
NYT caption: "A boy rested on the mud in a dried-up section of the Euphrates River near Jubaish, Iraq, in June."
UPDATE — Diplomats: Iran has means to test bomb in 6 months
The front page of Tuesday morning’s New York Times had a stunning headline: “Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles.”
The drying up of this historic river in the land of ancient Babylon is so stunning, that even the Times had to note that Bible prophecy says this will happen in the “last days” of history, in the lead up to the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon described in the Book of Revelation.
Excerpts from the Times story: “Throughout the marshes, the reed gatherers, standing on land they once floated over, cry out to visitors in a passing boat. ‘Maaku mai!’ they shout, holding up their rusty sickles. ‘There is no water!’ The Euphrates is drying up. Strangled by the water policies of Iraq’s neighbors, Turkey and Syria; a two-year drought; and years of misuse by Iraq and its farmers, the river is significantly smaller than it was just a few years ago. Some officials worry that it could soon be half of what it is now. The shrinking of the Euphrates, a river so crucial to the birth of civilization that the Book of Revelation prophesied its drying up as a sign of the end times, has decimated farms along its banks, has left fishermen impoverished and has depleted riverside towns as farmers flee to the cities looking for work.” [More photos of the drying-up Euphrates from the NYT.]
Please note that I did not add in the link above to the “Bible Gateway” website for Revelation 16:12. The Times’ online edition includes that link themselves. Apparently the newspaper of record now believes that the future of Iraq in light of Bible prophecy is part of “all the news that’s fit to print.”
To be clear, we will not see the complete fulfillment of Revelation 16 until during the seven-year period of judgment and bloodshed that the Bible calls the “Tribulation.” Indeed, it is possible that we will see the drought end and the Lord bless Iraq with abundant water in the coming years that will make the prophecy cited seem all that more dramatic in its proper time. Only time will tell. But it’s certainly another curious development.
I’d recommend skeptics stay tuned. This is just the beginning of the dramatic headlines to come.
HEADLINES TO TRACK:
- Bombs rip through Indonesia hotels, killing eight
- WSJ: Indonesia Is a Model Muslim Democracy
- Prosperity: Israeli economy appears resilient despite global challenges, has grown at an average of 5% a year for the past five years
- That said, 20% drop in tourism to Israel since beginning of 2009
- Security: Rocket fired from Gaza at southern Israel first since June 13
- Security and Prosperity: Signs of hope emerge in the West Bank, says NYT, as Palestinian economy grows 7%
- Threats on the horizon: Israeli warships rehearse for Iran attack in Red Sea
- Threats on the horizon: Ahmadinejad says Iran will “bring down” Western foes
- With Mousavi in audience, Rafsanjani assails Iran’s leaders
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