The Bible’s Beast Nations Are Back!

By David Ettinger

A disaster of epic proportions.

A death toll of biblical scope.

An offer of unlikely compassion.

A spit in the face as bitter as poison.

All of these came into play back in December 2003 when tragedy struck Iran in the form of a massive earthquake which claimed upward of 30,000 lives.

The world’s mercy was kindled, and help, manpower, and provision were proffered from across the globe. Among those proffering help was, amazingly, Israel.

After all, Iran, along with the vast majority of the Muslim world, desires one thing above all others: the annihilation of Israel. For instance, a common and oft-used mantra of Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization, is, “We love death more than the Jews love life.” Iran seconds that notion.

Sadly, Iran’s reaction to Israel’s offer exemplifies this slogan. Despite this, Israel did not hesitate to offer Iran her services during this time of suffering. Israel’s official statement was: “The Government and people of Israel are moved by the human tragedy experienced by the Iranian people and believe that, despite all differences, a mobilization of the whole international community is needed to come to the help of families of the victims and wounded.”

How bad were things in Iran? Then-Brigadier-General Beik Mohammadlu said: “We need help, otherwise we will be pulling corpses – not the injured – out of the rubble.” Under such dire circumstances, one would think that Israel’s magnanimous offer would be welcome.

So, what was the Iranian reply to Israel? Arms held open in appreciation? The nation’s borders thrown open to receive their Middle Eastern neighbors? No. The reply was a thankless, contemptuous spit in the face. Said Jahanbakhsh Khanjani, a spokesman for Iran’s Interior Ministry: “The Islamic Republic of Iran accepts all kinds of humanitarian aid from all countries and international organizations with the exception of the Zionist regime.”

A scene from the 2003 Iran earthquake

As exhibited by this revealing episode, how can things have gotten so bad that a country writhing in agony and inhaling the stench of death daily would reject any offer of help? Well, for one thing, things have not gotten so bad; they have been bad for centuries.

A Long Time Ago
It all goes back to antiquity. Though the history of Iran reaches almost as far back as Creation itself, Iran – previously called “Persia” – gets most of its attention in the Book of Daniel.

We first meet Persia in Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a giant statue (which depicts “the times of the Gentiles” – Luke 21:24). There, Persia, aligned with the Medes, is the chest and arms of silver. Later, in Chapter 7, Daniel has a dream of four beasts: a lion – Babylon; a bear – Medo-Persia; a leopard – Greece; and a powerful beast beyond description – the Antichrist’s coming kingdom at the end of the age.

These are the four “beast” kingdoms which have preserved a satanic hatred for the nation of Israel. The four represent Israel’s persecutors, those who would love to exterminate Israel.

But the biblical account was then, what about now?

Witness one of the most fascinatingly obscure passages in all of Scripture. In regard to the “beast” kingdoms, Daniel tells us that, “The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time” (Daniel 7:12).

In other words, these nations would diminish in power for many years, before one day rising again. This is exactly what happened. Iraq (Mesopotamia, Babylon), Iran (Persia), Greece (Syria[1]), for centuries had been third-rate nations with little importance on the world stage. However, as the time of Israel’s “rebirth” in 1948 came closer and closer to fruition, so did the re-emergence of the “beast” nations, in precise accordance with prophecy.

They’re Baaaack!
And now they’re all back: Iran, Iraq, and Syria – and ferocious as ever.

The passing centuries have not satiated the beasts’ appetites for Jewish destruction. Though the world has advanced in every area of existence since the days of antiquity, the basic nature of the “beast” nations remains the same.

As entities (though many individuals living in these nations would disagree with their governments’ position against Israel), they remain fully committed to their satanically-mandated hatred of Israel – even to the extent of letting their own people die rather than accept help from their ancient enemy.

As we rush to the end of the age, Iran’s 2003 spurning of Israel is a conspicuous example of how the ancient animosities are churning and mounting, just as the Bible says they would.

Indeed, the beasts are roaring, flourishing in the Middle East, and are ready to pounce. The beasts are back, and if you want to know just how much longer we have until Christ returns (the general timeframe, that is), then make sure you are keeping a conscientious eye on the Middle East. This is where all the answers lie!

David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.

[1] The Greek Empire’s fiercest King against Israel was Antiochus Ephiphanes, a forerunner of the yet-to-come Antichrist, who attempted to destroy Israel during his reign (175-164 B.C.)

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Tagged: End-Times Prophecy, Iran, Iraq, Israel, prophecy, Prophecy Fulfilled, Syria, The End of the Age, The Last Days, The Middle East

Posted in: Ancient Israel, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, Commentary, Current Events, Editorial/Blog, End Times, God's Divine Plans, Israel, New Testament, Old Testament, prophecy, The End of the Age, the end-times, The Last Days, The Middle East