“‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (Prov. 22:3 NIV)
Christians understand that conflicts in the Middle East will continue until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more we understand the source of these conflicts, the better we are at discerning the times. The Day of the Lord will come as a surprise for those in the world, but as children of light we should not be caught unaware (1Thess. 5:1-4). We should watch and be sober, “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation”. (1Thess. 5:8). As we see danger approaching, we should not hide in fear, but rather take refuge in the secret place of God’s presence (Ps. 91). We should be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, putting on our spiritual armor so we can stand in the evil day (Eph. 6:10-18). In this article I want to share why I believe Iran will be involved in this conflict until the end. As you see events unfold, you will not fall into deception like the rest of the world.
My focus on Iran started many years ago when I listened to a teaching from the Book of Daniel. Jesus Himself directed us to the Book of Daniel to understand end-time events. He told us that a time of sorrows would precede the Great Tribulation. We are currently in this time of sorrows. The beginning of the Great Tribulation, Jesus said, would be marked by the “‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (Matt. 24:15). In a divine visitation, Daniel was told that the king of one of the four divisions of the Greek Empire would “take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.” (Dan. 11:31). This occurred during the time of the Maccabees, but Jesus also spoke of it as a future event. The king who did this in the past was Antiochus Epiphanes of the northern (Syrian) kingdom. He was a type of the antichrist. The actual antichrist will be “broken without human means” (Dan. 8:25), but this man died a natural death. Although some of the prophecies in Chapter 11 were fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, others belong to the last days.
In earlier visions, Daniel was shown that the Medo-Persian kingdom would be replaced by a Greek kingdom, and that this kingdom would be divided into four. From one of these kingdoms would arise a king that would speak “pompous words against the Most High” and “persecute the saints of the Most High” but God would rule in favor of the saints, destroy this king and establish His Kingdom forever. (Dan. 7:25-27). Now we know that the Greek Empire was replaced by the Roman Empire, but since some prophecies for the king of the north still need to be fulfilled, I expect the antichrist to come from a restored Syrian Empire. The teaching I heard stated that this restored Syrian Empire would include Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. It is not surprising to me that Iran is involved somehow in all these countries.
Even though nations are involved in end-time events, it is important to remind ourselves that the powers behind them are spiritual. There are principalities over nations looking for ways to influence mankind. Kingdoms may change, but the unseen rulers remain. The spirit of the antichrist was in this world in New Testament times and has remained until now. In the end, this spirit will find expression in the man of sin, the son of perdition (2Thess. 2:3). Scripture tells us that the “mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He (he) who now restrains will do so until He (he) is taken out of the way.” (2Thess. 2:7). Bible translators are not certain about which pronoun to use here. Some people believe that this is referring to the Holy Spirit who will be removed from the earth with the Church at the start of the Great Tribulation. I disagree with this doctrine because people will still get saved during that time, and salvation cannot happen without the working of the Holy Spirit. I believe that “he who now restrains” is a spiritual power working through other nations.
Considering Iran as the leading nation in a restored Syrian Empire, which nations or people groups are currently opposing it? The first is Israel; the second is Saudi Arabia; the third is America. Obviously, the spirit of the antichrist would target Israel because they brought to us the Messiah, and they will believe in Him in the last days. Saudi Arabia is the enemy of Iran because their people are mostly Suni Muslims while the people in Iran are mainly Shiite Muslims. Suni Muslims believe that Shiite Muslims are heretics. The civil war in Yemen is part of Iran’s conflict with Saudi Arabia. The United States is an enemy of Iran because it is a world power that opposes its goals. It is also an ally of Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Shiite branch of the Muslim faith believes in a messiah-type prophet that will rule the world. The main leader in Iran is the Ayatollah who is both a religious and political leader. Similarly, the government of the antichrist will be both religious and political. Now even if the Shiite faith is used by the spirit of the antichrist to advance its goals, the son of perdition will reject all religions and claim himself to be god.
Communism also is antichrist in nature. The alignment of Communist countries with Iran and Syria is already occurring but the main threat of Communism is towards America. As long as The United States continues to hold the balance of power for the West, the revealing of the son of perdition will be delayed. This is why there is such an effort by demonic forces to weaken and divide America. If my understanding is correct, when America loses this balance of power, we will see the start of the Great Tribulation.
As we see the Day of the Lord approaching, we must continue to take refuge in Christ and work with Him to bring about His purpose. Our prayers are needed so more people can be saved. Paul tells us there will be a great falling away of believers before the revealing of the antichrist, but before this falling away we should expect the often-prophesied end-time revival. With this outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be an increase of spiritual power amongst believers. Let us be open to all that God wants to do to equip us to stand in the evil day (Eph. 6:13).
Highway in the Wilderness 