The State Department announced Thursday that U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East and Central Asia would be closed on Sunday as a precautionary measure due to terror-related concerns. Twenty-one embassies, including the ones in Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Middle East nations, will be closed “out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting,” said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf. On Friday, the State department went a step further and issued a worldwide travel alert to all Americans which will last through August 31.

These announcements came as a result of an unspecified al Qaeda threat. “It’s my understanding that it is al Qaeda linked … and the threat emanates in the Middle East and in Central Asia,” Republican Ed Royce said Friday. nbc News reported that “officials said the threat appeared to be related to al Qaeda and tied to Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which ends Wednesday.”

Consider this threat in light of what President Obama said during a speech on May 23: “Today the core of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on the path to defeat. Their remaining operatives spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against us.” If al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, why is it that America is shutting the doors to 21 embassies and issuing a worldwide travel warning?

More proof exists that al Qaeda is far from defeated. Consider its most recent activity: On Tuesday, militants launched a raid on two high-security prisons on the outskirts of Baghdad that resulted in more than 500 inmates escaping. Hakim Al-Zamili, a senior member of the security and defense committee in the Iraqi Parliament, stated that “most of them were convicted senior members of al Qaeda and had received death sentences.” A coordinated attack like this on two high-security prisons certainly doesn’t sound like al Qaeda is thinking about its own safety. It sounds like it’s the one on the offensive.

Brookings Institute counterterrorism specialist Bruce Riedel said, “The prison break dramatically illustrates al Qaeda’s resurgence in Iraq and that the gains of the [U.S. military] surge were temporary.” Is al Qaeda really on the path to defeat? Despite what the president says, al Qaeda is very much alive and flexing its muscles for all to see.

Note the laundry list of al Qaeda successes the National Review Online provided on August 1:

Since the waving of the “mission accomplished” banner last summer, al Qaeda affiliates have killed an American ambassador in Libya, and hoisted their flag above the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. They have taken the lead in the rebellion against the Assad dynasty in Syria. They have fought an American-backed government in Yemen, and they conquered much of Mali before French troops drove them back into the desert. They continue to slaughter Christians in Nigeria—more than a thousand last year. They have regenerated in Iraq since the departure of American troops …. They remain undefeated in Afghanistan and Pakistan, poised for the opportunity further American troop withdrawals will present. Last week, they attacked Turkish diplomats in Somalia. On Monday, al Qaeda’s close ally, the Taliban, attacked a jail in northwest Pakistan, freeing as many as 200 prisoners.

The U.S. may have declared victory in Iraq, but with over 1,000 civilians killed in Iraq last month—the deadliest month in five years—can it really be considered a victory? Afghanistan is following suit. With the 2014 withdrawal nearing, many question if the gains made by coalition troops can be held. “If all the troops come home, it could be disastrous,” said Ahmed Majidyar, an Afghanistan expert with the American Enterprise Institute. “The Afghan forces won’t be able to defend against the Taliban in some remote areas, especially in the south and east.”

After 12 years of bitter war, it is becoming abundantly clear that America’s efforts in the Middle East have been fruitless. As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote back in 2003,

The pride in our power has been broken!We must stop those powers that nurture terrorism. If we fail, our future is extremely black. On the other hand, the outcome could be the opposite. We could be a terror to any nation who dared sponsor terrorism against us and our allies. But those days are gone with the wind!So brace yourself for a terrifying future, unless our people awaken.

The fact that America is closing so many of its embassies this weekend proves that America is not the terror, but the terrorized. What is the cause for this? God says He has broken the pride of America’s power because we have rejected Him. Read Leviticus 26 to understand the terrifying future Mr. Flurry warned about. But recognize the hope in that chapter as well. God says that if you repent and turn to Him, He will forgive you and not bring all of these curses upon you. It’s in your hands.

To understand why America has failed to bring stability to the Middle East, be sure to read “Why We Cannot Win the War Against Terrorism.”