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The Israel-Iran War: An Untold Story
The Israel-Iran War: An Untold Story
Introduction
When I first wrote this article I advocated that there would be no war between Israel and Iran. Many Messianics and Christians are caught up in
worshipping Israel and Jerusalem, and so they call for war, sometimes even nuclear Armageddon, with Iran. Beyond bloodlust, they wish to see their faith put to action, to be activated in a way that seems as if they are helping G-d. They desire a material outcome to their faith, which is admirable in principle, except for the simple fact that they are calling for war. Little do they realise that they are making the same mistake as their counterparts in Tehran, Damascus and across the Muslim world.
An open war with Iran, if the United States used its full potential, would end with a regime change in - if not outright destruction of - Iran. There is no
question about it. If the United States actually unleashed its arsenal of troops, gave free reign to its air power, and amassed its fleets on the Strait
of Hormuz, by itself or supported by Britain with her Special Forces and top quality front line soldiers, the United States would flatten Iran to the Stone
Age, and Iran would become America’s new puppet state.
That the United States does not unleash its force is partly because of her reticence to properly assume her role as the leader of the American global
hegemony. Miss America’s myopic attitude to global politics has rendered her incapable of properly releasing her forces and decisively ending her wars. There are other reasons why America will not unleash its full conventional arsenal, much to the chagrin of many of its citizens. Political commitments, arms deals, and the desire to be seen as a responsible global citizen are among some of these reasons.
When the world’s most powerful military force, with advanced technologies that none other can match, does not crush peasants armed with post-WW2
technology, there is more at play in other spheres that will determine the outcome, and one must remember this. Especially is this so politically, where
America’s leaders must answer to the pressures of the constituency, most of whom do not want long commitments to conflicts. Thus is America’s paradox: her citizens want decisive victories, but do not have the attention span necessary to decisively end a conflict. She wants global peace, but does not have the desire to exercise her imperial hegemonic position for that goal. Instead, she blunders along clumsily in relation to her empire that she inadvertently created. When it comes to Iran, there is more to the story than meets the eye.
The war with Iran has been long underway since the theocratic regime rejected its CIA roots. Or, perhaps they have not, as some conspiratorialists would say. The West's brutal and cynical game of geopolitical hegemony involves her peripheral state of Israel dancing with Iran's religious ambitions. We should therefore first examine Iran’s aged propaganda, a Cold War relic that puts Russia’s Fallen Monument Park, its graveyard of statues, to shame, before we examine the conflict, and the biblical exposition regarding the unique people and nation of Persia. There is hope, however, that the biblical exposition gives to the nation of Iran. It will once again rise in glory, side-by-side with the nation of Israel.
The Cold War Roots
The Cold War saw the continued conflict between two empires. On one side, America’s empire of capitalism and democracy fought an uphill battle to maintain its hegemonic control of the global economy. She had her easiest battle in Western Europe. By throwing money at post-war Europe, she guaranteed the economic revival of the Western nations, combating the rise of Communism in the developed world by ensuring that the common man and woman had a good chance at building wealth. Western Europe’s post-war revival was made entirely possible with American financing, and in so doing guaranteed revived economic success. Also, America’s New Deal guaranteed that land ownership was opened to everyone, not simply the wealthy or landed gentry, and this, amongst other measures, ensured personal prosperity in the homeland.
In the developing world, her lack of commitment to any one theatre over a sustained period of time ensured the stalemate of the Korean War, the loss of the Vietnam War, the success of the communist uprisings across southern and eastern Africa, and a sullied reputation in the Middle East. It was her
reluctance, ironically, to exercise her imperial arm and role as world leader that ensured America’s declining influence that affects her to this day.
On the other side were the Soviet Union and her satellites. Post-war Eastern Europe was plunged into intermittent political purges coupled with brutal
economic developments. Mother Russia’s strengths lay in her appeal to the commoners and the upstart generalissimos of Africa, South America and Asia. Sympathisers rose up from the most unlikely of places to offer support to a global communist cause. But her most stubborn legacy since her demise was not the fading red footprints on the map of the globe. It was her hugely successful propaganda machine that birthed the rhetoric still used by Israel’s enemies.
Despite coming close to nuclear war on a number of occasions, the Cold War remained so in the centre of the imperial powers. It was anything but cold in the periphery of imperial influence. As already mentioned, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East saw the rise and fall of dictators and regimes. Desperation allowed the bloodiest governments to rule for the promise of stability and loyalty to the imperial centre.
In the great game that was the Cold War, Mother Russia and Miss America struggled against one another to retain their imperial possessions, and to
exploit the weaknesses of the other. America, quick to realise the value of an oil-rich Arab world, invested from the top down to install complicit leaders who would guarantee the safety of their oil wells and refineries. This led to the exponential burst of wealth among Arab elites. Russia, on the other hand, appealed to Arab religious fervour to destabilise support for America. This led to the revitalisation of Islam to combat what was seen as the pollution of American capitalism and liberty encroaching upon the Arab world.
In short, America and Israel were painted as the Great and Little Satans that the obedient Muslim peoples must overthrow, and Mother Russia would be happy to supply them the weapons and ammunition to do so. America likewise jumped on board and helped fund what they saw as a backward religious culture in their struggle against atheistic Russian communism. The sheer cynicism and veiled scorn towards the Arabs and Muslims by both sides of the conflict was such that they were quite happy to fund their little ideological battles. What was the life of one Arab, compared to a Russian or American? This was, and remains, the thinking of the Imperial centres. Israel also has to realise that nothing has changed, and that she is just as much a puppet of imperial ambitions as the Arab nations with whom she wars.
