This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program originally aired on June 8, 2021. To listen to the program, please click HERE.

Keith Wiebe:                     Well, our theme today on Stand in the Gap Today centers around Iran. I have called our theme, Iran: Enemy or Mission Field. Now Iran is in the news a great deal today in our country, mostly in a negative way. As believers, looking at events from a biblical worldview, we must keep in mind that Iran represents some 80-million-plus souls who will spend eternity someplace. While we have obvious concerns about how the government of Iran is operating and what the response of our government should be to them, coming from a biblical worldview, we also have a responsibility to the people of Iran, people who, like ourselves, are made in the image of God. We’re actually going to note in our program today some scripture passages that deal both with the people of the country and also with the government of the country.

                                             I’m Keith Wiebe, your host for today’s broadcast. I’m joined by my friend and colleague, Dr. Gary Dull, who will share these privileges with me. It’s our privilege to welcome as our special guest today, Pastor Hormoz Shariat of the Iran Alive Ministries. Now I’m going to take the time to give you a little lengthier bio than I might otherwise do.

                                             This is the first time that we’ve had the privilege of having Dr. Shariat on Stand in the Gap Today. I think when we’re finished, you’re going to hope that it surely is not the last time. He firmly believes that Iran will be the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ. He sees it as ready for a major transformation, spiritually, socially, financially, and politically, and that it will soon be a Christian nation as prophesied in Jeremiah 49:38. He’ll actually take us to that passage of scripture later in the broadcast.

                                             He’s the author of the book, Iran’s Great Awakening. We’ll also give you opportunity to know how you can get a copy of that before we’re finished. It is the number-one source of information about what’s happening in Iran today and how Bible prophecies align with current events. Through satellite, he has been broadcasting the gospel into Iran in the Middle East since 2001. He has seen tens of thousands of Iranian Muslims come to Christ. His channel is the most watched Christian channel in Iran with over 6 million daily viewers. That is 7.7% of their population and over 20 million who watch it weekly. Using media, he has developed a large underground church network in Iran as well.

                                             Joel Rosenberg, well-known author, has called Dr. Shariat the most influential Iranian American. His ministry has been featured in Christianity Today, Charisma, a world magazine, and other publications. He’s been a guest on various radio and TV stations: CBN, 700 Club, Daystar, TBN. He’s a frequent speaker on the Voice of the Martyrs conference.

                                             Dr. Shariat himself is from a Muslim background, became a follower of Jesus in 1980 after a comparative study of the Bible and the Quran. He has a PhD in artificial intelligence, that’s interesting, from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and theology from Jessup University. Pastor Hormoz, thank you so much for joining us today for this Stand in the Gap broadcast.

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, thank you so much, Keith, for inviting me, allowing me to share what God is doing.

Keith Wiebe:                     Well, I’m excited for our listeners to hear. You folks are going to love this. I’d like to begin by having you tell us a little bit about yourself. As I recall, there was a time when you were part of a demonstration in Iran that was shouting, “Death to America,” but along the way, you have come to faith in Christ, and indeed, to a wonderful ministry of taking the gospel to the people of Iran. Would you give us just a thumbnail sketch of your spiritual journey of coming to Christ and of your ministry?

Hormoz Shariat:               Of course, yes. I was born in Iran. I was a Muslim. I was pretty devout in my early years, but when I got into my teenage years, I said, “Oh, memorizing these prayers and repeating them five times a day, that’s nonsense. That doesn’t add anything to my life,” so I focused on science and study. My dream was come to United States, get a PhD, and become a research scientist. I work hard towards that goal.

                                             At the time of revolution, I was a student in ’79. I was on the streets of Tehran, shouting, “Death to America,” and wanted a revolution, supported revolution. By the way, I’ve changed my mind about America since then. I’ve repented. I think, God bless America today, and I mean that. Don’t hold that against me. Anyway, I come. I keep saying, “Death to America,” but in my heart, I was saying, “Please, not yet. I want to go there and get my PhD.”

