Iraq,
which sits at the heart of what historians have long called Mesopotamia,
"the Cradle of Civilization," and which is called Babylon in the
Bible, draws
the
collective worry of the world community. Hour by hour, war-like developments in
that vast region north of Israel cause students of Bible prophecy to
search
the headlines and research the
Scriptures with anticipation. This is done with good reason. Bible prophecy
refers to Babylon second only to Jerusalem
and Israel in the number of mentions about
cities and nations. Indeed, prophecies involving the area now called the Middle
East seem poised for fulfillment
today.
All
prophecy yet future must be considered in light of this one fact: God’s chosen
nation is back in the land of promise. Understanding that country’s position
in
the arena of Mid-East and world affairs is critical to understanding all other
geopolitical matters. That is, to know where all this talk of war with
Iraq
is leading, one must carefully study that tiny , though militarily powerful
state called Israel.
Israel,
again a nation after having been scattered to the four winds for more than 1900
years, sets the stage for prophetic possibilities. God promised
through
Jeremiah the prophet:
”For,
lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my
people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return
to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it” (Jeremiah
30:3).
Modern
Israel’s birth on May 14, 1948, seems to have at least partially fulfilled
God’s promise in the above verses. The prophecy is not completely fulfilled,
because
Israel doesn’t yet occupy all the land God gave His chosen people. God’s
astounding prophetic description of Israel’s coming again into nationhood
after
centuries of world-wide dispersion is found in the following Scriptures:
”A
voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that
rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought
forth;
before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a
thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring
forth
in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed,
she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not
cause
to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the
womb? saith thy God" (Isaiah 66:6-9).
Israel
is prophesied to become an intolerable
problem that world leaders think must be eliminated before there can be peace
in the Middle East and in the
world.
God, himself, will see to it that Israel will be a major obstacle to sin-flawed,
man-made peace. This is because only
God’s Son--Jesus, the Prince
of
Peace--can establish true peace on Planet Earth.
God
told us through His prophet Zechariah:
“Behold,
I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when
they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And
in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that
burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people
of
the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3).
Do
we see a volatile situation today with regard to the modern nation of Israel?
Is the world community of nations, especially the United States, fretting
over
problems between Israel and its neighbors? The answer is, of course, a
resounding "yes!".
A
reasonable question, for those who truly seek world peace, is this: Why is
Israel always at the center of the problem that threatens to involve the whole
world
in thermonuclear war?
World
leaders cannot understand the answer God’s Word, the Bible, gives to this
“reasonable” question. This is because the leaders of the world reason in
line
with Satan’s thinking, not in line with God’s thinking, which comes from His
perfect foreknowledge. Today’s world leaders believe they can find the
formula
for peace, totally apart from taking into consideration God’s explanation of
the supernatural causes involved.
Concerning
the obstacles Israel presents to Mid-East and world peace in our time, God,
through revelation given in symbolic language to the prophet John,
tells
about ancient hatred that spawned and perpetuates the problem:
“And
there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And
she
being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And
there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon,
having
seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew
the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:
and
the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to
devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child,
who
was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where
she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two
hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12: 1-6).
Revelation,
chapter 12, tells about a “woman,” which refers to Israel, the
Jewish people out of whom the Deliverer, Jesus Christ, will come. The great
red
dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns, whose tail draws one-third
of the stars, refers to Satan. The stars are the angels who rebelled
and
followed Lucifer, who was cast out of Heaven.
Satan,
the great red dragon, tried his best (or worst) to murder Jesus when He was
born, because Jesus is Israel’s Messiah. He is also the Savior of the
world
who gave himself as a sin-sacrifice on the cross so that all men, women and
children could be reconciled to God the Father. When the proper time
came,
Christ, the Son of God, died, was buried, and arose from the grave on the third
day. He is now at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for
all
people who will accept Him as Savior.
Devilish
Destruction Predicted
Satan
hates Israel because it is the nation chosen by God to bring the Savior into
the world. The Devil, as he is also called, is prophesied to do all within
his
considerable power to destroy that people. Antichrist will be the Devil’s world
dictator who will try to carry out Israel’s destruction, as outlined
in
Daniel, chapters 7, 8, 9, and 11, and in Revelation chapter 13.
Jeremiah
the prophet recorded this about the coming terrors –and the glorious
redemption-- for Israel:
“And
these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear,
and
not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?
wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in
travail,
and
all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none
is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved
out
of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I
will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and
strangers
shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God,
and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jeremiah
30:4-9).
"Armageddon"
is the biblical term most everyone thinks of whenever war begins to look
imminent in the Middle East. Even the mainstream news organizations
bring
this troubling name into their reportorial mix at times when war seems to loom.
Armageddon is prophesied in Revelation to be an incrementally stepped-up
war,
rather than a single battle. It will be a conflict that progressively involves
more and more nations, until the military forces of all nations of
the
world come together in a triangular valley called Jezreel, near an ancient place
called Megiddo.
