Iraq/dinar/news and Rumors: The rebuilding of Babylon

The rebuilding of Babylon
by Don Koenig

Scripture says Babylon will be completely destroyed and no one will ever live there again. It will be a place for creatures of the night. This prophecy has never been fulfilled. People have lived there and are still living there today. The complete prophetic fulfillment apparently is still in the future.
According to Bible prophecy the city of Babylon is destroyed near the end of the age just before the return of Jesus Christ. Many scholars question whether Babylon in prophecy is actually a physical place or if it should just represent the religious or economic systems of the world. Today it would appear to many that spiritual Babylon is in Rome and economic Babylon is New York City. Nevertheless, Bible prophecy is quite clear that there will be an actual Babylon on the plains of Shinar (Iraq) in the end times. This city will become the headquarters for the end time world system led by the Beast Antichrist and his Kingdom that will rule the world. Scholars question how this poor insignificant place can someday become the Babylon that is expressed in the book of Revelation. The likely answer is oil, the Antichrist and Satan.
The city of Babylon still exists at the same location as the ancient city of Babylon and it is located in south Iraq. Saddam Hussein had been quietly rebuilding the ancient ruins of Babylon for decades. Saddam had even had his name engraved on the stones of some of the buildings along with Nebuchadnezzar. The gulf wars did not totally stop the rebuilding of Babylon although it did disrupt it. Because of some damage done to the ancient ruins in the gulf war the United States and other nations recently pledged to develop Babylon into a international world center and possibly a theme park based on her ancient wonders.
The only thing that is holding up the rebuilding of Babylon Iraq from emerging into a world class tourist center for the rich and famous is the violence in Iraq and the development of their oil. Some now think that Iraq has larger oil reserves than Saudi Arabia and by 2020-2030 Iraq could be world's leading oil producer.

Where all false religion started it will all end
Babylon was where all organized false religions of the world got started and it is where they will end. There soon will be a world war between the forces of the pseudo-Christian West and the radical Islamic nations. The war against terrorism that we are now seeing is only the warm up.
The Western forces will eventually be led by the emerging Beast out of Europe mentioned in Daniel and the book of Revelation. The West will defeat the Islamic nations and/or convince them to join the pluralistic world church. Under a peace agreement the city of Jerusalem will become an international religious center for 42 months. When the 42 months are up the Antichrist will stop all customary religious worship, enter the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and claim to be above anything called God. He will demand to be worshiped by all. He will then move his headquarters to Babylon and he war against all those that will not bow their knee to him.
He will find Babylon Iraq to be an ideal spot because Allah has the same characteristics of Satan. He will be readily accepted by Muslims when he becomes known although he will not identify with Allah of Islam. He will claim to be above anything called God. The worldwide power base of Islam and the Roman Catholic Church will be the foundations he will use to bring in a worldwide forced worship of himself as God. From that power base he will bring in a new political and economic system. He will seek to kill all who confess Jesus/Jehovah as Lord. The method of killing gives us a clue about those that make up his power base. He will behead his enemies as does radical Islam with their enemies. (Rev 20:4)
As his crusade against God develops and prospers this city will become the center of world government and religion. Riches of all the nations will pour into Babylon. It will again become a great city in a very short time. Zechariah 5:7-11 tells us that in these end times wickedness will be brought to a house built for it on the plains of Shinar (this is located in Iraq). Many other great cities of the world may not even exist at this point due to prior wars that brought this leader to power.
Some wonder how Babylon can become a seaport to fulfill the prophecies of Babylon in Revelation? Although the prophecy mentions merchants it is not really necessary for this city to become an actual seaport to fulfill the prophecies about Babylon. Even if it were necessary, the Babylonian empire once sat on three seas and two major rivers. It again could become a place of trading by sea either through conquest or by natural or supernatural earth upheavals. (Christians need to realize that the theory that the earth only changes very gradually is not true. The Bible and archaeology record catastrophic earth changes. Some examples in the Bible are the flood, Joshua's long day, and the shadow moving backward on the sundial in the time of King Hezekiah. The prophetic scriptures certainly indicate that there will be massive earth upheavals during this end time tribulation period.)

The United Nations world government and/or the European Union world government prototype may play a huge role in the rise of Babylon. See also Islam and the rise of the Arab confederacy

Signs of the time
Islamic nations are 5 to 20 years from having a significant stock of nuclear weapons. When the Islamic nations get these weapons they can raise oil prices to any level they wish and can use oil as a political weapon. Oil wealth in the next 10 to 30 years will bring a time of great riches for the rebuilding of Babylon (Iraq). It is very likely that this is the generation that will see the rise and fall of Babylon the Great.
Unesco intends to put the magic back in Babylon By Jeffrey Gettleman, APRIL 21, 2006
Selected scripture references 1:Selected scripture references 2:

The next article is about Russia invading Israel in the end times