Surely the Bible, being written by God with his omniscience has at least one good prophecy that lists a date, time and enough specificity that there’s no way it could end up being mere coincidence, yes?

Well, the OT messianic prophecies are very specific. No bones broken, born in Bethlehem, but also from Nazereth and Egypt, side pierced, etc, etc. There are plenty of sites that list how the OT prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Keep in mind that many are not fulfilled YET, because they pertain to Jesus reign during the post-tribulation millenium. That is why so many Jews discount Jesus as the messiah, because He did not fulfill every OT prophecy during the first coming.

  Not being a serious student of when the gospels were written, I’ve also avoided bringing those up in the expectation that you guys would just claim they were back-written after the fact. Even the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., as propheseyed by Jesus, is dependent on when one feels the gospels were written. Obviously, if they were written after AD 70, it’s no surprise.

  However, even if we can establish that the prophecies were written before fulfillment, the common argument here seems to be that they all came about through conscious acts to line up with the predictions. Personally, I find such a mass conspiracy/effort too difficult to pull off. It almost seems like it takes more faith to discard the prophecies as self-fulfilling, than to accept them at face value.

  However, the 7-year tribulation events ARE specific, time-stamped, and virtually impossible for man to pull off. It all starts with the 7-year covenant Israel signs with the charismatic leader (the antichrist). Once that hits, it will be exactly 3.5 years until that leader renegs on the agreement, and stands in the temple claiming to be god. Exactly 3.5 years after that (7 years from original covenant), Jesus returns (the second coming - not to be confused with the rapture).

  Along the way are numerous judgements, including water turning to blood, massive meteors hitting earth, etc. Like I said in an earlier post, y’all might just want to do a google search for “Sequence of Tribulation Events,“ print it out, and tuck it in a drawer under whatever flavor of “whacko Bible predictions” you want. What can it hurt to have such a guide lying around?

  Of course, this might only sway some IF the trib happens in your lifetime. Despite the “stage setting” things going on, the Bible itself says no man knows the day or hour these things will come.

  I would, therefore have only one good reason to want those days to come - to convince those that are doubting to see that the only possible explanation is a supernatural one, and come to know Jesus. Outside of that reason, no Christian should desire those days. I may look forward to Jesus reign, but hope He doesn’t get the ball rolling until as many as possible come to know Him.

  Many of you seem stunned by how looney Christian beliefs are. Personally, I get amazed at the Bible’s descriptions of how so many will still disregard the Bible during the tribulation. Will people blow off the rapture as a UFO abduction? I sometimes wonder: “God, what WILL it take to convince some people?“

  I won’t even get in to how the Bible describes how God keeps himself hidden from man’s mere intellectual pursuit of Him. Suffice to say, one won’t come to a saving knowledge of Christ through brain power.
  BTW LuckyJohn19, my testimony is available on my blog. Like you’ve probably heard numerous times, it didn’t come about after a diligent combing of scripture. I did look into Buddhism at one point in my life, had respect for humanism (was inspired not to fish for sport after reading Vonnegut), and held to the 12-steps of recovery as my religion before my conversion.
  I had all but dismissed Jesus as divine, but decided to check His story out for myself (as compared to the Catholic version I’d been brought up in). In a nutshell, I came to believe based on the love this Jesus demonstrated. What other religion describes a God that wants to know you so intimately, and went to extreme lengths to bring you to Him? To me, every other “religion” I explored seemed nothing more than an impersonal God that may or may not give a second thought to me.
  Once again, faith won’t come through getting every possible difficulty answered. I used to wonder about Jesus’ prayer in Luke 10:21-22

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

22"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.“

Why, I wondered, would Jesus be happy about anyone remaining blind to His truth? The best commentary I’ve read on this implies that, if it were a function of intellect that brought one to God, than intellect would be praised/worshipped instead of God, and people would boast that they were “smart enough” to understand God, and thus deserve heaven on their own merits. I’m not completely sure why God continues to befuddle those who seek an intellectual sign, but everyone I know who has come to faith has done it on Faith alone.

Off-topic: due to popular demand, Hippie Chick is back. Feast your eyes, everyone who missed her. 

L4T: Of course, this might only sway some IF the trib happens in your lifetime.

