Instability continues to grow in the Middle East.

In recent months, tension and attacks have escalated throughout the Middle East region, leading to increasing instability.  A recent suicide attack in Afghanistan killed more than 44 people and showed the capabilities of an ever-tenacious Taliban. “Causing the biggest death toll in a single attack since 2011, the militants, strapped with explosives, stormed the governor’s compound…. The attack will add to concerns about how Afghan security forces will manage once NATO-led combat troops withdraw by the end of next year” (Reuters, April 3, 2013).

Ten years after the start of the Iraq War, the nation is still bitterly divided between Sunnis and Shiites. “Iraq’s Sunni Arabs have stepped up their protests against the current Shiite-ruled government, especially in Anbar and Nineveh provinces” (Deutsche Welle, April 3, 2013).

Hamas just provoked Israel again with rocket fire, leading to Israeli air strikes against Hamas targets. Israel pressed Hamas on Wednesday “to rein in the rocket-firing militants [in the Gaza Strip] after the most serious outbreak of cross-border hostilities since the ceasefire that ended the eight-day war in November” (Reuters, April 3, 2013).

The Syrian Civil War also continues to become more dangerous to the region, with the recent use of chemical warfare (Time, April 1, 2013).

Scripture describes an end-of-the-age battle between kings from the European North and Middle-Eastern South (Daniel 11:5-28). The Middle Eastern “strong man” cannot lead an army unless there is first a semblance of peace in the region. Time will tell how and when this stability will come. For more information read or request our booklet, The Middle East in Prophecy.