Why is Isaiah 21 Historical?
One question that seems impossible to explain, if Shoebat’s interpretation of Isaiah 21 is correct, is why Isaiah, who sees himself as a “watchman” in this passage, is so upset when he hears the news of Babylon’s destruction in verse 9. He is “fearful,” “dismayed,” and his “pleasure has turned into fear” upon hearing the news that Babylon is fallen. It’s not as though this watchman can be seen as a pagan who is upset at Babylon being destroyed, because in verse 10 he tells us he is a servant of “the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel.”
This makes sense only if you understand the context of the rest of the book of Isaiah, in which the prophet has warned Hezekiah of making alliances with Babylon and Egypt against Assyria. Upon hearing the news that Babylon, in whom Hezekiah has put his hopes of salvation, has fallen, there will be no one to stop the expansion of Assyria and thus is terrible news for Israel.
What about all the references to Arabian cities in the chapter? It is because of these references that Shoebat claims that Mystery Babylon is in Arabia, so we need to look closely at each reference to one of these cities.
Dumah
“The burden of Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.” (Isaiah 21:11–12)
This little prophecy comes directly after the section about the fall of Babylon and is pretty vague. It pictures the watchman being asked by a passerby “what of the night” and the watchman basically tells him that the morning is coming but also the night”
Dumah was a town located halfway between Israel and Babylon in Northern Arabia. It was the principal city of the Kedarites (a fact that will be important later). Because Dumah lay halfway between Babylon and Israel on a major trade route, it would be natural to inquire of the watchman for news of the events in Babylon. When we look at this in context, we see a man asking the watchman for news of the battle that was described earlier in the chapter, the one where Babylon rebelled against Assyria. The watchman essentially tells the person that there will be a kind of calm before the storm. He essentially says, “Yes, morning is about to come, but night is coming after that.” This is a particularly important prophecy when you consider the historical context. Dumah had a particular interest in the outcome of Babylon’s rebellion against Assyria since they too had thrown their lot in with the Babylonians in previous rebellions against Assyria.34 A year before the fall of Babylon to the Assyrians, Dumah was captured by the Assyrians and the Kedarite queen Te'elkhunu, who ruled from Dumah, was taken captive back to Assyria. The people in Dumah were devastated and were hoping the rebellion against Assyria by Babylon would be successful. However, as we know the rebellion was not successful and there would be no escape for the people of Dumah from the Assyrians. The people of Dumah, although now firmly under the Assyrian yoke, continued to rebel against Assyria in the years that followed but were defeated each time.
Walid Shoebat attempts to convince his readers that the mere mention of Dumah in Isaiah 21 means that Arabia is in view when the watchman speaks of “Babylon.” Shoebat doesn’t even attempt to explain the context of the passage or why Dumah is mentioned by the prophet. He simply makes the case that since the word Dumah appears in Isaiah 21 and that Dumah is in Arabia, Babylon really means Arabia.
One of the interesting patterns we will see is Shoebat trying his best to make it seem as if these place names are much further south in Arabia. Saying things like “Dumah is in Saudi Arabia near Medina.” In reality Dumah is closer to Israel or Babylon than it is Medina. The point here is that though these cities are technically in Arabia, they are all in the very north of Arabia, the only part of Arabia that would fall under Assyrian control. In addition, these cities all have something very important in common; they all had an interest in the Babylonian rebellion against Assyria and as a result of the fall of Babylon, every one of them would soon be swallowed up by the unchecked power of the Assyrian Empire.
Kedar
The next place name in Isaiah 21 mentioned by Shoebat is Kedar. He makes the following statement about Kedar in his book.
“It is likely that Mecca is the ‘glory of Kedar’ mentioned in verse 16.”5
Shoebat gives his readers no clue as to why Kedar is “likely” to be a reference to Mecca; he simply states this as if it were true and then moves on. To be blunt, there is not a shred of evidence to back up this statement and quite a lot of reasons to refute it.
The Kedarites were a nomadic people who lived in parts of Transjordan and Northern Arabia We know quite a bit about where they lived from various historical records. For example, eighth century BC Assyrian inscriptions place the Kedarites as living in the area to the east of the western border of Babylon. They moved further east into areas of the Transjordan and southern Syria in the seventh century BC, and by the fifth century BC they had spread into the Sinai and as far as the Nile Delta.
By all accounts the Kedarites never extended anywhere near Mecca; at any given time in their history they were hundreds of miles north of Mecca. How could the “glory of Kedar” be a reference to Mecca when they never even came close to the city? We may never know since Shoebat never elaborates on this point.
The principal cities of the Kedarites were Tema, Dedan, and Dumah, all of which are mentioned in Isaiah 21. Dumah, which we have already mentioned, was the capital of the Kedarites. It was a very important religious and political center for them as it was strategically placed on an important trade route, making it sought after by the Assyrians and Babylonians.
Let’s look at what Isaiah says about Kedar to learn whether there are good reasons to see this as having any kind of historical fulfillment.
“The burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, O you traveling companies of Dedanites. O inhabitants of the land of Tema, Bring water to him who is thirsty; With their bread they met him who fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, From the bent bow, and from the distress of war. For thus the Lord has said to me: ‘Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail; and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it.’” (Isaiah 21:13-17)
The Kedarites were considered to be synonymous with “Arabs.” This can be seen clearly in several ways, both in the Bible,6 as well as in historical inscriptions.
Geoffrey W. Bromiley points out7:
“Statements about the Qedarites in the annals of the Assyrian kings of Ashurbanipal and his son Esarhaddon indicate that the term Kedar was almost synonymous with Arabia. Hazael, who ruled c. 690–676 BC, is described as a Qedarite king by Ashurbanipal and ‘king of the Arabs’ by Esarhaddon.”
Thus, though it should be obvious from the context, the “burden against Arabia” in verse 13 is a burden against the Kedarites who are considered the kings of Arabia. This is made even more obvious because the three cities listed in the passage are the three principal cities of Kedar.