                                             I came to Southern California, University of Southern California. At that time, I said, “Maybe I’ve ignored Islam. Islam is taking over the world. It has defeated superpower USA. Maybe I should dedicate my life back then. Maybe I was too young.” I said… I met a researcher. I want to know more about Islam before I dedicate my life to it. I got a Quran, read it carefully one more time. I realized it didn’t add much to my life.

                                             Where is God? How does he relate to my daily life? I didn’t find that in Quran. Being a researcher, I said, “Okay. I will love come to a conclusion just reading one book. I’m going to read the Bible if they say God has written that and then make my decision.”

                                             I got a Bible. I did not expect to find anything new because they told us that Islam is the last religion. Quran is the most complete book. I got a Bible. I read Genesis, jumped to Matthew, and things started happening. I was thinking, “Oh, I know all these things.” I can read the whole Bible in three days because I was putting 12 to 16 hours a day searching for God.

                                             I jumped to Matthew, and I realized, “Oh my gosh. This Jesus is not what Islam is teaching. It’s so different.” I was struggling with every verse in Matthew. I wanted to read the whole thing in three days. Three months later, I was in Matthew 5:6 with the Sermon on the Mount and struggling with every verse. The more I studied, the more questions I had.

                                             I went to a church in downtown Los Angeles. That’s where I heard the simple message of the gospel, that God loves you. You cannot reach Him because you are sinful. Because He loves you, He reached out to you. I mean, that’s such a simple message that even a child can understand. I prayed.

Keith Wiebe:                     That’s great. God, I love this.

Hormoz Shariat:               My life was transformed by that simple message. I got so excited, Keith. I said, “Wow, you don’t have to have a PhD to get saved. This is simple. A child can understand.” It’s so powerful. It changes lives.

Keith Wiebe:                     That’s-

Hormoz Shariat:               It heals marriages. It can change nations.

Keith Wiebe:                     That’s tremendous. That’s tremendous, Dr. Hormoz. Thank you. What a great, great testimony. We’re going to step aside and take a break. When we come back, we’re going to talk about the gospel and the country of Iran. You’re going to love what you are about to hear.

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Keith Wiebe:                     Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome back to Stand in the Gap Today. I’m Keith Wiebe. My guest today is Pastor Hormoz Shariat. Pastor Hormoz is an Iranian pastor with an absolutely fantastic ministry in the country, into actually, the country of Iran.

                                             Pastor Hormoz, when we think of taking the gospel to a people group, we understand that we need to understand the culture in which the people are living, the political culture, the religious culture, as well as their spiritual condition. I want to ask you to describe for us what the political climate is like in Iran among its citizens. How loyal are they as a whole to the Islamic religion?

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, you have to understand Iran is an Islamic government. For the last 40-some years, it has implemented Islam. There is a Supreme Leader. He is the deputy of God. Anything you do against him, speak against him, you’re speaking against God. You’re resisting. You resist God. That’s why it is punishable by death.

                                             It’s a dictatorship by the Supreme Leader. Now, when we get to the people of Iran, after 40-some years of experiencing Islam, they have come to conclusion that Islam is not our answer. Islam is our problem, and we need to get rid of it. Majority of people of Iran have rejected Islam. That has not been an overnight, emotional decision. It has taken them over 40 years to come to conclusion that Islam is not the true way.

                                             Actually, many of these Muslims by name, of course, they say Islam is from Satan. I never say that. I don’t attack Islam. This is what’s emerging in Iran. Islam is experiencing its greatest defeat in its history, in Iran today. There was a recent survey. I’ve been saying this statement the last few years, that Iran is not an Islamic nation. Whenever I said that, people say, “What are you talking about?” Just Google it. 98% Muslims in Iran.

                                             Just recently, an independent survey done by two university professors, non-Christians, that came out… They asked 50,000 Iranians, “What do you believe?” Are you ready to be shocked? The survey shows that less than one-third of the people of Iran say they believe in Islam. Another one-third, they say, “There is no God, or God has no relevancy to my life. It’s not important in my life.” A third one-third, they’re all over the place. They’re looking at Eastern religions. They’re looking at Christianity, at everything but Islam.

