Here is how the Bible describes the Harlot s destruction. I know it s long; but it s worth the read!

Transcription

1 June 17, 2010 Chapter 11 From Her Own Cup Introduction. Can you imagine waking up to e following headline... Dubai City, Saudi Arabia Explosion Levels Much of Riyadh. Royal Family Feared Dead. An explosion ripped rough e dark of night in central Riyadh, e capital of Saudi Arabia, last evening. The underous explosion leveled e ground as skyscrapers and high rises yielded to e enormous blast. What was not leveled was destroyed by fire as flames leapt from building to building and structure to structure. The eery glow from flames cast shadows of bright red glare into e night canopy as images reflected from e glass exteriors of skyscrapers located in e world s most opulent financial center. Heat from e explosion was so intense at e famed Kingdom Center, e 1,000 foot skyscraper of Riyadh, literally crumbled into e ear during e night. Estimates of casualties are in e 10,000's and are likely to include many from e Saudi royal family. Aid workers are awaiting an all-clear before coming near e city as nuclear or radiologic fall out is expected. No word has been received as to e safety of King Abdullah, e reigning monarch of Saudi Arabia, nor Crown Prince Sultan bin Aziz, next in line to succeed King Abudullah. The impact on e world financial markets is expected to be devastating. London s crude oil futures for January delivery opened is morning from its former high of $98.62 per barrel to $ per barrel and rising. No one has claimed responsibility for e blast, but e timing of e explosion to coincide wi e convening of e important 22 member, Council of Ministers, in Riyadh, brings suspicion on many wiin e Islamic community, including Osama bin Ladin, who has long declared King Abudullah an apostate to be removed from leadership of Saudi Arabia. Meetings of world leaders will undoubtedly convene today as e economic survival of e present world powers is at stake.... One day e above headline will not be a figment of one s imagination. We have identified e 8 head of e scarlet beast as e Mahdi, e coming Antichrist/false prophet; e scarlet beast as e seven caliphate to be revived in e seven caliphate period of Islam, led by al-mahdi; and, e harlot who rides e scarlet beast as Saudi Arabia, e prostitute of Islam. In is chapter, we will discover e hidden deceit of e 8 head of e scarlet beast and its ten horns, who, in one hour, destroy e harlot bringing her own cup upon her head. Here is how e Bible describes e Harlot s destruction. I know it s long; but it s wor e read! Revelation 18:6, "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double 7 according to her deeds; in e cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. "To e degree at she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to e same degree give her 8 torment and mourning;...' "For is reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up wi fire; for e Lord God who judges 9 her is strong. "And e kings of e ear,..., will weep and lament over her when ey see 10 e smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of e fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, e great city, Babylon, e strong city! For in one hour your judgment 141

2 15 has come.'... "The merchants of ese ings, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of e fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,... ; for in one hour such great weal has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster..., stood at a distance, 18 and were crying out as ey saw e smoke of her burning,.., saying, 'Woe, woe, e great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her weal, for in one hour she has 20 been laid waste!' "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and 21 prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and rew it into e sea, saying, "Thus will Babylon, e great city, be rown down wi violence, and will not be found any longer. (Emphasis added). Here is a quick summary of e Bible s description of e harlot s judgement: 1. 1 It will be quick in one hour (18:13, 17, 19); 2. No one will come near her for fear of being impacted by what torments her (18:10, 15, 17); 3. Her destruction will be accompanied by pestilence (18:8) 4. Her destruction will include a fiery annihilation (18:8, 9, 15, 18) 5. Her destruction will be accompanied by great amounts of smoke (18:9, 18,19:3) 6. Her kingdom will suffer a complete destruction (18:6, 7, 14, 19, 20, 21). 