God Restrains while Punditry Complains
President Trump showed beyond any question that he would use the American military to, as he put it, “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear development facility. Operation Midnight Hammer did just that, apparently, despite pundits and news sources on the left offering their doubts about the destruction Trump proclaimed.
Therefore, knowing this president’s proclivity to deliver on what he promises—he has proved this many times—the question arises: Why does he keep holding off finishing the job of destroying Iran’s war-making ability? Why does he keep going back to the negotiation table time after time when the Iranian regime reneges on agreements about giving up their nuclear program and continues to assault shipping in the Strait of Hormuz?
It could be conjectured that this incongruity is because Mr. Trump is a master negotiator; after all, he wrote and has lived his book, The Art of the Deal. He likely believes he can work around the Iranian regime negotiators’ lies and deception. He thinks, I imagine, that he can thereby peaceably resolve impending war.
From the biblical prophecy perspective, it seems that he couldn’t be less understanding of what’s ahead for that region of the world and for all of humanity. No matter the results of the endless negotiations or the eventual military action by this president to end Iran’s nuclear ambition and open the Strait of Hormuz, Bible prophecy will prevail. God cannot lie, and His Word on things to come says that Persia will bring a force against Israel. A Persian (Iranian) regime of some sort, hate-filled against Israel, along with the Gog-Magog coalition members, will storm toward Jerusalem. The prophet Ezekiel, in chapters 38–39 of the book by his name, lays out the prophecy.
I will let you look it up.
As of this writing, the situation is that President Trump has decided, despite attacks by Iran on ships passing through the Strait, thus again breaking all negotiation promises, to again refrain from completely destroying Iran’s war-making ability. Here is a report:
WASHINGTON (AP)—President Donald Trump says he has reached the “parameters” of a deal with Middle East allies aimed at ending the Iran war—while for now, holding off on fresh U.S. strikes that could further inflame an already dangerous conflict.
In a Saturday evening post on social media, Trump said that the emerging agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside an end to what he described as Iran’s nuclear threat. He said he agreed to cancel attacks “for the future benefit of the WORLD” and “likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran,” adding that the pause would last only so long as Washington could rapidly make a deal.
Trump’s message also indicated Israel would join the U.S. in pushing to finalize the understanding. Iran, meanwhile, offered no immediate public response.
The announcement marks another sudden turn in a war now about five months old—one that has repeatedly shifted in purpose, timing, and intensity. When the United States and Israel began strikes on Feb. 28, the stated objectives included destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and ending support for allied armed groups across the region. But the administration’s timeline and operational targets have come under strain, as the conflict has swung between negotiations and escalation. (“Trump Says Mideast Allies Have Reached Outlines of Deal to End Iran War, Says US to Stop New Strikes,” SRN News (AP) August 3, 2026)
Many pundits on the political left, and even those on the right who agree with most of the Trump administration policies, have accused that Mr. Trump is falling prey to Iran’s (Persia’s) legendary ability to outwit those with whom they deal. Others express that the Trump brain trust is just making sure all-out war doesn’t break out just before mid-term elections. This might greatly sway voters to vote against such a war-making president, thus against his party’s candidates for Congress.
My own thinking on this is quite different. I’m of the conviction that at the center of all of this are considerations found within the pre-Trib view of God’s prophetic Word (the view that, incidentally, makes the most sense in the overall prophetic truth I find in the Bible).
In this regard, I have no doubt it is God Himself who is holding things up at this point, in the matter of Trump considering whether to negotiate with or destroy militarily what’s left of Iran’s war-making capability. God, the Holy Spirit, is the Restrainer, God’s Word informs. He—the Restrainer—is holding back the complete destruction of this evil regime. He is doing so for the fulfillment of the entirety of Bible prophecy.
This might seem confusing until one knows and accepts that the God of all Creation is outside time that governs this earthly sphere. He knows the end from the beginning and has, to a large degree, said what will come to pass in the near and distant future.
God has said the Persians (Iranians) will attack His chosen people, Israel. He Himself will destroy all but one-sixth of the Iranian (Persian) force as it comes with the Gog-Magog coalition in that future assault described in the prophetic Word. So, whether those of the current evil regime are in control or a future such regime is formed, an army of Iranians (Persians) will come down over the mountains of Israel from the north. They will be, as Mr. Trump would say, “obliterated”—all but totally destroyed by the very hand of Almighty God.
I strongly suspect that this—the restraining hand of God—is at the heart of the incongruency apparent in the Trump-Iranian negotiation/military action matter. Thus, so that there will be at least a nucleus of that wicked regime to gather forces when the prophetic timing is in place for the Gog-Magog attack.
