The Dual Prophecies of Iran – Part Two

 

Welcome to part two of this study regarding Iran in Bible prophecy. Part one, called "Why Iran's Absent from Psalm 83," lodged logical explanations as to why Iran is not part of the Psalm 83 Arab – Israeli war. Part two provides logistical reasons by demonstrating that Iran seemingly faces a double jeopardy in the days to come. This entire study is taken from the commentary of Revelation Road, Hope Beyond the Horizon.

Even though Iran appears to be absent from the climactic, concluding Arab-Israeli War, they are not excluded from two other significant end-time's events. The one most widely taught among eschatologists today is described in Ezekiel 38, and is commonly called the Gog of Magog invasion of Israel. In Ezekiel's prophecy modern day Iran is represented by ancient Persia, and is clearly identified militarily "with a shield and a helmet," in Russia's coalition.

Why Iran's Absent From Psalm 83 – Part One

As the Psalm 83 confederates image depicts, Syrians and Iraqis find association through Assyria, Hezbollah via Tyre in Lebanon, and Hamas hailing from Gaza connects with Philistia. However, there is no mention of Iranians by their three primary historical names, Elamites, Medes, or Persians. This is puzzling, considering Iran reportedly formed bona fide war-pacts in December, 2009, with Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Because Iran is presently providing weapons to Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas, some suggest Iran may be included in Psalm 83 as part of the Assyrians. The Assyrians seem to be among the stronger members in the psalm, because they support the Jordanian army referred to as the children of Lot (Moab and Ammon) in Psalm 83:3

Viability of Iranian attack

It's late in Iran on a dark night, moonless or with heavy clouds. Suddenly the silence is broken by sonic booms, followed by the sound of jets roaring overhead.

Flying in tight formation, Israeli fighter planes drop bunker-busting bombs on a nuclear enrichment plant built into the side of a mountain.

Iranian pilots race for their own jets to fight back, but by the time they take to the sky, it's too late. The Israeli jets streak away.

That, at least, is what Israel would like to happen if it decides to attack Iran in an effort to prevent it from acquiring the ability to make nuclear weapons.

But would it be as easy for Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear sites as it was for the Jewish state to strike an Iraqi reactor in 1981 or a suspected one in Syria five years ago?

Iran and Israel’s fate

                               BY REUTERS

US President Barack Obama has made it clear on numerous occasions that with regard to stopping Iran, “all options are on the table.” In recent days his message has become more emphatic.

Last week, he told The Atlantic that “when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say.” In a speech on Sunday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he declared that his policy was not to contain Iran, it was “to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu noted in his speech to AIPAC on Monday, “Israel has the same policy. “We are determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We leave all options on the table. And containment is definitely not an option.”

Iranian Threat Heats Up

Iran announced Sunday that it was cutting off crude oil sales to France and England, a mostly symbolic act given that Iran provides England less than 1% of its crude, and France claims that it "practically stopped importing Iranian oil," according to the head of the Union of Petroleum Industries. A few days later, the head of Iran's armed forces threatened to attack Israel preemptively through its terrorist proxies in Lebanon and Gaza. The Iranians are once again using bluster to counter the E.U. ban on Iranian oil slated to begin on July 1, and the threat of Belgium-based SWIFT to ban Iran from its system for facilitating transfers of payments among nations through its international network of banks. As a further provocation, the Iranians sent two warships through the Suez Canal in a show of support for global pariah Syria. This follows the Iranian-engineered terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in India, Georgia, and Thailand.

Is Chatter about Attack on Iran Dangerous for Israel?

The chatter about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has become loud and dangerous. At one point the Netanyahu government found the extensive discussion related to an imminent Israeli attack on Iran useful, as it expedited Western action against Iran in the form of tougher sanctions. However, all this talk may now put Israel in a dangerous position wherein Iran may use it as a pretext to strike first.