Armageddon
Anxieties
The
worry among many who watch troubles in the Middle East is that the next
military conflict might ignite Armageddon, mankind’s final war, according to
how
most view Bible prophecy. It will be, many mistakenly believe, the end of the world.
Will
the war involving Iraq that is apparently about to erupt bring on Armageddon?
The answer is both "yes" and "no".
Yes,
war against Iraq will move the world ever closer to the beginning of the
conflict called Armageddon. We can say that with certainty because hatred
for
Israel is at the core of Saddam Hussein’s black heart. All of the satanic rage
in the Middle East is directed at trying to
destroy God’s chosen people.
Armageddon,
according to the Bible, will be Satan’s attempt to completely eradicate Israel,
and to try to prevent Jesus Christ from returning to set up
His
millennial throne atop Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem. So, “yes”, war with Iraq will take the world
one step closer to Armageddon. The
satanically
driven Hussein’s development of weapons of mass destruction --the purported
reason the U.S. wants to remove him-- is aimed at getting enough
power
to destroy Israel. Such a feat would make the Iraqi dictator the Nebuchadnezzar
of his time in the eyes of Israel’s enemies. This is recognition
he
desperately wants. In that sense, it will bring history one tick of the
prophetic clock closer to Armageddon.
At
the same time, the answer is “no”; the fight with Iraq won’t be the event that
sets the Armageddon war campaign in motion. We have God’s Word on it.
Jesus
Christ, who was and is God the Son, said:
“And
ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all
these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:4).
The
world has been in this time of “wars and rumors of wars” throughout history.
Jesus here did, however, strongly imply that there will be a great increase
in
the number of wars and rumors of wars as the end of the age draws near.
Certainly, the 20th century was the bloodiest of all centuries, with millions
of
people killed in war. Certainly, too, with the fear of thermonuclear war and
the horrific destruction it would bring, “rumors of wars” were more pronounced
than
at any other time. “But the end is not yet,” Christ said. The impending war
with Iraq is but one more rumor of war that will, it is highly likely,
become
a war in fact.
Is
there anything of prophetic significance we can make of the second war against
Saddam Hussein’s Iraq? Does the Bible have anything to say about end-time
Iraq?
As
a matter of fact, yes. Quite a bit. But Bible prophecy speaks of Iraq as
being in an apparently changed form from the Iraq of today. Prophecy again
calls
that region Babylon, and it is in big trouble with God. Jeremiah the prophet
foretold Babylon’s end-time plight:
”The
word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans
by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish,
and
set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her
images
are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh up a nation against
her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein:
they
shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast” (Jeremiah 50:1-3).
The
prophet said further:
”Therefore,
behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon:
and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain
shall
fall in the midst of her. Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is
therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from
the
north, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 51:47-48).
It
becomes obvious, if one believes Bible prophecy should be taken literally, that
the area now called Iraq is mentioned prominently as having a role to
play
in history yet to unfold. We can be sure the prophetic Scriptures haven’t yet
been fulfilled, because the region has never been rendered completely
uninhabitable
like foretold by Jeremiah: ”And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every
purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make
the
land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant” (Jeremiah 51:29).
Does
the prophecy above indicate that nuclear devastation is prophetically scheduled
for the area presently occupied by the nation called Iraq? Radioactivity
that
contaminates the land to the point it cannot be inhabited seems to fit such a
scenario.
When
it comes to the subject of Babylon in prophecy, excellent prophecy scholars
hold different views. Some believe that an actual city will be rebuilt
on
the very real estate once occupied by ancient Babylon. This, they believe, will
be the great religious and commercial center that will be destroyed
in
one hour, as indicated in Revelation 18: 9-10: “And the kings of the earth, who
have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail
her,
and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar
off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city
Babylon,
that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”
Other
prophecy scholars believe prophecies about end-time Babylon found in Revelation and Jeremiah refer to the
entire world religious and economic system
that
will have developed by the time of the end. These prophecies, they believe,
involve ancient Babylon only in that it was the matrix out of which all
of
the religious and commercial evils began to grow and infect mankind’s
activities throughout history. These prophecy students believe that the city
destroyed
in
a single hour might be the greatest center of commerce at that time. For
example, in our day, that city would be New York City, because it has the most
influence
over world trade, etc.
Although
Saddam Hussein has begun rebuilding a city on the site of ancient Babylon, it
is–at this point in time--many, many years away from even having
a
chance of again becoming a great world commercial and/or religious center. It
is scarcely more than a tiny, token
symbol of the magnificence that once
occupied
that area.
A
major war that removes Hussein would most likely disrupt that rebuilding
effort. But some prophecy watchers suggest that with Saddam removed, the world
community
might think to come together and make the present effort to rebuild Babylon into
a true symbol for world unity and world peace. Some believe
that
even the United Nations might be moved to a
rebuilt Babylon as a gesture of world community and harmony.