The rest of this prophecy is a picture of refugees fleeing. It seems contextually as though these refugees are fleeing from the battle with Assyria since the aforementioned trade route that goes out of Babylon leads strait to Dumah and the other Kedarite cities where the refugees would seek food and shelter.
The last two verses seem to be telling Kedar to give this aid to the refugees fleeing Babylon because in a short time it will be they who will conquered by Assyria, just like the refugees they are told to help.
“Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail; and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished.” (Isaiah 21:16)
The prophet says this will happen “within a year.” I believe that this is most properly to be understood as a year after this prophecy was given to them by the prophet Isaiah or perhaps a year after the refugees flee. In either case the prophecy seems to be accurate. I believe it is speaking of when they heard this prophecy, and thus determining when the prophet delivered this message is of some importance.
Although it is difficult to determine exactly when this section of Isaiah was written, we can get a pretty good idea. We know that Isaiah lived between 739-681 BC and most scholars think chapters one through thirty-nine were written somewhere around 700 BC, though finding the exact date for each prophecy within those chapters is difficult if not impossible. We know the Kedarites were conquered by the Assyrians in 690 BC, so just based on the most basic assumptions, we at least know that this prophecy of the Kedarites being conquered was fulfilled nine years before Isaiah died. In other words, he lived through the fulfillment of this prophecy; therefore, it is not hard to believe that he really did give them this message exactly one year before it happened.
The “glory of Kedar” could either be a symbolic reference to the good things of Kedar or it could be a reference to the fall of its capital city, Dumah. I believe the latter is the more likely option. When the Assyrians captured Dumah in 690 BC the Kedarite queen was taken captive and Assyrian rule was established. Dumah was by far the most glorious city of the Kedarites, and it contained the principal temple to the goddess Ishtar.
Elam and Media
Shoebat doesn’t discuss in his book the references to Elam and Media in Isaiah 21:2, probably because they could never be said to live in Arabia, but I will make a brief mention of them and the most likely reason they are mentioned by the prophet.
Elam and Media were both long-time enemies of Assyria and long-time allies with one another. In fact, they formed the core of the Medo-Persian Empire that would come much later. They both joined several rebellions against the Assyrians around this time, and Elam played a major role in Merodach-Baladan’s rebel coalition, which resulted in the destruction of Babylon. Like all the other nations listed in this chapter, they had a lot to lose if the rebellion against Assyria failed. Indeed after Sennacherib destroyed Babylon, the Assyrians were able to spread their influence much further into Elam and Media, and though Elam and the Medes still rebelled from time to time, they would remain firmly under the Assyrian yoke after the fall of Babylon. Therefore, “Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media” is a reference to Elam and Media’s participation in the rebellion against Assyria. In the New America Commentary, Larry Walker agrees with this when he says of the participation of Elam and the Medes:
“This probably relates to the Assyrian attack on Babylon around 689 BC. Babylon's neighbors are being encouraged to attack the Assyrian invading forces.”8
The Desert of/by the Sea
To make his case that Babylon is not in view but rather Mystery Babylon, which he says is Arabia, Shoebat points to the first verse in Isaiah 21:
“The burden of the desert of the sea.” (Isaiah 21:1)
He argues that this can’t be about Babylon in Mesopotamia since Babylon is neither “of” nor “by” the sea (both translations are possible). He says that Saudi Arabia is in view because it is bordered by the Red Sea on the west and the Persian Gulf on the east. Typically Bible scholars see this “desert of the sea” phrase as a reference to Babylon sitting between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and to the marshy conditions that surrounded the city. If this were the case, we would be encouraged that the same word for “sea” was used in other places to describe rivers that formed marshlands, such as the Nile delta (Isaiah 11:15).
The problem for Shoebat here is that verse 9 tells us bluntly that this burden is about “Babylon” and, whether we like it or not, we must, therefore, understand the “desert of/by the sea” as a poetic term that refers to Babylon. Such an understanding is made much easier when you find other instances of God referring to the rivers of Babylon as a “sea.” For example, when Jeremiah is referring to the destruction of Babylon he says:
“Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her [Babylon’s] sea and make her springs dry.’” (Jeremiah 51:36)
We have taken a look at the centerpiece of Shoebat’s argument that Mystery Babylon is Saudi Arabia, which is found in Isaiah 21. As we have seen, his argument that there is no historical fulfillment of the events of Isaiah 21 is simply not true. There seems to be a perfect fulfillment in history with the complete destruction of Babylon in 689 BC by Sennacherib. We have also seen that the Arabian cities mentioned in Isaiah 21 which play such an important role in Shoebat’s view, have a very natural reason for appearing in the context of a prophecy about the geopolitical fallout that occurs after the destruction of Babylon in 689 BC and the expansion of the Assyrian Empire. There is no reason to suggest the mere appearance of these cities in the text gives us a license to suggest that “Babylon” in verse 9 should be understood as “Saudi Arabia.”
We will now move on to some of the other arguments that Shoebat makes in his attempt to equate Mystery Babylon of Revelation 17-18 with Saudi Arabia.
The Merchants and the Red Sea
Revelation 18 describes how sea merchants will lament at the destruction of Mystery Babylon because they will no longer be able to sell the city their merchandise. Verse 9 says that these people will be able to see the smoke that arises from Mystery Babylon from far off. Walid Shoebat makes the following claim about this event in his book, God’s War on Terror:
“Where are these sea captains when they hear and view this destruction? Jeremiah tells us they will be in the Red Sea: ‘The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea’” (Jeremiah 49:21).9
Let’s examine Jeremiah 49:21 in context to see if this verse is really telling us that the merchants who see Mystery Babylon’s smoke in Revelation 18:9 are seeing that smoke from the Red Sea.
“Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.” (Jeremiah 49:20-21)
The first thing you might notice is that this prophecy isn’t even about historical Babylon at all; it’s about Edom. I would consider it bad form just to apply prophecies of historical Babylon directly to Mystery Babylon, but here Shoebat is going one step further by applying historical prophecies that have nothing to do with Babylon to Mystery Babylon!
