Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
April 22, 1997
Last Updated :
January 3, 2009
NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.
The Bottomless Pit, Death And The Resurrection, King
Nebuchadnezzar And The Image Of The Beast, The Abomination
Of Desolation, And The Egocentricity Of Saddam Hussein
Thus far in this series I have presented a preponderance of
evidence which, in my view, strongly suggests that the final
eighth king of the Book of Revelation, known as the Beast,
or as the 'little horn' and the 'king of the north' in the
prophecies of Daniel, may arise out of either Syria, or else
out of Iraq. As additional indicators that Assad of Syria,
or Hussein of Iraq, or possibly one of their successors, may
be the Beast, I would now like you to consider the following
evidence I came across while studying the Scriptures. In
some of the earlier verses I shared from the Book of
Revelation, we read the following:
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and
they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the
world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and
yet is." (Revelation 17:8)
Exactly what is meant by '...and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit...'? While quite a variety of interpretations
have been used to try to explain this phrase, I believe the
proper meaning is really quite simple and can be found by
comparing Scripture with Scripture. This phrase 'bottomless
pit' is derived from the Greek word 'abussos' which means
'bottomless, unbounded, pit, the immeasurable depth'. As you
will notice, it is from this Greek word that we get our
English word 'abyss'. The Greek lexicon also states the
following regarding 'abussos':
----- Begin Quote -----
"A very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the Earth
used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as
the abode of demons."
----- End Of Quote -----
In my article entitled 'Hell And The Lake Of Fire, Part
One', I go into a lengthy discourse concerning the meanings
and applications of the word 'hell' as found in both the Old
and New Testaments. As I explained in that article, in the
Old Testament, the word 'hell' is transliterated thirty-one
times from the Hebrew word 'sheol'. Another thirty-one
times, 'sheol' is translated as 'grave'. Additionally,
'sheol' is translated three times as 'pit'. In short,
'hell', or 'sheol' refers to the insides of the Earth, the
bowels of the Earth, the common grave where all mortal flesh
will end up unless it is cremated. It also denotes the
spiritual underworld of the dead where the wicked are
kept, a multi-tiered prison or dungeon or sorts. In the
New Testament, the Greek word 'hades' is used to denote the
very same thing. I encourage you to read the aforementioned
article to obtain a deeper and fuller understanding of the
word 'hell' as it is used in the Scriptures.
So then, based on these explanations, it is my view that the
'bottomless pit' refers to the very same thing as 'sheol',
or the 'hell' of the Old Testament, and 'hades', or the
'hell' of the New Testament. In fact, there is another very
interesting verse in the Old Testament which adds even
further weight to this understanding. In a physical sense, a
'bottomless pit' would be one which has no end as you would
never reach the bottom of it. If such a pit could really be
dug or created, then it could NEVER be filled up because it
has no bottom to it. This is exactly what we are told in the
Book of Proverbs concerning hell. Hell, or the 'bottomless
pit', the common grave, is NEVER full!:
"Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are
never satisfied." (Proverbs 27:20)
The insides of the Earth are so huge, that even if you were
to take everyone who has ever died since the world began,
they would still not fill up hell; thus it truly is a
'bottomless pit'! In the previous verse, the word 'hell' is
derived from 'sheol', and the word 'destruction' is derived
from the Hebrew 'abaddown' or 'Abaddon' which is a place of
destruction or ruin. What this verse is referring to is the
destruction, corruption, or decay of the human flesh in the
grave. In the New Testament, the Greek words used are
'phthora' and 'diaphthora' which also mean 'corruption,
destruction or perishing'. This destruction or decay of the
human flesh is clearly evident in such verses as the
following where Peter is discussing the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ, whose mortal body did not undergo decay, or
corruption:
"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad;
moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt
not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine
Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the
ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you
of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and
his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this
before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul
was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
(Acts 2:26-31)
The Apostle Paul wrote extensively concerning the fact that
those who place their hope in Jesus Christ will inherit the
Divine Nature, that is, a new Resurrected Body which will
not experience decay:
"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God." (Romans 8:21)
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption:...Now this I say,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I
shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put
on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
(1 Corinthians 15:50-55)
The Apostle Peter likewise touched on this topic in the
following verse from his second Epistle:
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust." (2 Peter 1:4)
In the Old Testament, we find some of the most famous words
regarding the coming Resurrection of the dead spoken by Job
as he praises the Lord despite the fact that he is sitting
in the midst of his suffering covered with boils:
"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and
not another; though my reins be consumed within me."
