More ships from US, UK, France deployed to Gulf

Syria's dictator Assad was called by the Arab League to step down. He refused. The pressure is rising. The violence is increasing. In other news from the Middle East,

US aircraft carriers to deliver 'direct message to Iran'
"In an apparent show of strength, Washington is deploying a second carrier strike group in the Gulf. US officials also confirmed their commitment to maintaining a global fleet of 11 aircraft carriers despite budget pressure to cut the fleet's size. ... Panetta added that the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is on course for the Persian Gulf – and will steam through the Strait of Hormuz in a direct message to Iran, AP reports."

According to the Navy website as of January 20, 2012, the excerpt below show the following carriers and groups' deployment. The Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain in the Red Sea.

Navy status as of January 20, 2012

The European Union decided to implement oil sanctions against Iran over the next few months. The EU will also sanction the Iran Central Bank and to ban all trade in diamonds, gold and other precious metals with the bank and other public bodies.

In retaliation, Iran threatened, again, to close the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a natural chokepoint though which a third of all global oil is exported by ship.

In retaliation,  British, French ships join US carrier in Strait of Hormuz, "Earlier, Britain's Ministry of Defence said a British Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll and a French vessel had joined the carrier group to sail through the strategic waterway."

Oh, boy, they are really piling up over there.

But wait, there's more! In addition to Argyll, the "HMS Westminster left Portsmouth for a seven-month deployment east of Suez, passing hundreds of relatives who waved off loved ones from the Round Tower."

The areas in the world prophesied to be highly active in the last days are now in the news on a constant and center-stage basis. The battles to come, as described in Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39 are nearly here. The amount of world attention, diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and war materiel being drawn into the exact sphere where the launching pad for the Tribulation will occur is absolutely amazing. It is all happening right before our eyes. The Epicenter is like a magnet and the rest are iron shavings being drawn inexorably toward the final confrontation.

It is not a confrontation with each other, but penultimately, they are being drawn into a confrontation with their own sin, and ultimately it will be  a confrontation with Jesus.

It is all happening right before our eyes. Look at it! Then look up, for our Redemption does not seem to be far off.

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