Protestors flood the streets of Tehran and cities across Iran, shaking the foundations of a nation and capturing the attention of the world. Cries of outrage echo upward toward Iran’s highest leadership while fear, courage, and bloodshed mix below. Secret police move to suppress dissent. Anger boils.
These scenes feel ripped from today’s headlines, but they are not new. The year was 1979, and Iran stood on the brink of a revolution that would permanently alter its future. Nearly five decades later, history appears to be repeating itself. Urgent questions rise about Iran’s destiny, its people, and the prophetic significance of these unfolding events.
The Fall of the Shah and the Rise of Islamic Rule
For over 2,500 years, Persia, now Iran, was governed by a monarchy. Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, the king of Iran since 1941, saw himself as one in a long succession of Persian kings. A close ally of the West, the Shah sought reform and development, women’s rights, the promotion of literacy… But the Islamic leaders fiercely critical of westernization, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, hated it all.
An Islamic revolution shook the nation and for fear of his life and that of his family, on January 16, 1979, Pahlavi fled the country, never to return.
Weeks later, on February 11, the Pahlavi monarchy effectively collapsed at the feet of the rising Islamic Revolution in Iran. Everything changed.
Life Under Islamic Iran
For nearly fifty years, Islamic Iran has led the world in state-sponsored terrorism, with its sites primarily aimed at the West. Shouts of “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!” reverberate in government buildings, streets, and mosques. The Islamic regime restricts religious and political expression. Obsessed with violence and corruption, it leads an economy on the verge of collapse with roughly 48% inflation year-by-year. National confidence has fallen as hard as the currency.
A Nation Remembering Its Past
Today, again, streets are crammed with protestors, but this time the cry is “Javid Shah!” – “Long live the Shah!”. Many within the nation and Iranians living in the diaspora, are calling for the crown prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah, to return to Iran as their leader into a secular, free state. It remains unclear if he could galvanize a transition.
Today’s younger generation of Iranians, so desperate for freedom, have heard stories of pre-Islamic Iran, now viewed as a “golden age,” and they want it. Will they get it? Time will tell–likely sooner than later.
Iran in the Bible
What does the Bible say about Iran?
When we read about Elam and Persia in the Old Testament it’s referring to the general region that is today Iran.
In the 8th century BCE, Elam was feared in battle because of their exceptional archers. Isaiah recorded that Elam joined Assyria’s unsuccessful attempt to conquer Jerusalem (Is. 22:6). The next time we hear of Elam, God pronounced a judgment upon them.
The Lord instructed the prophet Ezekiel, to wail for Elam "who instilled their terror in the land of the living” and were then confined to Sheol and bore their disgrace. Twice the Lord called out Elam’s terror activity. He wants it noted. (Ezek. 32:24-25)
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning Elam: “I will break the bow of Elam, the finest of their might.” (Jer. 49:35-39)
Jeremiah’s prophecy described a severe punishment, but one that ends with hope. In verses 38–39, the Lord declared that God will set up His throne (authority) in Elam and in the last days their fortunes will be restored.
Could Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning a restoration in the last days be speaking of a spiritual revival and awakening in Iran?
Could that revival be happening now?
Iran Today
The Iranian people have again rallied to raise their voices, calling now for the collapse of the Islamic regime. Even in the face of brutal persecution, arrest, and possible death. Decades of repression, corruption, human rights violations, and the current economic collapse have given Iranians plenty of reason to demand change.
What other influences have fueled their resolve?
First, the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025 shattered the image of strength the Islamic state relied on to intimidate its own people. Israel’s victory exposed Iranian vulnerability.
Secondly, the promise of solidarity and support from current Israeli and American administrations. This contrasts previous failed support by American administrations in 1979 and again in 2009.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, alive within Iran today is the world’s fastest growing underground church who is praying for the nation’s welfare and for religious freedom and revival.
Could Revival Be Rising in Iran?
Did you know that over the past twenty years millions of Iranians have given their lives to Jesus? Persecution under Islam’s harsh rule has propelled the gospel, not stifled it. Imagine if the Islamic oppressors fall and religious freedom is granted. Many Jewish and gentile believers are eager to carry the gospel to the Iranians and ignite a Gospel Revolution in Iran!
The Iranian people are precious in God’s eyes and their restoration in the last days is a prophetic certainty spoken by the mouth of the Lord! It will happen—it may very well be happening today.
Beloved Iranian believers, we pray for you and long to hear your voices! Arise into freedom and in the power of the Messiah!
Iran, Israel, and the Hope for Peace
Iran is known as the head of the terror octopus with its militant proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, et al) acting as its arms. Could it be, if the radical Islamist head is removed, that its proxies will lose their ability to inflict terror as they have over the past decades?
If that happens, it’s very possible Israel could enter a season of unprecedented peace with an expansion of Middle East peace and trade agreements. One way or another, though, Israel’s season of peace will come—it must, for the Lord has spoken it.
Iran Protests and Biblical Prophecy
The Bible mentions Persia in Ezekiel 38 with the time reference again being in the last days. This time phrase is understood by scholars to be a span of time prior to Jesus’s second coming.
According to this prophecy, a coalition of nations, including Persia (Iran), will be summoned by God to invade Israel. It will come at a time when the Jewish people are living securely and at peace in their land.
The coalition will envision a great plunder of riches, but there, on the mountains of Israel, the Lord will instead judge the nations (Ezek. 38:19-23).
It won’t be Israel’s military might that will bring victory, but God’s power alone. The whole world will see His hand—and the house of Israel will know that He is the Lord their God from that day onward (Ezek. 39:21-22).
In short: there will be a notable time of peace, a coalition of nations coming for war, and a supernatural revelation of God’s protection and judgment. Could we be on the cusp of peace?
A Season of Peace in the Middle East?
These are significant days, and you were born for such a time as this. The Lord invites each of us to pray for the Iranian people, and especially the underground church, as they seek freedom from Islamic rule.
Pray for peace in the region, especially in Israel, as Iran promises that any action by the US or Israel to intervene will result in a military attack on Israel.
Keep your eye on the Middle East, on Iran protests and on Biblical prophecy. The current conflicts and shifts are necessary in setting the stage for the Lord’s return. Jesus instructed His disciples not to be frightened, but know that these things in the last days must take place. The Lord is enduringly in control.