(Job 19:25-27)
Returning to the Book of Proverbs for a moment, we find
another very interesting verse which shows this connection
between the grave, hell, and the 'bottomless pit':
"Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as
those that go down into the pit:" (Proverbs 1:12)
In the above verse, the word 'grave' is derived from the
Hebrew 'sheol', and the word 'pit' is derived from the
Hebrew word 'bowr' which means 'pit or dungeon'. Remember
that I also said that 'hell' refers to the spiritual abode
or dungeon of the wicked within the bowels of the Earth. Now
this is where we find some very interesting connections
between Satan and some of these ancient empires and their
leaders. If you have read my article 'Satan: King Of Tyrus,
King Of Empires Part One', then you may already understand
what I am about to explain. In Isaiah chapter fourteen we
have a very interesting prophecy against Nebuchadnezzar, the
king of Babylon. In part, this prophecy states:
"That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of
Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden
city ceased!...Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet
thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even
all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from
their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall
speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we?
art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to
the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread
under thee, and the worms cover thee." (Isaiah 14:4, 9-11)
Here we see the physical destruction of King Nebuchadnezzar
as he is brought down to the grave by the overwhelming
forces of the Medes and the Persians. All of the kings
Nebuchadnezzar has defeated during his lifetime ridicule him
as he meets the same fate as they. As I explained in the
'Satan: King Of Tyrus' article, it is right after this that
the words of the Prophet take a strange twist, and we see
that the Lord is not only prophesying against the Babylonian
king, but also against the evil force which controls him,
Satan himself!:
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Thus we see Satan's human vehicle, King Nebuchadnezzar, cast
down to hell, to the 'bottomless pit'. But guess what? That
is NOT where he remains! While I was doing this research, as
He so often does, the Lord shocked me with some amazing
verses which I had never paid much attention to before.
Following the previous set of Scriptures, the dead kings of
the Earth continue to ridicule Nebuchadnezzar; but then,
beginning in the nineteenth verse, we read something very
interesting:
"But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust
through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit;
as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined
with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land,
and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be
renowned." (Isaiah 14:19-20)
Please read those verses closely. Do you see what they are
saying? Allow me to emphasize a few key phrases for you:
1. BUT THOU ARE CAST OUT OF THY GRAVE...
2. THRUST THROUGH WITH A SWORD...
3. THOU SHALT NOT BE JOINED WITH THEM IN BURIAL...
In part four of this series, I clearly showed how the phrase
'wound by a sword' is referring to military defeat as a
result of the Lord placing His Sword of chastisement in the
hand of a particular ruler, nation or empire. King
Nebuchadnezzar is so evil, that even the grave doesn't want
him! He is cast out! Now, I honestly don't know exactly what
happened to the original Nebuchadnezzar of Biblical fame.
Maybe they really did dig up his body and let it rot on the
ground. However, I think this prophecy is a lot deeper than
that. The above three phrases sound identical to me to what
we find in the Book of Revelation! I may be entirely wrong
on this, but it appears to me that here we have an Old
Testament picture of the Beast 'which had the wound by a
sword and did live', ascending out of the Bottomless Pit!
Here we see the resurrection of the ancient Babylonian
Empire! Let me remind you of the very first verse I shared
in this article:
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and
they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the
world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and
yet is." (Revelation 17:8)
As I write this in January of 1998, if there is one thing
the whole world is currently wondering about, it is how long
Saddam Hussein, who proudly claims to be the modern-day King
Nebuchadnezzar, is going to last. What keeps him alive? What
keeps him going? Some people attribute it to luck; others to
his extremely tight security system; and still others claim
that he is actually Nebuchadnezzar of old either raised from
the dead, or else reincarnated in Saddam Hussein! What is
also amazing is that while the Western powers who have
fought against him readily admit that Hussein doesn't have
much in the way of formal education or formal military
training, he is nevertheless very cunning and very astute,
just like that old serpent in the Garden of Eden! Some have
also said that Hussein has excellent organizational
abilities. If this man continues to 'miraculously' surmount
all of the difficulties and obstacles thrown against him by
the powers of the West, perhaps he truly is the one we have
all been waiting for. But, there are other possibilities
which I will cover by the time we reach the end of this
series.