It was in this ideological conflict that modern Iran developed. Caught between two imperial powers, Iran’s theocratic government was quick to publicly
shake its American ties and remodel itself as a Defender of the Faith. Key in this remodelling is the narcissistic obsession with the destruction of Israel. Is it a historical irony that Israel’s fiercest enemy was originally supported into power by America, its closest ally?
Iran needed to create a new identity. To survive, to avoid being played by the Imperial powers, and to retain her unique cultural legacy, Iran had to
remodel herself.
The Postmodern Armageddon
Iran is developing nuclear capabilities. There is no question to this. The numerous electronic attacks and covert surveillances on Iranian nuclear sites
have highlighted that their program is entrenched and established, and any but the most persistent and consistent physical attacks on these sites will only set it back, not destroy it. But why are they developing nuclear weapons?
Beyond religiously motivated bloodlust, and the coolly logical equation that to usher Shi’a dominance over the Middle East requires a weapon that will make conventionally armed nations unwilling to pursue conflict, there remains fear. Fear of the United States’ ability to retaliate on a level that Iran cannot, fear of encroaching American culture, capitalism and hedonism, and fear of unchecked American imperial ambitions are what drives rogue and globally irresponsible state-nations such as Iran to take the nuclear option.
But beyond this, Iran has created its own cultural output to fight American cultural intrusion, but also the cultural regional dominance of India and the
Arab world. Iran competes with the Indian cultural behemoth, which, once known as the land of a thousand gods, is also now the land of a thousand new movie releases every year. These pressures have caused Iran to produce its own cultural products in order to retain its own separateness. These are usually inspired (I use the term loosely) by the theocracy’s influence on Iranian life. But there also remains a sense of identity amongst Iranians about their unique heritage as the inheritors of the great kings of old. Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes are some of the great kings who conquered land and brought wealth to ancient Persia.
Iran’s persistent cultural identity is oftentimes at odds with Islamic modernity, which insists on conformity to Arabic culture (which Persians despise
as inferior). This also explains the Iranian re-invention of Islam regarding its fanatical adherence to Shi’a, which opposes Arabian Sunni Islam. Shi’a was not a recent development, but the theocracy’s stranglehold on power was made even stronger by emphasising its distance from the Arabic cultural centres, which are founded upon the invention of Sunni Islam.
As you can probably see, Iran has fought tooth and nail in the cultural sense to maintain a strong identity that is separate from the various cultural
influences in the region. It fights against the American global cultural behemoth. It fights the Indian regional cultural output. It fights Arabian
cultural encroachment.
The nuclear bomb, in the eyes of the regime, would seal the Iranian theocracy’s self-perception of power. What better perception than to be seen as
the region’s superpower, capable of striking fear and respect amongst her neighbours, capable of following through on her promises, and with access to her own technology that creates nuclear weapons. The only military force in the region that is capable of striking anywhere in the region and commands superiority is the only military force that also belongs to the only non-Muslim nation in the Middle East.
In other words, Israel is Iran’s only real challenge to regional power. Therefore, when your theocratic overlords desire to usher the period of the
Mehdi, your business partners wish you to establish resource monopolies, your military strongmen desire more funding, and your religious fanatic supporters want to confirm Shi’a rule over the world, then Israel becomes the most obvious and most important target to challenge.
Wiping Israel off the map would accomplish many things for the Iranian theocracy. At least, it would seem that way. They could challenge Arab Sunni
leadership and Arabian culture unchecked. They could increase their resource base — notably, crude and refined oil — many times over. They could claim the dubious honour of destroying the children of G-d, the people of the book, in the name of Allah. Finally, they could challenge American power and interests in the region, making it too hot for a politically and morally weak America to decisively challenge Iran.
This, though, is where many people forget that, with Israel gone, America would have a much easier time gaining the support of Sunni Muslim nations across the world, further isolating Iran from the world. It would be against Iran’s interests to wipe Israel off the map.
Not in the Interests of Money
Destroying Israel would fulfil the common perception that Muslims must occupy the holy land. They will have to work harder to occupy the other holy lands of the world, such as Rome, Wittenburg, London, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Lhasa, and so forth, but Jerusalem is the closest of the holy lands to occupy. I say it is a common perception, because the Qur’an acknowledges Israel’s right to their home.
Sura 5:20-1 says: ‘Recall that Moses said to his people, “O my people, remember God’s blessings upon you: He appointed prophets from among you, made you kings, and granted you what He never granted any other people. O my people, enter the holy land that God has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you become losers.”’
Also, Sura 7:137: ‘We let the oppressed people inherit the land, east and west, and we blessed it. The blessed commands of your Lord were thus fulfilled for the Children of Israel, to reward them for their steadfastness, and we annihilated the works of Pharaoh and his people and everything they
harvested.’
Sura 7:144: ‘He said, “O Moses, I have chosen you, out of all the people, with My messages and by speaking to you. Therefore, take what I have
given you and be appreciative.”’
Here lies the issue of interpretation. A traditional Christian would read that and immediately think that the children of Moses would be early Christians
still waiting for the promise of Jesus. Naturally, Muslims will read this passage and more often than not make the same mistake as many Christians. Why shouldn’t they? They want as much legitimacy to their religious doctrines as any other religion.
Islam’s methods of interpretation are straight from the early Catholic seminary, in that it establishes the same ‘Us versus Them’ mentality that paints
the self as the righteous and godly, and the faithful as following the strictures of their religious practice. The ‘other’, the opposition to the self, is painted as the heathen, the ungodly, the unworthy. The self takes the title of Israel, whereas the other takes various titles of opposition. Catholicism has done this in the past, and so has Islam (despite their own holy texts otherwise saying so). The existence of Israel as the Jewish state is an affront to those of the other Abrahamic religions who have given themselves the title of ‘Israel’.
