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** 23 January 2026
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The world is shaking and trembling. This week we have witnessed growing uncertainty and chaos on all sides. This Weekly Update presents some highlights, giving us an indication of how to direct our prayers. Because prayer – as opposed, for example, to political activism - is the most important thing the church can and should do at the moment.

The Bible speaks about this shaking in the last days, as signs of the coming of Messiah and His Kingdom. In Matthew 24:7-8 (and Luke 21:11) Jesus lists "earthquakes in various places" as the beginning of birth pains before his return. This makes sense, when we realize that until Jesus comes, Satan is still in control of the world. Jesus predicted that the world would get more and more evil as the time of His return approaches, and those who remain faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will experience more and more persecution.

Revelation 16 describes a massive, unmatched earthquake during the final plagues: "a great earthquake, such as had not been since men were on the earth". Isaiah chapters 13 and 24 prophesize that the Lord will make the heavens tremble and the earth shake out of its place, causing it to "stagger like a drunken man".

Spiritually, the earth is shaking as never before. We cannot be sure how this will develop in the coming days, weeks and months, but we can be sure that the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has all things under control, and that His word will be fulfilled.


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Board of Peace
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This week at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump launched his latest project: the “Board of Peace” – a kind of alternative United Nations comprising leaders from many countries at the personal invitation of Trump himself. The Board was established specifically to deal with the Gaza problem but has a much wider mandate and could be used to intervene in many other conflicts and situations worldwide.

The Davos gathering was also remarkable for the discussions of the new emerging world order. Somehow, all present in Davos realized that we have entered a new phase of history, but no-one quite knows what is happening or where it will head. Triggered by President Trump’s earlier threats to take over Greenland (if necessary by force), world leaders took the stage to talk about the changing geo-political realities, in which USA, China and Russia are competing to shape their spheres of influence, and existing institutions such as the UN and NATO seem powerless to deal with these new emerging power structures.

Another topic of discussion in Davos was the exponential rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). All of a sudden, this paradigm-shifting technology – developed and controlled by a small elite - is taking over our individual and collective lives.


**
Gaza
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In Davos, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner unveiled an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of Gaza. However, as Israel’s leaders have emphasized, the bitter reality is that no redevelopment can happen unless and until Hamas is removed. Hamas has entrenched itself again in Gaza and refuses to be disarmed. Neither the Board of Peace nor any individual nation has committed itself to the difficult job of demilitarizing Hamas. President Trump has promised to “blow Hamas away” if it refuses to disarm, but it is highly questionable whether the US would commit itself to military intervention in Gaza. At the end of the day, it will likely be up to Israel to finish the job it started two years ago after the 7th of October 2023 massacre.


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Syria – and Turkey
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Almost overnight, the map of Syria has changed again as stalled talks between the central government and forces controlling the northeast suddenly escalated into violence. Misinformation and disinformation have spread rapidly ([link removed]) , with each side blaming the other for releasing hundreds if not thousands of individuals affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) and held in local detention sites run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Militia of the Syrian army under leadership of al Sharaa have taken control of areas held by the Kurdish-led SDF, and have
liberated members of ISIS from prisons where they had been held since ISIS had been defeated (but not eliminated).

Many fear these jihadi militia will slaughter the Kurds in the area. Jonathan Spyer reports:
Sharaa’s soldiers and the tribal host that accompanies them began, as they encountered Kurdish fighters and civilians, to behave towards them in ways that have become wearingly familiar to observers of the jihadi and tribal form of warfighting. Footage and evidence have emerged of captured SDF soldiers, including female fighters, summarily executed and in a number of cases beheaded. Civilians have been filmed by delighted jihadi fighters being forced to bark like dogs and recite rhymes of loyalty to “Abu Amsha” and various other Islamist commanders (many now re-badged as senior officers in the West-approved, Turkish-trained “New Syrian Army.”)

The Washington Institute for Near East Studies (TWI) describes the freeing of ISIS prisoners as follows:
“Between late 2018 and early 2019, as the SDF seized former IS territory with support from the U.S.-led coalition, thousands of men, women, and children affiliated with the terrorist group were captured and transferred to various pop-up detention sites in northeast Syria. With more than 70,000 Syrians, Iraqis, and third-country nationals (TCNs) taken into custody during this time, the SDF developed a policy to divide these populations: most women and children were separated from men, while many teenage boys (some as young as fourteen) were grouped with the men if they were perceived as IS fighters. Around 10,000 men and teenage boys were then sent to detention facilities, while most women and children were sent to closed detention camps. Over the years, some states have repatriated their detained citizens who traveled to join IS, while others have been reluctant to do so for political or security reasons. Even states that are willing to repatriate have largely focused on women and children;
only a few (e.g., the United States and Iraq) have repatriated men.”

