Iran creates conflict with Israel to usher in a worldwide Islamic caliphate

That is, Iran’s leaders believe that creating conditions of conflict and chaos especially with Israel can hasten the return of the one they call Mahdi (who does appear to equate to the antichrist, the man of perdition, in the Bible). “Mahdi means “the Guided One” in Arabic and refers to a messianic figure in Islamic tradition who is expected to appear near the end of the world to establish justice and restore true religion. This concept is significant in Islamic eschatology, particularly among Shia Muslims, who believe the Mahdi is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.” (AI)
Teachings on the Mahdi greatly vary between the different Islamic sects, and even in Iran some variation in teachings is noted. The following does appear to be representative of the more extreme teachings (notably of Iran) on the coming of the Islamic Mahdi. Such teachings depict the Mahdi as (a) someone who will appear soon, particularly during or after a period of severe chaos and violence especially involving Israel, (b) he will bring in a time of peace, justice and prosperity lasting 7 years, (c) that 7 years will prepare for the return of Jesus (the prophet, not the son of God), and (d) a gathering of the world population to Islam, after which (e) there will be a global Islamic caliphate where all will have become believers in Islam.

Islam has a number of factions including Sunni and Shia sects. Shiites are generally more aggressive with their religious requirements due to more specific religious requirements and rituals than Sunnis. Shiites also generally have clerics as national leaders while Sunnis generally have secular national leaders. “Shia Islam is often associated with theocratic governance, where clerics hold significant power, as seen in Iran. In contrast, Sunni Islam typically supports secular leadership, where leaders are elected or appointed without religious authority being central to their rule.” (AI) In particular, Twelver-shiism is the predominant theology in Iran. Twelver-shias believe in an allegedly divinely appointed line of 12 spiritual and political leaders, with the advent of the 12^th successor (known as the Mahdi) supposedly very soon. “Twelver Shiism is the largest branch of Shia Islam, and Twelver Shia Muslims believe in a divinely appointed line of 12 Imams as spiritual and political successors to Prophet Muhammad. They are the established faith in Iran and the Hidden Imam is expected to return to guide the events leading to the Day of Judgement.” (AI) Therefore, while the biblical Christ the Messiah will return at the end of the Tribulation, this does suggest that the Mahdi will appear at the start of the Tribulation. The Mahdi therefore is actually more in line with the one the Bible defines as the man of perdition, known as the antichrist. He is expected to appear before Christ’s return (that is, Christ whom they call the prophet Jesus and do not recognise as the son of God). “The Shia Mahdi is believed to bring a time of justice, peace, and prosperity to the world, particularly before the second coming of Jesus. He is expected to defeat tyranny and establish a just rule during his reign.” (AI) Seven years does appear to be the official length of the Mahdi’s rule; islamqa.org says that “The Prophet said: The Mahdi will be of my stock, and will have a broad forehead a prominent nose. He will fill the earth will equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years. …. This is because seven years has been mentioned unequivocally in the hadiths of Umm Salama and Abu Said al-Khudri” (islamqa.org)

Many of Islam believe that the Mahdi will return with Jesus (whom they name as Isa the prophet), but it does seem that Twelver-shia Islam believes their Mahdi will rule for 7 years to prepare the world for the return of Jesus. “In Shia Islam, the Mahdi is a significant messianic figure who is expected to emerge during a time of great turmoil. His role is to establish justice and prepare the world for the return of Jesus. … During this time, he will work to restore justice and lead a global Islamic community.” (AI) However, while Jesus figures prominently in Islamic eschatology, he is not the Jesus of Christian faith. In this Islamic framework, Jesus returns not as the divine Son of God but as a muslim prophet who was never crucified. And the Mahdi’s preparation for the return of Jesus is to establish a global Islamic caliphate (a goal that Iran has clearly stated in their Charter).