A February 2 report in the Washington Post that stated "U.S. Secretary of Defense is concerned Israel will launch an attack before Iran enters so-called ‘immunity zone' when military strike won't bust Iran's nuclear facilities." Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is reported as saying that he believes that Israel will attack Iran in April, May or June. The Washington Post's David Ignatius wrote that Panetta thinks that Israel will attack because after the ‘immunity zone' expires the nuclear facilities will be heavily fortified and a military strike will no longer succeed.

Turkey's Siren Song on Iran

Turkey's foreign minister came to Washington on Friday, trying to push another fake "peace in our time" deal with Iran. Given the Obama administration's track record with Iran to date, they may take it – with disastrous consequences.

Ahmed Davotoglu hectored members of Congress and activists who have been pushing for tough measures on the Iranian regime, arguing that a spoonful of sugar was all that was needed to get Iran to "cut a deal on limits to its nuclear program."

"The deal is clear. It could be resolved in a few days," Davotoglu said. The problem was "mutual distrust," made worse by U.S. sanctions. "What happened [as a result of sanctions]? Iran produced more" enriched uranium, he argued.

Iran sends 15,000 Elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Soldiers to support Assad

With the state of Syria getting worse with each passing day, new signs point to continued problems in Syria as Bashar Assad deals with an uprising that is threatening his over decade rule. News reports coming out of the region are suggesting that the Iranians are indeed helping Assad as he tries to maintain his grip on Syria. With the Russians currently stationed on the coast of Syria at Tartus and new news reports that up to 15,000 Special Forces "Quds" troops from Iran are helping Assad to me it shows the dedication and importance that Syria's allies have made in trying to protect the Syrian regime. Russia has a stake in Syria as they are one of their largest, if not largest, arms importer of Russian military equipment. Russia is keen to keep the money flowing to it's arms industries.

Iran's atomic weapons likely out of Israel's reach

Israeli leaders threaten to attack Iran's atomic weapons facilities within the next nine months before Tehran enters the "immunity zone" to then build a bomb. But it might already be too late for Israel operating alone to inflict severe damage on Iran's atomic weapons program.

Last week Israel's defense minister Ehud Barak coined the term "immunity zone" to refer to the point when Iran's atomic weapons know-how, raw materials, experience and equipment are heavily fortified in deep bunkers, immune from an Israeli attack. That means Israel must stop Iran this year before it gains atomic weapons or accept a nuclear armed enemy.

Let There Be No Mistake About Iran's Nuclear Intentions

The diplomatic chatter over an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program has reached new heights. There have been several secret meetings in the past week related to the topic. Israel has also sent out an order putting "Israeli facilities in North America and around the world...on high alert." According to an internal security document obtained by ABC News, "We predict that the threat on our sites around the world will increase…on both our guarded sites and 'soft' sites."

Probably the clearest indication that a strike is getting very near is the Obama administration publicly squabbling with Israel about the need for more time to allow diplomacy and sanctions to work. "There is still time and space to pursue diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. He added that the U.S. "is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons."

The 'Tide of War' Is Not Receding

On January 29, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was interviewed on CBS news. When asked about the situation with Iran, Secretary Panetta responded: "[I]f they [Iran] decided to [build a nuclear device], it would probably take them about a year … [and] …if they proceed and [if] we get intelligence…then…there are no options that are off the table" for the US commitment to stop Iran from building a nuclear arsenal.

Sounds good, except for all the "ifs:" "if they produce" and "if we get intelligence" and "if they decide to do it"

Panetta's "ifs" create the impression that there may in fact be no threat from Iran, that Iran may not be pursuing nuclear capacity, that there is as yet no actionable intelligence about Iranian WMDs, and that maybe Iran has not decided to pursue a nuclear option.

Bombs over Persia

“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:” Ezekiel 38:2-3. Are we seeing the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy God gave to Ezekiel? In the last few weeks the extreme rhetoric that has been tossed back and forth by Iran, Russia, the US, and Israel is striking to say the least. After my commentary entitled “Hybrids” was posted to the internet a few weeks ago people have been asking me “What’s next?” So what is next? Well, what’s the whole world witnessing today?
“Iran plans one-kiloton underground nuclear test in 2012” DEBKAfile Special Report January 10, 2012.

