This story is reproduced in its entirety.
BIBLE SCHOLAR SAYS SADDAM HUSSEIN SEES HIMSELF AS “THE NEW NEBUCHADNEZZAR” AND IS REBUILDING THE CITY OF BABYLON TO PROVE IT
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
NASHVILLE, TN (ANS) -- In “The Rise of Babylon,” Dr. Charles Dyer, Provost of Moody Bible Institute, asserts that Saddam Hussein sees himself as Iraq’s “new Nebuchadnezzar” who is set upon rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon and intent on forging a unified Arab empire that extends from the Persian Gulf to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. (Pictured: Dr. Charles Dyer, Provost of Moody Bible Institute).
In an interview about the newly-revised edition of his book, published by Moody Press and which includes new satellite photos that seek to show Saddam’s passion for rebuilding ancient palaces, temples, and even the Tower of Babel, Dyer told ASSIST News Service (ANS): “Rebuilding Babylon -- it’s his purpose in not only trying to control Iraq but ultimately controlling an empire that goes from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. Babylon helps unite the Iraqi people around him. It did during the Iran-Iraq war by focusing on the two enemies (he had). (Pictured: Book cover of "The Rise of Babylon").
“He would say, when I was there, ‘Here was this great Iraqi civilization of Babylon and who destroyed it? -- It was Cyrus the Iranian. And now here are the Iranians trying to attack our land again. And then he also said 'Who’s the only Arab who ever defeated the Jews in the land of Canaan? It was Nebuchadnezzar the Iraqi and I’m going to build this up.’ And so, by focusing on Babylon, he really was uniting his people instead of two common enemies and hopefully then, trying to build that empire back up.”
Michael Ireland: Does Saddam’s rebuilding the city of Babylon give us insight into the mind of Saddam Hussein?
Charles Dyer: It does. In fact, on his poster “From Nebuchadnezzar to Saddam Hussein, Babylon undergoes a renaissance” for the annual Babylon Festival the official seal shows the portraits of both men side by side stressing their physical similarities, but obviously his head is the one in the forefront.
“When I was there the thing he spent most time on was rebuilding Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace, which is now done and shows up on the satellite photos. What’s amazing, though, is that as he has rebuilt Babylon, he built three large artificial hills -- I was there in 1987 it didn’t exist; I was there in 1988 and they were there. They didn’t tell us what they were doing, but since the Gulf War on the first of those hills, he built his palace: it looks down on Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace. It’s almost as if Nebuchadnezzar had a palace in Babylon, but (Saddam) built his palaces to engulf Babylon, he looks down on Nebuchadnezzar, (as if) he’s the greater of the two in his eyes. So he’s positioning himself as the first among equals."
MI: Does Saddam see himself as a “reincarnated” Nebuchadnezzar?
CD: He would not use that word. He would certainly say that he is “wrapped in the mantle” of Nebuchadnezzar. Even the close-up of his portrait, when you compare them, he drew it so that he and Nebuchadnezzar look alike: the eyes, the nose, and the lips. He wants people to say, ‘That’s the line of Nebuchadnezzar, only greater today.’
MI: He’s not a descendant, then?
CD: No. Well, to the extent that anybody over there could be, but there’s no way he could trace it -- he tries to trace his lineage back to Mohammed because that resonates with the Muslim population, and how accurate that genealogy is suspect.
Dyer said he was invited to Babylon twice, and that he was last invited back since the Gulf War by the Government of Iraq but the U.S State Department wouldn’t let him return.
“I have not been back since, I want to go back, but now that the book is out, it will probably be a long time until I get back again,” he said.
MI: What has been rebuilt at this stage in the city of Babylon?
CD: It has been divided into two stages: the first stage he really focused on the antiquities. He built Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace, the Procession Street, the walls of the main street that Nebuchadnezzar had leading into the city. He built several of the Temples that Nebuchadnezzar had. He didn’t quite finish that phase and has said he wants to rebuild the Tower of Babel, and he wants to rebuild the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
“The second phase, and since the Gulf War, he’s focused not so much on building the antiquities, but his palace complex, so those three artificial hills. In an area of the desert where water is life and everything is flat, he built three mountains, each of them has a lake connected with it and the eastern-most -- it’s like a mountain rising out of water all around there in the barren desert -- he’s built the first of the three palaces, but it looks like, since they’re all identical his plan is to build this magnificent palace complex that just enfolds Babylon.”
Dyer said he has heard reports of Saddam having upward of 30 to 40 palaces. He told of how satellite image experts were given the coordinates of each of Saddam’s palaces and that some of those images are included in the newly-revised edition of the book.
MI: What was damaged in the Gulf War?
CD: Nothing. In the original Gulf War, the U.S. deliberately put all archaeological and historical sites off-limits. In fact, Hussein tried to force us, indeed a little further south, where at one site he had parked some jets hoping that we would damage them, and the U.S. and the Coalition Forces put them off-limits and at the end of the war, nothing had been damaged, and within two years Saddam had started rebuilding again.
MI: Have Saddam’s plans changed since the end of the Gulf War?
CD: They have slightly. Initially, Babylon, when he first came to power, was to be the equivalent of The Alamo, a symbol of past greatness that people would come and visit. In the Iran-Iraq War, as he started losing, and there were several assassination attempts against him, that’s when it took on more of a symbolic significance. Since the Gulf War, it seems to have taken on almost a personal significance, building these palaces that surround him. It’s almost is if he’s trying to embody everything that’s there in him.”
Dyer said that he was invited as a guest of Saddam Hussein for the first Babylon Festival.
“Every meeting that was held he would not show up in public, unless he can scrutinize and screen everybody who’s there. So his deputies, his ministers would always be there in his name greeting the people. I think he would say he is not paranoid, people are out to get him. We went to meals at the Saddam Hussein guesthouse, but he was not there. He did not attend anything.”
MI: Is Saddam simply rebuilding the ancient monuments of Babylon or does he intend to build a city in which to live?
CD: Right now, I think his plans have changed, but initially, he was rebuilding monuments. These were archaeological reconstructions of what once was. But that new phase since the Gulf War -- the guesthouse was rebuilt, the first palace he built, these other two areas -- they’re intended not as monuments but as dwelling places. Some day, Babylon could become more. Right now he’s intending it to be one of his residences. The Bible says that it’s going to be more than that, eventually, but from his perspective, that’s where he’s at.
“I’m convinced that if you trace Babylon in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation there’s one thread that goes through the Bible. Jerusalem is the other thread that works it’s way through the Bible -- both cities start in Genesis. Historically, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, and if these two cities represent Man’s city and God’s city, it looks like Man’s city wins, but the prophets come along and God says ‘I’m going to restore my people and what I’m going to do is destroy Babylon.’ Revelation comes along in the end and talks about two women: one’s a Harlot, one’s a Bride. One is connected with the Beast, the Antichrist, the other’s connected with Jesus Christ. One is going to be destroyed, one is going to be established forever. And the Harlot is named Babylon.”
Return
|