I can’t buy that it will, not only because I don’t believe in the Rapture or the Tribulation, but also because we’re living in the Age of Aquarius. You know, when peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars? At least I’d like to think.

Will people blow off the rapture as a UFO abduction?

Speaking for myself, I’ve often wondered if there might come some incredible conspiracy to stage the Rapture somehow. It would be the only rational explanation I’d accept, and I fear that it may not be too far-fetched of a possibility.

Outside of that reason, no Christian should desire those days.

I don’t know…it seems that a lot of Christians who have read the “Left Behind” series are quite rapturous (HAH!) about the books’ contents. I have known a few, anyway.

L4T: Obviously, if they were written after AD 70, it’s no surprise.

They were. That’s how they were able to fulfil all those ‘prophesies’.

It all starts with the 7-year covenant Israel signs with the charismatic leader

Would that charismatic leader be George double u Bush? He sounds like he believes he’s The ONE.

What can it hurt to have such a guide lying around?

Why should I waste the paper and the filing space?

Jesus returns

The asylums are full of people claiming to be JC. Which one are we to believe? Would you believe an ugly clean-shaven middle eastern man claiming to be JC?
Nor would I? But if he had a beard? Still ‘no’. Are you expecting Whitey in a suit?

the Bible itself says no man knows the day or hour these things will come.

Sounds very similar to Death in general, don’t you think?

until as many as possible come to know Him.

Instead of wasting time here you should be going into the Amazon, New Guinea Highlands, the African outback and especially all the Islamic countries - lighting the candle for all those heathens.

Many of you seem stunned by how looney Christian beliefs are.

I think most of us are used to y’all by now. It takes all types to make this world. I don’t mind sharing my air with you. I don’t even care if you believe in rocks so long as you don’t throw them at me.

To me, every other “religion�? I explored seemed nothing more than an impersonal God that may or may not give a second thought to me.

Ah. You want to be special … unique. You are ... just like the rest of us.

I’m not completely sure why God continues to befuddle those who seek an intellectual sign, but everyone I know who has come to faith has done it on Faith alone.

It’s that Leap of faith that I can’t quite grasp. Sure, if everything in my life was going wrong, I might look outside my self for something to blame or something to save me but ... what’s your god doing in the famine areas of Africa right now?
I’m sure those poor mothers are praying to any number of gods to save their children. I’m sure some are even praying to your invisible friend. But your god reckons there aren’t enough people in hell yet so he’s sending all the children he can to satisfy Satan’s lusty desires. Yeah. Right.
Is he still DEAF? When’s he gonna activate that fucking hearing aid?
Your loving god is still the same psychopathic arse’ole he’s always been.
I’m so pleased he doesn’t exist.
But, hey, whatever works for ya, mate.
I’m happy for you.

LuckyJohn: The asylums are full of people claiming to be JC. Which one are we to believe?

Two men say they’re Jesus, one of them must be wrong...

Dire Straits, 1982 (from the album Love Over Gold)

Well, the OT messianic prophecies are very specific. No bones broken, born in Bethlehem, but also from Nazereth and Egypt, side pierced, etc, etc. There are plenty of sites that list how the OT prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus.

L4t, you are making a big assumption (or should I say leap of faith?) here:  that the NT stories about Jesus describe what really happened, when there is no independent proof of that.  To me, it seems far more likely, as I said, that the NT was written to fit the OT.  No fulfillment of prophecy; simply a new installment in the series.

Obviously, if they were written after AD 70, it’s no surprise.

As you can perhaps imagine, the date the Gospels were written is hotly debated, with Christians (not surprisingly) claiming earlier dates than other scholars.  An overview can be found at Wikipedia.  The earliest dates that even Christians claim are around 70 AD.  Not likely to be proven conclusively one way or another, given the paucity of evidence.

Personally, I find such a mass conspiracy/effort too difficult to pull off. It almost seems like it takes more faith to discard the prophecies as self-fulfilling, than to accept them at face value.

What “mass conspiracy”?  Just the few people who wrote the texts, tailoring them to what had already been written, and to history.  And while it may be simpler to just say “Godidit” to Bible prophecies, and evolution, and the problems we humans have living in peace with each other and the world, that doesn’t make it true.  Life is complicated- tough oats.

