Iranian leaders slam West’s hypocrisy and declare now is time to prepare for Armageddon, war, and the Imam Mahdi

Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Iran

Iranian leaders are watching events and preparing for war:

July 30, 2013

Iran slams West’s hypocrisy over rights violations by terrorists in Syria

Speaking at a UN General Assembly session on Syria, Gholam Hossein Dehqani…Describing reports about violations of human rights by the extremist groups in Syria as shocking, the Iranian official said, “The violation of human rights in Syria is happening against the followers of all religions, including Shias, Sunnis, the Druze, Christians, and Kurds; and it is not limited to one ethnicity or religion.”

“Unfortunately, none of the foreign parties [to the conflict] have adopted a stance against such measures and the presence of foreign militants in Syria over the past two years; and they have turned a blind eye to the crimes [committed] by the extremists,” Dehqani added.

“Extremist and terrorist groups as well as their supporters must be held accountable for their actions,” the Iranian official said. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/30/316312/iran-slams-west-hypocrisy-over-syria/

July 29, 2013

Iran is again asserting that Armageddon is at hand and that the Islamic regime’s followers, indeed all of Islam, must prepare for a monumental change in the world.

Officials of the Islamic regime last month held their annual conference on the Mahdism Doctrine to prepare for the coming of the last Islamic messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam, Mahdi.

Shiites, whose clerics rule Iran with an iron fist, believe that at the end of times, Mahdi, a 9th century prophet, will reappear with Jesus Christ at his side, kill all the infidels and raise the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world, establishing worldwide Islamic governance.

Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said at the conference that, “I hope (Iran’s) Islamic Revolution is that of the righteous government before the coming,” according to Fars News Agency, the regime’s media outlet run by the Revolutionary Guards.

“Righteous government” is a key to Mahdi’s return, the Shiites believe.

“It has been stated in the Islamic hadith that a wave of uprisings (such as the current upheavals in the Arab world) … takes place before the main uprising and that the righteous government (takes place) before the coming, which I hope (Iran’s) Islamic Revolution is that.”…

Hadiths from Ali, the Shiites’ 1st Imam, also state that a sign of the coming will be the fall of the walls of Damascus.

Hosseinian told the audience that they should prepare themselves for war. http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/iran-armageddon-at-hand-prepare-for-war/

July 29, 2013

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors adopted a resolution tabled by the EU with 27 votes in favor, three against and five abstaining to report the Iranian nuclear issue to the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

Iran responded to IAEA’s decision by announcing stop of implementation of the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and full resumption of uranium-enrichment. Almost immediately Israel threatened by saying that Iran would pay ‘dearly’ for this…The international community is very concerned with the possible disastrous prospects. The Iranian nuclear issue seems to reach a point where question arises as to whether there is even a road ahead. http://www.politicalaffairs.net/iran-nuclear-issue-is-there-a-road-ahead/

There is no doubt that the West has been somewhat hypocritical about the rebels in Syria. Furthermore, the USA clearly has also been hypocritical about its positions in Egypt as the USA has long claimed it wanted democracy in the Arab world, yet it is backing a military coup there (while also claiming that a coup is not a coup; see, e.g. Egypt’s new government kills scores and injures hundreds of demonstrators).

But I would like to focus this post mainly about Iran’s preparations for war, the end of Damascus, and the Imam Mahdi.

First, since Iran is not the final King of the South of Bible prophecy (it is basically straight East, not South, of Jerusalem) yet is a significant military power among the Islamic nations, I have long felt that it will have to have its influence somewhat ‘neutralized.’ This is likely to come from a regional war and/or civil uprising. At this moment, many there are edging toward war. The report that Iran will stop of implementation of the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty shows that it is moving forward for plans that seem war-like.

