One of the news sites I watch is the Iranian state-run news site Tasnim. Much of what they report is done for propaganda purposes and so much must be taken with a grain of salt, but they also report matter-of-fact news.

One such recent story is a meeting between Iranian and Turkish officials in Ankara, for purposes of better defense and trade ties. It happened last week. The photo accompanying the story (and shown below) is rather interesting. Iranian Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Major General (MG) Mohammad Bagheri (or Baqeri) meets with none other than Turkish president Recep Tayyib Erdoğan.

Once in a while in the news a photo comes along showing something much more significant to those who know the Signposts, than to those who do not.

Iranian MG Bagheri (l) meets with Turkish president Erdoğan (r).

MG Bagheri reports to the Supreme Leader himself and so, besides being the top military officer in all of Iran heading both the IRGC (Pasdaran) and the regular forces (Artesh), can be seen as the second most powerful man in Iran in the government and perhaps the most powerful person in Iran as far as having the IRGC at his calling.

Turkish president Erdoğan is of course my leading candidate for the near-future prominent first horn of the goat, the king of Yavan. He is, bit by bit, accruing absolute power in Turkey, just as a king would.

If one didn’t know the Signpost message he or she would likely see two top officials of their respective countries trying to get along.

The Signposts tell us something else.

MG Bagheri would be the top official of the second horn of the ram, the one that grew up longer and later, representing the power of the IRGC and the Basij, and of all the kings wearing their ram’s “horn and king insignia” he is the top man. In other words, if there was only one man to represent the second horn as its only king (if that is the meaning of Dan. 8:3, 20), it would likely be MG Bagheri.

There are a few ways to think of the kings of Media and Persia. Is it two or many? The photo itself might be inferring that MG Bagheri is on equal par with Erdoğan, i.e. one man, one king, one horn.

Standing to Bagheri’s left is Erdoğan, the likely candidate to be the prominent horn of the goat.

Daniel 8 tells us the goat will trample the ram and break the ram’s horns. So assuming the signpost interpretation is correct, after the IRGC has completed its invasion and occupation of the Middle East, the man on the right will lead a military operation to conquer Iran and remove from power the man on the left and all his cohorts.

They don’t look happy together. They look like they are just there to take the picture. Even photos of US presidents meeting Soviet premiers displayed better smiles. These two men likely barely stand one another since the man on the right is a fundamental Sunni Islamist and the man on the left is a rabid Twelver Shia. Their religion says they are sworn enemies at a personal level.

If these men are to be among the main players in the next two Signposts, the man on the left will be responsible for outrageous things in the Middle East including chaos and economic ruin and slaughtering of many people. The man on the right will respond by becoming very, very angry and will be responsible for taking the other man out, and his government, and armed forces, by any means.

Categories: In The News, Signpost #2: Iran, Signpost #3: Four Nations

Tags: Erdogan, MG Bagheri