[Today’s Prayer] Iran's next leader dies... Internal chaos is likely to increase due to the power vacuum.

The sudden death of Iran's second-in-command, Ebrahim Raisi, has brought the entire Middle East into shock.

Even the 'succession scenario' that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had planned with his aides during his 36 years in power has become inevitable to revise.

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The British daily Guardian reported on the 20th (local time), “With the death of President Raisi, the possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Ayatollah Khamenei, will succeed to the position of supreme leader has increased.” He then said, “A difficult road has opened up for him.”

Although it may seem contradictory, it must be taken into account that Iran is the ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’, which was established after overthrowing the Pahlavi dynasty through the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

In the republic where the dynasty was overthrown, Khamenei is virtually dictatorial, but if he goes as far as 'hereditary succession', he may face huge backlash.

In particular, it is highly likely that clerics who revere the spirit of the Islamic revolution will protest. Because the supreme leader is a religious leader, clerics are Khamenei's support base.

Experts analyzed that the succession structure envisioned by Khamenei and his ruling faction was in crisis.

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In Iran, the selection of the Supreme Leader is handled by an ‘Expert Council’ composed of 88 people. Many of the committee members are clergy in their 80s or 90s.

The current situation in which there is no one to put forward as supreme leader is Khamenei's self-sabotage. Khamenei politically eliminated those who threatened to maintain his regime and pushed only his confidant, President Raisi.

Iran's Constitutional Defense Committee, which reviews the qualifications of candidates running in all elections, disqualified hundreds of prospective candidates in the 2021 presidential election and conducted the election with a candidate structure that made then-candidate Raisi likely to win.

There is also a possibility that Khamenei will raise Vice President Mohammad Mohbert, who will serve as acting president. According to Reuters, Iran's constitution stipulates that in the event of the death of the president, the presidency should be succeeded to the vice president and an election should be held to elect a new president within 50 days. Mohver is the most senior of Iran's 12 vice presidents.

Mohver serves as the head of Setad, Khamenei's power base and secret corporate organization, and is nicknamed 'Khamenei's financer.' Setad is known as a mega-corporation worth over 100 trillion korean won. This means that he is suitable as a puppet from Khamenei’s perspective.

Some predict a ‘power struggle phase’ that goes beyond ‘internal chaos’. The British weekly Economist predicted, “The chaos following President Raisi’s death is likely to trigger a major power struggle.”

In particular, there is a possibility that military power will rise. If uncertainty within the nation and abroad expands, Khamenei is likely to strengthen the role of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Unlike the regular army, the Revolutionary Guard is an organization under the direct command of Khamenei. It plays a role not only in security, but also in political stability, regime maintenance, and social control. Khamenei has placed great emphasis on control and predictability.

There is the possibility that moderate and reformist politicians may emerge, but the possibility seems slim. This is because there are no moderate or reform politicians left.

After Iran's general elections last March, moderates and reformists were effectively excluded from parliament. This is because the Constitutional Defense Committee is blocking their candidacy.

Moderate and reformist figures such as former President Mohammad Khatami and former President Hassan Rouhani are under political surveillance. Voter turnout shows the voices of frustrated and angry citizens.

According to the Guardian, the national voter turnout in this Iranian general election was recorded at 41%, the lowest ever.

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Source: Maeil Business Newspaper

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

We hear that the sudden death of Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's second-in-command and president, has made it inevitable to revise the succession scenario for Iran's supreme leader.

As Iran, which has promoted the spirit of Islamic revolution, is expected to face backlash if it moves beyond dictatorship to hereditary succession, it is expected that the voices of citizens that have been suppressed so far will grow along with the power struggle.

Lord who loves Iran, in times like these, please help the Iranian Church, the body of Christ, remember Your promises and work with more diligence to spread the Gospel.

Now that the person in power in Iran who was thought to be eternal has passed away in an instant and the once concrete power is shaking, let the power of God the Father, who is the ruler of time and the true owner of Iran, be testified throughout Iran through the gospel of the cross.

We believe that through the suffering of the cross that Jesus bore with the Iranian church, Iran bore fruit and experienced revival in order for none to perish and for all to repent.

May they become a suzerain nation of the Kingdom of God, obtained through the blood of Jesus Christ, rather than an Islamic suzerainty that was tied to the earth that the body treads on and eventually degenerated into dictatorship and hereditary succession.

Therefore, may the Iranian people become a missionary suzerain that will quickly turn the Persian Empire and other nations to the Lord through the power of the gospel!