According to the Prophet Daniel, angelic visitants from heaven appeared to him in vision, first to make known and then interpret the things being revealed to him.  Daniel provides the names of three angelic visitants — Palmoni, Gabriel and Michael, in this order.  The Angel Gabriel plays a pivotal role in Daniel’s visions of the end times.

“Waters” are also a central feature in Daniel’s visions. Whether seas, streams or rivers, “waters” appear as prophetic staging in Daniel’s four end-of-time visions.  Students of prophecy have long understood that waters represent “peoples, nations and tongues.”

“The waters that you saw…are peoples, races, nations and languages.”

Revelation 17:15 NCV
The waters I will focus upon presently are prominent Middle Eastern rivers named in Daniel’s visions.  They are the Euphrates, the Tigris, the Hiddekel and the Ulai. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers have retained their ancient names to this day.  In the book of Daniel, these two great rivers merge geographically in the southern region of Iraq and conjoined are assigned a common biblical name, the Hiddekel (Daniel 10:4). The Ulai River (Daniel 8:2, 16), has a modern name, the Karun River.  It originates in the southwestern geographical region of modern Iran.

The angel Gabriel, named in Daniel’s second vision (Daniel 8:16), appearsin connection with the river Ulai.   Gabriel also appears in Daniel’s fourth or last vision in connection with the “great river Hiddekel.” (Daniel 10: 4, 5).  In both instances these rivers are said by Gabriel to have meaning, application and fulfillment “at the time of the end” (Daniel 8:17), in “the latter days” (Daniel 10:14).

For decades I have consistently urged a straight-forward reading of these visions, maintaining that prophetically they do not belong to past history but rather to a predicted  Spirit and flesh struggle to take place immediately before Christ returns.  I continue to reject honest but misguided attempts to offer Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes or other historical figures and events as fulfillment of Daniel’s visions.

Historical figures or events may serve as types or shadows of things to come but they in no wise offer a fulfillment of Daniel’s “time of the end” visions. I stand in complete agreement with Jesus’ application of Daniel’s visions to “the time of the end.”

“Whoso readeth, let him understand!” (Mark 13:4, 5, 14; Matthew 24:3, 4, 15)
Modern Iraq boasts two capitol cities, Baghdad, centrally located in the country along the banks of the Tigris River. Basrah, or Basra, is located in southeastern Iraq.  Major cities are historically located beside rivers or seas and Basrah is no exception.  Basra lies beside “the great river Hiddekel,” some 40 miles south of the confluence of the two great ancient rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates.  Approximately 20 miles farther south of Basra another confluence takes place — there the Ulai River (Karun) merges its waters with “the great river Hiddekel.“

(Webster’s: confluence: a. A flowing together of two or more streams.  b. The point of juncture of such streams).

A lesson in basic geology and hydrology will help just now.  When two waters merge, be they stream to stream, river to river or river to sea, the greater body of water causes the lesser body of water to form a silted delta — “a  widening.”   Obviously, the greater volume of the one prevents the lesser volume of the other from completely purging its burden of silt and alluvia.  Fascinating stuff, huh?

Yes, it is extremely fascinating if one carefully parses Daniel’s visions that focus prophetically upon the rivers Hiddekel and Ulai.  Fascinating stuff indeed, if one is aware of the events transpiring at this prophetic moment where all these waters symbolically and literally converge.

Daniel opens his second vision (Daniel 8:2) telling us, “I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.“  The difficulty here is that the river Ulai meanders more than 200 kilometers.  As Daniel seeks a better understanding of his vision (Daniel 8, verse 15), he sees Gabriel standing “between the banks of Ulai,” and there hears a heavenly voice commanding, “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision” (verse 16).

Note: in the KJV, the words “the banks of” are italicized indicating the translators have supplied them. Various Authorized translations of the book of Daniel 8, verse 16, offer this or a similar reading: “Across the bend of Ulai,” or “at the widening of Ulai!” One commentator offers this explanation for verse 16:

“The word Hiddekel in the Syriac (Aramaic) is applied to the EuphratesRiver; in the Vulgate (Latin), Greek, and Arabic, to the Tigris; therefore, some (scholars) conclude that the Prophet had this vision where these rivers unite, near the Persian Gulf.”   (The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith, pg. 226.)
Antennas up! Why two capitol cities in the one nation of Iraq?  Because Iraq’s population is comprised largely of two principal, warring Islamic sects — the Shia and the Sunni.  Sectarian strife is ever present in Iraq and will be, I predict, until the end of the world. Southern Iraq is composed largely of the Shia sect.  Actually, Shia Islam comprises 70% of modern Iraq’s total population.  Saddam Hussein was Sunni and exercised a murderous, iron-fisted subjugation of the Shia population, especially the Shia sympathetic to Iran dwelling in Basra and southern Iraq.