In another place, Shoebat tells his readers that is OK for him to use prophecies about Edom and apply them to Mystery Babylon because small parts of Edom were located in modern day Saudi Arabia (very small parts), and since he believes Saudi Arabia is Mystery Babylon, he deems this to be an acceptable way to interpret Scripture when in fact it is nothing more than circular reasoning.
One more reason Shoebat believes it’s OK to treat prophecies of Edom as prophecies of the future Mystery Babylon is that he believes Psalm 137:7–8 says that Edom is the “Daughter of Babylon.”
“The Psalms even give us a literal reference to Edom being the daughter of Babylon (born of Babylon): ‘Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation! O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed”’ (Psalm 137:7–8).”10
Let’s take a closer look to see why this verse isn’t saying that Edom is the “daughter of Babylon” at all.
In Psalm 137 we have a lament about the Israelites in bondage in Babylon. They are sad because they are being forced to sing happy songs by their Babylonian captors even though they quite naturally don’t feel happy at all. In verse 7 the psalmist is remembering that when the Babylonians destroyed the city of Jerusalem, their neighbors, the Edomites, rejoiced and even encouraged the Babylonian soldiers. This Edomite encouragement of the Babylonians soldiers can be seen in other places in Scripture (see Lamentations 4:21–22; Ezekiel 25:12; Ezekiel 35:5; Obadiah 1:10–14).
The issue, however, is with the next two verses in the psalm:
“O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!”(Psalm 137:8–9)
This is talking about Babylon, not Edom! The Psalmist has at this point resumed speaking against Babylon and is reminding Babylon of their ultimate destruction. The term “Daughter of Babylon” is used in several places to describe the people of Babylon (Isaiah 47:1, Jeremiah 50:42, Jeremiah 51:33, Zechariah 2:7). The word Edom doesn’t even appear in any of those chapters. Referring to the “daughter” of a city is a very common biblical motif that refers to the people of that city.
I have read ten commentaries on this passage so far, and every single one of them understands “the daughter of Babylon” in Psalm 137:8 to be a reference to Babylon and not Edom. Walid Shoebat seems to be alone in his understanding of Psalm 137:8, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he weren’t using this interpretation to justify another interpretation, that is its OK to see references to biblical Edom as references to Mystery Babylon.
Getting back to his original claim, let’s try to overlook the fact that he is actually using a reference to Edom and telling his readers it’s about Mystery Babylon. Let’s test the merits of this interpretation using other criteria.
Remember, he said that Jeremiah 49 tells us the sea in which the merchants see the smoke of Mystery Babylon’s burning is the Red Sea. However, the verse he is referring to only says “the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.” This is talking about when Edom falls, people will be able to hear the noise as far as the Red Sea. This isn’t saying anything about merchants seeing smoke at all. In addition it’s totally logical to speak of the noise of Edom’s fall being heard at the Red Sea because Edom is touched by the Red Sea on its southwestern border.
To sum up this point, Shoebat’s claim that Jeremiah 49 tells us the merchants who see the smoke of Mystery Babylon’s burning in Revelation 18:9 are in the Red Sea is incompetent at best, and dishonest at worst. There is no mention of anyone seeing smoke or anything else in Jeremiah 49, nor are merchants mentioned at all. The fact that he uses a prophecy of Edom’s destruction in Jeremiah 49 and calls it a prophecy about Mystery Babylon is simply untenable, and his reasons for justifying such an interpretation are just as bad.
The Cup Full of Oil
The city of Mystery Babylon is pictured in several places as having a cup of wine in her hand (Revelation 17:4, 18:3). In Revelation 18:3 it is said that the nations become drunk on her wine:
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” (Revelation 18:3)
Walid Shoebat claims that the wine in the harlot’s cup is oil, and since Saudi Arabia is a very large producer of the world’s oil, this interpretation would obviously fit with his view that Saudi Arabia is Mystery Babylon. Shoebat argues that the nations will be intoxicated with their need for oil and this need for oil draws them into the Antichrist’s system.
I will attempt to refute Shoebat’s idea by taking a closer look at what Scripture says about this cup of wine Mystery Babylon is holding to see if his interpretation holds up to scrutiny.
Revelation 17:4 tells us the woman’s cup is filled with “abominations and the filthiness of her fornication”
“Having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:4b)
In Revelation 18:4 this is reiterated when it says the cup contains the “wine of the wrath (or fierceness) of her fornication.”
Regardless of their ultimate viewpoint as to the identity of Mystery Babylon, scholars typically see this cup as a symbol of the harlot’s fornication with the Antichrist. The picture being painted is that of a city having embraced the Antichrist and his doctrine with such passion that the rest of the world is made drunk by the intensity, or “wrath,” of this city’s religious fornication with the beast.
If we take Shoebat’s view that this cup contains oil, then the descriptions given to the contents of the cup do not make sense. It would mean that oil in itself is an “abomination,” “filthy,” and considered to be “fornication.” It’s important to recognize that when it uses this strong language, it is clearly talking about the actual contents of the cup; therefore, one must be ready to conclude that oil, in itself, is an abomination to God.
It is highly unlikely that crude oil would be considered sinful by God. While it is no doubt true that many terrible things have come about because of the use of oil, many good things have come about as well, such as missionaries being able to travel all over the world. Other types of oil were used in biblical times for a variety of purposes, such as lamps and anointing kings. One might argue that this was olive oil or other types of vegetable oil and thus didn’t need to be taken out of the ground. However, many other things, such as minerals, were taken out of the ground and made use of in biblical times. We never see a single hint in all of Scripture that using the natural resources of the earth is sinful in itself. However, believing that oil is inherently sinful is the logical outcome of Shoebat’s interpretation because the text is so clear that the wine itself is an abomination, not the act of letting the kings drink it.
I would also argue that this interpretation strips Mystery Babylon of her harlot status because the wine of her fornication and abomination is the very reason she is pictured as a harlot in the first place. She is committing the worst kind of fornication and abomination by embracing the Antichrist and promoting him to the rest of the world. If you replace that wine with oil, all she is really doing is selling oil to people, which does not seem nearly a bad enough crime to warrant her being labeled as a whore.
