Sunday, July 12, 2009

Prepare for Pandemic's Second Wave

Revelation 6:7-8 "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given to them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

The 4th horseman is Death, who is closely accompanied by Hell. Power is given to Death and Hell over a fourth of the earth. That could be over the fourth part of the earth's lands which are dominated by Muslims, or it could be one fourth of our now almost 7 billion population, which would be 1.25 billion people. Or it could be a different quarter which I haven't conceived.

I believe all four horsemen have been galloping across the earth since 9/11/2001, and I believe they continue through the Great Tribulation, which will culminate with the Lord's return.

Isaiah 13:9-12 “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.”

After reading the book of Revelation, losing a fourth of the world's population seems very reasonable. But Death and Hell are given four particular methods of killing people: sword, famine, pestilence, and beasts. These same four are also listed in Ezekiel 14:12-19, though first listed as famine, beasts, sword, and pestilence; and concluding in the order sword, famine, beast, and pestilence.

Ezekiel 14:20-23 “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus said the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings: and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it. And they shall comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings: and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, said the Lord GOD.”

Pictures of people being beheaded with swords and starving to death have been in the news the last few years. SARS almost made pandemic status in 2002-2003. The highly fatal bird flu gave quite a scare in 2003 and continues to wreak havoc. But it is the 2009 H1N1 pandemic which still has the potential to come back in the late summer and fall and decimate the population much like its 1918 counterpart did.



The following is from a Wikipedia article on the 2009 flu pandemic.

Nor had federal health officials in the U.S. dismissed the possibility that the worst was yet to come. "Far from it," Ann Schuchat of the CDC says, noting that the horrific 1918 flu epidemic, which killed hundreds of thousands in the United States alone, was preceded by a mild "herald" wave of cases in the spring, followed by devastating waves of illness in the autumn. "That 1918 experience is in our minds," she said.
However, as of early June 2009, Schuchat reported "encouraging news" regarding any mutations to date, by announcing that samples of the virus from points around the globe are "genetically identical" to the strain found in the United States. "We have tested isolates from a wide geographic area, from the Americas, Europe, from Asia and New Zealand and we are not seeing variations in isolates from the genetic testing we do here." Although cases have been relatively mild and patients recover quickly, health officials have warned that the virus could mutate into a more virulent form, putting greater numbers of people at risk.
As of July 4, 2009, there have been three cases of virus resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu). In two of the cases, resistance was developed following a course of the antiviral. However the third case, that of a 16-year-old identified at a Hong Kong airport with no prior contact with oseltamivir, is more concerning to health officials as it indicates an oseltamivir-resistant strain may have begun to circulate.


Please go to www.flu.gov and take necessary precautions. Even moreso, receive the righteousness of Christ by accepting His payment for your sins on the cross.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Pentecost Fire

In 1973 Syria and Egypt launched a surprise attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, their highest holy day, so there is precedence for the Muslims to attack Israel during Jewish holidays. The eight days of Hanukkah began at sundown on December 21, 2008. Three days later the Negev of southern Israel was hit by more than 60 mortar shells and rockets from Iran's proxy in Gaza, so there is precedence for Iran to attack Israel during Jewish holidays. Ancient Iran (Persia) sought to destroy the Jews when queen Esther intervened and king Xerxes turned it into a day the Jews could destroy their enemies (which is celebrated as the holiday called Purim).

Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, have vocalized their desire to annihilate the Jews, and have been lobbing Katusha rockets at Israel for years. On May 18, 2009 PM Netanyahu met with Pres. Obama about Iran's threats. Obama said that within a year he would know if discussions/diplomacy had not worked with Iran, and then would consider sanctions. Sanctions have already failed. The next day Israel's air force held large-scale exercises simulating war with Iran in preparation for the real one. Obama's actions may have emboldened Iran's plans to destroy Israel.

The next Jewish feast is Weeks (Shavuot), which was called Pentecost in Greek, which will begin at sundown on May 28, 2009. It celebrates the day God spoke His Ten Commandment to the Hebrews as fire from Mount Sinai, and was fulfilled the day Christ's disciples (with "cloven tongues like as of fire" on their heads) spoke the wonders of God in various languages to the Jews from many nations in Jerusalem.