A video that Iran released a few years ago basically claims that Iran will invade Israel, hopefully get Arab support for its version of Islamic governance, takeover Jerusalem, and hand Jerusalem over to the Imam Mahdi (see Iran’s Ahmadinejad to Conquer Jerusalem?). While events will not happen quite like the video portrays (which includes various Iranian leaders in it, including its outgoing President Ahmadinejad), it does show that Iran expects to get Jerusalem via war. Here is more about the video from my book Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term:

Apparently in March 2011, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad approved a video that quotes someone as saying this Imam Mahdi leader arrives after a time of great earthquakes and sedition. It says that, according to the Hadith, Iran is to be among the “preparers” for the arrival of the Imam. It blames the U.S.A. and its allies for causing Islamic fear-mongering since 9/11/2001. The video indicates that Islamic writings have warned that westerners would invade the Middle East first; it suggests that Iraq and other western military interventions are proof that the Imam Mahdi is about to appear. It tells that a time of Arab/Islamic cooperation is prophesied, while also claiming that annihilation of the “Zionist regime” needs to happen prior to the arrival of the Mahdi.

And the video goes further. It says that the Hadith tells of a leader named Abdullah, states that the ill King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is the first Abdullah leader in a hundred years, and then it cites something that states when Abdullah dies the reappearance is guaranteed. It claims that Iran is the most powerful force in the Middle East. It claims that their prophecies state that a Seyed Khorasani will turn Jerusalem over to the Imam Mahdi. It discusses prophesies that Islamic antichrists must rise up and hints that the Free Masons, with their influence on American, European, Israeli, and apparently certain Arabic leaders, has fulfilled this. The video shows a picture of Hosni Mubarak along with a prophecy that the leader of Egypt must die prior to the arrival of the Imam Mahdi. (However, even though Hosni Mubarak is no longer the leader of Egypt, he still was alive but ill in early 2013. So might some in Iran decide they need to do something soon?) (Thiel B. Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term. Nazarene Books, 2013, pp. 23-24)

Second, the Bible is clear that Damascus, the capital of Syria will be destroyed:

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus (Isaiah 7:8)

1 The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. (Isaiah 17:1)

But, notice also Islamic prophecy:

Traditions have been reported mentioning the signs for the time of the appearance of the Imam who will arise (qa’im), peace be on him, and the events which will take place before his appearance, together with the indications and features of it. Among them are: The Sufyani will come out in revolt; the Hasanid will be killed; the Abbasids will dispute over worldly kingdom; there will be an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramadan; there will be an eclipse of the moon at the end of that month in contrast to ordinary happenings; the land will be swallowed up at al-Bayda’; it will be swallowed in the east-it will be swallowed up in the west; the sun will stay still from the time of its decline to the middle of the time for the afternoon prayer; it will rise from the west; a pure soul (nafs zakiyya) will be killed in the outskirts of Kufa with seventy righteous men; a Hashimite will be slaughtered between the corner (of the Ka’ba) and the station of Abraham); the wall of the mosque of Kufa will be destroyed; black standards will advance from Khurasan; al-Yamani will come out in revolt; al-Maghribi will appear in Egypt and take possession of it from Syria; the Turk will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the Byzantines will occupy Ramla; the star will appear in the east giving light just like the moon gives light; then (the new moon) will bend until its two tips almost meet; a colour will appear in the sky and spread to its horizons; a fire will appear for a long time in the east remaining in the air for three or seven days; the Arabs will throw off the reins and take possession of their land, throwing out the foreign authority; the people of Egypt will kill their ruler and destroy Syria; and three standards will dispute over it (Syria)…

The Abbasids will dispute; a voice will call from the sky; one of the villages of Syria called al-Jabiyya will be swallowed up; the Turks will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the Byzantines will attack al-Ramla; at that time there will be much conflict throughout the land until Syria is destroyed. (Kitab al Irshad Chapter: The Twelfth Imam (Peace be on him) Page (s): 541 – 548 Published by Tehrike Tersile Qura’n. Contributed by Br. Ali Abbas, abbas@seas.gwu.edu http://www.al-islam.org/masoom/bios/12thimam.html viewed 7/22/12)

