Edition 99.  November 13th 2011

Iran and Syria in prophecy.

News events and comment.

●Iran: The just-released IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program is shocking indeed. It says that Iran has been involved in nuclear weapons development since 2003. It points out that Iran has not suspended its enrichment activities. It is enriching uranium to the higher weapons grade as well as to the lower nuclear plant grade. Iran has also been developing fast-acting detonators for use in a nuclear device. A member state has also supplied evidence of a planned nuclear explosion test. Project 111 relates to Iran's work to integrate nuclear missiles into the payload of Shahab3 missile delivery systems. The report concludes that there are "military dimensions" to the program.

The IAEA report does not produce an actual "smoking gun" but provides enough irrefutable evidence of a well advanced weapons program. It proves Iranian official are liars as they've been denying all of this for ages.

This report fails to deal with the obvious question of why Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.

There is only one reason and that is to attack Israel.

There's other conflicting information on how close Iran is to the actual completion of a nuclear weapon. Some say within months. Reports in various specialist publication say that Russia has been helping Iran with the program.

After the report was released Russia and China said they would do nothing about it and would oppose sanctions.

Russia has just announced that they seek to build more nuclear power plants in Iran (Al Arabiya News 13th November)

Iran said it would not retreat from it's nuclear program "one iota". They rejected the report saying that the IAEA is an "American puppet" while Israel says the report brings nothing new to the table. "We've known all of this all along" they said.

Netanyahu urged the world to stop Iran. Good words, but we know that the world will do no such thing.

A news item posted by Ynet News on the 9th November reports that Iran has just said it will "battle the Zionists on the streets of Tel Aviv." The Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that Israel would "inch closer to its own demise if it attacked Iran."

●Syria had its previous nuclear facilities destroyed by Israel in 2007. Syria has not learnt its lesson. Spy satellite photographs have found a new suspected site that is full of mystery near Al-Hasakah. Syria claims that it's a cotton factory. We will soon find out!

●Iran's top missile expert killed with 32 others, as two Iranian arms bases explode one after another. Foreign businessmen flee the country. (November 13 - Debka File)

●Israel to equip airliners with anti-missile defence systems as Libyan missiles reach Gaza. Fifty Muslim Brotherhood mercenaries from Libya have arrived in Gaza with minivans equipped with rocket launchers.

Netanyahu says "Iran is much closer to a nuclear bomb than people believe" He says that the world's leaders have failed to prevent these developments. (Haaretz 13 November)

Iran and Syria in prophecy.

►We could be very close to these events and the great war of Gog and Magog

Incredibly, the Bible has plenty to say on this subject that's developing right now with these two important prophetic nations.

We've seen what's been happening with the Arab Spring nations, but Syria and Iran will be completely different and make the others look like a teddy bear's pick-nick in comparison. 

First of all we need to understand that the Bible is not clear on exactly when these events will unfold, but it does give us many clues as to the time period perhaps within a year or so. These events could occur inside the tribulation period, but the more likely scenario is just before.

The Arab press as well as well as the Israeli press is buzzing with news items and speculation about this situation. The western media is largely unconcerned and only gives a passing mention to the subject.

The story is that spy satellite photographs have identified new possible nuclear facilities in Syria. Israel once before bombed and destroyed Syria's nuclear plant.

Iran may be months away from nuclear weapons capability according to the IAEA and others. (If you recall, I spoke of exactly this development some months ago) Russia has been secretly helping Iran with its nuclear weapons program. Now if you read the news item above you'll see it's not so secret anymore.

Iran is hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and so is Syria. They will stop at nothing to obtain them. Iran and Syria have only one target in mind and that is Israel. You can be absolutely sure that Israel will not allow Iran or Syria to reach full nuclear weapon-capability.

The entire situation is heading very fast for confrontation.

The flag of Iran:

What the Bible says

Iran:

Modern day Iran was part of ancient Persia, which today includes a small part of Syria and a few other nations. The larger part of Persia is Iran. Elam is another Biblical name for the same area.

Jeremiah 49:35-39 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them towards all those winds; there will be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger says the Lord; and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam and will destroy from there the king and the princes says the Lord. It shall come to pass in the latter days; I will bring back the captives of Elam says the Lord."

Isaiah 22:5-7 "For it shall be a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision - breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountain. Elam bore the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys shall be full of chariots and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

The above two verses are amazing indeed. They speak of great destruction in Iran in "the latter days" These prophetic verses have not yet been fulfilled. Obviously "quivers, chariots and horsemen" relate to modern day weapons of war.

The war mentioned in the these two verses above may be part of the war of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 & 39, which is also know by most as WW111. But because the people of Iran and Syria are not true Arabs and are at enmity with the Shiite Muslims this war could be a standalone event. The people of Iran are not technically Arabs, but Persians. They are mostly Sunni Muslims, who are at perpetual enmity with the Shiite Muslims.