It does not take much to see that the children of Israel are all of the sons of Jacob, who are counted within him. These consist of the Twelve Tribes,
including the twin-tribe of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and the tribe of Judah, from whence the term ‘Jew’ is derived. History worked in such a way that the ten northern tribes were politically dissolved during Assyria’s conquest, either migrating into the Kingdom of Judah or having been taken as prisoner and scattered across northern Mesopotamia and the Black Sea/Caucasus region (the same region where the infamous Khazarian Empire stood).
The term ‘Jew’ came into fashion when Babylon destroyed ancient Judah and transported the ‘Jews’ (the Israelite inhabitants of the land) across their
realm. It was the ancient Persian Empire that reinstated the Jews back to their homeland, but by then they were known simply as ‘Jews’, regardless of their tribal designations. Remember the absorbed members of other tribes lived in the Kingdom of Judah, and were assimilated into it.
Yeshua was born to Jews, who inhabited the land of Roman-occupied Judea at that time. The Romans completely and utterly destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the population of the Jews in Judea by 70 CE. This was a military feat that they had already established earlier with peoples such as the Helvetti and Gauls in their own homelands.
If you haven’t followed my logic, it is quite simple. The children of the Patriarch Israel took possession of their promised land. The Israelites, after
wars, conquest and enslavement, were absorbed into one tribe, that of Judah. Judeans, or Jews, continued to practice the religion of their forefathers, and modern Judaism is the culmination of the evolution of Talmudic and Mishnaic principles and legal rulings on top of the original Israelite faith
(incidentally, many would level the accusation that Judaism has also, like Christianity, abandoned its Biblical roots and ‘replaced the Tanakh with
Talmud’).
Islam is also based on the faith of the ancient Israelites, insofar as it was in its 6th and 7th Century CE forms, along with borrowed concepts from
Christianity and Greek philosophy. Like Christianity and Judaism, it is a religion based upon Biblical principles, but it is still just as removed from
that original faith. Islam’s forms of worship and proselytisation are based upon that of the Christian conceptions in existence at the time of Islam’s earlier years.
As an aside, Nazarene or Messianic Judaism, or Messianism, has also evolved from that original Israelite faith. Depending upon which branch of Messianic fellowship you join, you will experience strong Baptist or Pentecostal influences, Russellite church influences (such as the intense legalism in SDA and Armstrongite sects), but you will rarely find one that is authentically Jewish. It is a disgrace to think that when Messianics think of Jews, they think of legalism and literalism regarding the Torah and Talmud, because that is what these Messianics are promoting. As hard as many Messianics will try to tell the Jewish world that they are not ‘Christian’ but more Jewish, non-believing Jews (I use this term to mean Jews that do not believe that Yeshua is the physical manifestation of HaShem, the Living Torah, the one who killed His image to restore His whole creation) will continue to reject them because they see a circus act — people who are obviously not Jewish pretending to be Jewish. This is because many Messianics, if they are not simply just pretending to be Jews, they are throwing Jewish symbols around without really understanding their place in
authentic Jewish religious practice. On the occasion that non-believing Jews can engage with believing Jews, suspicion and doubt to their authenticity abound because of the reputation of the Messianic movement. Even then, how many genuine Jewish Messianics are aware of the secrets of the Rabbis? How many understand the place that the Queen of the Sabbath inhabits in authentic Jewish worship? Or understand the Adam Kadmon? Or know of Otot haMaschiach? Or know the Talmudic legal rulings concerning Yeshua?
Back to the point: regardless of the way in which you wish to see it, the ancient Jews and the religious practice of Israel is still connected with modern
Jewry and their modernised interpretation of the ancient religion. They have carried the banner from the beginning, not the Christians and Muslims who usurped Jacob and removed his symbols to place them in their own houses. Israel is still Israel, and the people of Israel have realised their dream of returning to their homeland, which was named Israel as well. Their origins have also been confirmed with DNA testing. Therefore, any argument that modern Jewry does not have any right to the land is false.
The Muslim world’s perception of Israel, contrary to popular belief, is not a monolithic hatred. It varies wildly from the rhetoric of the Iranian theocracy
and the propaganda machines of the Palestinian movement, all the way though to pro-Israel figureheads such as Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi and Imam Dr Muhammad Al-Hussaini, who support the existence of a self-determined modern Israel as the homeland for Jewry based on Qur’anic passages, such as the ones above.
On a more practical basis, Islam cannot exist without Israel. Not only would the destruction of Israel create a power vacuum so large that the entire region would turn against each other to fill it, it would also seal the fate of the Middle Eastern nations as far as the West is concerned. Peacekeeping troops would occupy what the West values above anything else — its oil supply (that is, if by then they haven’t switched to a more reliable energy source). They would actually, for the first time, exercise their immense military capabilities with complete homeland approval. After all, it would be keeping the peace. And Westerners value more the price of oil at the pump than they do the lives of belligerent Arabs.
The Arab nations understand that had they not had oil in the first place, there would be no financing of their regimes. In the chaos of war, their homes,
family, and lives would be completely destroyed by each other and by their actions against the West. It is in the best interests of the Arab world to
maintain peaceful relations with Israel. Otherwise, who else would refine their oil? Who else would trade cheap advanced technologies? Who else could act as a trustworthy business partner and as a gateway to the West and the rest of the world? Who else detracts global scrutiny from the Arab world’s many human rights crimes and abusive dictatorial regimes? Is it not ironic that the Arab world needs Israel, both for business and as a scapegoat? The Arab world, and the Muslim world could do all of this themselves, but with Israel, trade is much easier, more secure, and more accessible.
Do not think that countries such as Saudi Arabia refuse to trade with Israel. It was no surprise to me that Israel, when drawing up plans to bomb Iran, was offered Saudi’s airbases from which to conduct its operations. For all the propaganda and the skewed media hype, the Arab world needs Israel to exist in order to have any chance at survival in the modern world.
