Bible and Historical Facts About Iran
Dr. David Hocking
Many of ourlisteners and readers have asked questions about Iran and what we should knowabout this important and strategic country in our world. The earliest history we have deals withELAM. At the time of Abraham(about 4000 years ago-Genesis 14) we learn of a confederacy of nations thatappears to have as its leader a man named Chedorlaomer who is stated to be the"king of Elam." In a battle withthe kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and his 318 trained men pursued themand rescued Lot.
The prophetIsaiah (Isaiah 21:2) mentions Elam and seems to imply a relationship withancient Media (the Medes). Theprophet Jeremiah also refers to Elam in Jeremiah 49:34-39 and refers to theircoming destruction as a nation. The dating of this prophecy is at the time of Zedekiah, king ofJudah. It perhaps occurred by thedomination of Babylon who also destroyed Jerusalem in 586 b.c. The interesting Biblical fact of prophecy in Jeremiah 49:39is this: "But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring againthe captivity of Elam, saith the Lord." It is quite possible that this is areference to the future Day of the Lord.
In the 7thcentury b.c. a small kingdom wasestablished at Parsumash under Achaemenes whose name is used by history indescribing the first Persian dynasty. The son of Achaemenes was a man named Teispes (675-640 b.c.), and apparently his kingdom wasdominated by the Medes. After hewas given his freedom from the control of the Medes, history records that theweakness of Elam allowed him to gain control of the province of Parsa (modernFars). It was the Assyrians underAshurbanipal that put an end to the nation of Elam.
The son ofTeispes was Cyrus I who came in contact with the Assyrians as the leader of thePersians. The son of Cyrus I wasCambyses who married the daughter of the Median king Astyges. Their son of Cyrus I was Cambyses whomarried the daughter of the Median king Astyges. Their son was Cyrus II, known in history as Cyrus the Great(559-530 b.c.), the first greatand dominant king of ancient Persia. Cyrus II also conquered the Medes, and defeated his grandfather Astyges,and made the Median capital of Ecbatana his own capital. Cyrus also invaded Asia Minor anddefeated Croesus, king of Lydia. He also captured Babylon in 539 b.c.(the official date of the fall of the Babylonian Empire) with littleresistance.
The son of CyrusII was Cambyses II (529-522 b.c.)who conquered Egypt. Cambyses IIwas succeeded by Darius I, known as Darius the Great (522-486 b.c.) and as Darius Hystaspes (hisfather was one of the satraps of the Persian Empire). Darius created 20 satrapies (provinces) in order toadministrate effectively the growing strength of the Persian Empire. Darius I also moved the capital fromPasagadae to Persepolis. He was afollower of Zoroaster and a worshiper of Ahura Mazda (also followed by Xerxesand Artaxerxes of Biblical history). This is the same king mentioned in the prophecies of Haggai andZechariah. The Temple project wascompleted by the Jews in 516 b.c.during his reign.
Darius I wassucceeded by his son Xerxes (485-465 b.c.). An inscription at Persepolis lists thenations under his control. He isalso the same King Ahashuerus mentioned in the Book of Ester. Following his reign, ArtaxerxesLongimanus I came to power (465-424 b.c.)and it was in the 20th year of his reign that the decree to restorethe wall of Jerusalem was given to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:1).
According toDaniel 9:24-27 that decree to restore the wall was the beginning of a"countdown" to the coming of the Messiah-the prophecy known as the 70weeks." But, it was not "weeks"but rather "years" to which the Hebrew word for "seven" was pointing. A prophetic year of 360 days (lunarcalendar) multiplied by 483 years brings us to 173, 880 days from the decree toArtaxerxes Longimanus I until the Messiah would come. Two tragic events are mentioned by Daniel that would takeplace before the final 70th "seven" would begin: the Messiah wouldbe "cut off" and the city and the sanctuary" of Jerusalem would bedestroyed. We are still waitingfor the beginning of the 70th "seven"-known to Bible students as thecoming Day of the Lord (mentioned 25 times in the Bible) or the TribulationPeriod (Matthew 24:21-22).
After the reignof Artaxerxes Longimanus I, Darius II came to power (423-405 b.c.) followed by Artaxerxes Mnemon II(404-359 b.c.), Artaxerxes OchusIII (358-338 b.c.), Arses (337-336b.c.), and Darius III (335-331 b.c.), whose armies were defeated byAlexander the Great in 333 b.c. Upon the death of Alexander in 323 b.c., Persia came under the control ofone of Alexander's generals (Seleucus). According to Daniel 11 there was continual conflict between theSeleucids and the Ptolemies (another general who was given Egypt) over the Landof Israel, a fact that is still remembered by Iran today.
Bible studentsare quite aware of the presence of Persia in the battle that attacks the Landof Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). Persiaseems to be the lead country in that attack (at least they are mentioned firstin the list).
This amazingempire of the past continued to be known by the name Persia until 1935 a.d. when its name was changed toIran. The official modern languageof Iran is Persian or Pharsi, an indo-European language written in Arabiccharacters.
In 1979 a.d. Iran experienced what history calls"The Islamic Revolution." ShiiteMuslims took over the country and installed Sharia Law. Although many Arabs live in parts of thecountry, Iran is NOT an Arab state. Their connection and support with Arabs is completely based upon thereligion of Islam. In many casesthroughout the history of Islam, Iran has been a powerful force to oppose theSunni Muslims of Saudi Arabia who control the holy sites of Islam at Mecca andMedian. Iran also experiencedeight years of war with its western neighbor Iraq when Saddam Hussein, a Sunni,was in power. Many Shiite Muslimsfrom Iran have populated the southern regions of Iraq and now have become a powerfulforce in the elected Parliament of Iraq. Historically and traditionally, Iran believes that Iraq belongs to themas well as many other countries in the Middle East (including Israel). They desire the glory of the formerPersian Empire (one of the largest empires of history in terms of geography) tobe restored.
It should beobvious that Iran (primarily because of oil) is now a major player in the worldboth politically, economically, and militarily. They are the main suppliers of weapons to Islamic terroriststhroughout the Middle East. Mostof their weaponry has been made possible by Russia, China, and North Korea.
The Nation ofIsrael faces serious challenges from the leadership of Iran and its continualthreats. The Lord Godof ISRAEL hears them all and Biblical prophecy will include Iran among all thenations of the world that come against Israel. They will suffer defeat at the hands of the returningMessiah, our blessed Lord Yeshua!