Principalities, Powers, and angry Babylonians

The last two days have seen news reports that the United States is sending more troops into Baghdad to quell the sectarian violence that is is spiraling out of control. It was four years ago that I was one who supported going to war; believing that our troops would march to Baghdad, liberate the Iraqi citizens, and destroy all of the WMDs before Saddam Hussein, destablized the region. Well fast forward to July 2006 The United States is bogged down in an endless war while talking heads debate as to whether Iraq is heading for a cival war. The eagle nation of Daniel 7:4 is mired in a conflict along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The prophetic significance is undeniable as both of these rivers are mentioned in scripture at critical times. The Euphrates is the only river to be mentioned from the beginning to the ending of the bible. In Genesis, it's one of the four rivers stemming from the river that flows through Eden. I believe (but am not certain) that Ur was on the Euphrates. Later on, Jeremiah 51:63-64 reads "And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." In Revelation 9:14-15 we read "Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." (with earths current population, thats over 2 billion.) In Revelation 16:12 it says "And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." (Notice it's the sixth angel again) Following this event, three unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, perform miracles before the kings of the earth to gather them together to the battle of Armageddon. (Please read these scripture references; I don't paraphrase well) The Tigris river; called the Hiddekel, is mentioned only two times, however both times are significant. In Genesis 2:14, it's seen that the Hiddekel is another of the four heads of the river that flows through Eden. The only other time that it is mentioned is in Daniels vision in Daniel chapter ten. To paraphrase again, Daniel had been mourning three full weeks when finally along the banks of the Hiddekel (Tigris) he sees a man clothed in linen and girded about with fine gold of Uphaz. This man tells Daniel that from day one of his supplication, he was sent. However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood him 21 days until Michael came to help him. He gave to Daniel understanding of the latter days and returned to fight with the prince of Persia. (On a totally different subject, I have seen in various stores, a video game called "The Prince of Persia." People many times come up with things and are unaware that they are dealing with dangerous entities that they have no business interacting with. I don't know what the game is about but the title is warning enough to stay away; Just like "Narnia; the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", ought to be enough information to warn christians not to mess with it.) Well back to the main point. The conclusion of the situation in Iraq is simply that if you think this conflict is about the war on terror, securing oil, spreading democracy, or toppling a despot, you are living in a spiritual cave wearing spiritual earplugs, and snoring profusely. Scripture is being fulfilled and millions of eternal souls are hanging in the balance. As for the eagle nation, her citizens are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; many of them so "dumbed down" that they are unable to find their own country on a map. She is drowning in trillions of dollars of debt and yet proclaims "I sit a queen and am no widow". Her government is using the latest technology to spy on her citizens, and in 21 months everyone will have to have a national ID without which you'll be unable to be employed, have a bank account, operate a vehicle, or participate in commerce. (All in the name of the war on terror.) Meanwhile too many christians are waiting for a pre-tribulation rapture because, apparently, unlike every other generation of saints, we're not supposed to experience any kind of tribulation. (I think that the saints in China and the Dafur region of Sudan would have a different perspective.) As mentioned earlier, If you love the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly, you long for his appearing, and his peace reigns in your heart, he'll bring you through anything that comes your way. His grace is truly sufficient for any situation and he'll never leave you nor forsake you. His appearing is at hand and we ought to be rejoicing in this fact and praying fervently for the lost that they would come to calvary and escape the torments of hell before it's too late.