When the Gulf War began in 1990, many seemed sure the end of the world was near. Iraq was anti-Israel. It was home to the ruins of ancient Babylon. Just over forty years earlier, Israel had regained its independence as a nation in 1948. The prophetic clock appeared to be winding down. Preachers warned about the rapture and Armageddon. But the war ended six months later and none of what they said happened.
Now the war in Iran is bringing would-be prophets out of the woodwork. Connecting Old Testament prophecy to the war is a harder sell this time, but that has not kept them from trying. The ancient country of Elam in the Bible was located in what is now Iran, and preachers are combing through the prophets to see if anything fits with the news.
Many are pointing to Jeremiah 49. In this section, the prophet pronounced the judgment of God on different nations. One of these was Elam. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them toward all those winds; there shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go” (Jer. 49:35-36). This obviously happened long ago since God said he would break their bow which was an important weapon in ancient battles. The Elamites were known for being skillful archers (Isa. 22:6). But God said they, like the other nations in this part of Jeremiah, would fall before their enemies.This prophecy was fulfilled over two thousand years ago. The same is true of what God said in verse 39: “But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam.” This is not a prophecy of spiritual revival in Iran after the present war. It was a prophecy of the physical return of outcast Elamites long ago.
The words of Jesus about His coming still stand: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (II Pet. 3:10). The Bible tells us to prepare for His coming, not predict it.
Kerry Duke
Vice President of Academics & Academic Affairs
Tennessee Bible College