The Feast of Trumpets is almost upon us. It is good to reflect on God’s guidance and ultimate victory. The world is so far away from the righteous decency that He has laid out for us it’s hard to know where to start. In spite of that, we can still be thankful for His truth, His word and the tremendous blessings we still enjoy.

This is all the more poignant as we reflect on the events of 9/11/2001. Most of us can remember where we were that day. My grandfather was actually airborne when the attack took place, en route to a reunion. His plane was grounded. Instead of continuing on his trip he returned home to be able to address the situation on TV and in print. As far away as that day seems at times the effects are still with us. In many ways it was a pivotal moment.

It is not insignificant that we still find ourselves embroiled in the turmoils of the Middle East. However most people may feel about our conflict with Iran, there is no doubt that they would inflict that and more on us again if given the chance.

Things got hot around Hormuz again this week. The announcement that the former passageway was clear of mine prompted Iran to try and launch more from shore, which is not exactly the ideal method. It has escalated from there, with attacks and reprisals rippling across the region.

The idea that oil and goods were flowing again essentially spells doom for Iran. Control of the Strait is leverage they need to retain relevance and their grip on power. Analysts debate how much oil is currently flowing. Ships transiting with their transponders on are few and far between, but this does not tell the whole tale. Most switch off and proceed with escort, and pipelines bypassing the strait have contributed a great deal.

This is why we see the Houthis on full offense over the last days, seizing an important island, with the encouragement and backing of Iran. Added pressure in the Red Sea keeps the trouble alive, and has indeed contributed to a spike in oil prices this week. Iraqi militias also struck a major Saudi pipeline. The Saudis have asked the US to intervene, but the feeling is we would prefer to have them step up and do their own dirty work. Time will tell.

There is plenty to be on alert about but we can thank God for the opportunity to pause on this double Sabbath Day and look forward to the time when all of these problems will be behind us.

-Michael

The post Weekly Update by Michael Armstrong – September 11, 2026 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Houthis have threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the U.S. have meanwhile stepped up their attacks as they vie for control of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited in peacetime, setting off a scramble for alternative routes.

As the U.S. carried out a 12th night of strikes across Iran, President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-60d46bf8c83c43a8f2268b7b87627c55?fbclid=IwY2xjawTPSiFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeuZ1Lq2rDtiyR1dhQXh4d-X_zsuMMqtEntnSP8iRO6WTLYBvh-1iqVXhS2pc_aem_nGzQB1qm2sBC-rlaO2veHA

The post Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to widen Iran war first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

DUBAI/CAIRO, July 20 – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that opens a new front against the United States in its war on Iran and widens the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

Iran had pressed the Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea if the U.S. continued to attack Iranian power infrastructure.

In their statement, the Houthis’ armed forces said they were declaring “a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye’, effective immediately…”

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/yemen-houthis-maritime-embargo-saudi-arabia-oil-rcna588345?fbclid=IwY2xjawTLfbBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeOV2MDMivHHTuNmeZu2RyZJhV8XYFP9ChZY6w9BLoS94VnFwPE9o4o804QrA_aem_jbiiEo-Zi4-09PAwxagE-w

The post Yemen’s Houthis declare naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, widening threat to global oil supplies first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The video, published days after the attack, shows the vessel being struck by explosives, boarded by militants, and ultimately sinking following a series of coordinated assaults.

Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/yemen-houthi-video-ship-attack-red-sea-2096572

The post Video Shows Dramatic Houthi Ship Attack first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. They did not immediately claim responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks.

The post Tanker adrift after multiple attacks in Red Sea, UK maritime agency says first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The submarine cables were struck out of commission through sabotage in recent months, claimed Israeli news outlet Globes.

Attacks by the Houthis are widely considered to have damaged the cables believed to belong to the AAE-1, Seacom, Europe India Gateway (EIG), and TGN systems.

The knock-out marks serious disruption in communications between Europe and Asia and a new step in the battle to stop the group’s efforts to dominate across the vital Red Sea shipping lanes.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/02/26/report-houthis-sever-undersea-communications-cables-linking-europe-and-asia/

The post Report: Houthis Sever Undersea Communications Cables Linking Europe and Asia first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The warship, with a crew of about 240 sailors on board, left the German Navy’s largest base in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast on Thursday morning.

