a tsunami warning was issued with waves of between 0.3 and one-meter feared for Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand.

A lesser warning for a tsunami of up to 0.3 meters was issued for Australia, Papua New Guinea and American Samoa.

Separately an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 30 km (18.64 miles), EMSC said.

It struck around 217 kilometres to the south-west of Bengkulu, a city of 328,000 people, at 19:52 local time (12:52 GMT).

https://www.express.co.uk

Dangerous New Pestilences Are Breaking Out All Over The Globe

Michael Snyder – February 8, 2021

Did you hear about the outbreak of the new “mystery disease” in Tanzania? What about the alarming new outbreak in Congo? New developments in South Africa are making headlines all over the globe as well. Despite all of our advanced technology, humanity remains extremely vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, and many believe that the COVID pandemic is just the beginning. Fearsome new bugs are constantly being cooked up in labs all over the planet, and it is inevitable that there will be more “accidents” that result in more of these bugs getting released in the future. As we have seen, a single virus can rapidly spread throughout the entire world, and it is just a matter of time before a pandemic comes along that will wipe out tens of millions of people.

This is a hot button topic for me, and so I am constantly monitoring news sources for new pestilences that may be emerging. Needless to say, when news stories about a new “mystery illness” in Tanzania started coming out, that definitely got my attention…

A MYSTERY illness which causes patients to vomit blood has killed at least 15 in Tanzania, officials said.

More than 50 people have been hospitalised in the south of the country due to the unidentified condition which also causes nausea in sufferers.

Authorities in Tanzania do not know what is causing people to vomit blood and drop dead.

But they did suspend the doctor that first reported this outbreak for “causing panic”…

Tanzania has suspended a medical officer who reported that a mystery disease had killed 15 people in the country and caused people to throw up blood.

Felista Kisandu, the chief medical officer for the Chunya district, had described how patients ‘vomit blood and die when they get to the hospital late’ in an unexplained bout of sickness which was said to have affected more than 50 people.

At this point, officials are insisting that there will not be a wider outbreak, but of course Tanzania would also have us believe that COVID does not exist in their country when there is a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary.

So far, this new mystery disease does not appear to match the type of killer pandemic that I described in my latest book, but we will continue to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, a new Ebola outbreak in Congo is creating a tremendous amount of concern…

http://endoftheamericandream.com

‘Taught to Hate God’: China’s Communist Party Indoctrinating Children by Telling Them Christianity Is an ‘Evil Cult’

Andrea Morris – February 9, 2021

China’s communist regime is reportedly taking more steps to indoctrinate young children to ensure they worship the country’s communist ruler Xi Jinping instead of God.

As CBN’s Faithwire has reported, under the regime’s Regulations on Religious Affairs, schoolchildren have been trained for years to report any family members who espouse Christian views.

Now the Epoch Times reports that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is escalating its efforts to “groom” young people in China to have the “right ideas and thoughts” that are anchored in atheism.

One Christian mother said her child appeared to be acting differently after attending school.

“Before starting school, I told my child about God’s creation, and he believed it. But after being taught at school, my child is like a different person. In atheistic China, these pure and innocent children have been taught to hate God.”

In one case, a child found a Christian booklet in his home and became anxious because his teacher warned that, “Christianity is a Xie jiao” or “evil cult.”

The children are given a textbook called “Morality and Society” which talks more about Xie jiao.

CBN News previously reported that the CCP strives to eliminate the faith community because it’s perceived as a threat to Xi’s regime. There are more Christians in China than Communist Party members, and this reality doesn’t sit well with the party. So religious materials have been classified as contraband.

Xi has ordered that all religions must “Sinicize” to see that they are loyal to the officially atheistic party.

https://www1.cbn.com

South Carolina to Become Latest State to Pass Heartbeat Bill

Graham Piro -February 11, 2021

South Carolina is on the verge of passing a bill banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, making it the latest state to move forward with pro-life legislation.

The state legislature’s House Judiciary Committee approved the “heartbeat” bill by a nearly 2-1 margin Tuesday, teeing up the legislation for a vote on the House floor. The state senate passed the bill by a 30-13 margin with one Republican voting against the bill and one Democrat voting for it. The legislation would effectively ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, around the point at which a fetal heartbeat is detected, with an exception for cases of rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Pro-abortion advocates criticized the legislation for its extreme nature and alleged it would force women to give birth.

The legislation comes after President Joe Biden rescinded the Mexico City policy, which prohibited the use of taxpayer money to fund foreign organizations that provide abortion services. Biden has also endorsed using taxpayer money to pay for abortions in the United States through the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. At the state level, however, legislatures are taking action to restrict abortion access. Several deep-red states such as Alabama, Louisiana, and Kentucky have passed similar laws to South Carolina’s over the past three years but have met resistance from courts that have prevented the laws from taking effect.

South Carolina pro-life groups endorsed the bill, which found success thanks to unified Republican control of the governorship and the legislature.

https://freebeacon.com