Donald Trump wants ‘Iron Dome’ to protect USA; How does Israel’s Iron Dome work?; Will these really protect?

‘Iron Dome’ missile (Israel Defense Forces photo)

Donald Trump spoke about a type of defensive system he wants the US to have:

Former President Trump said he would create a national guard for the Space Force and build an “Iron Dome” in the U.S. as he laid out his military plans during a Monday address. …

“And we’re going to build a great Iron Dome for missile defense around our nation. Other countries have said Israel has it. You know, [former President] Ronald Reagan wanted this many years ago, but we didn’t have the technology at that point. But now we have the technology,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to create an Iron Dome-style system, stating on the campaign trail over the past year he would work to build “the greatest dome of them all” due to “a lot of hostile people out there.” 08/26/24 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4848896-donald-trump-space-national-guard-iron-dome/

Here is some of what Wikipedia says about the Iron Dome that Israel has:

Iron Dome (Hebrew: כִּפַּת בַּרְזֶל, romanized: Kippat Barzel) is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system,^[8] developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries.^[7] The system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometres (2–43 mi) away and whose trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area.^[9]^[10] From 2011 to 2021, the United States contributed a total of US$1.6 billion to the Iron Dome defense system,^[11] with another US$1 billion approved by the US Congress in 2022. (Iron Dome, Wikipedia, accessed 08/27/24)

Israel has mainly used the Iron Dome to deal with rockets from Gaza.

Here is how it works according to the German news source, Deutsche Welle:

How Israel’s air defense system works

24 August 2024

The country’s air defense system comprises three components. David’s Sling, also known as Magic Wand, can intercept medium-range missiles, drones and cruise missiles. The Arrow system targets long-range missiles.

Iron Dome, meanwhile, can intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells. It has garnered praise on social media for being “Israel’s life insurance.” The system has been in use since March 2011.

How does Iron Dome work?

An Iron Dome battery consists of a radar unit and a control center that can detect projectiles soon after their launch and calculate their trajectory and target. It takes seconds for an approaching projectile to be detected. …

A battery also has three or four rocket launchers with 20 missiles each should projectiles be headed toward populated areas. The interceptor missiles can be maneuvered in the air.

However, they are not designed to strike an approaching projectile but to explode close by and destroy it in the process. Falling debris can, therefore, still cause considerable damage.

There are currently 10 mobile Iron Dome systems in use in Israel. …

According to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the “Iron Dome” has a 90% success rate. Its website says the system has intercepted over 5,000 rockets so far. …

Given the costs, the Israeli army wants to replace its Iron Dome system with a new laser defense weapon called the Iron Beam.

The high-energy laser beam will be used to destroy small missiles, drones and mortar shells. The idea is also that it should be capable of neutralizing drone swarms.

Originally, Iron Beam’s deployment was intended for 2025 but according to media reports, it could be brought into operation sooner. …

The advantages of the Iron Beam system over Iron Dome include far lower costs per shot, theoretically unlimited ammunition supplies and lower operating costs. https://www.dw.com/en/how-israels-iron-dome-protects-against-missile-attacks/a-57513596

Israel hopes, between its Iron Dome and USA assistance, it will be able to handle attacks. Israel’s Iron Dome is part of a multi-tiered missile defense system that Israel has which includes what is also called Arrow, Iron Beam, and David’s Sling.

The Bible shows that God will allow what looks to be a Iranian-Syrian confederation to strike the nation of Israel:

1 The burden against the Valley of Vision.

What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, 2 You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle. 3 All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar. 4 Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”

5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord God of hosts In the Valley of Vision — Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain. 6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,”Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 22:1-14 NKJV)

Elam is a reference to at least some in Iran. The old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Iranians comprise nearly 70 percent of the country. Iranians, though Islamic, are totally distinct from the neighboring Arab peoples of the Middle East. They are a mixed people of the remnants of Media and Elam and other ancestors of Semitic and Hamitic stock. (Stump K. South Asia in Prophecy. Plain Truth, July/August 1986, p. 5)

Kir is of interest as it it looks to include Syrians and others in the region. For example, the Bible tells that after Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took over Damascus, he moved Syrians to Kir. While this does not mean that Kir must (or must only) be a reference to Syria, the fact that Syria is an ally of Iran is interesting. Some believe Kir is an area in the south of Iran (which could then include some in Iraq), while others suggest closer to the Black Sea (which Turkey borders). God’s word has the expression “the Syrians from Kir” (Amos 9:7), which is basically confirmation that Kir of Isaiah 22 would include Syrians. The prophecy that “Kir uncovered the shield” suggests that it will have somehow reduced the effectiveness of Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ and/or other defensive equipment the nation of Israel will use.

The “House of the Forest” was anciently located in Lebanon (e.g. 1 Kings 7:2, 10:17,21; 2 Chronicles 9:16,20)–see also A Discourse on the House of the Forest of Lebanon, pp: 111-134 in Bunyan J. Stebbing H. The Entire Works of John Bunyan, Volume 4. Virtue and Company, 1860.

In Isaiah 22: 8, “Judah” is a reference to those in the land commonly called Israel–God will allow Israel to be attacked! In Isaiah 22:9, consider that “the damage to the city of David” is a reference to at least part of Jerusalem–and notice that the damage will be great. This, in turn, would be expected to result in a massive Israeli, possibly with US involvement, attack against Iran and its allies, like Syria.the

The fulfillment of Isaiah 22:6-9 could lead to the prophesied peace deal of Daniel 9:26-27 and the countdown to the start of the Great Tribulation.

