All of us at the Ed Boston Podcast Network are praying for our brothers and sisters in Israel. The chances of Israel going to war after the exchange with Iran that took place in Syria have greatly increased. These developments, along with President Trump announcing America’s withdrawal from the Iran deal and the reimposition of US sanctions on Tehran, have put the Middle East in a high state of alert.

The article below comes from The Jerusalem Post. We’ll keep praying, watching and reporting as this story unfolds.

Pastor Ed Boston

ISRAEL STRIKES DOZENS OF IRANIAN TARGETS IN SYRIA

Israel also destroyed the Iranian launcher from which the Grad rockets and Fajr 5 missiles were fired at Israel.

Israel struck 50 Iranian targets in Syria after 20 rockets were fired towards Israel’s front defensive line in the Golan Heights by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Quds Force early Thursday morning, the IDF announced.

The targets all belonged to the Quds Force and included intelligence sites, logistics headquarters, a military compound and logistics complex in Kiswah near Damascus; weapons-storage sites at Damascus International Airport; and intelligence systems and installations, as well as observation, military posts and military hardware in the buffer zone.

In addition, the Iranian launcher from which the Grad rockets and Fajr-5 missiles were fired at Israel was also destroyed overnight.

Syria’s SANA state news agency reported that regime air defenses “managed with high efficiency to intercept and destroy a large part of the Israeli missiles,” adding that only three people were killed and two injured in the Israeli strikes which destroyed a radar station and an ammunition depot.

According to IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis the Israeli retaliation was “one of the greatest operations of the Israel Air Force in the past decade,” adding that Russia was informed ahead of the strikes.

The 28 F-16 and F-15 jets participating in the operation were met with heavy anti-aircraft fire from the Syrian regime; in return, five Syrian air-defense batteries were destroyed by Israel.

Incoming-rocket sirens were activated a little after midnight in the northern Golan Heights communities of Majdal Shams, Neveh Ativ, Nimrod, Mas’ada, Bukata, Odem and El Rom.

There were no injuries or damage from the barrage since no projectile landed inside Israel, the army said, adding that four missiles had been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system which had been deployed in the north.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, one surface-to-surface missile landed near the town of al-Hibbariyeh while Lebanon’s LBCI TV reported that another missile had landed in the Bekaa town of Qab Elias near a Syrian refugee camp.

“The IDF has been engaged in a wide-scale disruption operation against an attempt by the Quds Force to carry out an offensive against Israel,” Manelis said on a call with reporters on Thursday. “We have operated several times against Iran and have succeeded in preventing a number of terror attacks and Iranian strikes in the past month.

“The Iranian attack on Israel tonight is yet another clear proof of the intention behind the Iranian forces’ entrenchment in Syria and the danger they pose to Israel and regional stability,” the IDF stated, adding that “the IDF will continue to act decisively against Iran’s entrenchment in Syria.”

The military stated that even though Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is directly behind the attack, the Syrian regime is responsible for what happens in its territory and warned it against acting against the IDF.

“Tonight reflects what we are preparing for the future. The Quds Force chose to act against the State of Israel in the wrong place. We won’t accept an Iranian entrenchment in Syria and the Quds Force has paid a very heavy price,” Manelis said.

“The IDF is highly prepared for a variety of scenarios and will continue to act as necessary for the safety of Israeli citizens,” the army said, stressing that residents in Israel should continue their routine and that schools and farming can function as usual.

Following the missile barrage all roads in the Golan Heights were closed to traffic.

Israel had been preparing for a direct attack from the Quds force since mid-April, in response to a strike allegedly carried out by the Jewish state against an Iranian-operated airbase in Syria which killed seven IRGC soldiers.

“This was an Iranian event which was a very significant event and it will not be tolerated,” Manelis said after the rockets were launched, adding that there would be an IDF response. Pro-Syrian regime news outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that any further strikes will be met by “larger” attacks on Israel.

On Tuesday night the military instructed local governments to open bomb shelters for residents of the Golan Heights, following the identification of “abnormal movements of Iranian forces in Syria.”

The army has raised preparedness of “troops for an attack” and deployed air defenses in several locations in the north of the country.