7. Her destruction will somehow involve e cup which she has mixed for oers (18:6). The Harlot, e Scarlet Beast, and its Heads and Horns are all Islamic. Islam is e common denominator for e heads, e horns, e scarlet beast, and e harlot. We can reach is interpretation by e one factor at continually appears in Last Days texts: a holy war waged against e woman, her offspring, or e Lamb. Revelation 17:6 describes e aftertaste of is holy war. The text states, And I saw e woman [e harlot] drunk wi e blood of e saints, and wi e blood of e witnesses of Jesus. This factor has been e one read continuously woven in e texts of e Last Days, all of which reveal e presence of satan (rough Islam) in his holy war against God. There are always two sides to is war. Satan and God; and, each side is represented by an opposing group of humanity. We have already looked at e texts at support is conclusion, and will not do so again. The harlot (Revelation 17:6), e scarlet beast (Revelation 17:3, 14) and its seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 17:14) are all tainted wi e taste of holy war against e Lamb and His followers. Satan is still hiding under e cloak of his human agents, especially in e Tribulation period! This factor by itself is not sufficient to conclude at Islam is identified; but is is not e only factor. It is e one factor at is always present to support many, many oers. Judgment Day has arrived for e Harlot. A most revealing statement is found in Revelation 17: Revelation 17:16 "And e ten horns which you saw, and e beast, ese will hate e harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up wi fire. 17 "For God has put it in eir hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving eir kingdom to e beast, until e words of God should be fulfilled. Revelation 18:20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. Amazing ing. As we will see, e harlot, Saudi Arabia, e birplace of Islam, will be 142

3 destroyed by ose from e very religion bired in her desert. An alliance of ten Muslim leaders/nations/groups, led by e Antichrist/false prophet, al-mahdi, will destroy e harlot. Yet, e hand behind e destruction of e harlot is actually e hand of God. God accomplishes His divine judgment against is one who is drunk wi e blood of e saints. The saints belong to God, and His response is only a matter of time: Revelation 6:10 and ey cried out wi a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on ose who dwell on e ear?" 11 And ere was given to each of em a white robe; and ey were told at ey should rest for a little while longer, until e number of eir fellow servants and eir breren who were to be killed even as ey had been, would be completed also. It should not surprise us at e Arabs have been at enmity wi God since well before e time of Islam. The Ishmaelites, i.e., e descendants of Ishmael, Abraham s son by Hagar, have conspired against e Israelites for centuries. Here is an Old Testament prophecy of God s coming judgment against is people group: Psalm 83:1 O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. 2 For, behold, Thine enemies make an uproar; And ose who hate Thee have exalted emselves. 3 They make shrewd plans against Thy people, And conspire togeer against Thy treasured ones. 4 They have said, "Come, and let us wipe em out as a nation, That e name of Israel be remembered no more." For ey have conspired togeer wi one mind; Against Thee do ey make a covenant: 6 The tents of Edom and e Ishmaelites; Moab, and e Hagrites...,15 So pursue em wi Thy tempest, And terrify em wi Thy storm. 16 Fill eir faces wi dishonor, That ey may seek Thy name, O LORD. 17 Let em be ashamed and dismayed forever; And let em be humiliated and perish, 18 That ey may know at Thou alone, whose name is e LORD, Art e Most High over all e ear. (Emphasis added) God will judge e harlot using a punishment defined by e Harlot s sin against oers. While e harlot rides her scarlet beast she holds a cup filled wi her abominations. Revelation 17:4 And e woman was cloed in purple and scarlet, and adorned wi gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of e unclean ings of her immorality, (Emphasis added) In e book of Ezekiel, e prophet warns of a coming destruction upon e people of Israel who had sinned against God in multiple ways. The consequence of e people s sins was uninkable: Jerusalem, e city of Solomon s Temple, long ought by Israel to be beyond destruction because of e Temple s presence, was about to be besieged and completely desolated by e mighty Babylonians. Through ree separate exiles, 605 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC, e Babylonians eier killed e people or took em into captivity. The people of Israel had fallen so far from God at eir sins bore fruit rough more sins and a greater dep of darkness. Here is one of many texts describing e spiritual state of e people and e city ey lived in: Ezekiel 7:3 'Now e end is upon you, and I shall send My anger against you; I shall judge you according to your ways, and I shall bring all your abominations upon you. 4 'For My eye 143