The Twelfth Shiite Imam (the Mahdi) is foretold to be “the savior of the apocalypse for the salvation of human beings and the establishment of peace and justice.” (Wikipedia)
“The Mahdi is often depicted as a figure who will come riding on a white horse and is associated with a sword, similar to the imagery of the rider on the white horse in the Book of Revelation. This connection suggests that the Mahdi is seen as a messianic figure who will establish a new world order, paralleling the biblical Antichrist.” (AI)
There are two riders on white horses in Revelation:
Revelation 6:2 – And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. This occurs at the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation period, signifying the antichrist, the man of perdition of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
Revelation 19:11 – And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This occurs at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the 7-year Tribulation, signifying the return of Christ the Messiah.
It is clear that the Mahdi who here rides a white horse equates to the biblical description of the antichrist who will attempt for 7 years to set up a one-world government ruled by himself, to allegedly usher in a time of peace, justice and prosperity; except that it will be a 7-year time of unending war, injustices and total lack of prosperity. The antichrist will try to rule the world but instead will be defeated when Christ returns at Armageddon. The antichrist’ rule will be for 7 years before the return of Christ the Messiah. Mahdi’s rule will be for the 7 years preceding the return of their prophet Jesus.

The Mahdi would therefore have to be the antichrist whom the Twelver-shias appear to be endeavouring to set up even today. A number of reports strongly suggest that a major goal of Iran has been to create violence, especially religious violence, and particularly with Israel, in order to hasten the return of the Mahdi. A report on CBN says that “some Shiites have actually been trying to bring about the prophesied time of the Mahdi, to make it happen themselves. ‘He will appear when the world is in chaos and he will bring peace ….. (they) basically wanted to stir up trouble and get the nuclear weapons so they could attack Israel and create an atmosphere of chaos, so to force their Mahdi — or the 12th caliphate — to show up.” (https://cbn.com/news/world/rise-mahdi-antichrist-poised-enter-world-stage)
“Iranian leaders believe that creating conditions of conflict and chaos can hasten the Mahdi’s return. This belief is deeply rooted in their interpretation of Islamic eschatology. Iran’s military and foreign policies often reflect this ideology, particularly in their confrontations with perceived enemies, such as Israel. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been known to frame its actions against Israel not just as geopolitical manoeuvres but as religious obligations tied to the Mahdi’s emergence. Iran backs various militias across the region, viewing them as part of the struggle to prepare for the Mahdi’s return. The IRGC has articulated a goal of eradicating Israel, which they see as an obstacle to the Mahdi’s emergence. Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities is often framed within the context of preparing for the Mahdi’s return. In summary, Iran’s leadership does foster an environment of conflict and violence, driven by the belief that such conditions will facilitate the Mahdi’s return. This ideology shapes their military strategies and foreign relations, particularly in their aggressive stance towards Israel and their support for regional militias.” (AI)

Thus it may be assumed that Iran sees its conflict with Israel as an essential component of their efforts to create the conditions in which the appearance and rule of their Mahdi will be hastened. In their minds, it is the process of chaos and destruction that occurs in their conflict with Israel that is more important than the actual proposed defeat of Israel. That is, while, to them, the defeat of Israel is necessary, even essential, it is the development of chaos that is the more important factor here, for it is through such chaos that they claim their islamic world caliphate will emerge, led by their Mahdi. Religious hardliners in the Iran government see the conflict as a prerequisite for the return of the Mahdi. “Many consider ultra-hardliner Ayatollah Mohammad-Mehdi Mirbagheri (also known as Mahdi Mirbaqiri) …. as Mesbah-Yazdi’s successor. Mirbagheri teaches that fighting and overcoming infidels is a prerequisite for the return of the hidden Imam.” (www.iranintl.com) “On the subject of negotiations with the Western world, Mirbaqiri said that: “Negotiations are good, if Iran’s approach to them leads to the triumph of [Islamic] civilization, but if negotiations are carried out to cooperate with the society of the infidels, then they are bad.” He also opined that “Our competitors have understood that America is not all that powerful…You can negotiate with them and not surrender. If they exit the negotiations, so will we. [We are] … more powerful than America.” (Wikipedia)