This interpretation also seems to suggest that the world is made to worship the Antichrist primarily because of oil. While I agree that the threat of being cut off from Saudi Arabia’s oil would be a major blow to the economy, it should be noted that, while they produce 13.80 percent of the world’s oil (as of 2014), the United States produces 13.09 percent, almost exactly as much. I can hardly imagine that Saudi Arabia’s refusal to sell oil to the world would lead the world to convert to Islam just to attain 13 percent more oil.
This idea of oil being the wine in the harlot’s cup does not adhere to sound methods of interpreting the Bible. I would be surprised if there is a single scholar who would endorse such a view, and as far as I know, none do.
The Wilderness
In Revelation 17:3 John is taken by an angel to the wilderness to see a vision of Mystery Babylon. We are told this occurs “in the Spirit.”
“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3)
This is similar to other visions that were given to Old Testament prophets like Ezekiel, who was also taken “in the spirit” to see part of God’s plan in the form of a vision.
“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.” (Ezekiel 37:1)
Walid Shoebat makes the case in his book that the word wilderness here, which can just as easily be translated “desert,” necessitates that the city in view here must be found in a desert. He believes this is an argument in support of his theory that Mystery Babylon is Saudi Arabia.
It does not seem at all clear that we are to understand the wilderness or desert to have a literal referent any more than the “waters” in which the beast sits. In 17:15 we are told by the angel that the water is a symbolic representations of many peoples and nations. Similarly we are told the woman in the vision is a symbolic representation of a city, and the beast’s heads are really kings.
It could be said that the waters and the woman were only elements of the vision, but the desert was the location of the vision and so is to be taken more literally than the elements of the vision itself. While this could be true, we must also remember that John, in the book of Revelation, is carried by angels to several places, and not all of those places would fit if we applied Sheobat’s methods. For example, in Revelation 13 John is taken to a seashore where he watches the Antichrist rise out of the sea. If we were to apply the same interpretation here, we must conclude that the Antichrist comes from somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Interestingly Shoebat, in the case of Revelation 13, sees the location of the vision as symbolic. Here in Revelation 13, he understands the sea to be symbolic of gentile nations, a point we will discuss in a later chapter. In essence, he is interpreting this in the exact opposite fashion that he does in Revelation 17. If this hermeneutic cannot be consistently applied in the same book, regarding the exact same seven-headed beast, it would seem to be a faulty method of interpretation.
To be fair there are many instances when the location that God took the prophets to have a vision has a clear correlation to the location of the events that he showed them. For example, Ezekiel is taken “in the Spirit” to Jerusalem to see the idolatry and Tammuz worship that was secretly going on in the temple (Ezekiel 8:1–13). However, in that case the vision was not at all symbolic; it was simply God showing Ezekiel the people and places He wanted Ezekiel to see. This correlation to the vision’s location with the events shown may not be the case when the vision is highly symbolic in nature, like so many of the visions in the book of Revelation. If we look at the vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, which is much more symbolic, we see that he has again been transported “in the Spirit” by God. In this case he is taken to an unnamed valley. Here he sees a symbolic vision of Israel coming back from desolation, pictured as bones coming back to life. He also sees symbolic pictures of the two houses of Israel being reunited, as well as the start of the messianic kingdom. In this case are we to understand that this valley is where all these events will take place? If the Bible commentaries are correct, this valley that Ezekiel was taken to is the same one mentioned in Ezekiel 3:22, namely a valley near Tel-Abib in Syria. Surely Shoebat wouldn’t claim that the Messianic Kingdom will be centered in Syria because that is the location of this vision. If it is not a picture of that valley, then it could simply be a sort of “theater” in which to see symbolic visions. If this is the case, there is no reason to see the wilderness in Revelation 17 as the location for the symbolic events any more than the valley is the location for the symbolic events in Ezekiel 37.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the wilderness/desert in Revelation 17:3 is not just a theater of sorts for John’s vision, but rather that he was taken to some specific desert and this location plays a major role in the interpretation of the events in Revelation 17-18.
It should be noted that the most common usage for the Greek word translated as wilderness or desert in the New Testament refers to the wilderness of Judea. This desert is located less than five miles from the city of Jerusalem. It was in this desert that John the Baptist preached and Jesus spent forty days before he began His ministry. Jesus often went into this desert to pray. It is just as logical, if not more so, to understand the wilderness or desert in Revelation 17:3 as the Judean desert. I mention this to make the point that there are many possible places that could be in view in Revelation 17:3. To assume it is referring to Saudi Arabia above all the others, just because a wilderness is mentioned, would be very presumptuous.
It could also be the case that the Judean wilderness served as the theater for John to see the symbolic vision simply because of its significance to the events being described about the Antichrist. We know, for example, that the Antichrist will spend a great deal of time in Jerusalem, if not a majority of his time (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15–16, 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Therefore watching a symbolic representation of the actions of the Antichrist from the Judean wilderness on the border of Jerusalem would be natural.
Wealth, Etc.
Most of the rest of Shoebat’s arguments for Saudi Arabia being Mystery Babylon are very general and, as such, can and have been applied to just about every candidate for Mystery Babylon in history. For example Shoebat spends a great deal of time telling us that Saudi Arabia is very wealthy. This may be true, but if we put Saudi Arabia’s wealth in context it is only the thirteenth richest nation in the world, just behind South Korea. It doesn’t sound nearly as interesting when you put it that way.
I feel that many commentators miss the point with this type of argumentation. Mystery Babylon’s wealth is related to the Antichrist and his massive conquests. We are told that he receives large amounts of gold from the nations he conquers during his rise to power (Daniel 11:43). In addition he seems to be able to control the buying and selling of all items sold in the world (Revelation 13:17), not to mention that he will be worshipped by the world. In other words, the Antichrist’s wealth has not been made yet; his city won’t become the political, military, and economic powerhouse it is said to be until he shows up. Therefore, all this talk about which nation is currently the strongest, the richest, or the most blasphemous is a waste of time. All we have are the words of Scripture to tell us what the Antichrist’s kingdom will be once he arrives. To say this another way, the chapters about Mystery Babylon tell us of the capital city of a future empire. And though that city almost certainly exists today, it is almost a guarantee that it does not currently act as it will when it becomes the capital city of the Antichrist.
