Never Again
Never Again
What if I told you that Saddam Hussein gave us evidence that the Bible is true? Incontrovertible evidence.
He didn’t mean to do it. His goal was to glorify himself. Saddam’s failure exhibits the predictive genius of our God for all who are willing to investigate. We’ll come back to Saddam soon; let’s begin with God.
Here is his bold assertion: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.” (Isaiah 46:9, 10)
The true God taunted false gods just a few chapters earlier. “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds so we may know that you are gods.” (Isaiah 41:21-23)
The Lord throws down the gauntlet. Accurately predicting the future is clear proof of Divinity. The One who can foresee and forecast future events is sovereign.
The apostle Peter explains the trustworthiness of scripture. He asserts that he himself was an eyewitness to Jesus’ transfiguration. Then he says there is another powerful witness. “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21
The Bible has many predictive prophecies that have proven to be accurate. It would be well worth your time to search them out. For now, we’ll focus on Babylon (located 50 miles south of Bagdad) and Saddam Hussein.
Isaiah wrote when Babylon was still a “JV team,” yet he predicted its rise to power and complete demise. In the middle of a prophecy about the terrible end of the Babylonian Empire, he speaks about the city. “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations…” (Isaiah 13:19, 20)
Many years later, during the time that the Babylonian Empire would conquer the known world and carry God’s people into captivity, Jeremiah predicts the same end for the city Babylon. “No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.” (Jeremiah 50:40)
Those who insist that the Bible is a book of religious fables have challenged this. They assert that someone assumed the identities of the Bible prophets and wrote after the fact. They described the fall of the Empire and the destruction Babylon and simply pretended that it was a prediction.
We could spend time challenging this attack and giving proofs of the fidelity of scripture. However, for my purpose in this article, I’ll let Saddam give us the evidence we need. Recall the prediction, “No one will ever live there.”
For centuries, this was true. Babylon was overthrown. The city was looted many and gradually reduced to rubble over hundreds of years. No one lived there. The story of the number of times it was looted is fascinating – and fulfills another prediction, “… all who plunder her will have their fill.” (Jeremiah 50:10)
Then Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq. As he grew in power, his opinion of himself became enormous. Saddam decided that he was the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar – the ruler who lead Babylon to world domination. Naturally, the city of Babylon needed to be resurrected.
So he built one of his many palaces in Babylon. And he began to restore the city. His goal was raise Saddam Hussein and Babylon to world prominence. He had bricks made with this inscription, “Babylon was rebuilt in the reign of Saddam Hussein.”
Saddam had the oil riches of Iraq at his disposal. He had dictatorial power. There was no resource he lacked as he reached for his prize. His foolish grab of Kuwait and his defeat in the first Gulf War slowed him down; but it certainly didn’t stop this megalomaniac’s vision or mission.
And then 9 / 11 happened; and Saddam was identified as a key enemy of the United States. Our government determined to overthrow him and restructure Iraq. This is a piece of history that you and I have lived.
Our God stated many times in the Old Testament that he uses existing militaries for his purposes. He calls them “my sword, my tools.” The armed forces of the United States and our coalition became an instrument in the hands of the Sovereign God. Saddam was rooted out, captured and subsequently executed. His palaces were used as military headquarters. His plans were a dismal failure.
The United States marines first controlled “Camp Babylon.” You can find it easily with a search engine. Those bricks with the inscriptions about the rebuilding of Babylon became hot tourist items. The remains of the city were reworked for military purposes. Heavy equipment fashioned it to suit their needs. Sandbags were filled with “artifacts.”
Maryam Mussa, an Iraqi official said, “The damage was so great, it would be difficult to repair it, and nothing can make up for it.” Americans have insisted that local looting was terrible and would have been worse had it not been for their presence. The U.S. handed camp Babylon to the Polish Military in 2003. They gave it back to the Iraqi people in 2005.
If Saddam had succeeded in rebuilding Babylon, what would critics of the Bible be shouting now? Can you imagine their smug expressions as they compared a thriving city to these prophecies?
God said, “Babylon will never be rebuilt or lived in.” The one who ruled Iraq with an iron hand for 25 years directed all of his power, influence and money into the project of rebuilding the city for his glory. And what happened?
The true God knows and foretells the future. The true God keeps his word. You can trust him. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27, 28)
He has intervened in human history – our history. He keeps his word. You can trust him.
The Rise and Fall of a Murderous Dictator, by Paul Kengor. Washington Times, January 6, 2007
Babylon’s Ancient Wonder, Lying in Ruins, by Nada Bakri. The Washington Post July 29, 2009
Globalsecurity.org/military/…/Babylon.htm