Have you seen the latest expression of support from Benjamin Netanyahu where he expresses his solidarity with the Iranian people in their uprising against the evil theocratic regime that has enslaved the population?  See his message here:

For over 40 years, ever since the radical Islamic forces took over Iran by driving out the Shah from power (thank you, Jimmy Carter), the Iranian leadership has been determined to destroy both the “great Satan” (the U.S.) and the “little Satan” (Israel).  The chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” have become so commonplace, an entire generation of people have never known a time where these threats did not exist.

And yet, over 2,500 years ago, the Bible revealed that each of these nations would play very important roles in end time prophecy, and to do so, they would have to become friends, allies and partners in several upcoming events.

Many students of the Bible are aware that 10 nations will surround Israel in the latter days.  What they do not know is that it will be Iran that unites these 10 nations in a peaceful alliance with Israel–only to later fight against Israel just prior to the return of Yahshua.  These nations are easy to identify in the book of Psalms:

Psalm 83:4–“They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.“

In this verse, we are told that the 10 nations that had formerly been friends of Israel will have a change of heart and they’ll try to utterly destroy them to the point that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered!  With friends like this, who needs enemies?  But who are these 10 nations who had such a radical change of heart?

Psalm 83:5–“For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:  ⁶ The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;  ⁷ Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;  ⁸ Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.”

To understand prophecy, it’s important to understand that virtually all of the end time prophesies pertain to the land identified in the Bible.  In the above verses in Psalms, all we have to do is cross-reference the people in verses 6 through 8, using ancient maps and our modern maps.  The locations are easy to identify.

Edom is SW Jordan.  Ishmaelites is Saudi Arabia.  Moab is W Central Jordan.  Hagarenes is Egypt.  Gebal is Lebanon.  Ammon is E Jordan.  Amalek is the Sinai Peninsula.  The Philistines are today’s Palestinians.  Tyre is Lebanon.  Finally, Assur [or Assyria] is NW Iraq.  It is these 10 nations that will join Iran in their friendly relationship with Israel.  You may notice that parts of Jordan and Lebanon are identified  more than once.  This is because Jordan will become divided into 3 separate nations; Lebanon will become two.

Now, the reason that Netanyahu’s expression of solidarity with the Iranian people is so timely is because in 2018 the 70 years of indignation against Israel will finally come to an end, as prophesied in Zechariah, here:

Zech 1:12–“Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, Yahweh of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?”

This verse, written for our generation today, describes how Israel would have to suffer for 70 years AFTER their nation emerged again in the latter days, a.k.a: now.  The official date that marks Israel’s Declaration of Independence was May 14, 1948.  The 70 years won’t be over on May 14, 2018…it will happen earlier than that.

When this prophecy was written, a “year” was measured according the Hebrew calendar because our modern Gregorian calendars weren’t introduced until over 2,000 years later.  Using the Hebrew calendar as our measurement, the 70 years of indignation will be over on April 20, 2018.  From that time forward, Israel will no longer have to fear for her survival from all of her antagonistic neighbors.  I’ve been explaining this fact to family and friends for almost twenty years, but I never knew how this prophecy would be fulfilled.  With the civilian uprising in Iran over this past week and the vocal support of the U.S. and Israel offering their solid support, perhaps we are seeing the early stages of this prophecy fulfillment.

Since it has been virtually the entire 70 years of modern Israel’s existence that the entire Mideast has despised them, it seemed impossible to me that this attitude would suddenly change later this year without some other event that preceded it.  How do you change the attitude of an entire nation “overnight”?  But now that we’re seeing the seeds of change being planted, the prophecy in Zechariah begins to have a clearer understanding.

How does this prophecy pertain to Iran?  After all, they aren’t named in either Zechariah nor Psalms.  How do we know that it is IRAN that will become such an important nation and will unite all the other Mideast nations with Israel?  Solomon gives us a hint in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 1:9–“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.“

Okay, if this is true, what’s the “new thing” that Solomon is referring to?  Let’s look at his most important accomplishment and his most significant project–the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.  This “thing” will occur once again in our lifetimes as the 3rd Temple is finally built in Jerusalem.  But according to scripture, the Temple cannot be built during a time of war.  It can only be built during a time of peace.  This is the reason that Solomon’s father, King David, was prevented from building the Temple.  After his death, Solomon ruled during a time of peace and thus the Temple was built.

So, if the Temple is going to be rebuilt, does the Bible identify which person or which nation will be responsible for this project?  Yes it does, but to understand this prophecy, it requires the reader to read the Bible in its original manuscript order.  Doing so, we discover that the very last words ever written in the Old Testament tell us this fact.

Prior to being codifed into our modern Bibles, with both an Old and New Testaments, the only text that existed was a series of scrolls that contained only the Law, the Prophets and the Writings, or what we now call the Old Testament.  They were arranged in that order.  Thus, the book of Malachi finds itself in the center of the Old Testament (the Prophets) and the book of Chronicles is the final book.  The final two verses of 2 Chron. 36 now take on a much more significant understanding, and if you’re paying any attention at all, it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

2 Chron. 36:22–“ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Yahweh spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh STIRRED UP THE SPIRIT OF CYRUS KING OF PERSIA, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,  ²³ Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Yaheh Elohim of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people?  Yahweh Elohim of him, and let him go up.”

After those words were written, the next words in the Bible appear in the book of Matthew, over 540 years later.

Who was Cyrus and where was Persia?  In modern terms, this is describing Iran and whomever its leader happens to be (no new thing…).  It is this verse and this prophecy that allows us to know that modern day Iran MUST become friends with Israel.  Because if “Cyrus” (Iran’s leader) makes a proclamation that he will build Yahweh’s house in Jerusalem (the Temple), then THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN DURING A TIME OF PEACE.

And because Solomon tells us that there is no new thing under the sun, or that which was will be again, we know two things.  One) the Temple WILL be rebuilt prior to Yahshua’s return.  Two) “Cyrus” (a.k.a.: Iran) will be the nation responsible for its reconstruction.

It is for this reason that Netanyahu’s message and Trump’s expression of support for the Iranian people are so important.  This is the moment when the relationship between Iran and Israel–then soon, the entire Mideast region–will radically change.

2018 will indeed bring about some remarkable changes.  Unfortunately, so many people are so obsessed with looking at these events through the lens of politics, they cannot comprehend that prophesies of the Bible are happening right before their eyes.

109 days from now, the 70 years of indignation will end.  How massive will the changes in the Middle East be from that point forward?