Iran has set up heavily-armed military bases in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, according to a May 16 report from Iraqi media.

Citing eyewitnesses and field reporters, the report says Iranian defense forces have established bases in the Qandil Mountain area many miles inside of Iraq. Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Reva Bhalla said the bases represent “a significant advancement for Iranian military operations in this region.”

The report will not come as a great surprise to longtime readers of the Trumpet, which has predicted for over 20 years that Iraq will fall under Iranian influence. In the December 1994 issue, editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote an article called, “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” in which he said: “The Shiite Arabs compose the majority of the population in Iraq. … The Shiite Iraqis have been encouraged to revolt by Iran, which is almost totally Shiite. … Can you imagine the power [the Iranians] would have if they gained control of Iraq?”

Less than a decade later, the United States delivered an invaluable gift to Iran by invading Iraq and removing the primary obstacle preventing Iranian dominance in the region: Saddam Hussein. Ten years on, it is clear that the significance of this gift was not lost on Iran. Hussein is gone, Iran is filling the power void, and the U.S. does not have the will to stop Tehran’s flourishing regional clout.

Mr. Flurry’s accurate forecast of these momentous trends was based on the sure word of Bible prophecy: More than 2,500 years ago, the Prophet Daniel wrote that, in our modern times, a powerful Islamist bloc would grow to dominate the Middle East (Daniel 11:40-41). The head of this Islamist bloc is Iran, and the reports about its military bases in Iraq are the latest of many proofs of its expanding power.

To learn how to watch these pivotal events unfold through the lens of Bible prophecy, read The King of the South.

Germany’s secret service is a highly motivated spy force that maintains over 6,000 operatives in over 300 locations across the world.

Der Bundesnachrichtendienst (bnd) is today’s outgrowth of the Gehlen Organization, the spy network established by notorious Nazi Gen. Reinhard Gehlen with the implicit support of successive postwar American administrations.

It is well documented that Gehlen recruited former officers and operatives from Hitler’s SS (Schutzstaffel) and Gestapo to staff the fledgling postwar German secret service. Some of these were known to have been party to horrific crimes under the Nazi regime, especially against the Jews. Most of them have since either retired or died, yet still the whole culture of today’s bnd senior cadre—as with many of today’s German institutions—is permeated by the vision of the nation’s old elites for the revival of German imperialism.

Since Germany’s reunification in 1990, the secret service has grown into a highly efficient outfit with a cutting-edge approach to surveillance. For example, a recent parliamentary report revealed that in relation to online surveillance, the bnd checked 37 million e-mails and data connections in 2010, five times the number it checked in 2009.

With so many of its old ex-SS and Gestapo operatives having been channeled in the early postwar years through the Vatican’s “ratlines,” especially to Argentina, North Africa and the Middle East, it is not surprising that the bnd developed a reputation for an outstanding intelligence record in these regions. The most noteworthy example was the bnd’s data reporting in advance almost the very hour of Israel’s surprise attack on its Arab neighbors in the June 1967 war.

Though the bnd has generally stayed out of the spotlight of controversy, some recent headlines indicated a degree of laxity in a couple of cases in which the bnd was involved: the loss of plans for its new Berlin office complex; and what was reported as a botched involvement with a neo-Nazi group. These lapses led to a leadership change at the top.

Gerhard Schindler’s rise to the top in German intelligence has been rapid. He was appointed second lieutenant in the Bundeswehr upon graduating from high school in 1972. He became a police enforcement officer with the West German Border Guard while the Berlin Wall was still in place. Between 1983 and 1989, he received a promotion to a new office every second year. Further promotions followed till Schindler’s appointment as head of Germany’s counterterrorism unit in 2003.

This occurred under the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder when Frank Walter Steinmeier, current leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party (sdp), was the chancellor’s chief of staff and oversaw German intelligence. Thus, since Schindler is an original Steinmeier appointee, it is perhaps not surprising that the sdp favorably commented on his appointment as head of Germany’s secret service in November of last year, despite his being a Free Democratic Party member.

