Purim, Persia, and the Striking Hand of God

There are moments in history when the headlines seem to rise above politics and start sounding like something right out of Scripture. This is how this present moment feels to me. As I have watched what is unfolding with Iran, Israel, America’s war, and the shaking of the Islamic regime, my mind keeps going back to Purim and the timing of everything that is happening.

Purim is the story of an evil man who rose to power in Persia, hated the Jewish people, and plotted their destruction. It is the story of Haman, of a murderous decree, and of a sudden reversal that only God could bring about. What was meant for destruction became deliverance, and what was meant to crush the Jews was turned back on the head of the enemy himself. That story happened in Persia, which is why what we are seeing today should make every Bible reader stop and pay attention.

It is important to remember that Haman was not Persian. He was an Agagite, an Amalekite. In the same way, the hatred of the Jews in modern Iran is not Persian at its root. It is Islamic. It came with this regime and its ideology. For much of history, Persians and Jews were not enemies, but friends. The Jewish people found refuge and favor in the Persian world, and Scripture itself shows Persian kings being used by God in remarkable ways.

For the past 47 years, Iranians have lived under the oppression of an Islamic regime that has brutalized its own people, spread terror throughout the Middle East, and built its identity on hatred toward Israel and America. For 47 years, this regime has poisoned a great nation and hijacked an ancient people. Then there is also another detail that is hard to ignore: President 47 of America confronting 47 years of oppression, all during the Islamic year 1447.

I do not believe that every number carries prophetic weight, but there are times when a convergence is so striking that it gets your attention.

President 47 confronting 47 years of Islamic oppression would already be remarkable on its own. Yet seeing this happen during the year 1447 on the Islamic calendar—which began in mid-2025 and carries us through this pivotal season of 2026—adds a layer that many of us find difficult to brush aside. For believers who watch the times with discernment, the alignment is strong enough to make us stop and look again.

The Purim connection becomes even more sobering when we think about Haman himself. He was not simply an arrogant official drunk with power; he was driven by a deep, ideological, and demonic hatred for the Jewish people. In much the same way, the Islamic regime in Iran has for decades fed an obsessive hostility toward Israel that goes far beyond ordinary politics. Its leaders have spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, and their hatred of the Jews has been woven into their very identity. That is why I look at Khamenei as a modern Haman-like figure: proud, murderous, and convinced that his power will stand unchallenged.

Yet Purim reminds us that no matter how high evil rises, it cannot overrule God’s providence. Haman could scheme in the courts of men, but he could not take the final word from the hand of the Lord. God, at the appointed time, overturned what looked immovable. This is what makes this moment feel so significant. The original Purim account unfolded in my homeland. Now, in our own day, Persia is once again standing in the center of a drama involving Jewish survival, tyrannical hatred, and the possibility of divine reversal.

This writing must go beyond politics, because the deeper story is not only that a regime is being shaken, but that a people are awakening. For years now, millions of Iranians have been turning away from Islam. The regime tried to impose Islam by force, but in doing so, they actually exposed its evil nature. The very people it sought to control have become disillusioned not only with the government, but with the religion it represents. This helps explain why the Gospel has been finding such open hearts among Persians—why underground churches have multiplied, and why dreams and visions of Jesus have borne such extraordinary fruit. The regime meant to seal Iran shut, but God has been opening it from the inside.

So when I look at this hour, I do not merely see military headlines or political upheaval. I see a spiritual turning point. I see a nation that has been held hostage for 47 years, a people weary of tyranny, and ancient Persia returning to the friendship with the Jewish people that marked so much of its history. We can already see this clearly in diaspora demonstrations, where Iranians carry the flags of Israel and openly thank Israelis for helping to liberate them. Everything this regime has built has begun to turn back on itself.

The book of Esther never directly mentions the name of God, yet His hand is unmistakably present throughout the story.

He is there in the timing, in the reversals, in the sleepless night of a king, and in the downfall of the wicked. That is how providence works. It often moves behind the curtain until the moment comes when what was hidden becomes undeniable. Purim reminds us that evil men do not reign forever, that tyrants do not write the final chapter, and that Haman may have a plan, but he does not have the last word.

Please keep praying for Iran. Pray for the Persian people, for the underground church, and for the wicked Islamic regime to be uprooted and consigned to the ash heap of history. Pray that in the midst of this shaking, multitudes of Iranians would not only be liberated politically, but rescued spiritually by the Lord Jesus Christ. Millions of us Iranians are watching this moment with gratitude and hope. The stars have lined up, the moment is now, and freedom is at hand.

