Update (Day 867) Swords of Iron – “Holding our Breath”

Things are heating up. There’s a bomb shelter behind me in today’s video update, and Israel is preparing to potentially remain in shelters like these for an extended time. Did you hear about the earthquake? A 5.5 magnitude quake struck southern Iran at a depth of about 10 kilometers.

What is going on? Earthquakes and rumors of wars.

Reports say the United States is fully ready to strike Iran as early as Shabbat—Friday—or possibly Sunday, though nothing official has been announced. Top officials say President Trump is not hesitating and that potential strikes could happen this weekend.

The USS Gerald Ford is reportedly being deployed off Israel’s coast. What message does that send to terrorists and jihadists around the world? It says: don’t mess with the free world, don’t mess with Israel, and don’t mess with the United States—we stand united. The carrier strike group is purported to be positioned near Tel Aviv. It’s the largest of its kind in the world.

Meanwhile, images from Iran show military jamming systems being transported across the country to counter incoming aircraft or drones. Some sources estimate the likelihood of war in the very near future at over 90%. Be strong, friends. Be courageous. Do not be afraid of them.

One source claims an intelligence chief believes a strike could occur this weekend and has advised against flying. At the same time, in the shadow of these events, sovereignty in Judea and Samaria—often called the West Bank, but historically known as Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel where much of the Bible took place—is advancing.

Israel has opened land registration there for the first time since 1967. This is significant. Areas previously labeled “illegal settlements” may now be recognized differently, as part of reestablishing presence in the Promised Land.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has said the decision has already been made and that the ships are not there by coincidence—they are there because this is serious. Military assets reportedly in motion include KC-135 and KC-46 tankers, B-2 and B-52 bombers detected over the Pacific near Tokyo and Guam, and a second group of F-22s deployed from the mainland United States toward Europe.

The UK’s RAF Lakenheath has also been active, though one aircraft reportedly returned to Langley due to a tanker issue during Atlantic transit. Capabilities are being tested across the board.

Israel’s F-35I Adir fighter jet has demonstrated remarkable range without needing to land. There have also been reports of explosions near Shiraz in southern Iran and elsewhere.

Here’s what I want to tell you:

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Do you believe that? I know I do.