Prophecy

Iran in Bible Prophecy

Video: Bible Says Iran will destroy a major city

Ancient prophecies foretell 3 things about Iran’s future.

These prophecies specifically predict that:

  • Iran will become one of the most powerful nations in the world.
  • Iran will participate in a major attack on Israel in the near future.
  • Iran will completely destroy the most powerful nation on earth.

I’m going to show you where you can find these prophecies and exactly what they say so you can decide for yourself what to think about them.

The area we call Iran today is mentioned by 3 different names in the Bible prophecy: Elam, Media, and Persia.

The first two names are mentioned in the earliest chapters of the Bible among a list of about 70 ethnic groups that existed in ancient times (Genesis 10:2, 22).

Elam was an ancient kingdom located in Southern Iran, and the Medes were located in northwestern Iran.

Cyrus the Great, who was a Persian from Persis overthrew the Medes and established the Persian Empire.

These three groups of people-Elamites, Medes, and Persians-all lived together in ancient Persia, and these three names are also used in the Bible to refer to the people of modern Iran.

Now you might expect that the Bible describes Iran as a villain. But in fact, Iran is actually a hero in many prophecies.

Bible prophecy is actually a story, describing how God is working out a plan to bring all people and nations into a relationship with Himself. Iran plays an important role in this story. In this story, God chose Israel as the first nation to work with. So in ancient times, God made a covenant or agreement with Israel. But Israel broke that agreement.

The agreement specifically said that God would punish Israel if they didn’t obey Him (Leviticus 26:14-45). So God chose the nation of Assyria to punish the Israelites, and He chose the nation of Babylon to punish the Jews, who are part of the Israelites. But God also had a plan to bring the Jews back to their land, and this is where Iran enters the story. Bible prophecies identify Iran as the nation that would punish Babylon. One prophecy actually specifically mentions a king named Cyrus who would allow the Jews to return to Israel (Isaiah 45:1-4, 13). This already happened long ago, but several prophecies foretell that Iran will fulfill a similar role in end-time prophecy.

In fact, in Daniel 2 God gave an outline of everything that would happen until the end of the age. This chapter describes a dream of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was the king who took control of Jerusalem and took the Jews captive, including the prophet Daniel. But one night he had a strange dream, and he saw “a great image” (Daniel 2:31).

“This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” (Daniel 2:32-33) Then “a stone…struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces… And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:34-35)

The prophet Daniel explained to the king that that image represented a sequence of empires that would rule the world.

  • The head represented Nebuchadnezzar and his empire of Babylon.
  • Later Babylon would be conquered by Persia, the ancient name for Iran.
  • Then the Persians were conquered by the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great.
  • Then the Greeks were conquered by the Romans.

According to the prophecy, the Roman Empire will continue in some form until all these kingdoms are completely destroyed and replaced by God’s kingdom. But the situation that will exist right before Jesus returns is described as two feet, with 10 toes (Daniel 2:42). These toes represent 10 kings or rulers of nations who will be ruling when Jesus Christ returns (Daniel 2:44). And Iran is one of these nations.

How do we know?

Notice that in Ezekiel 38:2, 5, the Bible gives the names of 10 nations that will participate in a war at the end time. These nations are:

  • Gog
  • Magog
  • Rosh
  • Meshech
  • Tubal
  • Persia (which is Iran)
  • Ethiopia
  • Libya
  • Gomer
  • and Togarmah

Let’s look at what the book of Revelation says about these 10 kings.

Revelation 17 describes “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3) “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast” (Revelation 17:12).

This prophecy uses many symbols, but I think you can see that it is describing 10 world leaders who are controlled by a symbolic woman, which represents a “great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). This city is called “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5).

This end-time Babylon has already begun to rise. But it doesn’t rule the whole world yet. This end-time Babylon will rule over 10 regional powers, including Iran. That’s why what’s happening in Iran right now is important. Iran may be transformed, but it won’t be destroyed, because Bible prophecies say that Iran will play an important role in end-time events.

A prophecy in Revelation 13 indicates that a single ruler will control this alliance of 10 regional powers. But this global government will only last for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).

After that 3½-year period, Bible prophecies say that Iran will lead an attack on the city that rules the world. This attack is described briefly in Revelation 17:16-17, which says:

“And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”

We learn about Iran’s leading role in this war in Isaiah 13. This chapter is a prophecy about the destruction of Babylon (Isaiah 13:1). Part of this prophecy was fulfilled when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC. But like many prophecies in the Bible, this primarily refers to a future event at the end of this age, during “the Day of the Lord” (Isaiah 13:6). Many kingdoms and nations (Isaiah 13:4) will participate in this battle, but the leaders are mentioned in verse 17:

The prophecy says:

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;

(Isaiah 13:17-20)

Iran and its allies will destroy Babylon completely.

Another prophecy in Isaiah 21 also mentions that Medes and Elamites will conquer Babylon (Isaiah 21:2, 9).

Also look at Jeremiah 51. This prophecy describes how God will use the end-time Babylon to destroy many nations (Jeremiah 51:20), including the Israelites, but this Babylon will do great evil (Jeremiah 51:24), so God will use Iran and other nations to destroy Babylon (Jeremiah 51:11, 27-29).

Some people believe that Iran or another nation may use nuclear weapons in this attack on the end-time Babylon, because the book of Revelation says, “in one day…she will be utterly burned with fire” (Revelation 18:7) and, “in one hour your judgment has come” (Revelation 18:10).

At the same time that Iran is leading an attack on the end-time Babylon, the Book of Revelation also describes a war in Israel, commonly called “the Battle of Armageddon.” This is the final war that Iran will participate in.

We already saw that Persia is mentioned in Ezekiel 38 (verse 5) as one of the 10 nations that will come to attack Israel. We know this prophecy is about the Battle of Armageddon because all of the details match up exactly with other prophecies about this battle.

This battle will take place at a time when wars and plagues have destroyed most of the planet, and food will be scarce. The nations involved in the battle will plan to come to the land of Israel “to take plunder and booty” from the Israelites, who have been “gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods” (Ezekiel 38:12).

These armies will gather at Armageddon in northern Israel (Revelation 16:16), then they will move toward Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2), where they will meet Jesus Christ (Zechariah 14:3) coming from heaven with his army to fight (Revelation 19:11).

At that time, there will be a massive earthquake, unlike any in history that will shake the land (Revelation 16:18; Ezekiel 38:19-20).

Huge hailstones will fall on the armies (Revelation 16:21; Ezekiel 38:22).

The soldiers will be confused and will turn and kill each other (Ezekiel 38:21; Zechariah 14:13).

A terrible plague will also kill those who remain (Zechariah 14:12; Ezekiel 38:22).

After all the armies fall, birds will gather to eat the dead bodies (Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20).

But this is not the end of Iran-or the world. It will be a new beginning. Next the book of Revelation and other prophecies describe Jesus Christ ruling on earth for 1000 years (Revelation 20:4; Zechariah 14:9).

The prophet Jeremiah describes how God will bring many people back to their ancient homelands. This includes people of Elam who have been scattered, who will be brought back to Iran (Jeremiah 49:39).

The prophet Zechariah foretells that “everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem [including the Iranians] shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16)

And a prophecy in Isaiah says, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). This is the good news.

But current events show that right now we are racing toward the end of this age. In order to recognize the end-time Babylon that is rising now, be sure to study lesson 1 of the Bible Prophecy Challenge.