Joel Rosenberg recently released a video in which he argued that the current war in Iran is a fulfillment of a Bible prophecy contained in Jeremiah 29. This is not a new discovery.
In 2014, Bill Salus published a book in which he suggested that a military attack on Elam might prove to be one of the end-time wars (Nuclear Showdown in Iran: Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam, 2014).
Salus is what I call an “eschatological sleuth.” He searches the Scriptures for passages that have been overlooked or forgotten, which he believes relate to the end-times. He was the one who brought Psalm 83 back to serious consideration. The prophecy about Elam was his second “discovery.”
The Elam passage is found in Jeremiah 49. It was written in 596 BC, and it reads as follows: “That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying: Thus says Yahweh of hosts, Behold, I am going to break the bow of Elam, The finest of their might. I will bring upon Elam the four winds From the four ends of heaven, And I will scatter them to all these winds; And there will be no nation. To which the banished ones of Elam will not go. So I will shatter Elam before their enemies And before those who seek their lives; And I will bring calamity upon them, Even My burning anger, declares Yahweh, And I will send out the sword after them Until I have consumed them. Then I will set My throne in Elam And cause king and princes from there to perish, Declares Yahweh. But it will be in the last days That I will return the fortunes of Elam, Declares Yahweh” (v. 34-39)
Elam
Elam is an ancient biblical nation. Some believe it was the site of one of the world’s first post-flood cities. It was incorporated as a province into the Babylonian Empire in the 7th Century BC. It became a part of the Medo-Persian Empire when Babylon was conquered in 536 BC, 60 years after Jeremiah wrote his prophecy. So, the fact of the matter is that Elam ceased to exist as a nation 2,500 years go.
Today, the area of Elam is a region of the nation of Iran. It is located in southwest Iran. Its western border runs along the northeast shore of the Persian Gulf. The area represents approximately one-tenth of modern-day Iran. It is a very important area because it is the site of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor — the first to be built by the Iranians. It became fully operational in 2010.
Elam’s Destruction According to Salus
Salus interpreted Jeremiah’s prophecy about Elam to indicate that in the end-times, the area would experience a major calamity — most likely due to the destruction of the nuclear power plant, causing people in the area to flee due to the escaping radiation. He pointed out that such a catastrophe could happen in one of two ways — naturally or militarily.
The natural way would be by means of a major earthquake in the area. He pointed out that the possibility of this was very high due to the fact that the nuclear reactor is situated on a major fault line.
But he dismissed this possibility as a fulfillment of the prophecy because in verse 37, Jeremiah says that God will “shatter” the nation with “the sword.” This statement definitely seems to indicate a military attack.
It was at this point that Salus began applying the prophecy to current times. He argued that the prophecy will most likely be fulfilled through an Israeli attack that will destroy the nuclear reactor, and that such an attack would lead to the Psalm 83 War of Annihilation aimed at Israel.
The destruction of the reactor would produce such a heavy release of radiation that all the people in the area would flee. That would be the beginning of the worldwide dispersion of the Elamite people, as prophesied in verse 36.
In summary, Salus says, “In my estimation, Jeremiah 49:34-39 remains entirely unfulfilled and is a stand-alone prophecy” (meaning not a part of the wars in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 & 39).
Counter Arguments
I respectfully disagree for several reasons. First, is the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy. In chapter 49, he is prophesying about immediate judgments God is going to place on Ammon (verse 1), Edom (verse 7), Damascus (verse 23), Kedar and Hazor (verse 28), and Elam (verse 34).
When he comes to Elam, He does not indicate that the prophecy of the nation’s demise is going to happen in a timing that is different from the other nations mentioned.
Salus argued that its end-time setting is mentioned in the last verse of the prophecy, where it says, “But it will be in the last days that I will return the fortunes of Elam” (verse 39). But this verse applies only to the re-establishment of the nation of Elam in the end times and the regathering of the Elamites to their homeland. Jeremiah does not apply it to the whole prophecy.
Thus, I believe the first part of the prophecy (verses 35-37) has already been fulfilled in history. The nation of Elam ceased to exist when it was attacked and absorbed into the Babylonian Empire. It became a province of that empire. It subsequently continued as a province, and not an independent nation, when it became part of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Today, it is a province of Iran. Jeremiah’s prophecy says it will be shattered when it exists as a nation (verse 37). That occurred long ago.
Salus tries to react to this reality by pointing to Acts 2:9, which says that there were Elamites present in Jerusalem when Peter delivered the first Gospel sermon in 32 AD. But that does not prove that Elam existed as a nation at that time.
For example, after Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and Judah by the Romans, both nations ceased to exist, and the Jews were scattered worldwide. But the Jews were able to maintain their identity for the next 2,000 years before they were regathered to their homeland, beginning in the 1890s and culminating in the re-establishment of their nation on May 14, 1948. The point is that the continuing existence of the Jewish people did not mean that their nation existed.
Additionally, I think it is completely unlikely that Israel will attack the Iranian reactor in its province of Elam. It is true that Israel has previously destroyed two nuclear reactors — one in Iraq and the other in Syria. But both destructions took place before the reactors were activated. An attack on the Iranian reactor at Bushehr would result in lethal radiation being unleashed on millions of people, and I do not believe the Israelis, who have one of the most ethical armies in the world, would consider doing that.
Conclusion
Bill Salus has an impressive lineup of prophecy experts that agree with his analysis of Jeremiah’s Elam prophecy. They include Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Joel Rosenberg, Bill Koenig, and Sean Osborne. Those sharing my opinion (whom I am aware of) include Jack Kelley and Mark Hitchcock.
Such disagreements among prophecy experts are very common, even among those who interpret prophecy for its plain sense meaning. For example, there is a myriad of opinions that exist among prophecy teachers concerning the timing of the War of Gog & Magog.
What we can agree upon are the basics — namely, that the Rapture will be followed by the Tribulation, which will usher in the Millennium, followed by the Eternal State on a new earth. Despite our differences, we are united in our opinion that the signs of the times indicate that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. Maranatha!
