Dear Associates, Students and Friends:
As I write, international news reports often concern the nation of Iran. Indications are that the government of Iran is aggressively working to build nuclear weapons with resources developed within Iran. Among nations in today’s world it is considered a measure of industrial and economic power for a country to produce its own nuclear weapons, and to develop the means to deliver those weapons against its enemies. The government of Iran feels such weapons will bring them stature, respect, power, and even protection against other nations in the Middle East and the world. Possession of nuclear weapons, coupled with Iran’s strategic geographic placement on the globe, allow it to threaten a substantial percentage of the world’s oil production and shipping and even to cripple the world’s economy (and yes, Iran’s economy also).
Whatever the reasons, this quest to build nuclear weapons is seen as dangerous because the government of Iran is led by religious leaders who believe the destruction of Israel is prophesied. They consider Israel and the United States to be the heart of evil in the world religiously, morally, economically, and militarily. This is what the Islamic religious leaders are telling their people.
The source of those prophecies is not the Bible or the Koran, but Islamic mysticism. Violent mysticism and nuclear weapons are a dangerous combination. In a 1982 Prophetic Report on Iran Dr. Martin wrote about those who believe they are doing God’s will to lead, control, coerce, and even kill in God’s name:
“I have personally known people who have been Christians (or claimed to be Christians) who also feel they have divine missions to carry out things at the end of the age. They may be, but some of those people are the most dangerous on earth, because they can justify almost anything they feel or do to further the cause of God.
Have we ever read in the Bible where it says that even Christians at the end of the age would be killed and people would think that they would be serving God? ‘Yea, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service’ (John 16:2). The only time that can really happen is when individuals who are in charge of nations or peoples or churches or whatever, feel that they have divine commissions to carry out to promote the teachings of the Gospel or of Islam or some other divine institution here on this earth. They feel that they have all the powers of God behind them. In fact those are some of the most dangerous people you can deal with.”
What Dr. Martin wrote still applies today to the religious leaders of Iran and to anyone who believes they have a mandate from God to do whatever it takes — even kill — to fulfill “God’s will.” All too often “God’s will” turns out to be that person’s own willfulness led by their own deceitful heart. Great ambition and great power often harvest great evil.
This month’s article, “Iran in Prophecy,” deals with the future of the troubled country of Iran. That future, expressed in God’s prophecies found in the Bible, is as certain as the rising of tomorrow’s sun, because God ordained both Iran’s future and the rising of the sun. It is not for us to act to bring about that future. It is for us to “watch” the events so we can know and understand and teach and perhaps even rescue others as God works out His plan and again intervenes directly in world affairs according to His prophetic plan.
This article is comprehensive, detailed, and the biblical references should be reviewed carefully. My goal in publishing this material is threefold. First, Dr. Martin’s biblical analysis from his earlier works is still relevant and extremely valuable. In these earlier works he frequently discusses aspects of biblical passages that he does not discuss elsewhere, yet they clarify the text. Second, this early material shows that even in the 1970s Dr. Martin’s prophetic understanding was detailed. While he later corrected his understanding in many areas (as he, and we, are all encouraged to grow in grace and knowledge, 2 Peter 3:18), many details of his earlier works still are significant in light of Dr. Martin’s later prophetic understanding. Third, material from earlier audiotapes and publications is now being made available to a new and larger audience by publishing the best biblical scholarship through the Internet.
Read this article as if Dr. Martin wrote it recently. The source materials are his words, except where I edit for clarity and brevity. Events happening in Iran today are moving toward future events prophesied in your Bible. The material Dr. Martin produced about Iran over 16 years certainly developed in detail and additional knowledge, but the basics are clear: Iran will be a major player in prophetic events, and in a surprising way. Recent events in Iran make this information more relevant than ever as we near the end times.
Iran may quickly become a nation of major concern both in the news and to the economy of the world. By reading this valuable material you will be “up to date” about the future of the Middle East, Iran, and Israel. It will also involve your personal future as the world increases its focus on the various problems of the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Babylon, and particularly Israel and Jerusalem in the coming years.
It is wise to remember Dr. Martin’s appropriate caution that specific events of 1979, 1982, or 1995 did not relate specifically to any prophesied biblical events. The hatred shown toward the United States and Israel during those years by the leaders of Iran has not changed. The more things change since 1979, the more they stay the same, at least for the present time. Current events do not yet relate directly to prophecy. Dr. Martin noted this in 1979 when he wrote about the Iranian hostage crisis fomented by the new Iranian government under Islamic religious leadership:
“So, what about the Iranian crisis? Is it an End Time event? No, but it could be leading up to those events. In fact I personally feel we have a few more years left before we begin to see things really on the scene where we can see them quite clearly. Of course, what I am saying is primarily speculation, because Ernest Martin does not have divine intelligence to tell us exactly what will occur in the future. We do have the biblical revelation in front of us, however, and it does look pretty clear what will happen just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. There must be a very strong power in Iran, in Persia, existing prior to the Second Coming of Christ. At the present time [1979] we do not see that.”
Soon (perhaps years, perhaps decades) we should begin to see and understand a number of world events and note how they fit within the sequence of prophecy and understand how those events relate to specific Scriptures. That can be done with only one major prophesied event in our lifetimes, the return of the Jews to the land of Israel. Until more such events occur the faith of some will be shaken. We are instructed to remain steadfast and “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
Thank you for your prayers, expressions of support, and contributions that together give us the means to regularly produce a wide range of biblical studies by Dr. Martin, and even new research based on his works. The truths that “open up” and make Scripture clear, are provided so that it will have wide distribution around the world. As you are most likely aware, true happiness and fulfillment is only to be found in God: “Blessed [“happy” in Hebrew] is every one that fears the Lord; that walks in his ways” (Psalm 128:1). Thank you for helping us get this information to the world, information that is so desperately needed. Some readers, such as those in Iran, risk a great deal by openly reading material about Christ, the Bible, and particularly the Gospel of Christ, the Messiah. However, the internet is a powerful tool for God to use to reach one person at a time around the world as God leads them. We are extremely grateful for your support in this task that we have all chosen to partake in.
David W. Sielaff
David@askelm.com
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