From Mourning to Dancing

How Iran Went from January’s Bloodshed to a New Hope of Liberation

January’s brutal mass killing, mass arrests, and violent crackdown threw the nation of Iran into shock, sorrow, and deep hopelessness. Once again, the Iranian people had risen in the streets, hoping to take back their nation from the evil regime that has held them hostage for the past 47 years. But, as every time before, the answer they received was not reform. It was bullets.

The killing was ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei, who, under the regime’s doctrine of velayat-e faqih, is treated as the divinely appointed ruler of the Islamic state. In this Islamic system, challenging the leader or resisting the government is framed as rebellion against Allah himself. Under his direct command, the regime turned its weapons on the people while reciting the Quran to justify the slaughter.

As families searched for their loved ones, state television presenters mocked the dead and ridiculed the grieving. At one point, they even joked about the shortage of coolers because so many bodies were piling up, asking whether the dead should be stored in a refrigerator, a morgue, or an ice cream freezer. That level of wickedness shocked the Iranian people to the core. Reports from the January crackdown also described nurses being detained and gang-raped by the IRGC for treating wounded protesters.

Many outside Iran still say it is the job of the Iranian people to take their country back on their own. But telling Iranians to rescue themselves is like telling a hostage who has been kidnapped, tied up, and thrown into a basement to somehow save himself. A hostage cannot rescue himself. He needs someone from the outside to break in, overpower the captor, and bring him out. That has been the story of the Iranian people, and that is why so many have pleaded with the free world, with America, and with Israel to step in and help rescue them.
The Islamic regime of Iran is not a normal government that can be persuaded into peace through diplomacy, because its identity is built on revolutionary Islam. It believes it is divinely appointed, openly seeks to export its revolution, treats compromise as weakness, and has answered 47 years of diplomacy with more terror, more proxies, more dead Americans, and more dead Iranians. A regime that massacres its own people, mocks grieving families, justifies murder with religion, and turns its hatred of Israel and America into doctrine is not looking for peaceful coexistence. It survives on conflict, which is why negotiations with it keep failing.
By January, the nation was wrapped in mourning.

Hope seemed crushed. Even when President Trump said help was on the way, many Iranians wondered when it would come and how. As the uprising was crushed, many felt abandoned and betrayed once again and feared they would simply be left to die under the same regime that had already buried so many of their loved ones.

Then came February 28.

The war began, and the first great news reaching the Iranian people was that the Supreme Leader of Iran had been killed. That news felt like justice. It felt like vengeance for innocent blood. It felt like the fall of the man who had ordered the killing of their fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, neighbors, and friends. The reaction was immediate. Inside Iran and throughout the diaspora, Iranians began dancing, celebrating, and rejoicing. The people who had been clothed in sorrow only weeks earlier were suddenly overtaken with joy.

That joy only makes sense when you understand what Khamenei represented. He was not merely a political leader. He was the symbol of repression, the face of tyranny, and the man who had signed off on the bloodshed of countless Iranians. His death was not seen by many as a tragedy. It was seen as the removal of a ravenous wolf.

This is why so many Iranians do not see this moment as a war WITH Iran, but as a war FOR Iran. They do not see it as an attack on their nation, but as a rescue mission for their nation. In the eyes of many Persians, President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu became the outside force that finally did what the hostages could never do for themselves. They became the rescuers who broke into the basement.

Today, many Iranians are filled with a hope they have not felt in decades. They are grateful to America. They are grateful to Israel. They believe this moment may finally bring down the regime that has crushed them for nearly half a century. What began in January with tears, mourning, and mass graves has now given way to dancing, singing, and the real possibility of liberation.

The story is not over yet. But for the first time in a long time, many Iranians believe the best may still be ahead.

If the War Continues: How We Will Respond to a Possible Iranian Refugee Crisis

If the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues, now entering its third week (at the writing of the newsletter), one of the most urgent humanitarian needs we may soon face is a large wave of Iranian refugees fleeing into neighboring countries. Ministries, churches, and aid groups in the region are watching this closely. As the fighting intensifies and internet restrictions keep Iranians cut off from the outside world and from one another, fear, confusion, and desperation are growing inside the country.

Since the war began on February 28, the regime has once again shown that it is at war with the Iranian people. For many Iranians, especially Christians, converts from Islam, dissidents, families tied to protests, and those already targeted by the regime, the danger reaches far beyond bombs and missiles. This war gives the Islamic Republic cover to intensify crackdowns, arrests, and persecution while the world’s attention remains fixed on the larger military conflict. State television has already broadcast chilling threats.

