So the Iranian elections have been held and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as President. Was it a fair election? Probably not, but the fact remains, the radical Islamic leaders feel that Mr. Ahmadinejad suits their purposes. The only problem is, the group of leaders in Iran, including Ahmadinejad share a desire to see Israel destroyed, and in the process, trigger the return of the Mahdi which will (according to their "end-times" view) lead the world to complete submission to Islamic rule.
Perhaps more importantly, article here, we see that Iran will continue their race to develop nuclear arms. According to exiled Maryam Rajavi, leader of the French-based NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran), Western powers must abandon a "policy of appeasement" if they want to thwart Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions. Her quote:
"Sadly Iran will get the bomb if the West continues with its policy of negotiations. This is just giving the mullahs more time to play with."
The obvious question is: why are these developments between Israel and Iran SO important prophetically?
The following comments are opinion and speculation only, but shared by many who follow prophecy.
It is my belief that the Middle-East is a huge "powder-keg", waiting to be ignited. Once this is "ignited", I believe the final prophetic dominoes will fall quickly, in rapid succession.
Bible prophecy tells us of the "big" events which will occur. We don't have the specific sequence of events however, so as we watch things develop, its speculative but interesting to attempt to connect the dots.
What we do know:
- Damascus will be destroyed and will cease to exist as a city (Isaiah 17).
- At some point, a massive invasion will take place, with Israel as the target (Ezekiel 38-39). Russia and Iran are the first two nations mentioned by the bible as being involved in this Invasion (Ezekiel 38:4-5). God will supernaturally end this invasion by destroying the invaders. (Ezekiel 38:18-23, 39:21-29).
Its difficult to know if or how these two events are connected, but its hard to imagine that they are not connected, given the geopolitical situation in the region.
One aspect to Ezekiel 38-39 (again - speculation only, and perhaps weak speculation at that) which is worth contemplating seriously, is this: The "Church Age", also known as the "Age of Grace" has not included God showing His hand in an epic, obvious manner. Such actions by God seem to be reserved for the Nation of Israel - and a reading of the Old Testament should confirm this. The manner by which God ends this invasion, as described in these two pivitol chapters, is indeed "epic".
"I will display my glory among the nations" (39:21)
"From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God." (39:22)
"...and so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations." (38:23)
"...so the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes." (38:16)
Such actions by God (recognizing that God reserves the right to do whatever He decides!) - seem extremely inconsistent with the age of Grace - as God has not shown himself in this manner during the last 2,000 years. He HAS revealed Himself in this manner, however, to the Nation of Israel prior to the formation of the Church.
I believe (and I repeat, this is total speculation, but I believe the speculation is grounded in history and scriptures), that the Rapture of the Church will take place before this invasion of Israel (aka "Gog-MaGog" invasion). I believe this for the reasons stated and because it seems obvious from Ezekiel 38-39 that God has turned His full attention back to the Nation of Israel - just as He did prior to the formation of the Church.
If this premise is correct - and I believe it is - then one would conclude that the Rapture of the Church is approaching very rapidly. This is for the simple reason that the "powder-keg" seems ready to erupt - leading to the invasion of Gog-MaGog. Its hard to imagine a scenario of Israel-Iran staying "status-quo" for a lot longer. Israel knows that they MUST destroy Iran's nuclear facilities in order to survive. IF or when this happens, thousands of Russian workers will be killed, and Russia has already committed to defending Iran in such a scenario - the very genesis of the "Gog-MaGog" invasion.
It will be interesting to see what Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will say in a few hours today. Most of us are predicting that he will confirm that Israel is committed to peace in the region, but before serious negotiations take place, there must be an acceptance and formal recognition that Israel has a right to exist. We shall see.
While speculating, its important to see the alternative view. That alternative view consists of our being here to witness the events of Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39. If so, the witnessing opportunity will be unparalleled during our lifetimes. It would serve to reveal God's dramatic hand of intervention, and it would serve to confirm the undeniable accuracy and precision of biblical prophecy.
Either way, it is obvious that we are on the threshold of some very "big" biblical events. Its a "win-win" scenario for the Church. Either we are in heaven at the time, or, we will have God's revealing Himself in a huge, dramatic, epic manner - as a launching pad for those who want to do God's work while on earth. Plus, we will have had the opportunity to watch God reveal Himself to those dwelling on earth.
We are living in a biblical age. Each of us were chosen to live here on earth during this period. Its time to reflect on God's majesty and His power. The creator of the universe is about to reveal His mighty hand.
Wow. It doesn't get any bigger than that.
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