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition, Schindler was promoted as the head of the Public Security Directorate General. Now, just four years later, he has gained Germany’s top intelligence job.

The most significant public statement that Schindler has made since gaining office is, “I don’t want to change the attitude of the staff. In my whole career I have never met so many highly motivated colleagues as here.” With an eye to developing global disorder, he added, “The service must become more willing to take risks …. There must be no hesitation in the world’s crisis regions. We must be the first to go in and the last to leave.”

Here is a man for the moment. Germany is seeking to take a lead role in the Middle East peace process. Its agents are well embedded in North Africa, working with the German military in establishing beachheads for further southward and eastward expansion of German hegemony. Schindler’s hints at ramping up bnd risk-taking gel with recent reports of German elites strengthening their nation’s presence at key points surrounding crucial Middle East oil fields and sea gates.

Thus, the choice of Schindler as Germany’s intelligence chief appears to align directly with the motives of German military advisers, especially given their current recommended strategy in the Middle East. As German-Foreign-Policy.com recently reported, “While the [German Institute for International and Security Affairs] is publicly debating the possibility of a nato war on Syria, the German government’s former ‘coordinator of German American Cooperation,’ Karsten D. Voigt (spd), asserts that the current dispute between the West and Russia over the adequate policy towards Syria is not about ‘human rights versus dictatorship,’ but geostrategic interests” (March 6; emphasis added). Objective analysts would agree.

From a Bible prophecy perspective, there can be no doubt about the fact that Germany is pursuing an alliance with Sunni regimes in the Gulf states as a bulwark against further encroachment south by Iran. This gels with the prophecy of such an alliance revealed in Psalm 83.

“Whereas Russia would prefer a ‘secular dictatorship,’ the usa—according to Voigt—is trying to bring a ‘Sunnite majority regime’ to power. This, in fact, corresponds to Washington’s and Berlin’s new course focused on Islamist circles in the Arab countries and cooperation with also the Muslim Brotherhood. This is why particularly the Islamist countries Qatar and Saudi Arabia were pushing for the recent interventions in the Arab world in close coordination with the West, including with Germany” (ibid).

With Berlin now effectively influencing American Middle East strategy to its own ends, and as the U.S. administration continues to draw down its own militarily forces from this region, watch for the bnd under Schindler’s leadership to take on a higher risk approach to shoring up Sunni regimes in the Middle East, and to be first in and last out when German strategic interests are at stake.

Firefighters are battling the first major wildfires of the 2012 season in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.

In Arizona, four separate fires, as yet uncontained, have engulfed nearly 21,000 acres, turning them to cinders and ashes.

Beginning on May 13, one of the Arizona fires, named Gladiator because it began at a residence on a street with the same name, has burned 5,400 acres about one mile east of the historic town of Crown King. More than 460 firefighters are working to keep the fire away from the area, which includes some 300 residences. Three hundred and fifty residents have been evacuated.

High winds and dry conditions from drought have fanned the flames, and fire officials are expecting much of the same conditions to continue. Fire and weather experts believe that Arizona, New Mexico and Texas will have above-normal potential for fires throughout 2012.

Although some experts see this as a slow start to the wildfire season, this could be a catastrophic warning of what is to come considering that during 2011, a total of 73,484 wildfires burned an estimated 8,706,852 acres of land across the United States, as reported by the Earth Sky website. Wildfire activity during 2011 was exceptionally high and was only exceeded in the historical record by wildfire activity during the years 2006 and 2007. Could 2012 exceed 2011?

Why is America again threatened by a another summer of raging wildfires? Is it possible that God may have something to do with it?

Most people have difficulty believing that God would have anything to do with a raging wildfire.

Yet, the Bible is filled with promises of God blessing obedient people with ample rainfall and cursing disobedient people with drought, which can lead to raging wildfires.

God promises the modern-day nations of Israel (for more on who these nations are, request our free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy), upon obedience to His commandments, “rain in due season” so the “land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit” (Leviticus 26:4).

However, God also says the modern-day nations of Israel will experience curses if they don’t obey. Amos 4:7 says, “And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.” God is sending severe and extreme droughts, as well as raging wildfires, to motivate people in this nation to repent.

