An epitaph by definition is an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the one buried there. For instance, Frank Sinatra’s epitaph reads,"The Best Is Yet To Come", and the Unknown Soldier’s reads, "Here rest an American Soldier known but to God"; and then there’s an anonymous epitaph which reads, "Here lies a poor unfortunate who was a victim of his own imprudence. Drop a tear on his tomb and say, If you please, a Psalm ’Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord, for his soul. He was only 27 years. 1798."
Epitaphs are generally and sometimes fascinating. The words inscribed upon a tomb may tell little or much about the life of the deceased, but one thing that they always say is that this person is dead. Even if Isaiah had not given Israel the long dramtic oracle on the death of the king of Babylon, just to hear the simple words, "He is dead," would have sounded like heaven’s own music to the oppressed people of God.
What seemd like an eternity of brutality was finally over. Every age in history has had its tyrants. Every generation has heard the patheic wailing of oppressed people. Every serious minded man or woman of God has heard the world demanding, "Why must we suffer? When will this bondage cease? Where is God?" As I watch with great interest what is now unfolding in the world, war with Iraq, as I watch various news reports, I am not surprise when I hear of uprisings against the dictator, Saddam Hussein.
Right here in the text under consideration, Isaiah’s epitaph of Babylon (that once great city of Iraq) serves as an encouraging reminder to all ages that tyrants do die, evil is defeated, and God is still sitting on His throne. He’s not pacing back and forth in front of His throne trying to decide what He will do next, He is SITTING on His throne!
Epitaphs are usually brief, giving essential principles or elements of the deceased’s life. I have three brief points that I would like to lift up concerning the epitaph of tyranny.
I. THE PRESUMPTION OF EVIL
We debate the origin, purpose, or destiny of evil; but no one debates it reality. Just read your newspapers or looking at your local news broadcast, on any given day and it is quite evident that evil is real in the world today. That topic is not up for debate. The force of evil is as real as the force of good, because its a reality, and evil becomes proud, presumptious, and over-confident.
As like the rest of America, I sit front on my TV and watch the continuous news coverage of this war with Irag and I can not help but notice how defiant and over-confident this "Butcher of Baghdad" really is.
He is a man with a specific evil goal and the goal he has is three-fold, 1.) Economic Power 2.) Territorial Domination 3.) The elimination of the nation of Israel.
The one clear truth is the unbelievable presumption of evil. History’s innumerable lessons are forgotten by the evil heart swollen with pride and selfishness though a thousand dictators are crushed to the earth, and a new one always rises with the presumption that he can successfully rule with force. He’ll even declare that his god ordained it to be so.
He’ll allow Satan to plant the notion in his head that it’s all right to brutalize and kill the people of his own nation as long as he gets his way.
Dr. Charles H. Dyer remarks in his recently published book entitled, "The Rise of Babylon" that: "Saddam Hussein was born, a man whose passions and methods baffle Americans. We cannot understand why this man invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait that supported him in his eight-year war with Iran. We cannot fathom why he was unwilling to withdraw his troops in the face of world condemnation. We cannot comprehend his barbaric use of chemical weopons on the citizens of his own country, including defenseless women and children. We cannot imagine how he can so brazenly lie to the world about stockpiling weopons of mass destruction. His country is a police state where Iraqis have been arrested for turning off a television when Saddam’s image was on the screen or accidently knocking over one of his ubiquitous posters."
Talk about pride in ones self! During the twentieth century and on into the twenty-first century, there have been plenty of want to be conquerors that have had this presumption of evil. Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Nicolae Ceausescu just name a few (we are blessed to of never had an American President in this list) there’s always somebody waiting in line, ready to flex his muscles in front of the whole world with the presumption that by force they may be able to rule the entire world.
When discuss the presumption of evil, there is however one man that almost stands alone (with exception of ol’ Satan himself) and that Adolph Hitler. Those of us old enough to remember can tell this younger generation about Hitler’s insane resistance (Just like Hussein’s today) of the advancing armies of allies from the west and Russians from the east. Sending his own men like animals to the slaughter, ignoring the desperate pleas of his generals, and irrationally insisting that the Third Reich would yet conquer, he epitomized the death-grip of evil on the ungenerate heart. And so what of Saddam Hussein? Well, there are some dangerous similarities between Hussein and Hitler.
But even with these similarities, Hussein does not fancy himself as the Hitler of the new millenia. He actually sees himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar, on October 12, 1990 he is quoted as saying: "What is most important to me about Nebuchadnezzar is the link between the Arabs’ abilties and the liberation of Palestine. That is why, whenever I remember Nebuchadnezzar, I like to remind Arabs--Iraqis in particular--of their historical responsibilities. It is a burden that should not stop then from action, but rather spur them into action because of their history."
Let stop right here and tell you that the Arabian people, the people of the Middle East view their history with far more importance than we in
America do. When it comes to history, history is of the utmost importance to them. If Saddam Hussein could some how gain control, he would have wealth beyond imagination, he would gain power of the world’s most dangerous neighborhood (the Middle-East) just like Nebuchadnezzar. This is why he is so sure of himself, this is why he is so over confident, even as he faces the present wrath of the world’s number one super-power (the United States) he truly believes that his destiny is to bring the Arab people back to their
former glory as in the days of Nechadnezzar.
