Eerie Iranian Intrigues

By Terry James

Realities of the hour in the land demonically reigned over by the prince of Persia, according to God’s Word (Dan. 10:13, 20) look more eerily ominous by the moment. That Iran, which is the modern name for much of the land of ancient Persia, is front and center in the headlines of today’s news should, perhaps, not astonish the student of Bible prophecy. However, things stacking up on the prophetic horizon flood the news. The frequency and intensity of apocalyptic-like crises make those spiritually attuned to Christ’s words come to the alert: “What I say to one, I say unto all; watch” (Mark 13:37).

Such a siren call is certainly in our ears at the moment. The shrillness of the geopolitical alerts sounding across these stormy pre-tribulation skies are filled with forewarning that one of the key end-of-days prophetic players is contributing mightily to the brewing tempest.

“Iran has condemned the latest Israeli threats to ‘strike’ Iran as Tel Aviv releases news of its biggest ever joint war games with the US. In a letter to the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee urged the body to exercise its power and put an immediate stop to what he called ‘unlawful and insolent’ Israeli threats against UN member states. Israeli President Shimon Peres launched into a tirade against Tehran in an interview this week with Kol Hai Radio and threatened Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He said if the Iranian president does not act during speculated talks with the US to soften his stance, ‘we'll strike him.’ Peres also confirmed that Tel Aviv ‘will’ launch its much-predicted military strike against Iran, should the alleged overtures sought by Israel's staunch ally Washington fail to force an end to uranium enrichment in Iran…’” (“Iran takes Israeli war threats up with UN,” Press TV, 4/16/09).

The strange hawkish behavior coming from Peres, who is one of Israel’s most noted doves, adds to the mixture of developments in matters involving a primary Gog-Magog player (Ezekiel, chapters 38-39). Another of the weird convoluting movements toward war within Middle East polemics is Iran’s threatening Islamic states surrounding God’s chosen nation.

“…UPI reports not only that Israel will bomb Iran later this year, but also that ‘many now assume’ that Iran will then retaliate against Persian Gulf states such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The UPI report states that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Oman have deployed Patriot missile batteries along the Persian Gulf to deflect incoming Iranian missiles. The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council are ‘getting ready for what many now assume will be retaliation from Iran following Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities later this year,’ UPI reports…” (“Iran Protests and Prepares for Israeli Threats,” Hillel Fendel, IsraelNN.com).

Iran’s hate-filled leadership is angry with Saudi and other states of the region for their mutually beneficial dealing with the United States, Israel’s close ally – to this point, at least. Iran has threatened on numerous occasions to react in what they consider to be a properly punitive way with their fellow Islamic states if they continue to allow American bases and other military operations within their various territories.

While Israel threatens Iran and Iran threatens its Arab neighbors, another eerie ingredient is thrown into the mix. Iran’s leaders suddenly are hinting through U.S. diplomatic channels that they now might want to possibly back off their bellicose nuclear talk, and even are making noises of sitting down with the United States for reasoning their way through the volatile situations Iran’s leaders themselves have created. FOX News reported Thursday, April 16, that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to be backing off of his intransigence with regard to Iranian nuclear development. This comes on the heels of U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton reportedly agreeing to sit down and talk, with no prerequisite stipulations, with Iran’s leadership. If true, these are very strange intrigues indeed. Ahmadinejad to this point has shown no such movement toward compromise. All of the foregoing is topped off by news within the same article first excerpted above:

“Israel’s largest newspaper, Yediot Acharonot, reported on Thursday that the Obama Administration is hinting that if Israel gives up Judea and Samaria (Yesha), the U.S. would help in dismantling the Iranian nuclear threat. The paper reports that Administration officials are speaking of a ‘Bushehr in exchange for Yitzhar’ plan, implying that if Israel gives up Yitzhar and the other approximately 170 Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, the U.S. will help in neutralizing Iran’s Bushehr and other nuclear plants. The paper further reports that Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s hard-hitting Jewish Chief of Staff, recently told a Jewish leader in Washington, ‘In the next four years, there will be a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, based on “two states for two peoples,” and we couldn’t care less who the Prime Minister is…’” (“Iran Protests and Prepares for Israeli Threats,” Defense/Middle East/Israel News/Israel National News, 4/16/09).

The prophet Ezekiel foretold that Persia (Iran) will be a major part of the Gog-Magog force that storms into the heart of the Middle East. It seems that nothing of a major destructive sort would happen to Iran prior to that attack, if that nation is to be a part of the Russian-led contingent. The question that is pertinent is: Might Iran’s backing off of its determined course to become a nuclear power – at least at the surface level — be to preserve its strength for a much larger plan of action?

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