I have layed a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord...(Jeremiah 50:22-24; Revelation, chapter 18).

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Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things...(Romans 2:1-6).

FINALLY, A PICTURE THAT JUSTIFIES WAR

By G. Thomas Goodnight

Heroes fall. Statues topple. Regimes change. IMAGES FLOWED YESTERDAY FROM THE CENTER OF BAGHDAD, where the great bronze statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down by an enthusiastic crowd and an M88 tank recovery vehicle. There the world media paused, and with sustained, single-minded focus punctuated history.

NOTHING LESS THAN A DEFINING MOMENT ign="center">FINALLY, A PICTURE THAT JUSTIFIES WAR

By G. Thomas Goodnight

Heroes fall. Statues topple. Regimes change. IMAGES FLOWED YESTERDAY FROM THE CENTER OF BAGHDAD, where the great bronze statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down by an enthusiastic crowd and an M88 tank recovery vehicle. There the world media paused, and with sustained, single-minded focus punctuated history.

NOTHING LESS THAN A DEFINING MOMENT OF OUR TIMES WAS SHOWN FOR THE WORLD TO SEE: images comparable to the billowing ticker tape of New York's homecoming parades of World War I, the flowers and kisses of the crowd during the liberation of Paris or the raucous parties of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first images of peace climax the great wars and anticipate euphoric celebration.

Yesterday the world witnessed live what appears to be peace breaking out. Liberated crowds chanted, "USA! USA! USA!" Hussein's bronzed head was severed and dragged through Baghdad's streets. The success of the "new war" had been pr OF OUR TIMES WAS SHOWN FOR THE WORLD TO SEE: images comparable to the billowing ticker tape of New York's homecoming parades of World War I, the flowers and kisses of the crowd during the liberation of Paris or the raucous parties of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first images of peace climax the great wars and anticipate euphoric celebration.

Yesterday the world witnessed live what appears to be peace breaking out. Liberated crowds chanted, "USA! USA! USA!" Hussein's bronzed head was severed and dragged through Baghdad's streets. The success of the "new war" had been proven...FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, HUNGRY TO HAVE ITS WAR AGAINST IRAQ VIEWED AS LIBERATION, NOT CONQUEST, THE STATUE SCENE WAS NEARLY PICTURE PERFECT...

And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?...(Revelation 13:4).

The central Baghdad images yesterday produced the first proof for the first premise of the war: Hussein's regime is doomed. Those celebrating did not know if the dictator was dead or alive. roven...FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, HUNGRY TO HAVE ITS WAR AGAINST IRAQ VIEWED AS LIBERATION, NOT CONQUEST, THE STATUE SCENE WAS NEARLY PICTURE PERFECT...

And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?...(Revelation 13:4).

The central Baghdad images yesterday produced the first proof for the first premise of the war: Hussein's regime is doomed. Those celebrating did not know if the dictator was dead or alive. The corporeal existence of Hussein mattered less than the moment. STATE STATUES SYMBOLIZE CIVIC AUTHORITY, ITS HISTORY AND RULE, AND IN AN AUTHORITARIAN STATE THESE REPRESENTATIONS MULTIPLY FINGERS OF POWER. STATUE AND HERO ARE INTIMATELY CONNECTED TERMS. BACK TO ANTIQUITY, LOCAL HEROES HAVE STOOD IN STATUARY AS CIVIC FOUNDERS, THEIR IMAGES HONORED. TO TAKE DOWN A STATUE IS TO TOPPLE A HERO. IT IS ALWAYS A FATAL INSTANT WHEN IDOLS FALL AND DISRESPECT IS OPENLY DISPLAYED...

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,. I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a Rock:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded on a Rock.

And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: AND GREAT WAS THE FALL OF IT...(Matthew 7:24-27).

In al-Firdos Square, Iraqis tossed shoes and Americans freelanced disrespect, pulling an American flag over the head of what appeared as a strangely pantsed Hussein. The statue fell as a synecdoche for regime collapse and the completion of a 10-YEAR-OLD confrontation with the Bush presidencies...That is what President George W. Bush promised. That's what the military delivered.