Not all Islamic sects support these teachings of the alleged coming Mahdi. However, it is the Twelver-shiites who claim that they are the ones who will usher in an Islamic world caliphate through the leadership of their Mahdi. And it is Iran that represents the religious extremism of the Twelver-shiites. “Iran’s ideology includes the belief that the Mahdi, or Twelfth Imam, will return to establish a global Islamic kingdom, and this belief significantly influences its foreign policy, particularly against Israel. The Iranian regime views itself as playing a crucial role in preparing for the Mahdi’s return. …. Iran considers the destruction of Israel a sacred duty, viewing it as an obstacle to the Mahdi’s return.” (AI)

Thus Iran is striving to set up the conditions that would (according to them) cause the Mahdi to appear in order that he would establish a worldwide global caliphate bringing all people under Islamic sharia law. “The Iranian regime has ambitions similar to those of ISIS, aiming to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate through the use of violence and radical ideology.” (AI) And they are not really interested in the liberation of Palestine. To them such liberation is merely a means to an end: the return of their Mahdi. “Arab writers have commented on this aspect of Hamas and its ideology. In a recent article in the Egyptian daily Al-Dustour, published in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 massacre in southern Israel, Egyptian author, poet and journalist Dr. Mouna Al-Hilmi wrote that Hamas purports to be fighting for the liberation of Palestine, but is not really interested in a Palestinian nation-state. Rather, like its parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’s ultimate goal is the restoration of the global caliphate.” (www.memri.org)

It isn’t just an act of religious extremism though. Religious extremism on its own is relatively harmless as long as it isn’t forced upon others who choose differently; man must have free will to believe what he chooses to believe in. However, when that religious extremism is used as the foundation for exploiting others (especially violently) through the denial of their free will to believe otherwise, then those who bully in that way are no better than the worst dictators of history. Beliefs should never justify exerting your religious will upon others. Rather, the only possible excuse for conflict regarding beliefs is to perhaps defend one’s right to freedom of will to believe as one chooses. But it should never used as an excuse to justify violence against others simply because they believe differently. “Iran’s charter for a world caliphate under the Mahdi is not merely a religious aspiration but a guiding principle for its political and military strategies. The belief in the Mahdi’s return serves as a justification for its actions on the global stage, particularly in its ongoing conflict with Israel.” (AI)

This also has to assume that all Islamic beliefs are required to be brought into line with this extreme view; any who dissent are likely to be declared non-muslim or infidels. “A worldwide caliphate, as envisioned by some extremist groups, could potentially label Muslims who disagree with its interpretations as infidels …. Some extremist groups, like ISIS, promote a caliphate that could label Muslims who disagree with their interpretations as infidels. This view is rooted in a desire for a singular, rigid interpretation of Islam that excludes diverse beliefs.” (AI) The Twelver-shiism of Iran is, like ISIS, an extremist Islamic belief which can be expected to declare non-supporters (even if muslims) to be infidels. Many muslims do not share these extremist Islamic views, and yet, if they resist violence that extremists could use to usher in such a global caliphate, then they are likely to be declared infidels (and as such, non-muslims) by extremist Twelver-shiites. To such extremists, the only true muslims of the faith are those who support the preached violence; there would be no “good” and “bad” muslims, but “muslims” and “infidels”. Those more moderate muslims would then be either forced to believe as required, or to face penalties for deserting the faith (as defined by the extremists). It must be noted that Iran is already dealing with other Islamic nations around them by punishing them with missile and drone attacks seemingly because they do not actively and openly support Iran in its violent religious vendetta against unbelievers; such violent attacks are designed to pressure other Islamic states to side with Iran’s extremist teachings. That is, Iran sees other Islamic states who do not support Iran’s extremist views as traitors to the cause. Iran views the Mahdi as the coming one who will cause all nations to be subject to strict Islamic sharia law (as defined by Iran) or be destroyed; in particular, this means the destruction of Israel and all who support her. Like all dictatorships, everyone must obey or be destroyed! And the Mahdi will be their ultimate tool to achieve this!