Cities and Towers - Past, Present, and Future

     Recall Nimrod, son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah attempted to nullify God’s plan to replenish the earth by settling in Babel.  Interestingly Nimrod was not only a ‘mighty warrior,’ but his name also means ‘tyrant’ and ‘rebel.’

     God subsequently scattered Nimrod and his followers from Babel.  Thus Nimrod abandoned his plan to build a city and tower in Babel and journeyed to Assyria to build several cities there including Nineveh.

     The present focus will be on Nimrod’s intent and reasoning to build ‘a city and tower.’

     “…Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves…”  Genesis 11:4

     According to the Hebrew language, a tower represented pride, exaltation, boastfulness, and greatness.  ‘…whose top is in the heavens’ reveals that Nimrod and his followers thought they were self-sufficient and didn’t need God.

     The phrase ‘let us make a name for ourselves’ implied that the rebels were seeking fame and renown, while simultaneously flaunting their selfish purpose.

     Now let’s fast forward to current times.  In the 1970s the World Trade Center, featuring the twin towers, opened for business and occupancy.  The twin towers were 1,368 and 1,362 feet in height respectively.  At that time they were the tallest buildings in the world.

     Tragically, the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in ‘an hour’ on 9-11-2001.  At that time our nation’s leaders resolved to quickly bring the stock market back in operation to prove to the world that America was financially strong and resilient.

     The World Trade Center has since been replaced with 1 World Trade Center, featuring a center piece that is known as the Freedom Tower.  The height of the Freedom Tower is 1,776 feet which is a deliberate reference to the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

     It should not be forgotten that on 9-11-1683 the Ottoman Empire was derailed in Vienna.  That stopped the western leg of the Roman Empire.  Bin Laden used that date to rekindle the war.

    

     However, the Freedom Tower is not the tallest building in the world at this point in time.

     A taller building is found in DuBai.  It is called Burj Khalifa which is 160 stories with a height of 2,723 feet.

     A lesser known building in progress is the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah Arabia.  The Kingdom Tower has presently completed 23 stories and is scheduled for completion in 2019 or 2020.  Its height is planned to be 3,250 feet.

     In a CNN report dated January of 2018, the Chief Executive Officer of Jeddah Economic Company made a statement that sounded more like Western Civilization than Eastern ways.

     “With this deal, we will…fulfill the company’s objective of creating a world-class urban center that offers an advanced lifestyle, so that Jeddah may have a new iconic landmark…”

     And lastly there are plans for a city/tower reaching a height of 3,780 feet.  It is interestingly named ‘The Bride.’  It will be by far the tallest building in the world.

     It will be a complex of four conjoined towers resulting in what is called the world’s first ‘vertical city.’

     Where will ‘The Bride’ be built?

     ‘The Bride’ is to rise in Iraq’s oil-rich Basra Province.  The Basra province in Iraq is locally known as ‘the bride of the gulf’ owing to its fertility in growing vegetation and agriculture products.  Basra is also recognized as Iraq’s main port. 

     Recall, Iraq is situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the land of Shinar.

     There are numerous visual projections of the planned city/tower readily available.

     The rebuilding of ‘Babylon’ called ‘The Bride’ is in the same place where it all started with Nimrod.

     Now note the similarity between the proposed ‘Bride’ in Iraq and the future New Jerusalem that will descend out of heaven after the earth is renewed.

     “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” 

Revelation 21:3

     The Bridegroom in the above Scripture is well known.  What is not known, who is the groom of ‘The Bride’ in Iraq?

   

The Beginning of the End

     Nimrod and his followers devised a plan for dwelling in the city of Babel and settling in the land of Shinar.

     “And they said, ‘Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’”  Genesis 11:4

   

     To avoid being scattered was exactly opposite of God’s intent for mankind to replenish the earth.

     Of course God’s immutable plan became reality.

     “So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”  Genesis 11:8

     The deserted city was named ‘Babel’ which has several meaningful synonyms including ‘mingle,’ ‘gate to god,’ and ‘confusion.’

     But as we’ll see, God wasn’t done with the land of Shinar, or the deserted city.

     As history progressed, three world kingdoms had come and gone beginning with Egypt, then Assyria, and Babylon. 

     Shortly after Babylon’s demise in 539 BC the prophet Zechariah issued a proclamation relative to the land of Shinar which would occur in the future.

       And so it was, an angel had just revealed to Zechariah that in a far off day Israel would be cleansed of evil, and the evil doers would be ‘cut off’ from the land. 

     Zechariah observed something departing (going forth) from the land.  He inquired to the angel as to what it was that he was seeing.

     “…and he (angel) said, ‘it is a basket that is going forth.’” 

Zechariah 5:6

     The departing basket was more specifically an ephah which is a bulk measuring container which holds approximately two-thirds bushels.  On the top of the ephah was a lead cover to contain the contents of the ephah.

     The lead cover represented a large round coin weighing approximately a talent, or 100 lbs.

     Thus the ephah with its lead cover represented commerce.  Then the angel lifted the lead cover and revealed the contents of the ephah.

     “Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket (ephah).”  Then he said, ‘this is Wickedness!’   And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth.” 

Zechariah 5:7-8

     Then Zechariah saw two women lifting up the basket between earth and heaven, and he asked the angel where the women were carrying the basket.

     “And he said to me, ‘To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.’”  Zechariah 5:11

     The ‘house’ represents a temple or palace which would be built in the future in the land of Shinar.  The basket (ephah) would be set on its own base when the predetermined time arrives.

     The prophecy indicates that the future commercial center of the world will be established where ancient Babel was, i.e. the land of Shinar, presently known as Iraq.

     The woman in the ephah is described in the final book of the Bible.

     And again, it is an angel that is talking, this time to John.

     “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’”  Revelation 17:1-2

     The ‘wicked woman’ in the ephah described by Zechariah is now identified as the great harlot at the end of days.  She will be destroyed by the ten nations of anti-Christ’s final world empire.

     The angel continues to explain the mystery to John.

     “And the ten horns (nations) which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate…for God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast (anti-Christ).”  Revelation 17:16-17

     The question is then, who will miss her the most?

     “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore.”  Revelation 18:11

     That presents another question; what will be the priority of the nations in the end of days?

    

      Walt Thrun @ figtreeweek70.com