Is Dubai The Babylon of end-time scripture?
Last Updated:
03/14/2008 20:15
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The idea of a connection between Dubai/UAE and the Babylon that is destroyed in
scripture came from an
interview
by Zola Levitt with
Walid
Shoebat, an ex-Palestinian terrorist turned Christian. He understands Islamic eschatology which parallels Christian eschatology only from the other
side. He brought up the belief that mystery Babylon is actually Saudi Arabia
and Muslim eschatology says that Saudi Arabia will burn in
the end-times.
Revelation
18 goes into detail about her destruction. Dubai specifically comes to mind
for the reasons I will share below...
Revelation 18:1-3
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great
power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a
strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is
become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage
of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication
with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance
of her delicacies...
Revelation 18:7-13
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so
much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in
one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with
fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth,
who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail
her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great
city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the
merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their
merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious
stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and
all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of
most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and
odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour,
and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and
souls of men.
Dubai is a port city with a lot of wealth and decadence. For investors
looking to the Middle East, it is a prime place for trade as it blends the East
and West somewhat. As you will see below, there is much that can be said about
the similarities between Babylon and where Dubai is headed in the very near
future.
Dubai in the news...
Life
in Dubai a Modern
Babylon
(August 12, 2005) -
Dubai
is a city of merchants, a cultural crossroads and the second largest nation
of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Today for the locals it’s a city with a rapidly
changing lifestyle and skyline which nominates Dubai as one of the major
international cities of the 21st century.
Within three years this city, once little more than a creek on the edge of
the desert, will include the world’s tallest tower and life-size
reconstructions of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower of Babel and the main Pyramid of
Giza. Architects are flocking to the city of 1.1 million where a construction
boom, fuelled by another surge in Gulf petro-dollar wealth, is making the desert
retreat at an even faster pace.
Hazel Wong, a Chinese-Canadian architect with more than a decade of
experience in Dubai, was the lead architect for the Emirates Towers. Shaped in
triangular prisms these Twin Towers are a favourite with locals and tourists.
“Local property firms are constructing man-made islands and canals which will
double Dubai’s coastline and further assure its big-bucks allure bringing
water into the desert while building the land into the ocean,” says Wong in a
recent interview with Reuters.
In what was once a quiet Bedouin Arab society, sprawling hotels and housing
compounds have borrowed from local styles, but the space-age look dominates. One
of the most striking of the new wave of buildings is “The Gate”, the
headquarters of Dubai’s financial centre, that looks like a giant computer
chip.
Critics of the futurist buildings have said the new buildings lack tradition
and many locals are finding it hard to accept their new skyline. But Leo
Verheyen, an architectural consultant, said: “Dubai architecture has the
reflection of a vision put forward by its rulers. One of the visions is a newly
opened shopping complex whose different halls are meant to reflect the many
countries visited by the famous medieval Arab traveller Ibn Battuta in the 14th
century.” According to locals you would never need to step on another airplane
after visiting this complex, as even the smells of each land have been
simulated.
The population of metro Dubai is just over a million with 41 percent Emiri
– Arabs and Iranians and Ex-patriots making up the remaining 59 per cent of
Dubai’s residents. One has to wonder what is happening to the generations of
people in the Middle East in this new era of rapid growth. After many years of
poverty, citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were eager to enjoy the
luxuries of modern life following the economy boom with Oil in the 1960s. During
the last twenty years, social, cultural and economic changes occurred in modern
ways previously unknown to its citizens. Local and central government offices
were established in all the Emirates providing good work conditions and
incentives. The Government provided free education, health care and housing,
thereby helping its citizens to establish themselves in the 21st century.
Yet without oil UAE would be no different to other nations in the Sahara and
with analysts predicting only 50 years of oil left in many areas, what of the
future? It can be a very hard transition for people if their economies are not
prepared. What they are doing now is showing early strength by attracting other
sectors to come to Dubai, making it a hub for all commercial aspects for the
Middle East. Dubai will continue to grow and it could well become the London,
the New York or the Tokyo of the east.
As the oil runs out so will its position as being the foundation of their
economy. Tourism will certainly take over as they use their enormous newfound
wealth to lay a solid cornerstone for a secure future.
Dubai's
Architectural Wonders Map
of Dubai - Here's a good look at the decadence in Dubai and
the amazing amount of money being spent there. I've never seen such central locations for so many of the most unique,
largest, and amazing constructions anywhere else in the world. By the beginning
of the next decade, relatively tiny Dubai -- it's smaller than Canada's Prince
Edward Island, and has a population of about 1.4 million citizens -- will be
home to an astonishing number of superlative architectural projects including
the Earth's tallest skyscraper, the first luxury underwater hotel, and a
man-made archipelago of private, residential islands that will resemble a map
of the world when done. It is also becoming the hub of world commerce and
trade.
It is also a big "legalized" prostitution
area.
There
is also a big night life there, which is odd considering Muslims are
usually very much against this sort of thing. I heard that
Muslims can go there and marry women for their time there and then divorce
when they leave. That way, their promiscuity is covered by the technicality of
their marriage... until they go home.
Dubai's Falconcity of
Wonders - Adding to the already extreme extravagance of Dubai is
Falconcity of Wonders. This is a residential, commercial, recreational, and
retail area that includes villas as well as replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Great
Pyramid, Venice, Taj Mahal, Hanging Gardens, Tower of Pisa, and Dubai Light
House.
Dubai in the news...
-
Dubai
ports firm enforces boycott of Israel
(February 28,
2006) - The parent company of a Dubai-based firm at the center of a
political storm in the US over the purchase of American ports participates in
the Arab boycott against Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The firm, Dubai
Ports World, is seeking control over six major US ports, including those in New
York, Miami, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It is entirely owned by the Government
of Dubai via a holding company called the Ports, Customs and Free Zone
Corporation (PCZC), which consists of the Dubai Port Authority, the Dubai
Customs Department and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Area.
more...
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