Now that Saddam is gone, the Shia majority have, by vote, taken control of Iraq, its land, its laws and its mineral wealth.  Hence the ongoing civil war and non-stop bloodletting taking place there today.  The Shia element in Iraq boasts in no uncertain terms that “their day in the sun has come” and they “intend to get even!”  A Shia majority controls the present government of Iraq and its current President is Shia…

Now for the rest of the story. For several years the Iranian Government and Iranian Military have been infiltrating armed Shia militia into southern Iraq — the region surrounding Basra to be exact-the very place Daniel saw Gabriel standing “at the widening of the Ulai!” There Daniel heard these words spoken in his vision:

“Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” Daniel 8: 17.
Intelligence estimates I have read suggest that the number of Iranian infiltrators is more than double the number of Western Coalition forces presently based in Iraq.

Since the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003, I have been closely following the person and activities of a radical Iraqi Shia cleric by the name of Muqtada al-Sadr. Several times I have offered commentary via our Prophecy E-News regarding this man al-Sadr, his hatred for America, his thirst for revenge and the demonic stare he shares with his late hero, the Ayatollah Khomeini.   Not only does his countenance betray the spirit ruling him, but his words and his actions portray the same dark spirit.

Al-Sadr’s army within Iraq, the Mahdi Militia (sometimes spelled Mehdi), are boldly threatening to seize control of the entire nation of Iraq. They are only waiting, they say, “until the American’s withdraw.”  Meanwhile, American and British forces are being threatened and loosing lives daily to powerful Iranian weapons supplied to al-Sadr’s Militia!  It takes little foresight to see where the rivers of prophecy and Daniel’s prophetic events will soon converge.  Gabriel addressed Daniel “at the widening of the Ulai.”  Keep your eyes and ears on Basra! Gabriel obeyed Heaven’s command and explained to Daniel the meaning of confluence and convergence –

“Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” Daniel 8:17.
Who reads the fast fulfilling signs of these times? I do!  I hope you are reading them, too!  The headlines here and abroad are warning, warning, warning that war is coming between the United States, Great Britain and Iran.  And because all Bible prophecy is about Jerusalem and that unique piece of real estate, add Israel to the mix.

It seems rather clear now; Iran is being pressured by the West, especially the United States, with economic sanctions, threatening her proto-nuclear facilities.  At this prophetic moment Iran is rallying her proxy armies. These include Muqtada al-Sadr’s Militia in Iraq,Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the West Bank and, of course, Iran’s ever loyal ally, Syria!

Uncontrollable hatred, pent up for millennia, is about to be released — the explosion is coming! The possibility of nuclear exchange exists!  An awful surprise awaits an unsuspecting world! I believe this confrontation will be the Trigger Event (“tipping point”)that opens the prophetic door to “the time of the end.”

“But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

1 Thessalonians 5:4
Prophecy watchers should anticipate a pre-emptive, multi-front attack likely orchestrated by Iran and Syria against Israel and Anglo-American Forces in Iraq.  I expect concurrent terrorist attacks within America and Great Britain.  Israel will likely be pummeled with hundreds, perhaps thousands of short range rockets launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon and by Hamas in the Palestinian territories.  The very real possibility exists that longer range missiles may be launched by Iran and Syria against Israel and Coalition forces in the Middle East.

At the same time, watch for a counter-surge launched by Al-Sadr’s Mahdi Militia against U.S. and British forces in Iraq!  I believe Bible prophecy foreshadows Basrah and its environs will soon become the focus of world attention, and Daniel 8:3-7 will meet its long awaited fulfillment!

Almost immediately thereafter, Daniel 8:8 will meet fulfillment — the United States will meet its economic Waterloo. The U.S. dollar, U.S. banks and U.S. stock and bond markets will totally collapse, dragging the World into a global depression!  The prophetic stage of the end times will then be perfectly set — the ‘Beast’ system is now in sight…