As I pointed out in part three, the Assyrian Empire was
primarily comprised of the northern half of Iraq. Assyria
later assimilated Syria Proper. The Assyrian Empire was
later assimilated by the Babylonian Empire which primarily
constituted the southern half of modern-day Iraq. I also
mentioned previously that Nebuchadnezzar's father,
Nabopolassar, was a Chaldean general who served in the
Assyrian army prior to becoming the first king of the
Babylonian Empire. Additionally, I stated that the Assyrians
and the Babylonians were of the same ethnic stock, and that
they share a common religion, language and culture. It may
be for these very reasons that in the prophecy against King
Nebuchadnezzar found in Isaiah chapter fourteen, he is also
referred to as 'the Assyrian':
"The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my
land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall
his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from
off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed
upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched
out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is
stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"
(Isaiah 14:24-27)
Sixteen chapters later, we find another brief mention of the
fall of this Assyrian/Babylonian king:
"For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be
beaten down, which smote with a rod." (Isaiah 30:31)
As I have already shown, King Nebuchadnezzar is not the only
one who is in the Bottomless Pit, the unsatiable bowels of
Hell. The other leaders of the seven-headed dragon are there
as well, in addition to other past kings and their armies
who raised the sword against Israel. Perhaps you may recall
the following verses I shared in 'Satan: King Of Tyrus, King
Of Empires, Part One' regarding the fall of Tyrus:
"When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into
the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in
the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with
them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited;
and I shall set glory in the land of the living;"
(Ezekiel 26:20)
"They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die
the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas."
(Ezekiel 28:8)
In the second verse above, instead of using the word 'bowr'
for 'pit', the Hebrew word 'shachath' is used which means
basically the same thing: 'pit of hell, destruction, grave'.
Just as the Lord simultaneously prophesied against Satan and
his human vehicle Nebuchadnezzar in Isaiah chapter fourteen,
we see the very same thing happening in the prophecies of
Ezekiel. In the thirty-first chapter, we find the Lord
prophesying against Pharaoh Necho of Egypt by using the
Assyrian, (probably Assurbanipal or Sinsharishkun), as an
example to show Pharaoh what is going to happen to him.
Again we find mention of the Bottomless Pit where all of
these beasts are cast once they have fulfilled the Lord's
purposes:
"Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair
branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high
stature; and his top was among the thick boughs...Thus saith
the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I
caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I
restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were
stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the
trees of the field fainted for him. I made the nations to
shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell
with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of
Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water,
shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They
also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain
with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under
his shadow in the midst of the heathen."
(Ezekiel 31:3, 15-17)
The Lord, through the Prophet Ezekiel, then concludes by
telling Pharaoh Necho of Egypt that he will meet the same
fate as the Assyrian king by being cast into the Bottomless
Pit after Nebuchadnezzar has devoured his country:
"To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among
the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the
trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt
lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be
slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,
saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 31:18)
"For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of
Babylon shall come upon thee...Son of man, wail for the
multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the
daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of
the earth, with them that go down into the pit."
(Ezekiel 32:11, 18)
If you read the rest of the chapter, you will see a list of
some of the other nations and empires which have also been
wounded by the Sword of the Lord and then cast into the
Bottomless Pit. The prophecy against Pharaoh Necho concludes
with the following:
"Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his
multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword,
saith the Lord GOD. For I have caused my terror in the land
of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the
uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even
Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD."
(Ezekiel 32:31-32)
It is interesting to note that in Daniel chapter four, the
Lord also uses a great tree to symbolize the pride of
Nebuchadezzar and his seven-year debasement. However, in the
above verses from Ezekiel, it doesn't make sense that the
tree represents Nebuchadnezzar being as the Lord is speaking
of an Assyrian king who fell BEFORE Pharaoh Necho. That
could only be Assurbanipal or Sinsharishkun who were
defeated by the Babylonians before King Nebuchadnezzar
defeated Pharaoh Necho some years later.
So once again, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, we
have not only come to understand what is probably meant by
the Bottomless Pit, but we have also seen exactly who is in
there; and it includes the first five kings of the Book of
Revelation, of which one of them is the final resurrected
Beast of the Endtime! From all of the evidence I have
presented thus far, I am becoming more and more convinced
that Syria and Iraq may be the two top contenders for giving
the world the Beast. Really stop and think about this: Syria
was part of the Egyptian Empire, Syria was part of the
Assyrian Empire, Syria was part of the Babylonian Empire,
Syria was part of the Medo-Persian Empire, and Syria was
part of the Grecian/Macedonian Empire. This is the only land
mass all five of these empires had in common because
Pharaoh's reign did not extend any further north than that,
or any further East than Israel. Is this a coincidence? I
don't think so.
