Bible prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes - in T.V. News clips and ‘real time’ internet updates! This war in Iran was foretold over 2500 years ago through the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote in stunning detail about what we’re seeing take place in Iran.
But there’s a 2nd set of prophecies that may take place concurrently with Jeremiah’s prophecy against Iran. And that’s the rise of what your Bible calls the ‘Little Horn’! Who or what does this ‘Little Horn’ represent? What connection does this ‘Little Horn’ have to the war going on in Iran today? Where are we in the prophetic timeline of the Bible?
Jeremiah was inspired to write: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “See, I will break the bow of Elam (Modern day Iran), the mainstay of their might. 36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. 37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them; I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. 38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,’ declares the Lord.” (JEREMIAH 49:35-38 NIV)
If you google a map showing where Elam was located in what is Iran today - and google a map showing where Iran’s oil fields are - you’ll see that it’s the same area of southwestern Iran. So as Jeremiah writes, Elam is the ‘mainstay' of their (economic) might. President Trump has threatened to blow these oil rigs up - if Iran doesn’t stop impeding the flow of oil ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is also the ‘mainstay of (Shia’) might - with the largest concentration of Shia Muslims in the world (81 % of its population). Before this war is over, God says through Jeremiah, that there is no nation on earth where Iran’s exiles will not go. And in verse 38, the Almighty says that Iran’s king and officials will be destroyed - something we’ve seen reported often, with Khamenei and his officials taken out with Israeli bombing and explosives. These are stunning details that show that only God can tell the future! (DANIEL 2:45).
If you do a study of ‘wind’ in your Bible, you’ll find that it is often symbolic of armies (JEREMIAH 4:11-13; 18:17) So when God says He is going to bring the ‘4 winds from the 4 quarters of heaven’ against Elam - that means He is going to bring armies from the north, south, west, and east against modern day Iran! But as of the writing of this blog - only armies from the West (America, Israel) have come against Iran so far. Sunni nations surround the Shia nation of Iran from all 4 directions, and 12 of them wrote a collective letter last week, to Iran’s ever-changing leadership - to stop escalating the war in their territories - or else they too will enter the war! Iran has also fired a ballistic missile into Turkey, that was intercepted by NATO, which could have led to Turkey entering the war from the north. Look for this war to escalate and eventually involve Sunni nations from the north, south, east and west of Iran.
Your Bible talks about a ‘Little Horn’ (Horns being symbolic of nations & national power) rising up and subduing 3 of the 10 Horns on the last Beast, which will rule the whole world: “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” (DANIEL 7:7,8)
In the explanation of this future Beast, Daniel is told: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High…” (DANIEL 7:23-25)
We’re told in the book of Revelation 13:7 that ‘the Beast’ also ‘persecutes the saints’ - leading many Theologians to believe that Daniel’s 4th Beast is the 8th and final Beast, which also rules over all the world.
In a subsequent vision, Daniel is told that a ‘Male Goat’ (Symbolic of Greece - DAN.8:21) will be divided into 4 kingdoms after the death of its leader (Alexander the Great). Then the narrative tells us that the ‘Little Horn’ will arise from one of these divisions of Alexander’s empire (DANIEL 8:8,9) - NOT EUROPE or ASIA as many prophecy enthusiasts have errantly taught! Notice the expansion of the ‘Little Horn’s’ power: …”A ‘little horn’ which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. The ‘Glorious Land’ is Israel. Since the ‘Little Horn’ expands toward the south, east & Israel (west) - the ‘Little Horn’ is coming from the northern division of Alexander’s empire - home of the King of the North spoken of throughout DANIEL 11, which was headquartered in the city of Antioch - which is still extant in the nation of Turkey today. Therefore, the King of the North, or ‘Little Horn’ is the modern day nation of Turkey!
The ‘Little Horn’ (Turkey) may grow exceedingly great toward the East during this war against Iran - plucking up and subduing Iran, Iraq and Syria (3 Horns) - which would restore the King of the North’s original territory! Take the time to google a map of the ‘Seleucid Kingdom’ (King of the North) - and you’ll see it’s the approximate territory of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria today.
Later in the prophetic timeline, these 4 Horns will grow exceedingly great into the Glorious Land: “Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. 19 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
In-between the Little Horn’s expansion to the East, and into the Glorious Land, the ‘Little Horn’ (Turkey) will make a 7 year covenant with Israel - that it will ‘break’ 3 1/2 years into that covenant - entering the land of Israel and launching the Great Tribulation and the 42 month reign of the Beast (REVELATION 13:5).