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Saddam Hussein Was he the modern "King" of Babylon? Did he fulfil an ancient Bible prophecy? By Ken Raggio Apparently there were virtually NO dissenting votes! Everyone was afraid that a "no" vote would spell calamity for the voter -- loss of food rations, government harassment, and possible jeopardy of life. Of 7.5 million voters, not one dared speak publicly against Hussein. Some reports say that Saddam has killed millions of his citizens in terrifying purges of his opposition, burying hundreds of thousands at a time in mass graves - many of them BURIED ALIVE! He has used both chemical and biological weapons against his own citizens in efforts to maintain his despotic control of the country. Who was this infamous, powerful man... ...who brazenly defied all the world, and struck fear in the hearts of those he ruled? Hamid Youssef Hammadi, the
Iraqi information minister is quoted as saying, "Saddam Hussein is a
national hero. America had Abraham Lincoln, France had Napoleon and De
Gaulle, and Egypt had Nasser. In America, you may not like Saddam, but
he is a hero here. Saddam is the centerpiece of a "brazen personality
cult." Was he the modern-day equivalent of King Nebuchadnezzar? "Nowhere is that more visible than in Babylon, where the Iraqi leader is cast as the modern-day equivalent of King Nebuchadnezzar, the warrior and builder who came to power in 605 BC at the tender age of 25. Hussein, who helped stage a coup at age 31, restored part of Nebuchadnezzar's 600-room palace. Placed atop some of the original bricks, marked with Nebuchadnezzar's name, are others that declare, "In the era of Saddam Hussein, protector of Iraq, who rebuilt the Royal Palace." A palace tour guide said, "Nebuchadnezzar was a man of war and peace, just as Saddam Hussein is. That's why people love him." Babylon - Babel revisited
The western world, due to its Judeo-Christian orientation, remembers Babylon best for its role in capturing and destroying the nation of Israel in the seventh century BC. It was the captive home of Daniel and the three Hebrew children.
Babylon was been resurrected in our time Charles Dyer, author of "The Rise of Babylon" documents a fascinating event that took place in 1988 on the actual site of the ancient city of Babylon. It is a tale of intrigue. "It is a cloudless September night, and the moon casts its shining image on the banks of the gentle Euphrates River. Thousands of guests and dignitaries walk by torch light to Babylon’s Procession Street and enter the city from the north.
When the audience is in place, the dark-eyed man in charge nods, and the procession begins. Rows and rows of soldiers parade in, dressed in Babylonian tunics and carrying swords, spears and shields march through the Ishtar Gate. Interspersed among the ranks of soldiers are groups of musicians playing harps, horns and drums. Clusters of children carry palm branches, and runners bear bowls of incense. Then come soldiers and still more soldiers in a seemingly endless line of men and weapons. After the procession, the guests attend a ceremony paying tribute to Ishtar, the mother goddess of Babylon." The director of that event, the International Babylon Festival, was none other than Saddam Hussein. He was celebrating the revival of the city from ancient times. By 1990, over sixty million bricks inscribed with Hussein’s name were on top of the very bricks that Nebuchadnezzar had laid. Risen to Fall Again In the days of the prophet Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of an image whose head was of gold. Daniel interpreted the dream. It depicted the progression of world empires beginning with Babylon to the end of an age. In the end of time, Daniel saw that the Kingdom of God would crush all these man-made empires: "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold," (Daniel 2:45.) There is much about Babylon and its role in Bible prophecy. Babylon in the Scriptures comes to represent much more than merely the city of Babylon. Babylon grew over the centuries to represent an entire world system, as well as an evil religious system ("Mystery Babylon"). See separate articles on this website that explain who "Mystery Babylon" is at What is Mystery Babylon? There are many other prophecies that apply to those representations. The focus of this article is to point specific Bible prophecies at the actual City of Babylon. The King of Babylon again oppresses Israel No other king ever captured and destroyed the nation of Israel except Nebuchadnezzar. Saddam Hussein, perceiving himself as the new King of Babylon, and self-appointed leader of the Arab world, intended to capture and destroy Israel again. His ventures into Kuwait prior to the Gulf War were only his first adventures in rebuilding the entire ancient Babylonian empire, which would have included Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and ISRAEL! The City of Babylon will again be destroyed Even though Babylon has lain in ruins for many centuries now, certain Bible prophecies concerning her destruction have not yet been fulfilled. Isaiah 13:19 says, "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." Isaiah’s "burden" for Babylon, in chapter thirteen also included a terse warning: "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty," (verse six). God promised Israel that they would someday take up this taunt against the King of Babylon (Saddam Hussein?), "How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!" (Isaiah 14:4.) Here, the utter destruction of
