The New York Times, which has a proven track record these days of distorting the facts, is reporting that the Trump Administration called off a retaliatory attack against Iran for shooting down a $140 million US drone in international airspace. Apparently, the attacks were to target Iranian radar and missile stations, but were called off in their early stages. The Times reports, "Senior administration officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; John R. Bolton, the national security advisor; and Gina Haspel, the CIA director, had favored a military response. But top Pentagon officials cautioned that such an action could result in a spiraling escalation with risks for American forces in the region."
AFP took a more analytical approach to the Times report, "The US president had struck a combative tone in his public comments before rowing back. "Iran made a very big mistake!" he tweeted in response to news Iran had shot down the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft. "This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you," he said later at the White House. But as the pre-dawn incident whipped up fears of open conflict between the United States and its declared foe Iran -- sending crude oil prices soaring -- Trump moved swiftly to dial back tensions. "I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth," Trump said. "I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it." The president's mixed message left the world unsure what Washington's next move would be." Oil prices eased thereafter.
The Middle East is a hotbed to say the least. Iran's vassal state Syria is a war zone of many opposing forces, including terrorists, Russians, Americans, Turks, Syrians, Iranians, Israelis and probably others we haven't heard about. The powder keg left by the previous administration there was one of the remnants of the Arab Spring Muslim Brotherhood attempted takeover of the entire region for a revived Islamic caliphate. From a prophetic standpoint, this all bears watching and praying. The US and Iran tangling in a war could ignite a series of prophetic events leading to Biblical proportions, laying the ground work for perhaps the rise of the end time king as prophesied in Daniel, the beast/antichrist.
Keep in the mind the end-time chronology given by Christ in Matthew 24. In verses 4-8, he says, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." While we have seen types and shadows of these beginnings, we have not arrived in these times as yet. A major confrontation, such as the one reported by the Times, with one or more of the nations mentioned in prophecy may be a catalyst. Then again, the New York Times is a proven vehicle of deception.
