By Dr. Greg Cochran, ICC Fellow

The global spotlight shines brightly on the Strait of Hormuz as the world watches powerful actors vying for success, waiting to see how this scene plays out at the end of this violent drama. In the end, who finishes this performance by walking across the stage with the most power? Will the victors be Israel, Iran, the U.S., or someone else? Does anyone win?

The Strait of Hormuz has served as the stage for such theatrics many times before. Noted as a strategic waterway since at least the time of Alexander the Great — 2,300 years ago, this Strait draws attention from generation after generation of power brokers — each generation calculating with ambitious eyes and a hungry hope of establishing naval superiority and, with it, reaping an economic windfall.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese navy overpowered the locals and established a fort on the island of Hormuz, which they later defended against the Ottoman Empire. As oil had not yet been discovered, the Portuguese prospered in the Strait by controlling the trade in silk, spices, and Arabian horses. In the 17th century, the British-backed East India Company — in alliance with Abbas I of the Safavid Dynasty — expelled the Portuguese and established a new power in the region.

The power of the East India Company and the Safavid Dynasty gave way ultimately to new actors. Following the discovery of oil in 1908, the Strait became a lucrative lever for the nation of Iran. In the 1950’s, the U.S. eventually joined the British military to wrestle back control of the Strait to maintain the economic engine of Middle East exports — especially oil — throughout the 20th century. The most notable recent struggles for control occurred in the 1950s, the 1980s, and in 2012, when the U.S., France, and Great Britain sent warships through the Strait in defiance of Iran’s threat to close it off to western interests.

Like stage lights in a theater, these historical snippets highlight colorful moments in the centuries-old struggle to control the Strait of Hormuz. Control of the Strait means enjoying the rewards of Middle Eastern exports. Dynasties and democracies, like totalitarians and theocracies, fight for the privilege of controlling economic exports, especially oil.

In one sense, the current struggle to control the Strait of Hormuz plays out like yet another scene in a long military drama. This scene repeats generation after generation — nothing new. In another sense, however, this scene points beyond military power, allowing the discerning mind to discover a plot-twisting theme that demonstrates an unnoticed yet far superior power: the power of time. No one defeats time; time proves to be the only power that effortlessly outlasts dynasties and democracies.

The current play might, in fact, be the product of a more benevolent author, one whose story is written across all of history, not merely the history of the current ruler of the Strait. Could the theme of this story be that power is not what it seems? Perhaps military might and economic control fall short of playing the true lead roles of power players.

At first blush, these questions appear absurd, ludicrous. Of course, this drama in the Strait of Hormuz highlights current world powers: The primary power players — Iran, the U.S., and Israel. Other actors in the cast include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, China, Russia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. No power exceeds these players, right? Especially the U.S. military’s power.

In a most fantastic display, the U.S. deployed GBU 72 5,000-lb., bunker-busting missiles to secure control of the Strait. These weapons penetrate 150 feet or more underground. They can rip through 15 feet of reinforced concrete. They feature GPS-guided navigation for precision, enabling the deployment of multiple bunker-busters from the same entry point and deeper underground penetration. In other words, these bombs eliminate Iran’s power to hide, thus ceding power to the U.S.

Thus far, through bombs and blockades, the U.S. and Israel have demonstrated superior firepower, thus gaining economic power in the region. Military power, political power, economic power — these powers dominate. They dominate conversations. Yet if history is allowed to speak into the current Middle East crisis, the audience watching this grand military parade might see a different power on display.

Like opera glasses in a large concert hall, history provides the one who knows its power the opportunity to see the stage more clearly. Looking at Iran through the lens of history, one can see a power that has endured through a series of fantastic, explosive displays of military might.

Sure, Iran has battled fierce foes throughout history for control of the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran itself has endured 22 governments (dynasties) and more than 225 rulers. On average, dynasties endure for just under 150 years, while rulers reign for an average of nine years each.

Here is a snapshot of Iran’s history as outlined by the Oxford Handbook of Iranian History. Consider how this history sharpens the focus on the current conflict.

• Arsacids/Parthians (247 BCE–224 CE, through 19 CE rulers)
• Sasanians (224–651 CE, 32 rulers)
• Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE, 14 rulers)
• Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE, 37 rulers)
• Tahirids (821–873 CE, 5 rulers)
• Saffarids (867–1002 CE, 9 rulers)
• Ziyarids (928–1043 CE, 6 rulers)
• Buyids (934–989 CE, 10 rulers) [main branch only]
• Samanids (875–999 CE, 11 rulers)
• Ghaznavids (963–1050 CE, 9 rulers) [main branch only]
• Saljuqs (Great Saljuqs 1037–1157 CE, 8 rulers)
• Khwarazmshahid (Anushtiginid) (1097–1220 CE, 6 rulers)
• Mongols/Ilkhanids (1256–1336 CE, 10 rulers)
• Iran disunited (1336–)
• Timurids (1370–1506 CE, 8 rulers)
• Qara Qoyunlu (Black Sheep) (1380–1468 CE, 4 rulers)
• Aq Qoyunlu (White Sheep) (1378–1508 CE, 8 rulers, but multiple claimants and Civil War)
• Safavids (1501–1722 CE, 10 rulers)
• Afsharids (1736–1796 CE, 5 rulers)
• Zands (1750–1794 CE, 6 rulers)
• Modern Iran
• Qajars (1789–1925 CE, 7 rulers)
• Pahlavis (1925–1979 CE, 2 rulers)