The Jerusalem Post visited the area earlier on Wednesday and witnessed a heavy and visible police presence on highways leading up to northern Israel, with IDF vehicles blocking access to all roads north of Route 98 in the Golan Heights.

While some bomb shelters in the area were opened prior to Tuesday’s announcement, the significant change witnessed by the military led to the decision for authorities to open all bomb shelters and to inform residents of the increased tension in the area.

I interviewed Dr. Gordon Wilson from The Riot and the Dance. The documentary will be back in theaters Thursday, April 19th for a one-night special showing, following a highly successful showing back on March 19th.

Here is the interview. 

– TOMORROW –

The Riot and The Dance

Back in Theaters For One Night Only!

Group Tickets are Available for
The Riot and The Dance

Did you know that discounted group tickets are also available? The size of the group needed depends on the theater – so click below for more info, then gather some friends to share in this film that is a celebration of the Creator!

Get Group Tickets!

Introducing …. The Riot and The Dance Adventure Book!

Our friends at Canon Press have come alongside the film and created The Riot and The Dance Adventure Book!  Like in the film, anyone can follow Dr. Wilson on his adventures around the globe, discovering his amazing creatures through the new Adventure Book!

Get Your Copy Today!

Egypt is the third country that we’ve shared where people have listened to the podcast from, and this one may come as a surprise since Egypt is 90% Muslim. Even more shocking is that Egypt currently sits at the #2 ranked country of listeners for the Ed Boston Podcast Network (these numbers change on a regular basis).

Sri Lanka and Ireland were the first two countries that we spotlighted in this series.

Egypt is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The percentage of adherents of various religions is a controversial topic in Egypt. An estimated 90% are identified as Muslim, 9% as Coptic Christians, and 1% as other Christian denominations, although without a census the numbers cannot be known. Estimates put the Christian population as high as 15–20%. Non-denominational Muslims form roughly 12% of the population. 

Although Egypt was a Christian country before the 7th Century, after Islam arrived, the country was gradually Islamised into a majority-Muslim country.  It is not known when Muslims reached a majority variously estimated from ca. 1000 A.D. to as late as the 14th century. Egypt emerged as a center of politics and culture in the Muslim world. Under Anwar Sadat, Islam became the official state religion and Sharia the main source of law.  It is estimated that 15 million Egyptians follow Native Sufi orders,  with the Sufi leadership asserting that the numbers are much greater as many Egyptian Sufis are not officially registered with a Sufi order. At least 305 people were killed during a November 2017 attack on a Sufi mosque in Sinai.

There is also a Shi’a minority. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs estimates the Shia population at 1 to 2.2 million and could measure as much as 3 million. The Ahmadiyya population is estimated at less than 50,000,  whereas the Salafi (ultra-conservative) population is estimated at five to six million. Cairo is famous for its numerous mosque minarets and has been dubbed “The City of 1,000 Minarets”.

Of the Christian population in Egypt over 90% belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Christian Church.  Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the Coptic Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of Egypt and various other Protestant denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria, such as the Syro-Lebanese, who belong to Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Maronite Catholic denominations.

Ethnic Greeks also made up a large Greek Orthodox population in the past. Likewise, Armenians made up the then larger Armenian Orthodox and Catholic communities. Egypt also used to have a large Roman Catholic community, largely made up of Italians and Maltese. These non-native communities were much larger in Egypt before the Nasser regime and the nationalisation that took place.

Egypt hosts the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. It was founded back in the first century, considered to be the largest Church in the Middle East and North Africa.

Egypt is also the home of Al-Azhar University (founded in 969 CE, began teaching in 975 CE), which is today the world’s “most influential voice of establishment Sunni Islam” and is, by some measures, the second-oldest continuously operating university in world.

Egypt recognises only three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Other faiths and minority Muslim sects practised by Egyptians, such as the small Bahá’í and Ahmadi community, are not recognised by the state and face persecution by the government, which labels these groups a threat to Egypt’s national security. Individuals, particularly Baha’is and atheists, wishing to include their religion (or lack thereof) on their mandatory state issued identification cards are denied this ability (see Egyptian identification card controversy), and are put in the position of either not obtaining required identification or lying about their faith. A 2008 court ruling allowed members of unrecognised faiths to obtain identification and leave the religion field blank.

