Iraq: Bible's End-Time Prophecies True?
By Cathryn Conroy, Netscape News Editor
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind." Revelation 9:13-16
The Rev. Irvin Baxter, who lives in Richmond, Ind., and works as the pastor of Oak Park Church and the editor of Endtime magazine, told The Associated Press that he's "75 to 80 percent sure" this description from the ninth chapter of the New Testament's Book of Revelation is a description of the pending war in Iraq. He believes this war is the sixth trumpet. He believes it foretells a nuclear holocaust that will kill one third of the people on Earth. He believes this is the end-time. Is this what Jesus looked like? Using a computer and information about the time period, this image developed. And it's unlike anything ever before published. Here are two clues from the Book of Revelation that lead some people to think this is the end-time:
Euphrates River
The Euphrates River runs through Iraq, just miles from Baghdad. Not only is it referenced in the ninth chapter quoted above, but also later in Revelation. The bowl contains God's anger: The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east. Revelation: 16:12
Destroyer=Saddam
They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. Revelation 9:11
If the numbers of this chapter and verse aren't enough to give you the shivers, try this: Both the Hebrew "Abaddon" and the Greek "Apollyon" mean "destroyer," which is also one of the meanings of the name "Saddam." You won't believe how much a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible sold for! Not all theologians and biblical scholars agree the end-time is near. One such person is Craig C. Hill, a professor of the New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. and the author of "In God's Time: The Bible and the Future." He told The Post that apocalyptic thinking is a fatalistic worldview that prevents people from enjoying the life they have now. It also makes them become "morally complacent," he said. This Bible has traveled around the world for 34 years. Find out why. |