                                             This is the climate in Iran. The government is Islamic, but the people are not. Islam has been rejected by millions of Iranians, and they are looking. Whoever gets to them first, they get their heart. That’s why it’s so important we share the gospel with them because they’re so open. They’re so hungry.

                                             That’s why we get such a great result. So many Iranians are coming to Christ easily. Keith, bringing Iranians to Christ is easy. The simplest message of the gospel, they respond to it. This is the time for the gospel to go to Iran. Once Iran is saved, it’s going to impact the whole Middle East and even the world.

Gary Dull:                           Dr. Shariat, again, this is Gary. We are delighted to have you with us today. I’m thankful that you have come to Jesus Christ as Savior and that who love America. That’s a good thing. We love you too. Consistently, we hear that Muslims are coming to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it appears as though God is at work in Iran today. Iran is politically, religiously a Muslim country as such and is formerly closed to the open ministry of the gospel. I mean, I understand that you cannot go and plant a church there in Iran or even engage in house churches there. What is God doing in Iran, spiritually and politically, these days?

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, spiritually, there is a revival in Iran. That’s why I wrote a book called Iran’s Great Awakening. I encourage you to read that to know what is happening now and what will happen in the future. Of course, the Bible tells us what will happen in the future.

                                             There is a dictatorship in Iran, but the people of Iran want freedom. Spiritually, they want freedom. They want to know it through God. Politically, they want freedom. By the way, they’re looking to America. The Iranians love Americans, and they wanted democracy, American style. That’s what they want in Iran.

                                             Christianity is growing fast, and the government of Iran knows that and is trying to contain it. First, they tried to destroy it. They couldn’t. This is 10, 15 years ago. They realized these things, they cannot stop. Right now, they have closed all the building churches. They have made it illegal to gather even in your home. Then they arrest people who have just gathered with other Christians in their home. They get 5 to 10 years in prison.

                                             The people are open. The church is growing. Now how do we get there? There’s no church there. That’s where the media comes in. That’s where our ministry comes in. We use satellite television. We go over the heads of the Mullahs into people’s homes. The signal is coming from the sky. The government cannot stop it.

                                             We go to their living rooms. We tell them about the love of God, and they’re very responsive. The church is growing fast underground in Iran, but mainly through media. You cannot gather. You cannot send missionaries. That’s why media, especially satellite television, is so important. I want you to pray that this media will be used by God to establish His church strong in Iran, not just conversions but disciples.

Keith Wiebe:                     That is a tremendous testimony, Pastor Hormoz, that you can actually kind of go over the heads of all of the Iranian authorities and everything that’s going on to get the gospel to these people. How do you know when someone has come to Christ through your ministry in Iran? Gary made note of this a few minutes ago, and you reiterated it just a little bit ago. It sounds like it’s a precarious, dangerous thing, potentially, to profess Christ. You can’t go to Iran and plant churches. Can’t really, hardly engage in house churches there. How do you know when somebody has come to Christ through your ministry there?

Hormoz Shariat:               A good question. Our websites are blocked. It’s dangerous to call us. It’s hard to contact us, but some people do. They use secure social media apps to tell us, or they use VPNs to bypass the internet blockage to contact us. Even then, even though we notice the small percentage of people are able to contact us and either pray with us to receive Christ or tell us they just received Christ… Even that number is amazingly high. Since last year, the number of salvation, the rate of salvation just jumped 10 to 20 times higher.

                                             We have been on the air for 20 years. This is our 20th year. Did you know 29% of all salvations came just last year? It’s an amazing open heaven in Iran. By the way, this year, the rate of salvation is even double. We are not even halfway through the year, and we have reached the numbers of last year. We are over 15,000 registered salvation.

                                             Now to answer your question, we don’t know. We don’t know how many come to Christ because many of them do not contact us. You look at Jesus. He healed 10 lepers. Only one came back and connected with him. Maybe the rates, the statistics, are 10 times what we know, but only God knows how many Christians are in Iran.