The raging wildfires our nation has experienced over the last decade are warnings of far greater disasters that the U.S. and the world will soon experience. Powerful forces of nature are yet to be fully unleashed (see Revelation 6:5-8 and Revelation 8:4-12). Relief from raging wildfires will only come if we repent. For more information related to this subject, read our booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?

The Luftwaffe broke the post-World War ii embargo on Germany’s involvement in military combat beyond its borders when nato sanctioned its engagement attacking Serbian targets during the 1990s Balkan wars.

That was the first indication of German elites’ intention to steadily ramp up the participation of both the EU’s generally, and Germany’s in particular, mounting of forces in combat zones within regions of their own imperial interests. This is most particularly the case, as inferred by a German president, with those regions involving access to raw materials and the flow of goods vital to German industry and commerce.

In the face of public criticism, Horst Köhler was pressured to resign the German presidency for simply telling the truth. “Mr. Köhler set off the criticism when he said in an interview with Deutschland Radio, the public broadcasting station, that German soldiers serving in Afghanistan or with other peacekeeping missions were deployed to protect German economic interests” (New York Times, May 31, 2010).

In the light of Köhler’s revelation, it ought not be surprising then to read of an EU force initiating aggression over land-based targets in the Horn of Africa this week.

Associated Press reported, “The European Union Naval Force patrolling the Indian Ocean on Tuesday carried out its first air strikes against pirate targets on shore, with a pirate reporting that the raid destroyed speed boats, fuel depots and an arms store. … Maritime aircraft and attack helicopters took part in the attacks early in the morning on the mainland, an EU spokesman said” (May 15).

A further report published in the Sydney Morning Herald stated, “The attack involved several European navies, including seven frigates patrolling off Somalia, from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal. Officials said it was ‘a European mission’ and would not specify from which warship the strike was launched.

“‘An unidentified helicopter destroyed five of our hunting boats early in the morning. There were no casualties,’ one pirate, who identified himself as Abdi, said” (May 17).

Referring to a story published in Spiegel Online’s March 27 edition, theTrumpet.com reported:

In consideration of this latest extension of Operation Atlanta’s mission, it is interesting to note that, of all nations contributing to the operation, Germany’s force structure is the most ideally suited to hitting land-based targets.

“Germany is one of the few contributing countries that has helicopters on board its ships which could be used to attack targets along the coast of Somalia from the air. Military experts argue that such attacks should ideally be carried out with cannons mounted on helicopters, to hit the targets as accurately as possible and avoid civilian casualties. The helicopter cannons are considered particularly accurate, and the gun operators also have the advantage of having the target directly in front of them” [Spiegel Online, March 27].

With the initiating of the first attack on Somali shores by the EU Naval Force, Operation Atlanta is set to escalate into a significant involvement by EU forces as EU elites steadily increase the European Union’s military presence in the region of the strategic Horn of Africa. These waters are the key to the security of shipping through the Gulf of Aden, with its access via the Red Sea to the crucial sea gate of Suez.

As we have previously reported, this is part of a prophesied move by the leading power of the rising 10-nation combine in Europe to consolidate its expansion south and east of Rome/Berlin.

“The superior intelligence that reveals Germany’s hand in moving toward a strengthened presence in the nexus between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea comes from a Bible prophecy that predicts a northern power moving ‘south and east,’ ultimately into ‘the pleasant land,’ a term for the region that has generally been called Palestine (Daniel 8:9). This prophecy should be read in tandem with that of Luke 21:20, which speaks of a near future time when Jerusalem will be encompassed by an international military force. This, in fact, will be the final consummation of the ongoing (though presently stalled) Middle East peace process” (ibid).

Keep watching the Horn of Africa as the EU embeds its presence in one of the world’s most strategic of locations crucial to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy for our day.

War is always imminent in Israel. The challenge is not in forecasting the conflict, but in anticipating when exactly it will happen, and more importantly, making sure we never grow deaf to the bells of war.

