The Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83 Prophecies/Part 11

Table of Contents

The Ezekiel 38/Psalm 83 Prophecies: Russia, Iran and Muslim Nations in Biblical Prophecy

God’s Prospering of His People

God had prospered the amazing prophet Daniel under King Nebuchadnezzar of the neo-Babylonian Empire, as well as under subsequent rulers in such a manner that Daniel had the second or third position of leadership, e.g. “Then the king [Nebuchadnezzar] placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:48); “Then at [King] Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.” (Daniel 5:29-30) “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king [Darius] planned to set him over the whole kingdom…. So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” (Daniel 6:3, 28)

The revelation of Daniel 10 and the amazing prophecies of Daniel 11 were given to the prophet in the third year of King Cyrus: “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.” (Daniel 10:1). In terms of the sheer size and detail, the prophecies in Daniel 11 are among the most amazing in all of Scripture.

At the end of the book of Esther, we see that Mordecai (blessed like Joseph under the Egyptian Pharaoh and Daniel under Nebuchadnezzar), — who helped Esther save the Jews from the genocidal plot of Haman, was promoted to second in command over the Persian Empire: “Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes [also known as Ahasuerus]…” (Esther 10:3)

Indeed, if God had not prospered Joseph under the Egyptian Pharaoh, making him second-in-command over all Egypt; if he had not prospered Mordecai and Esther in the Persian Empire, preventing the genocidal destruction of the Jews, and if he had not placed Daniel second or third in power in the neo-Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires, the world would be a far, far darker place today. Why? Because the Jews would have ceased to exist as a national identity, and there would have been no Messiah, Jesus Christ, nor would the Scriptures have been preserved. A world without Jesus Christ and a world without the Bible would today be a truly horrible place, as documented in the books on these subjects by Dr. James Kennedy.

“Another Persian king, Artaxerxes Longimanus I (464-424BC), illustrates one of the ironies of history. This minor Persian king was of major importance because of his connection with the Hebrew people. Apparently two of the three returns of the Jewish people from captivity in Babylon occurred during his reign. The second return was apparently under Ezra. This was made possible because of the generosity of Artaxerxes. The third return occurred in 445 BC and is recorded in Nehemiah, and this date is notorious in the landmarks of Bible prophecy, especially as it relates to the first coming of Jesus. (Daniel 9:24-27) The specific purpose of this return to Jerusalem allowed by Artaxerxes was to rebuild the city walls, and it also laid the foundation for the circumstances surrounding the geo-political events in Jesus lifetime.”^[1]

In the seventh century A.D., long after the decline of the Persian Empire, the region known today as Iran was one of the first countries to be occupied by the early militaristic Arabic/Islamic Empire. Nevertheless, Persia retained a distinct cultural identity by maintaining its own language and adopting a Shi’a interpretation of Islam rather than a Sunni one. That’s why Iran is unique today; although it exists in the midst of the Sunni Arab-Muslim empire in the Middle East, its populace is 93% Shiite Muslim, the only nation like this on earth. (The closest are Bahrain and Iraq at 60%, which also explains extensive Iranian meddling in these nations.)

In sum, ancient Iran has played a significant role in the history of the Jewish people.

Read Part 12

Notes

1. ↑ Darrell G. Young, “Iran in Bible Prophecy: The Prince of Persia,” October, 2004; http://focusonjerusalem.com/iraninbibleprophecy.html.