Is the U.S.-Led War in Iraq Prophetically Significant?
Answer: Hopefully not in a bad way.
Modern-day Iraq is located
where the ancient Babylonian Empire once ruled over the much of
the Mid-East. Under King Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldeans laid siege
to Jerusalem around 600 B.C., destroying Solomon's temple along
with the rest of the city. That area of the world has played a central
role in Biblical history and prophecy from the earliest times. The
Garden of Eden was described as being situated between the Tigris
(Hiddekel) and Euphrates Rivers; and, Abraham and his family originated
in the mountainous region (Ur). Babylon was one of a series of kingdoms
that Daniel, Habakkuk and others prophesied would be used by God
to judge Israel.1 Revelation speaks of the Euphrates
River drying up to prepare the way for the final destruction of
Jerusalem under Antichrist.2 Jerusalem, under
Antichrist, is referred to as Mystery Babylon The Great.
3
Abraham left Babylonia for the land of Canaan where God promised to bless his children forever. By carrying out the letter of the Law of Moses instead of embracing faith, mercy, and compassion, Abraham's children became idolaters. Their religious leaders failed to reveal God's compassion and mercy; thus, Israel did not truly come to know God. According to Jeremiah, God would use Babylon to judge Israel and then he would judge all nations because they have all chosen circumcision of the flesh over circumcision of the heart (i.e., chose to judge one another according to religious laws and ordinances instead of having compassion and mercy, which is righteous judgment).4 He wrote:
But let him that glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord which exercises loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight says the Lord. Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will punish all them that are circumcised with the uncircumcised … for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in the heart.
Jesus and the prophets taught that, in the end, the Lord will invite into his kingdom both bad and good people, including many who the world's religious leaders have judged as sinners.5 Though not necessarily religious, they have done the will of God by showing compassion for one another as God did for Israel.6 They are the true spiritual children of Abraham.
By giving its people religious freedom, guaranteeing basic civil rights, and providing for the poor, America has been a good example to the rest of the world. We must, however, guard against any erosion of the separation between church and state and merging of religious movements with political power. To continue to prosper as a nation, we must remain a beacon of mercy, forgiveness, and compassion toward friend and foe alike. Whenever we are engaged in the Middle East, our actions must be truly for the good of all. Hopefully, as was the case in WWII, the current military campaign involving the United States and its allies will yield a lasting peace worldwide. Such a result could foreshadow the fulfillment of the coming together of Arabs and Jews as Isaiah prophesied: Blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.7
References
1 Including Persia, Greece, and the kingdom of the Antichrist (See, e.g., Dan 8:20-25)
2 Rev 16:12; See: Isaiah Chapter 13
3 Revelation, Chapters 17, 18. Note: Rome is commonly considered the place where Antichrist will reside. Early Christians, persecuted by Rome and religious leaders in Jerusalem, had good reason not to identify either city as the seat of Antichrist. Revelation, however, alludes to Jerusalem as the focal point of the final plagues. It naturally follows that war between the religious leaders of Israel and God's servants culminates under a Jewish religious leader as Antichrist ruling the world from Jerusalem.
4 Jer 9:24-26
5 Mt 21:31-44; 22:1-14; Is 49:20-23; 66:1-5
6 Lk 14:16-24
7 Is 19:23-25 |
