Morning Mail: Iran launches missiles against Israel, homebuyers squeezed, Alexander Zverev wins French Open

Psalm 2 is a royal psalm describing the rebellion of earthly rulers against Yahweh and His Messiah. The 'raging of the nations' is presented as a futile rebellion against divine authority.

The plain meaning is that human rulers, in their pride, conspire to throw off God's rule—a pattern that recurs throughout history whenever nations defy God's purposes for Israel.

Iran's missile attack against Israel fits this pattern precisely: the Iranian regime, which denies Israel's right to exist and calls for its destruction, is raging against God's Anointed by attacking the land and people He has chosen. The psalm's rhetorical question—'Why do the nations rage?'—exposes the futility of such rebellion.

Iran's missile launch is a vivid contemporary example of the nations raging against the LORD and His Anointed. The Iranian leadership's stated goal of eliminating Israel is a direct assault on God's covenant purposes for the Jewish people.

Yet the psalm declares this raging is 'in vain'—as Israel's successful interception demonstrated, the attack did not succeed.

Believers can take comfort that no matter how the nations rage, God's purposes for His Anointed and His people will stand. The missile attack, while serious, is ultimately a futile gesture against the sovereign Lord who laughs at such plots (Psalm 2:4).

Joel 3:1-2 is a prophecy about the last days when God would restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem and then gather all nations for judgment because of how they treated Israel. The 'Valley of Jehoshaphat' is a symbolic location for divine judgment.

The plain sense describes a time when nations are held accountable for scattering God's people and dividing His land.

Iran's missile attack against Israel occurs in the context of a restored Jewish state in the land—a fulfillment of Joel's 'restoration of Judah and Jerusalem.' The Iranian regime's hostility, including its calls to divide the land and destroy the state, places it among the nations that Joel prophesied would face divine judgment.

The missile attack from Iran is not merely a military event but a legal and spiritual matter before the throne of God. Joel's prophecy warns that nations which attack God's people and seek to divide His land will face judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

Iran's aggression places it squarely in that prophetic crosshairs.

This event should remind believers that God sees every missile launched against Israel and will hold the nations accountable. The restoration of Israel as a nation in the land sets the stage for Joel's promised judgment, and each attack brings that day closer.