Continuing with the hypothetical destruction of Israel, what would then happen? The situation seems to be favourable to Iran. With Israel destroyed, and the Arab peoples fighting amongst themselves, Iran should come out fairly unscathed. Right? Nuclear attack would prompt immediate response. There would be no Iran to take advantage of the power vacuum, or to see the ushering of the Mehdi. Even without nuclear attack, they would find themselves quite alone in an unstable region, ready and ripe for its industries and businesses to be likewise destroyed or occupied.
But, would not the Muslim peoples unite under the Brotherhood to begin the first steps towards establishing the Caliphate?
Again, while this is definitely the underscored goal of the groups who are fighting against Israel, and while the annihilation of Israeli Jews and the
destruction of Israel would be a giant step towards the foundation (though, not legitimisation) of a Caliphate, unification would still be a declaration of war on the West. Oil money funds these groups. You need a lot of money to buy weapons. Money buys ammunition and vehicles. Vehicles need fuel. Only the ignorant, the disaffected and the mad want war.
The status-quo is what the major powers of the world desire. The status-quo ensures steady arms sales. The status-quo ensures steady oil supply. The status-quo ensures military technology has a consistent and controlled testing ground. The West has sacrificed a lot to ensure the status-quo remains so, and others, such as Russia, benefit hugely from selling out-dated and obsolete technology to the Middle Eastern nations. The West’s dependence on Arabian oil would be vastly reduced if America and the Western nations further exploited their own reserves, but long term thinking ensures that they retain their own and drain the Arabian supply. The game is played with money and the lives and resources of the imperial periphery.
Russia sells its obsolete weapons to these religious groups. It sells arrays of armaments to the Arab nations to ensure that the regimes are well equipped to deal with national unrest. It sets up various trade agreements with Israel as well. Russia plays both sides of the market. America does the same, arming and financing some of the most notorious terrorist organisations bent on the destruction of Israel. The game is a game of business and money.
Iran, having distanced itself ideologically and culturally, and having shaken off its overt American support, wants a larger piece of this rich, oil-soaked
pie. The embargo placed upon it is the world’s reaction to a disobedient theocratic government that wants more than what it is being offered, that is
scared of losing its rich history and culture to a global homogenised ‘culture’, and that has tried to be a saviour of the Shi’a peoples and give them a better offer than Mecca and Medina (no less than the Medhi). Will Iran go to war with Israel? Will it set off a nuclear weapon in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or Beersheba?
No. Not only because there are covert operations by America and allied nations in Iran as we speak (electronically, physically, or otherwise), but also
because, behind the religious façade, the god of the mullahs and the god of the ayatollah is money, and their motivation is fear, as I have laboured above.
Nazarene Judaism, Israel and Iran to Come
Above, in passing, I had mentioned that ancient Persia reinstated the Jews to Israel. A straightforward reading of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah shows us what had happened. Only fifty thousand Jews in Persia took that offer. The rest remained behind and offered financial and material aid on top of that provided by the Persian government. There were much larger numbers of Jews within Persia, and this does not count the Assyrian captivity, or the rest of the diaspora.
In other words, the Diaspora will yet return en masse to their homeland of Israel. Prosperity in Israel will draw them home from among the nations to finally fulfil the words of the Prophets. Persia will once again finance the reconstruction of the Temple, as the wealth of the world will be enjoyed in her halls. None of this will occur for as long as Iran remains the theocratic state it is, bent on the destruction of Israel, especially when Iran will have a close and very friendly relationship with the state of Israel.
How will this occur?
I believe that a regime change is due in Iran. Just as the pharaohs of old must be reinstated and the wealth of ancient Egypt must be reborn in modernity in order for the Prophets and Revelation to be fulfilled, so must arise the greatness of ancient Persia.
The Royal Family will regain power, to perhaps head over a constitutional monarchy. They will find their help in HaShem, whom they do not worship. The Royal Family, by turning relations with Israel around from the current situation, will bring enormous prosperity to both nations. They will bring
immense wealth to Persia, which will be an independent nation with a renewed, unique and powerful culture, rooted in thousands of years of glorious history. Persia will become Israel’s benefactor, donating it nothing less than the Temple of G-d in glory surpassing Solomon’s wonder.
In order for these things to come to pass, both Israel and Iran must exist, and co-exist. But where does Nazarene Judaism fit in all of this?
The Temple that will be rebuilt will be sanctified by those clothed in the blood of the lamb. Faithful Jews, believers in the shed blood and messiahship of Yeshua, will be the ones who oversee its construction. This will be immediately after a period of famine, despair and mourning for those lost in the bloodiest civil war Israel has yet seen, when the question of Yeshua’s messiahship comes to conflict in Israel. The nation will be sanctified, and it will become a superpower.
Why must Nazarenes oversee the Temple?
Because when Jews in general acknowledge the messiahship of Yeshua, Islam will take serious notice of this. The Qur’an acknowledges the messiahship of Yeshua, and so when Jews come around and accept His messiahship, then dialogue can be established and the Nazarenes can reopen the faith of the 1st Century, and inform Muslims of their own faith and its connection with these roots.
Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, will not rob the Jews of their homeland or their faith. He will not cause them to attend the pagan-inspired Christian churches of this world. Instead, he will amplify the promises made to Moses and fulfil the words of the Prophets to the weary ears and hardened spirits of the Jews. He will amplify their lands, and Israel will prosper beyond even her wildest dreams today. He will teach them about the Grace, not mercy (chesed), but the unlimited Grace of the unlimited Name. They will have their stony hearts replaced with those of flesh, and Yeshua will establish a new covenant with them.
This is what Yeshua will do for the Jews. And, because Iran must prosper, Messianics who are calling for the annihilation of Iran are proclaiming their
distaste for the will of G-d.
