Posted on 03/19/2003 10:34:19 AM PST by JudgeAmint
I pray that the Iraqi military commanders will disobey their orders to use Chemical/Biological weapons. We need to pray for our military's Divine protection. This could be a very costly war.
Biological weapons are a terrifying element to defend against. The weather plays a critical role in this. If it is unseasonably hot, soldiers could collapse from heat exhaustion inside their protective suits.
If the winds change, other severe problems are presented. The latest intelligence reports that the Republican Guards in southern Iraq have already deployed chemical artillery shells.
Israel is preparing for the worst. Some believe that Saddam will hit Israel before the US strikes. He believes that if he can draw Israel into the war, other Arab nations will jump to his rescue.
Command centers have been moved into bomb shelters. Hospitals have been fortified and put on wartime alert. Reserve military personnel have been called to duty - especially those who are in the Air Force.
Prime Minister Sharon has vowed that his Air Force will retaliate if Iraq sends missiles carrying biological or chemical weapons upon Israel.
There is one squadron already loaded with neutron bombs according to my intelligence sources. Only God knows exactly how this war will be fought. But I am sure we will win.
The biggest question on my mind is how does this all fit into the Prophetic scenario of the last days?
I remember when I was in Dallas Theological Seminary in 1960. I heard Hebrew scholar, Dr. Merrill Unger, give an unusual interpretation of the prophecy in Zechariah chapter 5.
I never forgot it. It deals with Iraq in the end time.
Let me quote the prophecy and then interpret it.
"Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and said to me, 'Lift up now your eyes, and see what this is, going forth.' And I said, 'What is it?' And he said, 'This is the Ephah going forth.' Again he said, 'This is their appearance in all the earth.' And behold, a lead cover was lifted up; and this is a woman sitting inside the Ephah.' Then he said, 'This is Wickedness!' And he threw her down into the middle of the Ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening. Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the Ephah between the earth and the heavens. And I said to the angel who was speaking with me, 'Where are they taking the Ephah?' Then he said to me, 'To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.'" (Zechariah 5:5-11)
An 'Ephah' was a basket that was the standard unit of measurement for the ancient Middle East. It is used here has a symbol for economics and commerce. The woman being held against her will is called 'wickedness'.
Dr. Unger believed that she is associated with the 'woman' that is called Mystery Babylon in Revelation chapter 17.
The 'woman' is forcefully transported by economics to the plains of Shinar, which is in modern Iraq. I believe that this prophecy indicates that Iraq, which is ancient Babylon, will be rebuilt by the US and the West to become a major world economic center.
There are a number of prophecies about the end times that predict a major place for Babylon in the final conflict before the Lord Jesus returns.
Apparently, the religious seat of Mystery Babylon will be in Rome. But according to Zechariah, the commercial center will be based in Iraq.
I believe that what is about to take place is setting all of this up. The interesting thing is this: though the United States will cause Iraq to be revived and prosper, this war may cause the beginning of the United States' decline.
Power must soon shift to Europe and the revived Roman culture and people. I believe we are drawing to the close of this age.
Jesus Christ will soon call his own up to meet Him. So lets make our time here count. Lets seek to bring as many as possible to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
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Wolf! Wolf!
I take it you have heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? And furthermore, that you recognize its application to "prophecy" experts like Hal Lindsey whose theology demands that every major world event is the fulfilment of the same few obscure Bible passages, and who are consistently wrong?
My prophetic prediction is that John Walvoord's book Armageddon, Oil, and the Middle East Crisis will sell a few more million copies.
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