In March 2018 I published more than a dozen articles on the subject of Gog and Magog, the end-time prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39, examining the latest alliances being formed by Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the minor coalition of countries also mentioned in these prophecies. Since publishing the articles, I continued with my research and I came across interesting articles, relating to Jeremiah 49 and news reports concerning the Iranian Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
(36) And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
(37,38) For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
(39) But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 49:34,35
Below is the result of the research and current news relating to Iran's Nuclear Programme. I want to take opportunity to bring to your attention two articles that mentions the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and Jeremiah 49. In this chapter we are told that Elam will come under the judgement of God for conspiring to launch an attack against Israel in the "latter days". Elam is again mentioned in Ezekiel 32:24
“There is Elam and all her multitude,
All around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,
Who caused their terror in the land of the living;
Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.
“Elam is an ancient geographical location mentioned in the Bible. Today its location would be mainly in Iran with a small section in Iraq. It bordered with the ancient Babylonian Empire. The actual location of Elam would be the very northern end of the Persian Gulf and down along with the west coast of Iran. Today one of main sections of ancient Elam would include Bushehr Province with the capital city of Bushehr. On a map of the Persian Gulf, Bushehr would be directly across from Kuwait
Bushehr is very important today because it is the location of Iran’s nuclear facility and has the attention of the world. Thus, the physical location of ancient Elam is critical today.
It is feared that Iran would use this plant to help build nuclear weapons to destroy Israel and threaten other nations. Israel has stated that it will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power, and it is very possible Israel will attack Iran to destroy this nuclear complex at Bushehr. It is also possible that World War 3 could start over the Bushehr nuclear plant. Thus, ancient Elam has become a focal point in dealing with Israel and fits directly into God’s prophetic plan as the world heads toward the day of the LORD.
The context of Jeremiah 49 is judgment on nations that will be fulfilled during the Day of the LORD. The judgment against Elam was not fulfilled but will be in the future. The prophecy speaks of the people being driven off the land and scattered into all the world. This has never happened in recorded history. It also speaks of the God of Israel setting His throne in Elam. This has never happened. This is all future because this prophecy was never fulfilled. It appears that with Elam now the focus of world attention, God is about to fulfill it.
According to Obadiah 1:15, God judges nations in relation to what that nation does to Israel. The judgment as recorded in Jeremiah 49 indicates that Elam was a fierce enemy of Israel. It participated in two attacks on Jerusalem. Elam was with the Assyrians and assisted the Babylons in their attacks on Jerusalem. Now, Israel is once again a nation and ancient Elam/Iran is again trying to destroy Israel and capture Jerusalem. Iran wants to destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the entire world; therefore, Elam is going to be destroyed and the people scattered into the nations.
Right now Elam/Iran is a fierce enemy of Israel and wants to wipe Israel off the map. Literally, a nuclear reactor sits in Elam for the purpose of destroying Israel. Elam is Israel’s most dangerous enemy."
“Jeremiah also predicts that Iran will suffer the fate of a broken bow. When your bow is broken, you cannot load the arrows from out of your quiver, or in a modern sense, the missiles out of your silo. This might imply that the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) will be unable to launch scores of its missiles (arrows in modern warfare are missiles) at its enemies.
Jeremiah also predicts that Elam will be struck at the foremost place of its strength. Today, this could infer an attack upon Iran's growing nuclear program. One of Iran’s most strategic and vulnerable nuclear targets is the Bushehr nuclear reactor, located in the heart of ancient Elam.
Jeremiah then warns that after the attack the affected populations are forced to scatter from the area. This could be the result of Iranian’s attempting to flee from an isolated nuclear disaster. Should the Bushehr nuclear reactor be struck, this becomes very real possibility because the facility is loaded with Russian supplied fuel rods. John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the UN, said in 2010, “Israel’s got a problem, because once the fuel rods are inserted into the reactor, an attack … would almost certainly release the radiation into the atmosphere”. Several other studies conducted of the safety of the Bushehr nuclear site have concluded that an accident at the facility could result in such a disaster. The radioactive mess would cause a mass exodus of peoples in the surrounding area (a worldwide dispersion of the Iranian people just as prophesied)!”
Background: Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant
Construction of the plant was started in 1975 by German companies, but the work was stopped in 1979 after the Islamic revolution of Iran. The site was repeatedly bombed during the Iran–Iraq war. Later, a contract for finishing the plant was signed between Iran and the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy in 1995, with Russia's Atomstroyexport named as the main contractor. The work was delayed several years by technical and financial challenges as well as by political pressure from the West. After construction was again in danger of being stopped in 2007, a renewed agreement was reached in which the Iranians promised to compensate for rising costs and inflation after completion of the plant.[1] Delivery of nuclear fuel started the same year. The plant started adding electricity to the national grid on 3 September 2011,[2] and was officially opened in a ceremony on 12 September 2011, attended by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and head of the Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko.[3] Wikipedia
For further reading on the Chronology of Iran's Nuclear Programme from 1957-2007:
On January 8, 1995, Atomstroiexport started construction of the first nuclear power plant in Iran's Bushehr city.
In February 2005, the two countries concluded an agreement to supply fuel for the reactor for a period of 10 years. At that time, Alexander Rumyantsev, then-director of the Russian Federal Agency for Atomic Energy, said the reactor would begin operating in late 2006, with the fuel to be delivered about six months earlier. (See ACT, April 2005.)
