It is not surprising that modern-day prophets are trying to connect the war in Iran with ancient biblical prophecy. This is a favorite pastime of Dispensational Bible teachers and pastors. The techniques employed by these false prophets are familiar.
First, a hypothetical question is raised? “Are we living in the last days?” The implication is that we are. Did Jesus not say, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
Second, an assertion is made. The Bible predicted this war in Iran. When asked for a chapter and verse in the Bible in support of this assertion, a vague reference is made to Jeremiah 49, Ezekiel 38–39, and the Book of the Revelation.
Confirmation for these two techniques is established with the YouTube blurb for a video put out by Pastor Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a church he founded during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s in Southern California.
“Mar 1, 2026 Big developments are unfolding in Iran — and many are asking: Is this connected to Bible prophecy? In this powerful message, Pastor Greg Laurie unpacks the current situation in Iran, its deep biblical roots as ancient Persia, and what Scripture says about the last days.”
Third, trust is exploited. False prophets rely on the gullibility of their audience. They know that people naturally have “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3). People like to hear novel ideas. Individuals do not endure sound teaching but will gravitate to teachers who satisfy their own intense desire to escape death and destruction. False prophets know most people will not be noble like the Bereans of old and search out if what is being said is true (Acts 17:11). Audiences tend to trust the speaker who speaks with authority. This trust is exploited.
Fourth, false prophets often alluded to Scripture, but rarely try to exegete them in context when an assertion is not tenable. This technique is very effective because it assumed that the text alluded to supports what is being said.
Thoughtful people are often shocked when the so-called Rapture proof text (1 Thess. 4:16ff) is actually read. There is nothing in the Bible about people disappearing in a Rapture, only to return seven years later. In like manner, there is nothing in the Bible about a war with Iran in the year 2026. God knows how to spell and if He wanted to write a prophesy about Iran, He would have used the proper noun just as He spoke about Cyrus and called him by name.
“Cyrus was called by name in prophecy by the prophet Isaiah around 700 BC. This remarkable prediction is found in Isaiah 44:28, where Cyrus is referred to as the one who would enable the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. This prophecy was made approximately 150 years before Cyrus came to power in the 500s BC, highlighting the significance of this foretelling in biblical history.”
These manipulative techniques used by false prophets are not new. They have been used for centuries by unscrupulous individuals who want to build their ministries or personal reputations. There is something else. Fear sells. Sensationalism sells. There is a profit to be made at the expense of truth. The Old English Bible called this spiritual exportation “filthy lucre” (1 Pet. 5:2).
A word of exhortation is offered to the Church. Do not believe the false prophets when they teach the Rapture is near, Christians will disappear, and Armageddon is coming. Jesus said that His coming would not be notable. The days prior to the Lord’s Second Advent are characterized as being like the days of Noah.
Jesus said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27).
Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened” (GotQuestions).
No one listened because there have always been wars and rumors of war. There has always been a frantic search for happiness. There have always been preachers of righteousness warning of judgment to come. Therefore, eat, drink, and be merry. Tomorrow might bring death, but the moment offers life.
Should false prophets be listened to when they twist Scripture to their own destruction, and make merchandise of God’s people? Absolutely not.
However, even false prophets have a place in the plan of God for He works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11).
False prophets should encourage people to return to the Bible to find out what God has said to various nations, and learn the lessons of history. For example. The true prophet Ezekiel had something to say to the nations of his generation.
Ezekiel spoke against seven nations: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. While the prophetic message was directed to these nations by way of interpretation, by way of application, future generations have found principles that are not to be violated.
Any nation that violates the following principles will be judged by God.
There is the principle of justice under the law.
There is the principle of only worshipping God.
There is the principle of just retribution.
There is the principle of not hurting others.
To be specific, Iran has violated these divine principles over the years.
When women in Iran are beaten in public for showing their hair, the principle of justice has been violated.
When the Lord Jesus Christ is rejected as very God of very God in favor of Allah, the principle of only worshipping God has been violated.
When dissidents are shot down in cold blood through military and paramilitary actions, the principles of murder and not hurting others has been violated.
So yes, the Bible does speak about the war in Iran in this sense. By way of application, any government or religious entity that hurts the Church, will be destroyed. That is the teaching of the Word of God.
However, never forget that application of a biblical teaching only comes after careful interpretative exegesis of the text.
The Church must not forget that what God prophesied against ancient nations, such as the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans, has been fulfilled. It is a matter of knowing history. There is not a word in the Bible about modern day Iraq, Russia, China, or, the United States of America.
Nevertheless, let every nation learn from ancient principles, and do what is good and right for all their people.
The Collected Works of Stanford E. Murrell 