The Rise of the Ayatollahs: How Iran Became an Islamic Republic (1979-Today)

1979 was the year everything changed for Iran.

The Shah fled. The Ayatollah returned. Secular monarchy became Islamic theocracy. Western influence gave way to "Death to America" chants. Women's rights regressed by decades overnight.

The Islamic Revolution they called it.

But revolutions never deliver what they promise.

The ayatollahs promised justice. They delivered tyranny.
They promised Islamic virtue. They delivered corruption.
They promised freedom from oppression. They delivered brutal religious police.

For 47 years, Iran has lived under clerical rule. Millions have fled. Hundreds of thousands have been executed. Women have been beaten. Protesters have been shot. Dissenters have been tortured.

And now, in January 2026, the regime that revolution built is teetering.

If you want to understand why Iranians are rising up today, you must understand how the ayatollahs rose to power in 1979. You must understand what they promised and what they delivered.

And if you're a Christian, you must understand what Scripture teaches about God's sovereignty over the rise and fall of regimes—even demonic ones like Iran's Islamic Republic.

Because God was sovereign in 1979. And He is sovereign now.

To understand the revolution, you must understand what Iranians were revolting against.

From 1941 to 1979, Iran was ruled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He was:

Under the Shah, Iran's economy grew. Infrastructure developed. Western culture influenced major cities. Women wore miniskirts in Tehran. Nightclubs operated. Alcohol was legal.

But there was a dark side.

The Shah was also:

By the late 1970s, Iranians were fed up:

All these groups united against the Shah.

January 1978: Demonstrations against the Shah begin in Qom (Iran's religious center).

Throughout the year, protests spread:

The Shah's response: brutal crackdown. SAVAK arrests thousands. Protesters are shot. But this only inflames the movement.

The anti-Shah movement was a strange coalition:

They had nothing in common except hatred of the Shah.

Khomeini, speaking from exile in Paris, promised:

They were lies. But millions believed them.

January 16, 1979: Facing massive protests, the Shah fled Iran. He never returned.

Streets exploded in celebration. Statues of the Shah toppled. His regime collapsed.

February 1, 1979: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from 15 years of exile.

Millions greeted him. He was seen as the liberator, the savior, the man who would bring justice.

He seized power immediately. By April 1979, Iran was declared an Islamic Republic.

The revolution was complete.

Ruhollah Khomeini (1902-1989) was:

Khomeini developed a radical political theology called velayat-e faqih ("guardianship of the jurist").

Traditional Shia Islam teaches that Islamic government must wait for the return of the Hidden Imam (the Mahdi). Until then, clerics should focus on religious matters, not politics.

Khomeini rejected this.

He argued that senior clerics should rule directly, governing society according to Sharia law until the Mahdi returns.

This was revolutionary within Shia Islam. It justified clerical dictatorship.

Khomeini's vision for Iran:

He got exactly what he wanted.

The Islamic Revolution promised:

Instead, Iranians got:

Mass Executions: Immediately after taking power, the regime executed:

Thousands executed in the first year alone.

Brutal Theocracy: The promised "freedom" became:

Oppression of Women: Women who helped overthrow the Shah saw their rights stripped:

Revolutionary Guards: The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) became a parallel military force:

Economic Collapse: Despite vast oil wealth:

War: 1980-1988: Iran-Iraq War killed over 1 million Iranians. Khomeini sent waves of young boys to die clearing minefields.

Revolutions devour their children. The Islamic Revolution followed this pattern perfectly:

It's happened throughout history. It happened in Iran.

Here's how Iran's government actually works (and why it's not a real democracy):

Position: Highest authority in Iran
Powers:

Holders:

Reality: He's a dictator with religious justification.

Composition: 12 members (6 clerics appointed by Supreme Leader, 6 jurists approved by Supreme Leader)

Power: Veto any law passed by parliament if they deem it "un-Islamic"

Reality: Elections are meaningless when unelected clerics can veto everything.

Election: Elected by popular vote
Power: Very limited - subordinate to Supreme Leader

Reality: Democracy theater. Any candidate must be approved by Guardian Council. Real power lies with Supreme Leader.

Function: Parallel military force
Loyalty: To the revolution and Supreme Leader (not Iran)
Control: Vast economic empire, militia forces, nuclear program

Reality: The regime's enforcers.

Summary: Iran is a theocratic dictatorship masquerading as a republic.

For 47 years, the pattern has been the same: Iranians demand freedom. Regime responds with violence. World watches briefly, then looks away.

But now the regime is weaker than ever.

This is where we need theological clarity.

Was God sovereign when the ayatollahs took power?

Yes.

Does God's sovereignty mean He approved of what they did?

No.

How do we reconcile these truths?

Scripture is clear:

God is absolutely sovereign over who rules nations. The ayatollahs didn't take power outside His decree.

But—and this is crucial—God's sovereignty doesn't mean God approves.

God raised up Pharaoh to harden his heart and demonstrate His power (Romans 9:17). God raised up Nebuchadnezzar to judge Israel, then judged Nebuchadnezzar for his pride (Daniel 4). God raised up Assyria as His instrument, then destroyed Assyria for their cruelty (Isaiah 10:5-19).

God uses evil regimes for His purposes, then judges them for their evil.

We can identify at least four purposes:

Before 1979, Iran was rapidly secularizing. Islamic faith was declining. Western immorality was spreading. Iranians were rejecting their Creator.

When nations reject God, He sometimes gives them over to their desires (Romans 1:24-28).

Iran wanted to be free from the Shah. God gave them the ayatollahs.

Be careful what you ask for.

For 47 years, the world has watched what happens when Islam gets total power:

God is using the Islamic Republic to demonstrate what Islam truly produces.

Jeremiah 49 prophesies judgment on Elam (southwestern Iran). Ezekiel 38 prophesies Persia will attack Israel.

The current regime's hostility to Israel positions Iran exactly where prophecy said it would be.

God is moving pieces on the chessboard.

When people suffer under Islamic rule, they question Islam. When they question Islam, some seek truth. When they seek truth, many find Jesus.

Iran now has one of the fastest-growing churches in the world (500,000 to 2 million believers). Most are former Muslims who rejected Islam after seeing what it produces.

God is using the ayatollahs' oppression to drive Iranians to the gospel.

Every earthly kingdom falls (Daniel 2:44).

Pharaoh fell. Babylon fell. Persia fell. Rome fell. The Soviet Union fell.

The Islamic Republic will fall too.

The question is not if, but when and how.

Scripture teaches that God opposes the proud:

The ayatollahs have been proud for 47 years. They've claimed to speak for Allah. They've oppressed God's image-bearers. They've murdered His people.

Their time is coming.

Maybe through internal uprising (current protests). Maybe through external attack (Israel/US). Maybe through economic collapse. Maybe through divine intervention.

But they will fall.

And when they do, it will be because God determined their time was up.

Father,

You raise up kingdoms and bring them down. You used the ayatollahs for Your purposes, and now You are bringing them to account.

We pray:

Do what only You can do. Bring down the proud. Lift up the humble. Turn this darkness into light.

In Jesus' name, Amen.