When discussing Iran, we need to separate the views of the country’s citizens from those of its tyrannical leader.

Iran is currently controlled by an Islamic fundamentalist, Ali Khamenei, who serves as the country’s Supreme Leader, an unelected position.

Though there are elections in the country for the country’s legislature, the Supreme Leader decides who will serve as president and cabinet ministers and ultimately approves or disapproves of any legislation that is passed.

As a hard-line extremist, Ali Khamenei is not only seeking to construct nuclear weapons, he has also called for Israel to be eliminated.

Though most Iranians want to see an end to the tyrannical rule and have democracy restored in the country, they are oddly in agreement with Ali Khamenei’s desire for war with Israel, for different reasons though.

In an interview with CBN, Lily Meschi of Iran Alive Ministries explains the difference. Lily was born in Iran’s capital city, Tehran, Faithwire reports.

“The Iranian government is totally separated from the citizens,” Meschi explained. “The Iranian people are not for the government; they want the government to be toppled. They want to overturn this government, and they are seeking for democracy. Some of them — as heart-wrenching as a war could be — are looking forward to a war. They are saying, ‘We want Israel to attack Iran, because this might be the answer we’re looking for. We’re not living, but we’re just all surviving every single day.’”

“Some of them are saying, ‘This [the war] could be the answer that we’re looking for, because, no matter how many protests, how many people gather in the streets of Iran to protest against the government, they’re not going anywhere,’” Meschi added. “They don’t get support from any other countries. … They feel hopeless and they feel like this is not life, [so they] might as well do something for the next generation.”

Iran’s role in the end times

Ezekiel 38 provides a vivid description of the final end-times battle involving Israel, referred to as Armageddon.

We know that Persia, which was Iran’s name until 1935, is listed as one of the countries, along with several others, that will ally with Gog and Magog in this final apocalyptic battle (Ezekiel 38:5).

Some believe Gog and Magog is a reference to Russia because it is described as being from the “utter north” (Ezekiel 38:15), which literally refers to the furthest north you can go.

This axis of evil will attack the restored nation of Israel, made up of Jews who have gathered from many nations around the world (Ezekiel 38:8). This prophecy was fulfilled when Israel was reformed as a nation on May 14, 1948, and since then Jews from around the world have been relocating to the promised land.

In the end, God will intervene during this final battle to save Israel (Ezekiel 38:18; 16;).

But Ezekiel adds one key point that suggests this is not the time for Armageddon when he says that Israel will be caught completely off guard by the attack because it will occur in a time of relative peace (Ezekiel 38:10; 14).

The battle will include nuclear weapons

Of course, we know that both Israel and Russia have nuclear weapons, and, Iran, if it doesn’t, will also soon have them.

It seems from descriptions provided by the prophet Zechariah that nuclear weapons will be used at Armageddon.