According to Sergey Shmatko, head of the Russian contractor for the project, the two countries signed an agreement Sept. 26 providing that Russia would deliver the low-enriched uranium fuel for the reactor by March 2007, RIA Novosti reported. The reactor was is to begin operating in September 2007 and begin providing energy two months later.
In March 2007, the Middle East Media Research Institute, (MEMRI) published the article “Russia's New Position on Iran's Nuclear Program Creates Iran-Russia Crisis” in which it stated that “For many months, Russia has been blocking efforts by the international community to stop Iran's nuclear program, and has been acting to temper the U.N. Security Council sanctions enacted against Iran in December 2006. At the same time, for the past few years Russia has been building the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, and during U.N. Security Council discussions it has insisted that sanctions resolution No. 1737 not include the reactor.”
In September, 2007 the Bushehr power plant started its experimental operation and was to be inaugurated on November, 2007 but following financial problems, cited by the Russian contractor, a delay occurred.
On 2 November 2007, the representatives of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China - plus Germany met in London to discuss strengthened sanctions against Iran under a third UN resolution failed to reach agreement. US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he "was disappointed in China and in Russia" for not agreeing with tougher sanctions on Iran. Shortly before the meeting, in an interview with the CNN, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that he had seen no indication of any diversion in Iran's peaceful nuclear programme.
On December 2007, the BBC reported that Iran and Russia have signed a “Nuclear Deal” and that "Difficulties with the Iranian client are resolved and we have agreement on the timetable for construction," said the state contractor, Atomstroieksport . Atomstroieksport’s president Sergei Shmatko announced that the two countries had agreed to “complete building the $1bn (£490m) plant at Bushehr.”
On 13 September 2011, World Nuclear News reported that 12 September 2011, marks the official inauguration of Iran’s first nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Following the inauguration ceremony, Russia and Iran signed two memoranda of understanding. The first is for Rosatom to conduct stress tests on the Bushehr plant, while the second revises the extent of Russia’s part in operation to just 'the early stages.' Previous plans had foreseen a 50-50 Russian-Iranian joint venture operating the plant for at least one year. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Ceremony-marks-Bushehr-commissioning
Interestingly, on June 2011, Five Russian scientists who assisted in the design of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant were among the 44 fatalities of Monday's Russian plane crash, Moscow's International News Agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086238,00.html
Earlier this year, Wed 8th Jan, CNN reported the following: "Two earthquakes struck near a nuclear power plant in southwestern Iran on Wednesday morning, just over a week after another quake hit the region. The first quake, measuring 4.9 magnitude, struck just before 9.00 a.m. local time in Bushehr province, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Around 30 minutes later a second quake, this time measuring 4.5 magnitude, struck the same province which runs along the Iranian coastline". https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/08/middleeast/iran-earthquakes-nuclear-plant-intl/index.html
On 24th March 2020 the United Nations Human Rights Chief called to “ease sanctions against countries fighting COVID-19”, to allow “essential medical equipment and supplies to avoid the collapse of any national healthcare system”.
On 31 March, Associated Press reported “US extends Iran nuclear cooperation sanctions waivers” to allow the Russian, Chinese and European companies to continue their work at Iranian nuclear sites, renewing an exemption it granted them from the sanctions imposed on Tehran. Previously, Pompeo had cancelled the waiver for Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), an Iranian underground uranium enrichment facility in mid-December, but allowed work to continue at the Bushehr nuclear power station, the Arak heavy water plant and the Tehran Research Reactor, which was extended in late January 2020 for 60 days. On Monday 30 March, the waivers for these plants were extended for another 60 days. The department’s spokesperson, Morgan Ortagus, said in a statement, that Washington would “closely monitor all developments in Iran’s nuclear programme and can adjust these restrictions at any time" and review again within 60 days. Ortagus pointed out that the move was opposed by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo but was later approved after the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it would ease criticism Washington receives over the Iranian sanctions.
On 22 April, Iran launched its first military satellite into orbit by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, in Semnan, Iran. The success of the launch was partly down to North Korea. The cooperation of Iran and North Korea has been a hope secret for many years. The relationship and the history between Iran and North Korea is further explored by The Diplomat, an online current affairs magazine covering the Asia Pacific region.
Iran’s aggression and the Shi’ite Apocalypse
The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz reports that Israel should be worried because "Iran managed to put four satellites into orbit in the past, but they were short-lived. It took 13 attempts, four of which only entered orbit for a short time, and nine of which failed completely, but this time it seems that the new satellite will last much longer – likely years – before disintegrating.....But by joining the exclusive list of about a dozen countries to have carried out orbital launches, Iran has demonstrated that it is quickly closing its technological gaps. If we soon see an Iranian system of operational military space assets, Rubin says, “I wouldn’t be surprised.” This worries Israel; the launch sends a clear message that despite U.S. objections, Iran is making headway in its plans to upgrade its long-range missiles, making them capable of delivering nuclear warheads if and when it decides to develop them. "
We should not underestimate the Iranian ambition which is driven by its hatred for Israel and Shiite preparation for the coming of the 12th Imam, Mahdi, which will end with the defeat of Israel and the submission/destruction of other nations.
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