Last Friday, Charles Krauthammer recalled the conditions that preceded the 1967 Six-Day War. “May ‘67 was Israel’s most fearful, desperate month,” he wrote. “The country was surrounded and alone. Previous great-power guarantees proved worthless. … Time was running out. Forced into mass mobilization in order to protect against invasion—and with a military consisting overwhelmingly of civilian reservists—life ground to a halt. The country was dying.”

Sound familiar?

But while everyone remembers the Six-Day War, Krauthammer wrote, “less remembered is that [on June 1, 1967] the nationalist opposition … was for the first time ever brought into the government, creating an emergency national unity coalition” (emphasis added throughout). Four days later, the reason for Israel’s hasty political consolidation became evident when a united and stable government ordered a deadly preemptive strike on Egypt’s army.

The formation of a national unity coalition was a precursor to war.

On May 7, 2012, almost 45 years later to the day—with Israel once again “desperate and alone,” in a “fearful, desperate” state—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from midnight talks to suddenly and unexpectedly announce that he had formed the largest national unity government ever in Israel’s short history. With the addition of Kadima, Bibi Netanyahu now controls 94 out of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

As in June 1967, Israel’s government is today more united and stable than ever.

Why now? Is it possible, as Krauthammer suggests, that war might soon erupt? “War is not four days away, but it looms,” he wrote. “Israelis today face the greatest threat to their existence—nuclear weapons in the hands of apocalyptic mullahs publicly pledged to Israel’s annihilation—since May ‘67.”

But it’s not just Iran’s nuclear weapons program that alarms Israel and makes war possible.

You wouldn’t know it, listening to all his tough talk and warmongering, but the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is weaker and more vulnerable than most realize. Ahmadinejad faces a growing list of potentially debilitating problems—domestically, within the region and from far abroad. And for Iran’s Holocaust-denying, Jew-hating, apocalypse-inducing president, the window of opportunity to act on his deadly ambitions is closing.

Over the past 18 months, Ahmadinejad has been increasingly at odds with Iran’s mullahs, and especially Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ultimate spiritual and political authority in Iran. In addition, Ahmadinejad’s grip on parliament has also slipped substantially. In the May 4 run-off parliamentary election, the president’s opponents won 41 of the 65 seats up for grabs. His opponents now have more seats in parliament. With his popularity slipping, his political power waning, and presidential elections slated for June 2013, Ahmadinejad is running out of time to act with force and decisiveness. Put differently, he has little to lose, which makes him more dangerous than ever.

Ahmadinejad is also facing enormous pressure throughout the region. Saudi Arabia, Iran’s primary counterweight in the region, is ramping up its opposition to Tehran’s regional hegemony. It is shoring up relations with “moderate” allies and developing closer relations with Europe, especially Germany. On Monday, an agreement by Gulf states to explore a Saudi-led plan to develop a political union (akin to the EU) sparked a furious response from Iran.

Meanwhile, evidence suggests Iran’s relations with Hamas and Hezbollah, its surrogates in Gaza and southern Lebanon, aren’t as rosy as many assume. In a public speech last February, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced, “Iran does not command us.” In Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated in a recent Reuters interview that “Hamas is a Palestinian movement that acts within the Palestinian arena and it carries out its political and field actions in a way that suits the interests of the Palestinian people. Iran did not ask anything from us and we think Iran is not in need of us.”

Reuters reported Hamas as saying that “it will not go to war for Iran.”

Then there’s Syria, where the violent revolution against strongman and Ahmadinejad-confidant Bashar al-Assad continues. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters are being persecuted; thousands have been arrested, tortured or killed. But the anti-government movement refuses to capitulate. Despite the silence and inaction of the West, the consensus is that Assad will eventually be toppled and the regime replaced. The loss of Syria as a pro-Iran, terrorist-sponsoring, anti-Israel ally would be catastrophic for Ahmadinejad.

The more these pressures build and converge, the more likely it is that Ahmadinejad will have to choose. Will he abandon his dream of an Islamic caliphate headquartered in Jerusalem and slip into the night quietly? Or will he go down fighting?

