On April 9, the statue of Saddam Hussein in the center of his capital of Baghdad came tumbling down. The scene of jubilant Iraqis hanging a noose around the neck of the statue was a dramatic symbol of a repressive regime coming to an end. Twice in recent years we have watched scenes like this. More than a decade ago the statues of Lenin in the former Soviet Union and other dictators in Eastern Europe came down as forces of freedom rose against regimes of repression.

The lightning-quick advance of coalition troops through the heart of Iraq during the last few weeks has been a textbook case of military operations. It will be studied as one of the most successful advances in history. The mission was to liberate the people of Iraq, who had been held in the death grip of a brutal and ruthless dictator for more than three decades. The job now appears to have been accomplished, and to put it in perspective, there is no better place to turn than to the pages of your Bible.

Daniel provides some lessons to be learned from this scene. In chapter 5 we see the demise of another power in the same land occupied by modern Iraq. Babylon's king, Belshazzar, partied in his palace while the judgment of God approached the gates of the city. Suddenly a hand appeared and wrote on the wall. Panic gripped the crowd. What did it mean? Only one person could give the answer. Daniel, the aged and respected servant, was hurried through the streets to appear and interpret the vision.

Daniel, God's embedded representative in Babylon, went straight to the heart of the aura of denial pervading the room and the regime. He recounted the history of Nebuchadnezzar, who failed to acknowledge and honor God and allowed "his heart [to be] lifted up, and his spirit...hardened in pride" (Daniel 5:20). God removed him from the throne. Belshazzar, too, was guilty of the same pride. "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven...The God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified" (Daniel 5:22-23).

Daniel's interpretation speaks through the ages to any human government that reigns over people with harshness and brutality: "This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (verses 26-28).

History shows that the Persians did enter the city and effected a regime change that night, according to the words of Scripture. "That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom" (verses 30-31).

Ancient Babylon lies just 30 miles south of Baghdad. American and British troops raced past Babylon's ruins on their way to the capital city. Now the heart of that city has fallen. Jubilant citizens toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein and tore down and burned his pictures, but there remains the task of rebuilding the country after years of misrule. Keeping the peace and building a new society will be a major challenge for a new government. May the new leaders heed the words of Daniel and govern as humble servants, seeking only the best for the people of Iraq.

The statue of an evil pathological dictator has been toppled. Let it be a symbol of the time in the future when another statue, a representation of humanity's defiance against God, will be destroyed and replaced by the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth (see Daniel 2:34-35).—WNP