With each additional piece of information, we keep coming up
over and over again with the same results: Syria or Iraq;
both kings of the north, and both parts of the greater
empires of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. If all of this
weren't enough, while continuing my research, I discovered
another interesting connection between the ancient king of
Babylon, and our modern King Nebuchadnezzar, Saddam Hussein.
In part one of my article 'The Kings Of The North And The
South', I discussed the great image that King Nebuchadnezzar
saw in his visions of the night. For this discussion, what
is important is not what each part of the image, or statue,
represented, but rather the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was so
impressed by this vision in which he was depicted as the
head of gold, that in the very next chapter, we are told
that he ordered his subjects to construct a golden replica
of this great statue; and that is exactly what they did:
"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height
was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits:
he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of
Babylon." (Daniel 3:1)
This must have been one great and expensive construction
project. Imagine in those days building a statue of gold
which stood sixty cubits, (at least ninety feet), tall, and
six cubits, (at least nine feet), wide. This magnificent
monolith was as big as was Nebuchadnezzar's own pride and
vanity. Does it remind you of another Middle Eastern leader
today who has been willfully defying the Western powers even
to his own hurt and the hurt of his people? While this is a
bit of speculation, being as the idol had to be a three
dimensional object, could it be that the breadth of it was
also six cubits so that it was properly balanced and stood
upright? In other words, is it possible that this idol had
dimensions of sixty by six by six, that is '666'? Remember
again what John tells us in the thirteenth chapter of the
Book of Revelation:
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his
number is Six hundred threescore and six."
(Revelation 13:18)
In part six of this series, I will be presenting another
very interesting insight regarding the possible significance
of the infamous '666'. Once this golden monument was
completed, the vain king then ordered that all of the
leadership throughout Babylonia come to the dedication at
Dura and bow down and worship it! While the Scriptures don't
outright reveal this, considering the events of Daniel
chapter two, in my mind there is little doubt that this
great statue must have been made in the likeness of the king
himself. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be
worshipped like a god!:
"Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges,
the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the
rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the
dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set
up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had
set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded,
O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear
the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship
the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same
hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
(Daniel 3:3-6)
Without going into all of the details of the story, this is
where we see Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego, cast into the fiery furnace due to their refusal
to bow down to the great image. Just prior to throwing them
into the blazing furnace, a very enraged and haughty
Nebuchadnezzar gave them an ultimatum:
"Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of
the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer,
and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image
which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be
cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of
my hands?" (Daniel 3:15)
Of course, we know that these faithful Jews refused to give
in to Nebuchadnezzar's demands, so into the fiery furnace
they went trusting God for the outcome. According to the
words of the king, it appears that the Lord Himself may have
arrived to protect them so that they came out without even
the smell of smoke on their garments:
"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in
haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we
cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They
answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered
and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth
is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the
mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most
high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's
counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon
whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their
head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell
of fire had passed on them." (Daniel 3:24-27)
While Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Shadrach, Meshach and
Abed-nego by elevating their positions in Babylon, and while
he passed a law by which no one would be permitted to curse
or speak against the God of the Jews, there is Scriptural
evidence which seems to indicate that he never fully
repented of his wickedness, nor came to accept the one true
God as his own. Even though he glorified the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the Lord was still just one
of many gods to the Babylonian king. Despite this wonderful
witness and manifestation of God's power, it is in the very
next chapter that we read of the king's seven-year abasement
while the Lord dealt with his pride. However, even after
this, there is still no real sign of repentance on the part
of the king. He doesn't free the Jews; and he doesn't return
all of the gold, silver, bronze and other precious and
sacred things he stole from them. This will be discussed
more in full in part six.
What adds credibility to this ancient account of the great
golden image is the fact that ancient Dura in Iraq still
retains the same name today. In fact, on one of the mounds
of Dura, a large pedestal has been found which is believed
to have been the base for the very statue mentioned in
Daniel chapter three! So how does this account relate to the
Endtime and our attempt to identify the Beast? In the Book
of Revelation, we discover that this Endtime king of a
'fierce countenance', as the Prophet Daniel referred to him,
will likewise have an image, or idol, built to honour
himself. This work will be under the direction of the False
Prophet:
"And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of
those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the
beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they
should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image
of the beast should be killed." (Revelation 13:14-15)
In the above verses, the word 'image' is derived from the
Greek word 'eikon', from which we obtain our English
transliteration 'icon'. In other words, it is an idol.