Keith Wiebe:                     Just to reiterate a little bit, Pastor Hormoz, and kind of underscore this, I would want our radio audience to kind of get a clear picture that it is risky, humanly speaking, to profess Christ in Iran. There, it would seem to me that the level of danger that is there would suggest that when they actually contact you and tell you that they’ve made that decision, that to me would tend to mean that’s a pretty authentic decision and that, very likely, those actually being saved are probably greater than what you’re hearing. Would that be a correct assumption on my part?

Hormoz Shariat:               That’s true. Why would somebody put their lives in danger just to call and proclaim that they are Christian? It’s a move of God. I see a special grace on the believers in Iran. They are not afraid. They’re telling other people about Christ.

                                             Let me share this with you. The grace of God is not just salvation. Those who come to Christ in Iran, their lives are transformed in such a dramatic way that their friends and family members see that, and they become a Christian. This is what’s different between Iran and other Arab nations. Of course, Iran is not an Arab nation but other Islamic nations.

                                             In other Islamic nations, when a Muslim comes to Christ, it’s usually friends, and family members, and neighbors who persecute them and sometimes even kill them, the honor killing. Not in Iran. In Iran, the norm is this. When somebody comes to Christ, usually, friends and family members come to Christ also. The persecution is by the government, and the motivation is political. The government is afraid to lose power over people.

                                             When somebody becomes Christian, of course, they are not Islamic. The government has no power over their spirit. That’s why the government of Iran is alarmed. The persecution of the Christians by the government of Iran is based on fear. They’re afraid of us. They’re afraid of Christianity.

Keith Wiebe:                     Unbelievable. That is indeed remarkable. We are talking with Pastor Hormoz, an Iranian pastor. We’re going to take a break and come back and talk more with him about what happens in Iran when people come to Christ. You don’t want to miss this. If anything, it has to really intensify our prayer life.

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                                             Stand in the Gap Today is a multifaceted ministry. I’m going to ask our executive producer, Tim Schneider. He’s the one that makes sure you can hear everything well every day. I want him just to take a brief minute, and talk to you, and tell you what all is available to you through the ministry of Stand in the Gap Today.

Tim Schneider:                  Hey. Thanks, Keith. Good afternoon, everybody. We are not only a multi-optional ministry. We also have a lot of multi-engaging stuff for you to hear also. I want to let you know about a couple of those things. We have a thing that is called Podcast Q & As. You may find yourself too busy to listen to a full program. We’re usually only on for about an hour, but I understand an hour is valuable time for a lot of people. You may not always have the opportunity to listen to a full Stand in the Gap Today show, but we also have shorter segments, little audio clips of about 2 to 11 minutes that usually cover various topics on our programs. These are called Podcast Q & As. These are good for listeners who desire to hear a shorter segment on a certain topic.

                                             We have topics such as what we’re talking about today: Islam, finances, current events, cultural issues, biblical worldview, the Constitution, et cetera. Then if you really like what you hear, you can go into our archives if you desire and pull up the entire program. Today’s program, I’m sure you’ll want to go back, and listen to this again, and share it with your friends and your family. Check out our Podcast Q & As on our app and at our website, standinthegapmedia.org.

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                                             That’s all I’ve got from here. Keith, I’m going to go ahead and give it back to you for this fascinating talk about Iran. Can’t wait to hear what else you guys have to say.

Keith Wiebe:                     Hey, thanks, Tim. I appreciate that so much. Our guest today is Dr. Hormoz Shariat. He has been sharing with us third ministry of taking the gospel into the country of Iran by means of satellite. Can’t plant a church there. Really can’t even encourage house churches. Folks are in great danger, but people are coming to Christ in huge numbers. Pastor Hormoz, would you comment for us on just how receptive Iran is to the gospel? Not only Iran, what do you notice about the growth of evangelical Christianity in other Muslim countries?