Ever sensitive to the fruits of publicity, administration spokesmen WERE QUICK TO HARVEST THE SYMBOL. (Consider the words at Joel 3:9-14). Vice President Dick Cheney translated the fall of the statue into a sign of the "wisdom" of the battle plan, and White House Press Secretary Ari Fliescher asked the world TO FREEZE THE IMAGE AS A "HISTORIC MOMENT." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fused the image AS IRAQI/AMERICAN "JOY AND CELEBRATION."...

The meaning of pictures is transient--if not reversable too. In the toppling of the statue, one audience such as Americans sees a triumph and another such as Arabs sees a defilement...Finally, the end to one war may be seen, in time, as the beginning of another. UNDOUBTEDLY, THOUGH, A POSTWAR WORLD IS AT HAND, AND IN SUCH TRANSISTIONS IMAGES WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. War can be broadcast as a spectacular: flashing lights, racing tanks, thundering rockets--and even falling statues. But memories of war are filled with trauma too, for soldiers and civilians alike. So just as the world has seen THE POWER OF AMERICAN ARMS, so compelling symbols of its goodness are needed...

The Iraq war is ending as its doomed regime no longer comes to work. But hard work remains--as much to define the conflict as to deal with its material consequences. A bronze idol can be pulled down in triumph. However, it must not be forgotten that winning the war with Iraq is not the same as winning the war on terror. The Hussein statue is scattered among the debris of war--a fallen idol, a last memory and a reminder of the work to come. Newsday.

THOUSANDS RALLY NEAR WTC

By Jose Martinez

Hardhats by the thousands rallied round the flag yesterday across from Ground Zero--the spot, Gov. Pataki said, where "the war started."

The rally, organized by the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, turned several blocks along West St. into a sea of red, white and blue hardhats and American flags, with signs hailing the U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

"WHERE ARE THOSE ANTIWAR PROTESTERS NOW" said an electrical worker from Brooklyn. "They couldn't wait for the next Vietnam, but this is the silent majority right here, the nuts and bolts." (Please read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount again, this time with a serious and discerning mind).

The noon rally, which shut part of West St....was cloaked in patriotism, with bagpipes blaring and giant speakers blasting "GOD BLESS THE U.S.A." (Please see the subchapter entitled The Nations).

"There's nothing like it," said a millwright from Borough Park. "ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." Many wrapped themselves in flags or carried signs that said, "I SUPPORT BUSH, THE TROOPS, MOM, AND APPLE PIE."

"We got to show up all those people protesting against the war in Iraq," said a 75-year-old former Marine. "The people in this city appreciate what's being done over there." Several speakers tried to connect the war in Iraq with the Osama Bin Laden plot that killed 3,000 people. (Please understand Isaiah 30:25). "THE WAR STARTED RIGHT HERE ON SEPTEMBER 11 OF 2001," Pataki said.

"WE ARE SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD: YOU ATTACK ONE OF US, YOU ATTACK ALL OF US," roared the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. "AND WE ATTACK BACK!"

The former presidential candidate from Kansas, Robert Dole, called President Bush "A MAN OF HIS WORD," and set off chants of "U.S.A! U.S.A!" when he called the toppled Iraqi dictator "A GANGSTER." For decades, Saddam Hussein made Iraq A LIVING HELL, Dole said. "Well we don't know if he's living, BUT WE KNOW HE'S GOT A PLACE RESERVED IN HELL." The New York Daily News.

MUST WHAT GOES UP ALSO COME DOWN

Notes From Russia: Beware of Falling Statues

By Solomon Volkov

It is almost certain that the toppling yesterday of Saddam Hussein's giant statue in the center of Badhdad will be considered in retrospect as one of the iconic images of the present war in Iraq. As I watched this scene unfolding on television, similar episodes from the not-so-distant yet already faintly hazy past, sprang to my mind.

First of course, there was the 1989 demolition of the Berlin Wall, which for years divided Germany into the socialist East and the capitalist West. Watching that evening unfold on TV, one could feel the almost palpable physical excitement as youthful drunks madly clawed and hammered away at the hated symbol of this enforced division.

Then, on an August night in 1991, another statue came down. This time (besides the statues of Lenin and Stalin that came down) it was the bronze of Feliks Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police which had presided over central Moscow since 1958. One saw the same excitement but markedly less merriment, and the crowd looked more mature, even sober. They had thought ahead, going to the trouble of bringing five cranes for the job. These people were exacting what felt like an intellectual revenge for the years of living in fear, of being able to talk candidly only with trusted friends--and then only in a whisper.