Currently, I am not certain who this False Prophet is who
will construct this monument of the Beast. As I have stated
in other articles, if my present speculations regarding the
possible identity of the Beast are correct, then it stands
to reason that the False Prophet will also be an Arab, and
if not an Arab, then at least a Muslim spiritual leader who
is either currently held, or at some time in the near future
will be held in high esteem by the Muslim world. The
Scriptures clearly state that the Beast and the False
Prophet will be working very closely with each other. In a
sense, the False Prophet will be the Beast's propaganda
agent or public relations man. It will be the perfect
marriage of false religion and politics.
No one can doubt that in our modern times, images play a
very important role in our lives, not only the personal
image we each have of ourselves, or the image that others
have of us, but also electronic images such as the myriad of
commercials to which we are exposed every time we turn on
the television set. Images not only influence how much money
we spend, but also where we will spend it. Commercials and
billboard advertisements influence what we eat, how we
dress, what kind of a car we drive, etc. More importantly,
images also affect public opinion and world politics. We are
all familiar with how our communities become plastered with
political billboards and posters full of all kinds of faces,
slick political slogans, and quite often what will turn out
to be nothing but broken promises. The whole purpose of this
strategy is to win our confidence as well as to win our
votes, as if they really mean anything. As I have said
before, I believe 'The Controllers' have already decided who
is going to win and who isn't. It's all one big farse.
So exactly how does all of this relate to Saddam Hussein?
According to one Fox News report I read some time ago, after
Hussein became president of Iraq in 1979, one of the first
things he did was to plaster the country from one end to the
other with twenty-foot-tall posters of himself. From that
time until today, he has been a master at manipulating the
mass media in his favor. Within Iraq, there are those who
indeed view him as an indestructible 'god'. There have been
many monuments dedicated to his honor. In fact, one monument
which boasts of victory during the Iran-Iraq War consists of
two hands brandishing a pair of swords. These hands are
mounted on piles of Iranian helmets obtained during that
War. According to the information I read, these large hands
were actually moulded after Hussein's own hands!
If we take this a step further, is it possible that just as
King Nebuchadnezzar of old constructed the ninety-foot-tall
idol of himself, that someday in the near future, after
successfully invading and conquering Israel with Arab and
Russian help, that Saddam Hussein will place a great image
of himself on the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem to brag of
his great victory over the Jews and the West? In previous
Endtime articles, I have suggested the possibility that the
'Image of the Beast' might actually be a large computerized
image such as a television monitor. Considering that the
Apostle John would have absolutely no idea what a television
screen is, describing an image which was brought to life and
which could speak would certainly be an appropriate
description for a televised image. To John it would indeed
seem like magic or sorcery. From all I have read regarding
how cold-blooded Saddam Hussein is, I can just imagine a
huge televised image of him being broadcast from the Temple
Mount in which he is condemning people to death.
On the other hand, perhaps the 'Image of the Beast' will be
something a little more mundane such as a huge bust of
Saddam Hussein, or whoever the Beast ends up being. Perhaps
the False Prophet will actually bring this large bust to
life exactly as the Bible states. While this possibility may
seem ludicrous and totally unrealistic to some, we must not
forget that we are speaking of a time of great spiritual
darkness and strong delusion. The magicians of Egypt also
had spiritual powers. They were able to transform their rods
into serpents, as well as duplicate the plagues of blood and
frogs performed by Moses and Aaron. In short, it was a
direct confrontation between the gods of the Egyptians, and
the true God of the Hebrew children. By the third plague of
the lice, the Lord finally outmatched the magicians so that
even they were begging Pharaoh to let the Children of Israel
go:
"And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring
forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man,
and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This
is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and
he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said."
(Exodus 8:18-19)
"And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of
the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all
the Egyptians." (Exodus 9:11)
"And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this
man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve
the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is
destroyed?" (Exodus 10:7)
While I don't know exactly what the 'Image of the Beast'
will be, I suspect that it may possibly be the same thing as
the 'Abomination of Desolation' of which I have made mention
in such articles as 'The Kings Of The North And The South,
Part One'. As I pointed out there, some have theorized that
Daniel's prophecy may have found its fulfillment when the
Selucid king Antiochus Epiphanes IV profaned the Jewish
Temple by sacrificing pigs to Jupiter on the Temple altar.
