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CONCLUSION In the next couple of years, I believe we will see peace in Iraq. A Peace negotiator will arise and bring the different factions together by his skilful cunning, deceit and intrigue. It is then that Russia & its Federation take the opportunity to come down through Syria to the mountains of Israel. They seek to take over this wealthy country with its warm ports available year round, its gas and oil reserves. Iran, Libya and Ethiopia joins the Russian Federation, as God`s word tells us. The allies, Britain and America and Saudi Arabia all go to challenge this great army but God intervenes and causes the elements fire, great hailstones and brimstone to rain down upon the Russian Federation and the armies of Iran, Libya and Ethiopia. In their terror men will kill each other by sword. Most of their armies will be annihilated. This will leave a power vacuum to be exploited, in the Middle East. The great nations of the world will demand cessation of all conflict. Then into this situation will step the Peace Negotiator, a seemingly benevolent leader who will convince everyone that he can bring peace between the Arabs and Israel. As confirmation of his capabilities, he will cite the successful transformation of the previously volatile Middle East. Further, he will negotiate and conclude a seven year peace treaty with the nation of Israel. The tribulation will have begun!

THE PEACE NEGOTIATOR The Middle East has again come into focus on the world stage. There seems no solution to the violent fightings and clashes of many groups. However the reality is that this kingdom is divided, and the Sunni and Shi-ites will not have peace until their long awaited `Messiah` figure comes and joins them together. God`s word says that it would be a `divided kingdom` partly strong, and partly weak. ` Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter`s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; ........the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.` (Dan. 2: 41 & 42) The leader of this Federation is described in great detail in God`s word. He is a royal person, with strong features; he is quite deceitful with cunning; he comes in peaceably and seizes power by intrigue. `...a king (royal person) shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.....Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand...`(Dan. 8: 23 - 25) ` ...he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.` (11: 21) There is a person of that description who is even now seeking to negotiate peace with the different groups. His name is Ali Hatem Al-Suleiman. He is one of the most prominent leaders of the Sunni Awakening. In 2006 Ali Hatem entered a strategic alliance with US forces, (against ISIS) which, in combination with the surge in US troops that began in 2007, succeeded in re-establishing a modicum of security in Iraq. Since then though, the Shi-ite Iraq Government have excluded the Sunni from the police, army and jobs. Thus there is still unrest in Iraq. Ali Hatem desires stability for Iraq through Political means and not through fighting. He was brought up in cosmopolitan Bagdad and has often spoken publicly of the need for tolerance. He is a crown Prince with ties to royal families across the Arab Gulf and the elite of neighbouring Jordan. His tribe, the Dulaim, is one of the largest tribes in Iraq and is a powerful social, political and economic force. Note Babylon is in its region. He has a talent for speeches and his title of crown Prince inspire respect and loyalty. He travels to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to rally Gulf Arabs to his cause. Someone to watch!

John 1:14 - "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." Observation: Grace gives me courage, strength, and boldness to let my old way of seeing things and my past way of dealing with life be put to death. Then, in Spirit, I learn how to live and to "walk" above every natural event. 2 Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." To see God, it is imperative that our vision becomes spiritual and not just sensory. To hear God, we must learn to tune out the clamor of our fears and earthly desires. The Bible was written by individuals who actually beheld the glory of God. To see the glory of God is our call as well. Our spiritual vision is not an imaginary device of the mind, but that which comes from the living union of the Holy Spirit with our hearts. Matthew 5:8 -- "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Affirmations:I ASK THE LORD TO SHOW ME HOW TO STEP OUT INTO THE GIFTS HE HAS GIVEN ME. THERE IS A MOVE OF GOD THAT IS LIVING IN ME AND THE LORD IS EAGER FOR IT TO BE RELEASED AND BRING GLORY TO HIS NAME. Philippians 3:13 - "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." Affirmations: I KNOW THAT IF I MEASURE EVERYTHING BY WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN MY PAST, I WILL NEVER GROW BEYOND IT. MY CONFIDENCE RESTS IN WHAT GOD HAS SAID. Hebrews 13:6 - "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

