Earthquake Hits Major Iranian Nuclear Facility

For the past few years, I have been asking the Lord to demonstrate His power over Iran’s nuclear preparations. I have been claiming the promises that the Lord will protect His people for His glory. I asked Him to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities with an earthquake.

I was elated to hear that God answered my prayers. On Friday morning of March 21, the day before Jews around the world began to celebrate Purim, a major 5.0 earthquake shook Natanz city in the Iranian province of Isfahan. The earthquake shook buildings, but no casualties took place.

The Nuclear Technological Center at Natanz is Iran’s largest nuclear research complex. It employes about 3,000 scientists. Sources in Iran report that there was to damage to the nuclear facility or its operations.

While there were no apparent damages to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, this earthquake and its approximate timing near the historical feast of Purim is of great significance. This ancient feast is a time of celebration for Jews which came about because of the events recorded in the book of Esther. In this book, God displayed His sovereign control over events to protect the Jewish people in the face of a planned annihilation of the Jews. Several evil Persians, called Iranians today, developed a plot to slaughter all the Jews living in Persia. God used a Jewish woman called Esther, to expose the plot, which led to the demise of all the enemies of Israel living in Iran at that time.

Today, an evil Islamic regime in Iran is plotting to use a nuclear bomb to destroy the nation of Israel. For more than three decades, this radical element in Iran has been bragging about the day they will wipe Israel off the map. However, they are enemies of God, targeting God’s chosen people. This earthquake was no doubt a clear reminder to Iran and the entire world that the plans of man cannot and will not succeed when they stand in opposition to the will of God.

According to Ezekiel 38, Iran will join Russia, Turkey, and other radical Islamic nations to attack the modern nation of Israel. When this happens, God will shake the mountains of Israel and destroy this invading force, including the Iranians (Ezekiel 38:18-22). Current events seem to point to the reality that this future attack against Israel is on the immediate horizon.

God is glorifying Himself. Once again, God is demonstrating that He will destroy the enemies of Israel. The Bible repeatedly teaches that the battle belongs to the Lord. God has declared, “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 38:23).

Iran Plans an Imminent Attack upon Israeli Military Sites

Iran has vowed to avenge Israels’ October 26 attack against its military sites in Iran. Iran’s leadership has stated that “the scope of Israel’s unprecedented October 26 retaliatory strikes was ‘too large to ignore.’ … IAF jets hit 20 sites in Iran in multiple waves, reportedly knocking out its air defenses and significantly setting back its missile production industry. The Israeli strikes reportedly also destroyed multiple radar systems required to guide the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missiles” (The Jewish Press, November 1, 2024).  

 It is expected that Iran’s attack on Israel will originate from Iraq. Israeli military leaders have announced, “If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time, and strike very, very hard at both their capabilities and locations that we set aside for now” (The Jewish Press, November 1, 2024).  

 Friends, I believe we are about to witness the beginning of a great war in the Middle East that will lead to the wars mentioned in the Bible.  The stage is being prepared for the war mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39.  The actors of that evil coalition are about to march against Israel. 

Iran opens Eastern Front against Israel

color map of Israel

Iran continues to expand its attempt to destroy Israel by opening another front against it. Iran is attempting to surround Israel with terrorist warriors to overwhelm Israel with threats of annihilation. The radical Muslim government in Iran controls Hamas in the south, and Lebanon and Syria in the north. They have been supplying weapons to terrorist groups in the “West Bank” areas, who are attacking the Israel military forces and Israeli civilians. Israel continues to fight back against these terrorists who have been trained and are funded by Iran.

However, now, Iran is opening another front in the east along the once peaceful Jordan Valley. This valley represents Israel’s longest border, running along the Jordan River. Along this border, Israel and Jordan are only separated by a narrow strip of land. There is a narrow security area on the eastern bank of the Jordan River in Jordan. There is also another limited security area along the western shore of the Jordan River on the Israeli side. The width of the entire security area is no more than a few thousand yards.