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, and those who seek to expel evil from the earth by force, discount the fact that evil never admits defeat. Even right now, as the allied forces are bombarding Iraq, I have a newspaper lying on my desk right with the caption: "Air War Escalates" even right at this very moment, somehow Saddam and his Minister of Information is under the impression that Iraq is winning. There’s more to it that causes this man and people like him to be so over-confident. Verses 13 - 15 of this chapter has the answer to this, Saddam is just like the one who leads him, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." Those who decide to follow Satan’s lead, can expect a horrible end. Not by the hands of men, but by the hand of the One who guides the hands of men who follow Him. The truth is we can fight this wat, we can over power this tyrant and his deputies, we can even establish a new government for the people of Iraq, we can legislate and re-legislate, we can seek the U.N. for approval (watch out for the U.N. in days to come, because they will be a useful tool for the Anti-Christ), we can do a number of things, but President Bush and his staff should no this, WE CANNOT REMOVE EVIL FROM THE EARTH- ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN DO THAT!!
II. THE POWER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
William Cullen Bryant wrote, "Truth crushed the earth will rise again." The history of man is the story of the struggle between good and evil. All the great religions have recognized the struggle: Hinduism speaks of a clonflict bewtween illusion and reality; Zoroatrianism calls it a conflict bewtween the god of light and the god of darkness; Juadism and Christianity have known it as a conflict between God and Satam.
all religions and philosophies admit that while there is an upward thrust of godliness, there is also a downward pull of evil. Man has constantly asked which is stronger and which is the ultimate winner. Christianity’s central message declares that good shall eventually emerge as the victor. Evil is historically and prophetically doomed by the power of righteousness. Wild tares may choke the growing wheat, destroy the former and preserve the latter.
This inexorable truth has issued the saying that it is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed that to suceed in a cause that will ultimately fail. The protestors in the streets around the world and here in the United States are carrying around with them the banner that states that the cause led by our President will ultimately fail.
But let me make a personal observation right about here, I truly do believe our cause is a honorable cause. Although I did not vote for President Bush, which I know is besides the point. I whole-heartedly support him and definitely support our troops who are now in harm’s way over there in Iraq. But if we want to see victory in these coming days, it is absolutely a must that we include God in everything we do. I’m old-fashion, I know can’t do anything without the help of God, how about you? Do you agree with me? Only God help us today, we need to constantly pray don’t we? Pray for our troops, pray for our President, pray for our cities, pray for our homes, pray for our children and their future in the mean sin cursed world, we need to pray!! Pray for our friends, pray for our enemies, we need to pray!!
This is much bigger than the evil deeds of Saddam Hussein, what’s happening here in the world today is a prelude to Armageddon, and I believe that the Anti-Christ is right now a full-grown man with knowledge of what prophesy has said of him. And he’s just waiting for his time to make the scene, you can believe me or not. This Iraqi madman is only fulfilling Bible prophecies that, "...point to the Middle East as the world’s powder keg and a rebuilt Babylon as the fuse that will ignite the world’s final events" - "The Rise of Babylon" by Dr. Charles H. Dyer
III. THE PURPOSE OF GOD
Is there a true purpose to all this world confusion? Where is God in all this? Is He watching everything that is taking place in the world today? Is He concerned? Or will He just let us fight it out, and whoever comes out on top is the winner? What kind of purpose can war possibly serve? Somebody put a similar question to song and even provided and answer. "War,what is it good for? answer: Absolutely nothing!" I imagine there somebody in America today, maybe a mother or father of a soldier deployed to Iraq, maybe a wife with a child not yet delivered whose husband is there in Iraq right now. Nowadays, there’s husbands who have been left behind, while their wives out to fight in the war. We will not forget the prisoners of war or those missing in action.
Just in case there’s a question concerning the whereabouts of God in all this, I would use this example. "Where is God?" the Israelites must have cried this out a million times in the Babylonian night. Have you read that poignant tale of African life Cry, the Beloved Country? Kumaloo the village priest who has suffered much says to Father Vincent, "It seems that God has turned from me." To which Father Vincent replies, "That may seem to happen. But it does not happen. Never, never does it happen." God’s purpose had always been to deliver Israel, His purpose is to deliver all of us who are His children. He’s a battle-axe in the time of war!
He’s a refuge for the weary, an ever-present shelter from the storms of life.
Is there a relationship between the good and the evil conflicts of religion and government? Does God really care and interpose His will? Well, look at what Paul has to say about it, "Pray for kings, and for all who are in authority; that we may; lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty. For this is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of truth" (I Timothy 2:2-4).
Still the skeptics ask if this is what God wants, then why doesn’t He come down and make it happen? If He wants us to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and honesty then why are tyrants like Saddam Hussein and terrorist like Osama bin Laden allowed to pour out their evil into the world and do the bidden of Satan himself? Well, there are two answers to these questions. First, He did come down in time and history and gave men their greatest example of love, righteousness and power.
Secondly, when He comes again, it will be as when the playwright walks on stage, when the playwright walks on stage, the play is over.
CONCLUSION
Caesar occupied a palace and Christ a Cross, but Christ divided history so effectively in A.D. and B.C.
that even the reign of Caesar was subsequently dated by the name of Christ. The living Christ in the hearts of men will still triumph over evil and work moral miracles. "I can do all things through Christ" that’s what Paul said, that’s what we should be saying today, with that we have the blessed assurance of victory. As I close, let’s say a prayer for our nation today- let’s continue to pray everyday until we here that this war is over, when I say this war I’m not specifying the war in Iraq, but I’m talking about the war we’ve all been fighting since the day we accepted Jesus into our lives. When He returns then and only then can we expect to have perfect peace, may you continue to fight the good fight of faith. Amen.
slmiller@usawide.net
