Is the President’s Plan to Handle Iran an Invitation to a Broader War?
Tehran’s rhetoric and death threats about the President has been met with a very direct threat from Trump himself. Trump has threatened to “wipe Iran from the face of the earth”.
Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to produce “decisive” military options against Iran, including potential strikes that he says could “wipe [Iran] off the face of this Earth” if there are further threats to his life from Tehran.
This comes on the heels of inflammatory words from a Revolutionary Guard Commander, Abolfazl Shekarchi said Iran would “set their world on fire” and “leave no safe zone for them” if anyone attacked Ali Khamenei.
“If there is any attack on Iran, we will cut off their legs, just as we proved in the 12-day war,” Mr. Shekarchi said.
The Bigger Picture
The one thing that has to be weighing heavily on the mind of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei is the fact that no one is taking the rhetoric seriously after the pathetic display of power during the 12 Day War. Despite the rhetoric, only one bomb managed to fall in Israel, and that only injured one Bedouin.
But Iran knows that an attack on Israel, especially a decisive one, would link the Arab world against their common enemy, the Jews. And this is the exact scenario portrayed in Ezekiel 38.
Plain Language Prophecy: Ezekiel 38
I often call this ‘plain language’ prophecy. I call it that because despite centuries of people trying their best to declare this a symbolic prophecy or poetry, this prophecy when read straight-forward, shows a clear unprovoked attack upon Israel:
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. – Ezekiel 38:1-12 KJV
Once it was automatically considered that this was a strong reference to Russia. But many scholars now associate Magog, Meshech and Tubal; commonly placed in Asia Minor/Anatolia, corresponding to parts of modern Turkey. Some popular teachers associate Magog more broadly with Russia, but a strong scholarly stream keeps all three in Turkey/central Anatolia.
During the Cold War, Russia/Soviet Union was the obvious “giant hostile power” directly north of Israel on many prophecy maps, so “enemy from the far north” in Ezekiel was read through that geopolitical lens. Fear of Soviet communism meant many Christians were already primed to see Russia in any “end-times invader,” and prophecy writers wove current events (Warsaw Pact, Afghanistan, etc.) into Ezekiel 38–39.
But a large part of contemporary academic work and conservative commentaries now again locates Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah in Anatolia/Turkey and the surrounding region, with the Russia identification treated as a relatively recent, popular-level development.
And right now, Turkey currently treats Israel as a hostile strategic rival, while it treats Iran as a mixed rival-partner whose stability it publicly supports and carefully preserves. Ankara and Tehran are regional competitors in Syria, Iraq, and the broader security architecture, but Turkey openly says it values Iran’s peace and stability and opposes foreign intervention or regime‑change scenarios.
How a U.S. Strike Could Ignite Regional War
As of January 23, 2026, President Trump has ordered a U.S. “armada” including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and three destroyers equipped with Tomahawk missiles to head toward Iran. The deployment also includes roughly a dozen F-15E fighters, along with additional Patriot and THAAD antimissile systems to bolster regional defenses.
Trump has repeatedly demanded “decisive” military options against Iran, even after initially backing away from strikes last week when advised that the U.S. lacked sufficient assets in the region to sustain a bombing operation or protect American troops and allies from retaliation.
The stakes are enormous. A major air campaign inside Iran would likely involve stealth aircraft including F-35 fighters and B-2 bombers, as well as cruise missile-firing submarines. Any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile sites, or IRGC infrastructure could trigger immediate retaliation—not just from Iran, but from its extensive network of proxy forces across the region.
Iran’s Proxy Network and Regional Alliances
Iran’s web of regional armed partnerships includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, various Shiite militias in Syria, and the Houthi movement in Yemen. These groups form what Iran calls its “Axis of Resistance” and could all be activated if Iran comes under attack.
Hezbollah alone possesses an estimated arsenal of over 130,000 rockets and missiles, and has proven capable of sustained operations against Israel. The group receives the majority of its financial, training, and weapons support from Tehran and has trained members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
If the U.S. strikes Iran, Tehran has multiple options for asymmetric retaliation: activating proxy forces to attack U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, launching missile strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure, mining the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt global energy supplies, or ordering Hezbollah to open a northern front against Israel with massive rocket barrages.
Turkey’s Critical Position
Perhaps most significantly, Turkey has explicitly stated its position on Iran. On January 22, 2026, President Erdogan told Iranian President Pezeshkian that “Türkiye values Iran’s peace and stability” and has “never viewed any scenarios of external intervention in Iran favorably.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has similarly stated that Turkey opposes any military operation against Iran.
This stance is rooted in both economic and ideological factors. Turkey and Iran have significantly expanded economic relations over the past decade, with Turkey depending on Iranian energy supplies. But beyond economics, there’s an ideological affinity—Erdogan has invoked “Muslim unity” against Israel during recent regional conflicts, echoing the worldview of Turkey’s Islamist political tradition.
Turkey has been actively engaging in diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, maintaining close contact with Tehran, Western partners, and Gulf Arab countries, urging restraint and arguing against U.S. intervention. Turkey fears that instability in Iran could spill across its borders and disrupt its critical economic ties.
The Prophecy Unfolding?
Consider the alignment:
- Ezekiel 38 names Persia (Iran), along with Gomer and Togarmah (Turkey/Anatolia region) as part of a coalition that attacks Israel.
- Today, Iran treats Israel as an existential enemy and has repeatedly threatened its destruction.
- Turkey, while once a strategic partner of Israel, now treats Israel as a “hostile strategic rival” and has aligned itself with Iran on opposing foreign intervention.
- Iran possesses an extensive proxy network across the Middle East—Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen—all of which could be activated in a regional war.
- The United States has deployed a naval armada to the region with “decisive” strike options being prepared against Iran.
If the U.S. strikes Iran, Iran’s response would almost certainly involve its proxies, particularly Hezbollah launching massive rocket attacks on Israel from the north. This could force Israel into a multi-front war. If Turkey perceives the conflict as threatening its interests or destabilizing the region, it could be drawn in—either diplomatically opposing Western actions or, in an escalated scenario, providing support to Iran.
The pieces are in position. Whether this current crisis represents the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 or simply another chapter in Middle Eastern conflict remains to be seen. But the convergence of ancient prophecy with modern geopolitics is striking.
The Question Is, Are You Ready?
I can make a very bold statement: I feel like I could prove Bible prophecy is coming true on this earth, just as predicted 2,000 years ago, and in this case of Ezekiel nearly 3,000 years ago. But the real point is this: Everyone, every single one of us has been touched at one time by the realization of God. The Bible says so. Where do you go from here? Are you going to continue your skepticism, and ignore the truth in your heart? Or will you for the first time, humble yourself before God and ask him to fill you with his love, his joy? Getting saved is very easy, it doesn’t require a church, or an altar, or a preacher with a long ‘repeat after me’ prayer.
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10 NASB
Leave a Reply