A parenthetical thought: lately, parallels have been drawn in the press between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the repressive Communists who ruled Russia. (I trust the next set of comparisons will come into view). I think an important difference between the two regimes was revealed when the solidity of the comparative statues was tested. The Soviet one had to be dragged away WITH MUCH EFFORT, EXERTION, ETC. AND WHEN IT CAME DOWN, IT CAME DOWN IN ONE PIECE. IN CONTRAST, THE IRAQI MONUMENT TOPPLED QUITE EASILY. AND WHEN IT DID, IT BROKE APART, LEAVING THE HOLLOW BOOTS OF THE DICTATOR ON THE PEDESTAL...

As for Russia, there is now persistent talk coming from Moscow's conservative mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, that the statue of Dzerzhinsky (which conveniently survived intact and has been living a quiet life in a Moscow park) should be returned to its former home--a traffic island in front of the headquarters of the former KGB and its successor, the Federal Security Services (hmmm, this has a familiar ring). The liberal intelligentsia, of course, vehemently objects to the resurrection. But with polls showing that more and more Russians are looking on the Soviet past with fondness, there is a distinct possibility that one day we will see the once-toppled monument back at the heart of Moscow, gazing imperiously at passers-by.

And if this happened, one question in particular would gnaw at me: is it possible that among those who restored the statue, there were also some who helped to bring it down? The New York Times.

Now reverse the question. Is it possible that those who helped set up the great colossus of Daniel, chapter 2, here on its base of power at the Western ends of the earth, will also be among those who help to bring it down? And then the question follows: What has the return to the old order in Russia (and the rise of China behind it) to do with the fall of the Great Image itself? Every much so, as it is written:

And (then) the Lord shall utter His voice before HIS ARMY: for HIS CAMP is very great: for He is strong that executeth HIS WORD: for the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it...(Joel 2:11).

IN THE SHADOW OF COLOSSUS

THE TIME OF THE END

(Excerpts from a religious pamphlet distributed by a community called The Twelve Tribes Nation. It does not see the entire picture but it comes closer than others):

As you can see, Colossus confidently stands upon the earth, unchallenged and undefeated. What does this statue mean, and why is it composed of different metals? This statue is from a dream that the king of Babylon had 2500 years ago, found in the second chapter of the book of Daniel in the Bible. Hidden in that prophecy is the meaning of all human history from that time until these days, the "end of time."

Daniel, a Jewish prophet in the court of the king of Babylon, interpreted the king's disturbing dream as a succession of empires that would dominate the earth. The head of gold stood for the (old) Babylonian Empire...Persia is the breast of silver, and Greece is the bronze belly. The iron legs of Rome are the fourth kingdom. These once mighty kingdoms had THEIR DAY IN THE SUN, and are no more. Yet the legs of iron merge into the feet and mix with clay. IT IS IN THE FEET THAT WE FIND OURSELVES TODAY. IT IS IN THE FEET THAT YOU WILL FIND THE SECRET OF OUR TIMES....

(The pamphlet asks): ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PROPHECY ABOUT THE END OF (THE AGE)? Judging from the headlines...somebody must be. For years movies with thrilling plots about the end of the world have successfully entertained and even scared a lot of viewers. But still, it's just entertainment. Life goes on...to somewhere. Even the preachers continue to stir up a lot of business with their books, and now their movies...Yet the world is surely heading somewhere, and even if we do not like its direction, we're still part of it. There is no hope of getting off the planet. Wherever the world is heading, we are going with it.

Regardless of all the (show business and religious) hucksters out for profit (trafficking in the temple of God as they are, along with all of the other preachers and physicians who are exploiting the concerns and sicknesses of the people for their own personal gain), there are legitimate prophecies in the Bible...Daniel was a prophet who lived some 2500 ( or 7 X 365) years ago. He was a Jew who lived the majority of his life in Babylon. It is in his book that the clearest prophecies of the end can be found. Yet even he was not allowed by God to understand how or when these prophecies would come about. The last chapter of the book of Daniel says, "The words are closed up and sealed to the time of the end."

At the beginning of the new millennium, what would make us think that we are in the "time of the end.?" How can we be sure? Is there any way to know? History tells us of many horrible times when men had good reason to believe it was surely the end of the world. Yet the end did not come. Why would this present day be any different?...