Satan wants to be "like the Most High" and often counterfeits His miracles. Satan's proxies in the middle-east are the Sunnis (beast of the sea, Rev. 13), the Shia (beast of the earth), and the Wahhabis (the "whore", Rev. 17).
Revelation 13:11-13 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,"
Daniel 8:20 "The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has consistently stated his goal is to create enough chaos to hasten the reign of the Mahdi, and has asserted that was why he was made president. When asked by the Ayatollah Khamenei, "What if he doesn't come by then [the end of your term]?" Ahmadinejad adamantly replied, "I assure you; I really believe this. He will come soon." [Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran's Radical Leader by Kasra Naji, p.92] Iran will hold presidential elections on June 12, 2009.

North Korea successfully conducted another nuclear test on May 25, 2009, and the CIA didn't have a clue that it had occurred, and had to rely on Russia's confirmation. Hours later, North Korea successfully test-fired three short-range, ground-to-air missiles which could carry nuclear warheads. The CIA was caught off-guard at Iran's revolution in the 1970's, and Obama made it clear the US is in a 'wait and see' stance for the remainder of the year.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Antichrists from tribe of Dan

Jeremiah 8:7-20 "Yes, the stork in the heaven knows her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. . . .For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? no, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, said the LORD. I will surely consume them, said the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. . . . We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, said the LORD. When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."

This prophecy was fulfilled when the Babylonian cavalry came through the land of Dan to conquer Judah. Early church fathers like Irenaeus (180 AD) also attributed this passage to a future Antichrist, stating that he would arise from the tribe of Dan which is missing from the twelve tribes sealed in Revelation. Cockatrices referred to enemies whose destructive power could not be counteracted by persuasion or other method.

Current Antichrists

Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr is a possible candidate for the Antichrist. Sayyid is a title used among the Shia to denote direct descendants from Mohammad. Al-Sadr is a Shia cleric currently studying to be an ayatollah in Iran, but he was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1973 of Lebanese (Dan's territory) ancestry. In Iraq he established the 60,000 man Mahdi Army whose uniform and flags are black. There is also a Black Banner Sunni army in Iraq. If he is able to combine and attack Jerusalem, it would fulfill several Muslim prophecies regarding their Mahdi (end-time savior). Though Sadr stood down his army in August 2008, in April 2009 he was holding talks with officials in Turkey who then changed the make-up of their cabinet to be pro-Islam.

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. has genealogical roots to the tribe of Dan on his mother's side, and has possible roots to the tribe of Judah on his father's side. [See http://www.prophecyinthenews.com/articledetail.asp?Article_ID=238] He has consistently voted for late term abortions, partial birth abortions, and infanticide. If he nationalizes health care, as he is already nationalizing banks and auto makers, we will likely see more state sponsored/assisted euthanasia. By "peace" he is setting up America and Israel for more deadly attacks by Muslims. He attended a Muslim school for two years as a child, and during an interview made a verbal slip and referred to "my Muslim faith".

Genesis 49:16-18 "Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O LORD."
The first sentence could be translated, "Dan shall rule and overshadow his people, united tribes; he will rule as God." 'Serpent' is nachash, a hissing snake, from the verb meaning hiss, or whisper a (magic) spell generally used of enchanters. 'Bites' is nashak, meaning "to strike with a sting (as a serpent); figuratively, to oppress with interest on a loan: - bite, lend upon usury." The word 'adder' is shephiphon, which is nowhere else in the Bible. It was translated in the Vulgate as 'cerastes'. According to Clarke's Bible Commentary, the "cerastes has its name from two little horns upon its head, and is remarkable for the property here ascribed to the shephiphon." The root of the last word is shuph which means to bruise, and the word 'heels', are also used in Gen. 3:15 referring to satan, the serpent. 'Backward' can also mean behind or the West. The last sentence has three Hebrew words: qavah yeshua yehovah, which can be translated binding or twisting Jesus, God.
This prophecy indicates we may be looking for two leaders to arise from the tribe of Dan which are deceptive talkers who seek to destroy the West. Interestingly, the "son of perdition (apoleia)" means the waste or destruction of vessels or money, according to Thayer. President Obama has certainly been wasting billions of dollars in his first hundred days in office, as well as destroying the value of the dollar. Many people already call Obama a messiah (which he has never denied), and the world seems to adore him. 'Little horn' is the name Daniel used for a future Antichrist.

Daniel 8:23-25 "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." America's Road Map and two-state "peace" plan for Israel have already caused the death and destruction of many Jews in Israel. We have forced them to give land to their enemies who then launch rockets at their civilians.

Deuteronomy 28:49-51a "The LORD shall bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you be destroyed:" Though this was true of the Roman legions who had eagles on their standards as they attacked Israel and destroyed Jerusalem, it is also true of America which has legalized euthanasia in several states, and has legalized abortion nationally, and is again promoting it internationally as well.