Many times, I have traveled down an Israeli highway along this security fence from southern Galilee to the Dead Sea area. The Arab and Jewish farmers in the Jordan Valley have been friends for decades. However, thanks to the escalation of war promoted by Iran, this is all changing.

One Israeli Jewish farmer in the Jordan Valley recently gave this report about the changes they are witnessing in recent weeks. “Terror has been spreading to the valley and making its base here. Small Palestinian villages surrounding the Jewish communities now each have a Hamas squad in it. And this is only one of the dangers. From the east, the situation is as bad, or maybe worse. The border with Jordan is very penetrable, tons of arms are flooding the valley from there. And we hear news of Iranian militias concentrating on the borders. With 70 percent of Jordanians being Palestinians, and the border so easy to break, you can imagine how frightening the situation is” (United with Israel, August 23, 2024).

Iran is now supplying small weapons to terrorists in this area, including IEDs. These underground explosives are being planted in civilian areas and along highways that are a danger to Jewish and Arab civilians. In recent weeks, the IDF has begun to use military bulldozers to tear up roads to destroy these IEDs.

Needless to say, this is making the security efforts of the Israelis more difficult. Some of the Palestinians feel threaten and are also crossing over into Jordan to take refuge there as the war from Gaza and Lebanon threatens to move into the West Bank and Jordan Valley areas.

Friends, we cannot begin to imagine the sheer terror that Israelis are dealing with daily. If this is not bad enough, the Israelis continue to hear the world, even the American administration, say that the real problem is with the Israelis who live in the West Bank. These Israelis are being told they do not have the right to defend themselves from those who are attempting to kill innocent Jewish families who are living on the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 4,000 years ago.

This is the exact scenario the prophetic Scriptures declared would develop at the end of this age.

Urgent Prayer Request

I am passing along an urgent prayer request from the desk of Susan Michales, the President of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. This prayer request is dated for the days following August 1, 2024.

“I am sure most of you have been closely following recent developments in the Middle East. This week, Israel successfully targeted two high-profile leaders of radical Islamist militias linked to Iran – Hezbollah Senior Military Commander Fuad Shukur in Beirut and Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh during an official visit to Tehran. Due to these events, we are calling on our global following to be more alert to the news and more urgent in your prayer efforts over the coming weekend.

Over the next 48–72 hours, Israel is expecting to face retaliatory attacks by Iran and its proxy militias. Iran is threatening direct attacks on Israel as well as through its aligned terror militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the Palestinian areas. They first seem to be observing a traditional three-day mourning period, which will wind up after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is buried in Qatar on Friday. Thus, it could be a tense and challenging weekend for the nation of Israel.

Israel was precise in its targeting of senior leaders of radical terror networks who have much innocent blood on their hands and, thus, should enjoy no immunity. Israeli leaders have warned Iran and its “axis of resistance” that any deliberate targeting of civilian population centers in Israel in response will result in all-out war.

We urge you to join us in vigilant prayer over the next few days, which will likely be a decisive turning point in this 10-month-old war. We must put our trust in God to deliver Israel from the great harm intended by her ruthless enemies.

  • Pray that Israel will be able to counter and foil every move by Iran and its proxies to try to harm and destroy the Jewish State.
  • Pray for the protection of all Israeli soldiers as they defend their nation, that the Lord will be a shield about Israel at all times! (Genesis 15:1; Psalm 3:3)
  • Pray that Israeli forces will be able to finish off Hamas as a fighting force in Gaza.
  • Pray that the Iranian-backed terror militia Hezbollah in Lebanon will be forced to withdraw from the border with Israel.
  • Pray that Hezbollah will never be able to use its full arsenal of over 150,000 missiles and rockets against Israel.
  • And pray that Hezbollah will ultimately be disarmed and lose its grip on power in Lebanon.

Thank you so much for investing your time and hearts in earnestly praying for the nation and people of Israel.”

Claim the promise of Isaiah 54:17 that the Lord gave Israel: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.”

Is the Ezekiel 38 War Imminent?