THE LINE IN THE SAND Over a period of centuries the Western area of the Roman Empire was overrun by various groups. The Eastern region, around the Middle East held power till the 15th century when the Turks took control. Their empire was called the Ottoman Empire after its founder. It was not a World Ruler, but ruled over a large area of the Mediterranean. The Ottoman rulers claimed caliphate authority, meaning that they were an Islamic steward over territory under their leadership. They came to be viewed as the de facto leaders and representatives of the Islamic world. In World War 1 (1914 - 1918) the Turks joined with Germany and eventually were defeated. The empire was then broken up into parts by the Allies. The British and the French made a secret agreement with each other, prior to the end of the war, to divide up the Middle East. The Arabs who fought on their side were promised an Arab homeland. However, once the war was ended, Britain took the land at the beginning of the rivers - Euphrates and Tigris, while the French had the upper region. They in effect had `drawn a line in the sand` and took control of their different regions - Iraq and Syria. This agreement is seen by many as the turning point in Western and Arab relationships. The borders that were created are often termed `artificial` borders in the Middle East without any regard to ethnic or sectarian characteristics which has resulted in endless conflict. Turkey became a republic and constitutionally abolished the institution of the caliphate, (Islamic rule). The Kurds, were not given a homeland but were included in the territories of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Then over the years the different regions gained independence. Iraq and Egypt - 1920`s. Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel - 1940`s. Kuwait - 1950`s. Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman - 1970`s.

THE `SUNNI AND SHI-ITE` STRUGGLE Although the various nations gained independence from foreign powers, they still struggled with internal difficulties; the main one being - the Sunni and Shi-ite groups. Wherever they met there were clashes and wars. The Iraq / Iran war in the `80`s lasted for 8 years without either side winning. This was basically a Sunni (Iraq) / Shi-ite (Iran) clash. Saddam Hussein (Sunni) the Prime minister of Iraq borrowed heavily to finance the war and thus came into great debt. He looked with eager eye upon his neighbour, Kuwait, and eventually invaded it taking the great oil wealth of that nation. He had a catch cry - “Oil is wealth and this wealth is for Islam.` The War in the Gulf in 1990 saw the cooperation of many countries eject Saddam`s military from Kuwait. Saddam however was not removed from office and he continued to inspire Islamic hope of welding the Arab race identity with Moslem religious fervour. Saddam also wanted to duplicate the glory and power of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. At enormous expense and effort he rebuilt much of the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon to its former pattern and glory. In 2003, however, after the invasion by the United States and its allies, the Saddam Hussein`s government was removed from power and multi-party parliamentary elections were held. The city of Babylon was ransacked and much was destroyed, however the United Nations has now declared it a Heritage Site, and is aiding the Iraq government to again rebuild the ancient city. Although the American presence ended in 2011 conflicts continued. Fighters from the Syrian war spilled over into Iraq. Out of this came the most destructive group known as ISIL or ISIS, (a Sunni rebel group). They took over large parts of the north and west of Iraq but have since been largely defeated, mainly by the Kurdish fighters, and only retain a small territory. The Kurdish people (mainly Sunni) now desire their own sovereignty and are seeking a place at the negotiating table when Iraq gets divided up. Another Sunni group, the Arab Sunni are also seeking a region for themselves. They have been down trodden by the Iraq (Shi-ite) government that has relied on Iran`s forces (Shi-ite). Thus we see that there are different groups - Kurds, Sunnis and Shi-ites, all seeking their part of Iraq. Something has to give, someone needs to bring peace to this war torn area of the Middle East.

ROME - ISLAM The fourth World Empire, the Roman Empire became one of the largest empires in world history. It was the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military force in the world of its time. It came to power in 27 BC and ruled for many centuries over the area of the Mediterranean Sea. Its main religion was an Imperial cult, worship of the Emperor; however it gave room for many other religions even Judaism for a time. Christianity emerged as a supposed Jewish religious sect and spread out across the Empire. Then about the 7th century AD another main religion arose - Islam. Its founder was a man called Mohammed who believed that God gave him revelations. These became known as the `Quran.` In Mecca, (where he was born) Mohammed preached to the people, imploring them to abandon polytheism (many gods) and to worship one God. Over time Mohammed was able to unite the tribes of Arabia (Middle East) into a single religious polity. The religion spread out across the Mediterranean as far as Spain. After Mohammed died, disagreement broke out over who would succeed him as leader of the Muslim community. From here the two main denominations of Islam started. The Sunni Muslims - meaning people of the tradition, (of Mohammed). They believe that the first four caliphs (leaders) were the rightful successors to Mohammed. They believe that a Caliph should be elected by the community. The Shi-ite Muslims - believe that Mohammed appointed his son-in-law as leader and that the Caliph (leader) should be elected by God. Over time this religion spread across the Mediterranean . The Roman Empire was eventually overrun by various groups and there has not been a World Ruler since.

