TW: Embassies Close in Iran; Is War Inevitable?

Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Iran

Today’s TW News & Prophecy from the Living Church of God has the following:

Embassies close down in Tehran.

Last week, Iranian protesters in Tehran stormed the British Embassy. According to the Geneva Convention, host nations are responsible for the safety and protection of foreign diplomats on their soil, yet virtually no protection or intervention was provided by Iranian security forces. In response, the British Foreign Secretary announced the immediate closure of the Embassy and withdrawal of embassy staff. Additionally, he expelled Iranian diplomats from Britain and closed Iran’s London Embassy. France, Germany, and the Netherlands announced a recall of all diplomats from Tehran for “consultations.” Norway announced the closing of its Tehran Embassy for “safety reasons.” A statement by the British Foreign Minister last week demonstrated the urgency of the situation, “We have now closed the British Embassy in Tehran. We have decided to evacuate all our staff and as of the last few minutes all our UK-based staff have now left Iran” (Yahoo News , November 30, 2011).

Although the Embassy events in Tehran may not be surprising to regular observers of the Middle East, they are interesting in light of Bible prophecy. Daniel anciently prophesied about the events that would occur in the “last days.” Daniel 11 speaks of a tenuous relationship between the King of the North (or Beast power mentioned in Revelation) and a King of the South (a confederation of peoples in the Middle East). As events continue to develop in that part of the world, watch for nations in the Islamic region of North Africa and the Middle East to forge some sort of configuration that will further antagonize Europe and the West. The events occurring in Tehran may well play into this end-time prophetic scenario.

Whether or not these embassy closings are a prelude to war can be debated, but notice the following:

In-Depth: Is war with Iran inevitable?‎ The Guardian

Former UK foreign minister Malcolm Rifkind fears Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons. Not so, says campaigner Abbas Edalat, who thinks western hawks want war

Susanna Rustin

guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 December 2011

As tensions between Iran and the west escalate, and US politicians call for regime change…

So, some feel that the West is basically looking for an excuse to change things in Iran. While that may be so, the Iranians seem to have their own plans as well. Iran’s leaders want an Islamic leader to rise up that all Muslims will follow and have repeatedly made statements showing that they want to make this happen soon. Some feel that this would be between now and late 2012.

It is possible that the government of Iran may more directly provoke something that it hopes will trigger the rise of a leader, which they call the Imam Mahdi who seems to be the person that the Bible calls the King of the South, very soon–but apparently it is not ready yet. There is a video, which I viewed, that has clips of Iran’s President Ahmadinejad that essentially shows that Iran wishes to militarily take-over Jerusalem as a prelude to the Imam Mahdi rising up, and that it hopes that the rest of the Islamic world will follow Iran if it takes this step (see Iran’s Ahmadinejad to Conquer Jerusalem?).

Events are moving forward in the Middle East, Iran, and other parts of the world for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Some of these events may happen in 2012. Doubling oil prices could have serious consequences, as could regional war in the Middle East.

As Jesus said:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:37)

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 There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama be involved in 2012?