In the fifth chapter of Zechariah, there is a curious prophecy that features two distinct symbolic images. Both represent the most blatant kind of evil. The first is said to carry a "curse." The second is described as "wickedness." Both are seen as flying through the atmospheric heavens. In general, they represent different aspects of Satan's realm of authority, as seen in Ephesians 2:2:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience"

The first flying object is a flying scroll (translated "roll" in the KJV) that appears to be unrolled, since its dimensions show a rectangular structure:

"And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.

"Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it" (Zech. 5:2,3).

It's hard to imagine a scroll as big as this one. If the royal cubit is the unit of measure here, then it would be about 35 feet long and 17.5 feet wide. It carries with it, a condemnation of those who steal and swear falsely.

It is called a "curse" that flies over the entire earth. In a moment, we'll examine this curse at some length. First, however, we'll examine the second part of the prophecy, which features a strange woman enclosed in an ephah, a basket-shaped enclosure. The angel tells Zechariah, "This is wickedness." Then, he slams the ephah shut with a lid of lead.

"Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

"Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

"And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar : and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base" (Zechariah 5:9-11).

Here, wickedness establishes a power base in the land of Shinar . Later, it became known commonly as Babylon . Originally, it included the cities of Erech, Accad and Babel . Nimrod was its king. Later, under Nebuchadnezzar, it was called the first of the Gentile world powers.

Today, Baghdad is the power center of ancient Shinar . Furthermore, it is at the center of an enormous contest that ranges across this fabled land, and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea . Islam is rising to a position of strength, and now sees itself within reach of its ancient dream: world domination.

It is hardly a secret that Islam, its history, and its teachings regard the peoples of the West – and Christians in particular – as infidels and enemies worthy only of conversion, slavery, or death. The woman in the ephah typifies one of the demonic spirits who drive a powerful society in the Middle East . Iraq is the place where the woman established her base. This ancient territory is literally at the hub of an Arab brotherhood that wishes to establish a dynasty. It envisions a glorious kingdom that covers the whole world.

The "Curse"

But now, back to that word, "curse," which appears in verse 3. In Hebrew, it is a word that is currently heard in news reports, editorials, and common conversations around the world.

It is in fact, the Hebrew word alah … pronounced exactly as the word "Allah!" It appears many times in the Old Testament, always referring to a violated oath, malediction, imprecation, or curse.

The image of the flying scroll in Zech-ariah is particularly evocative, since it conjures up images of medieval Arabic art and literature. We recall Ali Baba and Aladdin, the dramatic heroes in tales from the Arabian Nights. Their magic carpets whisked them from one place to another in the twinkling of an eye. Imagine a thirty-five-foot-long magic carpet! And remember, too, that lying and thievery were the stuff of these legends. This, after all, is the message of the flying scroll.

Perhaps this allusion means nothing; perhaps much. But the curse associated with the flying scroll is seen in many Scriptures. And it is always spelled , pronounced alah. Incredibly, the modern Hebrew word for the Islamic deity, Allah, is found in modern Hebrew dictionaries, where it is also spelled !

We find an excellent illustration of this in The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary. There, on page 9, when one looks up alah , on the Hebrew side of the dictionary, the definition shown is "imprecation," that is, a curse.

Turning to the English-to-Hebrew side of the dictionary, one finds on page 9, a primary listing for the word, "Allah." The Hebrew word given as its definition is , which we have already seen, is the word translated "curse" in many Old Testament Scriptures.

Isaiah and the Tribulation

Another good example of the Old Testament use of the word "curse" is found in Isaiah 24. This chapter is called the "Little Apocalypse," since it foreshadows the horrors of the Great Tribulation:

"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

"Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left" (Isa. 24:5,6).

Once again, we discover the curse (alah ). And here, we take note of a principle that accompanies this dark term. Here, the Lord connects the curse with Israel 's transgressions, and its disdain for the Lord's covenants through Abraham and Moses.

In other words, Israel has brought the curse upon itself. It has scorned the idea that it must trust in the Lord's providence. With reference to the Tribulation, the prophet Daniel made the very same statement about Israel:

"And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7).

The angel told Daniel that the Tribulation would last as long as necessary to accomplish the task of bringing Israel to true spiritual understanding. Here, the Jews are called the "holy people." They believe that they have the power to save themselves. This false idea will be broken – scattered – as Israel is finally brought to the realization that they must trust in God. Then, and only then, will the risen Christ appear to them in power and glory.

Moses had the same message for Israel , given in an encouraging way. He prophesied that the Lord would bring them back into the land in the latter days. But he told them that they must come in a spiritual way, not through self-confidence and force of arms. He also told them that when they came in faith, the Lord would place a curse upon their enemies:

"And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

"And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

"And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee" (Deuteronomy 30:5-7).

Here, alah is seen in verse 7, in the plural. But later in the same chapter, Moses uses the same word, telling Israel that it is up to them to choose either blessing or cursing – either barucha , or alah :

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

It is incontrovertible that modern Israel has been consistently cursed by a people who continually call upon the name of Allah. It is the ultimate irony that the name they use is the very word for "curse" in Hebrew.

Nine-One-One

Perhaps the most startling "curse" in the Old Testament is found in the book of Daniel. Lately, for a reason that will become obvious, many have called attention to this verse, not only because of its manifest symbolism, but because it so obviously mentions the nature of Israel 's curse.

Like the other examples we have given, it addresses Israel with a curse based upon their failure to keep the Law and to live up to the covenantal promise that the Lord graciously gave them:

"Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him" (Daniel 9:11).

What a coincidence! Daniel nine-one-one, lays out before all Israel the curse of alah … or should we say, Allah, just as it is found in modern Hebrew dictionaries.

When the terrorists of September 11th flew their hijacked airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center , they did it in the name of Allah. They intended to deliver a curse upon Western and Zionist interests in the New York City financial district. From their perspective, Western financial interests headquartered there are indistinguishable from the Zionist cause, since it is the U.S. that consistently upholds the Israeli cause. Furthermore, the population gathered around the towers features many Jewish population centers and business interests.

Their curse was deliberately placed upon those who would wish success upon modern Israel . Remember Zechariah's curse of the flying scroll. It is not limited to just the Middle East but, "… goeth forth over the face of the whole earth."

We should also recall that it is linked to the wickedness of the woman in the flying ephah, who builds her power base in Babylon , or should we say, Baghdad . In these momentous days, the drama associated with the regathering of Israel now reaches every spot on earth. Al Qaeda, which means "the base" in Arabic, is firmly planted in the Arab world, and has now reached out to the major population centers of the entire earth.

This is the curse of the flying scroll. Perhaps we should call it the curse of the flying carpet!

SOURCE: Rapture Ready