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Hey everyone. Dr. Michael Carey here. And today we're going to look at how current events, history and Bible prophecy are converging in real time as the conflict between Iran and Israel accelerates across the Middle East. And if you're new to the channel or you've ever wondered how Bible prophecy connects to what's happening in our world, you've come to the right place. Now, I'm also teaching through the entire Book of Revelation, verse by verse, so there's a lot of great content to help you better understand Bible prophecy. So after you watch this video, I encourage you to explore more of our content. And while you're there, make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so that you don't miss a single video post. Alright, let's dive into our topic for today. Excuse me. As you know, on February 28th, a major military, US and Israel operation struck deep inside Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites in Tehran. And the attack resulted in the death of Iran's supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as well as many of the top senior officials. So far, this was done in response to political tensions that had reached a boiling point as Iran has continued to arm proxies like Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas. And in recent months, Iranian backed militias in Iraq even launched kamikaze or suicide drones towards Israel and other nations across the region. Now combine that with intelligence that indicated that Iran had pushed their uranium enrichment towards weapons grade levels. And, and under this shadow, Israel has warned the world that they are not going to sit back and wait for another holocaust. And while I'm not exactly sure how all of this is going to play out, I'm absolutely positive that Israel is going to defend its people against a radicalized political regime that has vowed over and over again to destroy them. Yet even in the middle of this war, Prime Minister Netanyahu has spoken directly to the Iranian people through multiple media outlets, reminding them that Israel's conflict is with the oppressive regime, not with the Persian people. He has repeatedly said, you are not our enemies and we have incredible respect for your culture and your heritage. And he continues to point to the hope that the, the Jewish and the Persian people, two very ancient civilizations, will one day stand together in peace again. Yet despite that hope, the war is continuing to expand. On top of this, we have conflicting narratives on what is taking place surrounding peace talks with Iran. So once again, it's a reminder that only God knows what's really unfolding behind the scenes. And, and these events have raised a lot of questions, such as how does this war fit into the greater biblical narrative even further? People are asking me if this war is connected to the war that's described In Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, the prophetic conflict that is most often referred to as the war of Gog and Magog. Now these are big questions on a very complex subject and I don't have all the answers. But what I can do is show you what the Bible says about it. I can also talk about some of the political and historical layers that are involved. And I think a good place to start is to look at a conversation that Jesus had with his disciples. Let me give you some context. In Matthew 24, Jesus and his disciples are walking away from the temple in Jerusalem when the disciples point to the incredible grandeur of the temple structures. But Jesus response is completely unexpected as he starts to talk about the temple's destruction and the events that are going to signal the beginning of the end. Which leads to a private conversation between them on the Mount of Olives where they ask Jesus, when is this going to happen and what are the signs that signal the beginning of the end? Let me show you. Matthew 24, beginning in verse 4 says this. And Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass. But the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilence and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of the of sorrows. And in light of what we're talking about, I think it's important to remember that Israel is God's prophetic time clock. And watching Israel through the lens of Bible prophecy is like watching the hands of a clock move closer to midnight even further. Prophets like Ezekiel, Joel, Isaiah, Zechariah and Daniel all speak to the fact that these wars surrounding Israel are natural signs that reflect the greater spiritual conflict. So when it comes to Israel, you can't just look at what's happening from a natural perspective. You have to remember that behind all of this there's a spiritual war that's taking place. Which brings us to the question, what role does Iran play in Bible prophecy? Now you might know this already, but ancient Persia is modern day Iran and Israel's dealings with Persia throughout the Bible is mixed to the point that they've been used by God. To bless and protect and defend the Jewish people. But they've also been an enemy on one side. The Book of Ezra records that Cyrus, the king of Persia, empowered the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Check this out. Ezra one one three says this. Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing, saying, thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, all the kingdoms of the earth, the Lord hath hath given unto me, and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah, who is among you of all his people. May God be with him. And let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, which is in Jerusalem. And then Isaiah, who was a contemporary in chapter 45, verse 1, says, Thus says the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held. Then there's the biblical account of Esther, which takes place in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes I, who was actually the grandson of Cyrus. So the Persian Empire with all of its grandeur, with all of its conquest, creates the backdrop for Esther's rise from an orphan Jewish girl all the way to queen, and for the dramatic events that lead to her role in the salvation of the Jewish people from complete destruction. But on the other hand, Persia is listed in Ezekiel 38among the nations that align themselves with a mysterious figure that the Bible calls Gog from the land of Magog, and a massive military alliance that comes together in a future end time battle against Israel. Now, there's some debate as to what specific nations Magog, Meshech and Tubal represent, but most biblical scholars believe that this alliance points to regions within Central Asia, modern day Turkey, and even Russia. But here's where it gets even more intense. Persia is specifically named in Ezekiel 38. Look at verse 5, it says this. Persia, Ethiopia and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet. So 2600 years ago, which is an incredible thing because it reminds you that God always knows the end from the beginning. But 2600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel predicted that Iran would become a part of a large military coalition in a future end time war against Israel. Ezekiel 38, 15:16 says, Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company in a mighty army, you will come against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. And it will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land. But when this happens, just when it seems that Israel is about to be overwhelmed, God steps in. Look at verse 18. And it will come to pass at the same time when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that my fury will show in my face. Now drop down to verse 21. