When you read the headline
news and there are developments in Israel and the Middle East do you wonder how
that fits into end-times Bible prophecy? If you do, then you may want to read Mark
Hitchcock’s most recent book Showdown with Iran. This year began with the news that Iranian
General Soleimani was killed in the US ordered drone strike. Just this week, Iran issued an arrest warrant
for President Trump in connection with the drone strike. So how does all this fit into Bible prophecies
about Iran? What about the nations that surround
Israel that are hostile towards her?
In Showdown with Iran,
Mark starts by reviewing the current state of Iran and recent hostile acts that
seem to lead us ever closer to war. One
of the more sobering facts is that Iran is drawing closer to having a fully
functional nuclear weapon in seven to eleven months. Will Israel be forced to take a preemptive strike
to stop that from happening? If so, how will
Iran respond?
I was interested to learn
that there is a conflict between Islamic nations in the Middle East, like Saudi
Arabia and Iran. But there are many nations
that are in league with Iran and Israel is surrounded by hostile nations. Today, we are seeing ties between Syria and
Iran and interestingly Russia is one of their allies. How does that line up with Bible prophecy?
Also covered is the
history of an important area, the Strait of Hormuz, where oil tankers from surrounding
Persian Gulf nations must pass. They do
so under the watchful eyes of Iran. An
important element in the relationship between Israel and Iran is religion. Bible prophesies about Iran and other Middle East
nations are covered as well as the Islamic faith, prophecies, and the
differences between Sunni and Shia faith and how those differences impact international
relationships.
Something I found very
helpful is information about the ancient Biblical names of nations and their current
modern-day names. When Mark disagrees
with what other Bible prophecy teachers believe, he explains their conclusions,
his conclusions, and why he differs. Bible
end-time prophecies are covered from the books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Revelation and what has already been fulfilled and what is to come.
This most interesting
chapter to me was Will America Survive? When
you read Bible prophecy there’s no clear reference to the United States. Mark does an excellent job of explaining why that
is. The scenarios he puts forth are very
sobering and timely especially in light of Covid-19 and recent civil unrest in
our Country.
While end-time Bible
prophecies could be fulfilled at any time, Mark is cautious and reminds the
reader that Scripture forbids date setting.
He brings the reader back putting our hope in the Lord God Almighty, truth
found in the Bible and the assurance of salvation found in Jesus Christ alone.
I highly recommend Showdown
with Iran by Mark Hitchcock and encourage you to get a copy and
read now it before the next eruption of conflict with Iran. Another great resource is the Marking the Times weekly videos on YouTube where Mark covers various Bible
prophecies and current events and to date, he has 119 episodes.
I would like to thank Thomas
Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Showdown
with Iran by Mark Hitchcock.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book and was under no
obligation to give a favorable review.