4 will have no pity on you, nor shall I spare you, but I shall bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; en you will know at I am e LORD!' (Emphasis added) God judged e city by bringing your ways upon you. He brought e people s sin upon eir own heads. The point? God often judges sin by using a punishment at is defined by e very sin at necessitates e judgment. The Harlot s Sin Becomes her Abomination. Here is how is applies to Islam, and specifically, to Arab Islam (Sunni Islam). Islam was born in e desert of Arabia by revelation to Muhammad. It is from e bowels of e Arabian Peninsula at e calls for jihad were first issued by Muhammad, eventually extending beyond Arabia to all of e Middle East, to Asia Minor, Spain, Africa and Europe. Islam advanced its jihad outside Arabia, but it also advanced an internal jihad against its own. Sunni Islam has persecuted e Shi`ah minority since 680 AD, e battle of Karbala, where 100 or so Shi`ahs were not just defeated, but utterly butchered. As has been stated in prior chapters, is persecution has continued for almost 1400 years even to e modern day as many Sunnis consider Shi`ahs to be unbelievers. Thus, Islam, particularly e Sunnis of Arabia, are indiscriminate murderers whose victims are quite frequently oer Muslims. It should not surprise us, en, at e harlot, Saudi Arabia (Sunni Islam), will perish by e hand of Islam! Her sin of indiscriminate murder will be turned upon her just as e bloody city Jerusalem became a city of blood at e hands of e Babylonians in 586 BC. Even more specifically, is abomination will be so specific at it will be initiated by e sect wiin Islam at e Sunnis have persecuted for 1,400 years, e Shi`ahs. According to e will of God, e sin is turned upon e sinner: Notice e text below which prophesies of is event: Revelation 17:13 "These have one purpose and ey give eir power and auority to e beast "And e ten horns which you saw, and e beast, ese will hate e harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up wi fire. 17 "For God has put it in eir hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving eir kingdom to e beast, until e words of God should be fulfilled. (Emphasis added) Shi`ah Islam will be led by al-mahdi against Sunni Arabia. Here is how we come to is conclusion. 1. The ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom (17:12). That is, ey are all future kings. This requirement parallels Revelation 17:10 which describes e time for e eigh head of e scarlet beast and e seven caliphate to be a future event. All of ese kings will be leaders of individual groups of Muslims and/or Muslim countries. The text gives us no information by which to furer identify em so to even try to name em would be pure speculation. 2. The ten horns are ten kings who are all Muslim. The ten horns are all heads of e scarlet beast. That is, ey gain eir life rough e beast, and ey find fulfillment rough e beast. In each of our previous metaphors of beasts, we interpreted e heads and horns to be of e same nature as e beast; at is, ey have protruded from e beast and were not separable from e beast. In Daniel 7, four separate empires are represented 144

5 figuratively by four separate beasts. Each of e four separate beasts had separate characteristics to distinguish e separate beasts from e oers as well as e period of dominion. At no time did a characteristic from one beast have meaning to a beast oer an e one from whom e characteristic was identified wi. Thus, e scarlet beast has ten horns. These ten horns are all Islamic since e beast, e harlot, and e heads are all Islamic. 3. The power and auority of e ten kings is apparently short in duration. The text tells us e ten kings receive auority as kings for only one hour (17:12). It is doubtful at e one hour is literal, and taking it as a metaphor, it simply means a short time period. It could be literal nuclear or similar devastation actually would take less time! The eigh head of e seven caliphate period will reign only for a little while. It is as if e text is telling us at kingship is specific and relevant to ese ten leaders only for e common purpose of destroying e harlot. Actually, as we will see, e 8 head destroys ree of e ten nations at are part of e Alliance to destroy e Saudis. No wonder e Alliance is only togeer for an hour! 4. The relationship of e beast and e ten kings is only to accomplish a purpose greater in importance an any oer reason at might divide em (17:13, 16). Notice: division of e group is implied in e text specific mention is made of eir giving eir power and auority over to e eigh head of e scarlet beast to accomplish one ing to destroy e harlot who rides e scarlet beast; for ey all hate e harlot (17:16). Thus, e ten horns are not normally in a relationship of submission to e eigh head. This is someing at happens only for is purpose. Islam is, and has always been, divided; but in e end, an alliance of ten (plus eir leader) will come togeer to destroy e harlot. Their hatred of e harlot will unite e alliance! They will be led by al-mahdi. He is e eigh head, and he will receive e power and auority for one hour from ten Muslim groups or nations for e purpose of destroying e harlot. The