When I first wrote this article I advocated that there would be no war between Israel and Iran. Many Messianics and Christians are caught up in
worshipping Israel and Jerusalem, and so they call for war, sometimes even nuclear Armageddon, with Iran. Beyond bloodlust, they wish to see their faith put to action, to be activated in a way that seems as if they are helping G-d. They desire a material outcome to their faith, which is admirable in principle, except for the simple fact that they are calling for war. Little do they realise that they are making the same mistake as their counterparts in Tehran, Damascus and across the Muslim world.
An open war with Iran, if the United States used its full potential, would end with a regime change in - if not outright destruction of - Iran. There is no
question about it. If the United States actually unleashed its arsenal of troops, gave free reign to its air power, and amassed its fleets on the Strait
of Hormuz, by itself or supported by Britain with her Special Forces and top quality front line soldiers, the United States would flatten Iran to the Stone
Age, and Iran would become America’s new puppet state.
That the United States does not unleash its force is partly because of her reticence to properly assume her role as the leader of the American global
hegemony. Miss America’s myopic attitude to global politics has rendered her incapable of properly releasing her forces and decisively ending her wars. There are other reasons why America will not unleash its full conventional arsenal, much to the chagrin of many of its citizens. Political commitments, arms deals, and the desire to be seen as a responsible global citizen are among some of these reasons.
When the world’s most powerful military force, with advanced technologies that none other can match, does not crush peasants armed with post-WW2
technology, there is more at play in other spheres that will determine the outcome, and one must remember this. Especially is this so politically, where
America’s leaders must answer to the pressures of the constituency, most of whom do not want long commitments to conflicts. Thus is America’s paradox: her citizens want decisive victories, but do not have the attention span necessary to decisively end a conflict. She wants global peace, but does not have the desire to exercise her imperial hegemonic position for that goal. Instead, she blunders along clumsily in relation to her empire that she inadvertently created. When it comes to Iran, there is more to the story than meets the eye.
The war with Iran has been long underway since the theocratic regime rejected its CIA roots. Or, perhaps they have not, as some conspiratorialists would say. The West's brutal and cynical game of geopolitical hegemony involves her peripheral state of Israel dancing with Iran's religious ambitions. We should therefore first examine Iran’s aged propaganda, a Cold War relic that puts Russia’s Fallen Monument Park, its graveyard of statues, to shame, before we examine the conflict, and the biblical exposition regarding the unique people and nation of Persia. There is hope, however, that the biblical exposition gives to the nation of Iran. It will once again rise in glory, side-by-side with the nation of Israel.
The Cold War Roots
The Cold War saw the continued conflict between two empires. On one side, America’s empire of capitalism and democracy fought an uphill battle to maintain its hegemonic control of the global economy. She had her easiest battle in Western Europe. By throwing money at post-war Europe, she guaranteed the economic revival of the Western nations, combating the rise of Communism in the developed world by ensuring that the common man and woman had a good chance at building wealth. Western Europe’s post-war revival was made entirely possible with American financing, and in so doing guaranteed revived economic success. Also, America’s New Deal guaranteed that land ownership was opened to everyone, not simply the wealthy or landed gentry, and this, amongst other measures, ensured personal prosperity in the homeland.
In the developing world, her lack of commitment to any one theatre over a sustained period of time ensured the stalemate of the Korean War, the loss of the Vietnam War, the success of the communist uprisings across southern and eastern Africa, and a sullied reputation in the Middle East. It was her
reluctance, ironically, to exercise her imperial arm and role as world leader that ensured America’s declining influence that affects her to this day.
On the other side were the Soviet Union and her satellites. Post-war Eastern Europe was plunged into intermittent political purges coupled with brutal
economic developments. Mother Russia’s strengths lay in her appeal to the commoners and the upstart generalissimos of Africa, South America and Asia. Sympathisers rose up from the most unlikely of places to offer support to a global communist cause. But her most stubborn legacy since her demise was not the fading red footprints on the map of the globe. It was her hugely successful propaganda machine that birthed the rhetoric still used by Israel’s enemies.
Despite coming close to nuclear war on a number of occasions, the Cold War remained so in the centre of the imperial powers. It was anything but cold in the periphery of imperial influence. As already mentioned, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East saw the rise and fall of dictators and regimes. Desperation allowed the bloodiest governments to rule for the promise of stability and loyalty to the imperial centre.
In the great game that was the Cold War, Mother Russia and Miss America struggled against one another to retain their imperial possessions, and to
exploit the weaknesses of the other. America, quick to realise the value of an oil-rich Arab world, invested from the top down to install complicit leaders who would guarantee the safety of their oil wells and refineries. This led to the exponential burst of wealth among Arab elites. Russia, on the other hand, appealed to Arab religious fervour to destabilise support for America. This led to the revitalisation of Islam to combat what was seen as the pollution of American capitalism and liberty encroaching upon the Arab world.
In short, America and Israel were painted as the Great and Little Satans that the obedient Muslim peoples must overthrow, and Mother Russia would be happy to supply them the weapons and ammunition to do so. America likewise jumped on board and helped fund what they saw as a backward religious culture in their struggle against atheistic Russian communism. The sheer cynicism and veiled scorn towards the Arabs and Muslims by both sides of the conflict was such that they were quite happy to fund their little ideological battles. What was the life of one Arab, compared to a Russian or American? This was, and remains, the thinking of the Imperial centres. Israel also has to realise that nothing has changed, and that she is just as much a puppet of imperial ambitions as the Arab nations with whom she wars.
It was in this ideological conflict that modern Iran developed. Caught between two imperial powers, Iran’s theocratic government was quick to publicly
shake its American ties and remodel itself as a Defender of the Faith. Key in this remodelling is the narcissistic obsession with the destruction of Israel. Is it a historical irony that Israel’s fiercest enemy was originally supported into power by America, its closest ally?
