Watchdogs

Same Ground, Same Pressure, Same Plan

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The headlines out of the Middle East keep tightening—escalation, retaliation, alliances shifting, pressure building from every side. It feels unstable.

But that region has always been a pressure point—not just politically, but spiritually. Nations rise, fall, negotiate, and fight over the same land because it was never just about land. It’s about God’s plan for His creation.

Let’s go back to the beginning, where God tells Abraham in Genesis 17:7–8, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you.”

Where? Not Ireland or Rome. Not America or France. It’s the land of Canaan—the place where both the modern and ancient state of Israel is and was located. The general area of what we now call the Middle East.

It’s called the Holy Land for a reason.

For how long? God established it by a holy covenant and gave it to Abraham and his seed forever—not just until the Church was born, not paused for a few thousand years, not waiting to restart when Jesus returns.

Forever means forever.

Who? Abraham and his, “…descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

The world keeps trying to solve something God already defined. Peace deals come and go. Ceasefires break. Tensions reset.

Everlasting peace doesn’t come from negotiation—it comes from the return of the King. Until then, pressure builds, and the Holy Land still matters. Israel still matters. A lot.

Let’s be vigilant and watch—but not through the eyes of fear. Through the lens God gave us.

Watchdog Alert: Culture Versus Truth

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The headlines keep proving the same point: America doesn’t have a noise problem—it has a truth problem.

Every day it’s something new—identity debates, speech battles, moral lines being redrawn in real time. What was obvious five years ago is now “controversial.” What was stable is now negotiable. Culture isn’t just shifting. It’s untethered.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” — Isaiah 5:20

That’s not ancient history—that’s today’s news cycle.

We’re watching a society try to function without fixed truth. And it doesn’t work. It can’t work. Because when truth becomes personal preference, reality starts breaking down. So people get louder. More aggressive. More defensive.

Because deep down, everyone knows something’s off.

Here’s the difference: culture chases approval—truth confronts reality. Our Lord didn’t adjust truth to fit the crowd. He stood on it, even when it cost Him everything.

So What?

And that’s where this lands for us. We don’t need to win arguments online. We don’t need to out-shout the culture. We need to be anchored.

Because when everything around us shifts, the only thing that keeps us standing is something that doesn’t. Truth isn’t evolving. It’s been established.

If our beliefs change with the culture, they were never built on truth to begin with.

Watchdog Alert: Pope Leo XIV Is Wrong

Rick Tryon1 Comment

In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Leo XIV explicitly that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” quoting Isaiah 1:15: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.”

The Pope is counting on the biblical illiteracy of Christians when he isolates this verse from Isaiah without regard to its context and uses it as a universal proclamation against all war for all time.

Isaiah chapter one is specifically referring to the idolatrous and exceedingly sinful nation and people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Isaiah 1:4 (KJV) – Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Of course God heard and answered the prayers of His prophets, kings and others during their wars and delivered victory into their hands. Just read the Bible.

Moses & Joshua — Israel defeated Amalek when Moses interceded (Exodus 17).

Joshua at Jericho — Victory came and God commanded the battle (Joshua 6).

David — Before fighting the Philistines, David repeatedly asked, “Shall I go up?” and God answered (2 Samuel 5:19).

Jehoshaphat — God delivered Judah miraculously when they prayed and worshiped (2 Chronicles 20).

The Pope is wrong. The Bible is clear.

Watchdog Alert: Nigerian Palm Sunday Massacre

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At least 15 Christians were slaughtered by extremists using guns and machetes during Holy Week observances. Homes were torched; survivors fled into the bush.

“On Palm Sunday, suspected militants reportedly killed at least 15 Christians in a raid near Jos, Nigeria. Attackers on motorbikes used guns and machetes to target the farming community, leaving many injured and homes torched. While three suspects are said to be in custody, the massacre highlights escalating land and religious tensions in the country’s Middle Belt.“

From latestly.com – read the whole article here.

Watchdog Alert: Continuing Christian Persecution

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It would be easy to allow the war in Iran distract us from the horrific persecution going on elsewhere in the world, but let’s not allow that to happen. Our adversary is still busy all over the globe killing, stealing, and destroying. Because he knows his time is short.

Pray for our brothers and sisters who are being relentlessly persecuted for their faith in our Lord, and do what you can to help.

Nigeria

Over 50,000 Christians killed since 2009, new report finds

A Nigerian rights group (Intersociety) reports that 52,250 Christians have been murdered since the Boko Haram insurgency began, with 18,000 churches and 2,200 schools burned. The violence continues into 2026 with over 1,000 Christians killed this year alone.

UK lawmakers warn of “persistent and entrenched” anti‑Christian violence

British MPs echoed U.S. concerns, noting that more Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than in all other countries combined. The debate highlighted killings, kidnappings, and legal suppression targeting Christians.

China

China intensifies crackdown on underground churches

China has escalated arrests of pastors and Christian lawyers, including revoking legal licenses for those defending persecuted believers. At least 18 members of Zion Church are detained, with experts warning the crackdown is now a national security priority for the CCP.

North Korea

Under Kim Jong Un’s renewed term, religious freedom worsens

North Korea continues to be the world’s most dangerous place for Christians. Open evangelism is impossible, and Christian radio broadcasts into the country have dropped by 80%, further isolating believers who already face imprisonment or execution if discovered.

Operation Epic Fury Isn’t In The Bible

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Operation Epic Fury isn’t a biblically prophesied event.