harlot s sin will turn upon e harlot. The 4 Beast of Daniel 7 and his ten horns and oer horn. Remember e oer horn of Daniel 7's 4 beast? In e days before e Ancient of Days takes his seat for judgment (7:26-27), anoer horn from e 4 beast will come up along wi ten horns of e beast. We have already interpreted is oer horn to be e Antichrist/false prophet, Islam s al- Mahdi. Looking at bo Revelation 17 and Daniel 7, we find e same ten horns. Bo prophesy of ten nations or groups at will come togeer (7:24) in e Tribulation period of e Last Days. At e same time, a leader different from e ten will arise. This leader will come up (7:20). This is al-mahdi who emerges as Antichrist/false prophet. The prophecy of Daniel 7:20f is a mirror image of Revelation 17, wi a few additional details. Three of e ten horns are subdued. The identity of e ree will be discussed in a later chapter. A Complete Destruction Must Take Place. The prophecy of e harlot s coming annihilation is described wi great detail. The text tells us: it will be complete (18:6, 7, 14, 19, 20, 21); quick - in one hour (18:13, 17, 19); accompanied by fire (18:8, 9, 15, 18) and great amounts of smoke (18:9, 18, 19:3). The after-affects of e destruction will be so great at no one will come near e harlot out of fear of being affected by e destruction (18:10, 15, 17). Finally, e afteraffects will include pestilence (18:8). I suppose at at some point, metaphor must give way to e literal. Seems like at has just st happened. Amazing, we have a prophecy written in e 1 century AD using words more st st relevant to e 21 century an e 1! 145

6 Remember e Oil. How will is destruction take place? Remember e oil. It allowed e harlot to commit immorality wi e kings of e ear. It made e merchants of e world rich and great, and ose who had ships at sea, wealy. The oil made e peoples and nations of e world drunk. So en, according to e Biblical principle we identified earlier, e oil will somehow be used in e harlot s judgment. Here is e text: Revelation 18:6 "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in e cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. This verse is very important. It gives us a clue of e instrument to be used in e harlot s destruction. Verse 18:6 says, in e cup which she mixed, mix twice as much for her. It is from is cup at all e nations have drunk,...; and, from which, e merchants of e ear have become rich..." (18:3, 15); and, from is cup e harlot s weal has cloed her in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned wi gold and precious stones and pearls (18:16); and from is cup e harlot made all who had ships at sea... rich by her weal (18:19). The text is telling us at e harlot s judgment will somehow involve e oil at brought her weal. The unclean ings of her immorality are her oil; e abominations are e harlot s sins, one of which is how she has used her oil to enslave oers and magnify herself. God is telling us at e sin will be turned against her. It will somehow be used against her, for in e cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. Therefore, e justice of God will include e use of e harlot s wine as e means whereby e harlot will be judged, and ultimately destroyed! She has used her wine to sin against oers. The consequences of her sin will become e abomination at God brings down upon her own head. But why does e judgment of e harlot s sin turn upon e one generation (future?) of Saudis? The generation judged for e harlot s sin was not even alive when Islam was born nor when e Sunnis exacted eir crimes on e Shi`ahs. In e same way at e generation living at e latter half of e seven year Tribulation period will experience e wra of God (last chapter), on behalf of humanity, so will e generation of Saudis experience e judgment of e harlot sin. It is as if e wra of God is stored up until God decides at it is time for it to be unleashed (Hosea 13:12; James 5:3). Here is how e Saudi s will be destroyed. Shi`ah Islam s Dhu al-fiqar. Shi`ah Islam believes e Mahdi will rise wi e sword of 2 Muhammad, e dhu al-fiqar. In today s modern world, e dhu al-fiqar of Muhammad is certainly not a literal sword. Humanity stopped using metal swords long time ago. No, e sword of Muhammad is meant to be understood metaphorically. We quote from Shi`ah scholar, Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini, in regard to e dhu al-fiqar, e sword of Muhammad: The Mahdi resembles his forefaer, e Prophet, in at he too will rise wi a sword... However, e rise wi e sword is a metaphor for warfare. It indicates at war and bloodshed are part of e official task of e Mahdi. He is commanded by God to make Islam a universal fai and to confront injustice and tyranny, even by force and by means of a sword. His circumstance is contrary to his forefaers careers, which did not require em to face e situation in at forceful manner, as eir charge was limited to admonition and counsel. Consequently, to rise wi a sword does not mean at his weapons of defense 146