Iran needed to create a new identity. To survive, to avoid being played by the Imperial powers, and to retain her unique cultural legacy, Iran had to
remodel herself.
The Postmodern Armageddon
Iran is developing nuclear capabilities. There is no question to this. The numerous electronic attacks and covert surveillances on Iranian nuclear sites
have highlighted that their program is entrenched and established, and any but the most persistent and consistent physical attacks on these sites will only set it back, not destroy it. But why are they developing nuclear weapons?
Beyond religiously motivated bloodlust, and the coolly logical equation that to usher Shi’a dominance over the Middle East requires a weapon that will make conventionally armed nations unwilling to pursue conflict, there remains fear. Fear of the United States’ ability to retaliate on a level that Iran cannot, fear of encroaching American culture, capitalism and hedonism, and fear of unchecked American imperial ambitions are what drives rogue and globally irresponsible state-nations such as Iran to take the nuclear option.
But beyond this, Iran has created its own cultural output to fight American cultural intrusion, but also the cultural regional dominance of India and the
Arab world. Iran competes with the Indian cultural behemoth, which, once known as the land of a thousand gods, is also now the land of a thousand new movie releases every year. These pressures have caused Iran to produce its own cultural products in order to retain its own separateness. These are usually inspired (I use the term loosely) by the theocracy’s influence on Iranian life. But there also remains a sense of identity amongst Iranians about their unique heritage as the inheritors of the great kings of old. Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes are some of the great kings who conquered land and brought wealth to ancient Persia.
Iran’s persistent cultural identity is oftentimes at odds with Islamic modernity, which insists on conformity to Arabic culture (which Persians despise
as inferior). This also explains the Iranian re-invention of Islam regarding its fanatical adherence to Shi’a, which opposes Arabian Sunni Islam. Shi’a was not a recent development, but the theocracy’s stranglehold on power was made even stronger by emphasising its distance from the Arabic cultural centres, which are founded upon the invention of Sunni Islam.
As you can probably see, Iran has fought tooth and nail in the cultural sense to maintain a strong identity that is separate from the various cultural
influences in the region. It fights against the American global cultural behemoth. It fights the Indian regional cultural output. It fights Arabian
cultural encroachment.
The nuclear bomb, in the eyes of the regime, would seal the Iranian theocracy’s self-perception of power. What better perception than to be seen as
the region’s superpower, capable of striking fear and respect amongst her neighbours, capable of following through on her promises, and with access to her own technology that creates nuclear weapons. The only military force in the region that is capable of striking anywhere in the region and commands superiority is the only military force that also belongs to the only non-Muslim nation in the Middle East.
In other words, Israel is Iran’s only real challenge to regional power. Therefore, when your theocratic overlords desire to usher the period of the
Mehdi, your business partners wish you to establish resource monopolies, your military strongmen desire more funding, and your religious fanatic supporters want to confirm Shi’a rule over the world, then Israel becomes the most obvious and most important target to challenge.
Wiping Israel off the map would accomplish many things for the Iranian theocracy. At least, it would seem that way. They could challenge Arab Sunni
leadership and Arabian culture unchecked. They could increase their resource base — notably, crude and refined oil — many times over. They could claim the dubious honour of destroying the children of G-d, the people of the book, in the name of Allah. Finally, they could challenge American power and interests in the region, making it too hot for a politically and morally weak America to decisively challenge Iran.
This, though, is where many people forget that, with Israel gone, America would have a much easier time gaining the support of Sunni Muslim nations across the world, further isolating Iran from the world. It would be against Iran’s interests to wipe Israel off the map.
Not in the Interests of Money
Destroying Israel would fulfil the common perception that Muslims must occupy the holy land. They will have to work harder to occupy the other holy lands of the world, such as Rome, Wittenburg, London, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Lhasa, and so forth, but Jerusalem is the closest of the holy lands to occupy. I say it is a common perception, because the Qur’an acknowledges Israel’s right to their home.
Sura 5:20-1 says: ‘Recall that Moses said to his people, “O my people, remember God’s blessings upon you: He appointed prophets from among you, made you kings, and granted you what He never granted any other people. O my people, enter the holy land that God has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you become losers.”’
Also, Sura 7:137: ‘We let the oppressed people inherit the land, east and west, and we blessed it. The blessed commands of your Lord were thus fulfilled for the Children of Israel, to reward them for their steadfastness, and we annihilated the works of Pharaoh and his people and everything they
harvested.’
Sura 7:144: ‘He said, “O Moses, I have chosen you, out of all the people, with My messages and by speaking to you. Therefore, take what I have
given you and be appreciative.”’
Here lies the issue of interpretation. A traditional Christian would read that and immediately think that the children of Moses would be early Christians
still waiting for the promise of Jesus. Naturally, Muslims will read this passage and more often than not make the same mistake as many Christians. Why shouldn’t they? They want as much legitimacy to their religious doctrines as any other religion.
Islam’s methods of interpretation are straight from the early Catholic seminary, in that it establishes the same ‘Us versus Them’ mentality that paints
the self as the righteous and godly, and the faithful as following the strictures of their religious practice. The ‘other’, the opposition to the self, is painted as the heathen, the ungodly, the unworthy. The self takes the title of Israel, whereas the other takes various titles of opposition. Catholicism has done this in the past, and so has Islam (despite their own holy texts otherwise saying so). The existence of Israel as the Jewish state is an affront to those of the other Abrahamic religions who have given themselves the title of ‘Israel’.
