Iran's Ayatollah is Dead at Age 81?

 We have noticed that Iran is in the headlines a ton these days.  Bible readers recognize that Persia of the Bible is now called Iran.  

Today we read that the Religious Supreme Leader, who really calls all the shots. is dead. (unconfirmed)

Unconfirmed reports are coming out of Iran claiming that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 81 year old Islamic regime’s supreme leader, has died. An official announcement will be made only after the transfer of powers to his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, are complete.

Iranian journalist Momahad Ahwaze reported on Twitter on Saturday that people close to the Ayatollah were “very concerned” over his deteriorating condition. The concerns had led to the beginning of the process of transferring power to his 51-year-old son, Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, who currently oversees several important security and intelligence departments in the country. Ahwaze suggested the illness might be a second bout with prostate cancer.

Khamenei, born 19 April 1939, is the second leader of Iran since the Iranian Revolution in 1978, having taken office in June 1989. He was previously President of Iran from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei is the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East, as well as the second-longest serving Iranian leader of the last century, after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Khamenei is the most powerful political authority in the Islamic Republic and the commander-in-chief of its armed forces. 

J-Post reported that Article 111 of Iran’s constitutions states that “the supreme leader’s successor is to be chosen by the Assembly of Experts, which currently consists of 88 ayatollahs. In the interim, the country would be administered by a provisional leadership council, which would consist of Iran’s president, chief justice and a member of the guardian council.

In June 1981, Khameini barely survived an attempt top assissinate him with a bomb. He was ill in 2007, failing to appear at public religious events, and rumors of illness or death cropped up. Again, in September 2014, Khamenei underwent prostate surgery in what his doctors described in state news media as a “routine operation” while Western intelligence sources claimed he had prostate cancer. 

The United States and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relations since the Iran hostage crisis of 1980 when the US embassy was taken over and US diplomats were taken prisoner. Khameini was a vocal opponent of the US. He is also known for anti-Semitic rhetoric and for making threats against Israel.

Here;  https://www.israel365news.com/161693/report-iran-supreme-leader-ayatollah-khameini-dies-at-81/

Iran has to be close to a bursting point.  First we had America killing top general Solemani, then a few weeks ago their top nuke scientist was killed (by Israel?), and we already know their economy is in shambles and now Trump has ordered even more financial restrictions on them.

We also know they are a named player in Ezekiel 38 so how might this news push or pull them in the final days?

Ezekiel 38

5 Persia, Cush[c] and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, 6 also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.

7 “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8 After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9 You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

Update:  As of Tuesday, Iranian officials are saying the dude isn't dead.  So at this point YOU AND I can't know for sure whether he is dead or alive.

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive and well, an official said Monday morning, rejecting rumors that the country’s supreme leader had suffered a sudden deterioration in health, or even died.

“May it blind the enemies’ eyes that with the grace of God and the prayers of devotees, (Khamenei) is in good health and is carrying out his plans following the usual schedule,” Mehdi Fazaeli said on Twitter.

Here;  https://www.timesofisrael.com/reports-of-khameneis-death-greatly-exaggerated-iranian-official-says/