Tuesday, April 12th, in the year of our Lord, 2016.
By Kevin Swanson
The BBC reports that ISIS has executed 21 Christians—a portion of those kidnapped by ISIS when the militant group assumed control of the town of Al-Qarytain, Syria. Five more Christians are reported missing.
Christian Headlines reports that a missionary to the Philippines, Rolando del Torchio, has been released—he was kidnapped last October. Torchio was flown to Manila today because his physical condition is worsening.
Maryam Naghash Zargaran, known as Nasim, has been sentenced to four years in an Iranian prison for the part she played in supporting church plants in Iran. Nasim struggles with various medical conditions, and it is reported that she is being denied treatment.
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body” (Hebrews 13:3).
Afghan soldiers are abandoning their post in one of Afghanistan’s major cities because of the insurgence of the Taliban. The Taliban is closer than ever to taking the town of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
According to the U.S. State Department, international adoptions are on the decline because of tougher national policies and child trafficking concerns. In 2015, Americans adopted only 5,600 children, down from the all-time high of 23,000 in 2004.
A preschooler in Denver, Colorado, was booted from Montview Community School after her mother protested an instruction program exploring gender identity and same-sex relationships with the four-year-old class. A group called Queer Endeavor sponsors this program, and they have worked with the University of Colorado to train 2,500 teachers to spread the “Gospel of Gay” throughout Colorado schools. The child’s mother, R.B. Sinclair, has elected to keep the child at home with her for now, according to the Denver Post.
Ted Cruz swept ALL of Colorado’s 34 delegates in caucuses held over the weekend. Trump told Fox and Friends that “the system was rigged.”
Phyllis Schlafly says she is facing a coup from board members of Eagle Forum over her endorsement of Donald Trump. She told World Net Daily that this might be her “Dobson moment,” referring to Dr. James Dobson’s untimely departure from Focus on the Family.
Brazilian scientists are now saying that the Zika Virus is more dangerous than they had first thought. They have discovered that the virus could be linked to a brain disorder named “acute disseminated encephalomyelitis,” a disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord.
Psalm 91 reminds us: “You shall not be afraid for the terror by night . . . Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
Vicki Kruse wants to be the hands and feet of Jesus, even though she cannot use her hands and feet. Vicki was diagnosed with ALS in 2014, and she is now completely paralyzed. Her sister, Margie Kruse, is raffling off her Jeep so that they can pay for some of Vicki’s medical bills. Margie told The World View that her sister wants to serve Jesus even in her current condition: “She can barely even smile any more because all the muscles are affected, but Vicki has always been a very giving person—tangibly, like monetarily, with gifts, showing she cares with little gifts and little cards. The neighbors—she’d bring cookies over to friends in the church who may be in the hospital. She would go visit them and bring their favorite shake—you know, milkshakes from the local fast food place. So, she’s always been very giving, and I’m still seeing that now.” The life expectancy of those diagnosed with ALS is 2-5 years.
If you would like to help contribute, the website is https://www.gofundme.com/vickihope.
The search is on for a missing navy sailor in North Carolina. Authorities believe a female third-class petty officer fell off the deck of a navy vessel over the weekend, initiating a massive search-and-rescue effort.
God is always present: “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9-10).
Speaking of ships, there’s a ship lost in deep space. NASA has initiated a space rescue mission for one of its planet-hunting spacecraft this week. The news comes after ground controllers discovered that the Kepler spacecraft went into a state of emergency last Thursday. However, a distance of 75 million miles between the craft and Earth will make the mission a bit . . . difficult.
The Christian Post reports that a Pakistani Christian family is grieving after the murder of their father by Muslim drug dealers. Masih, a 55-year-old father, was reportedly assaulted by his attackers last week while cutting grass. He died before any help could arrive.
Masih has received his reward. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
The Seoul government just confirmed on Monday that a top North Korean official fled the regime last year. The leader was part of the North Korean General Reconnaissance Bureau. His name is being withheld for safety reasons.
A temple fire in the southern Kerala state of India killed 100 people and injured more than 200 more on Sunday. The fire broke out while people were gathered to watch a fireworks display ringing in the local Hindu New Year.
And that’s the World View in Five Minutes.