It does not take much to see that the children of Israel are all of the sons of Jacob, who are counted within him. These consist of the Twelve Tribes,
including the twin-tribe of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and the tribe of Judah, from whence the term ‘Jew’ is derived. History worked in such a way that the ten northern tribes were politically dissolved during Assyria’s conquest, either migrating into the Kingdom of Judah or having been taken as prisoner and scattered across northern Mesopotamia and the Black Sea/Caucasus region (the same region where the infamous Khazarian Empire stood).
The term ‘Jew’ came into fashion when Babylon destroyed ancient Judah and transported the ‘Jews’ (the Israelite inhabitants of the land) across their
realm. It was the ancient Persian Empire that reinstated the Jews back to their homeland, but by then they were known simply as ‘Jews’, regardless of their tribal designations. Remember the absorbed members of other tribes lived in the Kingdom of Judah, and were assimilated into it.
Yeshua was born to Jews, who inhabited the land of Roman-occupied Judea at that time. The Romans completely and utterly destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the population of the Jews in Judea by 70 CE. This was a military feat that they had already established earlier with peoples such as the Helvetti and Gauls in their own homelands.
If you haven’t followed my logic, it is quite simple. The children of the Patriarch Israel took possession of their promised land. The Israelites, after
wars, conquest and enslavement, were absorbed into one tribe, that of Judah. Judeans, or Jews, continued to practice the religion of their forefathers, and modern Judaism is the culmination of the evolution of Talmudic and Mishnaic principles and legal rulings on top of the original Israelite faith
(incidentally, many would level the accusation that Judaism has also, like Christianity, abandoned its Biblical roots and ‘replaced the Tanakh with
Talmud’).
Islam is also based on the faith of the ancient Israelites, insofar as it was in its 6th and 7th Century CE forms, along with borrowed concepts from
Christianity and Greek philosophy. Like Christianity and Judaism, it is a religion based upon Biblical principles, but it is still just as removed from
that original faith. Islam’s forms of worship and proselytisation are based upon that of the Christian conceptions in existence at the time of Islam’s earlier years.
As an aside, Nazarene or Messianic Judaism, or Messianism, has also evolved from that original Israelite faith. Depending upon which branch of Messianic fellowship you join, you will experience strong Baptist or Pentecostal influences, Russellite church influences (such as the intense legalism in SDA and Armstrongite sects), but you will rarely find one that is authentically Jewish. It is a disgrace to think that when Messianics think of Jews, they think of legalism and literalism regarding the Torah and Talmud, because that is what these Messianics are promoting. As hard as many Messianics will try to tell the Jewish world that they are not ‘Christian’ but more Jewish, non-believing Jews (I use this term to mean Jews that do not believe that Yeshua is the physical manifestation of HaShem, the Living Torah, the one who killed His image to restore His whole creation) will continue to reject them because they see a circus act — people who are obviously not Jewish pretending to be Jewish. This is because many Messianics, if they are not simply just pretending to be Jews, they are throwing Jewish symbols around without really understanding their place in
authentic Jewish religious practice. On the occasion that non-believing Jews can engage with believing Jews, suspicion and doubt to their authenticity abound because of the reputation of the Messianic movement. Even then, how many genuine Jewish Messianics are aware of the secrets of the Rabbis? How many understand the place that the Queen of the Sabbath inhabits in authentic Jewish worship? Or understand the Adam Kadmon? Or know of Otot haMaschiach? Or know the Talmudic legal rulings concerning Yeshua?
Back to the point: regardless of the way in which you wish to see it, the ancient Jews and the religious practice of Israel is still connected with modern
Jewry and their modernised interpretation of the ancient religion. They have carried the banner from the beginning, not the Christians and Muslims who usurped Jacob and removed his symbols to place them in their own houses. Israel is still Israel, and the people of Israel have realised their dream of returning to their homeland, which was named Israel as well. Their origins have also been confirmed with DNA testing. Therefore, any argument that modern Jewry does not have any right to the land is false.
The Muslim world’s perception of Israel, contrary to popular belief, is not a monolithic hatred. It varies wildly from the rhetoric of the Iranian theocracy
and the propaganda machines of the Palestinian movement, all the way though to pro-Israel figureheads such as Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi and Imam Dr Muhammad Al-Hussaini, who support the existence of a self-determined modern Israel as the homeland for Jewry based on Qur’anic passages, such as the ones above.
On a more practical basis, Islam cannot exist without Israel. Not only would the destruction of Israel create a power vacuum so large that the entire region would turn against each other to fill it, it would also seal the fate of the Middle Eastern nations as far as the West is concerned. Peacekeeping troops would occupy what the West values above anything else — its oil supply (that is, if by then they haven’t switched to a more reliable energy source). They would actually, for the first time, exercise their immense military capabilities with complete homeland approval. After all, it would be keeping the peace. And Westerners value more the price of oil at the pump than they do the lives of belligerent Arabs.
The Arab nations understand that had they not had oil in the first place, there would be no financing of their regimes. In the chaos of war, their homes,
family, and lives would be completely destroyed by each other and by their actions against the West. It is in the best interests of the Arab world to
maintain peaceful relations with Israel. Otherwise, who else would refine their oil? Who else would trade cheap advanced technologies? Who else could act as a trustworthy business partner and as a gateway to the West and the rest of the world? Who else detracts global scrutiny from the Arab world’s many human rights crimes and abusive dictatorial regimes? Is it not ironic that the Arab world needs Israel, both for business and as a scapegoat? The Arab world, and the Muslim world could do all of this themselves, but with Israel, trade is much easier, more secure, and more accessible.
Do not think that countries such as Saudi Arabia refuse to trade with Israel. It was no surprise to me that Israel, when drawing up plans to bomb Iran, was offered Saudi’s airbases from which to conduct its operations. For all the propaganda and the skewed media hype, the Arab world needs Israel to exist in order to have any chance at survival in the modern world.
