CAPTURE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN AND THE NEW BABYLON : PT 4
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
Saddam Hussein As The Beast, Our Job As Prophecy Teachers,
Beast of Revelation And King Of The North, His Deadly Wound
Healed, Syria As King of The North, Turkish-Syrian Relations
The Turkey Question, Saddam's Capture A High Point, Iraqis
Emboldened For Democracy, USA Emboldened To Implement Middle
East Agenda, Iran And Syria - Possible Targets, My Prophetic
Dilemma, America Hindering Endtime Countdown, Jesus' Return
Not Imminent, Minimum Of Seven Years Left, Not A Pre-Tribber
America's Destruction A Catalyst For Endtime Events, Babylon
Destroyed By Beast And Ten Horns, Identity Of Babylon, The
Oil Weapon, America's Use Them And Abuse Them Tactic, Name
Change For Baghdad, New World Order, John Lennon's Imagine,
True Peace Through Christ, America's Globalist Vision, Buzz
Words - Freedom Liberation Democracy, The Spirit of Newness,
Birth Of New Babylon, Power Of Oil, "New Babylon" Despised
Hated And Destroyed, Personal Speculations, Don't Limit God,
God's Plan In Motion, God Sets Up Leaders, Watch Pray Witness
Having now thoroughly discussed the political aspects of the
war in Iraq, let us turn our attention to the recent capture
of Saddam Hussein, and how it effects our understanding of
Endtime prophecy. As some of you who have studied my articles
will already know, in such commentaries as "The Seven Heads",
due to the fact that the USA was unable to remove Mr. Hussein
from power for more than a dozen years, in spite of military
attacks, UN sanctions, no-fly zones, etc., I posed the theory
that Saddam, or one of his sons, Uday or Qusay, might be the
Biblical Beast of the Book of Revelation. As I explained in
part two, it is God who raises up leaders; and for some time,
it seemed that despite the US's best efforts to remove Saddam
from power, the Lord might be keeping him in power for a very
specific reason. Please note that I was by no means alone in
this view. Other Bible teachers considered this possibility
as well. After all, that is our job; to read the Scriptures,
and then, using sound judgment and spiritual discernment, try
to apply the proper interpretation to them, based upon what
is occurring in the world at present. It is not an easy job.
As you may also know, it has been my belief that the Beast
of the Book of Revelation, may be synonymous with the King
of the North, mentioned in the prophecies of Daniel, who
invades the land of Israel. As I point out in that series,
in the Scriptures, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was in fact
referred to as a great power coming down from the north, in
order to invade Israel. Obviously, with both Uday and Qusay
Hussein now having been killed by American forces in Mosul,
(located near ancient Nineveh), and with Saddam in captivity,
it would definitely seem that the Hussein regime is finished.
Short of a miracle, and I do mean a direct act of God, it is
highly unlikely that Saddam Hussein will ever return to his
position of power in Iraq. In fact, most people believe that
once the United States is finished with him, and Saddam is
turned over to Iraqi authorities, (assuming that Bush keeps
his word on this), he is a dead man. Yet, at the same time,
we don't want to completely close the window of possibility.
Let us not forget that the Scriptures also tell us:
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and
his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered
after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave
power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying,
Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with
him?...And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the
means of those miracles which he had power to do in the
sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast, which had the
wound by a sword, and did live." Revelation 13:3-4, 14, KJV
So just when the world has assumed that the Beast has been
militarily defeated, it appears from the Scriptures that he
is going to astound the world and rise to power again. As I
explain in the aforementioned series, this, I believe, is
the proper interpretation of the Scriptures. Contrary to the
popular notion, which is promoted in a number of movies, as
well as in a lot of Christian evangelistic materials, I do
not believe that the Beast is going to be actually wounded
in the head, and then be brought back to life again, as if
by a miracle, be it medical, spiritual, or otherwise. While
such an amazing event might convince many ignorant people of
the Beast's immortality or divinity, it would also set off a
lot of alarms amongst those who know the Scriptures, and who
would thus realize who he really is. Let us not forget that
deception is the name of the Endtime game. In my opinion,
the Beast will slyly and deceptively rise to power, and few
people will realize who he really is, until it is too late.
But for the sake of argument, let us assume that Mr. Hussein
is not the one whom we have been waiting for, and that the
final chapter of his life is soon to be closed. If that is
the case, what does that mean for us? Where does it leave us
in regards to our understanding of Endtime prophecy?
In my view, what this may mean, is that perhaps we need to
refocus our attention back on the original ideas which I
expressed in the article "The Kings of The North And The
South". It is in that article that I explain how I believe
the Lord showed me verse by verse from the Scriptures, that
Syria holds the highest possibility for producing the King
of the North, or the Beast if you prefer. However, please
note that this does not completely rule out Turkey and Iran,
which also hold some possibilities for producing the Beast
and the False Prophet of Revelation chapter thirteen; as I
also point out in "The Seven Heads" series. Nevertheless,
with the Hussein sons now dead, and Saddam in captivity,
Syria does return to the forefront of Endtime prophecy in
my mind, as far as being the potential place of origin of
the King of the North, who will eventually wage war with
Egypt, and invade Israel.
As an additional note, it might interest you to know that
even though Turkey has a military alliance with the nation
of Israel, in recent months, Syria and Turkey have begun to
warm up to each other again, following a cold spell which
resulted from their differences of opinion over the war in
Iraq, as well as other issues, such as water supplies. Let
us also not forget the fact that in the elections which were
held in Turkey last year, Islamic fundamentalists made some
important gains in certain key provinces. While the military
still remains in control of Turkey, you just never know what
the future might hold. The tide of Islam might some day take
hold of that country again. If that were to occur, and if
Turkey and Syria continue to patch up old wounds, you just
never know. Under the influence of the Islamists, Turkey may
in the end betray Israel, as I have long suspected that she
might do; but this is just a personal speculation on my part.
Time will certainly tell what road she will eventually take.
I must admit, however, that I am troubled with the idea of
the Beast arising from Syria, even though that is what the
Scriptures seem to indicate is going to happen. Why? Allow
me to explain. With the capture of Saddam Hussein, the Bush
administration has achieved a powerful psychological victory
in Iraq. The Americans even admitted this; and stated that
following a month of heavy casualties in November of last
year, Saddam's capture was a high point for them. Of course,
with the rising casualty rate for both Americans and Iraqis,
I am beginning to wonder how much of that euphoria really
remains. At a glance, Saddam's capture does not seem to have
improved the situation by very much, if at all.
Saddam's capture was likewise a high point for the Iraqis.
Many Iraqis were very hesitant to offer their open support
to the Americans, because there was always the fear of "What
if the Americans fail and Saddam returns to power?". With
Saddam seemingly out of the way now, many of his underlings
captured, and the remaining elements of his Baath Party now
fragmented, the Iraqi people have become more emboldened in
their march towards a democratic government; even if that
government turns out to be a puppet government ruled by the
Americans from afar. The recent protest in Basra was a clear
sign of normal Iraqis strongly expressing their will, as well
as their growing impatience with their American occupiers.
But another by-product of these recent events, may be that
the Americans will become emboldened to carry out their full
plans for the restructuring of the entire Middle East. As we
have already discussed, an accelerated effort to turn over
more power to the Iraqis by June 30th is already in motion.
Whether that push is a calculated move which is being fueled
by the approaching election in the United States, or whether
it is due to the rising unrest and discontent in Iraq, and a
concern over where it may possibly lead if it's not arrested
soon, the push to transfer power is nevertheless happening as
we speak. Assuming that all goes well, and some form of semi-
democratic government is put in place by June 30th, in spite
of the continued resistance in the so-called Sunni Triangle,
then what? What will be America's next move?
Enter Syria and Iran.
From their perspective, these two nations are now in more
danger than ever before. As I have stated before, for months
now, the USA has been vilifying Syria and Iran, and applying
increasing pressure to both countries; and if the Americans
finally manage to bring Iraq under control, possibly with UN
help, will it be long before they begin to carry out their
plans for Iran and Syria as well? With the center piece of
the puzzle under American control, that is, Iraq, how much
more time will pass before the two end pieces, that is, Iran
and Syria, will fall as well? The tiny nations of the Gulf
Cooperation Council are already basically under the American
umbrella. In fact, the Iraq operation is being managed from
Qatar, and Bahrain I believe. The Saudis would be foolish to
resist the USA after seeing what they are doing in Iraq. In
fact, Saudi Arabia might be an eventual American target as
well. Let us not forget that the 9-11 score has never been
settled, as I noted earlier in this series. Once America
has a firm control on the Iraqi oil flow, and is no longer
so dependent on Saudi oil, who knows how she may react
towards the al-Saud dynasty. What is left of that once cozy
relationship may be over. Again, time will certainly tell.
At any rate, that is where my personal dilemma arises. You
see; as long as the United States is entrenched in Iraq as
it currently is; guaranteeing the survival of Israel; and
successfully moving full-speed-ahead with its hegemonistic
agenda in the Middle East; and is not being challenged by
anyone; it is difficult for me to see how an Islamic Beast,
as well as an Islamic False Prophet, could possibly rise to
power, and thus fulfill the final prophecies of the Endtime,
which includes the invasion of Israel. At this current time,
the local environment in the Middle East isn't conducive for
such Earth-shaking events; and unless America is stopped by
someone, it won't be for a long time to come. In short, the
presence of the American military in Iraq and neighboring
nations, seems to be retarding the final Endtime countdown;
at least the way in which I personally understand it.
In fact, upon pondering this present situation further, in
my mind, it forces me to consider the possibility that the
Return of Jesus Christ may not be as imminent as we would
like to think. For those of you who are familiar with my
work, you will already know that unlike a lot of popular
Bible teachers, I have never been a "at-any-moment" kind of
preacher. Ever since I began this ministry, I have always
maintained that until certain events occur in the Middle
East, primary of which is the signing of the Holy Covenant
between the King of the North and the King of the South, as
per the prophecies of Daniel, we have at least a minimum of
seven years to go until the glorious Return of Jesus Christ.
I am simply not convinced that the Lord's Return is going to
occur at any moment, as that would be totally contrary to my
current understanding of Endtime prophecy.
As I point out in my series "The Great Tribulation And The
Rapture", I do not adhere to the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture"
theory. I believe that many of us, including the saved Jews
of Israel, will go through the Great Tribulation, and will
come out on the other side as overcomers, at the Return of
Jesus Christ, as per the following verses:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:29-31, KJV
So what I am saying now, is that taking into consideration
the current developments in the Middle East, with the Bush
Administration's aggressive restructuring plan in operation,
it seems that these final events of the Endtime, which will
culminate with the Battle of Armageddon, and the Return of
Jesus Christ, may not be quite as close as we had hoped for.
I am no longer a young man; and I have already been waiting
for the Return of Jesus Christ for over thirty-two years. My
only hope now, is that that Blessed Event will still occur
during my lifetime.
It is for the reasons which I have just explained to you,
that for some time now, I have been seriously contemplating
the thought, that the only way in which the final prophecies
of the Endtime can come to fruition sooner, at least as I
currently understand them, would be if the USA were suddenly
neutralized; either through her complete destruction by one
of her enemies, or perhaps a group of enemies, or as a result
of her own internal corruption, similar to what occurred with
the Roman Empire. Of course, I realize that my suggesting this
will be pleasing to those of you who view the United States as
being Babylon the Great, which will be destroyed by the Beast
and Ten Horns, or world powers, which will temporarily give
their power to the Beast, as we see here:
"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings
one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give
their power and strength unto the beast...And the ten horns
which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the
whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat
her flesh, and burn her with fire."
Revelation 17:12-13, 16 KJV
Please understand that I am not saying that I believe that
the United States of America is Babylon the Great. At this
point in time, I honestly do not know with one hundred per
cent certainty who Babylon is. I offer my own speculations
regarding the mysterious woman who sits upon many waters in
the article "Revelation's Babylon The Great", but they are
by no means written in stone; I could be wrong. What I am
saying, is that I simply don't see how these key Endtime
prophecies can be fulfilled in the Middle East, as long as
the United States retains its dominant military and economic
position in the world. As long as America is able to protect
Israel, the Islamic forces simply cannot make their move
against Israel, and expect to survive. American and Israeli
forces would be very quick to squash them. Their might is
primitive compared to the combined technological might of
Israel and the United States. Just look how quickly Baghdad
fell once the Americans initiated their illegal attack.
Of course, what I have just stated is under the assumption
that I am correct in my belief that the Beast and the False
Prophet will be of Islamic origin. I could be wrong. Maybe I
am missing a part of the puzzle. After all, I am by no means
infallible, as certain religious leaders and teachers like
to claim for themselves.
Returning to the theme of the possible identity of Babylon
the Great, while I have already written the aforementioned
article where I discuss this issue, these recent events in
the Middle East are forcing me to consider more seriously
another possibility which I mention in that article. Allow
me to explain.
Let us suppose for a moment that America is successful and
achieves her objectives in Iraq. Let us also suppose that
under American guidance and control, Baghdad arises to the
status of a prominent world trade center; particularly as a
result of the Iraqi oil reserves, which the Americans are
doing their best to control and manipulate at this current
time. As I have said before, whoever controls the oil, has
their hands around the industrialized world's throat; and I
strongly suspect that the United States of America has every
intention of using the oil reserves as a weapon to force its
will upon the world. If you doubt my word, consider the fact
that until just recently, the United States was refusing to
offer business opportunities in Iraq to the four countries
which strongly opposed the Iraq invasion; that is, Russia,
China, Germany and France. As I noted earlier, only now that
the situation is becoming rough, and out of control in Iraq,
and America is in need of help, has she begun to soften her
stance.
But don't think for a minute that America is really being
humble by petitioning the UN for help. She is merely playing
the same old game of politics, and relying upon her tactic
of "use them and abuse them", and Kofi Annan obviously knows
this. Personally, I am not the least bit surprised by the
pressure tactics being employed by the hawks who manipulate
President Bush; with his consent of course. Once again, Bush
is revealing what a unilateralist he has been all along. What
world sympathy the USA may have garnered following the 9-11
attacks, has surely eroded since then, as a result of Bush's
wayward and stubborn policies; and as I said earlier, this is
why he is now finding it difficult to solicit help from other
nations in rebuilding Iraq. They know that America is empire
building, and they are not too keen to be a part of it.
But returning to my main point, what would you think, if by
God's Design, Baghdad were to eventually return to the former
glory which Babylon had achieved several millennia ago, under
King Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar? What might this
tell us? Taking this speculation a step further, what if, to
everyone's surprise, Baghdad were to undergo a name change?
This has happened untold times before throughout history, and
even during our modern day, hasn't it? Have you ever heard of
Byzantium? How about Constantinople? And Istanbul? If you are
familiar with the history of western Asia, then you will have
already realized that they are one and the same place.
Now, you might be asking yourself, "Why would anyone want to
change the name of Baghdad?" Here is my personal theory; and
it is just a theory. Ever since the first President Bush, we
have become familiar with the term "New World Order". Some
people, such as we Christians, cringe upon hearing the term,
while others are rather delighted, and eagerly look forward
to this promised utopian world. In fact, did you know that
in an initiative which was sponsored by the United Nations,
on John Lennon's fiftieth birthday in October of 1990, the
song "Imagine" was not only played at the United Nations,
but was in fact aired by more than a thousand radio stations
in over fifty nations around the world? Not only that, but
at the end of the Summer Olympics in 1996, American artist
Stevie Wonder performed the final song at the event. It was
likewise "Imagine", and millions of people were mesmerized
by it, and its promise of a godless world filled with peace.
So while John Lennon may have become strongly disliked by
many American Christians following his controversial "more
popular than Jesus Christ" remark several decades ago, it is
obvious that many other people, including many individuals
in very high places in the world's governments, appreciated
the message of worldwide peace, unity and brotherhood, which
is contained in the lyrics of Lennon's song. Is it possible
that some day "Imagine" might even become the international
anthem for the New World Order? They certainly seem to be
preparing people for such a possibility, don't they?
As I explain in the in-depth series "John Lennon's Imagine
And Secular Humanism", it isn't the desire for peace, unity
and brotherhood that is wrong; it is the fact that Lennon
apparently believed that such a world could be obtained by
removing God from the equation. That is where Lennon erred;
not only on a personal level, but by foolishly leading an
entire generation astray. Even today, several decades after
his death, there are people who not only strongly defend
Lennon, and his song "Imagine", but who view him as if he
were some kind of a saint, or perhaps even a messiah. The
reason why I know this, is because I personally have been
the recipient of some of their hate mail quite a few times
as a result of my "Lennon" series. We simply cannot obtain
true lasting peace, without the Spirit of the true Prince of
Peace and Messiah, Jesus Christ, ruling in our hearts, minds
and lives. Human love will eventually fail. Only God's Love,
through Christ, can truly prevail.
But returning to the Bushes, Bush Senior, Bush Junior, and
other globalists just like them, obviously believe in this
vision of a New World Order. Not only do they believe in it,
but they are energetically working towards bringing the NWO
into existence, the American way. They realize that someone
has to obviously head such a One World Government, and they
have every intention of being the ones to do it. Russia and
China have already aired their objections to the American
vision, but the USA has no intentions of turning back from
the road it has now chosen. These globalists are convinced
that this is their destiny.
As I have already explained earlier in this series, that is
one of the motivations behind their invasion of Iraq, right?
Mr. Bush, and similar-thinking men like him, want to totally
reshape the arena of the Middle East, based upon America's
will and social values; including the democratic way. In the
process of restructuring the Middle East, they will not only
take control of Iraqi oil, but they will also end up with a
powerful American base of operations there, from where they
can continue to threaten, and dictate their demands, to the
rest of the nations in that area. But as always, they need
to cloak their true intentions under a different guise; and
as I pointed out earlier, that is where buzz words such as
freedom, liberation and democracy enter the picture. After
all, who could possibly be against such things, right? Sadly,
a little too late, the Iraqis are suddenly realizing that
what they were promised, and what they are actually going to
get, is not the same thing; and that is why they are quickly
growing weary of the American presence, and have begun to
rise up in protest, such as through the recent protests in
Basra.
In short, the Americans have promised, and have repeatedly
emphasized to the people of Iraq, that they are there to
free them from tyranny, and to give Iraq a new beginning;
and it is from this central idea of newness, that other
things have already sprung. For example, do you recall what
was one of the first things that the Americans did after
taking over Baghdad? It made worldwide headlines. With the
help of some of the Iraqis, they tore down a huge statue of
Saddam Hussein situated in downtown Baghdad. That was one
powerful, symbolic gesture of the new beginning which the
United States wants to bring to Iraq. Of course, it was
also a powerful message to Saddam Hussein, (who was still
in hiding at the time), to the insurgents, and to anyone
else who might be opposed to America's actions in Iraq.
So beginning with that statue, and to this very day, with
the help of the Iraqis, all signs of Saddam's former grip on
that country are slowly being removed by the Americans. But
that isn't all. Have you heard of the latest development in
the "Erase All Memories Of Saddam Hussein" campaign? In case
you haven't heard, all national currency with Saddam's image
on it is being replaced. There was a photograph in one of my
news bundles the other day where they showed bundles of the
old currency stacked up in the Central Bank of Baghdad. So
you see, it is another sign of a new beginning. The plan is
to keep pushing the idea of a new beginning for the people
of Iraq, which will ultimately culminate in a new government.
Never mind that their new government will not be as freely
elected as had been promised to, and expected by, the Iraqis.
That thorny issue aside, in the name of the spirit of newness
that has been repeatedly promoted, is it possible that as yet
another symbolic sign that Iraq has become a new nation, that
someone might propose the idea of changing the name of their
capital city to something else? How about "New Babylon"? Of
course, this is not really a novel idea on my part; others
have proposed it before me; but until now, I had never really
given it any serious consideration. Perhaps it is just a wild
theory and will never happen; but what if it does? If we take
that theory, and extend it further, we arrive at some rather
interesting possibilities, don't we? Of course, I am referring
to one commonly-held belief which suggests that Baghdad, Iraq
might possibly be symbolic of the Biblical Babylon the Great.
While I don't believe that Baghdad currently fulfills that
role, being as she by no means has the status which we find
attributed to the Babylon the Great described for us in the
pages of the Book of Revelation, with American help, that
could possibly change with time.
Don't forget that oil is a powerful weapon which can bring
nations to their knees if wielded in a wise fashion. Due to
man's own foolishness in not developing other alternatives,
the industrialized world would come to a serious standstill
in a relatively short period of time, perhaps six to twelve
months, if a sufficiently large percentage of its oil supply
were to be cut off. After all, national reserves can only
last for so long. Without oil, there are no lubricants for
machines, vehicles of any kind, etc. Without oil, a lot of
clothes could not be made. Without oil, millions of plastic
items would cease to be produced. Without oil, there is no
gasoline, no diesel, no jet fuel, etc. Many of the world's
weapons of war would be useless toys. The point is, the
"New Babylon" does possess a weapon which it could use to
catapult itself to world prominence; particularly if other
oil-producing nations were to begin faltering in their own
supplies for some reason.
If the Americans do retain their grip on Iraq, and thus on
this "New Babylon", even if it is through Iraqi surrogates
who will do America's bidding, is it possible that "New
Babylon" will slowly grow in strength and prominence, until
she reaches a point where she is confident enough to begin
making demands on the surrounding Arab/Muslim nations? Will
she perhaps even oppress them, to the point that they will
begin to hate her very presence in the Middle East, just as
some of them had previously loathed Saddam Hussein? Will
they begin to hate "New Babylon" the whore?
Allow me to also remind you that when America arrives bearing
gifts, those gifts include some things which strict Muslims
consider offensive, as well as contrary to Islamic law, such
as drinking alcoholic beverages, the emancipation of women,
sexual immorality, etc. Is it possible that "New Babylon's"
spiritual degradation, and negative influence on neighboring
Muslim countries, will cause her to be despised by them, to
the point that they will wish to see her destroyed? Taking
this thought even further, is it possible that a leader will
arise, who will possess sufficient power, and charisma, so
that he will be able to convince ten of these countries to
temporarily join him, in order to bring "New Babylon" to her
knees via nuclear fire, exactly as John seems to describe it
in the Book of Revelation?
If you've already read my article on Babylon the Great, then
you will already know that some of the ideas I have proposed
here, run contrary to some of the views which I express in
that article. Please understand that none of this is written
in stone; and I am not definitively saying that this is what
is going to happen. I am merely posing some theories, based
upon what we see occurring in Iraq at this current time. As
I have told my readers before, until the Endtime prophecies
actually play themselves out, we honestly don't know. We can
theorize all we want; and offer our personal speculations;
but when these events described by the Apostle John actually
occur, then we will finally know without a doubt which is the
correct interpretation. Everything will be made plain to us
in God's perfect time.
By exercising a degree of speculation here, I am not throwing
out everything that I said in the aforementioned article; I'm
merely leaving open the window of possibilities. As you may
recall, I offered several different possibilities in my other
article, and I then informed you which of them seemed to make
the most sense to me, based upon my understanding of God's
Word. What I am doing now, is showing you how one of those
other possibilities, that is, Baghdad possibly being Babylon,
might have more relevance now, given the developing situation
in Iraq. We simply cannot put God, or His Word, in a box, and
say "This is it. There are no other choices or possibilities".
So, maybe Jerusalem really is the spiritual Babylon as I
suggest in that article; or maybe I was off the mark and the
real Endtime Babylon will be Baghdad, with the possible new
name of "New Babylon". Or maybe it is neither one of them. As
I point out in that article, some people are convinced that
it is New York City, while others are convinced that it is
Rome. In different ways, all four of these cities partially
fit the Biblical description of Babylon the Great; but in
reality, none of them fulfill every single requirement; at
least not at this time, in my view.
So that is it. That is an up-to-the-minute update regarding
my current views on the war in Iraq, the capture of Saddam
Hussein, and the possible identity of the mysterious Babylon
the Great of the Book of Revelation. I hope that you enjoyed
it, and that you have learned something from it. God remains
in absolute control, as He always has been. Regardless of
what man may do, or not do, God's Plan for humanity will be
fulfilled. Each piece of the puzzle will fall into its proper
place in God's time. As I stated earlier, whether they be
good or evil, whether they be just or unjust, whether they be
righteous or unrighteous, it is God who sets up leaders, and
it is God who places desires in their hearts, in order that
they might fulfill His Divine Will. As the Scriptures state:
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."
Proverbs 21:1, KJV
And please remember that just because a leader is permitted
to come to power, does not necessarily mean that he is good.
God allowed a Pharaoh to come to power in Egypt who knew not
Joseph. He was an evil ruler who afflicted the children of
Israel; yet all of these events occurred by Divine Will. God
hardened Pharaoh's heart time and time again, in order that
His Might could eventually be manifested through the Plagues
and the Hebrew's liberation from bondage. In similar fashion,
we may not like or agree with what Bush has done, but we must
recognize that God has apparently allowed it for some reason.
Only time will reveal God's reasons for allowing the capture
of Saddam Hussein, and the fall of his Baathist regime. As I
have speculated here, perhaps from the ashes of tyranny, will
arise the "New Babylon". We shall see.
So as Christians, what is our place in all of this? Simply
put, it is our responsibility, as Jesus said, to be alert,
to pray, and to watch for the day of our Redemption, when
the Lord will return in the clouds of heaven, with great
power and glory, in order to call His children home. If we
are watching and praying, and not falling asleep, or being
deceived by the lies of the world, then by God's Grace, we
will hopefully begin to see, and to understand, when these
things begin to happen before our very eyes. It is also our
responsibility to remain faithful witnesses of the truth to
others for as long as we can. As the final events of the
Endtime begin to unfold upon the Earth, we cannot cower in
fear, and hide our lights under a bushel. As I point out
in "Are You A Burning Ember For The Lord?", it is our duty
to shine brightly, as spiritual darkness overcomes this
tired, old, sin-laden world. As Jesus said:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16, KJV
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come." Matthew 24:14, KJV
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall
the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of
his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38, KJV
My prayer, as it has always been, is that the Lord's Return
will occur in my lifetime; and I am sure that your prayer is
the same. May God bless you with the truth; and I know that
He will, if you truly seek it, and desire it, with all your
heart. I pray that this series has been a blessing, as well
as an enlightenment, to many.