Iran (MNN) — Iran has its next president, but the Iranian people sent their government a very clear message by not turning out to vote.
Dr. Hormoz Shariat with Iran Alive Ministries says, “The government has been losing its influence among the people. And they’re very afraid. The minority, 10-15% are in power in Iran. They are afraid that they will lose everything. This was not an election. They chose a person: President Raisi. He is a butcher, called the Butcher of Tehran. He has killed so many people. In the 1980s, he killed tens of thousands of people.”
Dr. Shariat says the Supreme Leader picked such a violent president in order to keep the people in line through fear. “We are moving in the direction of the government of Iran becoming more and more like the North Korean government. It is very possible that this was the last election of this type.”
Iranian Christians
In this environment, Iranian Christians risk arrest and torture for even attending a church service. But they also have an incredible opportunity to show the love of Jesus to those around them. Dr. Shariat says, “I see so many stories of Christians in the hardships standing up for the Lord and shining. [They are] converting others, even converting those who are persecuting them.”
Ask God to give Iranian Christians courage in a fearful time for the country.
The header photo shows Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi in the 1980s. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
