There is a sense even among those who hold little or no regard for Bible prophecy that troubling events in the Middle East could bring about the end of the world. Bible prophets, and we who adhere to a literal interpretation of the things they foretold, have been putting forth on world issues and events for years. Yet, genuine concern didn’t seem to raise its head until then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad mentioned the 12th Imam, and his soon coming forward to bring about man’s final war.

It’s always been true that man would rather believe satanic lies than God’s truth. Adam and Eve believed Lucifer (as the serpent in the Garden of Eden) when the father of all lies told them that they would not surely die, like God said, if they ate of the forbidden fruit. Mankind has fallen for the lies ever since, preferring to accept any lie rather than the only truth there is –truth from the mind of the Creator of all things. Evolution, for example, has become the basis for knowledge in America and around the world. Despite the proof that everything we know about has to be created –it doesn’t just happen—the purveyors of evolution tell us that all we see around us just “happened” to happen. It all came from nothingness, and grew to be –well—all of this!

That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? That the tree from which Adam and Eve ate was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Since that disobedient eating of that forbidden fruit (fruit involving knowledge), not only have human beings died, but the human race has fallen head over heels for the lie that all knowledge must begin from within the evolutional model. The father of lies knew what would be the results of his seduction from the very moment he first enticed Eve. His methods haven’t changed. People still grasp on to the seductive lies of Satan. They latch, with trepidation, onto the thought that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had the answer to the future, while God’s prophetic truth sort of just backs up what this Islamic Hitler-like dictator from Iran had to say from his version of the Koran.

The former Iranian fanatic dictator, like many followers of the satanic prophecy, believed the 12th Imam was the Mahdi, an Arabic word that generally references a messiah, or a guide. This messiah will, they believe, come from his occultation (unspecified place of abode) to show followers the right pathway, and to make Islam the only religion on earth. The former Iranian president, as do fanatic clerics of the region, held forth that it is desirable to bring on Armageddon and the end of the world, in order to bring the Twelfth Imam into the world.

It is feared by many Middle East observers that, like Ahmadinejad, his successor Islamist fanatics believe producing nuclear weapons, and using them once they are developed, is the reason they are placed by Allah at this time in history, in this volatile region. Israel, they proclaimed, must be destroyed at any cost, so that the 12th Imam can rearrange the present world order. So –it is transparent, to me at least—that the international community and UN appeasers believe Ahmadinejad and his equally fanatic successors must not be confronted; rather, Israel must give in at every point of Islamic aggression, or threatened aggression. If peace isn’t achieved –at any price – the world will end in nuclear Armageddon. The collective thought seems to be that resisting Iran could be the trigger point to World War III.

Such will apparently be the degree of appeasement when Iran (the area of ancient Persia) comes down with the Gog-Magog forces as prophesied by Ezekiel. The prophet foretold that the world, watching the attack on Israel, will issue a diplomatic protest note, with a Neville Chamberlain-like question: “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” (Ezek. 38:13).

The end of the world is on the minds of media and the appeasement-minded within the international community. To these world worry-warts, “fundamentalist, evangelical” Christians are in the same grouping with the fanatic Islamics, like those of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ilk.

Satan wants the world to see true Christians as intermeshed with Islamists, much like the Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Islamic terrorist organizations want innocent women and children intermingled with their murderous members when the fighting starts. The devil attempts to counterfeit everything Almighty God does. He tries to make it seem that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his like, and those of us who believe Christ is coming back to destroy His enemies believe exactly the same thing. Lucifer wants the world to believe that we are fanatics who want to bring on Armageddon so the end of the world can hurry and get here. Our “religion” will then triumph.

Actually, Christians and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-type Islamics are at opposite ends of the theological spectrum. We have the God of all creation, who sent His Son to die for mankind, that all people might live forever. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes in a god who wants his and other Muslim children, if it is expedient, to die for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s god, so that that god can enslave a planet. The Lord God Jehovah wants eternal life for mankind. Lucifer wants the end of the world, so all of God’s creation called man will be destroyed.

We can be sure of one thing. This world is in full control of the one who spoke it into existence. Here’s the truth: “Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph 3:21).

America has served as midwife and protector of the modern state of Israel since before that nation’s birth on May 14-15, 1948. This is, in my view, and in the views of a number of those who watch such things from a Bible prophecy perspective, a primary reason America was raised up in the first place. The physical protection of Israel in its modern incarnation, and the capability to disseminate the gospel, literally, throughout the whole world, make the United States a unique and particularly blessed national entity in the annals of history.

U.S. influence and power continue to keep the Islamic wolves at bay while they surround and circle the tiny nation, wanting to devour it, thus to be rid of it. But the Israeli “prey” isn’t an easy one. It is, in actuality, more powerful than any of its individual antagonistic neighbors. The nuclear option makes this so. It is, in effect, its own best protector in this late era of human history, with America –to this point, at least– an ally that has promised to jump in, if needed, thus adding great deterrence to any other entity attacking.

Its most aggressive enemy –in rhetoric, at least—is Iran, the large neighbor to its north that comprises much of the land mass that made up Persia in ancient days. That Israel needs to be ever aware of its protection, there can be no doubt. The daily headline news makes the necessity quite clear. The Obama Administration is pressuring Israel to lessen Israeli Defense Force (IDF) measures to guard against attack for the sake of peace initiatives.

“The administration is seeking a complete or partial IDF withdrawal from the Jordan Valley, where the border between Israel and Jordan lies at the eastern edge of Judea and Samaria, also called the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority has long sought control of the valley. However, Israel and Jordan are opposed to an IDF withdrawal, which they fear would enable the transit of terrorists and arms through Jordan into the West Bank. After a prominent retired Israeli general spoke out against IDF withdrawal from the Jordan Valley, Israeli media reported that the Obama administration’s head envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Martin Indyk, convened a meeting of Israeli security officials. He pressured them to drop their objections to the plan and make media appearances in support of it to help sell a skeptical Israeli public on the benefits of a reduction in security…” (Washington Free Beacon Staff, Obama pressuring Israel to withdraw from strategically vital Jordan Valley, December 26, 2013).

America seems a faithful ally to Israel. There is nothing in the history between the two nations to imply that that relationship would change. Even in the –in my view, with the wishy-washy—Carter and Clinton administrations, and with the sometimes extremely obtuse and politically correct U.S. State Department, the tie remained strong. Israel seems almost invulnerable from the standpoint of having the nuclear strength and resolve to protect its nationhood. The deterrence to such a future attack appears to be overwhelming to any potential enemy, or group of enemies. Such an attack would almost certainly initiate nuclear retaliation, to the extent needed to repulse the assault.

Yet the evidence is growing stronger daily that Israel has every reason to be concerned about its own defensive posture. Bible prophecy makes it clear that such an attack is on the horizon of the future. And prophecies involved make it equally clear there will be no nation –not even the United States–that will come to Israel’s defense.

We have gone over Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 many times, about the attack from the north called the war of Gog-Magog. The most relevant thought for our purposes in this commentary is that there will be no human protection for Israel, if we view the description literally –and we do. The U.S. –even Israel itself–will be incapable of protecting the Jewish State. God’s Word says about the leader called Gog who will lead the forces –including Persia (modern Iran)– that will storm toward Israel:

And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD (Ezek. 38: 22-23).

Israel has but one protector in the truest sense. He has been its protector from the very first promises He made to Abraham, then to Isaac and Jacob. When He defends them in this satanically inspired assault, many will no doubt be called to salvation and will recognize that God is Israel’s only security. He is the only security for you and me, as well!