For a number of years I have wondered about the connection between Jeremiah 50 and 51 and the current events taking place in Iraq. Before beginning this teaching, I want to say that I understand the danger of trying to fit current events into Biblical prophesies and I want start with the understanding that this is not a “Thus saith the Lord” declaration but rather, a looking at remarkable similarities between prophetic Scriptures and current events.

Scripture states “that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” which means God may take a long time to fulfill His word but, He always fulfills it! So we begin with God’s pronounced judgment on Babylon –

“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.” Jer. 50:18, 19

The time of this punishment is set after Israel is re-established controlling even the northern areas of Bashan and Carmel, which places them in present day northern Israel and the Golan Heights. This area they did not control when they returned from the 1st Babylonian captivity, so I believe it refers to the present day return and after the 1973 and 1982 wars. (Just a thought?) Though this is a long time after Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem, and subsequent capture by the several empires predicted by Daniel, God is not worried about time like we are.

Then Jeremiah predicts something that could very well have happened in our day –

Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. – Jer. 50:41

This looks to be a prediction of the First Gulf War known as Operation Desert Storm in which our forces cut through the Iraqi forces like a hot knife through butter. Iraq’s forces (Babylon) were no match for the great coalition of Northern and coastal forces that came against her.  We made extensive use of Tomahawk cruise missiles, a 20 feet long bright arrow, just like Jeremiah predicted (51:11). The 2nd Gulf War began in 2003 after Saddam Hussein continued using terror to attack the US. Iraq was captured and the US led coalition tried to establish a democratic government. But after much wasted effort, lives, and money the coalition backed out and headed home exactly as Jeremiah predicted –

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. – Jer. 51:9

This US led coalition failed to understand something about our American form of democracy, it was founded on Christian principles and it took some 200 years in the making before we had a Constitution! Iraq had none of this – they are Islamic and have known nothing but despots all their history. That doesn’t change overnight! This pullout left a power vacuum that didn’t take long to fill –

Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz of the Armenian Empire

Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers. – Jer. 51:27

Very soon the various tribes and sects of the region began vying for power and control picking over the bones of the old Iraqi government, so to speak. The Sunni and Shiite Islamic sects began to fight and various terror groups within them also rose to the occasion. Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz point to the old Armenian Empire which happens to be the vary areas the ISIS began in.

Iran (Medes and Persians) also was looking for an excuse to control the rich deposits of oil in Iraq, just as Jeremiah predicted –

Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. – Jer. 51:28

As ISIS continues gaining control of Iraq it seems the Iraqi army is powerless to stop them even running before them and abandoning their weapons on the field just as Jeremiah predicted –

The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwelling places; her bars are broken. – Jer. 51:30

God then issues a final warning to His people that are left in the land –

My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. – Jer. 51:45

We are presently watching in horror the results of those Christians and Jews who did not take this warning seriously, or did not know it, as ISIS captures and kills them, purging the land for their new caliphate. We also watch as ISIS fighters plunder and destroy historical artifacts in Iraqi museums. It is as Jeremiah prophesied –

Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD. Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan. – Jer. 51:47,48,51

If my observations are correct, and I believe they are, then we have abundant proof that God did indeed foresee our day and age. What we must ask is, what else is He telling us about our time that we desperately need to heed?