There's a peace only to be found on the other side of war. If that war should come, I will fight it!” Those fabled words are attributed to the lore of King Arthur, a central figure in medieval British literature. The words are true, nonetheless. Rarely do we stop to realize that among the nations of the world, their rise and fall is most often based upon the prevailing ideology or worldview that perseveres to the end of such conflicts. At the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Lincoln implored Almighty God for a just and righteous conclusion to the Civil War, praying that the cost of war and its central purpose—that all men might live free—would prevail. As the war continues in the Middle East between Iran and the coalition of nations, both Western and Arab, seeking to end the brutality and tyranny of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its radical belief system, a light is beginning to shine. 

This past September, I was contacted by those close to the exiled Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, and asked if I would be willing to meet with him to discuss the possibility of religious freedom for what could be a new Iran after the war. I was honored by the request and was encouraged to invite other leaders across the United States who could add insight and support to the Crown Prince's vision of a rebirth of religious freedom for a post-war Iranian culture. 

After being privately introduced to the Crown Prince, I was greatly encouraged to meet a man who is upright and honorable. I was also deeply moved to meet someone who, decades after his family was displaced from their homeland, still harbors an enduring passion to restore the Persian culture of pre-1979. If I had one opportunity to publicly express what I privately experienced while with him, I would declare that we should all pray for and support the Persian people and their hopes to once again become a nation respected and appreciated as it once was. 

As a student of the Bible and history, I understand that Iran plays a powerful role in the end-times events of Scripture. But as a Christian minister of the gospel—and knowing that Iran is host to the fastest-growing underground church in the world—I am personally delighted to make myself available in whatever capacity possible to reach the people of Iran with the liberating truth of God’s Word. As the Scriptures declare, “Those who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” Let it be our hope and prayer that Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s passion to see his people blessed again becomes a reality. Please pray for the Iranian people, that they will soon experience true liberty and freedom no matter what faith they choose to practice.