All around us we see traces of Rome in the very fabric of Western civilization, from our system of law (full of Latin terms), government, religion, history, architecture, traditions, and language. Something in the soul of Western man desires the glory of Rome to live again; it is a soul obsessed with a united world. (Understand, however, that a united world, and New Age, is also the agenda of the true Messiahs. We are experiencing in the earth the mutual existence of two orders attempting to be born, the one against the other). Western civilization still remembers the tremendous economic and military success of the Roman Empire in its heyday--Pax Romana" it was called, The Roman Peace. (continued)...

PAX AMERICANA

LIBERATION DAY

Sweet freedom! Vindication. A JUST AND LASTING PEACE? (Please understand 1 Thessalonians 5).

Two out of three aren't bad for a three-week war of liberation, waged against the cynical counsel of France, Germany and Russia--and the third should come with patience and perseverance. But first, the images of liberation:

AN IMPOSING 40-FOOT STATUE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN IS TOPPLED FACE-FIRST IN DOWNTOWN BAGHDAD BY U.S. MARINES YESTERDAY.

Thousands of jubilant Iraqis dance in the streets of their capital for hours--stomping on the metal icon and dragging its DISCONNECTED HEAD with ropes. All the while they blow kisses to coalition troops AND SING THE PRAISES OF GEORGE W. BUSH. (HAIL CAESAR! HAIL CAESAR)!

Here were the sights and sounds of freedom unbridled after nearly three decades of torturous oppression. AND IT WAS BROADCAST LIVE ACROSS THE WORLD--INCLUDING THE ARAB WORLD.

As White House spokesman Ari Fleischer put it: "FREEDOM'S TASTE IS UNQUENCHABLE. THIS IS A POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO MANKIND'S DESIRE TO LIVE FREE (under the direct auspices of Pax-Americana), AND THAT INCLUDES THE IRAQI PEOPLE...

After three decades of repression and murder, Saddam Hussein has taken "his rightful place...in the pantheon of failed brutal dictators," as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

No, Operation Iraqi Freedom is not yet finished...The joy will be tempered by the tough fighting that remains ahead...Make no mistake, however. Yesterday was one of those rare moments in history that, hopefully, auger what Abraham Lincoln once memorably called "A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM." MIDWIVED BY AMERICA, which Lincoln correctly also termed: "THE LAST BEST HOPE OF MANKIND ON EARTH." A New York Post Editorial.

Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

For the rich men thereof have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitful in their mouths...(Micah 6:10-12).

For ALL THINGS will be laid bare in the Weighing Scales and in the Books on the Great Judgment Day...(Secrets of Enoch LII; 2 Peter, chapter 2).

And this is the writing that was written: ME'NE, ME'NE, TE'KEL, U-PHAR'SIN.

This the the interpretation of the thing: ME'NE; God hath numbered thy kingdom (twice, once in the East, and now in the West) and finished it.

TE'KEL: Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

PE'RES; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians (the original Medes who descended from the steppes of what is now Russia, and the original Persians--all the powers of the East--who only lent their name to the kings of Iran and Iraq in the 6th century B.C. This is the sign of the Ram)...(Daniel 5:25-28).

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Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fall from among the children of men.

They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they speak.

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, NOW WILL I ARISE, SAITH THE LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, PURIFIED SEVEN TIMES.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation, for ever.

THE WICKED WALK ON EVERY SIDE, WHEN THE VILEST MEN ARE EXALTED...(Psalm 12. KJV).

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"Who are kings after all? asked Paine. If we could trace back through history, we should find the first of them nothing better than the principal ruffian of some restless gang, whose savage manners obtained him the title of chief among plunderers." John Ruth, T'was Seeding Time.

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Remove Justice (please see Isaiah 59), and what are kingdoms but gangs of criminals on a large scale? What are criminal gangs but petty kingdoms? A gang is a group of men under the command of a leader, bound by a compact of association, in which the plunder is divided according to an agreed-upon convention. If this villainy wins so many recruits from the ranks of the demoralized that it acquires territory, establishes a base, captures (or builds) cities and subdues peoples, it then openly arrogates to itself the title of kingdom (or nation), which is conferred upon it in the eyes of the world--not by the renouncing of aggression but by the attainment of power.