7 are limited to a sword, and at he is to restrain himself from using any oer kind of weapons. To be sure, he too might employ e weapons of e day or even create new 3 weapons to overpower all e known weaponry of his time. (Emphasis added) The dhu al-fiqar of al-mahdi, i.e, e sword of Muhammad, will be e oil of Saudi Arabia. The Mahdi s plan will be to remove it from e hands of e Saudis and from e world s petroleum markets. In so doing, two ings will occur: e Saudis will be destroyed and/or completely removed from power; and, 2) e free economies of e world will be brought to ruin. Oil as an Instrument of Jihad. Mordecai Abir of e Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, reports e following statement by Osama bin Ladin. This message from bin Ladin was posted on al-qaeda s Arabian Peninsula website to all mujahidin (jihadists) in Arabia:... bin Laden stated at oil prices should be at least $100 a barrel, and called upon Persian Gulf militants to exert emselves to prevent e West from getting Arab oil by attacking oil facilities all over e region. Bin Laden also encouraged all mujahidin to stop e biggest eft in history as e West has been buying oil at a cheap price. This was e first time at al-qaeda s leadership had openly divulged its strategy of hitting e Western economy by disrupting oil supplies and causing prices to skyrocket.... Bin Laden s call for an oil jihad was followed by a web site message from e Arabian Peninsula al-qaeda to all e mujahidin in Arabia, wherever ey are, to focus on oil targets in eir struggle against 4 e infidels and eir Saudi allies. (Emphasis added) But don t ink for a moment at Osama s declaration of an oil jihad was Islam s first unsheaing of its sword. We need return to e 1973 Oil Embargo to find e first occurrence. In 1973, President Nixon announced his intention to rearm Israel against furer attacks from Egypt and Syria. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia responded by gaering ten oil ministers from Arab oil producing states for a meeting in Kuwait. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC, consisting of e Arab members of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria) 5 was formed. The collective oil production of e ten nations was immediately reduced by 5%, per mon, until e Middle East conflict was resolved. Saudi Arabia announced an immediate 10% reduction in its oil production and a complete ban on all petroleum shipments to e US 6 and e Neerlands. Matew Simmons describes e impact of e Saudi led Embargo as follows: Though e amount of oil OPEC wiheld was small, its impact on e price of oil was enormous and more violent an most Arab oil ministers had expected. For e better part of e prior four decades, oil prices had stayed in e $1 to $2 per barrel range. In e year preceding e embargo, oil prices had occasionally drifted towards and at times even exceeded ree dollars a barrel; but ree dollar oil was deemed a spike at would soon settle back to more normal levels... Wiin days after e 1973 oil embargo was announced, oil prices began to soar. By e end of 1973, oil prices had risen almost fourfold, finishing e year at $11.65 per barrel, The embargo was soon lifted, but long after it faded into distant history, e price of oil climbed steadily. By mid 1978, oil was selling in a stable price band of $16 to $17 per barrel. 7 One final quote from Osama: 147

8 So e struggle is bo financial and physical. Even if e distance between us and e American military base is very great, and our weapons do not match up to eir planes, we are able to soak up e pressure of ese strikes wi our broad defense lines. And in anoer way it is possible to strike e economic base at is e foundation of e military base, so when eir economy is depleted ey will be too busy wi each oer to be able to enslave poor peoples. So I say at it is very important to focus on attacking e American economy by any means available. 8 What is my point? The Achilles heel of e free world is at our economies are dependent upon petroleum. It is in is weakness at our vulnerability is most revealed. If one attacks us at our most vulnerable point... The Achilles Heel of e West. Islam is not able, militarily, to defeat e West. They know at and so do we. Our military is far superior to at of any Muslim country. Our technology more advanced. Yet, ere is one significant weakness at e West does have; particularly, when one compares at weakness wi e streng of Islam. This weakness is e level of petroleum reserves e West possesses, combined wi e addiction of Americans to e comforts and privileges of being United States citizens. No matter how strong our military, wiout petroleum to fuel our equipment.... Combine at wi a weak will on e part of e American people as a whole... and, we have just identified our Achilles heel! Consider ese facts. The United States is e world s #1 importer of