Will people blow off the rapture as a UFO abduction?

I can promise you, that if I see a bunch of Christians wafted skyward à la Jack Chick, I will not trade a Skydaddy for a Planet X Daddy.  But I’m not holding my breath on it happening any time soon.

I won’t even get in to how the Bible describes how God keeps himself hidden from man’s mere intellectual pursuit of Him. Suffice to say, one won’t come to a saving knowledge of Christ through brain power.[...]I’m not completely sure why God continues to befuddle those who seek an intellectual sign, but everyone I know who has come to faith has done it on Faith alone.

There’s a good reason for this.

L4T writes…

Not being a serious student of when the gospels were written, I’ve also avoided bringing those up in the expectation that you guys would just claim they were back-written after the fact. Even the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., as propheseyed by Jesus, is dependent on when one feels the gospels were written. Obviously, if they were written after AD 70, it’s no surprise.

See? You have predictive powers as well.

The biggest problem with the Bible as a whole is that none of it is written by first-hand witnesses. The vast majority of it was written well after the events it describes take place by people who received the knowledge through “revelations from God.“

Even if it were written by first-hand witnesses there’d still be plenty of reason to doubt the events described. Witnesses are notoriously bad sources of evidence because the brain can be so easily fooled especially during emotionally intense events. Witnesses are a foundation on which to start a proper investigation and from there you collect additional evidence that may either confirm or deny the witness’s testimony. Still, it’s better to have first-hand accounts than accounts written by people decades after the events through visions from God.

However, the 7-year tribulation events ARE specific, time-stamped, and virtually impossible for man to pull off. ... Of course, this might only sway some IF the trib happens in your lifetime. Despite the “stage setting�? things going on, the Bible itself says no man knows the day or hour these things will come.

This is a new definition of the word “time-stamped” that I’m not familiar with. To me if it’s time-stamped then man would know the day and hour these things will come.

Which brings up another question: Why the ambiguity? Why didn’t God just say: You have until June 5th, 2020 to figure out who’s side you’re on or you’re in big trouble.

What can it hurt to have such a guide lying around?

Nothing, but in my case I don’t need it. I’m pretty familiar with the events of tribulations to not need a guide.

Many of you seem stunned by how looney Christian beliefs are.

I’m not stunned with how loony the beliefs are, but how many people swallow them wholesale without any critical thought on the issue at all. Then again, I’m stunned by how many more people will vote for the next American Idol as opposed to the next President.

I won’t even get in to how the Bible describes how God keeps himself hidden from man’s mere intellectual pursuit of Him. Suffice to say, one won’t come to a saving knowledge of Christ through brain power.

So, in other words, you have to be an idiot to find Christ? Not very appealing. Why give us a brain at all if he doesn’t want us to use it?

I’m sorry, but my intellect is not something I can just “switch off” and ignore. Some people have that ability to just gloss over the rough spots, but I can’t do that. Not that intellect alone is a deciding factor in my lack of belief. The simple fact that there has been not one thing in my life that I can honestly attribute to the influence of a supernatural being of any kind plays into it. The closest I’ve ever come to having a “religious experience” is the feeling I get when I walk into my local Best Buy and somehow I just don’t think that’s what the True Believers are talking about.

I’m not completely sure why God continues to befuddle those who seek an intellectual sign, but everyone I know who has come to faith has done it on Faith alone.

When you have no valid basis for your beliefs then faith is the only thing that you can have. As Mark Twain once wrote: “There are those who scoff at the school boy, calling him frivolous and shallow. Yet it was the school boy who said, Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.“

I’m sure some are even praying to your invisible friend. But your god reckons there aren’t enough people in hell yet so he’s sending all the children he can to satisfy Satan’s lusty desires.

Ah, but you are not taking into account the age of accountability factor. This site explains it, and also gets into the “what about those who have never heard the gospel” issue.

The asylums are full of people claiming to be JC. Which one are we to believe? Would you believe an ugly clean-shaven middle eastern man claiming to be JC?