Whether
war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq will bring about the prophesied end-time Babylon
cannot be known for sure at this point. We can be certain, however,
that
such war will not start Armageddon, as mentioned before. If such war was severe
enough, however, with weapons of mass destruction doing damage to
major
populations, that conflict could be the catalyst that helps bring about the
event that will start the Armageddon
campaign of war in motion. Here’s
how.
Already
the world community is demanding that peace be made between Israel and its Middle
Eastern neighbors. The world’s leaders see the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict
as holding the greatest potential for
igniting all out war. Additionally, the Jewish/Islamic differences are seen as
explosive fuel that might
be thrown on any war that might erupt in the
region. Global leaders intend to do all within their collective power to force
peace upon Israel and those
who
want to push the Jewish people into the
Mediterranean.
Daniel
the prophet foretold a peace that will destroy many people, both Israel’s and
its enemies’ people. The Antichrist will, according to Daniel 9: 26-27,
be
the leader who guarantees that seven-year covenant of peace. When this “man of
sin,” as Antichrist is also called, brings together Israel and her foes
for
that peace treaty, the Tribulation era will begin.
The
Tribulation is prophesied by the prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, and others, and by
Jesus, to be a time of God’s judgment upon rebellious earth-dwellers.
This
judgment will last seven years, and will conclude with Christ’s return, when
the last battle of the Armageddon war is taking place in the Middle East.
It
will be Israel’s agreement with the Antichrist to sign that peace covenant that
will begin the Tribulation, or Apocalypse. This also sets in motion a
progressive
series of conflicts that grows into the war called Armageddon.
So,
war with Iraq won’t start Armageddon. But such a war could, if destructive
enough to major populations, be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s
back.
It could hasten the world community into forcing Israel and her enemies to
finally agree to the so-called peace which has proved so elusive throughout
the
great diplomatic efforts since Israel’s rebirth in 1948. In that sense, the
"Butcher of Baghdad" --Saddam Hussein--and Iraq might fit
significantly
into
the prophetic picture.
Chronological
Historic Overview of The Region Called Babylon and Now Iraq.
Chronology
of a Civilization
By
5000 B.C.: Farming spreads into southern Mesopotamia, the ancient name for the
territory of Iraq. The world's first great cities develop along the Euphrates
and
Tigris rivers. Two regions become dominant: Akkad in the north and Sumer in the
south.
3500-3000:
The Sumerians develop the wheel, writing, counting and calendars.
2334-2279:
Sargon the Great establishes the Akkadian Empire.
1792-1750:
Hammurabi establishes Babylon as the region's power center. Hammurabi is best
known for a code of laws that bears his name.
1400:
Assyrian, Babylonian, Hurrian and Elamite kingdoms flourish and viefor
ascendancy.
722-705:
Sargon II strengthens Assyrian rule and builds a palace-temple complex near
Nineveh.
612:
The Assyrian Empire collapses suddenly; Chaldeans take control.
597:
Nebuchadnezzar II captures Jerusalem. Under Nebuchadnezzar, the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, are built.
Nebuchadnezzar's
is the last home-grown government in Mesopotamia until the 20th century.
539:
King Cyrus of Persia captures Babylon.
331:
Alexander the Great seizes Babylon, declares it his capital and dies there in
323.
A.D.
226: The Persian Sassanid dynasty is established.
637:
The Arabs defeat the Sassanids in the battle of Qadisiya and bring Islam to
Iraq.
762-63:
Mansur founds Baghdad. Probably the world's first completely planned city,
Baghdad becomes the center of Islamic civilization.
1258:
Mongols sack Baghdad.
1534:
The Ottoman Turks, under Suleyman the Magnificent, seize Iraq.
1800s:
Britain begins to exert its influence in the Persian Gulf to protect trade
routes with India.
1914-18:
The Ottoman Empire sides with Germany against Britain, France and Russia in
World War I.
1919:
The League of Nations gives Britain a mandate over Iraq.
1921:
Prince Faisal, who had fought with T.E. Lawrence against the Ottomans, is
brought to Iraq and chosen king in a referendum.
1932:
Britain grants Iraq its independence.
1958:
Gen. Abdel Karim Qassem topples the monarchy in a military coup.
1979:
Saddam Hussein becomes president.
1980-88:
Iraq-Iran war.
1990:
Iraq invades Kuwait.
1991:
Persian Gulf War.
1998:
U.N. weapons inspectors leave Iraq.
2002:
President Bush calls for a 'regime change' as he seeks to disarm Saddam
Hussein.
Sources:
The New York Times, Knight Ridder Tribune, Associated Press, CIA World Factbook
2001, 'Iraq: Enchantment of the World' and 'Iraq: Old Land, New Nation
in
Conflict'