Additional Problems with the Saudi Arabia View
Before concluding this chapter about Mystery Babylon, I would like to make a few other points that were not specifically addressed by Walid Shoebat in his book.
The angel in Revelation 17:18, while interpreting John’s vision, says the woman is a city.
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:18)
Mystery Babylon is referred to as a city eight times in Revelation, and many of the things that happen to it in the narrative seem to be talking about a literal city. It is difficult to believe that the angel got this point wrong or that we are to understand the angel’s interpretation as an allegory, considering the fact that the whole purpose of the angel’s interpreting the vision was to explain the literal truth of John’s allegorical vision.
Shoebat claims that Mystery Babylon is not a city but rather Saudi Arabia. It may be argued that Shoebat occasionally says Mystery Babylon is Mecca, a particular city in Saudi Arabia. For example, he wrote an article for World Net Daily called “Mystery Babylon Is Mecca Not Vatican.”11 Yet in that article he uses the same argument discussed in this chapter (that Arabian cities are mentioned in Isaiah 21), which can only be an argument for Saudi Arabia, not Mecca. If Shoebat does believe that Mystery Babylon is Mecca and not Saudi Arabia, then he should write a new book with new arguments because most of the arguments for Saudi Arabia used in his book are not interchangeable with Mecca at all.
Another point that argues against Mystery Babylon being Saudi Arabia is that Saudi Arabia cannot be said to contain the “blood of the prophets.” It is true that Saudi Arabia is no friend to Jews or Christians, but if the term “prophets” in Revelation 18:24 refers to the biblical prophets, then we can say with certainty that Saudi Arabia is not in view, since no biblical prophets were killed there.
I believe that the best argument against Saudi Arabia, or any other candidate for Mystery Babylon, is the positive argument because if you truly have the correct view about Mystery Babylon or any other doctrine, then everything will fall into place. The difficult passage will no longer be difficult, and the mysteries will no longer be mysteries. I believe I know the correct view of Mystery Babylon (don’t we all right?). I wrote a book about it a few years back. However because of my commitment not to use my own personal views to debunk the Islamic Antichrist view in this section, I will refrain from explaining my view here. If you would like to know more, I will include in Appendix 3 of this book a short summary of my views about Mystery Babylon.
The first Babylon was a city in a desert that was located in the same geographic region as the Tower of babel and the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden Satan gained access into the human race through deception. Adam and Eve through their rebellion gave their God-given authority over the earth into the hands of the Devil, whom the Bible calls “the god of this world.” Since that time Satan has been trying to indwell a man and through that man receive worship as God. Down through the centuries Satan has raised up one man after another and sought to control the world of man through that king of ruler. Apart from Judas Iscariot, Satan has been prevented by God from entering into a human being. The restraining force of the Holy Spirit has prevented this from happening, however, just before Jesus comes back the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be taken away and the man of sin and lawlessness will be revealed to the world. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8)
The “Fullness” of Satan will dwell in the Antichrist
In this man all of the fullness of Satan will dwell in bodily form. He will have a city from which he will rule his empire. John the Apostle told us that the city of Pergamum in Turkey was the place where “Satan has his throne” and the city “where Satan lives.” (Revelation 2:13) Pergamum was the first place where the Roman Emperor Augustus was deified. However, the prophet Daniel tells us that the Antichrist’s ultimate goal is to set up his capital in the temple of God in Jerusalem. As Daniel tells us concerning the Antichrist; “He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”(Daniel 11:45) The beautiful holy mountain is Jerusalem.
A “Hydra with many heads”
Now as we have already seen Ancient Babylon was a “Hydra” with several heads or components. It was a militaristic, socio-economic, political and religious empire all in one. These characteristics were conspicuous features of all of the ancient empires. The main thing connecting them all together was religion through the two main gods or deities of each succeeding empire. It was the same god and goddess they worshipped but with their names changed. There was the crescent male moon god and the female star god. They were a husband and wife originally created in the image of Nimrod and Semiramis.
The “Mother of harlots”
Today, like Babylon of old, Islam is a Hydra with several heads and many components. It is a militaristic, socio-economic, political and religious empire all in one. However, you have Muslim countries that are strictly Sharia Law compliant such as Iran, Iraq, Libya and the Sudan while you have other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt seen by strict Muslims as compromising with the West. The leading nation today that is seen as a harlot by the strict Muslim countries is Saudi Arabia.
“a harlot and the mother of harlots”
Babylon the Great in Bible prophecy is a city that is called “a harlot and the mother of harlots” because it is the source of all false religions that encompass the earth today. As we have seen in our previous studies the source of all false religion goes all the way back to Nimrod and Semiramis whose image is perpetuated today in the crescent moon and star of Islam. However, the mystery, Babylon the Great, described in the book of Revelation is not describing Ancient Babylon because historically that empire was long gone when the apostle John penned the book of Revelation and besides Ancient Babylon was not near a sea.
A literal city
Many past Biblical scholars majoring on Eschatology have interpreted Mystery, Babylon the Great in different ways as we saw in our first study. Some say it is the City of Rome with the Roman Catholic Church as “the Harlot.” Others have seen Babylon the Great as the world at large under the power of Satan. Some more recently have seen Babylon the Great as the city of New York. Then there are a growing number of other eschatology teachers who are looking afresh at their Bibles and coming to the conclusion that Babylon the Great is the harlot city of Mecca that rides on the back of the Beast Empire of Islam. We know from the Bible that the Beast Empire burns the harlot woman with fire. (Revelation 17:15-18) When we see Babylon the Great described in the Bible there is no doubt that it is describing a literal city and that there is no other city other than Mecca in the heart of Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the most likely candidate for Babylon the Great, “the Mother of harlots” and the source of all of the false religions on the earth. From a Biblical perspective why is the city of Mecca most likely to be Babylon the Great and the mother of harlots? Let’s now turn to the Bible itself for the answer…
1. The City of Mecca is located in a desert by the sea.
The Bible itself tells us that Babylon the Great is a literal city in a literal desert. The original city of Babylon was built in a desert in a plain in Shinar. (Genesis 11:1-2) This city was built by Nimrod the first major type of the Antichrist in the Bible. He ruled over a city that majored on religion. Babylon the Great in the book of Genesis once more appears in the book of Revelation and it too is a literal city if we are to be consistent with the way we understand Biblical prophecy. John was a Hebrew and his revelations were based on the Old Testament. Much of the imagery he describes in the book of Revelation are taken directly from the Old Testament books such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah and some of the minor prophets such as Joel and Amos. What then are we told about this end–time Babylon?
