Iran, in the midst of a new year, continues to threaten Israel with a retaliatory strike, possibly ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20th.
World Israel News (WIN) reported that the “Israeli military has been placed on high alert and is preparing to respond to possible ‘extreme’ steps by Iran against the Jewish state in the immediate future.”
“The IDF is reportedly concerned that given Iran’s increasingly tenuous positionโincluding a major economic downturn, energy shortages, popular dissent, and the prospect of a fresh wave of sanctions from the incoming Trump administrationโTehran may act out of desperation to shore up the positions of its proxies across the Middle East,” WIN continued. “Iran and its allies suffered devastating losses across the region during 2024, including not only the decimation of Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip, but also the destruction of much of Hezbollah’s leadership and the dismantling of the organization’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon, severe damage to Iran’s air defense network, and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.”
The Tehran Times on December 18th emphasized the ongoing threats against Israel emerging from the IRGC:
Speaking at a Wednesday ceremony in Tehran, the IRGC’s Deputy Commander Brigadier General Ali Fadavi said people have been questioning military officials about whether Operation True Promise III will be carried out. “People must take into account that since its establishment, the IRGC has fulfilled all its promises. Operation True Promise III will be carried out at the right time,” he declared.
Of course, “Operation True Promise I” was carried out by Iran last April when they launched some 300 ballistic missiles and drones into Israel. “Operation True Promise II” took place in October when Iran launched another 200 ballistic missiles into Israel. Although both were entirely unsuccessful in their goals, the scope of the attacks was unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Now, Iran threatens Israel once again with an even more extreme response. Amir Tsarfati, on his informative telegram Channel, posted a video of IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini in which he says:
Previous attacks on Israel were only a small part of our capabilities. The Zionist enemy knows that its skies are open and defenseless against us. We have never stopped missile production, the production rate is increasing every day. We will soon unveil new and advanced missiles and drones, and we will also unveil “missile cities” across Iran.
What do we make out of all this?
Students of God’s Word know that Iran will continue in its demonic plans to attack Israel until the God of Israel brings it to a decisive end, as we read in Ezekiel 38-39. The truth is that the Iranian regime’s days are numbered, and they ought to tremble before the God of Israelโwho neither slumbers nor sleeps.
God is indeed taking note, and judgment will come one day soon. Until then, we will continue to grapple with Iran’s schemes against the Jewish State. Will Iran strike Israel before Trump is inaugurated on January 20th? Iran knows that once Trump is in the Oval Office, he will rule with an iron fist, providing Israel with the full backing of the US. Iran is desperate. Will that translate into an attack on Israel in the coming days? Only God knows.
We should be praying for the Peace of Jerusalemโthat’s a command, not an option (Psalm 122:6). We should be praying for Israel’s leaders to be wise to the schemes of those who wish them dead, praying for a return of the hostages in Gaza, and praying for peace to return to the region. Israel has been fighting for its very life, and that fight has only grown more tumultuous since October 7th. We should beโat the very leastโ interceding for them in prayer to the God of this universe, the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
As Christians, our support for Israel and the Jewish people should be unwavering. We owe the Jewish people a debt of gratitude because it is through them that we have our Bible, and it is through them that we have our Messiah, Jesus. Jesus was Jewish, and because of Him, we have been grafted into Israel’s spiritual blessings of the New Covenant that we read about in Jeremiah 31. In Romans 15:26-27, Paul states, “For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.”
We need to stand with Israel. We need to support them. We need to love them. The things that have happened in the Middle East have carried on into our borders here in the Western world. Demonstrations have demonized Israel, and anti-Semitism has spiked around the world.
Israel has been fighting on eight fronts for their survival. Let’s let them know that they are not alone in this battle.
The Iranian regime is on a collision course with God, and they will loseโnot only them but all those who come against God’s chosen people. That has been the case in the past, and it will be true in the future. Why? Because God has made promises to Israel that will be fulfilled with 100% accuracy.
One day, when the Messiah returns, the preeminence will shift from the Gentiles to the Jewish people, and no longer will the Jewish people be a doormat for the Gentiles to walk all over. I’m looking forward to that day. I hope you are, too.
Tough times are ahead for Israel, but God is still on the throne. Nothing happens without His knowledge. He will look after His chosen peopleโour job is to pray for, love, and support them.