Once again, the Bible itself gives clear guidelines on how to tell the original Jesus from His many cheap copycats. When the real Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation period (not the rapture - He won’t be seen at that time except by the believers, who are meeting Him in the air), there will be NO DOUBT who He is. Unfortunately, any who have not come to Him by that time (His second coming - not the rapture)...well, I shudder to think….

Instead of wasting time here you should be going into the Amazon, New Guinea Highlands, the African outback and especially all the Islamic countries - lighting the candle for all those heathens.

Who says the mission field doesn’t include cyber-space?

Les said:
This is a new definition of the word “time-stamped�? that I’m not familiar with. To me if it’s time-stamped then man would know the day and hour these things will come.
No man knowing the hour refers to when the trib starts. Once it does start (the signing of the covenant), then the mid-point events (reneging on covenant, AC standing in the temple and claiming to be god) are the time-stamped events I was referring to. Sorry for my lack of clarity.

Which brings up another question: Why the ambiguity? Why didn’t God just say: You have until June 5th, 2020 to figure out who’s side you’re on or you’re in big trouble.

Good question. I’ve heard many explain that if we had a definate date, many would just revel in sin until shortly before the deadline. The Bible says to always be ready.

Then again, I’m stunned by how many more people will vote for the next American Idol as opposed to the next President.

you and me both…

Ah, but you are not taking into account the age of accountability factor. This site explains it, and also gets into the “what about those who have never heard the gospel�? issue.

The Bible tells us that even if an infant or child has not committed personal sin, all people including infants and children are guilty before God because of inherited and imputed sin. Inherited sin is that which is passed on from our parents. In Psalm 51:5, David wrote, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.“ David recognized that even at conception, he was a sinner. The very sad fact that infants sometimes die demonstrates that even infants are impacted by Adam’s sin, since physical and spiritual death were the results of Adam’s original sin.

And common sense tells us not to believe everything we read.  The whole concept of original sin is one of the beliefs of Xians that come under the heading of “batshit crazy” in my book.  It was one of the first tenets I rejected in grade school (and got in trouble for arguing with a nun about, along with questioning the validity of the story of Cain & Abel).  Are people actually so blind as to not see how “original sin” has been used as a tool to control people (and take their money) from cradle to grave and generation to generation? What a racket!

I wish I was as amoral as most people characterize atheists to be… I can think of innumerable ways to cash in on people of faith.

L4T writes…

Ah, but you are not taking into account the age of accountability factor. This site explains it, and also gets into the “what about those who have never heard the gospel�? issue.

There’s some very big problems with the “age of accountability” explanation given by the link you provided. Problems I’m surprised you haven’t considered or addressed:

1. It justifies infanticide. If Hell is as horrible a place as described by the Bible and there’s no way to earn your way out once you’re there then why would any parent who truly loves their child allow them to risk the possibility of ending up in Hell when they can kill the child before the age of accountability and insure their kid ends up in Heaven?For that matter wouldn’t it be immoral not to kill your kid if you were sure it would guarantee them a spot in Heaven? Sure, killing your kids is a sin, but the only unpardonable sin is not believing in God so that’s really not an issue for a true believer.
2. You condemn many people to Hell by teaching them about Christ. By the same token if people in a far off land who never have an opportunity to hear the word of God and thus are incapable of believing and thusly allowed entry to Heaven as a result then isn’t it immoral for Christians to engage in Missionaries and telling others about Jesus? You’re putting every person you talk to about your beliefs at risk of an eternity of torment. Until you came along and started flapping your yap those people would’ve had a free pass. How can you justify preaching at all when you know it’s likely to end up causing some people to end up in Hell who would’ve gotten into Heaven otherwise?
3. It makes God into a hypocrite. If we’re all tainted by sin from the moment of conception and there’s only one acceptable way of mitigating the consequences of that sin (accepting Christ as your savior) then making exceptions to the rule is inherently unfair. Furthermore, by setting up the rules in this fashion and then telling his followers to spread the word about him he’s intentionally putting people at risk of Hell simply because he thinks it glorifies him in some fashion. In a lot of countries on Earth anyone who puts another person at risk for their own glorification or profit is charged with a crime. It ends up being another example of how God’s creation has a higher sense of morals than God does.

How do you reconcile these obvious problems?