“This is the most serious deployment of a German naval unit for many decades.” Jan Christian Kaack, the inspector of the German Navy, said. “There is no unit in the German Navy that is better prepared, better trained and better equipped for this.”

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/german-frigate-departs-red-sea-151142404.html

The post German frigate departs for Red Sea as part of EU mission first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The U.S. airstrikes targeted Houthi military sites, including a missile site. The site housed ballistic missiles that U.S. officials said posed a threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels.

The Houthis earlier had warned of further attacks in response to airstrikes by American and British warplanes in recent days.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/01/16/Yemen-Houthis-conducted-Gibraltar-Eagle-missile-strike/7921705397859/

The post U.S. launches third airstrike against Houthis in Yemen first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

They tell us protest is what the United States is built upon.  We’ve seen “protests” go wrong, ending up in mass looting events, with no effort to put a stop to it. Protesters have free reign, because they’ve got arguments!  Police have to suppress any feelings and put up with their antics. 

Well now there are protests from the other side. Nothing is being stolen, but…traffic is backed up. Apparently the farmers in Europe have had just about enough of the government’s high and mighty rules and regulations. This is happening in Germany and all over Europe. There are details in the demands, but you get the picture. They say it’s all about government subsidies. I think it’s about global warming mandates.  

The concept of protest is the darling of the left. They can be so self righteous in their insistence that something is unfair. What happens when the tables are turned? Have you seen the pictures of the tractors at the Brandenburg Gate? All this lecturing, contrary to common sense, has gotten old.

There are big meetings going on and about to go on in Europe. They talk about the “transition to green energy” as if it’s an article of faith. But there’s a huge wild card, unspoken. You know who. If he should defy all the odds, win the legal cases, all their pie in the sky speeches may mean nothing.

Finally America has struck back against the Houthis. We’ve bombed them high and low, and hope they’ve gotten the message. They’ve been menacing world shipping in the Red Sea for a while now, and that’s a big deal. Much was made of the fact that nothing had been done to make them stop, but finally the U.S. hit them with dozens of airstrikes. Mind you, they are “coalition” air strikes, that way they have to take revenge on lots of us. Many nations have stayed out of the fray, hoping they won’t become a target.  

As much as I’ve enjoyed the scandals of Fani Willis, dare not go into it here.  You’ll have to look on your own if interested.  I don’t think they’re banking on losing to Trump’s lawyers, but it may turn out that way, assuming the judges aren’t swayed by the common logic.  But they may be.  They’ve tried to ban Trump from the ballot, on the pretext that he caused “an insurrection.” Colorado ruled against allowing him to participate based on their own conclusions, borne of kindergarten talk.  Other states have gone down this road, to no avail.  

Meanwhile everybody’s worried about our “democracy.” They think democracy is fine, as long as the authoritarians get to tell us what’s up.

Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has apparently decided that the flood of illegal immigrants has gone far enough. He sent the Texas National Guard to replace federal border agents, taking control of significant acreage comprising a state park in Eagle Pass.  (Why didn’t this happen about 10 million ago?)  He sent in the state’s national guard to dislodge the federal agents who are choreographing the invasion. And wouldn’t you know it.  The Biden regime is suing!  You’re going to love their statement. “Texas’ new actions demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies.” It seems that we already have an emergency, that the feds are facilitating.  Just a personal observation.

If they over-run Texas, and end up being able to vote, we’re done. Texas has been a bulwark for conservatism. If this state gets over-run, it may well be a harbinger of things to come.  

Mark

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – January 12, 2024 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Iranian navy has seized a US-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of a long-running dispute with the US over an American court order a year ago that seized Iranian oil on the tanker and unloaded the cargo in Texas.

Official Iranian news agencies said on Wednesday that the tanker had been taken on the authority of an Iranian court order, but the news will add to the growing tensions about freedom of navigation in the region as a result of repeated Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthis say their attacks are designed to disrupt the Israeli economy and the naval forces protecting Israel, primarily the US’s, as a result of the war in Gaza.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/11/iran-seizes-oil-tanker-with-links-to-us-in-gulf-of-oman

The post Iran seizes oil tanker with links to US in Gulf of Oman first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.