Either everybody loves Iran, or they’re fibbing. Anyway, that’s the impression I often come away with after reading various opinion columns and Iranian apologists. I’d like to hasten to add that I’m not talking about Lonely Planet far-away Iranian destinations here. Nor am I talking about the Iranian population.
First of all let me say that Jesus loves the Iranian people. One of the best resources available to understand what’s going on in that country is Eugene Bach’s book, Jesus in Iran. Bach is one of the leaders of the Back to Jerusalem Organization. Here’s part of what I wrote in my review of the book:
When we think of Iran, many of us refer to the Iranian Regime ruled by the Ayatollah. But we tend to forget the millions of people (mostly secular) who are oppressed by the governing body, and who would rather not have Sharia Law imposed upon them. Many still think of themselves as Persians rather than Iranians.
And this:
While it’s difficult to get firm data because Christians have been driven underground, it appears that Christianity is growing quickly in Iran. This is despite measures by the regime to stamp it out.
Eugene Bach and Brother Yun were also recently interviewed by Zola Levitt Ministries. It’s worth a look.
When one compares what’s said about the Iranian regime in some media to what’s asserted about Israel, one might get the impression the former is a safer place to visit. In fact two prominent theologians did just that:
A few years ago Stephen Sizer took part in a lecture tour in Iran. While there, he met with the Khomeinis and talked about mutual interests – such as Zionism. During this tour Sizer plugged his books. The Ayatollah’s daughter, Dr Zahra Mostafavi, wanted a Hebrew translation of Christian Zionists – On the Road to Armageddon. He was keen to oblige.
For the record, Dr. Sizer believes Christian Zionism is a dangerous source of conflict in the Middle East. I wonder if all the Christians fleeing the region were Zionists. Could that be the problem? I suppose Zionism is surely too much to tolerate even for the religion of tolerance.
I wonder if the Ayatollah has returned the compliment by sending Dr. Sizer a copy of his new 416 page book on how to outwit the US and destroy Israel? According to the blurb on the book’s back cover Khomenei is “The flagbearer of Jihad to liberate Jerusalem.”
Meanwhile Hank Hanegraaff participated in an Occupy Wall Street conference in Tehran, Iran. He came under criticism on many levels. Hanegraaff defended himself, of course. Yet whether his self-defense makes any real sense could be the subject of another column.
Somewhere on the top of the list of people who love Iran is President Barrack Obama. The Iranian Nuclear Deal (IND) recently made several headlines again. The gist is that Pres. Obama and Ben Rhodes conned their way into the deal.
Of course they did!
One way the US Administration sold the IND was on the assumption that President Rouhani was a moderate. By the way, Rhodes has been criticized for lacking the usual credentials for a Deputy National Security Adviser role. Some have even suggested he influenced the US president.
It doesn’t really matter – neither believed their own spin. In fact Mr. Obama was courting Iran long before he took office and even before “moderate” Rouhani came onto the scene. I touched on this in a previous article.
Russia loves Iran. It has defended Iran’s testing of its ballistic missiles – now said to be capable of reaching Israel. The Russian-Iranian weapons deal is an ongoing multi-million dollar business which the US has unsuccessfully tried to prevent. That being the case, what was the value of the Nuclear Deal? There must have been some reason – it just slipped my mind.
Iran and Russia are joined at the hip. Not only have they participated in war games, Russia’s interest in Syria inexorably binds it to Iran. For a number of reasons (especially its economy) Russia needs Iran. This is why Putin has become the dominant player in the Middle East.
Hamas and Hezbollah also love Iran. You could say they share mutual goals. And this is where we get to the heart of the matter. Gatestone Institute clearly spells it out:
That Iran provides financial and military aid to Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad has never been a secret. In fact, both the Iranians and the Palestinian radical groups have been boasting about their relations…Iran funnels money to these groups because they share its desire to eliminate Israel and replace it with an Islamic empire. Like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas and Islamic Jihad agreed to play the role of Tehran’s proxies and enablers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It appears that most who love Iran also have issues with Israel. That includes Mr. Obama who has made little effort to hide his contempt for the nation.
Russia is inextricably drawn into the conflict because of its ties with Iran and Syria. Mr. Netanyahu knows in his core being that he cannot trust Putin. All Putin desires is to make Russia great again. He’s demonstrated that he’ll do anything to achieve that goal. Cozying up to Israel won’t be on the agenda when business partners want to destroy the evil Zionist regime.
Which country can Israel genuinely trust in an ever-escalating Middle East conflict? I can’t think of any. Is there any way of stopping the Middle East conflict? I can’t of any way. Can you?
Russia in bed with Iran and Syria…Is there some sort of message here?
I think so.
Further resources:
Israel Through The Eyes Of Scripture
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