the city of Babylon is likened unto Revelation 18:21-23 tells of the future and utter annihilation of the City of Babylon, "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: Is it possible that this scripture could be fulfilled BOTH in the geographical city of Babylon, Iraq AND in Mystery Babylon - ROME, for the simple reason that God often uses shadow AND substance, typology and real-time fulfillment? Just as God's actions in the Old Testament Tabernacle foreshadowed His actions in the New Testament Church, I believe that it is possible that God's actions in the geographical city of Babylon, Iraq could foreshadow His actions in Mystery Babylon, ROME. News reports in late October 2000 declared that Iraq had subscribed over one million volunteers to mobilize in ground warfare against Israel. Prime Minister Barak of Israel announced to the Knesset in early November 2000 that he was prepared to use nuclear force against Iraq if necessary. If such an event ever takes place, every thing Saddam rebuilt could suddenly be reduced to a rubble of contaminated ashes that no one could even go near for thousands of years. ADDENDUM: Since this article was originally written long before Saddam was deposed, many more significant things have happened in Iraq. The most interesting thing about this entire scenario is that the Sixth Trumpet war of Revelation 9:13-21 EMANATES from the Euphrates River! The United States and its coalition forces, at this time has over 150,000 troops along the Euphrates River, fighting the war on terrorism in Iraq. The Bible foretells a world war escalating from this region that will kill ONE-THIRD of mankind. That will be TWO BILLION DEATHS! The antichrist will rise soon after that, and issue the mark of the beast. Since Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon and most of the other Arab/Muslim states are now embroiled in the war against the West, and especially against Israel, we can easily see prophecy being fulfilled. With President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran threatening to "wipe Israel off the face of the map," the nuclear threat is quickly escalating. The very interesting twist of this all is that the Bible teaches, in Ezekiel 38 that RUSSIA (as Gog and Magog) will be the GUARDIAN of IRAN, and will come against ISRAEL! This is ACTUALLY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. The further prophecies of the very, very end, when the SEVEN VIALS of God's wrath are described, speaks of the KINGS OF THE EAST coming against ISRAEL. If you will look at a large map of the Middle East with Asia, you will see that the Kings of the East are: IRAN, RUSSIA, CHINA, PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, and other. All these nations are already complicit in nuclear weapons development. IRAN and PAKISTAN have both received nuclear weapons aid from Russia, China, Pakistan and North Korea. I believe that the worst war in the history of the world is about to be fought in that region. The Bible declares it. Babylon is going to be left in massive ruin. And that will happen BEFORE Jesus Christ returns! We are most certainly in biblical times. The events we are witnessing are far more dramatic than any of the Old Testament stories. The meaning? We are living in the end times. Better get ready to meet God! See my article: Man's Need for Salvation I am continually writing new content for this site. Please return often for more material, and tell your friends about www.kenraggio.com , too! THANKS! And God bless you! Ken Raggio 
Click here for BOOKS and VIDEOS by Ken Raggio ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY KEN RAGGIO, Copyright 1988-2008 Articles may not be republished on the Internet without express permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Thanks for coming by! |
The 
History, both Biblical and
secular, record ancient Babylon as the seat of the most powerful empire
in the world of its day.
Babylon
is also famous for being located in the same location as
the ancient Tower of Babel. Nimrod built the first kingdom
recorded in the Bible. He was a mighty man - a warrior and a
tyrant. Babel and Babylon are synonymous with
everything sinful and rebellious against God and His kingdom. God came
down and confused their tongues and they "left off" building the tower.
Instructed to line the streets
along the massive walls, the guests obediently follow orders.