Good question. I’ve heard many explain that if we had a definate date, many would just revel in sin until shortly before the deadline. The Bible says to always be ready.

But that doesn’t make any sense at all. First off plenty of people will die well before the End Date arrives so they’ll be judged regardless of when tribulations start. They still have to make up their minds within their lifetime and they still don’t know how long that life may be. Knowing the End Date doesn’t really factor into it. Secondly, I’m sure you’d agree that being saved doesn’t stop people from sinning or from reveling in it from time to time. Again, knowing the End Date or not doesn’t factor into people’s behavior.

For that matter wouldn’t it be immoral not to kill your kid if you were sure it would guarantee them a spot in Heaven?

Sure, killing your kids is a sin, but the only unpardonable sin is not believing in God so that’s really not an issue for a true believer.

I’m sure it’s been done, but such an act, even if the killer and victim would both end up in heaven, leaves no room for God to use that child in this life . The killer’s punishment might not be damnation, but, at the Bema seat of judgement (for believers), having to see how that sinful murder short-circuited the better plans God had. Say the kid would have turned out to be a Billy Graham, leading thousands to Christ. Now the killer has saved one child,, but thwarted the potential salvation of 1000’s. If one assumes God has granted his creation at least partial free-will (which I do), and will not intervene, the infanticide scenario says more about the killing parent than about God.

How can you justify preaching at all when you know it’s likely to end up causing some people to end up in Hell who would’ve gotten into Heaven otherwise?

How do you know preaching is not God’s way of extending the heavenly invitation? We’re back to wondering if God judges unfairly. Once again, I believe God will base salvation on each person’s individual response to the level of divine revelation they’ve been given. My preaching might make the choice clearer, but it does not create the choice itself.
Personally, I believe the heavenly video tape review of each person’s life during judgement will reveal the uncountable ways God tried to reach each person, without making that revelation so obvious that there was no room for faith.

Furthermore, by setting up the rules in this fashion and then telling his followers to spread the word about him he’s intentionally putting people at risk of Hell simply because he thinks it glorifies him in some fashion.

You’re right - He will be getting the glory either way. Glorified for being the redeeming savior, or the righteous judge. Could He have demonstrated these aspects of His character (loving beyond what’s deserved, and showing the pinnacle of Holiness through righteous judgement) without setting up the rules like this?

In a lot of countries on Earth anyone who puts another person at risk for their own glorification or profit is charged with a crime.

Yes, because they are not God. Even Jesus suffered under such a law, precisely because His claim to be God was not believed.

another example of how God’s creation has a higher sense of morals than God does.

But do we? Do we know the end from the beginning? Do we know the ultimate repercussions of any given act? Is our human sense of morality/ethics short-sighted? I’m not using the “God can do whatever He wants because He is God” argument here (even though the pot can’t tell the potter how He should act), but instead considering that we can’t judge His acts as moral or not unless we see how it all turns out. God may allow (vs. cause) temporary evil, knowing it will ultimately bring greater good than if that evil had never been allowed. Jesus death seemed like an evil victory to Satan, but God turns that evil into the greatest show of love ever. Time and again, God doesn’t just defeat evil, but embarrases the evil doer by showing how He turned that evil act into a greater show of His kindness.

Knowing the End Date doesn’t really factor into it.

I repectfully disagree. You are correct that even saved people sin, but they repent, and are thus cleansed continually. Recall Jesus washing the disciples feet. They were already “positionally” made clean, but the days dirt (sin) was wiped away through their faith (letting Him cleanse the days’ sins).
  Now contrast the unbeliever. They sin a bit, and next thing you know, that sin seems less repugnant. Time goes on, and they find themselves reclassifying all sorts of sins as “ mere guidelines,“ and eventually, not really wrong at all. Jesus says “today is the day of your salvation,“ because He knows the more someone puts Him off, the more they will lock in to sin. The further one goes down the road of disbelief, the less likely it is that that person will ever re-evaluate.
Examples:
- As a substance abuse counselor, I see how many must escalate their level of indulgence, often to the point of devestation and/or death.
- The more extra-marital affairs a person engages in, the less attractive a lifelong commitment to one person seems. Similarly, the more porn a person views (of incredibly attractive fantasy partners), the less content they’re going to be with their “average”, I’m too-tired to have sex tonight partner.
- The more lies you tell, the more lies you must tell to cover your original fabrication - sometimes to the point of even believing your original lie
- The more you steal, the closer you get to the philosophy of “it’s getting caught that is the only real problem here.“
  I know some of these are over-generalizations, and not all of us are tempted by the same flavor of sin, but is not the underlying principle valid?
  Jesus is not out to ruin our fun, but to prevent us from becoming captive to things that don’t ultimately fulfill. He alone can provide fulfillment.
  So, back to the original point. Perhaps the end-time ambiguity is His plea for us to always be ready for Him, and not get imprisoned by the slippery slope of sin.

