An April 16th Newsweek article by Amir Daftari said, โRussia’s upper house of parliament ratified a sweeping 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran on Wednesday, deepening military and nuclear cooperation just as fears of conflict between Washington and Tehran intensify.โ A few days later, Vladimir Putin signed the agreement into law.
The treaty marks a new high point in a remarkable, and once unexpected, friendship. Russia and Iran had been enemies going back centuries. That began changing when the present radical Shia Muslim regime took over Iran in 1979. The two nations have grown closer over the years. In Russiaโs war against Ukraine, it has used Iranian drone technology to deadly effect.
Iran longs to become a nuclear power. Russia brags about its position as the holder of the worldโs largest nuclear arsenal. And now they have signed a pact promising to deepen their โmilitary and nuclear cooperation.โ
Hereโs what makes that so dangerous. The Shiite religious leaders of Iran are zealots who believe that their expected messiah, known as the โMahdi,โ will come to rid the world of evil and bring on the judgment day. He will arise, they believe, at a time of maximum chaos in the world. And the Iranians have shown themselves more than willing to create that chaos. They promise to wipe Israel from the earth. They cry, โDeath to America,โ and they mean it. They remain the worldโs largest state sponsor of terrorism. They already create chaos whenever and wherever they can.
Some might see this as the pot calling the kettle black since the Bible teaches that Messiah Jesus will return at the end of a period of chaos and turmoil. The difference is that, even if we wanted to (and we donโt), Christians have no way of creating the kind of fire-from-the-heavens chaos that Bible prophecy tells us will strike the world before the Lordโs return. We stand in awe as we see end-time events unfold. But we do not and cannot create those massive events. The mullahs running Iran have a different outlook. They long to hasten the Mahdiโs coming by creating a conflagration they believe only he can extinguish. And they are on the verge of creating an inferno like the world has never seen before.
Iran uses missile designs from their ally, North Korea. If Iran builds nuclear weapons, they have an ally ready to supply them with parts and designs for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking practically anywhere in the world, including Europe and the United States. North Korea needs cash. Iran has cash โ mostly from oil sales to China and Russia. Iran needs to know how to build ICBMs. North Korea has already built and tested machines capable of carrying nuclear weapons from North Korea to the continental United States. The North Koreans may see that as a win-win situation, but Iranian theology makes it an enormous threat to the whole world.
Donโt make the mistake of thinking that keeping nukes out of the hands of the Iranians is just about Israel. It impacts everyone. Iran looks to be the first nation ever to gain nuclear weaponsโฆ and be happy to use them.
The Trump Administration just completed a third round of talks with Iran, and both sides expressed guarded optimism regarding their progress. We heard similar things a few years ago, though from a very different Administration. Previous experience should remind everyone that the mullahs who rule Iran are good at buying time while giving away nothing.
The Bible talks about a future war where Russia and Iran lead a coalition of nations in an all-out assault on Israel. That war will one day happen whether Iran has nukes or not. The Bible says this massive attack will not defeat Israel. But it gives no such assurances about the future of the United States. So, pray for President Trump and his team.
