In the Old Testament book of Zechariah we read:

Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "Where are they taking the ephah?" Then he said to me, "To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal" (Zechariah 5: 9-11 New American Standard Bible).

Shinar is the biblical name for a land that existed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what today we call Iraq. Also known as Mesopotamia, this is the land where secular scholars believe our modern civilization first began -- the so-called "cradle of civilization." It seems, according to the above Scripture, civilization is destined to someday go back to where it began.

As far as where it all began, the Bible agrees with the secular view. In fact, Shinar was the location of the infamous Tower of Babel that we read about in Genesis. Here we read:

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11: 1-4).

Most will remember the biblical account. God saw what men were doing at Babel and responded by confusing their language and scattering them across the face of the earth. The Bible tells us this event was the beginning of the nations.

What was so bad about what they were doing at Babel? What was wrong is that mankind was uniting both politically and spiritually -- to build for themselves a city and a tower -- in order to escape and oppose the true God of Noah. So, God stopped them. And, from the time of ancient Babel, God has continued doing so.

But, according to the Bible, the day will come when God will step aside and allow these nations to finally come back together -- both politically and spiritually.

It is my view this understanding about the origin of the nations may be the key to identifying the "Mystery Babylon" that we find mentioned in Revelation chapters 17 and 18. In other words, this Babylon may be the nations that God scattered having succeeded in coming back together.

This brings us to today's news. It seems America -- the melting pot of the nations and creator of the United Nations -- has been busy building a huge embassy in Iraq. In fact, it's reported to be the biggest embassy the United States has ever built, larger than even the United Nations compound in New York City Read about it here  I  And here.

News like this naturally brings up some questions. For one thing, why does America need such a large embassy in Iraq? For another, with things so seemingly unsettled in the region, why would America be willing to risk it? After all, it's being said the cost of the compound will exceed a billion dollars. Then, there's the issue of what to do about the out-dated and unpopular United Nations building in New York. Could there possibility be a move to Iraq in the works?

And, here's another item. The World Peace Herald is reporting Germany's left is calling for the European Union's High Representative, Javier Solana, to step in and mediate the on-going American/Iranian nuclear crisis Read about it here. I wonder if there's any chance he'll do it?

After reading today's news, I can only say, "Wow!" All I'm waiting for now is to hear that some kind of agreement has been finally reached regarding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- an agreement allowing the Jewish people to return to their Temple sacrifices.

Stay tuned!