Bahrain, a small 293-square-mile island nation, is situated in the Persian Gulf just off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Located between the Saudis and the Iranians, Bahrain is in the crossfire of the sectarian battle waged across the Middle East for control of the region.

Bahrain is home to the United States Navy’s 5th Fleet. It is also close to Saudi Arabia’s key oil fields. It is predominantly Shiite, but it is ruled by a Sunni minority. These factors give Iran both good reason and a good opportunity to target the nation.

Iran recognizes that control of Bahrain would put immense pressure on Saudi Arabia and the U.S., both of which are already trying to contain Iranian encroachment in Yemen.

Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Bahraini authorities have accused Iran of inciting violence and supporting rebels in the nation. Until recently, the U.S. has been somewhat dismissive of the accusations. After all, the Sunni rulers of Bahrain have their own questionable human rights record. Plus the Obama administration’s courtship with Iran meant turning a blind eye to many of Iran’s actions.

But the pile of evidence proving Iran’s meddling can no longer be dismissed.

The Washington Post recently reported:

Now, the West’s reluctance appears to be fading. Despite credibility problems raised by Bahrain’s human rights record, Western intelligence agencies are seeing a new boldness by Iran in supporting armed insurgents in the kingdom, according to multiple analysts from the United States and two Western European governments.

The Washington Post cited a report detailing a Bahraini police raid in September 2015. Investigators uncovered a secret bomb-making facility kitted with $20,000 hydraulic lathes for making armor-piercing projectiles, as well as C-4 explosives “in quantities that could sink a battleship.”

The uncovered weaponry would have been more than enough to defeat Bahrain’s lightly armed police forces. The weapons were probably intended to be used against harder targets in the Saudi military. In 2011, Riyadh supplied armored vehicles and personnel to the Bahraini government to help subdue the Arab Spring uprising. Iran no doubt wants its “activists” more prepared in the next round.

The report findings reveal that while there is friction and infrequent violence on a surface level, much of Iran’s work is being carried out behind the scenes.

This should be deeply troubling for Saudi Arabia. In 2016, Trumpet Jerusalem correspondent Brent Nagtegaal wrote:

The Saudis, however, cannot allow Bahrain to fall under Iranian influence. Should the Shiites gain power in Bahrain, it could stir up the Shiites only 16 miles away in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province. While Saudi Arabia has a large Sunni majority, 10 to 15 percent of its population is Shiite—and virtually all of them live on the coast next to Bahrain. These Shiite-populated areas live atop Saudi Arabia’s most important and lucrative oil fields. Revolution there could undermine Saudi Arabia’s revenue streams and security. Because of these factors, Saudi Arabia cannot allow a Iranian-aligned nation on the western side of the Persian Gulf.

Bahrain may not be a large country, but its geography is crucial. Capturing Bahrain would mark a major victory for Iran and would increase its regional power. This too is something the Trumpet has written about for decades, not just because of events we see around us but also because they confirm forecasts made thousands of years ago.

Nagtegaal wrote:

Bible prophecy for the end time indicates that Iran will once again move swiftly to control the waterways surrounding the Arabian Peninsula, including the Persian Gulf. Not only would control of Bahrain give Iran a platform to destabilize Saudi Arabia, but also it could severely impact the shipment of Saudi oil from the region.

Those prophecies are explained in Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s free booklet The King of the South.

It seems outlandish that an ancient Bible could possibly describe current and future world events. But compare what the Prophet Daniel and others recorded to the latest news of Bahrain or elsewhere in the Middle East, and you will see startling parallels. Look closely enough and you will see nothing less than 21st-century Iran’s strategy for dominating the Middle East. These ancient biblical prophecies reveal more about Iran’s future than even the discoveries of weapons caches and bomb-making facilities.

Keep watching Iran as the evidence revealing its intentions piles higher and higher. Bahrain is just one example. Iran is on the rise and is working feverishly behind the scenes to take control of the Middle East. Time and again, reports are going to come out showing Iran rising to power, a direct fulfillment of what is recorded in the book of Daniel.