What is Iraq's role in the 'end times'?? ...religious right say that's

[bobbieinok]

why war was necessary.

???????????

[AVID]

1. do you have a specific source

or link where that issue is discussed?

Wondering?

[bobbieinok]

3. have heard this from religious right colleagues

I will see if I can get some sources. They will probably be Bible verses.

[wysimdnwyg]

2. Interesting (and a little frightening) article in current Rolling Stone...

According to those off the deep end, the war that brings forth the second coming is supposed to be between Iraq and Israel.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Babylon is mentioned in Revelations

Iraq is the location of ancient Babylon

[Pillowbiter]

5. Ahh, I see

So we need to invade Iraq so that they are taken over by religious fundamentalists in the aftermath. And these fundamentalists will start a war with Israel.

Those guys think so far ahead, I mean, who would have known training Osama by the CIA would lead to saving political face for the appointed lame duck son of the then VP?

PB

[RainDog]

6. Israel is invaded from the north, in apocalyptic fiction

the book of revelation provides a real boner for fundies, too, with it's talk of the whore of Babylon..Rev. 17:

5-"And upon her (commonly called the whore of Babylon, a woman who is part of the judgment of humans (she "sitteth upon many waters, which doesn't exacly describe Iraq, but why be picky when you can work to destroy humankind with your lunatic raving religious paranoia)

..any way, I'll start again, "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6- And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration."

...then the angel asks why John marvels and says he (the angel) will tell him (John) a mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her (the beast has seven heads and ten horns (when I was growing up, the ten horns was supposed to be the EU and the seven heads, or hills, were supposed to be the Roman Catholic Church.

the woman is supposed to be Babylon, the "many waters" are supposed to be "peoples and multitudes, and nations and tongues."

The EU ten horns are supposed to hate the woB and attack her...I guess now America and the allies are supposed to be those ten horns, but, as with all these sorts of irrational paranoid beliefs, the who is what is bent and changes to accomodate the current situation...to a Tee!!...every single time it changes!

[pezcore64]

7. .....

the bible pretty much says Babylon will be destroyed again in the end times. now that would imply that babylon had been rebuilt, which it hasnt been ...yet. Hum, lets see, what is it we want to do in Iraq? Rebuild? Ah yes. the city of babylon is suppose to be the gateway to hell at the endtimes as well if im not mistaken.

[Frank Rose]

12. So many fundies try to plug any current situation....

into Revelation, to get more donation $$. "Judgement is here, send me your money and I will put in a good word for you." Another sad example of a perfectly good religion in the hands of fanatics.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

8. Don't quote me on this

but I think that some believe that Babylon will rise (again) into a great kingdom from where the Antichrist will gain his support & launch a war against Israel.

[RainDog]

10. the fact that Iraq was a defanged regional power

with no WMD or nuclear weapons is apparently lost on the fundies, since it doesn't "fit" their view of things.

unless Georgie is setting the stage for Iraq to become a major threat as a theocracy in time...not at this time, of course...

the end times stuff is the fundie equivalent of a constant orange alert.

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. It becomes part of Greater Israel, or part of it does, I expect they will

call it "natural expansion."

[On the Road]

11. Since the Original Books Had Nothing to do with the Situation Today

they can pretty much make up any interpretation they want.
In the early 1970's, "The Late Great Planet Earth" was all the rage about the apocalypse. Iraq was not involved as far as I an remember.

There are different versions every few decades. They change with the political situation. Iraq has never been particularly prominent. In Revelation, Babylon pretty clearly refers to the Roman Empire.