(24 February 2026) The State of the Union (SOTU) address is only 2 or 3 hours away as I right this.
The way Donald Trump operates (his Modus Operandi, or M.O.) much of the time is he will make many contradictory statements about a given issue, and one never knows what he will actually do. He does this, I believe, to keep enemies off-balance.
This may have been good for America in the making of trade deals, and for tariffs, and for military operations like removing Venezuelan leader Maduro, and the strike of the Iranian nuclear facility.
The Second Signpost
However, Trump’s M.O. will likely apply to the Second Signpost as well.
When will Trump begin the attack on Iran? Will it be to remove the regime? Why so many planes with more firepower than was present at the Iraq War, but with just a tiny fraction of ground troops than were there for the Iraq War?
Will he attack before the next meeting with Iranian delegates on Thursday to discuss the nuclear deal?
Will he begin the attack before the SOTU, after the SOTU, or even during the SOTU? Or next week?
President Trump held his “gang of 8” meeting today with the leaders of both houses of Congress. Senator Chuck Shumer emerged saying this will be big, and that the administration’s case against Iran needs to be presented to the American people.
But that’s really Trump’s style isn’t it? George W Bush argued and wrangled for months before executing the First Signpost, removing Saddam.
But Trump tends to shoot from the hip.
I suspect we won’t have long to wait to see the answers to these questions. The SOTU starts at 9 pm EST.
And to add to the suspense mentioned in the last post, Iran is gathering large ground forces at the Iraqi border. To do so means the IRGC is anticipating something. Hmm . . .
Categories: Signpost #2: Iran, In The News, ALERT, USA in the End Times
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
Trump is more uncertain about doing an attack then he probably was 2 weeks ago, it seems Iran is more prepared with Chinese radar that can reach 600 km which would give them early detection abilities as well Iran,s best hypersonics and ballistics have not been used. a us definitive win on a first strike is anything but conclusive. Trump will not strike when Modi’s in town so the earliest would be Friday or Saturday now, he may be forced into doing a token strike on Iran but doing that will open Pandora’s box, Iran will not buy a limited strike. let’s face it Trump definitely Will not get any deal better than the JCPOA, consequently the need to strike Iran will be overwhelming because of the pressure, we will see.
Hi Mark, this is a bit off-topic but have you ever looked at the differences between the Hebrew/Aramaic book of Daniel and the Septuagint that was in common use at the time of Christ? The English translation of the Septuagint I have reads quite differently than the Hebrew/Aramaic version (mostly derived from the Masoretic text). For instance, the leopard in Daniel 7 is not given “authority” but “language.”
David,
Interesting. I’m not sure which English translation you are using , but the two I have both use the word “power”. The underlying Greek word in any event is “exousia” (έξουσία) which means authority, power, force, mastery. Not sure why the word “language” is used there. I always prefer the Masoretic over the Septuagent but in either case, one should check the underlying word in the original language. See if your translation is “έξουσία”.
Hi Mark, My translation does not come with references/links to the original Greek. It is the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS, eds. Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, Oxford Press). It is unfortunately the only English translation I could find on Accordance; I would have preferred Thomson or Brenton’s translations. For reference, here is the NETS’s text for Dan 7:4–8:
4 The first was like a lioness, having as though wings of an eagle. I kept watching until its wings were plucked out, and it was lifted from the ground and was set upon human feet, and a human heart was given to it. 5 And lo, another beast was after it, having the likeness of a bear. And it was placed on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth. And thus it said, “Rise, devour much flesh!” 6 And after this, I was watching another beast like a leopard. And four wings of a bird were on it, and the beast had four heads, and language was given to it. 7 But after this, I was watching in a vision by night a terrifying fourth beast, and the fear of it was surpassing in strength. It had great iron teeth, devouring and pounding; it was trampling with its feet round about, and it behaved differently from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. 8 And many designs were in its horns, and lo, one horn grew up among them, a little one among its horns, and three of the earlier horns were removed by it. And lo, eyes like human eyes were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things. And it made war against the holy ones.
David,
Thanks for that. From that whole passage it looks like the only surprise is the “language” translation, hence your question. Everything else in the passage looks as it should.