1) Reza Shah (1926–1941 CE)

2) Mohammad Reza Shah (1941–1979 CE) [son]

• Islamic Republic of Iran (from 1979 CE, 2 rulers?)

1) Ayatollah Khomeini (1979–1989 CE)

2) Ayatollah Khamenei (1989–2026)

Considering this history, one cannot help but notice how it consistently changes, shifting from one power-ruler to the next. A dynasty rises, another falls — a ruler rules, but not for long. The most consistent pattern proves not to be the rule of political power, but the consistent loss of it. Turnover — one power replacing the other — turns out to be a noticeable norm. Of course, this turnover prevails because no power outlasts time, right?

Here is where onlookers misinterpret the scene. A power that outlasts time does exist. As the Scriptures note, Jesus claims all power over heaven and earth. And his kingdom is eternal. Jesus reveals this eternal life to his followers: “This is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17: 3, ESV).

Time, as complicated as the concept can be, proves powerless over the God who created its structure and purpose. God reveals to his followers the framework for reality beyond the time of this world, beyond death, and beyond the threat of military might. In biblical terms, Christ’s followers receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Here is how the writer of Hebrews states it:

This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken — that is, things that have been made — so that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:27-29, ESV).

How does this receiving an unshakeable kingdom affect the world practically today? For one thing, this unshakeable kingdom empowers faithful witness in the Middle East — even in Iran. Long before Islam found its way to Iran, before the Schism in 1054 divided Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy; before Constantine gained his power in Rome at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge; even before Nero burned Christians in his garden and perhaps burned Rome itself — before 95% of Iran’s rulers in the last 2,000 years ever rose to power — Christians were likely occupying the land of Iran.

From the Day of Pentecost, people from the land now called Iran heard the gospel according to Acts 2:

“Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians — we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:9-11, ESV).

These Parthians and Medes were inhabitants of Iran during the Parthian Empire (247 BCE–224 CE). As noted above, the Parthian Empire was displaced by the Sasanian Empire in 224. Since that takeover 2,000 years ago — as rulers came and went — Christians in Iran remained, abiding in their eternal king, Jesus Christ.

Through the opera glasses of history, this present conflict — displaying military, political, and economic power — portends demise for the Islamic Republic and the Ayatollahs. Their reign has likely reached its limits. But Christians, heavily persecuted by the Ayatollahs, will endure. They have the power to continue living in the land. Like the Strait of Hormuz, Christians in Iran have seen the violence before.

When the Sasanian Empire rose to power, Sasanian rulers increasingly viewed western powers with suspicion — especially so after Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. The Sasanian rulers persecuted Christians intensely during the rule of Shapur II (309-379) and Yazdegerd I (399-420). The Persians then, the Ayatollahs now — Christians have suffered persecution in Iran, and they have endured until now. As ICC has chronicled, Christians remain steadfast in the ancient Persian land through it all:

For the past 44 years, there has been wave after wave of persecution against Iranians who decide to become Christians. To own a Bible in the national language of Farsi is prohibited. Sharing the Christian faith with others is outlawed. Christian leaders have been arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned in the nation’s notorious Evin prison.

Iran’s regime has even sentenced some to death under charges of apostasy and as spies threatening its Islamic system. The Iranian government refuses to acknowledge Iranian converts to Christianity and denies them all religious freedom.

Given such an environment, it would be surprising to learn that, during the past decade, Iran has had one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. Some estimates point to a million or more Iranian converts to Christianity. Neighboring Afghanistan rivals Iran as the fastest-growing church, influenced by Iranian Christians whose similar language and cultural connections have built bridges for the spread of the gospel.

A powerful military will prevail in the Strait of Hormuz and march across the stage of history in a scene of victory, but the scene will end. The play will continue. Another power will rise seeking economic profit through military power. The Strait will eventually pass into the hands of new rulers. Christians may still be persecuted, but they will endure until their Lord the King returns.

For policymakers and curious onlookers, let history help you see power as it truly is. While military might produces fantastic displays of destruction, it has never defeated time. When policies are decided and protections secured for inhabitants of Persian lands, the power of endurance ought to be considered and even rewarded. While political powers flex for a moment, the meek, abiding Christians will eventually inherit the earth. Whatever weakness they display for a season, they are not without indefatigable power.

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