Again notice verse 8: He removed the protection of Judah.

So, the Iron Dome and other items will not be sufficient.

What about the USA?

It is likely that it will take years for a massive system to be in place that could protect most of the United States.

That said, is the USA prophesied to be attacked by allies that it considers to be friends?

Yes.

The Bible teaches that it will be the European King of the North that will destroy the USA.

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

The “he” is the European King of the North. The two Hebrew words translated as “the strongest fortresses” in verse 39 do not appear together anywhere else in the Bible.

Who has the strongest fortresses?

Looking further down in this chapter in the Book of Daniel, we must eliminate the King of the South, because that King is not attacked until later (the next verse). We must also eliminate those in the North (like Russia) and the East (like China), as they do not get involved until later (cf. Daniel 11:44).

Neither the rest of Africa nor Latin America has anything resembling “the strongest fortresses.” The strongest fortresses belong to the United States, and to a much lesser degree, its English-speaking allies. Thus, in current times, Daniel 11:39 looks to be describing when the Anglo-English-American nations are being destroyed. Some might refer to this as WWIII.

The USA is militarily aligned with much of Europe with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.

But this alliance will not work as the USA hopes.

Regarding NATO, here is some information in our free online book from 2023 titled Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?:

Historically, many powerful civilizations have ultimately been destroyed through economic, military, health, environmental, and moral decline. Will alliances like NATO remain helpful through these difficulties?

Scripture says not to despise prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20). Yet, many people have. …

The U.S.A. and U.K. have ruled the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which directly includes the descendants of most (and in a way, all) of the tribes, and plus the U.S.A. and U.K. have also provided some type of protection to all of the other tribes.

That being said, the Bible warns about trusting in Mount Samaria (prophetically, the U.S.A.) in the end times (Amos 6:1)—which Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK do militarily. …

For decades, Washington has pushed the Europeans to spend more on their militaries. The U.S.A. needs to be careful about what it has been asking for. Although it is true that the U.S.A. contributes a vastly disproportionate share to NATO, the more the Europeans themselves spend, the more independent they will be about their spending and military priorities.

Since the Bible says that Europe will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25), we know Europe will end up with a great army. It will also end up with a substantial navy as the Bible says it will have “many ships” (Daniel 11:40). Europe is prophesied be an amazingly marvelous military power that will surprise the world (Revelation 13:3-4).

This will not end well for the U.S.A. or the other Israelitish nations. …

The U.S.A., itself, has repeatedly shown the Europeans that it does not trust them, yet scripture suggests it sometimes will trust them too much. According to the Bible, the time will come when the U.S.A. will find that continental Europe will be an enemy (cf. Isaiah 10:5-11) and not an ally (Ezekiel 23:4,9-10). The Bible warns:

² All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies. (Lamentations 1:2)

Europe will cooperate with the U.S.A. as long as it feels the relationship is beneficial, and then (as prophecy foretells) one day turn totally against the U.S.A. …

The King of the North will deceitfully proclaim “peace and safety” while plotting for the sudden destruction of those opposing him (1 Thessalonians 5:2–3). He will destroy the mighty American-British alliance.

Because of not accepting and understanding biblical prophecies, many political and other leaders will be hoping for and believing in a false peace. The sudden destruction to come is likely to include a nuclear or other high tech attack, and could possibly happen in conjunction with a NATO training or other exercise that would catch the U.S.A. and its Anglo-Saxon-Celtic allies off guard (cf. Lamentations 1:1-2). Other nations are likely to also be involved. …

The time will come when the U.S.A. and NATO will be no more. NATO or other arrangements will give the Europeans cover for publicly preparing for a military event, while giving it the ability to publicly state that such preparations are only parts of an exercise. The Germans have historically used the element of surprise to gain military advantage—remember WWII and blitzkrieg? Europe one day will turn on the U.S.A. (Lamentations 1:1-2, Daniel 11:39; Isaiah 10:5-12). Weapons of mass destruction, and not necessarily just nuclear, will be employed.

As long time readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have felt for decades that the Europeans would attack the USA deceptively under the guise of a NATO exercise, and probably will have ground assistance from Mexico.

This is not something that an ‘Iron Dome’ system will be set up for.

Rockets and the Iron Dome are NOT the solution for Israel or the United States.

Repentance would be, but is not expected.

Notice that lack of repentance is listed as a reason that the King of Assyria (the final King of the North) will become Ephraim’s king:

3 I taught Ephraim to walk…5…But the Assyrian shall be his king, Because they refused to repent. 6 And the sword shall slash in his cities, Devour his districts, And consume them, Because of their own counsels. 7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him. (Hosea 11:3a, 5b-7)

The prophesied shame is starting to come upon the Anglo-American powers. The Assyrian king is also prophesied to eliminate the USA per Isaiah 10:5-12.

Pray as Jesus taught (Matthew 6:10) for establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
About Baptism Should you be baptized? Could baptism be necessary for salvation? Who should baptize and how should it be done? Here is a link to a related sermon: Let’s Talk About Baptism and Baptism, Infants, Fire, & the Second Death.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to three related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For, The Future King of the North, and Rise of the Prophesied King of the North.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.