Revelation 18 May Happen In Fall 2010

Here is the text of the Apocalypse of Yohanon the Levite, ('Book of Revelation') Chapter 18 :

So.... what part do you feel is going to be fulfilled soon? And to what country would you apply these oracles of doom?

TEXT

And I looked, & behold, I saw: Another Malak fell Mightilly from Heaven !
And the Land [of Israel' was lightened with his Cavod.
And he thundered in a powerful Peal: "Great Babylon is fallen, fallen !
Look how she has turned into a Place of Daemons
and the Prison of every foul spirit,
even the Cage of every ritual unclean and detestible bird !

Yea, the Goyim have drunk her wine
even the strong-drink of her whoring,
and with her the kings of the earth have fornicated !
The Merchants of the Land [of Israel] have been intimate also with her
and have become wealthy in their eating
Even of the abundance of her Delicacies !




And I turned and behold, I heard: A 2nd Peal of Thunder !
and lo, it roared from Heaven to the once-Great City:
Saying: Come out of her, O my People !
That ye be not partakers in her transgressions,
and that ye not bring upon your own heads
Even the Plagues that are yet to befall her for her sins !

For lo, her sins have reached up to Heaven,
and EL has called to Remembrance all of her iniquities.
Reward her therefore even as she rewarded you !
Yea, render unto her double even according to her works:
even in the cup of Wrath which she hath filled
fill it up once yet again, even two-fold !




For behold, by as much as she has glorified herself,
and to the extent that she has lived in splendour
Render back to her the same amount of Torment & Sorrow !
For lo, she had said in her Heart,
"I do reign as a queen, and not a Widow,
Therefore how then shall I see sorrow at all?"

Yet 3 Plagues shall come suddenly upon her
in one day shall come Death, and Mourning, and Famine;
and she shall be burned with fire to the ground !
Yea, Mighty is the clan-god YHWH who judges her--
For the kings of the earth, shall wail in that Day
who fornicated & lived deliciously with her !




Yea, they all shall lament her Destruction
and when they behold with their eyes the smoke of her burning
they shall bewai and utter dirges for her !
And standing afar off for the fear of her torment,
they shall say: Alas, alas that great city Babylon,
Oh the once mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come!

And every shipmaster who goes down to the sea in ships,
and their sailors, even as many as trade by sea,
Shall stand afar off crying: What city is like this great city ?
And they shall place dust upon their heads, weeping & wailing:
nd they shall say Alas for the great City that made the sailors rich !
For lo, in a single hour, how she is made Desolate !



Yea how the Merchants of the land once rich by her shall weep
and stand afar off in agony for her and wail
saying: No man will ever buy goods from her again !
Nor gold or silver ornaments nor trinkets made of jewells or pearls,
nor fine cloth of linens or of silks dyed with purple or scarlet
and the thyinewood or ivory vessels !

Nor again, Furniture made from the most precious woods
or of all things brass and iron, or carved from costly marble:
And don't forget Cinnamon, Perfumes, Ointments & Frankincense !,
Nor the Wine, the Olive Oil, the Fine Flour and the Wheat
Nor the cattle, and sheep and horses
and chariots and the slaves and the singers !





And I looked, and behold I saw: A Mighty Malak holding a MillStone !
And lo, with his Right Hand, he cast it into the Sea, saying,
"Great Babylon falls with like Force never to rise again !"
Yea, may the the sound of harpers and fiddlers never be played,
nor pipers, and trumpeters, be heard no more at all in you--
Nor craftsman or any of the Arts at all be found in you again!

Yea may the sound of the mill-stone grinding wheat be silent
And may Workers Lamps shine no more in you,
Nor the sounds of the Bride & Groom be heard again within your walls
For your tradesman were the most powerful
even the richest and greatest merchants of the earth;
And by your sorceries were all the goyim bewitched !"




For Behold, the Fruit your soul desired are all departed from you !
yea, the dainties & delicacies are all taken away
and you will never again see them return !
Therfore, Rejoice over her, all you Host of Heaven,
and you holy apostles and prophets;
for EL has avenged your blood upon her !


