Iraq 2006 (15 Nov 06)

Iraq 2006 (15 Nov 06)
By Tommy Franks

I am so excited about what is happening in America.
Gasoline is going down. The mortgage rates are still low. The economy is doing great…and the holidays are upon us. It’s great to be alive in these last days! The Bible says, “For this day is holy unto our Lord…for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Jer.8:10).

The Election: America has spoken…very loudly about the war.

Iraq has been called the "Cradle of Civilization.”
· 26M People (17M Shiites: 65% // (9M Sunnis: 35%)…(6M in US)
· The Shiites & Sunnis have been fighting each other for 100’s of YRS.
· Our modern culture has its roots in ancient Iraq.
· There are tens of thousands of archaeological sites in Iraq.

“Armageddon" is the biblical term most everyone thinks of whenever war begins to occur in the Middle East.
· We are not far from Armageddon. Armageddon is prophesied in Revelation. It will be a conflict that progressively involves more and more nations until the military forces of all nations of the world come together in a triangular valley called Jezreel…near a place called Megiddo.
· This is a valid thought: The troubles in the Middle East could ignite Armageddon…mankind’s final war…according to most Bible scholars.
· The question is: Are the dramatic events we have witnessed in Iraq in the past few years drawing us nearer to Armageddon?
· Saddam Hussein and other dictators in the Middle East have been hell bent on completely destroying Israel. Some have stated they want every Jew to die!
· The prophetic clock is ticking…ever closer to the final battle called “Armageddon”.

What about the war currently going on in Iraq…“Iraqi Freedom”?

What do the recent developments have to do with biblical history or Bible prophecy?
· To begin examining the facts and possibilities, we must start with the nation Israel. Israel is the key to understanding Iraq’s inevitable part in the wrap-up to human history.
· All prophecy yet future must be considered in light of this one fact: God’s chosen nation is back in the land of promise. Understanding Israel’s position in the Middle East and world affairs is critical to understanding all other political realities.
· Israel is prophesied to become an intolerable concern that world leaders think must be eliminated before there can be peace in the Middle East and in the world. God, himself, will see to it that Israel is protected…because eventually God’s Son…Jesus, the Prince of Peace…will establish true peace on Planet Earth.

The Bible says, "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth are gathered together against it" (Zech. 12:2-3).

The Current Situation is Supernatural…not natural:
Concerning the obstacles Israel presents to the Middle East and world peace in our time…God, through revelation gave some insight to the prophet John…in the Book of Revelation:
· A reasonable question for those who truly seek world peace is this: Why is Israel always at the center of the stage that threatens to involve the region with a nuclear war?
· Most world leaders do not understand God’s Word, the Bible. This is because the leaders of the world are reasoning in their own mind which is not in line with God’s thinking.
· Today’s world leaders believe they can find the formula for peace totally apart from taking into consideration God’s explanation of the supernatural causes involved.

In the past, Iraq has been called Babylon:
· Does the Bible have anything to say about end-time Iraq? Yes.
· Jeremiah the prophet foretold Babylon’s end-time plight:
· “Babylon is taken…her idols are confounded…her images are broken in pieces. Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.”

Babylon's Last-Days Role:
· If one believes Bible prophecy, the area now called Iraq is mentioned prominently as having a role to play in world history yet to unfold.
· Jeremiah said, "And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant" (Jeremiah 51: 29).
· Some scholars differ on the subject of Babylon.
· Regardless, the world is demanding that peace be made between Israel and its Middle Eastern neighbors.
· Nuclear War is being threatened by Iran.

