Right now, the Middle East is a boiling cauldron whose lid could blow off at any moment, a powder keg whose fuse could be easily and quickly lit.
Just this week, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a strong warning, saying that the “incredibly volatile” Middle East hasn’t been so dangerous since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. That’s quite a statement.
The Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, whose country has been involved in the hostage negotiations with Hamas, said that regional tensions are “dancing on the edge and ready to boil over.”
“The situation is very concerning, and every day it’s getting more concerning,” the Qatari Minister stressed.
As we look at the Middle East today, we have to say he’s right. The Middle East is burning.
We’re all well aware that last Sunday, one of Iran’s proxies, part of what’s called the Axis of Resistanceโwhich includes militia groups in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza, and Syriaโhit a US military logistics desert outpost in Jordan called “Tower 22.” Three American service members were killed, and dozens were wounded.
This finally, it seems, has crossed the line with the current administration. We are now waiting for the US response.
There are a lot of different options on the table. There could be direct strikes against Iran, which is probably not likely. There could be attacks on these proxies or against Iranian personnel abroadโassassinations, like when President Trump took out IRGC General Qasem Soleimani. There could be economic measures that are taken. We could also strike some of Iran’s oil infrastructure.
Citing an unnamed official, ABC reported this week that “the US response to a drone attack that killed three American service members in Jordan last weekend will be carried out ‘over the course of several days’ and striking ‘multiple targets.'”
We will have to wait to see what happens.
By using all these proxies to attack, Iran is gaining all the benefits of harassing the United States and Israel, but they are not having to pay a direct cost. The US must make Iran pay a direct cost.
Since October 17, 2023, 10 days after Hamas attacked Israel, the Pentagon has recorded 165 attacks on US personnel in the region. There have been 66 in Iraq, 98 in Syria, and then Sunday’s deadly attack in Jordan. Approximately 80 servicemembers have sustained injuries as a result of these attacks. The US response must be strong and strategic.
You and I need to be praying for our leaders and for our troops during this time, as Iran has to bear some cost for what they’re doing.
At the same time that the US is responding to these attacks that happened in Jordan, Israel is talking about expanding the conflict beyond the war in Gaza.
The Daily Mail published an article that read, “Top Israeli minister says Iran is a ‘legitimate target’ for missile strikes as fears grow of an all-out war between the countries.”
“Israel’s economy minister, Nir Barkat, told The Telegraph that Palestinians from the West Bank would never be permitted to work in the country again and imported foreign workers would take their place,” the Mail described. “He also argued that the war against Hamas has not been aggressive enough.”
This is the man that many believe is going to take over Benjamin Netanyahu’s place as the leader of the Likud party in Israel.
“Iran is a legitimate target for Israel. They will not get away with it. The head of the snake is Tehran,” Barkat stated.
“My recommendation is to adopt the strategy that President Kennedy used in the Cuban missile crisis. What he basically said then was a missile from Cuba will be answered by a missile from Moscow,” the economy minister urged. “And we should very clearly make sure the Iranians understand that they will not get away with using proxies against Israel and sleep good at night if we don’t sleep good at night.”
“We believe them when they say they want to destroy Israel… we are not going to allow another Holocaust,” Barkat concluded.
Israel is pushing closer towards launching missiles into Iran and also to a full-scale war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The economy minister argued a second war with Israel’s main enemy in Lebanon and Syria, which is Hezbollah, “must be eliminated.”
An ABC News headline this week read, “Israel is closer to war with Hezbollah than ever before…”
Tens of thousands of regular Israeli troops and sixty thousand reservists have been sent to the northern portion of Israel. Israel has evacuated more than 100,000 people from the region. It appears that Israel is planning to go into the southern part of Lebanon to try to eliminate Hezbollah.
America wants to avoid a wider war. We hear American leaders say they don’t want this to escalate. However, it looks like Israel does want to escalate in order to take care of the menaces along its border.
At the same time that all of this is developing in the Middle East, the Gog Magog alliance is building. Ezekiel 37 talks about Israel being regathered into her land. After this regathering, in Ezekiel 38-39, we are told that a coalition of nations is going to invade Israel.
The Israel-Hamas war that started on October 7 of last year is boosting the ties between Russia, Turkey, and Iranโwhich are the three key nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38. They are mentioned under their ancient names and places. Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Gomer, and Persiaโthese are the places today of Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
These key nations are developing much closer ties as a result of the Hamas invasion against Israel.
Just this week, Turkish President Recep Erdoฤan and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met in Ankara, Turkey. In a great irony, you have the number one sponsor of terror in the Middle East, Iran, meeting with Turkey to discuss how they can “fight against terrorism” in the Middle East.
The Jerusalem Post published an opinion piece on Tuesday titled: “Putin’s Russia and the Islamic Republic of IranโThe Geopolitical Tapestry Of Misinformation And Imperial Ambitions.”
“It is imperative to recognize the dynamics of regional alliances, especially the relationship between Iran and Russia,” the writers noted. “Increasingly, Tehran [the capital of Iran] seems to be acting not just as an ally but as a proxy for Putin’s ambitions in the Middle East, similar to how groups like Hamas and Hezbollah serve as proxies for Iran.”
This is fascinating. This is the first time I’ve read someone explaining that, while Tehran has its own proxies, Iran is really acting as a proxy for Russia to push its agenda in the Middle East. This is the Gog coalition that is predicted in Scripture. I said this before, but an article like this really brings it into clear focus.
Ezekiel 38:4 describes how God is going to put “hooks” in the “jaws” of Russia to draw it into this conflict in the land of Israel. It appears to me that Iran could easily be those hooks in the jaws, as Russia is deepening its ties with the country. Iran is a proxy of Russia; therefore, when Iran wants to strike Israel at some point in the future, that’s going to draw Russia inexorably into this coalition to be part of the invasion of Israel in the end times.
We have every reason to be looking for the coming of Jesus Christ at any moment.