Who will declare himself to be god on the Temple Mount (2 Thess. 2:1-12)? Jesus commanded His disciples to pray that the "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15-22) wouldn't take place on the sabbath or during winter. That means the date of declaration of deity is not set. Personally, I think it will occur next year after the withdrawal of troops from Iraq in August, 2010.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Three Angelic Announcements

And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:6-12)

The first angelic announcement is the everlasting gospel with a loud voice to the whole world from mid-air, imploring them to revere and glorify Creator God for His judgment is coming. Using a direct broadcast satellite, SkyAngel went on the air on December 10, 1996 with six television channels and three radio channels. God may have sent an angel, or earthly messengers called missionaries, to proclaim the gospel to those people groups which do not have radio and television.
The second angelic announcement is the fall of the great city Babylon. The capital city of Baghdad is located roughly fifty miles north of the ancient ruins of Babylon in Iraq. Saddam Hussein likened himself to Nebuchadnezzar, and had a desire to be the head of a new Babylonian empire. Training of the 9/11/01 Saudi hijackers was linked to Iraq. People from over 90 nations were killed in that attack. A coalition of nations led by the US attacked Iraq. With "shock and awe" from April 3-12, 2003, Baghdad was subdued.
The third angelic announcement is a warning against worshiping the beast or receiving the mark of the beast or its image. The beast is Islam; it's image is a crescent moon. The Antichrist will arise to lead the Muslims in their take-over of the world. He will declare himself to be god on the Temple Mount and cause many Jews and Christians to be killed. I suspect this will occur before the trumpets and vials.

Monday, April 6, 2009

That Which Withholds Has Been Removed

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8a)
Barnes' Bible Commentary on this verse: "The most natural interpretation is that which refers it to civil power, meaning that there was something in the form of the existing administration which would prevent this development until that restraint should be removed."

I did not know what to expect on the first day of the Great Tribulation, and so I prayed and asked God for revelation, and I received the song, "This mountain shall be removed by My Spirit, sayeth the Lord."
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace to it." (Zechariah 4:6b-7)
The "great mountain" during Zerubbabel's time was the empire of Babylon, which is called the "destroying mountain" in Jeremiah 51:24-25. Mountains refer to empires or kingdoms. I think in order for God to accomplish what He intends to do in the Middle East, He needed to remove the United States of America. The first war the United States of America encountered after becoming a nation was with the Muslims in 1801 who had declared war on all Christian nations. They were known as the Barbary Pirates of the Mediterranean. General Eaton told the new Secretary of State, "It is a maxim of the Barbary States, that 'The Christians who would be on good terms with them must fight well or pay well.'" At first the US paid their extortion money for safe passage, but when they took the ship and imprisoned the crew which brought the money, the US marines successfully stormed the shores of Tripoli. [http://www.daddezio.com/italy/barbary/history.html]

Today, President Obama declared to the Turkey parliament, "Let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam." He further clarified, "Our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject." President Obama continued, "But I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be based on opposition to al Qaeda. Far from it. We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground." Each demonstration of American weakness and withdrawal emboldens the jihadists. Now with America subdued, the Antichrist may soon appear and declare himself to be god.

God's Hand ready to put those who hate Him into the Fire
There was also a unique sign in the heavens reported today. "In a new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, high-energy X-rays emanating from the nebula around PSR B1509-58 have been colored blue to reveal a structure resembling a hand reaching for some eternal red cosmic light." [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C512767%2C00.html]
"Your hand shall find out all your enemies: your right hand shall find out those that hate you. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shall you destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against you: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Therefore shall you make them turn their back, when you shall make ready your arrows on your strings against the face of them." (Psalms 21:8-12)
"Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me: you shall stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: your mercy, O LORD, endures for ever: forsake not the works of your own hands." (Psalms 138:7-8)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Great Tribulation Begins April 6, 2009

In your spirit you know something big is about to happen. The earth has begun its death spiral: more floods, more tornadoes, more hurricanes, more earthquakes, and more volcanic eruptions. Though there are still pockets of peace and sanity, most human institutions have disintegrated. You thought you'd be raptured before the Great Tribulation, but now you find yourself in the midst of it.
John, the apostle, taught believers in Jesus would go through the Great Tribulation and many would be martyred in Revelation. Jesus, Paul and Peter all taught believers would have to persevere through great trial and that the dead are resurrected prior to the living being raptured at Christ's one and only return to earth. They all warned us not to be deceived. Keep believing in Jesus even though you have to stop believing in a pre-trib rapture.

