BY DR. AARON LERNER, IMRA—
Does the Iranian leadership really believe what they profess to believe?
The overwhelming majority of the analysis and recommendations prepared for Western policy makers has hinged on the assumption that they aren’t.
Take for example a simulation organized last May 16 by the Lauder School of Government to consider, among other things, how a nuclear Iran would act. Former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen (res.) Zeevi Farkash participated in that simulation playing the role of Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei is a “Twelver Shiite”—as is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and as such believes that incinerating Israel with nuclear weapons—even if followed by the incineration of Iran—would be a positive thing because the apocalyptic result would bring the return of the Hidden Imam.
But Farkash apparently maintains that deep down inside Ayatollah Khamenei actually subscribes to some sort of universal value system that considers the incineration of Iran an unacceptable outcome rather than a reasonable price to pay for the return of the Mahdi. As a result, the simulation found that Iran would only brandish its nukes for deterrence and never actually use them. As Farkash put it, “Iran would regard its bomb as a means of self-defense and strategic balance.”
Was Farkash’s critical assumption correct?
Perhaps a more responsible approach would have been to run the simulation both ways to see how things play out in a world where the leaders of Iran genuinely believe what they claim to believe. It might have turned out that the results were so catastrophic that even if there were only a 10 percent chance that these Twelvers are true believers, policymakers would have to adjust their recommendations to account for it.
Again, if the purpose of the exercise is to find temporary comfort, then we can all simply join the retired military Israeli intelligence head, who apparently sleeps well, confident that the Twelvers leading Iran are faking their religious belief in the return of the Mahdi.
But if the purpose of the exercise is to genuinely address the possible consequences of a nuclear Iran, policy makers would be remiss if they did not very seriously consider the possibility that the leaders of Iran genuinely believe what they claim to believe.
Revelation 19:11-16 as quoted refers to the second coming of Christ at the end of the 7 year tribulation period. If there is a war between Iran and Israel it will be before the tribulation period and may more accurately be prophecied in Ezikel 38 & 39 regarding the invasion of gog and magog which will involve Iran and Russia. Our blessed hope is Yesuha who will take us out of this world before the tribulation, he will save us from the wrath to come. Romans 5:9. Until then, we the believers in Yesuha are of one mind, one body, one spirit. Let us continue to pray for the body of Christ and for the Peace of Israel.
The extermination of Israel and all Jews is a Muslim holy religious duty.
In the Islamic world, there’ re Arab Islamics & non-Arab Islamics who
seek to outdo each other to be the ones who accomplish this feat.
They believe that once Israel erased, the whole world will cower in terror
before Islam, and quickly convert . Or else …
So no wonder that the turbaned-&-bearded moll-ahs are prepared for the
martyrdom of one billion Muslims just to wipe out a few millions Jews.
And what are a billion martyred Muslims if there are 6 billions potential Muslims
to be won ?
As it happens, they are correct for Israel’ s Existence Is the world’ s Salvation.
Watch out, for Israel will save the world.
Like it or not.
Sandra- you just stated that Rev 19:11-16 quotes that the SECOND coming of our Messiah is AFTER the tribulation (which 2 Thes 2:3-8 also agrees) so – how would Yeshua have been here to take us away? – that would make his return to destroy the beast his THIRD coming…… Yes, God promises us that we are saved from the coming wrath (of God and of the Lamb (Rev 6:17 and many others) only because of Yeshua’s blood covering us- but we are not promised to be saved from the wrath of man (the antichrist and his evil system) “Indeed all who desire to live Godly in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted” (2 TIm 3:12) Not that I am looking forward to it- but I trust in God to give us the grace we will need to live (or die) through it- just as He is doing for the thousands of believers being perscuted and killed for their faith in Him right now all over the earth and for the 2000 years since he left . Seek God’s truth on these things so your heart is prepared, don’t accept man’s “escape rapture plan” that does not line up with the Word. We are most certainly in the season of the “end of days” and we who have the Holy Spirit will need to be light and encouragement to the perishing world as well as one another. God bless~