A pattern
We must always keep in mind that the Hebrew way of understanding Bible prophecy is a “pattern” where you have multiple partial fulfilments of similar events all pointing to an ultimate and final fulfilment. When the prophet Isaiah and Jeremiah were describing the city of Babylon and its ultimate demise they were describing a pattern of what would happen to the ultimate Babylon and its final destruction. The description of the fall of Ancient Babylon was a pattern describing the ultimate fall of Babylon the Great, a city to arise again in the future. In describing the fall of Ancient Babylon and its king the prophets were also describing the fall of the last Babylon the Great. This is reflected in Isaiah chapters 13 and 14.
A city in a desert
The Bible then tells us that the last City of Babylon is a city in a desert that will be punished by God for her wickedness as a harlot and the source of all false religion. John describes this vision; “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit to a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.” (Revelation 17:3) Rome is not in a desert neither is New York or the city of Brussels the home of the European Union. None of these cities are in a desert! However, Mecca is. In the context of Revelation chapters 17 and 18 as they describe other aspects of the city of Babylon the Great it can only apply to Mecca.
A ‘wicked woman’
The prophet Zechariah also saw this city that was the mother of harlots. He described it as a wicked woman in a basket being carried to the Land of Shinar which was the original location of Ancient Babylon. She symbolizes the spirit of all false religion. Zechariah saw this; “Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what is appearing.” I asked, “What is it? ”He replied, “It is a basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.” Then the cover of lead was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman! He said, “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and pushed its lead cover down on it. Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth. “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.” (Zechariah 5:5-11) Once again it is clear that all false religion including the spirit of Apostasy sweeping the professing Christian Church today has its source in the Babylon of Nimrod. Jezebel with her false prophets deceiving and leading Ahab and the Israelites astray is a major type of what is going on in the Church today. The spirit of Jezebel is at work. The mystery, that is Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots has infested much of western Christianity. The Church of Rome with its false and unbiblical doctrines is only one part of mystery Babylon. All false religions have their source in the Babylon created by Nimrod and Semiramis.
2. The City of Mecca is the “heart” of the Antichrist spirit.
Many fine Bible teachers down through Church history even to the present day have focused on the Roman Catholic Church as being the Harlot of Babylon mentioned in the Bible. Now they were not completely wrong in that the office of the Pontiff itself is Anti-Christ in that the Pope is called “The Vicar of Christ” or in Latin “Vicarious Christos.” However, in Greek it is “Anti-Christos” or literally; “Antichrist.” The word itself in the Greek means “against Christ” and also “In place of Christ.” Every Pope, because of so called “Papal infallibility in matters of doctrine and faith,” sits in the seat of Antichrist in that he takes upon himself a title reserved exclusively. He is a Spirit of truth and not error. He is the one who leads us into all truth we are told in the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church teaches error that is perpetuated by the papal Office to this day. In that sense every Pope is an Antichrist because they support and enforce false and unbiblical teaching in many areas of their doctrines and theology.
Islam and not Rome
However, does the Roman Catholic Church deny the Father and the Son relationship within the Godhead? Do they deny the Tri-unity of God? Is in fact the Roman Catholic Church against Christ? No they are not against Him, at least outwardly. However, Islam, outwardly and radically denies the Father and the Son relationship in the Triune Godhead. They hate Christians because we believe in the Trinity and teach that God begat a Son in His image. This is anathema to Muslims. John the Apostle clearly tells us; “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22)
The worship of a man
Today Mecca with its Black Stone in the Ka’ba is the focus of Muslim worship around the globe. The “image that fell from heaven’ is worshipped and venerated by millions of Muslims today. In virtually every country in the world today Muslims bow down to the image in Mecca when they pray towards Mecca. Like in the time of Nebuchadnezzar they worshiped an image of their false god. Ultimately, Muslims will worship the Mahdi of Islam who will demand to be worshipped as God. Muslims say that the worship of a man is forbidden in Islam yet when you look at the titles given to Mohammed in Islam many of them could only apply to one who is divine in nature. It is believed by Muslims the world over that the Mahdi will have the spirit of Mohammed, however, the Mahdi will be in reality the incarnation of Satan, He will be the man of sin who will sit in God’s Temple to proclaim himself God and demand to be worshipped. Once Mecca is destroyed the Muslims will be forced to worship a man. Right now for millions of Muslims around the world they already worship the image of the beast empire when they bow down towards Mecca. The historical roots of Mecca that once housed 360 Arabian gods including Allah the moon-god trace their religious practices all the way back to Nimrod and Semiramis. (We have dealt with this in our previous study)
Edom is still around
The descendants of Ishmael and Esau (Edom) still persecute the people of God both Jew and Christian today. No other enemy of Israel has a history like that of Edom. The enmity and animosity of the Arab world towards the Jewish people has existed for centuries. The religion itself that denies the Tri-unity of the Godhead goes all the way back to the Tower of Babel and Nimrod, the first major type of the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible. They hate Christians and Jews “the people of the book.” They call us “monkeys and pigs.” No wonder the Bible speaks a great deal about the fall of Babylon the Great. Every false religion today can be traced back in some way to Nimrod and Semiramis. Indeed Mecca today stands as a sentinel of the spirit of Antichrist. Islam denies Christ, hates Christ and is against Christ! She is the Mother of all harlots as she has given birth to every false religion and cult on the face of the earth. They all trace their roots back to Nimrod himself. When you see the Clock Tower with its crescent moon symbol at the top of the tower rising above the Ka’ba it looks exactly like another Tower of babel. It is actually called Mt Babel!