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, first, you have to realize God loves the world, which includes the Muslims. We need to align our hearts with God. We must love Muslims. We know that He wants to save them, so we need to partner with God to save Muslims. His spirit is moving. God has a plan to reach out to Muslims. If you ask God, “What’s your plan?” no. Nobody has an answer what to do with Muslims around the world, but God does.

                                             If you ask God, “Do you have a plan for Muslims to be saved?” I don’t think He will say, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.” He is doing it. There are pockets of Muslims in every nation, Islamic nation, that are open to the gospel. When you get to Iran, it’s not just the pockets of Muslims that are open. Their whole nation is open to the gospel.

                                             It’s a supernatural move of God in Iran. Among Muslims, God is revealing Himself to them. It’s well known that Muslims see visions and dreams, that Jesus appears to them. Visions, and dreams, and miracles are happening all the time among Muslims. That’s one way God is telling us, “Hey, folks. See, I love them. I’m making a personal appearance to them. I’ve done my part. I’ve opened their hearts. I died for them on the cross. I even do a personal visit with them, which you do your part of just sharing the gospel. Then I can save them. I can transform them.”

                                             This is what’s happening in Islamic nations. There are people open to the gospel. There are Muslims who are seeing visions and dreams of Jesus and experiencing miracles, but they need to hear the gospel. Now in Iran, it’s a major rejection of Islam. Islam has been discredited. Now let me share this with you. I talked to Muslims, of course, but that’s what my ministry is. I asked Muslims. These are Muslims, of course, by name. What do you think about Islam? Most often I hear this, “Oh, I don’t think it’s from God.”

                                             I mean, they’re Muslim by name. “Oh, I don’t believe. Mohammad was like a pedophile.” Of course, I never say that. It’s them saying things that. Some of them are saying, “No, Islam is from Satan. It is not from God.” I asked the same Muslim, “What do you think about Christ and Christianity?” Most often, I hear very positive, “Oh, Jesus is a prophet of love. The God he presents, He loves us and asks us to love one another. He forgives us, and He asks us to forgive one another.”

                                             It’s a very positive view of Christianity. That’s why evangelism is so easy today. Joel Rosenberg calls me Billy Graham of Iran. Of course, I do not call myself that. My response to that is people of Iran are so open. You just share the gospel. You can become a Billy Graham of Iran. Just share the gospel. The Lord is saving these Muslims.

Keith Wiebe:                     Pastor Hormoz, just to follow up on that just a little bit, if we took, say, the top 10 nations and their receptiveness to the gospel, to evangelical Christianity, how would Muslim nations rate among those top ten?

Hormoz Shariat:               3 of the top 10 are Farsi-speaking nations. These are parts of the old Persia mentioned in the Bible. That’s Iran, number one, with 19.6% of growth per year of Christianity. Then it’s Afghanistan. Number 10 is Tajikistan. These are all Farsi speakers.

                                             By the way, I believe this is God’s fulfillment of His promise. You read in the Bible. In Genesis 12, God says to Abraham, “Those who bless you, I will bless them. Those who curse your children, I will curse them.” The only nation qualifies for the promise that, “I will bless those who bless your children to Abraham… ” The only nation that qualifies in the Bible is Persia. It’s Cyrus who not only sets the captives free. He gives him money to go build the temple.

                                             I believe there is a special grace right now released among Persians, which is they are scattered among several nations right now: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. I think God is fulfilling that promise, “I will bless you because you blessed my nation, Israel.”

                                             By the way, that’s another reason. It’s in Acts, chapter 2. When the apostles are on streets sharing the gospel, did you know the first three people group are Persians? It calls Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. These are all people groups inside Iran. There’s a special grace because of Iran, and Persia has blessed Israel. I feel at these end times, God is starting with Iran. I don’t say Iran is the end of things. I believe Iran is the start of things.

Gary Dull:                           Let me just come in here for a moment if you don’t mind, pastor. You talk about people coming to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ there in Iran. If people are to grow spiritually, then they must be taught and trained. My question to you is, how do you train spiritual leaders in Iran? How do you disciple believers after they come to Christ?

