Is it the beginning of Jacob’s trouble?

I certainly do not want to be an alarmist, but it seems that 2016 will be an extremely difficult year for Israel. Since the stabbing and ramming attacks started in October 2015, the situation escalated to shooting attacks. It could no longer be regarded as so-called lone wolf attacks, but clearly coordinated as the attacks before and during Mr Joe Biden’s visit seems to indicate.

On Tuesday, 8 March 2016 Iran launched a ballistic missile test with a range of 2000 km. The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the following about the ballistic test: “The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2000 km is to be able to hit our enemy the Zionist regime from a safe distance.”

On Wednesday, 9 March 2016 the IRGC fired two Qadr missiles from northern Iran, which hit targets in the southeast of the country 1,400 kms away, Iranian agencies said. The nearest point in Iran is around 1,000 km from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

On 2 March 2016 the Internet based intelligence website, Debkafile reported that Israel’s arch-enemy, Hisbullah launched a Chemicals and Dirty Bombs program at the southwestern town of Zabadabi, 30 km from Damascus.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened on Tuesday, 16 February 2016 to fire missiles at the ammonia plant in Haifa, which he claimed would cause an explosion similar to that of a nuclear bomb. He also boasts that Hizbullah has the ability to cover the entire Israel with missiles.

Despite all these developments, those who love and support Israel should not be intimidated to not to visit Israel. In is in times like these that we need to stand with God’s people.

It is in times like these that we need to focus again on the call of the Psalmist to pray for the peace of Jerusalem – Psalm 122:6.