Presenter Reza Molaei declared, “When the dust of this unrest settles, we will grab every one of you by the collar. Confiscating your property is nothing; we will make your mothers mourn you.” Extending this threat whether someone is inside Iran or abroad. An IRGC commander also warned that anyone whose voice “aligns with the enemy” would be treated as standing with Tel Aviv and Netanyahu, and a “shoot-to-kill” order had been issued.

If larger numbers begin to flee, Armenia and Turkey will likely become some of the main places of refuge. With Iranian airspace closed to civilian travel, land routes become critical. The Armenian border at Agarak/Norduz remains open, and the main crossings into Turkey also remain open. So far, movement has stayed limited, but borders that seem stable today can change very quickly. A sudden influx would create major needs, including food, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, transportation, translators, prayer support, pastoral care, and trustworthy Christian workers ready to receive families with honor and the love of Christ.

As a ministry, ICI is on alert and positioned to respond. We already have teams in Armenia and Turkey, and for years we have ministered to Iranians in those neighboring countries through distribution of Bibles and discipling believers. Responding to crisis situations is not something new to us.

When Turkey was devastated by the 2023 earthquake, we were there within two days and remained for weeks doing relief work. If refugee flows increase, we will move toward that need with practical help and with the hope of the gospel.

We also know that one of the greatest needs in any refugee crisis is the ability to minister to people in their own language. Fear grows quickly when people cannot understand what is happening around them or do not know whom to trust. By God’s grace, our 45 years of ministry among Persian-speaking people place us in a unique position to help with translation, communication, encouragement, prayer, and gospel outreach in the midst of great distress.

At the same time, we must prepare for more than a refugee crisis alone. If the war drags on and grows worse, we will be ready to respond at the borders.

But if this war ends in regime change and freedom for Iran, then another kind of door could open before us, one we have prayed for and longed to see for years. A free and open Iran would be a massive harvest field. Millions who have been disillusioned with Islam are ready for truth. The underground church could come into the open, and the need for Bibles, Christian books, biblical teaching materials, and discipleship resources could be tremendous. We will need a million Bibles. This kind of moment cannot be met without prayer, preparation, people, funding, supplies, transportation, printed Scripture, and strong partnerships already in place.

Whether this next chapter brings refugees across the borders or an open door into a liberated Iran, our desire is the same: to be found faithful. We want to go where the need is greatest, whether that means serving at the borders, in churches, in shelters, or inside Iran itself as the Lord opens the way. We want to bring practical help, Bibles, prayer, and the love of Christ to people who may have lost almost everything and are now searching for hope. This is the kind of moment for which the Lord has prepared our ministry, and by His grace, we are ready.

THIS PERSIAN NEW YEAR, NOTHING IS THE SAME

Since 2018, ICI has gone out to the Middle East during the Persian New Year to place Bibles into waiting hands and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to Iranians searching for truth. Once again, we were preparing to go. But this year, everything has changed.

Because of the war, flights in and out of Iran have stopped, internet blackouts have cut people off from the outside world, and even land border conditions have become unstable. Turkish hotel reservations and travel have dropped by nearly 95 percent. For now, our Persian New Year mission trip is on standby. Yet the mission has not stopped.

Our team is ready and preparing for whatever door opens next. If the war continues, we may see Iranian refugees pouring into neighboring countries like Armenia and Turkey, where ICI already has teams on the ground. If that happens, we want to be ready with practical help, relief, Bibles, and the love of Christ.

But there is another massive possibility before us. By the grace of God, if this war ends in regime change and an open Iran, we may be standing at the edge of one of the greatest Gospel opportunities of our lifetime. A free Iran will need Bibles on a scale we have never seen before. We may need a million Bibles or more for people who have been disillusioned with Islam and are ready for change. ICI intends to be ready at the border, among the first teams on the ground.

On January 2, 2025, my spiritual father, Andrew Wommack, told me that the Lord had spoken to him through a dream on November 5, 2024, and said, “The regime of Iran will change soon.” We have held on to that prophecy, prayed over it, and believed God for it ever since. Then, on the very day the war began, February 28, and the Ayatollah was killed, I was at a conference at Charis Bible College. Andrew called me up to the stage, prayed for Iran, and received a significant offering for ICI toward the Bibles needed as this prophetic word begins to come to pass.

We believe we are living in a moment we have prayed for for many years.

Would you help us get ready? Your gift will help us prepare for both possibilities before us: serving refugees if they flee and moving quickly with Bibles and Gospel resources if the door into Iran opens. It will help us position teams, print and transport Scripture, and respond with faith and urgency in the moment God sets before us.

From our hearts, thank you for believing in this work.

With love,

Mohamad Amin & Susan Faridi