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout my mountains, says the Lord God. Every man's sword will be against his brother, and I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed. I will rain down on him and on his troops and on the many peoples who are with him. Flooding, rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone. So when Goggles finally attacks Israel, God causes a great chaos to erupt as he unleashes plagues, torrential rain and fire on this invading coalition army. And in their confusion, the Bible says that this coalition actually turns on one another. But this isn't just about protecting Israel from invasion. It's about God making himself known among the nations of the world. And in the end times, look at this. Ezekiel 38:23 says this. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Now, I also have to point out that the timing of all of this is clearly stated in Ezekiel 38, back in the eighth verse, where it says in the latter days, which literally means in the end times. In fact, there are many Bible prophecy teachers who believe that the Gog Magog war Described in Ezekiel 38:39 will take place after the Rapture of the Church, but before the the Tribulation begins. In other words, they believe that there is a space of time. It's unknown whether it's months or whether it's years between the Rapture of the Church and the beginning of the Tribulation. But they believe that this Gog Magog war will take place in that interim period of time, and that it's this specific war that will reshape the Middle east and set the stage for the rise of the Antichrist. Now, with this in mind, everything that's happening right now in Israel, Iran and the Middle east then would all be pieces of the puzzle that are setting the world stage for these key prophetic events that are still to come. Now shift gears with me, and let's go back to the events of the past few weeks where the conflict has escalated into a broad regional involving Israel, the United States and many of the surrounding nations. And let me give you some historical context, modern historical context, for what's taking place. Since Israel's rebirth in 1948 as a nation, their relationship with Iran has been a mirror image of Israel's relationship with Persia in the Old Testament, both good and bad. In 1948, as the world is still spinning from the catastrophic events of World War II, Israel reemerges as a nation from the ashes of the Holocaust, leading most of the Middle east nations to prepare for a war that was called the 1948 Arab Israeli War, which is also known as the War of Independence in Israel that began the day after Israel declared itself a sovereign nation on March 15, 1948. Interestingly, in the events leading up to this war, Iran, in spite of being a Muslim nation, extended a hand of friendship towards Israel because it saw Israel as a potential strategic partner to the point that Iran and Israel were trading oil, weapons, agricultural equipment and even military intelligence. Now, Fast forward to 1979. Everything changed overnight when the Shah was overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran's government was reshaped into a radical Islamic Republic. And from day one, the radicalized leadership of this new Islamic Republic declared that Israel was an enemy of Allah, that America was the Great Satan. And they began funding groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, who were sworn to Israel's destruction. On top of that, these events led to the 1979 seizure of of the United States Embassy in Tehran and 52Americans being held hostage for 444 days. Then in the early 2000s, Iran set its sights on a nuclear program. The problem is that a nuclear Iran is a serious threat to Israel, the United States, Europe and the entire Middle east. Right then in 2020, President Donald Trump introduced the Abraham Accords which normalized relations with several of the Arab states around Israel, the uae, Bahrain and Morocco, which created a diplomatic upheaval in the region because these Sunni Arab nations that were historically hostile towards Israel now saw the danger of Iran's ambitions and the radicalized intentions of Iran. And in just the past two years, the war that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on 10-7-2023 has expanded into a multi front regional war that has even disrupted global energy markets. And to top it off, from an ideological standpoint, Iran's radicalized clerics view the total destruction of Israel as both a religious duty and a divine mission. Now let me add another layer of complexity to this present day conflict. If you stop at the political or the ideological aspects of this present Israel Iran war, you're going to miss the spirit war that's taking place at the same time, if you remember, all the way back In Daniel chapter 10, we're introduced to a powerful demonic principality who the Bible calls the Prince of Persia, who along with other demonic entities, ruled over the ancient Persian Empire. Let me show you what I'm talking about. Daniel, chapter 10, picking up in verse 12. Then he said to me, do not fear Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of persia withstood me 21 days. And behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now we're talking about a spiritual battle. And we're also introduced in this to the Archangel Michael, who is one of the chief princes within God's kingdom. Now think about this. In the very last chapter of Daniel, the prophet is given an incredible word of deliverance for the Jewish people. And what's interesting is that this prophetic word is dealing specifically with events that will take place in the end times or in the last days. Daniel chapter 12, beginning in verse 1 says this. that time, now the time of the end times, Michael shall stand up the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and contempt. Those who are wise to shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn to righteousness like the stars, forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. So the Old Testament is clear. It makes it clear that the Archangel Michael has been assigned to watch over and to protect Israel. And this role is confirmed again in Revelation, chapter 12. What I'm getting at is that even today there can be no doubt that behind the politics of the Middle east and the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, that there's a spiritual war taking place. And all of these events are simply pieces of God's prophetic puzzle and their reminders that he is always moving the world towards his appointed purposes. Now, let's stop there for today. But before you go, I want to pray a prayer of blessing over your life. It's a powerful prayer that God commanded Aaron to speak over the nation of Israel. Let's pray. And right where you're at, just close your eyes or reach your hand out towards the screen and receive the blessing of God that was commanded to be prayed over the people of God. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift his countenance upon you, give you peace. Amen. Well, God bless, and I look forward to seeing you next time.