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Israel365 News posted the following:
The King of Persia Provokes the King of Arabia: A 1,500-Year-Old Text Reads Like Today’s Headlines
August 2, 2026
Since February 2026, the Middle East has been living through a war that began with a joint American and Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, spread into missile and drone attacks across nearly every Gulf Arab state, closed the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping, and pulled Pakistan in as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. A memorandum of understanding was read to reporters in June, and the guns have gone largely quiet since. But a teaching in the Midrash, written well over a thousand years before any of these nations existed in their current form, describes a nearly identical sequence of events as the marker of the final redemption.
The King of Persia Provokes the King of Arabia
Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein explained this teaching in the Hebrew-language Kikar last week. The teaching comes from Pesikta Rabbati, chapter 36, in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak. In the year the Messiah is revealed, he taught, all the kings of the nations will provoke one another. The king of Persia will provoke the king of Arabia.
The identification of Persia with Iran is the simplest piece of this teaching. The nation known today as Iran is the historical core of the land that carried the name Persia for the better part of two thousand years, making “the king of Persia” a natural and direct reference in a modern context. And the confrontation the Midrash describes has a living counterpart this year. After the American and Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran retaliated far beyond Israel and American bases, firing missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia intercepted cruise missiles aimed at its own air bases and oil infrastructure, and by late summer, its foreign ministry was still fielding Iranian accusations that Gulf states had taken part in strikes against it. This was not a symbolic reading of “the king of Persia provokes the king of Arabia.” It was the headline of the war.
The King of Arabia Goes to Edom for Counsel
The Midrash continues: the king of Arabia will go to Edom to take counsel from them. … Edom is the term the tradition consistently identifies with Rome …
The King of Persia Returns and the Nations Are Shaken
The king of Persia will then return, the Midrash teaches, and lay waste to the entire world. All the nations will be terrified and fall on their faces, gripped by pains like a woman in labor.
That line reads very differently today than it would have in the ancient world. …
In Tractate Yoma 10a, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, citing his teacher, taught that Rome is destined to fall into the hands of Persia, reasoning by a kal vachomer: the First Temple, built by the descendants of Shem, was destroyed by the Chaldeans, and the Chaldeans in turn fell to the Persians. The Second Temple was built by the Persians and destroyed by the Romans. By that same logic, Rome should fall to Persia as well.
This would imply that the Midrash predicts that the US and the West will fall to Iran. https://israel365news.com/420141/the-king-of-persia-provokes-the-king-of-arabia-a-1500-year-old-text-reads-like-todays-headlines/
The
Pesikta Rabbati … is a collection of aggadic midrash (homilies) on the Pentateuchal and prophetic readings, the special Sabbaths, and so on. (Pesikta Rabbati. Wikipedia, accessed 08/02/26)
Essentially, the Pesikta Rabbati is a collection of opinions of Jewish scholars from the Middle Ages related to some interpretations of scriptures and other traditions.
What Israel365 News reported, however, was biblically wrong in several ways. Iran is not about to conquer the world or the USA–yet Iran can still cause damage, and will do so to Israel per Isaiah 22:6-9.
And there are several points related to the Jewish Pesikta Rabbati that may have some biblically-accurate ramifications related to an alliance after Iran has been neutralized.
The first to point out is that the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel uses the term ‘king of the South’:
25 He [the king of the North] shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. … 27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time (Daniel 11:25,27).
40 And at the time of the end, a king of the south pushes himself forward with him, and a king of the north storms against him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he has come into the lands, and has overflowed, and passed over, 41 and has come into the desirable land, and many stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon. 42 And he sends forth his hand on the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape; 43 and he has ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim [are] at his steps. (Daniel 11:40-43, LSV)
The above shows that there will be a leader of lands in the Middle East and North Africa–he is called the King of the South. Most of the lands mentioned above are made up mainly of ethnic Arabs–so, yes, he could be considered to be the King of the Arabs. Persia is not mentioned in Daniel 11 and is NOT the future King of the South. Regarding Edom, Edom is NOT Rome, but prophetically points to Turkey.
