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SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS: The Iran War and Prophecy

Things are moving fast in the Middle East, and while I hope to provide as many helpful comments as possible, the nature of our comments and our schedule doesn’t always allow the quick response I’d like to offer. For that reason, I highly recommend getting on the free Daily World Watch mailing list. Bro. Myles sends out daily news items which allow us to follow events as they progress. Click here to get on his mailing list.

There are a lot of things happening right now, so what we’ll do first is quickly summarize what is happening, and then we’ll discuss how it fits into prophecy and what we might expect to come.

What’s Happening

Iran Has Taken a Severe Beating

Last year, Israel conducted a strike on the defense systems which surrounded Iran’s nuclear sites, effectively paving a clear path to the nuclear facilities if they saw fit to attack them. What we have just witnessed is the execution of that goal. Israel has directly targeted Iran’s nuclear sites and destroyed or severely damaged nearly all of them (a few sites remain, but these will require US assistance). They’ve also eliminated most of the senior military command and targeted their energy industry by striking oil targets throughout the country (World Israel News, United with Israel). Israel has the ability to eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei but has so far postponed doing so due to American push back. With essentially all of his closest political and military allies eliminated, Khamenei knows he is next and is being shuffled from bunker to bunker (Daily Mail). Instead of backing down, Khamenei has warned that the “battle begins” and has launched hypersonic missiles at Israel (UPI). Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu still aims to eliminate Khamenei, claiming that his “assassination will not escalate the conflict, but end it” (CNN).

Iran has been able to return fire to some degree and has even managed to sneak a few missiles through Isarel’s Iron Dome and cause casualties – something which is almost unheard of (World Israel News). But the damage cannot compare to what Israel has inflicted. It’s being said that Israel now “rules the skies of Tehran”, and they have pledged that the offensive will continue until all nuclear and missiles threats are removed (World Israel News, Times of Israel). Iran has suffered a colossal blow, and headlines everyone are saying that Iran is left with few options for retaliation (MSNBC). One way they can fight back is through the desperate use of “dirty bombs” which spread radiation over civilian areas (World Israel News).

How the US is Looking to Get Involved

Trump has been pushing Iran to the negotiating table for some time, but Iran has simply been using “negotiations” to buy more time to build up their nuclear program (like they have always done). The US has only signaled that they approve of Israel’s strikes, and Trump has threatened that the US will join in if Iran doesn’t make a deal. Trump sees Israel’s actions as necessary and welcomed, for they not only reduce the Iranian threat, but they also help push Iran to take the negotiating table seriously (Newser, Times of Israel).

But so far, Iran hasn’t done this, and it seems that Israel’s requests of American strike support are getting the greenlight (World Israel News). Israel has destroyed most of Iran’s sites, but some nuclear facilities like the one at Fordow are buried underneath mountains and can’t be reached with Israel’s bombers. As World Israel News explains, “Fordow, buried deep under the mountains near Qom, is considered virtually impenetrable without U.S. assets like B-2 or B-52 bombers and precision bunker-busting munitions.” Trump is presently sending these very assets to the area along with an aircraft carrier, clearly signaling that America is going to bomb Iran as well (Daily Express). Consider the following headlines:

It would be worthwhile to consider how the rest of the world is responding, but for time’s sake, let it suffice to say that many western nations are glad that Israel is “doing the dirty work for them” (World Israel News). Russia and her allies are, of course, less enthused as Iran is their ally. Let us now consider the important part:

How this Relates to Prophecy and What to Expect

As all of these events are intertwined, the easiest way I can think to discuss the relevance of these events is by grouping them into two categories: how these events fit into prophecy and show that it is being furthered, and what parts do not seem to fit with prophecy, meaning that they simply require more development.

How the Events Fit in with Prophecy

We cannot stress the excitement and joy it brings us to witness the near-paralyzation of Iran, for it is something that we have been anticipating since late 2021. As we have stated many times, prophecy shows that when Christ returns and begins to conquer the earth, the first phase will involve a war with the Islamic nations surrounding Israel (Psalm 83) and the second phase will involve a war with Russia and some of their allied nations (Ezekiel 38-39). What’s important is that Iran (Scripturally known as Persia) is not part of the first conflict, but they are part of the second. As things stand today, it is easy to see how Iran would be an ally of Russia like prophecy says (Ezekiel 38:5, 7) because they are currently allies. The difficulty lies in explaining why Iran is absent from the previous conflict of Psalm 83, for Iran is the sponsor-state for most of those nations. By all reason, if Israel’s Islamic neighbors are waging war on Israel, Iran would be involved. Yet prophecy is not a predication – it is the revelation of sure, future events from the Divine Mind which knows the end from the beginning, and it was therefore not a question of if Iran would be absent from the first prophesied conflict, but why. Yet it must also account for why Iran could resurface for the later conflict of Ezekiel 38. We therefore must look for something which would weaken Iran, but not destroy it completely.

