The Beast so-called Saint John was talking about in Revelation was the Roman Emperor.  The destruction he was taking about was the destruction of Jerusalem.  I could write a convincing book about why this is so — but I don't have time (or that much interest) at the moment, and I'm almost certain someone else already has.

Anyway, former French President Jacques Chirac is apparently now revealing that in a top secret phone call in 2003, former U.S. President George Bush tried to convince him to commit French troops to invading Iraq because (and I quote) "Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East ... The biblical prophesies are being fulfilled....  This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his peoples enemies before a new age begins."

WTF? 

Need I remind anyone that this unnecessary war has killed over 4,000 young Americans (and far more non Americans) while costing taxpayers something like a trillion dollars?  (Note: A trillion is a million millions — enough to pay for ten million $100,000 homes.)

For more about this, check out the following links:

http://www.alternet.org/politics/140221

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/6/762587/-Its-much,-much-weirder-than-you-thought