It is important (and some argue: absolutely necessary) to place Ahmadinejad into the wider history of Iran’s Revolutionary era:

[1] Ahmadinejad belongs to a faction within Iran that even Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the Iranian Islamic Fundamentalist Revolution, considerd way *too radical*
[2] The primary mentor of Ahmadinejad (Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi) was actually banned from politics by the late Ayatollah Khomeini.  Why?  His spiritual exgesis of the Koran were too radical, even for the likes of ultra_fundamentlist Khomeini.
[3] This radical faction is called “Hojjatieh.“  They believe that the Mahdi, an Islami Messiah, will soon arrive, and that his revelation (as the Mahdi is now amongst us) can be accelerated by the actions of men or states.

You can learn more about this radical faction, Hojjatieh, and its central figures here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojjatieh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Taghi_Mesbah_Yazdi
http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2004&m=09&d=17&a=3

Some mentioned that this and other stories (e.g., Jew/Christian/Hindi registration measures or Ahmadinejad’s role in the US Embassy invasion) might be disinformation.  Once you learn more about Hojjatieh, these allegations will take on a decidely harsher light.  Sure, disinformation campaigns are truly underway.

But, know the difference between history and propaganda:
Read more about Ahmadinejad, and you’ll fear a lot more than you might ever imagine possible.

One question I have pondered since 9/11 is if and when suicide bombers are followed by suicide nations - assuming there isn’t a historical precedent already.

...if and when suicide bombers are followed by suicide nations…

A huge majority of Iranians think Hojjatieh and Ahmadinejad’s mahdi-obsessed views are way out-there.  They don’t support such philosophies, much like most Christian American’s don’t support Mormon Ploygamists or the PatRobertson ilks. But, they do support Iran’s right to develop nuclear technology as an energy supply, and the majority have no problem with certified inspections of such efforts.

—

Iran is currently surrounded by the US.  With troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and liberally deployed throughout the Gulf, never mind a nuclear power in Pakistan and India, most Iranians feel they are currently at strategic cross-roads.  Any plans for a regional Islami-fundamentalist hegemony are totally at risk, and Iran’s leadership intimately understands this.  Thus, enter the likes of Ahmadinejad.

On top of this understanding of strategic “closure” for Iran, their military now knows Israel has return-flight-capable fighters (F16i Sufas), and reports of supa-dupa darpa bunker bombs being fitted to these planes makes Iran’s military even more under the gun to produce.

Some might believe these pressures would likely turn a nation pathologically paranoid from the outside.  Yet, Iran truly needs the outside world. (!) Iran *must* import about 20-30million liters of gasoline *per day* just to keep their economy moving.  This need is widely understood on Iran’s streets.

In time Iran will bend and allow full, unfettered inspections of its nuclear facilities, both public and secret (presently being mapped by humans casually travelling/day-tripping/holiday-making the streets and country side of Iran with subtle Geiger Counters in tow in car boots, luggage, and fannypacks).

Iran’s current rhetoric is all about brinkmanship trying to stave off their fated fall from power.  And cutting off Iran’s gasoline might just be what it takes to trigger just such a fall, sans a pair of Israeli Sufa over Natanz.

Rob, I don’t follow the news, am ignorant about Iranian internal affairs, and have no clue about what powers the Iranian president actually holds.

In short, I’m talking out of my ass.

However, if Iran is cornered like this, there is a risk that their leadership decides to have the country go down on their own terms and inflict as much damage along the way. Time will tell.