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Babylons Fallen Tyrant
AISH ^ | Fall 2003 | Rabbi Shraga Simmons

Posted on 01/25/2004 7:07:15 PM PST by yonif

Evil tyrants are nothing new to the region of Babylon, present-day Iraq. One of the most vicious in history was Nebuchadnezzar (sixth century BCE), the Babylonian king who built the most powerful nation in the world by ruthlessly attacking and annexing neighboring countries.

The Tenth of Tevet (January 4, 2004) commemorates the day when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. The Babylonians eventually destroyed the First Temple, slaughtered 100,000 Jews, rounded up the rest and sent them into exile.

Whenever Nebuchadnezzar made a conquest, he used the stolen wealth to build monuments to his own glory. It was in his capital city that Nebuchadnezzar built the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon. In testimony to his grandeur, each brick was inscribed with Nebuchadnezzar's name.

BABYLON TODAY

And so it is in our time. Saddam Hussein pronounced himself as the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, and dreamed of restoring the Babylonian empire to its former size and glory.

North of the ancient city of Ur, on the Euphrates River, lies the biblical city of Babylon. Years ago, Saddam commissioned archaeologists to restore the city and its Hanging Gardens. Like Nebuchadnezzar 2,500 years earlier, each new brick was inscribed -- this time with Saddam's name.

During the course of the dig, archaeologists uncovered a plaque on the ancient city gate proclaiming Nebuchadnezzar's greatness. Saddam ordered stonemasons to place another plaque on the opposite side of the gate -- glorifying the greatness of Saddam Hussein.

With his megalomaniacal vision in place, Saddam embarked on a campaign of terror and conquest, first in Iran, then in Kuwait. Ultimately, he dreamed of recapturing Jerusalem.

In 1981, threatened by Saddam's burgeoning nuclear capability, the State of Israel sent a squadron of seven jets to destroy the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak. Saddam had named the reactor "Tammuz." As is well known, Tammuz was the calamitous Jewish month when the daily offerings in the Holy Temple were suspended during Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem, 2,500 years earlier.

DUST BINS AND SPIDER HOLES

Alas, we know the end of the story. The biblical book of Daniel (4:30) describes the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar:

He was driven from mankind; he ate grass like oxen, and his body was washed by the dew of heaven, until his hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws.

And so it was with Saddam. Driven into a hole, grimy and disheveled. Reduced, like his ancient hero, to the dustbin of history.

In the Bible (Genesis ch. 14), we read of a war between Middle East kingdoms. Abraham's nephew Lot was taken captive in this war, and Abraham -- although hopelessly outnumbered -- fought all these kings and won. It was an unlikely victory, but one that would portend well for Abraham's descendents.

One of the kingdoms mentioned in this Torah section is Shinar, identified as modern-day Baghdad. Incredibly, a skip-sequence code in this same section details Saddam's 1991 scud missile attack against Israel.

On the Tenth of Tevet, the Jewish people -- alive and well in their biblical homeland -- mark the deeds of Nebuchadnezzar and other tyrants, with determination and resolve to fight the evil oppressors... in whatever millennium they may appear.

(Hanging Gardens info from "Missiles, Masks and Miracles" by Charles Samuel)

More on the Tenth of Tevet:
The Tenth of Tevet
Seige of Jerusalem

Author Biography:
Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He has worked in the fields of journalism and public relations, and is now the Co-editor of Aish.com in Jerusalem.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: babylon; iraq; saddam; tyrant; viceisclosed

1 posted on 01/25/2004 7:07:16 PM PST by yonif
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To: yonif
"How are the mighty fallen!" (As David lamented the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.)
2 posted on 01/25/2004 7:11:04 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: yonif
According to records dug up in Iraq, didn't Nebuchadnezzar recover his throne after recovering from his bout of schizophrenia?

Only way that's going to happen with Saddam Hussein is if a Democrat is elected President this year and gives it back to him.

What are the chances a Democrat President would do so?

3 posted on 01/25/2004 7:12:54 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: yonif
Congradulations Yonif on a great post!
4 posted on 01/25/2004 7:31:46 PM PST by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton
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To: yonif
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah, 14:12
5 posted on 01/25/2004 7:32:23 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: yonif
I sincerely hope that Damascus (Assad) is listening. Otherwise, certain Old Testament prophecies my come true as we watch.

5.56mm

6 posted on 01/25/2004 7:37:27 PM PST by M Kehoe
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To: muawiyah
What are the chances a Democrat President would do so?

you didn't ask the right question. The chances of a democrat doing that is actually pretty good. The chances of it happening because a democrat is in the position to do so is quite small.

7 posted on 01/25/2004 7:55:36 PM PST by det dweller too
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To: yonif
Good post!
8 posted on 01/25/2004 10:05:45 PM PST by Frank_2001
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To: yonif

I thought this was a Babylon 5 post.
9 posted on 01/25/2004 10:18:27 PM PST by Andy from Beaverton (I only vote Republican to stop the Democrats)
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To: yonif
Superb post, yonif.
10 posted on 01/25/2004 10:22:28 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: Jeremiah Jr; 2sheep
There's a new sharif in town.
11 posted on 01/26/2004 2:32:49 AM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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To: yonif
Evil tyrants are nothing new to the region of Babylon, present-day Iraq. One of the most vicious in history was Nebuchadnezzar (sixth century BCE).....

What the devil is "BCE"?

12 posted on 01/26/2004 2:44:19 AM PST by ppaul
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To: ppaul
BCE is the non_Christian term (before common era) that replaces the traditional B.C. (before Christ)....also among the non-Christians including the P.C. crowd is the use of CE (common era) that replaces A.D. (anno domini..in the year of our Lord..for you Latin buffs)

13 posted on 01/26/2004 6:41:57 AM PST by stanley windrush
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To: yonif
Bump for later. Thanks, yonif...
14 posted on 01/26/2004 1:26:13 PM PST by Brad’s Gramma (I'm a Bush/JimBot and Proud of It!)
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To: stanley windrush
BCE is the non_Christian term (before common era) that replaces the traditional B.C. (before Christ)....also among the non-Christians including the P.C. crowd is the use of CE (common era) that replaces A.D. (anno domini..in the year of our Lord..for you Latin buffs)

Thanks for informing me of this sick, demented, anti-Christ revisionism.
What is particularly galling is that our children in schools and colleges will unknowingly start using these terms as the leftists and atheists are revising all of our collective history.

15 posted on 01/26/2004 11:25:31 PM PST by ppaul
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To: M Kehoe
hi, could you help me out. is there an actual blood link between ancient nebuchadnezzer and modern king assad? also, is there not a blood connection between nebuchadnezzer and some of the ancient jewish kings. i am thinking in particular of a king whose name begins with an "a" but i don't know who in particular that would be.
is there a nexus besides nebuchadnezzer at which these two share a common ancestor. please email me at juniperbks@yahoo.com if you know the answer.
thanks, brian
16 posted on 03/04/2004 6:39:21 PM PST by babylon
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