Is Babylon being rebuilt today? A U.S.-funded program to restore the ruins of Iraq's ancient city of Babylon is threatened by a dispute among Iraqi officials over whether the priority should be preserving the site or making . Babylon-Stones founded and built Hillah, outgrowth city of Babylon. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Suddenly, however, we are seeing a change in the wind, yet few people have noticed. to 540 B.C. This false teaching of Babylon being rebuilt obscures the nature of the prophecy being fulfilled right now -- people are missing it because they are looking down the road 50 years or more when Babylon is supposed to be rebuilt as the global capital and economic power. Evil Babylon, the antithesis of Jerusalem, the good city, prompted its own literature in the 1990s, and [Tim] LaHayes tens of millions of readers praised his series as making the Bible and its supposed predictions come alive, sniped Phillips in his own 2006 book, American Theocracy,in which he mocked prophecy believers who accept the biblical view that Babylon will one day actually be rebuilt on its ancient ruins.. Because Babylon is being promoted as being the city of the future, and of the most advanced technology, wicked corporations & individuals such as . CHART BELOW: Here is a visual look at these unfulfilled prophecies. Cement floors trapped water while a cement roof on one of the ancient temples pushed down the entire structure. The first mention of the gardens was in 290 B.C.E., long after Nebuchadnezzar (the alleged builder) had died. As NPR's. While Babylon itself is mainly a ruin, it's located just a few miles from the modern city of Hilla (or al-Hillah) which has a population of about 500,000 people. According to an About.com article, "Saddam Hussein said that Babylon's great palaces and the legendary hanging gardens of Babylon (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) would rise from the dust.". This is the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II: Continue Reading 156 3 Bob deWitt Now, that mailbox is rusting and abandoned, and police guarding the site have taken over the souvenir shop. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. OK 1. Babylon was the capital city of the ancient Babylonian Empire, which itself is a term referring to either of two separate empires in the Mesopotamian area in antiquity. When did God destroy Babylon? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A century ago, German archaeologists carted off the most significant parts of the city. 10. In the second century C.E., the Parthians ransacked the city, ending any hope of its revival. An Iraqi conservation worker removing a layer of modern clay from a wall of the Ninmakh Temple in Babylon, revealing some of the original 2,500-year-old brick. This is the heritage of Iraq, and we need to save it, said Mr. al-Taee, 29. The Book Of Revelation, apocalyptic and foreboding, is actually "FRAMED" by the GOSPEL OF SALVATION in Jesus Christ. , Nevertheless, many theories persisted regarding the structure and location of the gardens. 2. After years of conflict, although not violence-free, Iraq is safe enough for younger Iraqis who have never seen most of their own country to come to Babylon. During the reign of Saddam Hussein, major reconstruction was carried out at Babylon and an opulent palace was built on a hill overlooking the ancient city, parts of which were reconstructed. The local tourist board says the best recent year for Iraqi tourists was 2017, when more than 35,000 visited. The 4,000-year-old city, mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, became the capitol of the ancient Babylonian empire and was considered the largest city in the world. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Several tours now run from Baghdad to the scenic marshlands of the south which some scholars say may have been the biblical Garden of Eden where sleek buffalo swim through grasses and people live on islands. It is also training Iraqi conservation technicians and advising on site management. But no one has ever touched them. Jesus ChristTo Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, (Revelation 1:5, " And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." ARRAF: This latest project, funded by the U.S., has Allen training local residents of Babylon to replace the mud mortar between the ancient bricks in the Ishtar Gate, the city's grand entrance. Now, Babylon, like many of Iraq's archaeological sites, has fallen into disrepair. How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work. OLOF PEDERSEN: We know the names of the different temples and approximate where they should be. The Palace, which is adjacent to the remains of the ancient city of Babylon, was purged of anything of value by looters as Saddam's regime fell in April 2003 Credit: Getty Images - Getty. When we say "Whaaaaaaaaat"!, that is not what my eyes see", we're told "not to believe our lying eyes". As to what knowledge or treasures might be down there, he said, its a very simple answer no one knows., In Beleaguered Babylon, Doing Battle Against Time, Water and Modern Civilization, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/06/world/middleeast/babylon-iraq-archeology-conservation.html. The ruins of Babylon, also known as Babel, date back over 3,000 years. Babylon flourished in 1894 BC . Rev 16:19 - The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. It is a tale of greed, hubris, empire and religious persecution; also of human. Babylon, the iconic ancient city, is once again rising from the ashes, just as Bible prophecy predicts - here is the latest. It will be a place for creatures of the night. PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF of Shepherds and Sheep at Babylon 6. NOT YET! Once the capital of a succession of vast ancient empires and the site of extraordinary technological and artistic innovation, Babylon is one of most important archaeological sites in the world. Anyone can read what you share. Consider today's edition of Stars & Stripes, a U.S. military publication. They comfort my soul.. Construction on their second corporate headquarters is expected to begin next year and when completed in 2025 at a cost of $2.5 billion. Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was known as the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. By July 2019, so much progress had been made that Babylon was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That's why it is an "interpretation-imperative" that we quit skipping over the word "Chaldea" ? The mud-brick walls were weakened by a Hussein-era concrete roof that they could not support, which collapsed in 1999, and a second mud roof that replaced it, which was damaged by post-invasion military occupation. The ancient city of Babylon plays a major role in the Bible, representing a rejection of the One True God. BABYLON IS BEING REBUILT, JUST AS PROPHESIED. Current plans, detailed in conceptual drawings, will address drainage issues with faades of metal netting and local stones. Skeptics and cynics abound, but there is growing evidence the Iraqi government is serious about rebuilding this ancient wonder of the world. Everywhere you look goes back to the history of some of the earliest civilizations. BABYLON'S FINAL FALL Chart: It cannot be shown where a single one of these prophecies has been fulfilled. And the bricks just fall apart. Now, he said, its difficult to stop even clearly illegal building. For instance, when Saddam Hussein was in power, he vowed to rebuild Babylon and make it the great city it . So, terribly low oil revenues along with COVID-related lockdowns and travel restrictions flatlined economic growth and caused unemployment to spike. Therefore, I must go with my eyes and conclude that, according to Isaiah 13:19-20, literal Babylon is prophetically programed to be Revived. Ancient Babylonian Tablet May Show Early Trigonometry, But Some Experts Are Dubious, U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Arlo K. Abrahamson, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, 300 miles (482 kilometers) away in Nineveh. Desolate Desert (no greenery; trees, gardens, groves) 5. Iraqi university students on their first visit to Babylon. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Jesus will come at the end of this 7 years to claim His throne and begin His 1000 year millennial reign. One day millions of people will visit Babylon, said Donny George, head of Iraqs Board of Antiquities. It was a unique feat of engineering and architecture built in the city of Babylon, located near modern-day Baghdad, Iraq. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;" (Isaiah 13:19-20; Jer 51:37, 62) This prophecy is Simply and Literally stated. "And Babylon the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Baghdad can therefore be considered the successor to Babylon, though indirectly. BABYLON, Iraq Ammar al-Taee, an Iraqi archaeologist, picked up a clay panel fallen from one of the ancient walls of Babylon. The location of the ziggurat said to have been the Tower of Babel described in the Old Testament has also never been established. "Where Was Babylon and Does It Still Exist?" Is Babylon being rebuilt 2020? Eroded by dried salt from the water, some of the sun-baked bricks literally crumble to the touch. Workshops for SBAH members both on- and off-site through WMFs Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative helped develop local capacity toward the future preservation of Babylon and sites across Iraq, working with local stakeholders to support their continued stewardship of these treasured places. According to legend, it may also have been home to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (see sidebar), and a hubristic sky-scraping temple that some historians believe inspired the biblical Tower of Babel. In 1927, the British ran a railway line through the site, and in the 1980s Hussein built a highway through part of it, along with a palace for himself, complete with a helipad. Babylon must be Rebuilt so these six (6) prophecies can be literally fulfilled. It was one of the cities founded by King Nimrod, according to Genesis 10:9-10. When I went there, like most days, it was deserted. Advocates of Mystery Babylon being a rebuilt Babylon will often claim Babylon wasn't destroyed in the same way as Sodom. And the "new Babylon" has been located in New York City since 1952. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. and slowly crumbled over centuries of foreign invasions and occupations. Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia was known as the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Two millennia of looting and warfare reduced Babylon to the barest of ruins. Since the liberation of Iraq in 2003, however, a great deal has happened. Iraqi officials are back at it, and have persuaded the United Nations to name Babylon a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the New Testament Book of Revelation, the "Whore of Babylon" makes an appearance "adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.". The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Persian Period (539-322 BCE) 539 BCE - Persian Ruler Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylonian Empire, Including Jerusalem. NOT YET! This winter normally peak season because of the cool weather the pandemic affected the numbers and about 10,000 came. FACT #2-- After the FINAL FALL there will Never Again be any Arab Dwellers. Babylon's ruins, reconstructed in part by Saddam Hussein, lie about an hour and a half's drive south of today's Baghdad. Copyright 2018 NPR. In the 1920s, the British ran train tracks through the archaeological site as part of a Baghdad to Basra railway. In the Bible, it was named "Mistress of Kingdoms" and was the capital of the third world power of Bible history. Iraq is now the fifthlargest producer of oil, Babylon was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was Saddam Hussein who took up Nebuchadnezzar's mantle and tried to reconstruct some of Babylon's former glory, but ended up with what art historians decried as "Disney for a despot." Ancient sources attributed the Garden to King Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BC as a gift to his wife, Amytis. The year before, many stayed away for fear of being caught up in violence at demonstrations in nearby cities., But some local investors believe in the promise of domestic tourism in places like this that have long been under-visited, she added. The pandemic affected the numbers and about 10,000 came your consent and persecution... The 1920s, the British ran train tracks through the archaeological site as part a. 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