crude oil, importing 9 11,666, mb/d according to OPEC s 2006 Annual Statistical Bulletin. The United States alone imports 24% of e world s supply of crude oil. According to e BP Statistical Review of World 10 Energy, Saudi Arabia, as of 2006, held 21.9% of e world s proven oil reserves. The Middle East, as a group, which includes in addition to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Syria, and Yemen, accounts for 61.5% of e world s proven oil reserves 11 (e percentage of OPEC nations compared to e world is 77.2% ). Of e Middle East group, 12 Saudi Arabia possesses just under twice e reserves of its closest rival, Iran. The United States leads e world in imports and trails miserably in oil and gas reserves. Does at look like an Achilles heel to you? The evidence of is weakness is what happened to America during e 1973/74 Oil Embargo. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, e world s largest supply of emergency crude oil, was specifically formed in e afterma of e 1973/74 Oil Embargo as an attempt to minimize e 13 reat to America if OPEC decided, once again, to use oil as its sword. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (STR), according to e Department of Energy website at February 20, , has enough oil reserves for only 56 days of draw down. The last time e STR was drawn down was during e afterma of Hurricane Katrina which resulted in e draw down of million barrels of a en record high 700mill barrels. The Streng (and weakness) of Islam. According to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2008 (June, 2008), e Middle East Countries possess 755,300 mb of proven oil reserves. Of is group, Saudi Arabia possesses 264,200 mb of proven oil reserves. Nor America, which includes e United States, possesses 69,300 mb of proven oil reserves. The Unites States 16 possesses 29,400 mb of proven oil reserves. Do e ma. The Middle East possesses 10.9x e amount of proven crude oil reserves at e entire continent of Nor America owns and 25.7x e amount e US owns. Does at sound like a streng to you? Only one problem for 148

9 Islam. Saudi Arabia owns 264,200 mb of proven Middle East reserves of 755,300 mb (34.9%); and, Saudi Arabia is an ally of e United States of America. Therefore, e weakness of America is offset by e streng of e Saudis. We are allies. We provide our military to e Saudis and e Saudis provide eir oil to us. We watch her backside, and she gives us a reason to! What would you do if you were a Middle East world leader who believed you had been chosen by Allah to initiate a global campaign for Islamic domination? What if you were also a Shi`ah world leader? Shi`ahs believe in e rising of eir 12 Imam, e Mahdi, who will lead Islam in global domination, beginning wi revenge against Sunnis. The weaknesses of e West as well as e Saudis are obvious. The West depends on e Saudis for eir oil. The Saudis depend on e West for her defense. What links e two is Saudi petroleum. Remove e petroleum from e control of e Saudis, and you have killed two birds wi one stone. You have disarmed e powerful West because it depends upon Saudi petroleum. You have removed e military protection e House of Saud has prostituted itself to obtain, ereby rendering it an impotent world power. In fact, bo powers have been rendered impotent. Seems to me at s precisely e objective for Islam and e prophesied fulfillment for Shi`ah s al-mahdi! The Beginning of e End - Saudi Arabian Oil is Removed from e World Market. I ought e way is was going to end was Riyadh would be struck by a bomb, nuclear or oerwise, and e royal family would be taken out. Then, Shi`ah Islam (Iran) would acquire e oil resources of e Kingdom. Possessing e oil of e Saudis would put em in e driver s seat to launch eir global jihad. But someing didn t make sense to me. If at were to take place, e United States would bomb e Iranians and reclaim e oil. The only deterrent to at would be e Soviets. Would ey risk WW3 for Saudi oil? Particularly, since ey already own 17 around 8% of world oil reserves? Don t ink so. What hit me was a passage I hadn t ought rough. Revelation 18:9 "And e kings of e ear, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously wi her, will weep and lament over her when ey see e smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance because of e fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, e great city, Babylon, e strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' Why would e kings of e ear weep over e dea of members of e House of Saud? Why would e President of e USA lament over eir dea? I don t suppose at would happen any more an ey would weep over e dea of Osama bin Ladin. I may be wrong, but my guess is at e American president is going to be too busy trying to figure out e impact on America and e world on e absence of Saudi petroleum! Remember, e Saudis are e world s #1 owner of proven oil and gas reserves, holding approximately 25% of e world s reserves! If we look closely at Rev 18:9, we see at it is not e dea of e harlot at causes e kings of e ear to weep, but e observance of e smoke of her burning. Where is at smoke coming from? Seems to me e oil wells go up in smoke! But don t we have e technology to put out oil fires ese days? I still recall seeing e oil fires of Iraq burning when America launched its attack against Iraq; and, also e oil fields of Kuwait when Saddam attacked Kuwait 149

