According to Bible prophecy, Iran or Persia will be with the king of the north when he comes against Israel. So whatever happens in Iran we do not expect it to be allied to the west. Even if this were to happen it would therefore be temporary. In Ezekiel 38:4-5 the prophet says,

"And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet”

The prophet describes a well equipped army which includes Persia or Iran, coming down upon Israel in the last days to be obliterated on the mountains of Israel.

Just over 2 years ago before October 7, Iran had built a so called, “ring of fire” around Israel. This included, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, foreign militias in Syria and further afield, the Houthis in Yemen and pro-Iran militias in Iraq. Iran made no secret of its desire to wipe Israel off the map.

Just over two years later the tables have turned. Whether the regime in Iran falls or not, let us not miss the stunning fact. Now it is Iran that is on the brink of collapse! The carefully constructed “ring of fire” around Israel has imploded. One after another like dominos Iran’s proxies have fallen. The Almighty’s promise to Abraham comes to mind,

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

The hand of the Almighty is definitely at work. These dramatic events over the last two years, that are shaping the Middle East cannot be coincidental. We have seen a whole structure, encompassing multiple countries, be wiped away in a short period of time. This “ring of fire” around Israel is being removed for a reason. It is being cleared out of the way so that the stage is set for a new series of events.

The events which unleashed the Islamic power and ultimately brought about the Ottoman Empire are contained in the fifth and sixth woe trumpets in Revelation. They arose like locusts and scorpions from the abyss of the Arabian desert and then in the sixth woe trumpet were then loosed from beyond the Euphrates on what was then the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. However, during the sixth vial, which is our time, these powers of the Euphrates are dried up as described in Revelation 16:12.

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”

The Iranian “Ring of Fire” was a result of the unleashing of the powers of the fifth and sixth woe trumpets and it is being removed out of the way. Why is this?

About 150 years ago, John Thomas wrote the work Eureka. He used this title because he believed he had found an interpretation of the book of Revelation which was in harmony with the Gospel of Kingdom as he had laid out in the previous work “Elpis Israel” — meaning “The Hope of Israel.” In the final volume of Eureka John Thomas commented on this drying up of the great river Euphrates. He wrote,

“… the water of the Great River Euphrates, in like manner, represents the military power of the Ottoman empire; which is dissipated by a process of evaporation, or drying up; a gradual exhaustion, so as at last to leave the channel of the river in the heart of the Great City, empty; and devoid of all power to impede, or interfere with operations developing in the south eastern recesses of the empire.” (Eureka, Volume 5, pg. 178 Logos Edition)

Further, John Thomas comments a few pages later,

“…it is not according to His revealed plan of operations in the work of manifesting His sons, to have that judicial and preparatory work interrupted by battle, and the burial of an host…” (Eureka, Volume 5, pg. 185)

First John Thomas writes that the Euphratean power be dried up, by a slow process of evaporation or gradual exhaustion. In retrospect that is exactly how it happened and as we have discussed, that the powers that resulted from the fifth and sixth woe trumpets continue to be dried up. Now for what reason must this happen? We have asked why  this “ring of fire” is being removed from around Israel today? John Thomas saw that this was, so as to leave a clear way open into the great later day city of Babylon, for the returning Lord Jesus Christ to enter, and overthrow the Kingdoms of men. The judgment of the saints is to take place in Sinai, hidden from the view of the world. From there the Lord Jesus Christ will begin is preparatory work of delivering Israel. John Thomas believed there would be a period of peace for this work to take place. Further, as the second quotation says, that it would not be fitting for the judgment and preparatory work to be interrupted by war. Elsewhere in Eureka, John Thomas talks about part of this preparatory work.

“Israel after the flesh has to be “made willing: to move to the obedience to the commands of Jesus, as the Leader and Commander of the people” — Psalm 110:3, Isaiah 55:4. This may be also the mission of the angels. But this work of the Spirit, however, executed by the angels or by the saints, it would seem to be a necessary preliminary to a general movement for their deliverance.”

Therefore, we see that the stage is being cleared for new work in the Almighty’s plan, a new series of events. Two of these events that could be part of that series are:

1. Creating a period of peace, so that a way is opened into the world stage for the Lord Jesus Christ, for the resurrection of the responsible, for the gathering of his saints and the judgment.

2. A time for a preliminary or preparatory work, of making Israel after the flesh willing to move to the commands of Israel’s king. This will be a work of instruction, as the principle is clearly stated in the letter to the Romans 10:14:

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

There are  essential prerequisites stated here in order to hear the gospel, as Israel after the flesh will have to do, in order to move according to the commands of the Lord Jesus. Preachers must be sent, speaking the word of God, in order for Israel to hear, so that they can develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only way. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?”

We therefore could be standing at the brink of a new series of events to unfold, a series of events which could bring the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.

Thanks for listening, this has been David Billington with you for at www.bibleinthenews.com. Come back next God willing.