Controversial 'Bible codes' rabbi predicts Iran to attack Israel this year

Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, who has written more than 30 books, made a video in which he uses Bible codes to back his prediction that within the year Iran will attack Israel.

Iranian armed forces members march during the ceremony of the National Army Day parade in TeIranian armed forces members march during the ceremony of the National Army Day parade in Tehran, Iran September 22, 2019hran, Iran September 22, 2019 (photo credit: IRANIAN PRESIDENCY WEBSITE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Iranian armed forces members march during the ceremony of the National Army Day parade in TeIranian armed forces members march during the ceremony of the National Army Day parade in Tehran, Iran September 22, 2019hran, Iran September 22, 2019
(photo credit: IRANIAN PRESIDENCY WEBSITE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
A controversial Bible scholar has predicted that open hostilities with Iran will begin within the year.
Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, who  has written more than 30 books and been quoted by multiple Israeli websites, made a video in which he uses Bible codes to back his prediction that within the year Iran will attack Israel.
Glazerson relies on a concept known as Bible Codes, sequences, clusters and complex word associations found in the Torah and believed by some to contain hidden messages that were placed there by God.
Pointing to an excerpt in the book of Deuteronomy, Glazerson specifies a series of highlighted letters equidistant from one another that spell, "Iran Titkof. Iran will attack," he explained.
Glazerson is using what is know as the Equidistant Letter System (ELS) to achieve these results. ELS requires taking every 10th letter in a verse, for example, and then the resulting set of letters spells out a word or phrase
Near "Iran tikef," is another ELS that highlights taf, shin, mem and peh. This, he said, refers to the year 5780, which is the current Jewish year and he says the combination almost guarantees the destruction of Israel. 
"But, miracles happen," he added. "People repent. So, who knows?"
Glazerson noted that current political events in Israel seem to point to the country's downfall. 
"Unfortunately, from what we see today, especially with these people, you know, [Blue and White leaders Benny] Gantz [and Yair] Lapid [and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor] Liberman are doing everything against... the things in the Torah... But who knows?"
The solution is to repent, according to Glazerson, and he pointed out several other ELS instances referring to repentance and the messiah.
"But what's interesting is [what] the verses in the Torah here tell us," he continues, pointing to highlighted verses, one of which - Deuteronomy 4:1 - refers to God telling Israel to listen to His laws and commandments, and another (6:25) commanding Israel to observe all of God's commandments.
According to Glazerson, if Israel repents and observes all of God's commandments, then it will fulfill another "promise" in the Bible codes. Explaining this, he pointed to the highlighted ELS instances referring to the messiah and the Davidic line.
Bible codes became popular in 1997 with the publication of a book called, "The Bible Code," by reporter Michael Drosnin. He had been inspired by a scientific paper published in the journal Statistical Science in which three mathematicians presented statistical evidence that information about the lives of famous rabbis was encoded in the Hebrew text of the Book of Genesis, hundreds of years before those rabbis lived.
Over the years, scholars - religious, Jewish and non-Jewish - have utilized Bible codes to predict 9/11, the Holocaust and other events.
However, use of Bible codes is wrought with controversy and has many skeptics. Even the original scholars spoke out against using Bible codes to predict the future.
Glazerson is listed on the Hebrew University's Jewish Music Research Centre's website and on the, "Mikdash HaMoshiach" site, which is focused on preparing for the coming of the messiah. He founded and ran a yeshivah of higher learning in South Africa from 1964 to 1980. His books, originally written in Hebrew, have been translated into numerous languages, including English.
Earlier in January 2020, Glazerson also pointed to the codes predicting the coronavirus outbreak.