Will 2012 Be the Year Israel Attacks Iran?

Iran believes that an Israeli attack may occur in 2012. Sources inside the Persian state say that insiders surrounding Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei truly believes an attack will be launched on Iran before the presidential election. Therefore, the regime is preparing for that very real possibility.
This thinking coincides with that of the British officials who announced Israel will attack Iran—soon! Their declaration, made in mid-November, stated that the Jewish nation could even hit Iran by Christmas, though we now know that date came and passed without incident. However, the Brits have not changed their minds on the belief that Israel's military strike will occur, though they now believe it will happen in 2012.

The Impending Fall of Iran

Iran is just months away from acquiring a nuclear weapon, so states U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. As Debka.com recently reported, Panetta's "reference to 'a hidden facility somewhere in Iran that may be enriching fuel' reflects the growing conviction among Western and Middle East intelligence experts that Iran has fast-tracked its high-grade uranium enrichment in underground facilities."
Israeli diplomats, military officials, and intelligence personnel were in Washington in December to argue that Iran is much farther along in its nuclear process than U.S. officials have stated. Evidence for this assertion includes soil samples collected at nuclear sites in Iran.

The Link between Iran, al-Qaeda, and End Times Prophecy

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, found Iran responsible for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. But wait; wasn't al-Qaeda responsible for those bombings?
The evidence showed that while al-Qaeda carried out the bombings, they would not have been possible without "direct assistance" from Iran. Judge John Bates wrote that "the government of Iran aided, abetted, and conspired with Hizbullah, Osama bin Laden, and al-Qaeda to launch [the] large-scale bombing attacks against the United States."

UN confirms Iran going Nuclear

In a report issued in early November, the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed for the first time that the rogue Muslim country of Iran, whose leaders frequently vow to destroy Israel, is indeed developing deadly nuclear weapons. The UN agency pointed to what it termed "credible intelligence" evidence that the Shiite clerical regime which has governed Iran since 1979 is engaged in various activities known to be essential to the development of powerful nuclear weapons, including high explosives testing, nuclear blast simulation, and production of a trigger used to detonate atomic bombs.

Poll: 80% of Israelis believe Iran strike will lead to war with Hamas, Hezbollah

With the winds of war swirling in the Middle East right now over a possible coming strike on Iran's nuclear program there has been a flurry of activity in the region as it concerns military preparations. The IDF just completed a week long exercise in Italy with the Italian military.
Further news reports indicate that the IDF will soon host the Greek and Italian militaries in Israel. This coupled with recent long range missions and reports that the UK and US maybe working with Israel on a strike has put the region in a very tension filled vacuum that could spiral out of control very easily.

Is Israel Preparing for an End-Times Attack on Iran?

Is Israel on the verge of launching a military strike against Iran? Strong evidence seems to point to this inevitability.
Israel has been warning the West that the window of opportunity to halt Iran's nuclear progress is closing. Israeli Foreign Ministry officials state that Iran's nuclear progress is outpacing political and sanction efforts, which means that the clock is ticking on Iran's efforts to achieve nuclear weapons.

Iran: Playing a Climactic Role in the End-Times Scenario

While a number of Bible prophecy advocates are promoting Iran's involvement in an impending invasion of Israel, exegetical evidence shows that Ezekiel 38 will not have an imminent fulfillment. (See the author's September 25th article, "Two Coming Invasions of Israel: Ezekiel 38 and 39.") However, it seems that Iran will still have a key role, leading to end-times fulfillment—one which we can discern by comparing the goal of its leadership with Biblical prophecy. As we do, we will see a very dramatic role played by the terrorist actor.

The Mounting War against Israel

There is nothing more dramatic, exciting, and tension-filled than God's blockbuster end-times drama. As with any great story, God's gripping drama of Biblical prophecy contains conflicts, twists and turns, ironies, and exciting climaxes. (Yes, God's end-times drama contains more than one climactic point.)
There is a sense in which that end-times story has already begun, as God aligns events and positions characters for the final seven years leading to the return of Christ. Thus, conflicts are occurring and the tension is mounting toward a climax.