Some in Iran may see the Arab Spring, the removal of Egypt’s President Morsi (especially if he, or perhaps his predecessor Hosni Mubarek is killed or otherwise dies) as well as a war involving Syria as the fulfillment of Islamic prophecy and the event leading to the ultimate rise of Iran. This will be a mistake for Iran, but since some events have been consistent with certain Islamic prophecies, many in Iran would want to support this. Although major military aggression will be a disaster for Iran, this does not mean that parties that may be involved such as Israel and/or the USA will not be unscathed. The reality is that the cost to the USA and/or Israel for a regional war involving Iran and/or Syria will be higher than many in the USA or Israel believe. Between terrorist acts, sustained resistance, chemical weapons (Syria Reportedly Has Loaded Chemical Weapons into Bombs), biological weapons, Electro-magnetic pulse bombs (EMP attack can do more than knock-out electricity), and/or even disruptions of the internet (Iran Believed to be Behind Cyber-Attacks Against US Banks), Iran and/or Syria can inflict significant damage to their enemies. The possible cyber-attacks are just one more way Iran can cause consternation (it may be both on the receiving and sending end of that as well as EMP attacks).

Third, while many in the West seem to want to believe that Iran’s new leadership will be peace-oriented, the incoming President-Elect Hassan Rouhani (who is take office later this week), credits this Imam Mahdi for his election (see Iran’s President-elect wants to negotiate with the USA and credits the ‘Islamic messiah’ for his election).

The Imam Mahdi that many in the Islamic world sounds like the biblical King of the South. Notice also the following:

But who is the “king of the south”?…in verse 40 we skip to “the time of the end”…The verse undoubtedly found partial fulfillment in the offensive of 1896…But Mussolini did not finish the prophecy…Just as there is yet to be a final “king of the north”…there may very well emerge in the same manner a final “king of the south”–an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly bearing the very title Mahdi…a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations…But in the end, this European-Arab alliance will prove short-lived…And the king of the north shall come against him [the king of the south]…Daniel 11:40-41…The Arab-Moslem Confederation will, of course, be thrown into chaotic disarray in the fact of invasion. (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 11-12).

Interestingly, within Islam, there is a belief that someone who sounds like the biblical “King of the South” of Daniel 11, who they tend to call the Mahdi or 12th Imam will participate in a deal like the one in Daniel 9:27…the Bible predicts the rise in the end time of a Future King of the South—and this person may be the one that Muslims will consider to be their prophesied “Mahdi.” …“the Muslim World League issued a fatwa in October of 1976 commanding Sunni Muslims to believe in the concept of an Islamic Savior called the Mahdi.”…Shi’ites also would do well to recognize that just because someone may claim to be the final Imam (or Mahdi), does not mean that God will agree that he should be followed. Neither Sunnis nor Shi’ites should support one who will appear to possibly be the final Imam in the next decade; whoever claims to be will be defeated soundly (Daniel 11:40-43). (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, Nazarene Books, 2009).

Now, while I do not believe that the Iranian version of the Imam Mahdi will appear and accomplish want Iran’s leadership seems to want, it may be that after the destruction of Damascus that the Islamic world will decide that it must support some type of a strong-man dictator. This leader will likely profess some version of Islam, while his focus will be conquest. But the Bible shows that he will ultimately fail and come to his end (Daniel 11:40-43).

However, because Iran’s leaders keep pushing for their version of the Imam Mahdi, they may very well be setting the stage for an Arabic King of the South to rise up.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say?
The Future King of the South is Rising Does the Bible teach that there will be a future King of the South in Daniel 11? Is this kingdom rising up now? Did the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) teach that there would be another one? And who is the King of the South? How will this involve Egypt? Is the final King of the South some type of Arab-Muslim confederation? Can Iran be involved? Is there a group that seems to be supporting the goals of the King of the South? Has the Obama Administration supported the rise of this power? This is a YouTube video.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.