However, in Matthew chapter twenty-four, Jesus clearly tells
us that Daniel's words had not yet been fulfilled in His
time. Notice that He is speaking in the future tense:
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:). Then let them which
be in Judaea flee into the mountains:" (Matthew 24:15-16)
Other Bible scholars suggest that Daniel's prophecy may have
been fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Roman flags were flown over
Jerusalem symbolizing her fall to pagan forces. These flags
bore an image of an eagle. According to the Mosaic Law, the
eagle is an unclean bird. In other words, it is an
abomination:
"And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among
the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination:
the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,"
(Leviticus 11:13)
Those who support this view strengthen their interpretation
by adding the following verses to the previous verses from
Matthew:
"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then
know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them
which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them
which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them
that are in the countries enter thereinto." (Luke 21:20-21)
In other words, these scholars are suggesting that what
Jesus is really saying is, 'When you see the Roman flag
bearing the emblem of an eagle flying over the Temple Mount,
it is time to flee because the desolation of Jerusalem is
about to begin.' To add a bit of modern intrigue to this
Roman connection, consider the fact that I recently
discovered that the Roman Catholic Church has some rather
clandestine ties to Saddam Hussein. While they may seem like
odd bedfellows, the truth of the matter is, that they both
have interests in seeing Jerusalem come under their control.
While the Jewish state puts up with all of the monasteries
and with other Christian tourist traps within Jerusalem and
other areas of Israel, it is only because of the tourist
dollars they generate. As recent headlines will reveal,
there is no love affair between Judaism and Christianity in
Israel. The Jews wish to practice Judaism, and that is all.
A recent bill in the Knesset to ban passing out Christian
literature in Israel is a clear indication of what really
goes on inside the hearts and minds of Orthodox Jews.
While the Roman interpretation may indeed be true, as with
other Biblical prophecies, what happened in 70 A.D. may have
only been a partial fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. If
there is one thing I have clearly shown in this series of
articles, it is that the Books of Daniel and Revelation are
clearly linked. As such, the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar
of old built a great statue of himself, plus the fact that
the False Prophet will do the same for the Beast who may be
a modern-day Nebuchadnezzar, plus the fact that we are told
that the 'Abomination of Desolation' will STAND in the Holy
Place, still lends credence to my interpretation. Not only
that, if my speculation regarding the 'Abomination of
Desolation' and the 'Image of the Beast' being the same
thing is correct, you certainly can't give life to a flag
and make it speak.
There is one verse I shared earlier which may indeed point
to Saddam Hussein, or Nebuchadnezzar III if you will, as
possibly fulfilling the ancient prophesies regarding the
'Image of the Beast' and the 'Abomination of Desolation'. In
the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Isaiah, we are clearly
told that Nebuchadnezzar was an abomination in the sight of
the Lord:
"But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust
through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit;
as a carcase trodden under feet." (Isaiah 14:19)
If the Lord deemed Nebuchadnezzar an abomination, or a
filthy defiled thing in His sight, would He not view with
equal disgust a huge golden statue of the king which
everyone was forced to worship? Thus, if Saddam Hussein or
his heir were to place some kind of idol or image on the
Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, we might very well be
witnessing the fulfillment of the 'Abomination of
Desolation'. As a final thought, consider the fact that in
both accounts, in Daniel and in the Book of Revelation,
those who refuse to worship the image are destroyed!
Not only does Hussein use images, monuments, and the mass
media to let his own people know who is in charge in Iraq,
but he also uses the same media to ridicule his enemies and
to program his countrymen according to his particular
political ideology. Of course, politicians and governments
all around the world do this, even in the United States of
America. Like them, Saddam Hussein is definitely a pro!
Recently I came across one photograph from Iraq which showed
a poster of American President Bill Clinton being crushed by
an Iraqi tank. Thus again we see what powerful messages can
be transmitted via images to mold the opinion of the masses.
With these thoughts I am going to end part five of this
series. In the final installment, I will be providing some
additional fascinating information and possibilities
regarding Khatami And Khamenei, the Kurds, the Mark of the
Beast, the Euphrates River, the Shatt al-Arab waterway and
Abadan, Ataturk and Turkey, the 'kings of the East' and the
Ten Horns of the Endtime. I pray this article has been a
help and a blessing to many. I'll see you in part six.
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