For it was a witty and truthful rejoinder which was given by a captured pirate to Alexander. The king asked the fellow, "What is your idea, in infesting the sea?" And the pirate answered with uninhibited insolence: "The same as yours in infesting the earth. But because I do it in a tiny craft, I'm called a pirate: because you have a mighty navy you are called an emperor." The City of God, Book IV.4.

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(In The Shadow of Colossus continued)...Yet it was peace at a price. Never before had people experienced such a high degree of government control in every aspect of human life, from economics to religion. Taxation was brilliantly organized and unavoidable. Although Roman citizens once had a measure of freedom to elect their government under the Emperors they were required by law to attend even sports events. (In America we do not have to be forced to do it. Sports--the World Series, the Superbowl--is a national cult and we attend willingly). Everyone was compelled to go to the Temple and offer a pinch of incense to the Emperor as a god, acknowledging his supremacy. Then they were free to worship any god they chose, after displaying their supreme devotion to the state. Because of the great prosperity, there was also great opportunity for pleasure, so most people found little problem with such control. Those who objected loudly enough were met with brute force. No one was allowed to challenge the iron of Rome.

As we learn more about Daniel's prophecy it becomes all too clear that such days are returning (and in fact have actually returned). The iron is coming back, and Colossus (is standing) on Feet of iron mixed with clay. And as he does, the God of heaven is preparing a surprise

This seems to be a good time to take a critical look at a popular and altogether timely book in circulation entitled Babylon Rising, by Tim LaHaye. We must look at it, however, in the context of those words (the words of the true prophets) which say:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost (the Overshadowing Mystery of God).

And have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

But that which beareth thorns and briars (the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches) is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned...(Hebrews 6:1-8).

Ezekiel, chapter 13; 22:23-31; Zechariah 13:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2; 2 Peter 2; The Book of Jude (KJV).

"Babylon Rising is my newest attempt to create another uniquely satisfying combination of suspense and substance. I base this exciting story on the single most important prophecy in the Bible regarding international events, one that is having an incredible impact on our society today.

Bible prophecies and their interpretations are clear signs of what our present and future hold for this world, and they are a continuing basis for all of my writing. In the Babylon Rising series, you will find some truly fascinating and important material based on my continuing research on the prophecies of the Bible.

My hope is that you will not only find Babylon Rising a fascinating read, but that the series will help you understand that end times prophecy could be fulfilled in our lifetime, and that it will help you make sense of "the signs of the times" that we see being fulfilled internationally almost every time we watch events unfold on television or read a newspaper.

The setting for Left behind, as you probably know, starts with the rapture of the church and then takes the world through the tribulation period, the millennial kingdom of Christ, and on into heaven. Babylon Rising starts in our present time and moves forward to the rapture, one of the most exciting periods in the history of the world.

To really make this a "grabber" of a novel, you will find Babylon Rising features a hero who faces many of the challenges of our day that are familiar to all of us. That hero, Michael Murphy, is one of the real appeals of this series for me...There are many wonders in our world, but many dangers as well, and I wanted to center this series on a hero who I think is very engaging yet very real, and somehow who is up to the task of confronting a rising tide of danger throughout the books.

Murphy is a scholar in both archaeology and Biblical prophecy, but unlike other scholars, he is also a complete adventurer and risk-taker when he is on the trail of ancient artifacts, that can help further authenticate the truth of the Bible. Murphy is a man of action and a man of faith, a true hero for our times-which is a good thing, because as you will see right from the start of this series, Murphy will begin to confront a profound evil. An evil force he will soon discover has ensnared him in a countdown to what the Bible calls "the time of the end."

I thank you for your interest in my work. Starting with this volume, my hope is that you come to feel as I do that Babylon Rising is a real page-turning series that manages to be both a totally absorbing story and extremely relevant to our times.

Wishing you a great reading experience, I now give you Babylon Rising!" Tim laHaye.

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And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lighted with his glory.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice (the voice of all the peoples of the earth), saying, Babylon the great is fallen (in the East), is fallen (in the West), and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all the nations have drunk the wine of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, THAT YE BE NOT PARTAKERS OF HER SINS, AND THAT YE RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES.

FOR HER SINS HAVE REACHED UNTO HEAVEN, AND GOD HATH REMEMBERED HER INIQUITIES...(Revelation 18...KJV).

As Above, so Below; As in the East, so in the West.

Oh yes, a Great Serpent: Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 12:3 (KJV).