Iran

On August 3, the new President of Iran takes office: Hassan Rouhani. In my opinion, he is the great horn of Persia described in the Book of Daniel, the leader who starts World War 3.

Although many media outlets and commentators are calling him “moderate”, he is an extremist. He holds the same apocalyptic views as other leaders of Iran: that Iran must start an apocalyptic war in order to bring about the Islamic version of the end times and the reappearance of the 12th Imam. He positively intends to start a war with the West. All he needs is enough power within Iran and nuclear weapons.

The previous President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has indicated repeatedly that he wishes to return to political power in Iran. But if Rouhani wants to consolidate his own hold on political power, he would have to prevent that return. I expect that Rouhani will have Ahmadinejad assassinated not long after Rouhani takes office.

But what is even more disturbing is the possibility that Rouhani might make an unprecedented grab for power in Iran. Not satisfied with being President for one or at most two terms, he could attempt to gain near dictatorial power over the nation by becoming Supreme Leader while he is also President. He would then be both the spiritual and political leader of Iran. And then the two-term limit (that prevented Ahmadinejad from running for President again) could easily be nullified by Rouhani, making him essentially President-for-life. This position of Supreme Leader is not beyond his grasp, since he has long been a member of the Assembly of Experts that elects the Supreme Leader.

Note that, in the secrets of La Salette, the Blessed Virgin Mary warns about a future leader who will desire to have both political and spiritual power. She uses the terms “emperor” and “pope”, but this can be understood as an analogy to two positions of supreme leadership, one religious and the other secular.

But how would Rouhani attain this position of Supreme Leader? The current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not going to resign, as the Pope did. And the Assembly of Experts is not going to remove him from office. I consider it a real possibility that Rouhani will have the Supreme Leader assassinated, so that he can take his place. That would be enough power within Iran to take the nation into an unwise war against the West. The only other thing he needs is nuclear weapons.

Nuclear Weapons

Rouhani is very familiar with Iran’s nuclear program, since he was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (responsible for overseeing the nuclear program) for 16 years. He also was Iran’s top nuclear negotiator with the West for a couple of years. I expect Rouhani to make some changes in the path of the program. The latest IAEA report on Iran comes out in August. He might send a signal to the West by kicking IAEA inspectors out of the nation. He might attempt a nuclear breakout, a rush to make weapon-grade uranium.

Or worse. Iran might already have one or more nuclear bombs. Rouhani could order an underground nuclear test, as a way to announce to the world that he is the leader of a nuclear nation. But in any case, I believe he is the leader of Iran (Persia) predicted by the Book of Daniel to start World War 3 with the West. And that means he will eventually order the use of nuclear bombs against cities in the West (New York, and later Rome).

Look for some developments in Iran’s nuclear position, vis-à-vis the West in August. I don’t think Iran will begin a war with the West until after Rouhani is both President and Supreme Leader, so I don’t think the war begins in August. But the exact timing of the start of World War 3 (which is the start of the tribulation) is difficult to discern.

Pandemic

Also related to the impending start of the tribulation, I’m keeping a close eye on a new disease: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). It started in Saudi Arabia. The first cases were identified in September of 2012. As of July 21, there were 90 cases and 45 deaths. That’s a 50% fatality rate. The tribulation includes at least a couple of major disease pandemics (an epidemic that spreads among many nations).

This disease, MERS, could be one of the pandemics of the tribulation. The number of cases is likely to increase in August because of an increase in pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in July/August (i.e. in the Islamic month of Ramadan), and then again in October because of pilgrimages to Mecca during the Haj.

During World War 3, the disease could easily spread out of the Middle East with the soldiers that invade Europe. And the poverty, malnutrition, and ill health that often accompanies war would help the disease spread more easily and more widely.

Here’s the CDC page on MERS. Note the 50% fatality rate. The Spanish flu pandemic killed millions, but it had a fatality rate of only 5 to 10%. And that 50% fatality rate for MERS is probably too low, given that some cases have not yet been resolved, i.e. we don’t know if the newest patients will live or die.

How soon will the tribulation begin? Perhaps this year, at the earliest, but definitely by sometime in 2016, at the latest.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.