Al-Qaeda in Iraq vows to violently derail elections

Al-Qaeda in Iraq released an audio recording by leader Omar al-Baghdadi on Friday, February 12th, threatening to foil elections scheduled for March 7. Subsequently, late Saturday night, February 13th, four bombs exploded at political offices in Baghdad, as reported by Aljazeera news service.

The recording claimed al-Qaeda in Iraq would attempt to "prevent these elections" using "primarily military means", according to the Aljazeera report.

The Iraq national elections were originally scheduled for January 16, 2010, 1,113 days from the execution of Saddam Hussein. His execution took place exactly 1,113 days from his capture, and his capture was 270 days from the first day of the invasion, March 19, 2003, inclusive of that day. The new election date of March 7 is 1,163 days from his execution.

These day markers may be significant in that numbers in the bible have certain significance. For instance, the number 1 represents God Himself, as expressed in the beginning of the principal prayer of the Jewish faith: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the Lord is one" (Deut 6:4). The number 2 represents division or separation: "Let (the atmosphere) divide the waters (above) from the waters (below)... And (it was) the second day" (Gen 1:6-8). Three represents the works of God, in that his works are performed over the course of three events, e.g., the gathering of Israel out of captivity -- from Egypt (Lev 23:43), from Babylon (Jer 29:10) and from "all the countries where I had driven them" (Jer 23:8). Six is the number of something incomplete (e.g., man himself): "Six measures of barley (Boaz) gave to (Ruth)... And (Naomi) said, 'Wait, my daughter,... for the man will not rest until he has (finished the matter)'" (Ruth 3:17-18). Seven is the number of completion: "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed... By the seventh day God completed his work which he had done" (Gen 2:1). Nine is the number of judgment, for nine judgments are decreed against Babylon: 1) invasion, 2) capture, 3) punishment, 4) fire, 5) abandonment, 6) war, 7) plunder, 8) flood and 9) drought, unto complete desolation, which is represented by zero.

And so the numbers 2-7-0, the number of days from the start of the invasion to Saddam's capture, represents separation, completion and desolation: "Separated (cut off) to complete desolation." This is the core message of the prophecy: "Thou, O LORD, hast promised concerning this place to cut it off... (Babylon) will be completely desolate" (Jer 51:62; 50:13).

The numbers 1-1-1-3, the number of days from Saddam's capture to his execution, say this: " I the LORD, the one true God, the Almighty, these are my works." Repeating God's name or one of his attributes (God is love, God is light, God is good) three times is a 'signature' of God: "1) I am the Alpha-and-Omega, 2) (the one) 2a) who is and 2b) who was and 2c) who is to come, 3) the Almighty" (Rev 1:8).

If the fires were to burn on March 7th, 2010, the new date of Iraq's national elections -- 1,163 days from Saddam's execution -- the message would be this: "I the Lord God, the Almighty, have not yet completed my works [of cutting off Babylon]." And that would be true, for the fire is only judgment number 4; there are still 5 to come after that.

So we wait to see if these countdowns of the days between the nine judgments are actually spelling out the messages of doom on Babylon, or whether this is a silly bunny trail I'm chasing as I wait for the burning of the cities to begin.