3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved to fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:3-7)

Principles of Geology was written by Charles Lyell in 1830 espousing the new idea that the great canyons around the world were not the after effects of a world-wide flood (cataclysmic), but the constant erosion over hundreds of thousands of years (uniformitarian; "all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation"). Until that time, the Bible's description of creation and the cataclysm of Noah's flood were accepted facts. Charles Darwin took a copy of the Lyell's book with him on the S.S. Beagle to the Galapagos Islands, leading to his harmful theories of evolution and the superiority of the white race. Uniformitarianism and evolution eroded people's faith in the historical truth of the Bible. This has led to much false teaching in the church (1 Timothy 6:20) including the pre-tribulation rapture theory, which has led to a lack of holiness, love and power in the church, and a resistance to the truth (2 Timothy 3:1-8).

Deriving the Day of the LORD and the Start of Great Tribulation
Astronomers from the east ascertained the correct year of Christ's first coming, and astronomers from the west (Mayans) have predicted the correct year of Christ's second coming. But the Mayans worshiped the heavens, and so decreed the world's end on the winter solstice of December 21, 2012. God has appointed seven feasts for His people. Jesus fulfilled Unleavened Bread (sinless life), Passover (Lamb that was slain for the sin of the world), First Fruits (He rose from the dead), and Pentecost (He sent His Holy Spirit) during His first coming. The Fall feasts are Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Booths which Jesus will fulfill during His second coming. September 16th, 2012 is the new moon of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, the Feast of Trumpets. Trumpets are prominent in the resurrection and rapture and return of Jesus Christ (Psalm 47:5-6; Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Joel 2:1-16; Revelation 11:15-19).
John describes the duration of the Great Tribulation as 42 months, 3 1/2 years, and 1,260 days. Counting backwards 1,260 days from September 16th, 2012 brings us to April 6, 2012. Hebrew days begin and end at sunset. Sunset in Jerusalem will be at 7:02 pm that day.

What Event Starts the 3 1/2 Year Clock?
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given to the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth.(Rev. 11:2-3)

Two groups who will be involved throughout the Great Tribulation. The Muslims ("Gentiles") continue to occupy the Temple Mount, so doing so for another 42 months will not seem unusual. The Two Witnesses (Jewish and Gentile believers) are already present and proclaiming the gospel, though not to the point of withholding rain or praying plagues upon our enemies to demonstrate God's power. Counting backwards 1,260 days from September 16, 2012, the Great Tribulation clock begins on April 6, 2009.
All Great Tribulation days and times are according to Hebrew days and Jerusalem time. Dusk in Jerusalem on April 6, 2009, the first day of the Great Tribulation, might not have anything occur physically at all, or it may be very apparent. The war between Israel and Iran might see a major attack. China could stop buying US bonds. Any number of global "natural" disasters could hit.
God starts the Great Tribulation clock. It may be when He tells Michael to release Satan, and Satan "knows that his time is short". Satan's possession of the Antichrist and his deity declaration ("abomination of desolation") may follow shortly thereafter. It may be when God tells the four angels to start sealing the 144,000 (which must occur prior to the first trumpet), or when he tells an angel to announce the everlasting gospel with a loud voice to the world (Rev. 14:6-7).
The more important question is whether your faith can endure until Christ's coming. Jesus has waited to get His Bride for two thousand years. King Jesus is worth waiting for.
For a booklet describing the timing of the events in the Great Tribulation, go to http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/seals-trumpets-and-vials/6668840.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Could Muslim Gold Dinar become International Currency?

In addition to its dedication to create nuclear bombs, Iran is cooperating with Malaysia to reestablish the gold dinar to replace paper currency; thus dropping an economic bomb on the world. From Islam's early beginnings, the gold dinar remained the official Islamic currency until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1924. After George Soros raided Asian currencies in 1997, Malaysia has sought a more stable unit. On Nov. 7, 2001 the Islamic Dinar was officially re-launched by the Islamic Mint in West Malaysia. (The US had not objected to the Malaysia-initiated use of the dinar for international trade.) The main pillar of Osama bin Laden's strategy to bring down the United States has been to ruin it economically, just as he did the former USSR; hence the destruction of the Trade Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, and the costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Most Middle Eastern gold is primarily held in London, in violation of the Koran. Thus the Muslims either need to make Britain a Muslim country or move their gold to a Muslim country. Iran might become the center of the Middle East's gold holding because it will be protected militarily by Putin's Russia. Iran could promote the gold dinar as a superior currency to the US dollar under nuclear threat.