Arabs Building New "Tower of Babel"

By Joel Rosenberg

The Burj Tower is currently under construction in the United Arab Emirates. When completed, it will be the world's tallest building, at nearly half a mile high. But an engineering company in Wales says it has been retained to build an even bigger structure, a new Tower of Babel. Executives say the "Mile High Tower" in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will be at least 5,250 feet high. Meanwhile, the Russian press is reporting plans for a two mile high skyscraper in Moscow known as "The Ultima Tower," complete with "parks, gardens, artificial rivers and hills, apartment houses, schools, kindergartens and countless stores...built inside the tower."

How soon will it be before engineers announce plans to build a structure like this in Iraq, or in the City of Babylon itself? As I write in Epicenter, Iraqi officials are currently developing plans to build the new city of Babylon into a modern, cosmopolitan city, picking up on the reconstruction efforts begun in the early 1980s by Saddam Hussein. Those plans include an amusement park and a Holiday Inn. Iraq's Finance Minister told me on the record for Epicenter that in the near future, he expects "cultural tourism" to be the second largest revenue producer for Iraq, after oil exports. For many, it many seem hard to believe that millions of tourists would ever flock to Iraq for "cultural tourism." But consider these headlines last week: 1) 'Disneyland' Comes to Baghdad With Multi-million Pound Entertainment Park; 2) "U.S. Company Building Amusement Park in Baghdad." That's right. "A California company is working to turn a 50-acre swath of land in Baghdad into an amusement park, complete with rides, a skateboard park, a zoo, a concert theater and a museum, according to a report in the Thursday edition of the Times of London....'There is a shortage of entertainment in the city. Cinemas can’t open. Playgrounds can’t open. The fun park is badly needed for Baghdad. Children don’t have any opportunities to enjoy their childhood,' said Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the Baghdad municipal government. The project will cost $500 million and will be managed by Iraqis, The Times reports. Under the terms of the lease, Werner will retain exclusive rights to housing and hotel developments, which he says will be both culturally sensitive and enormously profitable."

For those who are curious, this is all completely consistent with Bible prophecies that indicate in Revelation 18 and elsewhere that Iraq/Babylon will be incredibly wealthy and prosperous in the "last days" and a magnet for commerce by merchants from all over the world. Such unprecedented wealth won't be possible unless Iraq becomes peaceful. So expect Iraq's security situation to improve over the next few years. Expect more multi-national companies to start doing business -- big business -- in Iraq. It may seem unbelievable now. But soon enough, it will be a reality.