Hormoz Shariat:               Very good question. We follow Jesus model. Jesus did that, three levels. He did it, 5,000. He preached. Whoever was ready to receive that, and their lives are transformed. Those who were not ready to receive it, they mocked him. They found falsehood with him. For us, that 1 to 5,000 is our satellite television, our mass media. Then he had disciples of 70, 120. That’s our small groups. He trained and discipled them. For us, that’s an online. We have secure online classes and meetings where people come in, take classes, and disciple them.

                                             Then he had the 12 that he focused on. For us, those are regional conferences. We have conferences in the third countries. Of course, I cannot go to Iran. I bring them out and spend intensive time, one week, sometimes two weeks, of training intensive with those believers. As you know, God did not ask us to convert. He said, “Go make disciples.” That’s a part of our ministry.

Keith Wiebe:                     That is a tremendous ministry. I know that you’re listening to this, and you are thrilled with what we are hearing God is doing in Iran. People are being saved. I just find the fact that out of the top 10 countries where Christianity is getting a hearing, 3 out of the top 10 are Farsi-speaking nations. They are Muslim, that kind of nations.

                                             When we come back, I’m going to give Pastor Hormoz an opportunity to tell us how we can get more information about his ministry, how you can get a copy of the book that he has written, and how you can even contact what he is doing for additional information. You’re listening to Stand in the Gap Today. We are talking to a man who is standing in the gap for tens of thousands of people in Iran.

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Keith Wiebe:                     We have been having a fascinating conversation today on our broadcast with Pastor Hormoz Shariat, an Iranian pastor, who shared with us how via satellite, they are able to beam the message of the gospel into Iran and literally see tens of thousands of people who let them know that they have professed Christ as Savior. Pastor Hormoz, I would like you to take just a brief moment. Tell our audience how they can gain more information about your ministry. Also, tell them where they can go to get a copy of the book that you have written that we’ve referred to a couple of times in this broadcast.

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, thank you. The easiest way is just to text word to a number. When you want to talk to somebody, you put a phone number. Instead of that phone number, put this number: 5-0-7-0-0, 5-0-7-0-0. The message you text, it’s just one word: Iran. I-R-A-N.

                                             You text Iran to 5-0-7-0-0. Then what you get is a set of links. You can go from there according to your interest. There is a link to some great video testimony, a link to our website, a link to where you can get the book, a link to where you can sign up for our newsletter. If the Lord leads you, a link to a donation page. Go from there. Just text Iran, I-R-A-N, to 5-0-7-0-0. You get the links and proceed as you please.

Keith Wiebe:                     Thank you very much. I hope our folks will take advantage of that. I will tell you how much we appreciate the ministry that God has given you. One of the things that is significant in this whole Middle East discussion is, of course, the attitude of the nation of Iran toward Israel. The nation of Israel is politically at odds, it seems, with virtually every Arab country in that part of the world. Israel really asks for nothing more than that it be recognized as a sovereign state. What I’d like to ask you, Pastor Hormoz, what are you seeing from Iran about the attitude of the Iranian people toward Israel?

Hormoz Shariat:               Well, we have to remember that the past of Iran and Israel are tied together, as I shared, with Cyrus. You read in the Bible, Persia and Israel are always friends in the Bible. Then you come to the future. You see that the Bible says He will set His throne in Jerusalem. He says, “I will set my throne there.”

                                             Right now, the government of Iran is an enemy of Israel, wants Israel off the map. They’re developing nuclear bombs. The clergy are not shy about it. They say, “When we have the nuclear bomb, we should attack Israel.” Of course, the government’s official position is not that, but the clergy are talking. They say they should attack Israel. This is the government. When you get to the people of Iran, more and more of Iranians are saying, “Why should we hate Israel? What have they done to us?”

                                             They have demonstrations on streets. One slogan there, they use. Let me share that with you. It kind of rhymes in Farsi. Doesn’t rhyme in English. On the streets, they’re saying this, “They are not our enemies,” which means Israel. “Israel is not our enemy. You are,” which is government of Iran. What they are saying is, “Why should we hate the Jews? They have done nothing to harm us, but you, the Islamic government… You have ruined our lives. You have ruined our nation. You are the true enemy. Don’t tell us they are our enemies. You are.”