3. The City of Mecca is to be destroyed by fire
According to God’s Word the Bible the beast empire destroys the harlot with fire. (Revelation 17:16-17) She has been riding on its back and it has “bucked her off and had her for breakfast!” She has become “toast!” The woman was connected to the beast. Look at what the prophet Isaiah says in chapter 13 concerning the destruction of Babylon. Its context is the Day of the Lord, a clear reference to the last days. In this prophecy Isaiah predicts that Persia will destroy Babylon to the point where “no Arab will pitch his tent.” (Vs 20) Arabs live in Saudi Arabia. Do they pitch their tents in Rome or in Europe or in New York? So bad will the destruction be that only the desert creatures will live there. It will be uninhabited by humans. Notice that Persia is the instrument of Babylon’s demise. (Vs 17) In Isaiah 21 we see the same scenario where it says; “A prophecy against the desert by the sea” and goes on to describe the destruction of Babylon by Persia. It says; “Elam, attack! Media lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she has caused.” (Isaiah 21: 2) Elam is today Iran. Media today is Hamadan, a province located within Iran and the capital of the Ancient Medes who were aligned with the Persians. This prophecy is to have its ultimate fulfilment in the future. Iran will destroy the city in the desert by the sea. In the prophecy Dedan, and Arabia are mentioned. All of them are located in Saudi Arabia. The original city of Ancient Babylon was located in a desert but not by the sea.
Babylon was never destroyed
Furthermore, the original Babylon located in modern day Iraq was never destroyed but overthrown. The Medo-Persians occupied the city and then after the Greeks defeated the Medo-Persian Empire Alexander the Great made it his capital. Over the centuries it atrophied but was never destroyed. Remember that Saddam Hussein even tried to rebuild the city of Babylon when he was alive. However, it is Persia that devastates Babylon and makes it uninhabitable. This prophecy has a future fulfilment. How could this be? It never happened historically. Yet Isaiah tells us it will be like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Vs 19) Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed by fire out of the heavens! Babylon was never destroyed by fire.
Iran’s role
Today Persia of course is Iran. The western nations are worried about Iran’s nuclear programme. Saudi Arabia is worried that Iran will one day use a nuclear device to destroy it. The Saudi’s no longer feel they have the full support of the west. The Sharia compliant country of Iran hates Saudi Arabia as they see it as a harlot that has compromised Islam by its associations with the western nations through its oil, “the wine that has intoxicated the western nations.” Elsewhere Isaiah tells us that Saudi Arabia will be burned with fire and to the point where the oil fields will burn making the land uninhabitable to humans. The context again is the Day of the Lord. Edom is the land mentioned. Today Edom is Southern Jordan but also encompasses Saudi Arabia. In Ezekiel chapter 25 we are told that Edom stretches from Teman to Dedan. Teman is in Yemen, while Dedan was an ancient city in central Saudi Arabia that is now known as Al-Ula. The land mass between Teman (Yemen) and Dedan (in the heart of Saudi Arabia) covers a hugh area. It is the home of the Arab world and of course Mecca itself is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth today through its oil exports and its imports all via the sea.
Saudi Arabia will burn
Here is what Isaiah says about God’s judgement on Edom; “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause. Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulphur; her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation. Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest. The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather each with its mate.” (Isaiah 34:8-14)
Burning oil fields
The only weapon that could produce this kind of Aftermath would have to be the detonation of a nuclear weapon. In Revelation chapters 17 & 18 we see the shipmasters that have traded with the city staying afar off and watching the great city burn and also being terrified of its destruction due to the risk of nuclear fallout. The whole of the Arabian Peninsula will be covered with a cloud of nuclear dust added to this would be the smoke from burning oil fields. Mecca of course is in Saudi Arabia. Jeremiah the prophet also said this about the destruction of Edom; “Bozrah (Southern Jordan) will become a ruin and an object of horror, of reproach and of cursing; and all of its towns will be in ruins forever….Edom (Southern Jordan and Saudi Arabia) will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds. As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighbouring towns,” says the LORD, “so no one will live there; no man will dwell in it.” (Jeremiah 49:13, 17-18) Again, notice the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah. Both of these cities and their neighbouring towns were destroyed by fire from heaven that fell upon those cities on the plain. The Saudi Arabian oil fields will burn out of control to the point where the land will be uninhabitable for humans. “Her nobles (Oil Sheiks) “will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away.” No wander the ship masters wail and mourn afar off as they watch this city burn and their means of their livelihood destroyed. (Revelation 18:9-17)
4. The City of Mecca has been attacked by Islamic forces in past centuries.
Now some would say; “Islamic forces would never destroy Mecca” however, Islamic forces have attacked Mecca in the past. Plenty of Muslims have attacked the city before. In the late 7th Century, Al-Hajjaj bin Yousef Al-Thaqafi (a Muslim) laid siege to Mecca and destroyed much of the Ka’ba with stones launched from catapults. During the First World War, Saudi Arabia was actually occupied by the Turkish Ottomans. The Turks deeply resented Arab imperialism that had spread through the vast Islamic empire and made strong attempts to restrict Arab culture and language throughout their empire. This enmity and resistance was so severe that the Arabs were persuaded by the British through their envoy, T. E. Lawrence, also known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” to revolt against the Ottoman occupation and help the allies.
A disregard for Mecca
The Turks bombarded the mosque of the Ka’ba, the most sacred shrine of all Islam. One shell actually hit the Ka’ba, burning a hole in the “holy carpet” and killing nine Arabs who were kneeling in prayer. In modern times, the same disregard for Mecca by Muslims has been seen. On November 20, 1979, over 500 militants and their leader attacked the false Islamic Mahdi, Juhaiman ibn Muhammad ibn Saif al Utaiba.7 In the 1980’s, on several occasions, followers of Ayatollah Khomeini disrupted the annual hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Most of this was quelled by heavy security controls, but in July 1987, over 400 people died as a result of a serious riot instigated by thousands of Iranian pilgrims.
