“Throughout church history, interpreters, commentators and students of the Bible have struggled to understand the identity of a last days city known as ‘Babylon the Great’ (Revelation 17-18),” Joel Richardson, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Islamic Antichrist,” told WND.
“Many have looked to the city of Rome as the fulfillment, while others have looked to Jerusalem, or New York City. Others have been awaiting a city to be rebuilt on the literal site of the ancient Babylon about 50 miles south of Baghdad in modern day Iraq. In my book ‘Mystery Babylon,’ I suggested the kingdom of Saudi Arabia may be a more appropriate, and even more biblically defensible position. Specifically, I look to the city of Mecca, the single greatest city of idolatry that mankind has ever produced.
“Well over a billion and a half people bow down five times daily and pray toward that great city. The mosque in its center which houses the famous Kabba, or cube-shaped shrine that Muslims pray toward, is literally the single most visited location in the whole earth, with millions upon multiplied millions of religious pilgrims visiting each year.”
“Saudi Arabia is the single greatest source of funding for the spread of radical Wahhabi Islam all over the earth,” he said. “Over the past 40 years, the Saudis have spent roughly $150 billion to build mosques and fill them with radical Wahhabi hate preachers all over the earth. They have arguably spent more to spread Wahhabism around the earth than the entire mission spending of the global Protestant church. No other nation in the earth has done as much as the Saudis to spread a false religion throughout the earth in such a way that its fundamental character has been so permanently impacted.”
Richardson believes the effort to build a new “mega city” supports his claim “Mystery Babylon” will be located within Saudi Arabia.
“Students of biblical prophecy have long noted that the book of Revelation speaks not simply of a city, but of a ‘mega-city’ that will emerge in the last days,” he observed. “Consider the massive building projects taking place in and around Mecca and Jeddah, which will soon feature the world’s newest and tallest building, dwarfing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Just to the north, the Saudis have been quietly building the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), which is slated to become the region’s most technologically advanced sea port. All three cities – Jeddah, Mecca and KAEC – will soon be linked by a high-speed rail line which will allow anyone to get from one city to the next in less than 30 minutes.
“There is no doubt that this emerging megalopolis will match all of the unique descriptions of the last days Babylon, combining idolatry, religious power and economic power into one desert sea-port. It is for this reason that students of God’s Word are taking a fresh and serious look at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relationship to biblical prophecy. Now, the Saudis have announced this massive project to the north of Mecca and Jeddah. Truly, this would fulfill the description of a ‘mega-city’ as mentioned in the Book of Revelation.”
Richardson, a frequent critic of Saudi influence on American politicians, acknowledges the kingdom will find it difficult to realize its breathtaking ambitions. Nonetheless, he warns the rapid expansion of Saudi influence throughout the world and the construction of a sprawling metropolis straight out of the pages of Scripture should command the attention of faithful Christians.
“Any watchful student of prophecy will be paying very close attention,” he said. “We should be paying attention to all that is now unfolding in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the ancient and modern day fountainhead of a violent false religion now bursting out into the nations.”