Incidentally, think about what an opportunity this is for President Obama. America’s archenemy, the head of the terrorist snake, is facing a multitude of severe, potentially devastating problems, including political isolation at home, social unrest, and the potential loss of vital proxies throughout the region. Moreover, Iran’s regional enemies would likely support any strategy to undermine Iranian hegemony. Sure, Ahmadinejad is wounded, hence dangerous. But he’s also distracted, weakened and vulnerable. This is potentially a historic opportunity.

America will undoubtedly squander it.

But Bibi Netanyahu may not.

The bells of war aren’t just ringing in Tehran. They’re also clanging in Cairo, where later this month millions of Egyptians will elect a new president. No one knows who Egypt’s next leader will be. But he is certain to be hostile to Israel. It appears Mohammud Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, could be elected. What would Mursi mean for Israel?

Last week, the Middle East Media Research Institute (memri) posted chilling footage from a recent rally at which Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi encouraged voters to elect Mursi. With Mursi smiling supportively beside him, Sheikh Higazai declared that Mursi would help establish the dream of an Islamic caliphate. Within a few seconds, Higazai had gotten to the essence of why Egyptians, especially Muslim Brotherhood supporters, needed to get behind Mursi. “The capital of the Islamic caliphate—the capital of the United States of the Arabs—will be Jerusalem, Allah willing,” he yelled. “Our capital shall not be Cairo, Mecca or Medina. It shall be Jerusalem, Allah willing!”

He then led the throng in an ominous chant, “Millions of martyrs to march toward Jerusalem, millions of martyrs to march toward Jerusalem, millions of martyrs to march toward Jerusalem!” This was followed by a rousing invocation for war with Israel: “Banish the sleep from the eyes of all Jews. Come on, you lovers of martyrdom, you are all Hamas. Forget about the whole world, forget about all the conferences. Brandish your weapons … say your prayers ….”

For those still unclear about what a Mursi presidency would mean for Israel, Higazi spelled it out in his conclusion: “I say this from the podium … from the heart of Egypt, so that the whole world may hear. We say it loud and clear: Yes, Jerusalem is our goal! We shall pray in Jerusalem, or we shall die as martyrs on its threshold.”

Sadly, when it comes to Egypt’s transformation into a radical Islamist state, the world will go on ignoring reality. In fact, Muhammad Mursi is considered a moderate among the presidential candidates. And he was embraced by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the head of the Foreign Relations Committee, during his visit to Cairo earlier this month.

Even if Mursi isn’t elected, the other, more liberal candidates are no less worrying. In a marathon four-hour television debate last Thursday, the two leading presidential candidates, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and former MB member Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, spent the evening lobbing stinging insults at the other, distancing themselves from the Mubarak regime and cozying up to the Islamist vote. At one point, Fotouh said he would implement sharia law. These “moderate” candidates agreed on one issue, however: Both labeled Israel an enemy state. Both pledged support of Hamas in Gaza, and the Palestinian cause in general. And both promised, if elected, to revisit and rewrite the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

The common ground between Egypt’s three presidential candidates is a hatred for Israel.

You watch. The moment any of these candidates is elected, politics in Egypt will quickly catch up with the reality on the ground. The Sinai Peninsula is already lawless territory increasingly riddled with weapons smugglers and Islamist terrorist groups, including al Qaeda. Egypt is already increasing its support of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups. In other words, the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty is already dead. No matter which candidate is elected, preventing Egypt’s Islamists from marching on Jerusalem is impossible.

No matter how you look at it, war is coming to Israel. Not because Israel is motivating Islamists by treating the Palestinians unfairly, as many like to believe. And not because Israel is starving Gazans, which it’s not. And not because Israel recently formed a national unity government, which could mean that it is preparing for conflict.

The reason war is inevitable, perhaps soon, is because millions of radical Islamists—in Iran and Egypt, in Gaza, in the Palestinian territories, and across the planet—live and breathe to conquer Israel and capture Jerusalem!

The bells of war are ringing in Jerusalem. Sadly, too few hear them.