The Gulf War
Three years later, during Gulf War I, Saddam Hussein sent numerous scuds flying over Saudi Arabia, disregarding the high risk they would pose to the Islamic “holy land.” There were no protests from Muslim nations. And as recent as 2003, three al-Qaeda militants blew themselves up during an attack in Mecca. The idea of Muslims attacking Mecca or Saudi Arabia is far from impossible. The day is drawing near when the emerging Beast Empire led by Turkey and Iran will attack Mecca and destroy the Arabian Harlot.”
“Fire out of Heaven”
So then the only city located in a desert by the sea in Saudi Arabia (Ancient Edom) is Mecca, a city destined to be destroyed by “fire out of heaven” as it were. Mecca is situated by the Red Sea. Jeremiah the prophet said that its destruction would be heard at the Red Sea; “Therefore hear what the LORD has planned against Edom, what He has purposed against those who live in Teman… At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.” (Jeremiah 49:20, 21) Teman is in Saudi Arabia.
The LORD’S Vengeance
While Mecca will be destroyed by fire it will be Israel that will finally destroy Islam. Ezekiel God’s prophet said this would be so. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill both man and beast. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (Ezekiel 25 12-14) Teman to Dedan encompasses Saudi Arabia. Teman is actually in Yemen, while Dedan was an ancient city in central Saudi Arabia. Because Ezekiel mentions Teman to Dedan it would be describing the entire landmass stretching southward along the Red Sea and well into central Saudi Arabia.
5. The Messiah of Israel will destroy Islam forever!
Iran will destroy Mecca, however, Israel, under its commander and Chief Yeshua Meshach will deliver the death stroke to Islam (Edom) at Bozrah. As the prophet Isaiah tells us; “Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with His garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendour, striding forward in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.” Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments, and I stained all My clothing. It was for Me the day of vengeance; the year for Me to redeem had come. I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm achieved salvation for Me, and My own wrath sustained me. I trampled the nations in My anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.” (Isaiah 63:1-6)
His name is the Word of God
John the Apostle describes the same event when he said; “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With Justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but He himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron sceptre.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Revelation 19:11-19)
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon!”
When our Lord Jesus comes back He will be the warrior Messiah in the character of Gideon. What Gideon did to the Midianites the Lord Jesus will do to Islam. Bozrah is in Southern Jordan and the gateway to Saudi Arabia. The Messiah is seen there doing battle with the beast empire of Islam. In its context the forces being overthrown by the Lord Jesus and His forces is the beast empire of the Antichrist and the armies of the nations. It is not a European confederation but a Middle Eastern confederation. The nations involved in this conflict are named in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 and they are all Islamic nations today. When the armies of those nations and others with them fall on the mountains of Israel Iran’s army will also be amongst them. The Beast will destroy the woman riding it with fire but the Messiah will destroy the Beast! Indeed in that day it will be said; “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon! ”
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build NEOM, a new, futuristic city in the North-West of the country that is built upon principles of renewable energy, technology, community, diversity, and modern architecture.
NEOM hopes to be the most advanced city in the world someday. According to the discoverNEOM.com’s press release, NEOM will be so advanced, it’s possible that the robots may outnumber humans.
On October 24th, Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced the Mega City NEOM. The name NEOM means “New Future” and comes from two words and two languages. First is the Greek word NEO meaning New and then the M stands for the Arabic word Mostaqbal, meaning Future. It will operate as an independent economic zone – with its own laws, taxes and regulations. NEOM will be massive, at over 10,000 miles or over 26,000 km, it will be more than 33 times larger than New York City and a little less than Massachusetts. Located in the North-West corner of Saudi Arabia, NEOM loosely connects the 3 continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and hopes to be a leading global hub, 70% of the world’s population will be able to reach it in under eight hours.
Phase one is due for completion in 2020, with the final brick laid in 2025
The harlot city of Revelation 17–18 is described as sitting in a desert. Of course, Saudi Arabia itself sits upon the great Arabian Desert.
Today, the most violent jihadist terrorist organisations in the world find their ideological roots in Saudi Arabia. Whether we are speaking of al-Qaeda (global), ISIS (Syria, Iraq, Libya, Sinai), the Taliban (Afghanistan), Abu Sayyaf (Philippines), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Pakistan), Jabhat al-Nusra (Syria), Al-Shabab (Somalia), or Boko Haram (Nigeria), they are all Salafi groups whose ideological roots extend directly to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its first export is not oil but radical Islam.
When we study the picture the Scriptures paint of the great harlot, we discover that, rather than feeling any guilt for the blood she has spilled, instead she is proud, intoxicated, and lusting for more. She flaunts and raises her golden cup high, enticing the inhabitants of the world to partake of her maddening wine and the immorality of her false religion. Who better fits that description than Saudi Arabia and its barbarous national, and now increasingly global, religion: Islam?
“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand.” Revelation 20:4
In Saudi Arabia, if someone leaves Islam to become a Christian, he or she may be legally beheaded by the government.
The last-days Babylon will be an importer of, among other things, “slaves and human lives” Revelation 18:13
Saudi sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan rather brazenly declared that “slavery is a part of Islam.” He is a member of the Senior Council of Clerics, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body, and of the Council of Religious Edicts and Research; he is the imam of the prominent Prince Mitaeb Mosque in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh; and he is a professor at Imam Mohamed Bin Saud Islamic University.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia perfectly matches the biblical description of the great mystery babylon.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also the kingdom of oil production, contributing at an average of 12.5% of the world’s oil production (2009-2013). It lagged behind U.S. in 2013 with an average of 11.6 million bbl/d (against 12.3 million bbl/d). Saudi Arabia was at the second spot in 2009, moving up to be the leader for three consecutive years (2010-2012) before sliding back to the second place in 2013. The economy of Saudi Arabia is heavily dependent on oil, which accounted for 85% of revenue in 2013 according to OPEC’s Annual Statistical Bulletin 2014. The major oil fields in Saudi Arabia are Ghawar, Safaniya, Khurais, Manifa, Shaybah, Qatif, Khursaniyah, Zuluf and Abqaiq.
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