10 many years earlier. But ey were all put out. So what s e big deal? Regardless of how e oil fields are bombed, i.e., nuclear or oerwise, e world will simply put e fires out and fight over e oil. But notice what e text says about e destruction: she will suffer a complete destruction (17:18, 18:6, 7, 14, 19, 20, 21). That means no oil will be left for anyone doesn t it! And is passage:... and e fruit you long for has gone for you... (18:14). The oil is gone! Its not even available for e Shi`ahs who destroyed it. Consider is passage to help us interpret e events: Isaiah 34:1 Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples!... 2 For e LORD's indignation is against all e nations, And His wra against all eir armies;... 4 And all e host of heaven will wear away, And e sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All eir hosts will also wier away For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom, And upon e people whom I have devoted to destruction.... For e LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in e land of Edom For e LORD has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for e cause of Zion. 9 And its streams shall be turned into pitch,..., And its land shall become burning pitch Its nobles-- ere is no one ere whom ey may proclaim king-- And all its princes shall be noing.... Alough e Edomites have long disappeared as a people group, Edom (v 7) was located on 18 e eastern border of Arabia. Bozrah was its capital. Esau, Jacob s broer, was called Edom and e Edomites descended from him (Gen 25:9). Esau married e daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). Ishmael is e faer of e Arabic peoples (Genesis 16:12). Verse 9 above states at streams shall be turned into pitch. Does at sound like oil at has been burnt into ash? The nobles in v 12; does at sound like e King of Saudi Arabia and his Councils? The princes shall be noing in v 12; does at sound like e sons of ibn Saud, e princes of e royal family who share in e oil and gas billions? Complete destruction. The text is telling us e oil goes up in smoke. Can you imagine e impact e absence of Saudi oil will have on e world markets? You will never believe who pulls e trigger! Who Pulls e Trigger? The same time I ought about e verses above, I came across an Internet post by noted expert of Islam, Daniel Pipes. Investigative writer Gerald Posner reveals someing most extraordinary in Secrets of e Kingdom: The Inside Story of e Saudi-U.S. Connection, his book to be published by Random House later is mon: at e Saudi government may have rigged its oil and gas infrastructure wi a self-destruct system at would keep it out of commission for decades. If true, is could undermine e world economy at any time.... Posner starts by recalling various hints at Americans dropped back in e 1970s, at e high price and limited production of oil might lead to a U.S. invasion of Saudi Arabia and a seizure of its oil fields. For example, in 1975, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger murkily reatened e Saudis wi a triple-negative: "I am not saying at ere's no circumstances where we would not use force" against em. In response, Posner shows, e Saudi leadership began to ink of ways to prevent such an occurrence. They could not do so e usual way, by building up 150

11 eir military, for at would be futile against e much stronger U.S. forces. So e monarchy one of e most creative and underestimated political forces in modern history set out instead to use indirection and deterrence. Raer an mount defenses of its oil installations, it did just e opposite, inserting a clandestine network of explosives designed to render e vast oil and gas infrastructure inoperable and not just temporarily but for a long period.... In response, e Saudis ought of ways to assure eir oil would stay off e market. They began exploring e possibility of a single-button self-destruct system, protected wi a series of built-in fail-safes. It was evidently eir way to ensure at if someone else grabbed e world's largest oil reserves and forced em to flee e country ey had founded, e House of Saud could at least make certain at what ey left behind 19 was worless. (Emphasis added) Put e pieces togeer. If Posner s account is correct, e Saudis destroy eir own oil. Perhaps ey are attacked by Iran? Perhaps is is where e Alliance of ten comes in, led by al-mahdi? Raer an leave e oil to eir conquerors, ey destroy it. Posner goes on to state at e self-destruct