Continuing with the hypothetical destruction of Israel, what would then happen? The situation seems to be favourable to Iran. With Israel destroyed, and the Arab peoples fighting amongst themselves, Iran should come out fairly unscathed. Right? Nuclear attack would prompt immediate response. There would be no Iran to take advantage of the power vacuum, or to see the ushering of the Mehdi. Even without nuclear attack, they would find themselves quite alone in an unstable region, ready and ripe for its industries and businesses to be likewise destroyed or occupied.
But, would not the Muslim peoples unite under the Brotherhood to begin the first steps towards establishing the Caliphate?
Again, while this is definitely the underscored goal of the groups who are fighting against Israel, and while the annihilation of Israeli Jews and the
destruction of Israel would be a giant step towards the foundation (though, not legitimisation) of a Caliphate, unification would still be a declaration of war on the West. Oil money funds these groups. You need a lot of money to buy weapons. Money buys ammunition and vehicles. Vehicles need fuel. Only the ignorant, the disaffected and the mad want war.
The status-quo is what the major powers of the world desire. The status-quo ensures steady arms sales. The status-quo ensures steady oil supply. The status-quo ensures military technology has a consistent and controlled testing ground. The West has sacrificed a lot to ensure the status-quo remains so, and others, such as Russia, benefit hugely from selling out-dated and obsolete technology to the Middle Eastern nations. The West’s dependence on Arabian oil would be vastly reduced if America and the Western nations further exploited their own reserves, but long term thinking ensures that they retain their own and drain the Arabian supply. The game is played with money and the lives and resources of the imperial periphery.
Russia sells its obsolete weapons to these religious groups. It sells arrays of armaments to the Arab nations to ensure that the regimes are well equipped to deal with national unrest. It sets up various trade agreements with Israel as well. Russia plays both sides of the market. America does the same, arming and financing some of the most notorious terrorist organisations bent on the destruction of Israel. The game is a game of business and money.
Iran, having distanced itself ideologically and culturally, and having shaken off its overt American support, wants a larger piece of this rich, oil-soaked
pie. The embargo placed upon it is the world’s reaction to a disobedient theocratic government that wants more than what it is being offered, that is
scared of losing its rich history and culture to a global homogenised ‘culture’, and that has tried to be a saviour of the Shi’a peoples and give them a better offer than Mecca and Medina (no less than the Medhi). Will Iran go to war with Israel? Will it set off a nuclear weapon in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or Beersheba?
No. Not only because there are covert operations by America and allied nations in Iran as we speak (electronically, physically, or otherwise), but also
because, behind the religious façade, the god of the mullahs and the god of the ayatollah is money, and their motivation is fear, as I have laboured above.
Nazarene Judaism, Israel and Iran to Come
Above, in passing, I had mentioned that ancient Persia reinstated the Jews to Israel. A straightforward reading of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah shows us what had happened. Only fifty thousand Jews in Persia took that offer. The rest remained behind and offered financial and material aid on top of that provided by the Persian government. There were much larger numbers of Jews within Persia, and this does not count the Assyrian captivity, or the rest of the diaspora.
In other words, the Diaspora will yet return en masse to their homeland of Israel. Prosperity in Israel will draw them home from among the nations to finally fulfil the words of the Prophets. Persia will once again finance the reconstruction of the Temple, as the wealth of the world will be enjoyed in her halls. None of this will occur for as long as Iran remains the theocratic state it is, bent on the destruction of Israel, especially when Iran will have a close and very friendly relationship with the state of Israel.
How will this occur?
I believe that a regime change is due in Iran. Just as the pharaohs of old must be reinstated and the wealth of ancient Egypt must be reborn in modernity in order for the Prophets and Revelation to be fulfilled, so must arise the greatness of ancient Persia.
The Royal Family will regain power, to perhaps head over a constitutional monarchy. They will find their help in HaShem, whom they do not worship. The Royal Family, by turning relations with Israel around from the current situation, will bring enormous prosperity to both nations. They will bring
immense wealth to Persia, which will be an independent nation with a renewed, unique and powerful culture, rooted in thousands of years of glorious history. Persia will become Israel’s benefactor, donating it nothing less than the Temple of G-d in glory surpassing Solomon’s wonder.
In order for these things to come to pass, both Israel and Iran must exist, and co-exist. But where does Nazarene Judaism fit in all of this?
The Temple that will be rebuilt will be sanctified by those clothed in the blood of the lamb. Faithful Jews, believers in the shed blood and messiahship of Yeshua, will be the ones who oversee its construction. This will be immediately after a period of famine, despair and mourning for those lost in the bloodiest civil war Israel has yet seen, when the question of Yeshua’s messiahship comes to conflict in Israel. The nation will be sanctified, and it will become a superpower.
Why must Nazarenes oversee the Temple?
Because when Jews in general acknowledge the messiahship of Yeshua, Islam will take serious notice of this. The Qur’an acknowledges the messiahship of Yeshua, and so when Jews come around and accept His messiahship, then dialogue can be established and the Nazarenes can reopen the faith of the 1st Century, and inform Muslims of their own faith and its connection with these roots.
Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, will not rob the Jews of their homeland or their faith. He will not cause them to attend the pagan-inspired Christian churches of this world. Instead, he will amplify the promises made to Moses and fulfil the words of the Prophets to the weary ears and hardened spirits of the Jews. He will amplify their lands, and Israel will prosper beyond even her wildest dreams today. He will teach them about the Grace, not mercy (chesed), but the unlimited Grace of the unlimited Name. They will have their stony hearts replaced with those of flesh, and Yeshua will establish a new covenant with them.
This is what Yeshua will do for the Jews. And, because Iran must prosper, Messianics who are calling for the annihilation of Iran are proclaiming their
distaste for the will of G-d.