Debating whether modern Israel is the same as ancient, biblical Israel or whether modern Jews are from the same bloodline as the original Twelve Tribes muddies the issue and misses the point.

America is working in tandem with, and supporting, a long-time friend and strategic geopolitical ally, Israel, to neutralize a common existential threat. Doing so isn’t “serving our Zionist masters” or “sending our young people to die for Netanyahu.” It’s common sense and the right thing to do because it’s a national-security necessity.

Nor is it against God’s will to oppose the ongoing conflict with Iran. In fact, the current conflict with Iran shouldn’t be cast as a biblical issue at all.

Chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is effectively code for “Wipe Israel off the map and exterminate the Jews,” a goal the mullahs in Iran have openly stated. Therefore, Israel is fully justified in taking strong military action against that threat.

Chanting “Death to America,” regarding our country as the “Great Satan,” building nuclear weapons, and working tirelessly to find ways to continue to kill Americans and destroy our way of life—which the current Iranian regime has been doing for over four decades—are reason enough for America to declare, “Enough is enough.”

We don’t need biblical affirmation, prophetic permission, or a “standing with God’s chosen people” rationale in order to work with an ally to remove the malignant tumor that threatens our kids and grandkids. All we need is the wisdom and courage to see it through.

Watchdog Alert: Biblical Archaeology & Giants

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3,300‑Year‑Old Egyptian Papyrus Reignites Debate Over the Nephilim

  • A newly analyzed Egyptian papyrus dating to around 1300 BC has sparked renewed discussion about the biblical Nephilim—figures described as giants in Genesis and Numbers.
  • The document contains mythological and historical references that some researchers believe may parallel ancient Near Eastern traditions reflected in the Bible.
  • While not direct evidence of biblical giants, it has intensified scholarly debate about how ancient cultures understood such beings.

From the article in Yahoo News

“The Bible mentions the existence of giants in a number of key places,” according to Associates for Biblical Research. “The story of David’s confrontation with Goliath (I Samuel 17: 4) is but one example. Deuteronomy 3:11 tells us of Og, the King of Bashan. He was said to be the last of the Rephaim—a race of giants. Ishbi-Benob of II Samuel 21: 16 is another example. Giants and races of giants appear in numerous places throughout the Scriptures.”

Watchdog Alert: Who Does Scripture Belong To?

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Photo via Julius Silvers, pexels.com

This from EWTN News on Thursday 2/12/26:
Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that sacred Scripture has been entrusted to the Catholic Church — that she preserves and explains it, and supports its purpose of making Christ known to the world.

“The Church is the rightful home of sacred Scripture,” the pope said during the general audience on Feb. 11.

Say what?

Pope Leo went even further in his address, stating the following:

He quoted from Pope Benedict XVI’s postsynodal exhortation Verbum Domini. In that document, Pope Benedict affirmed that “the intrinsic link between the word and faith makes clear that authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church, which has its paradigm in Mary’s fiat… the primary setting for scriptural interpretation is the life of the Church.”

Mary drove a Fiat? Kidding.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) is Mary’s fiat according to Catholic tradition. However, I don’t see any correlation between Luke 1:38 and the idea of Scripture belonging solely to the Catholic Church.

Although Pope Leo XIV says some helpful things about the inspired nature of the Bible and the importance of Christians studying and meditating on God’s Word, he completely misses the mark by claiming that “…biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church.”

That is complete and total nonsense.

Watchdog Alert: Latest From The Holy Land

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Photo via cottonbro studio at pexels.com

Bible Rebel keeps a watchdog’s eye on events from the Middle East and around the world of interest to people of faith and brings that content to our readers.

Israeli forces capture militant figure in Lebanon; drone strike kills 3

Israeli forces conducted a cross-border operation in southern Lebanon, capturing a local militant allied with Hamas. Separately, an Israeli drone strike in the region killed three people, including a child, amid continuing hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border — highlighting ongoing tension with Hezbollah and allied groups following the 2023–24 conflicts. AP

U.S. issues new guidance for ships near the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. government issued updated navigation guidance for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint for oil exports, urging caution amid rising tensions with Iran. The advisory follows several confrontational incidents between Iranian forces and commercial vessels, even as diplomatic talks continue with Tehran. Reuters

Iran arrests leading reformist politicians

Iranian authorities detained at least four senior reform-minded political figures, accusing them of plotting to undermine the government. The arrests occur amid internal unrest and growing pressure from international tensions — including negotiations with the United States and continued protests. Financial Times

U.S.–Iran tensions persist as Tehran downplays military buildup

Amid continued U.S. military deployments in the region, Iranian officials stated that additional American forces in the Middle East “do not scare us,” while reaffirming Tehran’s position on uranium enrichment — a key sticking point in tensions with Washington. Hindustan Times

Question Everything

Rick TryonLeave a comment

Churchianity and the theological status quo should be scrutinized by all people of faith regularly. That is exactly how we got the Reformation.

Is there a New Reformation brewing? It seems so. There is a difference between truth and tradition.

Man-made Christian creeds and doctrines are no longer being blindly accepted as biblical truth just because the Protestant clergy or the Catholic Papacy say so.

The nature of God, heaven, hell, sin, the apocalypse, predestination or free-will, the Rapture, the origins of the universe – all of these ideas and more need solid reexamination to see if the commonly accepted doctrines of men used to explain them measure up to the message of scripture.

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