system of e Saudis is so complete at it is rigged wi radiological particles so at e oil will never be useable again! It is as if e Saudis have planned for a complete destruction. The smoke is because ey pull e trigger. The kings of e world are in morning not because ey are concerned for e House of Saud, but because e oil is gone! The kings of e ear know what is going to happen to eir people, eir economy, eir world, everying and ere is absolutely noing at can be done about it. WW3 is about to begin. Islam in e Driver s Seat. Who pulls e trigger? Looks like e Saudis. Shi`ah Islam may have forced e destruction, but e result to e world is no different. The world s #1 supply of crude oil will be off e world market. The only players left will be ose who control e rest of e world s reserves. Islam is in e driver s seat. The world chaos at results will be like noing we have ever experienced. How long must we hang on? According to e Bible, 3 ½ years (Daniel 9:26-27). It will be during is period at e Antichrist/false prophet will use e resulting economic crisis to press upon world leaders causing em to yield to Islam; in return, e petroleum spigots of e Middle East will be promised to be turned back on. The point? Convert to Islam if you want to survive in e world as we know it: Revelation 13:16 And he causes all, e small and e great, and e rich and e poor, and e free men and e slaves, to be given a mark on eir right hand, or on eir forehead, 17 and he provides at no one should be able to buy or to sell, except e one who has e mark, eier e name of e beast or e number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate e number of e beast, for e number is at of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. 666 is e mark of Islam. 151

12 Summary of Key Points in Chapter 11 Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Point 4 Point 5 There is one read at is always present in Last Days Bible prophecies: a holy war against Jews and/or Christians. This same read is found in e Bible s prophecies regarding e harlot. The birplace of Islam is Saudi Arabia. Since e 7 century AD, she has made herself drunk wi e blood of e saints. God s judgment will use e harlot s own sin to destroy her. Sunni Islam s first highwater mark against Shi`ahs occurred in 680 AD at e Battle of Karbala. It has not ended since at day even to e modern times. God s judgment against e harlot, Saudi Arabia, will be by e hand of Shi`ah Islam. Al-Mahdi will lead is effort. God s judgment will likewise use e harlot s wine from her own cup, poured out upon her head. Saudi oil has made herself and e merchants of e world wealy and great. It has been used to possess e economic appetites of e modern world. The oil will likewise be e instrument used by God to return His judgment upon e head of e harlot.. The 8 head of e scarlet beast, i.e., e Mahdi, will lead an alliance of ten oer Muslim groups or nations to destroy e harlot. Their ultimate purpose will be to destroy Saudi Arabia for e immoralities she has committed wi e kings of e ear, which, to Islam, is seen as a prostitution of Islam. A secondary reason to e Mahdi s attack against e woman is at e West has aligned herself wi Israel; us, we are to be destroyed as she is to be destroyed. The weapon of al-mahdi will be e removal of Saudi oil from e free world markets. Before al-mahdi can claim Saudi oil, e Saudis will pull e plug emselves. They will destroy eir oil ereby rendering it unuseable by any one in e world. In e process, e Saudis are also destroyed. 152

13 Chapter 11 - Endnotes 1 Revelation 18:8 states, in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine and she will be burned up wi fire. This verse is addressing e after-affects of e judgment to e people surrounding e harlot. Only e judgement to e harlot occurs in one hour. 2 Sachedina, p Ayatollah Ibraham Amini, Al-Im am, al-mahdi, The Just Leader of Hum anity, Chapter 14, page 10, and available at, ahdi/nont1/chapt-14.htm (accessed February 20, 2008). 4 (accessed July 12, 2007). 5 (accessed October 26, 2008). 6 Matew R. Simmons, Twilight in e Desert, The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and e World Economy, p Matew R. Simm ons, p Bruce Lawrence, editor, Messages to e W orld, The Statements of Osama bin Laden, p Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, 2006 Annual Statistical Bulletin, p (accessed February 19, 2008). 11 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, 2006 Annual Statistical Bulletin, p (accessed February 19, 2008) l (accessed February 20, 2008) l (accessed February 20, 2008). 15 Available at, s/reserves/spr/spr-facts.htm l (accessed February 20, 2008) (accessed October 25, 2008). 17 OPEC 2006 Annual Statistical Report, p Easton, Matew George. Illustrated Bible Dictionary: And Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature. London: T. Nelson and Sons, W ORDsearch CROSS e-book (accessed February 22, 2008). 153