Chronology of our Civilization:
· 4000 B.C: Farming begins in southern Mesopotamia, the ancient name for Iraq. The world's first great cities develop along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
· 3500-3000 BC: The wheel, writing, counting, and calendars are developed.
· 1792-1750 BC: Hammurabi establishes Babylon as the region's power center. Hammurabi is best known for a code of laws that bears his name.
· 1400: The Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms flourish.
· 722-705: Sargon II strengthens Assyrian rule and builds a palace-temple complex near Nineveh.
· 612: The Assyrian Empire collapses suddenly…Chaldeans take control.
· 597: Nebuchadnezzar II captures Jerusalem. Under Nebuchadnezzar, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, are built.
· 539: King Cyrus of Persia captures Babylon.
· 331: Alexander the Great seizes Babylon, declares it his capital and dies there in 323 BC.
· 226 AD: The Persian dynasty is established.
· 637: The Arabs bring Islam to Iraq.
· 762-63: Baghdad is founded. Baghdad becomes the center of Islamic civilization.
· 1534: The Ottoman Turks seize Iraq.
· 1800s: Britain begins to exert its influence in the Persian Gulf to protect trade routes with India.
· 1914-18: The Ottoman Empire sides with Germany against Britain, France, and Russia in World War I.
· 1919: The League of Nations gives Britain a mandate over Iraq.
· 1932: Britain grants Iraq its independence.
· 1979: Saddam Hussein becomes president.
· 1980-88: Iraq-Iran war.
· 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait.
· 1991: Persian Gulf War.
· 1998: UN weapons inspectors leave Iraq.
· 2002: President Bush calls for a 'regime change' as he seeks to disarm Saddam Hussein.
· 2003: American-led coalition defeats Iraq’s armies and overthrows Saddam Hussein.
· 2005 Democratic elections take place on January 31 in Iraq.

Since 31 Jan 2005:
· Over 400K kids have up-to-date immunizations.
· School attendance is up 80%.
· Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and re-built.
· The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August 2006.
· Over 4.5M people have clean drinking water for the 1st time ever in Iraq.
· The country now receives twice the electrical power it did before the war.
· Hospitals (100%) are now open & fully staffed…compared to 35% prior to the war.
· Elections are taking place in every major city. City councils are in place.
· Sewer and water lines have been installed in every major city.
· Over 60K police are patrolling the streets.
· Over 100K Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
· Over 80K Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
· Over 400K people have telephones for the first time ever.
· An interim constitution has been signed.
· Girls are now allowed to attend school.
· Textbooks that do not mention Hussein are in the schools for the 1st time in 30 years.
· Do NOT believe for 1 second that most of these people do not want us there. Many say they will never see the freedoms we talk about in America, but they hope their children will.


This is what I do know:
· Make no mistake about it: There is coming a time when the United States will exit Iraq. I believe that at that point, chaos will certainly follow.
o Staying in Iraq not an option.
o As you know, most Americans wanted us to invade Iraq in 2003.
o Now we must find a way out…And we will!
o Even the war hawks, senior military commanders, and multitudes of combat soldiers want us out of Iraq.
· Currently, we have lost over 2853 Casualties in Iraq…another 21K wounded.
· 55% of the American people say, “Bring our troops (141K) home now.”
· Defense Sec Donald Rumsfeld's departure will now make it easier for President Bush to change our course in Iraq. Some analysts believe a phased reduction of United States troops in Iraq is now very likely.
· I believe that former CIA Director Robert Gates signals a change in direction. Gates is a member of the Iraq Study Group…a bipartisan panel reviewing US policy in Iraq.
· Advocates of a phased withdrawal hope it will push Iraq's government to take more responsibility for security.
· My Question is: Does anybody out there have a good idea for getting us out of Iraq? Currently, I don’t think so.
· The American people are hurting. Thousands of families have felt the pain of war.
· Does anybody have a workable plan to get us out of Iraq? If so, I am sure the White House and Congress would be interested in seeing it.
· Current U.S. expenditures are now costing us…the American people…$246 M per day (that’s more than $10 million an hour).
· This year (2006), the Iraq War will cost us $100.4 Billion.
· Let me be perfectly clear: Upon our departure, there will be some fallout and chaos, especially in establishing a new civic order.
o President Bush is not using the term, "stay the course” anymore.
o He has established a bi-partisan Iraq Study Group.