This will not be God being complicit in the evil intended by those forces that will come against Israel; rather, it will be proof of His omniscience and His omnipotent control in bringing this world that opposes Him to judgment. The Ezekiel prophecy says that, through this, God will reveal to the world Who He is:
“”Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 39:5-6).
King Jesus is the ultimate proof of God’s staying hand of restraint and judgment. Christ will, one millennial day, sit on the throne ruling and reigning for a thousand years. Present-day arrangements are being orchestrated by that restraining hand in preparation for Heaven’s promise as follows:
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalms 2:6-12).
—Terry
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A Tug of War, Literally
The tension between war and peace in the Middle East is mind-boggling at times. Just when we think President Trump is about to order a massive wave of bombing against Iran, we wake up the next day to learn he has called off the attack.
On the other hand, the ceasefires never last. Despite the highly publicized Memoranda of Peace, attacks and bombings resumed shortly after its signing.
As students of Bible prophecy, we have a unique understanding of what’s happening in the conflict between Israel, Iran, and the proxies of the Persian state. We know that the battle is spiritual. Because Satan motivates Israel’s enemies, lasting peace will never happen until Jesus returns to the earth. The anti-Zion passion will remain alive and well inside Iran until the nation’s demise at the end of the Gog/Magog war (see Ezekiel 38-39).
The tension between war and peace that we currently witness is itself prophetic. With every agreement or ceasefire, we hear the words “peace and safety” or “peace and security” in spite of the ever-present undercurrent pointing to a global conflict on the level of another world war, or even worse. It’s just as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” However, what we see leading up to the fulfillment of this prophecy is confusing more often than not.
Just when we think we are on the cusp of a war that would fit with the “sudden destruction” that will initiate the Day of the Lord, the sides agree to a ceasefire. With the war in Ukraine, Russia has apparently backed away from its threat to directly attack America if Ukraine used its missiles to strike deep within the nation, which is now happening.
We see this same contrast between peace and war with the first two seal judgments. The first rider appears on a white horse, which represents the arrival of the antichrist. He initially comes in peace as symbolized by the arrowless bow. Yet, somehow he conquers just the same (Revelation 6:1-2).
The next rider of the apocalypse brings strife and war, which will be one of the causes for the horrific widespread death on the earth in numbers beyond anything experienced in all of history (Revelation 6:3-4, 7-8).
The Restrainer
2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 reveals the role of the Restrainer in holding back the unveiling of the antichrist, and the lawlessness he will bring with him, until after the Rapture. I believe the Restrainer, or Holy Spirit, is also holding back World War III, which will be far deadlier than all the wars of the previous century combined. We hear persistent rumors that this is coming, with some telling us it has already begun, albeit in a limited way. Yet such allegations never materialize.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 reveals that the widespread devastation will closely follow the Rapture. I believe this will include earthquakes and wars that will happen in close proximity to our departure. Such an attack on America would account for its absence in Bible prophecy, despite its prominent role in world affairs. (Of course, the Rapture alone will bring widespread chaos to the US and severely weaken it.)
The back and forth between peace and war is exactly what we would expect just before the Lord’s appearing to take us home. The mirage of peace that dominates the world scene is setting the stage for the antichrist to deceive the world with his own brand of illusory peace.
Setting the Stage for the Antichrist
Once the restraining work of the Holy Spirit ends, the antichrist will quickly seize the initiative as someone able to restore order amid the widespread chaos and bring peace to a war-weary world. The masses, already longing for just such a leader, will readily give him their allegiance.
Even so, deadly wars will follow his peace campaign. War and peace will be the theme of the Tribulation period after Jesus opens the second seal.
The Bible tells us that after the Rapture, the antichrist will make “a strong covenant with many,” which certainly will include Israel (Daniel 9:27). In Isaiah 25:215-18, the Lord refers to this as a “covenant of death.” Given Israel’s current experience with terrorist attacks, war, and constant threats of further violence, this agreement will likely include a much-coveted guarantee of safety and protection. If it contains permission to build a temple, and I believe it will, that will make the pact all the more desirable to Israel’s leadership.
Today’s back and forth between wars and ceasefires, including threats of fierce attacks amid claims of “peace and security,” is exactly what we would expect in the moments leading up to the realization of our “blessed hope.”
As I have often stated, I believe the Lord is allowing the world to experience a small sampling of what the world will be like after the Rapture. It’s a warning for those outside of Christ to repent. For us who believe, it signifies that Jesus will soon appear to take us home.
Maranatha!
-Jonathan