"All
eyes are on the middle East as the U.S. and Iran are
locked in a battle of wills - a battle of
civilizations. But one very important factor is
being overlooked in all the calculus and strategy: Iran's
Shiite apocalyptic theology and ideology. This is what drives
the Iranian regime...Behind it all is the belief that
clerics must pave the way for the return of the Mahdi,
the 12th Imam, their messianic figure.
Iran's clerical leadership believes the Mahdi's return
will be hastened by global destruction and war. They
call what's happening now "preparing the ground".
They believe we're in the "era of emergence". A
showdown between Iran and Israel was prophesied 2,600
years ago by Ezekiel." Iran believes that it can
hasten the Mahdi's coming "by triggering apocalyptic war."
Iran has intensified attacks on her Arab neighbors'
energy infrastructure: Iran hit the Saudi Arabian
Samref refinery and their Jubail petrochemical complex, Iran
hit a Qatari LNG facility, along with the Al Hosn gas field
of the UAE's, and two Kuwaiti oil refineries - Mina
al-Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah. This will result in
significant delays of orders, or no shipments at all to
buyers like China, South Korea, Italy, Belgium, France,
etc..
Iran sent an ICBM that targeted Riyadh - so Saudi
Arabia said that they reserve the right to respond
militarily and that they don't trust Tehran.
Iran has launched drones and missiles against Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and even
Turkey.
Why is Iran attacking it's Arab neighbors? Some
say it's to 'cow and intimidate' them so they refrain from
entering the war...others think they are pushing for that
apocalyptic beginning.... Iran wants to be the leading
Muslim power in the world. These Arab neighbors are
primarily Sunni Muslim. And Iran wants regional
hegemony.
Iran has not budged one bit on their nuclear program
or their missile program. They are giving up neither
and say they have the right to continue. Their new
leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is even more hardline than
his father. This new supreme leader could "cross the
Rubicon towards a nuclear bomb...the last ayatollah was
afraid to cross that threshold."
If Iran feels they need to move to a last
resort...will they use the weapons in their nuclear arsenal?
Twelvers will hasten the return of the
Mahdi.
Madhism:
"The West's greatest blind spot concerning
Iran's nuclear program can perhaps be summed up in one
word - Mahdism. The Muslim doctrine of
Mahdism revolves around an eschatological figure - the Mahdi
or "Rightly Guided One" - who vanquishes evil and ushers in
Islamic rule during the end times. Both Sunnis and
Shias believe in the Mahdi, though they have different
versions of his exact nature and role."
"While such
traditions may seem harmless enough, Mahdism poses a
serious, though vastly overlooked, threat to international
security, primarily because its current articulation in
Iran requires its adherents to take "proactive" steps to
help usher in the Mahdi - most notably by initiating an
"apocalyptic" showdown with the "greater" and "lesser"
satans, namely American and Israel."
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is Iran's
constitutional "ideological army" mandated with an
"ideological mission of jihad in Allah's way." The
IRGC is to "pave the way" for the Mahdi to return. The
'three pillars' of the IRGC policy is 'militias, ballistic
missiles and their nuclear program'. Their policy is
"eradicating Israel and Zionism through the doctrine of
Mahdism....the existence of Israel is being viewed and
understood as the 'greatest barrier' to the reappearance of
the 12th Imam. According to the doctrine of Mahdism,
part of perparing for the reappearnce of the 12th Imam is
removing all obstacles and barriers to his return."
Iran's hardline clerics, IRGC, and the new Supreme Leader
support the hadiths that state that the "Jewish state will
be destroyed before Mahdi's arrival".
The U.S. is protecting Israel - the U.S. must go also.
Mutual Assured Destruction - MAD - is not part of
Mahdism. Iran's belief in the 'greatest good', no
matter the cost to the nation, is what pushes them on
towards an apocalyptic end.
Here
is a very good article by Raymond Ibrahim dated
December, 2023:
This article is dated March 12, 2026:
The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has
been described as "apocalypse-obsessed" man who is "uniquely
dangerous" and "more dangerous than 50 nuclear bombs".
"He thinks there are milestones on the path to the end
of the world and he himself will have a special part in
hastening humanity down that path." He believes that
he is a "prophesied figure...that will help fulfill the
Mahdi's return." He is the supreme leader of the "Axis
of Resistance" against the U.S. and Israel. Iranian
Christians are a minority in Iran - Owning a Bible is
illegal. Most are underground, imprisoned or face the
death sentence.
"The government of Iran is afraid of Christians...They
know when somebody becomes Christian, they will never go
back to Islam."
Whatever happens, the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 looms
ahead of us. Will this 'operation' be a precursor to
that war? Or will this end with the U.S. 'declaring
victory'...and then it simmers down again....awaiting the
time prophesied by Ezekiel?
Will Iran's new Supreme Leader play a role as we
approach the End Times - or does God have other plans for
him? Iran says they are ready for a ground war with
the U.S. The Pentagon has made preparations IF
President Trump moves forward with this.
We know that the U.S. is not in the Gog and Magog
War...something bad happens. Is Mystery Babylon part
of the U.S.? Or does the Rapture weaken the U.S. so
much, that being involved in that war would be
unsustainable?
God has prevented nuclear war...from what I
understand...many times since the US dropped the first
'bomb'. His hand will allow only what is in His
will. There will come that time - the
Tribulation Period - when all hell breaks loose on the
world. Is that time close?
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance