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THE BIBLE'S AMAZING ENDTIME PROPHECY ABOUT IRAQ
It has become glaringly self evident that people everywhere are looking at the world much differently than they did just a few years ago, and all around us questions are being raised about what the future is going to bring. There can be little doubt that recent world events are stimulating a great many people's interest in end-time Bible prophecy. No longer is talk about the end of the world a subject that's considered to be strictly the conversation topic of religious fanatics. For example:
On July 1, 2002 Time Magazine ran a cover article entitled "WHY MORE AMERICANS ARE READING AND TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD", and a TIME/CNN poll taken since 9-11 found that:
- 35% of Americans are paying more attention now to how the news might relate to the end of the world
- 17% believe that the end of the world will happen in their lifetime
- 59% are openly admitting that they believe the prophecies of the Book of Revelation WILL come true!
A whole lot of people today, even those who really are not all that familiar with Bible prophecy, are nevertheless becoming increasingly aware that events the Bible predicted thousands of years ago are beginning to parallel the trend of present world events ..... and one of those Bible predictions concerns the end time prophecies about Iraq, home of the ancient city of Babylon.
Why is Iraq suddenly appearing almost nightly in the world news? Who could have possibly believed that Iraq, the land of ancient Babylon, would move to the center stage of important global events?
That, however, is exactly what the Bible said would happen in the days just prior to the end of the age, and the return of Christ.
The importance of Iraq in the end times should not be overlooked by anyone who is interested in what the Bible says about the close of this age. We can begin to see and understand the significance of what's happening now in Iraq when we read and grasp the important prophecies that have been made about it in the Bible.
For instance, two entire chapters in the Old Testament and two in the New Testament are totally devoted to a discussion of the part it is going to play in last day events on planet earth. Jeremiah 50 and 51 and Revelation 17 and 18 are both completely given over to prophecies about Iraq. For the Bible to give over four entire chapters about any one nation other than Israel is a startling fact in itself.. The birthplace of human civilization was the land of ancient Babylon (Genesis 11:1-4, 9), presently known as Iraq, and according to the Bible, destined to be …. the last place that will be destroyed when mankind's final doom takes place. Jeremiah 25:26
We're also warned that it will become a place of outstanding evil in the endtime. (Zech. 5:5-11) and a place where the blood of many Christians will be shed.
In order to better understand the Bible's prophecies about Babylon (Iraq) we first need to journey back in time some 2500 years and view Babylon, not as we see it today, but as it once was …the greatest kingdom of the ancient world! Located on the banks of the mighty Euphrates River, it was the crossroads of antiquity, a city of wealth, splendor and power almost beyond imagination. The findings of modern day archaeologists combined with the writings of Herodotus (who lived during the Zenith of Babylon's power) permit us to get some idea of many of its almost unbelievable features.
The city had been built astride the waters of the broad Euphrates River. Thus it was furnished with water for irrigation, and a source of drinking water in case of a siege. Completely surrounding its fifteen square mile perimeter, there towered an incredibly high wall that measured eighty-seven feet across its top; a space wide enough for several chariots to race side by side along its sprawling surface. To further fortify this massive barrier it was penetrated by one-hundred enormous gates, each made of solid bronze.
Two further precautions had also been taken to discourage any would-be attackers. First, another gigantic wall had been constructed a short distance inside the environs of the outer wall. This had been done so that anyone who might somehow succeed in climbing over the first wall would then have to cross the space between both walls, and in doing so would become an easy target for archers. In addition to that, others kept huge cauldrons of boiling liquid ready both day and night to pour down upon the heads of any who would dare to attempt to scale the inner wall.
Secondly, the entire city was encircled by a deep, water-filled moat. It's not difficult to see why Babylon was considered to be one city that could never be conquered.
Staunch fortifications, however, were not Babylon's only impressive features. Inside its walls resided the famed "Hanging Gardens". Nebuchadnezzar's Median Queen, the daughter of Xerxes, had become homesick for the mountains of her homeland. So, in order to please her, Nebuchadnezzar had constructed an enchanting artificial mountain that could be seen from fifty miles away. Magnificent towering structures were erected in the shape of perfectly ascending terraces. These man-made mountains rose to a staggering three-hundred and fifty feet in height, and were artistically landscaped with lush tropical plants, swaying palms, and an array of fragrant blossoms. Cascading waterfalls tumbled from its lofty heights, and among the dense ferns below there nestled beautiful pools of sparkling clear water. Within the terraces themselves lavish apartments had been constructed, each one surrounded by skillfully built walkways and fountains. It was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world.
One hundred years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Herodotus, the ancient historian, visited Babylon. In his writings he related that never in his entire lifetime had he ever seen such an abundance of gold!
One reason for his statement was the famed Temple of Belus, said to have been one of the most hallowed sanctuaries in the entire Euphrates valley. It was built of dazzling white marble and perched atop 150 colossal columns. The highly respected apologist Archibald Alexander, former professor at Princeton, once described it in these words:
"As far as the light of history reaches, among all the structures ever reared by the hands of men, the temple of Belus seems to have been the most elevated. This temple was probably built on the foundation of the tower of Babel, and according to the lowest computation, was higher than the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids. The highest mound now among the ruins is supposed, by discerning travelers, to be on the site of this famous temple. This ruin covers more ground than the temple did when standing. It has, says Mignan, the appearance of a hill surmounted with a castle. This hill is called by the Arabs Virs Nimrud. Of this vast ruin, Sir Robert Ken Porter has given a very particular and interesting account. On the summit of the hill are immense fragments of brick work, of no determinate figures, tumbled together, and converted into vitreous masses. Some of these huge fragments measure TWELVE FEET IN HEIGHT BY TWENTY-FOUR FEET IN CIRCUMFERENCE: these fragments have been entirely preserved while everything else crumbled to dust …"
This fabulous pagan shrine was literally a storehouse of incredible treasures. In it there stood an eighteen foot statue of a human figure and a sacred table forty feet long and fifteen feet high. Both were constructed of gold. Nearby, and occupying the center of attention, there towered an enormous forty foot golden idol of Bel. These three objects alone are said to have weighed NO LESS THAN 5,000 POUNDS? Their value must have been staggering!
But at least three other articles were also known to have been kept there: two lions of gold, and a magnificent gold image of the goddess Ishtar.
It's not hard to understand why Babylon was known in the ancient world as the Golden city, nor why in Daniel's vision it was portrayed as a head of gold.
It was against this mighty world power that three Bible prophets uttered solemn words of doom; Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Each predicted warnings, saying that Babylon would be completely and utterly overthrown. Her seemingly impregnable walls would be torn down, her treasures would be looted, and the city itself would eventually be abandoned to wild animals. Their prophecies must have seemed ridiculous in view of the astounding power and strength wielded by the empire. But … But each of their predictions was meticulously fulfilled … precisely as the prophets had recorded them in their writings.
HERE IS HOW THOSE FULFILLMENTS CAME TO PASS
In the eighth century B.C. the prophet Isaiah said that God had revealed to him a series of events that Babylon was destined to experience. He began by prophesying that the day would come when Babylon would invade his own homeland and totally crush its capital city of Jerusalem. At the time when he prophesied Babylon had not yet become the dominant power in the East, in fact, she was still a second rate power, and was merely a satellite of the powerful and ruthless Assyrian empire. One hundred years would pass before Babylon would rise to prominence and throw off the yoke of the Assyrians, and then, just as Isaiah had prophesied, the land of Judah was overthrown by the invading Babylonian army, and Jerusalem was destroyed.
But there's still more to this remarkable prophecy of Isaiah.
HOW CYRUS CONQUERED THE FORTRESS CITY OF BABYLON
The exact details of how Cyrus managed to overcome the powerful fortress of Babylon is one of history's most captivating stories. It all began when Cyrus ordered his armies to surround the city and dig a trench completely around its perimeter. His next move was to challenge the ruler of Babylon to meet him in personal combat, the outcome to decide the fate of the war. His challenge, however, was declined, nor did the once bold army of Babylon come forth to drive off the Persian invaders. To a man, they all remained securely protected behind the walls of their fortress. This too was in fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy which said "The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight. They have remained in their holds. Their might hath failed, they became as women." And, "they remained in their holds and the hands of the king of Babylon waxed feeble."
Cyrus, finding the city's walled fortification well nigh impossible to breach, set out to find some alternate plan. He saw that Babylon sat directly astride the Euphrates River, but the river entrance was completely blocked by a great two-leaved gate. This barrier stretched all the way across the water and its iron bars effectively prevented anyone from gaining access by traveling upriver or down. Assessing the situation further, Cyrus discovered an old, dried up riverbed that had once been used to divert the waters of the river around one side of Babylon into a former lake bed which was now a shallow swamp. The Babylonians had dug these excavations to allow them to build their city across the main channel of the river. For many years the lake and riverbed had been abandoned and forgotten. Seeing the possibilities, Cyrus contrived an ingenious strategy for gaining entrance to the incredibly well fortified city.
Putting thousands of men to work, he ordered the old clogged riverbed cleared, and a dam constructed across the main channel of the Euphrates River. This was all done far enough away from the city that the Babylonians couldn't see what was taking place. Cyrus then ordered that the siege trench, formerly dug by his troops, be connected to the old riverbed by means of a specially dug channel. Finally, all was in readiness.
HISTORY'S WILDEST PARTY
The brilliant strategist was now ready to spring his trap. Openly he withdrew his troops from around the city so that battalion after battalion could be plainly seen marching over the horizon. At last the formerly occupied ground stood completely empty; not one soldier was to be seen anywhere.
Observing the withdrawal, Belshazzar ruler of Babylon, assumed that Cyrus had given up on the siege and was returning home. The King's relief was so great that heat once began to make plans for a gala celebration. One thousand invitations were dispatched to the lords and noblemen of his realm, and lavish preparations were set in motion for what was to become the most unforgettable party in all human history.
The festive day dawned and excitement ran high! As the bands began to play great crowds started to gather near the palace to see the prominent guests arrive. From all across the great city the nobles and their ladies came, riding in their jeweled chariots and garbed in their richly costumed finery. Loud music could be heard coming from the banquet hall as one by one the celebrities disembarked to enter the immense banquet hall. The shadows soon lengthened, and the orgy began.
Meanwhile, under cover of darkness Cyrus troops began their stealthy return. Soon the command was issued to seal shut the locks of the dam diverting tons and tons of water from the Euphrates main channel, funneling it into the reopened riverbed that led to the empty lake bed. Steadily the water level in the main channel of the Euphrates began dropping until at last Cyrus' troops were able to enter the channel and silently make their way toward the huge two-leaved gate that protected the entrance to the city.
When at last the Persian army reached the huge gates they were totally shocked at what they found! The mighty gates that guarded the entrance were standing WIDE OPEN! Nothing barred their way into Babylon! It was just as the ancient Bible prophecy said it would be: "I will … open before him the two leaved gates; AND THE GATES SHALL NOT BE SHUT."
The guards who were responsible to see that the gates were safely closed were found totally intoxicated as was the partying populace of the city. No word of alarm was ever sounded. The mighty impregnable city "the city that could never be conquered" was captured with ease in a single night! Even the Palace Guards were found in a drunken stupor and were quickly dispatched. Soon the banquet hall's doors burst wide open and the shouting bloodthirsty warriors were unleashed among the startled, drunken revelers. Blades flashed, battle axes crunched, arrows hissed and the agonized cries of the dying filled the night air.
The Bible simply concludes the story with these words, "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Mead took the kingdom…"
In the prophecy we are about to look at now the doom of mighty Babylon is foretold and it even names the man that would be instrumental in her overthrow. The prophecy was made some two- Hundred years before Cyrus --- ruler of Persia --- was was even born!
"Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken into the ground … Who saith to the deep, "Be dry," and "I will dry up thy rivers." Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to CYRUS, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him. " And I will loose the loins of kings TO OPEN BEFORE HIM THE TWO LEAVED GATE, and THE GATE SHALL NOT BE SHUT. I will go before thee, and make the crooked place straight. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut in sunder the bars of iron … that thou mayest know that I the Lord Who call thee by name am the God of Israel … I have called thee by name. I have surnamed thee, even though thou hast not known Me."
An ancient legend that is handed down relates that when Cyrus conquered Babylon, Zerubbabel, a Jewish leader, went to the palace of Cyrus and showed him in the Scrolls of Scripture how God foretold his name and victory two centuries in advance! After having the prophecy examined, Cyrus was so amazed that he signed a decree freeing all captive Jews to return home to Israel to rebuild their fallen city and their temple.
This astonishingly gracious act by Cyrus also reveals that the hand of God is definitely inspiring the words of the Bible. Why? Because in Isaiah 44:28 we read: "He (King Cyrus) is my shepherd, and shall perform my pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, THOU SHALT BE BUILT, and to the temple, THY FOUNDATION SHALL BE LAID." These words were penned two hundred years before Cyrus birth. How could Isaiah have predicted that Cyrus would issue two such decrees centuries beforehand? There can be but one answer … THE BIBLE IS NO ORDINARY BOOK; IT IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF THE ALMIGHTY.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE PROPHECY ABOUT IRAQ? WHAT PART WILL IRAQ PLAY IN OUR OWN DAY? THAT FASCINATING PROPHECY WILL BE DEALT WITH IN THE NEXT ISSUE THAT WILL FOLLOW IN A FEW DAYS.
THAT FASCINATING PROPHECY IS DEALT WITH IN THE ARTICLE ENTITLED “WILL THE ISLAMIC NATIONS UNITE, ATTACK ISRAEL AND IGNITE WORLD WAR III?”
Posted by cdrnorth at May 24, 2006 10:27 AM