Assassination in Iran

Could war between Israel and Iran turn into a global conflict?

The recent US election seems to be accelerating the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s end-times prophecy.

On Friday, November 27, a bomb detonated in an old truck as it cruised alongside a very important sedan—the one carrying the notorious Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Suddenly, a group of at least five assassins finished him off with machine gun fire. As of today, there have been no arrests.

Fakhrizadeh was the Head of Research and Innovation at Iran’s Ministry of Defense. In 2015, the IAEA claimed that he oversaw activities “in support of a possible military dimension to Iran’s nuclear program.” In 2018, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of Fakhrizadeh, “remember that name”—after he announced that Mossad had obtained 100,000 files from Iran’s nuclear archives.

Most experts believe that the assassination was carried out by Israel, along with the assistance of the United States.

I wrote about the possibility of such a maneuver just last week. Here’s a snippet:

“Given the damning report on Iran’s nuclear developments, the strange timing of Esper’s ouster, and recent statements by a former member of Trump’s cabinet, it at least seems possible that Israel would strike in the coming days or weeks.”

I did not write this as a prophet, but rather, as a student of prophecy. Ezekiel prophesied 2,600 years ago about a great end times battle, in which Israel would find itself at the center of the world’s attention—and anger. 

Taking Sides

For years, tensions have been mounting between Israel and Iran, as the Iran has pursued nuclear ambitions and Israel has sought to defend itself through preemptive strikes. Just like Ezekiel prophesied, the nations are taking sides—and most are siding against Israel. Here are a few of the responses from world leaders:

• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani: “Once again, the evil hands of global arrogance were stained with the blood of the mercenary usurper Zionist regime [Israel]. Iran will surely respond to the martyrdom of our scientist at the proper time.” 

• Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN (via Twitter): “No doubt that such acts deserve only condemnation. Not a single sound and responsible politician can promote and approve political killings. This attack should be properly investigated and those who are behind this identified and prosecuted. No #DoubleStandards! #Iran.”

• European Union spokesperson, Peter Sano: “This is a criminal act and runs counter to the principle of respect for human rights the EU stands for.” 

• Heads of state for Qatar, Syria, and Hamas condemned the assassination.

• Israel has declined to comment, but President Donald Trump retweeted a New York Times article about the assassination.

Notably, Russia and Iran are two of the major players in Ezekiel’s end times battle, known as the Gog-Magog War. That the European Union might part ways with Israel would not surprise me, given that the bulk of Israel’s enemies will come from the north. It also doesn’t surprise me that the surrounding Muslim nations would also condemn Israel’s alleged actions, which as I’ve written, also align with Ezekiel’s prophecy.

World War…III?

The way this is all unfolding reminds me of how World War I began. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia, triggering the greatest nations in the world to align with one side or the other. Just like that, you had a world war. 

Could it be that the assassination of a nuclear scientist might have the same effect?

The Iranians sure think so. A journalist named Elijah Magnier, a Middle East war correspondent for Al Rai Media, cited unnamed Iranian military sources who say they believe Israeli leaders are seeking a pretext designed to trigger U.S. intervention just weeks before inauguration: “In the case of an Israeli bombing followed by an Iranian retaliation, the Trump administration can then intervene with the pretext of defending Israel.”

In the words of Iranian Commander Hossein Dehgan, “the Zionists seek to intensify pressure on Iran and create a full-blown war.”

If covert missions suddenly became an overt war between Israel and Iran, it seems likely that the United States would be drawn in, along with a host of other nations, with each being forced to choose sides. Given the recent distancing of America’s allies, it could be that America and Israel would fight nearly alone. Perhaps the UAE and Bahrain would become the “Switzerland” of World War III—that is, remaining neutral, on account of the recently-signed Abraham Accords.

All of this would agree with Ezekiel’s prophecy, in which Israel essentially faces a global war alone. Of course, we know that Israel is not alone—God will win that battle using the weapons of heaven, including earthquakes, fire, hail, and enemies turning their weapons on one another (see Ezekiel 38:19-22). 

Our God is Salvation

The conclusion of that battle will be one of Israel’s greatest moments. But I believe it will be followed by the worst. Israel will probably sign a treaty at the end of the Gog-Magog War. This would likely give rise to the Antichrist’s subsequent confirmation of the covenant (Daniel 9:27) and Israel’s seven-year Great Tribulation. 

But once again, at the last possible moment, God will come through for Israel in a “salvation” that makes the Gog-Magog victory seem as nothing by comparison. Some theologians call it the “eschatological miracle.”

I’m talking about the salvation of the Jews in the last days:

“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: the Deliverer will come out of Zion and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”—Romans 11:26

Our world is heading quickly toward the Gog-Magog war, and God will deliver His people physically. More importantly, however, He will deliver them spiritually at the end of human history. 

Jesus hasn’t given up on Israel. 

He’s as true to His people as to the meaning of His name: “Our God is Salvation.”