This is the second of a series of posts looking at the theology of the Four Signposts as a theory, which presents predictions for events that are to take place in the end times.  The Four Signposts is written about in my book Hidden In Plain Sight.  These predictions are written only having relevant Scripture available to describe the events and nations involved.

At some point in time prior to the Tribulation, the end times will start.  The end times will start officially when the first of Four Signposts appears.  The First Signpost will involve the modern end-time inheritor nation of Babylon, i.e. Iraq.  The first sign that this First Signpost has begun will be the appearance of a certain ruler of this nation of Iraq, which is the essence of Prediction #1. 

In this post we will look at Prediction #2, which is a second sign associated with the First Signpost.  Where the events fulfilling Prediction #1 started to unfold in 1979, the events fulfilling Prediction #2 started to unfold in 2003.

Signpost Prediction #2 (which is the second and final part of the First Signpost) – At some point in time either during or following the reign of the ruler (of Prediction #1), the country (Iraq) that he ruled will have something strange happen to it.  It will go through a transition where the way it interacts with other countries, and the way it governs itself will change.  This change will be against its nature.  Prior to the change it will act as a lion, where Iraq will conquer, or attempt to conquer, individual smaller and weaker territories, one at a time.  But the transition will change it from acting like a lion to acting like a civilized man.  It will be forced to stand erect like a man rather than be on all fours.  Its mind will be changed from that of a beast to that of a man.  The head in prophecy is the symbol of political authority and so its mind would be the method by which it governs.  No longer will it have thoughts of conquering other territories and so act beast-like, but it will have thoughts like a civilized man, i.e. it will think of other things that are more, well, simply put, civil.  When it stands on its hind legs it does not do so on its own – an outside force will make it stand and an outside force will change its mind.  All of this, whatever it is, will happen to Iraq.

This author, like everyone else, missed the significance of the First Signpost and Prediction #1, through most of Saddam Hussein’s career.  When he came to power in 1979 I was just out of school and was starting the adult phase of my life.  But at the end of Saddam Hussein’s 24-year rule in 2003, I had reached middle age and at this point I had stumbled across this new end time theology, that I would eventually call the “Four Signposts”.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I may very well have been the only human being on the planet (aside from two or three friends who I told and they thought I was wrong) who was watching the change coming to Iraq and knew the true Biblical significance of the event, i.e. the First Signpost was unfolding right in front of my eyes.  I was watching the fulfillment of Prediction #2, given above, the democratization of Iraq under President Bush.

I found a speech on Youtube that President George W. Bush gave on February 26, 2003 proposing democracy in Iraq.  Seeing that speech, which took place just one month prior to the invasion of Iraq which removed Saddam from power, reminded me of where I was at that time, watching the events unfold in Iraq.  If you have read the book or are familiar with the First Signpost, perhaps watching the speech might give you a bit of a chill.  Bible prophecy is being specifically fulfilled.

From time 8:00 to 8:35 he talked of the Iraqis having rights and being a free people, as opposed to Saddam Hussein who at the time was the current ruler.  All Iraqis will have a voice, he said.  Iraq will decide what government it will have, he said.  So that’s it you might think – Iraq is to change from having a despotic government to an all-out democracy.

From 8:35 to 8:48 President Bush said we will not remain there longer than need be.  As it turns out we did leave in December 2011 which was the end of the First Signpost.  The outside force that raised the lion was the United States armed forces and was removed at that point.

From 9:35 to 9:55 Bush talked of how Germany and Japan were said to be incapable of converting into democracies and that the naysayers were wrong and Iraq can have democracy too.  But Iraq is different – it is a Muslim nation and has been ruled only by kings and despots for its entire history.  I believe that is why Scripture in Daniel 7 does not show the lion changing into an actual man, but only acting like one.

So far though Iraq continues to act like a democracy.

No one saw, as far as I know, the true Biblical significance of Saddam Hussein coming to power and the things he did during his reign as ruler of Iraq back in 1979.  One man at least saw the significance of Iraq being changed – a nation being forced to do and act in a way that was not its nature per Bible prophecy.  My earnest hope is that when the next event occurs, the playing out of Prediction #3 and the Second Signpost, that at least thousands if not millions of brothers and sisters, will understand its true Biblical significance.  We are running out of time.

Categories: Signpost #1: Iraq, Signpost Theology