FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear friend in our Messiah Jesus,
Shalom in His grace. Join
me again in wishing modern
Israel a happy 70th birthday. And
congratulations to our country for
moving the United States Embassy
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, marking
a significant affirmation of our
nation’s relationship with Israel.
Yet, more than ever, Israel
desperately needs our prayers and
support, especially during these
difficult days as the Jewish people
are surrounded by fierce enemies
who seek their destruction.
In fact, what is happening today
is simply a replay of what took place
centuries ago: One of Israel’s historic
enemies now poses a significant
threat to Israel. This country is Iran!
IRAN/PERSIA
It is common
knowledge that the
modern country known
as Iran is, in fact, ancient
Persia. The ancient
territory of Persia
extended from the
Caspian Sea in the
north to the Persian
Gulf in the south, and
from the Tigris River in
the west to the Indus
River in the southeast.1
The Persian Empire rose to
prominence by conquering the
Babylonians (Iraq) and achieved
dominance from 539 to 331 B.C.,
until they were conquered by the
Greeks under the leadership of
Alexander the Great.
Persia, led by King Cyrus,
inherited both the land of Israel and
Babylon, where the Jewish people
had been taken captive in three
waves, beginning in 605 B.C. and
concluding with the destruction of
the Temple in 586 B.C.
PERSIA IN SCRIPTURE
In biblical times, Israel came under Persian dominion.
Some of the key cities of ancient Persia were mentioned in the
book of Esther, but also in the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezra, and
Nehemiah. The entire book of Esther takes place in Susa, the
capital of Persia, where the Jews were threatened with annihilation
by Haman, who served in the court of King Ahasuerus.
In Isaiah 44:28, the prophet predicts that God would raise
up a Persian Gentile leader, Cyrus, to deliver the Jewish people
from the Babylonian captivity and bring them back to the land of
Israel. This prophecy aligns with Jeremiah 29:11, which prophesied
to the Jewish exiles that they would remain in Babylon for
seventy years. Second Chronicles 36:22-23 confirms this when
the writer reports this great deliverance of the Jewish people by
the hand of Cyrus, the Servant-Shepherd predicted by Isaiah.
WHO IS THE PRINCE OF PERSIA?
In the book of Daniel, we are introduced to the Prince of
Persia who, according to the prophet, was intent on keeping the
angel Gabriel from coming to Daniel and interpreting the vision
(Daniel 10:13, 20-21).
JUNE 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 2
Daniel 10:20-21 recounts how the angel
Gabriel remained in conversation with the kings
(note the plural) of Persia until he was released
through the actions of Michael the archangel.
Clearly the Prince of Persia is some type of angel,
probably an evil angel (demon), who was working
against God’s purposes and was sent by Satan to hinder
the travel of Gabriel’s message to Daniel.
This brief passage gives us some insight into
the cosmic conflict taking place in the heavens
between Israel and her neighbors. These types of
conflicts should not surprise believers in Jesus as the
Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6, describes these battles
as continuing into the New Testament era:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
The question we naturally want to ask is this: “Is the current
conflict between Israel and Iran a reflection of the spiritual battle
between God and the devil as we draw closer to the end of this
age?” It certainly seems so! Both Ephesians 6 and Daniel 10
pull back the curtains of heaven to show us that this earthly war
reflects heavenly realities. The nations of the world, inspired by
Satan himself, seek the destruction of God’s chosen people in
order to put a stop to the plan of God for the end of the age
(Romans 11:11-19). This would elevate the Middle East conflict
beyond the political and into the spiritual realm!
ISRAEL AND IRAN:
THE NEW PERSIA
Once a threat,
always a threat
Isaiah 53 Explained in Farsi,
the language of Iran