FOR READERS to understand the environment Christians face in Iran it is necessary to give a brief summary of the Iranian and Islamic global agenda. Iran is a totalitarian government, a dictatorship, which exercises suppression, persecution and, at times, the death penalty for those of other faiths. The Islamic Republic and its leaders, operate under a great desire for Islamic world dominion with a religious fervor that does not permit faiths other than Islam.
Though in a great minority Christianity is a present reality in Iran a solely Islamic state. Christianity in Iran has a long history, dating back to Jerusalem and Pentecost. According to Acts 2:9 in the Acts of the Apostles there were Parthians and Medes (Persians or today’s Iranians) in Jerusalem who were among the first new Christian converts at Pentecost. Since then there has been a continuous presence of Christians in Iran, formerly Persia. Christians are severely persecuted in Iran, put into prison, are tortured, and put to death.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—the current president—has been reported as being called by divine decree to usher in the return of the Twelfth Imam, a pseudo savior of the world. Ahmadinejad gave his eighth address to the opening fall session of the United Nations general assembly in 2012. Here are two excerpts from his 34 minute speech:
“The arrival of the ultimate savior will mark a new beginning, a rebirth and a resurrection. It will be the beginning of peace, lasting security and genuine life.”
“His arrival will be the end of oppression, immorality, poverty, discrimination and the beginning of justice, love and empathy.”
Islam and other religions have been created by men deceived by Satan. The true God cannot be allah because he declares Muhammad to be his prophet. The one and only true and living God our Father in heaven declares His Son to be Jesus Christ. He told us in His Word:
“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”755
“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.”756
“Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”757
The Bible gives some specifics about a future world leader. However, we do not know the identity of such a person. We are given in the Bible in Revelation Chapter 20 an indication of beheading as a major execution method used by the antichrist. “Beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the Word of God.”758
The execution method of beheading has been practiced by Muslim extremists. Will God use Iran and other Muslim nations to usher in the great tribulation? We do not know. We must continue to declare the truth of the Gospel despite persecution. God our Heavenly Father declared by way of a voice from heaven that Jesus Christ is His Son. The true Savior of the world Jesus Christ rose from the dead and will return to earth in great power and glory and with the heavenly hosts.
As Christians we love Muslims as God commanded us to do. We love all Muslim persons but we must not and cannot accept Satan’s aberrations of presenting us with a false faith and false messiah. There is only one true and living God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son Jesus Christ who can save us and create a new heaven and a new earth, without sin, sorrow and death.
Estimates of the number of Christians in Iran vary. Some report an estimated 1 million Christians in Iran.759 Another organization reports a wave of revival. While not all reporting ministries say the same, we believe overall wonderful growth is taking place despite great persecution.
Christian Pastor Nadarkhani says: “The Word of God tells us to expect to suffer hardship and dishonor for the sake of His Name. Our Christian confession is not acceptable if we ignore this statement, if we do not manifest the patience of the Lord in our sufferings.”
Is our Christianity in non-persecuted nations cold, hot, or lukewarm? If you say you are hot are you witnessing every day and at every opportunity? Those in persecuted countries risk their lives to share the wonderful news of Jesus. Why are we not sharing the Good News every day, every opportunity?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ since its inception in AD 33 has never been anything but explosive in its growth when it has been proclaimed by Spirit-filled, Christ-centered and totally committed Christians. Such Christians were not hindered by the traditions and religious ideas of men. The simple message of the Son of God crucified and resurrected for the sins of mankind has impacted millions of lives to surrender all their rights and life to God and receive forgiveness of sins. We see in the Book of Acts several accounts of this explosive growth:
“But many who heard the Message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”760
“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”761
“So the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”762
Some estimate that between Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 6 the growth of the Church was from 120 to upwards of 25,000 believers in this short duration of time! Some will caution against seeking after such growth in the Church but we must not try to hinder what God wants to do by His Spirit. When there are times of pressure that come upon the Church this can result in great expansions of the Gospel into the world. Some estimate that over the last 30 years more Iranians have given their lives to Jesus Christ then over the last 1,300 years put together!763
Such a moving of God’s Spirit is normal when God is allowed to work. Sometimes this demands a time of persecution and pressure for the Church so that men are not in charge of the Church but God is again given His rightful place to lead and direct. Sadly it takes sometimes great pressures for the dependence on God to be sought again. The early Apostles, after being brought before the Sanhedrin, came back to the other believers and cried out to God about the situation. They prayed for boldness to proclaim the Gospel and not protection. They prayed for God to stretch out His hand and to do signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and the place was shaken. It is in times like this that God begins to work sovereignly in powerful ways. The economy of God is such that He will let us wait sometimes many years in a state of Christianity that is rebellious and full of sin in order to let us come to an end of ourselves so that we would cry out to Him again.
God has a Remnant in Iran who are dependent, crying out to Him day and night and trusting in His working. In such a place God is doing the impossible to glorify His Name and great numbers are being added to the Church.
If you are in a country that is not persecuted, would you be willing to cry out to the Lord764 asking Him for the Holy Spirit to help you share the Good News, as Christians do in persecuted countries? Would you be willing to weep for your neighbors who do not know the Lord? Would you be willing to weep for your country to come to repentance765 and the knowledge of the Gospel766 through Jesus Christ our Lord?
May we believe for wonderful growth of the body of Christ as we step out in small gatherings under the Headship of Jesus Christ.