Now, I have long asserted that the King of the South would rise up after Iran would somehow get “neutralized.” Back in April of 2007, I warned that:
I believe that Iran will be somewhat neutralized at some point in time as I differ from PCG on Iran and the king of the South. (COG News: Emphasizing News of Interest to those Once in the Worldwide Church of God. April 7, 2007. https://cogwriter.com/1103news.htm)
As well as later:
According to the Bible, the King of the South (Daniel 11:40) will rise up and we will see if this happens sometime after an Israeli conflict with Iran. Since Iran is not destined to be the King of the South, but Syria seemingly is, I have long written that Iran will somehow be neutralized (through a conflict involving Israel and/or internal strife, etc.) and the regime in Syria would change. (Thiel B. Obama arrives in Israel and meets with Netanyahu. COGwriter, May 20, 2013)
As far as Iran itself goes, while it wants to lead all of Islam, it will fail in that objective — the Bible points to an Arabic power doing that in Daniel 11:40-43. Because of that, I have long felt that it may be that Iran would be ‘neutralized’ before the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40) rises up.
Iran could be neutralized by internal unrest or other matters–and there is unrest in Iran. On the other hand, if it employs, or attempts to employ, certain weapons of mass destruction in certain locals, it may well cause Israel, the USA, and/or others to turn on it and destroy aspects of its military capability.
I have long believed that Iran is a threat that will one day be ‘neutralized’ (Jeremiah 49:34-38), as I believe it will overplay its hand. (Thiel B. Iran, Drones, Ukraine, and Israel. COGwriter, October 21, 2022)
Well, though it has not been totally defeated, Iran has been somewhat neutralized (see Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump confirm another COGwriter prediction) and the regime in Syria has changed.
Now bringing this into the current situation with Iran, etc. it may be of interest to note that various Arab leaders have reached out to Turkey.
Turkey has been speaking with some Arab nations:
The Efforts to End the War in Iran Are Forging a New Regional Alliance
In a conference to ‘de-escalate’ the Iran war, four regional powers are building a new military-strategic partnership for mutual defense. Israel has long dreamed of such an ‘Arab NATO,’ but most of these countries believe Israel initiated a war that has brought destruction to their doorstep https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-03-30/ty-article/.premium/the-efforts-to-end-the-war-in-iran-are-forging-a-new-regional-alliance/0000019d-3dd5-ddaa-abbd-bddd5a010000
The meeting on Sunday of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Islamabad not only represented the best hope for a ceasefire in Iran but was also the embryo for a new order designed to curb Israeli and Iranian dominance after the war.
Although the four nations have met as a quartet before, the one-day meeting of foreign ministers in Islamabad on Sunday was, in a way, the official opening ceremony of an initiative that is intriguing diplomats. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/30/egypt-pakistan-saudi-arabia-turkey-talks-embryo-new-order
Yes, there are talks involving Arab nations and Turkey for a regional alliance.
In my view, the formation of the confederation leading to the rise of the King of the South relates to Iran’s neutralization.
Neutralization does not mean that Iran will be eliminated. But basically we in the CCOG have long asserted that Iran would not be in a strong enough military position to become the King of the South of biblical prophecies such as Daniel 11:40-43. And that the confederation that will support the King of the South would arise after Iran was somewhat neutralized.
Related to predicting Iran’s partial neutralization, we made the following video:
14:20
Iran Neutralization Prediction Confirmed
Are current events involving Iran confirming long-standing prophetic interpretations? In this episode of the Bible News Prophecy Program, Steve Dupuie speaks with Bob Thiel about how recent developments in the Middle East align with predictions he has made for nearly two decades. Dr. Thiel explains his long-held position that Iran would not become the prophesied “King of the South” described in the Book of Daniel, and instead would be “somewhat neutralized” before that power rises. He points to recent statements from leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, who claim Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly weakened, as evidence that Iran has been somewhat neutralized. The discussion explores: What “neutralization” of Iran really means? Why Iran is not the final dominant power in biblical prophecy? How a future Middle Eastern confederation may emerge. The role of prophecy in understanding global conflicts. Scriptures from the Book of Ezekiel, Second Epistle of Peter, and Gospel of Mark are also examined to provide context and caution against misinterpretations of current events. As tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, this episode challenges viewers to carefully compare headlines with scripture—and to stay alert, as Jesus instructed.
Here is a link to our video: Iran Neutralization Prediction Confirmed.
We are seeing more steps now towards the development to consider a ‘King of the South’ type of confederation that the Bible prophecies.
The confederation will not fully form for some time, and partially will also require that a man rise up to be the King of the South leader. The discussions for something like this are happening.
While there has long been a League of Arab States, Turkey and others are more seriously taking discussing steps to work towards the development of an Islamic military force.
While Donald Trump seems to believe that he is doing the right thing, there will be many more unintended consequences of his presidency.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims. Here is a link to a sermon in the Spanish language: El Imám Mahdi las mujeres y la profecía bíblica
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?
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