These developments have potentially huge implications for Israel. As TWI has expressed it:
“Although the fall of the Assad regime removed one threat from Jerusalem’s radar—the effort by Iran and its proxies to build a Syrian military front against Israel—another may be forming in its place. Recent developments point to a potential Sunni Islamist state solidifying in Syria with backing from Turkey, a highly capable NATO member that has ambitions to expand its influence southward while openly expressing hostility toward Israel.”

USS Enterprise Aircraft Carrier | Photo: Canva Pro


**
Iran – and Russia
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The popular uprising in Iran against the revolutionary regime in Tehran seems to have been defeated – for the time being. Shocking images are emerging of the hundreds of bodies of Iranian citizens killed by the IRGC and other government-sponsored militia throughout the country. It is estimated that tens of thousands have been killed by the IRGC and related forces.

President Trump promised the people of Iran that the United States would intervene to assist them., So far it has refrained from doing so. In the meantime, the US is moving massive amounts of military capacity to the region. According to Reuters “President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers will arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.” "We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case …I'd rather not see anything happen, but we're watching them very closely," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to the United States after speaking to world leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

It is important to keep an eye on Russia, which remains a key player behind the scenes. Here is an interesting analysis from Iran International:
* While Vladimir Putin has been remarkably quiet about events in Iran, the one initiative Russia has engaged in so far is mediation between Iran and Israel. Both governments have reportedly conveyed to Moscow that neither will preemptively attack the other.

* This Russian mediation effort may be highly important for protecting the Islamic Republic. Unlike just before and during the June 2025 twelve-day war—when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was urging the United States to join attacks on Iran—Netanyahu is now reportedly counseling restraint in Washington regarding military intervention.

* While Israel has long opposed Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, Netanyahu may prefer that a weakened Islamic Republic remain in power rather than be overthrown and replaced by either a more hostile regime, or one more closely aligned with the West in ways Israel cannot shape.

* Netanyahu has already found himself at cross-purposes with Trump over Syria, where the United States has sought to cooperate with the new leadership under Ahmed al-Sharaa, while Israel views the government in Damascus as a threat.

* Moscow’s coordination with Israel may therefore increase Putin’s ability to dissuade Trump from intervening in Iran.”


**
Jerusalem Patriarchs remain rooted in replacement theology
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On 17 January the patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem (exclusing the Latin patriarch) published a letter stating: “Recent activities undertaken by local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock. These undertakings have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East,” it continued.

The church heads expressed concern that Christian Zionists “have been welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally,” and unwaveringly insisted that “they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”

Significantly, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the most impactful voice of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, has stayed out of the dispute.

The statement of the patriarchs reflects a long tradition of “replacement theology” in large parts of the orthodox churches – the belief that God has finished with his covenant with the Jewish people, and that the church has “replaced” the Jewish people as his chosen people. This is a heretical approach, as it denies the truth of large parts of the Tenach, the Hebrew bible, on which the New Testament is built.

This week, pray that the body of the remaining hostage in Gaza - Ran Gvili - will be released to his family for burial. Pray for our governments, that they may have the courage and wisdom to pursue Judeo-Christian values and confront Islamist extremism. Pray for Christian leaders worldwide, that they will not succumb to the lies of replacement theology but willl remain faithful to the word of God.

Who Counsels Qatar and Turkey, Hamas's Representatives on Trump's Board of Peace?

Khaled Abu Toameh at Gatestone: As Qatar and Turkey are set to play a key role in US President Donald J. Trump's "Board of Peace" for the Gaza Strip, it is important to note that both countries do not believe in any peace process between Israel and the Arab and Islamic countries, and they continue to embrace and sponsor Islamists who support Islamist terrorists.
Read more ([link removed])

Why replacing the United Nations is not a scandal but a necessity

Since the 1960s, it has functioned first as an instrument of Soviet domination, then as a factory of anti-Americanism, and ultimately as a systematic de-legitimizer of Israel.
Read more ([link removed])

A Caesar in the White House

The old world order is dead because Western universalists destroyed it.
Read more ([link removed])

Milei invokes Torah, Judeo-Christian values at Davos

The Argentine president delivered an anti-globalist speech at the World Economic Forum, citing the Exodus story as a warning to the West.
Read more ([link removed])

The West stays silent as its Kurdish allies face attacks by Syria’s ‘reformed’ Islamist government

Without pressure, we may see the wholesale destruction of the forces and the authority that paid the highest price to defeat ISIS. It is also likely to result in the freeing of thousands of jailed jihadis
Read more ([link removed])

Holy Land Orthodox patriarchs’ condemnation of Christian Zionism sparks fierce backlash

Jerusalem letter exposes fissures within Christianity over ties with Israel.
Read more ([link removed])


** SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK:
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** Jeremiah 10:1-10
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Hear what the LORD says to you, people of Israel. ^2 This is what the LORD says:

“Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.
^3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
^4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
^5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”
^6 No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
^7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.
^8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
^9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple—all made by skilled workers.
^10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.

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**
Newspaper
Israel & Christians Today
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The goal of Israel & Christians Today is to help Christians to take God’s Word seriously, and study current events in the world in the context of the Bible.

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