It has been our thinking since 2021 that Iran would be temporarily weakened by Israel (and perhaps the US) through the destruction of their nuclear facilities and missile sites, and this would prevent them from fighting alongside the Psalm 83 nations. Since Iran is so far away from Israel, the only way they can personally inflict damage is through missile strikes, so to eliminate their nuclear and missile sites is to neutralize the Iranian threat. We have just witnessed this very thing! It seems that it is no longer a theory, but it a fact of the past! They comprise the headlines of our day:

Particularly if the US proceeds to use its bunker-buster bombs to destroy the hard-to-reach nuclear facilities, the Iranian threat to Israel will now effectively be neutralized for the time being. There is still talk of America signing a nuclear deal with Iran, and this would tie Iran’s hands even more.

Yet the conflict isn’t over yet, and Iran still has some ability to attack Israel which might work to fulfill other prophecies.

What Requires Further Development

In examining the first phase of Christ’s conquering plan and the Middle East situation today, we find that there are three basic things which still require fulfillment in order for the Psalm 83 war to be fulfilled and Christ to save Israel from it:

1.     Israel is to stand alone against her nearby Islamic neighbors.

Many prophecies show that Israel must eventually stand alone against her enemies because it will be Christ that saves them, not any carnal nation. This is discernible from some of the following testimonies which we will note quote here for time and space – Isaiah 63:1-6, 41:6-16, Habakkuk 3:13, Zechariah 9:14-16, 12:5, Deuteronomy 33:27-28, and others.

The reason Israel must be alone is because this will be what brings about their weakened state and therefore their cry to their Messiah for salvation. Christ told Israel before his ascension, “Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). The only other time Israel has ever said this was when they welcomed Christ into Jerusalem and tried to set him up as their King (Matthew 21:5-11). The meaning of Christ’s words is that Israel would not see their Messiah Jesus until they assume the disposition they did two thousand years ago and welcome him as their King. Such is not the present state of Israel. They are God’s people, but they are in blindness and must be weakened and humbled the assume this lowly position to seek their Lord. Hosea 5 actually has a prophecy of this, and I believe Christ was referring in part to this verse when he told Israel of the conditions upon which they would see him:

Hosea 5:15 – I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

Christ ascended to the right hand of his Father and has not been seen since, but he will return to Israel when they seek his face.

What might cause Israel to stand alone? There are many possibilities. Their main ally is America, so we must look for things which could drive a wedge in that relationship. It is well known that Trump can change his tune quickly if a nation doesn’t align with his goals, so there are many possibilities there. Perhaps Israel will go “too far” in their war against their enemies and lose American support that way. We can’t know for sure at this point - we wait to see.

2.        Israel is to be weakened.

There are various views on this, but I find Scripture to teach that Israel will be weakened before Christ returns to them. The evidence goes beyond the fact that Scripture shows Israel weakened. As we mentioned earlier, Israel’s infliction by their enemies is what will bring about the repentant and humble disposition that they must have to accept their Messiah. It is significant that this is the process we have seen Israel go through so many times that it is difficult to count: Israel is comfortable, they forget their God, God raises an enemy to punish them, Israel groans and realizes that they have sinned, they repent and cry to God, and God sends a deliverer. We find all of these parts in the latter-day prophecies concerning Israel.

Let it be clearly stated that when I say “weakened”, this does not mean that they will be completely subdued or go into captivity. The Scriptures say that when Israel is gathered from their dispersion and planted in their land again (as they are today) will never be uprooted again (Amos 9:14-15). God says in Amos 9, “I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them.” So Israel will not be removed from their land or destroyed, they will simply be weakened and perhaps lose some of their fortifications and pieces of territory as in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The passage recently cited in Hosea 5:15 shows the “affliction” aspect clearly: “in their affliction (not dispersion) they will seek me early.” A few other prophecies which show this are as follows: Isaiah 17:3-7, Zechariah 12:7, 14:4-5, Habakkuk 3:13, Joel 3:16, Obadiah 1:17, 21, Zephaniah 3:17, and others.

3.     The Psalm 83 nations must unite to fight against and weaken Israel.

To me, this will be the most interesting to see developed. It is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle because this Islamic alliance will be the affliction which humbles Israel. The nations and players listed in this confederacy in Psalm 83 are Lebanon, the Gaza Strip (the “Palestinians” of today), Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and in my view, the Bedouins of the Negev. Yet today, this alliance is not fully formed, and its members have been weakened by Israel as of recent and discouraged by Israel’s success against Iran. What will bring about this confederacy and make them strong enough to inflict harm on Israel? It is clear that much needs to be developed, but it could all come together with lightning speed.

