Iran’s future military capability
With the war in Iran, there is a political war brewing that will climax in six months with the midterm elections. Is the war weariness of the populace enough to bring the Democrats the majority in the House or Senate or both?
When it comes to war with Iran, those who oppose the war argue that President Trump is a warmonger, that Iran did not shoot first, and that any beef we may have with them can be settled at the negotiating table. Others claim the war was necessary because Iran was very close to having nuclear weapon capability, and if Iran had them, they would use them against Israel and other Western nations.
What does the Bible say? Will Iran, or any other country, use a nuclear weapon against Israel?
There is no direct mention in the Bible of a weapon of mass destruction being used against Israel. However, just because there is no mention does not mean it will not happen. Only a few wars are mentioned in the Scripture, but the Bible does say, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars…” (Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7).
Some prophecy teachers believe that part of the description of the sixth seal in Revelation refers to a nuclear weapon. Revelation 6:14, “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”
The big problem with this thinking is that, if you read the entirety of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17), it is obvious that the judgment is coming from God, not from any act of mankind.
A verse in Amos describes the destruction of Jerusalem’s governmental buildings by fire. Amos 2:5, “But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.” Again, some prophecy teachers will point to this verse and claim that it is a nuclear weapon. The problem with this line of thinking is that nuclear weapons tend to obliterate cities, not just a handful of buildings located within a city. The odds are much more likely that the destruction of “the palaces of Jerusalem” comes either through conventional weapons or a terrorist attack. Since God does not tell us how this destruction comes upon these buildings, it could be something as simple as a gas main break. As a side note, my opinion is that the destruction described in Amos 1-2 is a summary or recap of the battle described in Psalm 83.
With that said, what about Iran? Over the last several decades, the government of Iran has made it no secret that they want the annihilation of Israel. They don’t just want to defeat her, but they want her erased from the earth. Regardless of any treaties or sanctions in place, they continued to enrich uranium beyond what is necessary for energy needs. They were on their way to acquiring a nuclear weapon. During the current war, Iran fired missiles toward Diego Garcia, showing the world they had the capability to reach nearly all of Europe.
The Bible does tell us of a future attack by Iran upon Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). This attack is not a nuclear one; it is a ground invasion. Iran is not even the main player; that role belongs to Russia.
Turkey and several other nations are involved, but the main point I am trying to bring out is that Israel is not blasted by weapons of mass destruction within Ezekiel’s prophecy.
From Iran’s tone and actions of the last few decades, if they had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it. If they were developing one, and all the evidence proves that they were, then it is safe to assume that once they had one, they would use it. However, we cannot forget that God is in charge and His Word is true. The prophecy of Ezekiel would not exist if Israel were wiped off the map by an Iranian nuclear barrage. Therefore, in God’s plan, Iran would be stopped from having nuclear weapons. We are watching God use the United States to protect Israel and preserve the authority of His Word.
We must understand, however, that regardless of how much this war cripples Iran’s ability to fight, its inability to fight won’t last forever. After all, they will be part of the coalition that opposes Israel, according to Ezekiel’s prophecy.
We do not know when Bible prophecies will occur. Is Ezekiel’s invasion within the next few years, long after everyone alive today is gone, or sometime in between? If the prophecy is fulfilled within the next decade or so, then either Iran’s military buildup happens quickly, or it is not as decimated as we believe.
To understand what is going on in the world arena and in our own lives, we must bring the Word of God back into our thought process (Ephesians 1:11).
