Thoughts of Glory

Washington, D.C., June 29, 2009) -- Keep your eye on Iraq. As the country once wracked with unimaginable violence becomes increasingly stable and secure, direct foreign investment is going to flood in, and the region once known as "Babylon" and "Babylonia" will become the wealthiest country on the planet.

Exxon Mobil, the world's largest company, for example, is positioning itself to become a major investor in the Iraqi energy sector. Other major oil companies are doing the same. The Iraqi government in recent months has been developing investment incentive packages to draw in such companies. This week, in fact, such energy companies will actually begin bidding for licenses to develop Iraq's immense but badly atrophied oil exploration, drilling, and refining industry. Consider this morning's headline from the Associated Press: "World's big oil companies prepare for return to Iraq."

And this is just the beginning.

Regular readers of this weblog and my books know that Bible prophecy says ancient Babylon, Iraq will be rebuilt and become the greatest center of wealth, commerce and power in the "last days" of history. The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Revelation are explicit on this subject. Skeptics and cynics abound, to be sure, but the fact is the actual ancient city Babylon is being rebuilt right now, in part with U.S. taxpayer funds. Iraqi leaders hope that eventually millions of tourists will come to visit, and real progress is being made.

Yesterday's edition of Stars & Stripes, a U.S. military publication, had a fascinating story headlined: "U.S., Iraqi experts developing plan to preserve Babylon, build local tourism industry."