While there are many ways this could come to pass, I will share what I find to be most the likely possibility. It’s possible that the Psalm 83 nations do not fight an Israel that is as strong as it is today, but one that is already somewhat weakened. We recently spoke about Iran seeking to use a “dirty bomb” against Israel, and it’s significant that Iran has already been able to get some missiles through Israel’s Iron Dome and cause casualties.

Why did the Iron Dome not intercept all of the missiles? NBC explains that “the Iron Dome could face saturation if dealing with several missile attacks coming from different direction, overwhelming the system” (Daily Digest). In a last ditch effort, Iran could fire whatever they have available and either weaken or exhaust the Iron Dome’s defensive capability. Israel only has so many rockets for the Iron Dome, and their stockpile is being depleted every time Iran fires a missile. If Israel’s Iron Dome isn’t effective, one of their greatest defenses is now no longer viable, and Israel is more susceptible to attack. The last few years have seen skirmishes which depleted Israel’s resources to worrying levels, and it was feared that the Biden administration wouldn’t help replenish it (they eventually did). All of this is to say that there are ways that Iran could weaken Israel to some degree, and such would be viewed by the Psalm 83 nations as an opportunity to “drive Israel into the sea”, as they say.

Yet we must also remember that the war in question is prophesied to be a religious war (Psalm 83:12). This is evident from both prophecy and history, for the Islamists believe that the land is theirs and that their Allah-given duty is to wipe Israel off the earth and fully possess the Dome of the Rock. Such wars are not often waged strictly on logical grounds, but spiritual ones. History has shown how religious zeal can overcome great odds, regardless of whether that zeal is based on truth or not.

This religious hatred already exists, but it’s clear that something else is required to kick them into motion. In a recent discussion with a fellow Bible student, a possibility was mentioned about the destruction of the Dome of the Rock which would almost certainly catapult the Islamic nations to holy war. It is without question that the Dome of the Rock will eventually be beaten to dust, for when Christ inherits the land, he will cleanse it of every foul and wicked thing and “cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered” (Zechariah 13:2). The question is, will it be destroyed before Christ appears in the land, or will he personally execute it?

If you’ve been able to scroll beyond the headlines about Israel’s wars, you will likely have seen the increasing calls and preparation for the third temple by the Jews. It has been in process for years, and as of late the talk has become far more serious. They are wanting to build it on the same site as the previous temples, and the Dome of the Rock is in the way. If the Jews were somehow to destroy or harm the Dome of the Rock (or even begin to take it over), this would excite the Sunni Islamic states to holy war (Saudi Arabia included as they are primarily Sunni and part of the Psalm 83 confederacy).

Yet there is also a fittingness in Christ himself destroying the Dome of the Rock. The building itself has many inscriptions on it, amongst which we find blasphemous statements like these:

“The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God… Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son… It befitteth not (the Majesty of) God that He should take unto Himself a son” (The Arabic Islamic Inscriptions On The Dome Of The Rock In Jerusalem).

Yet God declares of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). How fitting it would be for the Son of God himself to crush the abomination in which these words are inscribed. It is also interesting that this declaration in Matthew 17 is made in relation to the transfiguration, and this was a vision of Christ coming in his kingdom (Matthew 16:27-17:2). The primary purpose behind God’s declaration of Christ in the transfiguration was to teach the disciples present how Christ was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, and that all was bound up in him. This is why Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets) were given to appear in the vision. God’s declaration that they should hear JESUS clearly showed the disciples that Christ was the subject of the law and prophets (Acts 28:23). Yet the fact that the transfiguration was a vision of Christ coming in his kingdom would seem to give God’s declaration of him a relevance to that same future time, and indeed it does. When God sends His son to the earth again, it will be to declare that JESUS is the anointed Son of God. It will be to teach and establish the fact that JESUS is God’s son whom He has chosen to sit on His throne and subdue all enemies. These things are beautifully illustrated in Psalm 2:2-11 for those who have time to read it.

Either way, whether the Dome of the Rock’s destruction will be executed by Christ himself or before he appears, we cannot know. If it does somehow come to pass by the hand of Israel (likely in the midst of war) and their “holy site” is destroyed, reason flies out the window and is replaced by spiritual anger. The Islamists would not reason “we are strong enough to destroy Israel”, but rather, “Israel has destroyed one of Allah’s holy sites, so Allah will deliver them into our hand!” Perhaps this will be how the Psalm 83 nations arise together? We shall see.

Things are transpiring quickly, and many of these things just considered are suggestions. It is the responsibility of each servant of the Lord to watch and the signs of our Lord’s coming and prepared for his coming, so we encourage all to keep up with what’s happening as much as possible. Bro. Myles’ Daily World Watch is a great help to this end, and we will share commentary as much as time allows. Until then, let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for in doing so, we are praying for Christ to return and dwell amongst Israel. Micah says that “this man (Jesus) shall be the peace, when the Assyrian (Psalm 83:8) shall come into our land” (Micah 5:5). Only then will Israel dwell safely:

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.


In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

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