Religions in Egypt est
Religions			Percent
Muslim			90%
Orthodox Christian (Coptic)			9%
Other Christian			1%

 

Psalms 24:10

Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

Below is an email I got today from Live Action. It’s important that we all know that many times on social media, those who believe in Conservative principles are silenced by the social media censors. The article below is a prime example of what I’m talking about. I removed some of the fund raising talk from the email, but I did leave in the link where you can go and give if you so desire.

You can find Live Action by clicking these links:

Live Action Website

Facebook

Twitter

Hi Ed, I just heard a powerful quote from someone that I want to share with you. “Wow. Unbelievable. I’m shocked, really. This shouldn’t happen, so, I think, especially after seeing this video, I realize now, like, abortion is wrong, really, really wrong.” This was the reaction of a self-proclaimed “pro-choice” man after seeing one of Live Action’s “Abortion Procedures” videos on the streets of San Francisco this summer. He’s not alone. Whether it’s the dozens of people we’ve interviewed in cities across the country or the millions who’ve already seen these videos online, we are convincing more and more people to see that killing preborn children is wrong. We are able to reach millions of people with these Abortion Procedure videos through social media – reaching people right where they are – on their smartphones and computers. But, Ed, Twitter clearly doesn’t like the fact that we are defending the truth through ads on their platform – they continue to ban our pro-life voice. They know how effective our content and advertising are at persuading more people to value and protect life – content they deemed “offensive” and “inflammatory.” Here is an example of the kind of content that Twitter is banning! While we work to pressure Twitter to lift their ban on ads for pro-life content, we must double our efforts elsewhere. Live Action has the largest online presence than any other pro-life organization. We must take advantage of our expansive reach on all of our platforms, besides Twitter, to expose the abortion industry and change people’s opinions on abortion.   Here is a link where you can make your gift: https://www.liveaction.org/support/end-twitters-ban/ Ed, with your support, we will show Twitter, and the rest of the country, what is truly “offensive” and “inflammatory” – the killing of preborn children. Together, we can end this atrocity and build a culture where the rights of all individuals are protected, especially the most vulnerable: our precious preborn. – Lauren Lauren Merz Director of Development

Live Action  2200 Wilson Blvd.  Suite 102 PMB 111,  Arlington,  VA  22201

I’ve always enjoyed Larry the Cable Guy’s comedy as whole and am so happy to hear the news that he shares in this testimony. 

Ed Boston

 

Daniel Whitney (Larry The Cable Guy) shares how his dad was a Baptist preacher and that he became a Christian as a young boy. He points out how he never did drugs or alcohol, but in this area of work, as he describes, “you get in the entertainment business, it just pulls you in.” As he points out, two years ago, he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ. His heart begins to pour out as he shares his thoughts and concerns about so many of the things that he has done in his life. “I just feel horrible about some of the things that I’ve done; and unlike other people, everything that I did and said, is on tape for everybody to see. I’m proud of some things that I’ve done…but there are things that I’ve done onstage, now that I’m back in the fold, now that I’m back with my Savior, there’s things that I look back on and I wish I wouldn’t have done it.” Whitney continues to point out this important truth, “Men don’t forgive you, and I don’t care if men forgive me, Jesus forgives me.”

You can read more at VFN Torch.

This story is one that we Christians need to share in love. The other side proclaims that there is no other alternative for homosexuals. This story proves that there is such a thing as “Former LGBTQ”.

Former LGBTQ Christians Share Their Journey to Freedom in Jesus and Heterosexuality in New Documentary

Today’s culture tells people who are homosexual there is no other way and there is no ‘cure,’ but Christians who were once LGBTQ have a different story to tell. And they’re telling it in a new documentary.

Men and women who once embraced gay relationships and transgender identities share how their lives and their sense of self completely changed after coming to meet Jesus.

Go Here to read the entire article.

I have been following what is happening with the wildfires by watching the Facebook profile of friend of the podcast, Kevin Downes. While the fires got just a block or two from their home, Kevin and his family were allowed to move back home after being under mandatory evacuation.

Amy and I are praying for the safety of all in the path of the fires, for the thousands of first responders, and for the families of those who have lost their lives because of these fires. 

If you would like to hear the interview with Kevin, click here – the topic was the movie Faith of our Fathers.