                                             The hearts of Iranians are turning towards Israel. I’m talking about Muslims. Of course, those who come to Christ, they start reading their Bibles. They know they have to pray for Israel. They have to love all nations including Israel. Did you know there is a group of Iranians, some of them I’m pastoring… They go to Israel every other year just to prayer walk and share the gospel with the Jews?

                                             I was asking one of them, “Where do you go there? What are you going? How are you going to share the gospel with them?” He says, “That’s simple. I just tell him, ‘Hey, you do not need your weapons to protect you. You need Jesus to protect you. Look at me. I was an enemy of Israel.'” One of the person who was saying, he had signed up for an army unit whose job was to kill, assassinate the Jews.

                                             He says, “Look at me. I was your enemy, and Jesus changed me to become your friend. Depend on Jesus. Jesus can turn your enemies into your friends.” To answer your question, the hearts of Iranians are changing rapidly. I’m talking the Iranian people, not the government. They are turning towards Israel. That’s why-

Gary Dull:                           That’s a great thing to know. Of course, you’re telling us things today, pastor, that many of our people have not heard before. It’s good to hear what you have to say. How can God’s people all across the nation… We are being heard in every state of the union today. How can people all across America and around the world pray for you, and your ministry as well as for the people of Iran, and the believers who are there?

Hormoz Shariat:               I’m glad you mentioned that. There is a dark spirit over Iran mentioned in Daniel 10 called prince of Persia. When you confront that high-ranking demon, there is a spiritual warfare. How you win a spiritual warfare, number one, is prayer, of course. I want to ask people to pray specifically against the prince of Persia and the spirit of Islam. Spirit of Islam is fear, and hatred, and violence.

                                             We have the authority to pray against them and bind them. To have victory, visible victory on Earth, we have to have a victory in heaven. That’s importance of prayer. Pray for us. Pray for Iran. Bind those dark spirits and release the power of the Holy Spirit in Iran. Pray for the persecuted. Not only for protection, pray for their courage.

                                             They want courage, and they are courageous. They are not afraid of the government of Iran. The people of Iran… There are Christians in Iran. I can share you story after story of how God is using the persecuted Christians in Iran in a brave way, in a courageous way, to take the gospel to even to prisons.

                                             Let’s pray that Iran will be the first Islamic nation that turns to Christ, and it will be a sending nation, that the church in Iran will grow strong despite that there is no building church in Iran. Having a house church is illegal in Iran. Let’s pray for their courage and spiritual growth.

Keith Wiebe:                     Pastor Hormoz, you have given us a tremendous picture of what God is doing in Iran. You have certainly challenged our hearts to prayer. What we’ve heard today is certainly very different than what we see and hear in the daily news about Iran. Gary, I’m going to ask you as we conclude this broadcast to lead us in prayer on behalf of the people in Iran and on behalf, please, of Pastor Hormoz and his ministry.

Gary Dull:                           All right. Keith, I’ll be happy to do that. Father, as we come to you today, we thank you for Pastor Hormoz and his ministry, and the way that he has come to Christ, and the way that you are using him and in reaching out to others in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I just pray that you will use him in a great way. May we see more and more people from Iran coming to the saving knowledge of Christ. Then Lord, as they do, give them protection. Give them provision.

                                             We certainly know that, yes, indeed, the prince of Persia is out there to do everything that he can destroy people, and to keep people from coming to Christ, and to hinder those who do know Christ as Savior. I pray for those who come to Christ, that they’ll be able to grow in the Lord, that they’ll become strong in the faith, and that out of Iran will come a beacon of light whose name is Jesus Christ to the world around. For it’s in Jesus name I pray, amen. Keith Wiebe:      Thank you, Gary. Thank you so much for listening today. Thank you, Pastor Hormoz, for joining us. It has been a most enlightening time. It’s been a challenging time for us. I encourage you to pray for the persecuted church, for