GOVERNMENT OF MAN. In the beginning God gave man dominion over the earth but when Adam disobeyed God, he forfeited that to Satan who held sway over him. Judgment however, was in the hands of God and we see that when He punished Cain, and also the people in the time of Noah by the flood. Then after the flood, God establishes human government – the government of man by man. The highest function of government is the judicial taking of life. All other governmental powers are implied in that. Man was then responsible to govern the world for God. ` Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man`s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man`s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.`(Gen. 9: 5 & 6) As mankind multiplied after the flood they decided to move to the land of Shinar, (in Iraq). There they built a tower, thinking they could establish a world empire that would be independent of God. This would mean power and control by a few, `lording it over` others. `Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.: They had brick for stone and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11: 1 - 4) In judgment God sent a confusion of tongues and scattered them. Thus the name of the tower was called Babel, meaning confusion. `So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth and they ceased from building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.` (Gen. 11: 8 & 9) This tower was man`s first attempt to govern without God.

THE FIVE WORLD RULERS After God judged mankind at Babel the people were scattered, North, South & East. They became different ethnic groups, nations speaking different languages according to Noah`s three sons. Shem`s sons settled in Arabia and to the east, Ham`s sons settled in Africa to the South and Japheth`s sons settled in Europe to the north. Over time many nations developed around the Middle East. The most powerful nations however, were Assyria in the north and Egypt, in the south. Although they were powerful and mighty nations, they never became World Rulers. As Israel became a great nation they learnt to rule under God and were of great renown amid the other nations. Over time however, Israel turned from God and thus came under God`s chastisement. World Rulership was then passed on to the Gentiles for a set time. Thus the great power of the Babylonians arose and dominated the Middle East. They conquered Israel, who then went into exile to Babylon. Now God knew which World Rulers would emerge and in which order. He actually revealed who they were to the king of Babylon, by a pictorial representation - a Great Image. The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream, but no one could interpret it. Finally Daniel, after asking God, was able to tell the king what the dream was & its interpretation. The king had seen a vision of a Middle Eastern man with head of gold, arms & chest of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. (Dan. 2: 28 - 45) Daniel told the king that this great image represented the different world rulers to come. We know from history that - the first was the Babylonian Empire, the next the Medes and Persians, followed by the Greeks and then the Romans. These have all come to pass, however there is still the final Gentile World Ruler to come. Head - Babylonian Empire. Chest and Arms - Medes and Persians. Thighs - Grecian Empire. Legs - Roman Empire. Feet and Toes - The Divided Empire. Looking at this great image, we see that it is standing before the king in Babylon. Thus each of the first four World Rulers have ruled over this area, the Middle East, and the Final World Ruler will also.

OVERVIEW God has given man the responsibility to govern, and man will be made accountable as to how he does that. As nations formed God made His own nation, Israel, to rule righteously over the other nations of the world. However Israel turned away from God and so God has given the Gentiles (other nations) opportunity to rule for a set time. Over the centuries we have seen Gentile empires come and go. And amazingly God in His wisdom has revealed to us who the Gentile World Rulers would be. God presents this information of Five Gentile World Ruling Empires, in the form of a great image of a man. King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire saw this great image in a vision, but he needed the interpretation. This was given by God to the prophet Daniel. As we look at this great image, representing Gentile World Rulership, we see that it is standing in the Middle East. Amazingly, this area has again come into world focus right on God`s schedule. The final Gentile World Ruler will emerge from this area, as God`s word reveals. Then after God judges it, He will bring in His righteous Rulership through His nation of Israel. Let`s look at - - What God has said concerning this Great Image and the Middle East. - What man has tried to do in the Middle East, especially in contemporary times. - Who brings peace in the Middle East, before and after the Russian War.