Iraq has seen yet another week of carnage. What started as peaceful protests between Sunni and Shiite Arabs has led to bloody reprisal attacks, similar to those that nearly led to civil war in 2006 and 2007.

To grasp the magnitude of the destruction since Wednesday last week, let’s look first at the Boston bombing on April 15. The horrific attack on American soil shocked the nation, waking many up to the dangers that we face from terrorism. It claimed the lives of three spectators, and a police officer was killed during a gunfight with the terrorist brothers on April 18.

Now look at the events in Iraq from Wednesday May 15, to Monday, May 20.

On Wednesday, a series of car bombs ripped through a number of Shiite districts in Baghdad, claiming the lives of 22 people. The same day, 10 people were killed when two car bombs exploded in the city of Kirkuk. On the outskirts of the city, two policemen were killed by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle, and a roadside bomb detonated near Mosul, killing another policeman.

That was one day.

Thursday was relatively quiet. Twelve people were killed at a local mosque as they paid condolences to those murdered the day before. This year there have been 45 attacks on mosques. Ten of those attacks were in April.

On Friday, 13 people, including at least eight police officers, were taken hostage. The Shiite government suspected Sunni insurgents were responsible.

Bombs went off in Sunni areas in and around Baghdad, killing at least 76 people. It was the bloodiest day of violence in Iraq in more than eight months. The majority of the attacks were against Sunni groups, one of which was a funeral procession. Eight people died in that attack. The body count since Wednesday was hovering around 130.

On Saturday, 14 Shiites were killed in Basra. In retaliation, a Sunni cleric was gunned down later that same day. The police taken hostage on Friday were found in the Anbar province. They had been executed and dumped in the desert.

On Sunday, more police were killed at checkpoints in the Anbar province when Sunni insurgents conducted a series of drive-by shootings.

On Monday, 10 explosions rocked Baghdad. Sixty-four people were killed and 170 were injured. Fourteen people were killed in Basra and three in Samarra. Eight police officers were murdered while out on patrol near the town of Haditha.

That brings the death toll to roughly 200 since Wednesday, with exact numbers still speculative due to the type and frequency of attacks. At this rate, May might catch up to April, which saw 700 deaths in such attacks across the nation.

In one week Iraq saw a death toll almost 67 times greater than that of the Boston bombings. As tragic as the Boston bombing was, the numbers pale in comparison to the violence engulfing Iraq.

This latest round of violence in war-torn Iraq stemmed from a clash between Sunni protesters and government forces on April 23. The protesters were in a camp called al-Hawijah. The government had told them to hand over militants that were suspected of killing a government soldier earlier that month. When the protesters refused, the situation turned violent and led to the deaths of 25 protesters and three soldiers.

Since then, Sunni versus Shiite conflict has been tearing the country apart. Of course, this sort of Islamic infighting is nothing new: Sunnis and Shiites have been at each other’s throats in Iraq for years. And just to the west in Syria, the Sunni majority are attempting to overthrow the Shiite minority that rules under President Bashar Assad. The difference in Iraq is that the Sunnis are the minority. With the fighting in Syria going so well for the Sunnis, it has undoubtedly emboldened and empowered the Sunnis in Iraq.

Back in 2006 and 2007, Iraq came close to civil war. Thousands died as the Sunnis and Shiites turned on each other. The violence was eventually quelled, largely due to the strong American military presence in the country.

Today, the situation could prove far more dangerous. U.S. influence has become barely tangible. While there was no conflict on the western border in 2006, civil war now rages between the Sunnis and Shiites in Syria. Though it may be politically rather than religiously driven, the war in Syria can still provoke conflict in Iraq, where political and religious tensions are becoming more and more intertwined. Without a U.S. mediator, and with increasing violence in Syria, Iraq might descend into the civil war that was narrowly avoided in 2006 and 2007.

With so much bloodshed, violence and chaos, it can be easy to fail to see the broader picture of what is happening in the Middle East. It’s important to note how the situation will eventually play out, because it will affect you. The bombing in Boston shocked America because it occurred domestically. We should also pay heed to the violence in the Middle East, because it is a sign of things to come.

With the aid of Bible prophecy, we can know that Iraq will remain aligned with Iran. They will be a part of what the Bible describes as the king of the south. They will ally together against the king of the north, a unified European power.

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the June 2003 Trumpet print edition,

Daniel 11:40 through Daniel 12:13 happens during the “time of the end.” Oil and money give the king of the south power to “push” and trigger a world catastrophe! …All of these events are tied together. They are horrifying to contemplate! The Bible says we are about to see a religious clash that will stagger this world!Bible prophecy is being fulfilled as you read this article. These prophecies are exploding on the world scene right now at a dizzying pace. This world is about to be plunged into its greatest suffering ever …. It will all begin in the Middle East.

As you read about the terrible tragedies occurring in the Middle East—Iraq or elsewhere—remember that they are tied directly to Bible prophecy, and will affect each and every one of us. Read Mr. Flurry’s article “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” to further grasp the magnitude of where these terrible events are leading in the Middle East.