We have no way of knowing when exactly this will be, but we do know that the whole situation is close!

Amazingly it seems that many in Iran will become believers in our Lord at this time. God says "I will set My throne in Elam" (Iran) at that time. Today Iran is extremely hostile to the true God, but remember that there is also an amazing prophetic discourse showing that many Arabs will be saved in the last days. This is in Isaiah 19:22-25 (See edition 16 titled "The Arabs and Palestinians in prophecy" for more)

By the way, the name Iran means 'Aryan'. In history these people were associated with the Kir people. The Kirs' became known as the Kirmans, the origin of the Germans. It was Hitler who wanted to produce a pure Aryan race free of Jews. Iran's Ahmadinejad has exactly the same aspirations.

Syria:

Syria appears to be absent from the Ezekiel 38 &39 alliance or WW111. It's not my purpose in this edition to run through the monumental Ezekiel prophecy, but it appears not to refer to the geographical area that is known as Syria today. This could mean that Syria has already been defeated before WW111 begins.

Again this is speculation because the Bible doesn't confirm this exactly, but it most certainly is quite possible and probable. One thing we do know for absolute sure is that Syria, with its capital Damascus has a very short future!

Jeremiah 49:24-25 "Damascus has grown feeble and turns to flee and fear has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labour...therefore her young men shall fall in the streets and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day says the Lord of hosts. I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus."

Isaiah 17:1-4 "The burden against Damascus. Behold Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be like flocks which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. The fortress will also cease from Ephraim, the kingdom of Damascus and the remnant of Syria; they will be as the glory of the children of Israel says the Lord of hosts. In that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob shall wane."

Is there any possibility that these things will not happen? No not at all. We just don't know the exact timing.

It is a very likely and probable scenario that the war of Iran (above) and the war in which Syria is destroyed will be closely related and may even occur simultaneously. Remember that Syria and Iran are true blood brothers in arms.

The common denominator in these two wars is Israel. The hatred of Iran, Syria and in fact the whole Muslim world for Israel is on the brink of exploding!

These two wars involving Iran, Syria and Israel, may well be the cause of the Russian led, much greater war of Ezekiel 38 & 39 (WW111) Israel will be victorious in these two wars, which just may ignite the fury of the rest of the Arab world.

Today Russia is becoming more and more hostile to Israel and a true friend of the Muslim world, particularly Iran and Syria. Ex Russian president Putin will take over the helm again in March. He is no friend of Israel! Could it be that Putin is the Ezekiel 38 Gog of Magog? China has also been in the news of late, offering support for the Muslim world.

The sun is setting on Tehran:

The military option

Both Iran and Syria have very larger armies. Their military machines are enormous. Iran in particular has the largest army in the Middle East. It has 500,000 soldiers and 600,000 reservists with a defence budget of $9bn. It has 261 warships  and 19 submarines. It has1030 military aircraft. Iran is ranked the 12th largest military power in the world. Syria is ranked at number 35.

The Straits of Hormuz is controlled by Iran. 40% of the world's oil passes through this sea-route. If Iran shuts the Straits, oil tankers will have to go a new route to the West that is 10,000kms longer. This will send the oil price into orbit and potentially cripple the world economy.

Iran's military is run by one man, it's president. He has the idea that he has been chosen by his god to prepared the way for the coming Magdi and a thousand years of peace. He believes that the way to do this is to rid the world of the Jews. Doesn't all of that sound familiar?

How can Israel or the world allow such a man to acquire nuclear weapons?

As in the days of the Nazi's the world's leaders will accommodate this evil leader until it's too late.

Tehran's supreme council (below) and some of their smaller missiles:

Finally.

The conclusion to all of this is not pretty. We are on the verge of these things going bang very soon. We don't know the exact dates or the exact order of events, but we know the basic framework of these conflicts.

As always my intention is not to give you information only, but to inspire you to turn to our great King of all kings, Lord, God and Messiah Yeshua / Jesus

He wants us all to surrender to Him and His ways. That's the way to real true deep peace and security in a shaking world.

Haggai 2:21-22 "I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them. The horses and the riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

Heaven or hell:

Muslim women, you need to be liberated not only from restrictive legalism, but from your bondage to a religion that can't give you real peace, freedom and Godly liberty. Do you know that a time is coming when many of your brothers and sisters will recognise our great Jewish Messiah as their God?

Hey good looking, it doesn't matter how many girls think you're the best. Of course that's nice, but what does the living God think of you? Does He love you as one of His own family members? If not, your looks, your good works and all your friends will not do you any good in hell.

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Here's a painting Turner done in 1800 depicting an angel with a sword of war.

Kind regards and many blessings...Shalom and grow in grace!