Psalm. 8:1; I’ll add Psalm 31:1-3a
My Shepherd met me this morning, pondering the launch of military operations against Iran. He laid me down in Daniel 7 to reflect on these things.
The Mind of the Spirit caught the attention of the spirit of my mind in Daniel 7:15-18, and 21-22:
Daniel 7:15 ¶ I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
Daniel 7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
Daniel 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
AND
Daniel 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Iran is modern Elam (Daniel 8:2, the place where Daniel received his vision of the fall of Babylon, the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire, and the succession of the kingdom to Grecia). At this time, Elam (the southwestern part of modern-day Iran) bordered Persis (the western part of modern-day Iran). Later, Persis absorbed Elam and became Persia.
Nabonidus succeeded Nebuchadnezzar on the throne after about seven years of turmoil over succession. He was married to Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter, and their son was Belshazzar.
Cyrus was king of Persis, which is the western part of modern-day Iran. Darius was king of the Medes (modern-day Russia). Cyrus and Darius made a league and together conquered Astyages, the Median king. Cyrus became the greater of the two.
At that time, Babylon had an eastern palace in Shushan, in the land of Elam. Elam is the ancient kingdom that occupied what is now the southwestern section of Iran. Nabonidus was concerned about developments in Persis, a kingdom on the border of Babylon’s eastern palace.
Nabonidus led his army north to confront the above mentioned developing threat from Persis (later Persia). While he was away, he placed his son, Belshazzar, on the throne in Babylon as the second ruler of the kingdom.
In the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel received the vision of the four beasts (Daniel 7:1). In the third year of Belshazzar, Daniel was called to Sushan the palace, the Eastern Palace of Babylon, in Elam, where he received the vision of the ram and he-goat (Daniel 8:1-2). The ram represented the rise of Media-Persia, and the he-goat represented Grecia (Daniel 8:4-5, 20-21).
Daniel returned to Babylon and lived in retirement for about seven years, until he was called to the palace of Babylon to interpret the infamous writing on the wall (Daniel 5). That night, his prophecy concerning the rise of the combined kingdoms of the Medes and Persians was fulfilled.
Since Daniel was in Elam in the third year of Belshazzar, it had not yet come under the power of their neighbor, Cyrus, king of Persis. We know Cyrus and Darius formed an alliance and conquered Astyages, the king of Media. Darius became king of the Medes. It’s possible these developments concerned Nabonidus, causing him to move his army into the area of Elam and Persis to engage Cyrus.
Nabonidus was defeated by Cyrus, and Elam was merged with Persis and was called Persia. Darius, king of the Medes, was sent to attack Babylon, while Cyrus held the greater part of Babylon’s army with Nabonidus in Persis.
At the end of the seven years from his vision of the ram and the he-goat, to the fall of Babylon, Nabonidus was defeated by Cyrus, ruler of Persis, who absorbed Elam and became Persia. Darius the Mede conquered Babylon. Daniel’s prophecy regarding the succession of the kingdom from Babylon to the Medo-Persian Empire was fulfilled.
The Persian Empire endured far longer than the 70 years of the Babylonian Empire. When it fell to the Greek warrior, Alexander, the Persian Empire ended. The Greeks called the area that we now call Iran Persis, which later became Persia to identify the empire that grew out of it under Cyrus the Great. Anyway, the people of the general area referred to their land as Aryan, or Eran. The word Eran meant “of the Iranians.” Officially, the area was called Persia, while the people commonly used Eran. In 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi petitioned foreign governments to use the native name, Iran, instead of Persia. From then forward, this country came to be called Iran.
Turns out that the word, Iran, means noble, or “free people.” It did not refer to race or ethnicity. It is what the people of this land called themselves, or how they described themselves. As a people, they are related to the Indo-Aryans, who later migrated into northern India. It’s believed by folks who study this that they originated north of the Black and Caspian Seas — in Russia and Ukraine. Finally, they settled in India and the Iranian plateau. The people here are a mixture of the Medes (Russia), the Persians, and the Scythians.
Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about today in light of developments in Iran. As for a devotional insight, God spoke to me about the rich history of Iran, its glory days under Cyrus, the possible connection of Elam to the son of Shem by that name, and the fact that the Elamites were absorbed by the Iranians, disappearing Elamite culture and identity. What especially touched me was that the name Iran comes from a word meaning “noble and free people.”
Along the still waters, I reflected on these things. For a while now, a matter of about four weeks, I’ve often wept as I prayed for Iran to be freed from the oppression of their wicked Muslim oppressors. I thought of God’s shepherd, Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28), whom God used to deliver His people from captivity in Babylon and to decree the beautiful confession of God’s sovereignty, and to charge Israel to rebuild God’s House (Ezra 1:1-4, 5:13-17). This fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy regarding the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). This began the countdown to Messiah the Prince. And I wondered whether current events are a precursor to the rebuilding of the Temple prophesied also by Daniel for the last days (Daniel 9:27; see Isaiah 2 and Micah 4).
In the valley, I heard the daily call of my Lord: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
At the table, He reminded me that no man knows the day or the hour, and that for that reason we are to live in constant expectation. Does not our expectation increase with the waiting, and do not events like these increase our earnest watching? Such events refocus our attention to the promise of His return. Let us live, therefore, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2a). In fact, I think Jesus wants me to conclude with the full text of this exhortation:
Hebrews 12:1 ¶ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
He anointed my head with His oil, filled my cup with His grace, and said follow me. Goodness and mercy ran to catch up.
Praying for revival! 🙏
Going live asap:
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