[in the margin: AND ALSO IN HER WERE FOUND THE BLOOD OF THE PROPHETS AND OF THE SAINTS AND OF ALL THE RIGHTEOUS ONES THAT HAD BEEN SLAIN UPON THE FACE OF THE EARTH]

reply to post by Agree2Disagree


but you are told if you have eyes and ears???

reply to post by Red Cloak

First, I want to STRONGLY stress that I am NOT guaranteeing or predicting that this will in fact happen, I am merely stating that it could happen. I have studied Revelation 17 and 18 for a long time and I believe that it is possible that the events of those parts of the Bible may happen soon.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/55a2f697ce81.png[/atsimg]

I am to more thinking that europe and america is the land of antichrist but i dont think that means everyone for it says come out of her my people ,why us we wage war killing civilians with out concern collateral damage,muslims observe fasting ,they pray.they attend church most dont destroy nature they havent raped the lands as much loads of things. tell you the truth i am scared .

think of all the dead through imperialism over the years

[edit on 3/24/2010 by dashar]

[edit on 24-3-2010 by SlapBassist531]

Ok heres my take I used to be into this stuff but not much any more but occasionally like to chime in. Anyway My take is that its more general then specific. Rather then describing a particular time and place it is describing cycle of consequences that can and will happen anytime a people over indulge in self gratification and neglect the important things of life like family, freedom, and liberty. So it can describe more then one time in history or the future and this is why scholars have never been able to pinpoint any particular time and place without some discrepancies causing doubt.

Also the Biblical writers wrote very much in metaphor and symbolism and there were always several layers of meaning. For instance someone said he didn't think the saints were being persecuted to that level yet. Benjamin Franklin said that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God. So if the obedient to God are those resisting tyranny then indeed the persecution is approaching that level for they have been harassed, imprisoned, and even murdered for many years now and it is escalating.

Also being burned with fire is not necessarily literal. Fire is a metaphor for the spirit so what if that means they will be preached to in the spirit hence burned with fire? Anyway that is just a few things to think about.

Having said that I do believe the USA can fit the bill as well as any and I hope it falls soon because I am sick of it. I'll probably regret it when it does but I am ready to live a more simple life free and independent if it is possible, I just hope when it all crashes it doesn't take my family and me with it.

[edit on 24-3-2010 by hawkiye]

Hi there RedCloak,

I'm thinking more along the lines of a Spring setting. Here's why......

You have the Jewish Calendar that starts in Spring.


SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The month of Nisan, being the first month, is what Jehovah switched the Calendar to during Moses' days. The Kings of Israel counted their Regnal years from Spring to Spring. The Egyptians from Summer to Summer. The Babylonians also had a Spring to Spring method.

If you read Song of Solomon 2:8-17, you will see what time Jesus calls for his bride to be with him. Its during the dry season after the first few months of the rainy Spring season.,

Jeremiah the Prophet helps pinpoint this time period to Pentecost when they received the Law Covenant.The nation said "WE DO" in a rich symboilc way. The mountain also can take rich symbolic meaning as being a marriage altar, or chuppa, and moses bringing the marriage covenant back with him. Jeremiah 2:1-3, 8:7

Note the time when the birds come migrating in......spring-time 8:7

The burning of the prostitute happens BEFORE the marriage of the true bride.Only the Father knows when this time will come. It will be quick,swift and all encompassing.

Luke 21:29-31 late spring,early summer
Genesis 3:7 summer, for full leaf figs
Daniel 2:35 summer threshing floor
Jeremiah 52:12 mid-summer 5th Jewish Month

All these scriptures have a summer theme to them. This would seem when the finale is pushed to a completion.In Summer-time.

I study History alot.Here are some other clues to the puzzle.

Spring-time of 1521, Martin Luther is at the Diet of Worms.He appears before the Papacy and Rulers of the time to give a witness to truth.

Summer-time of 1521,Fall of Tenochtitlan (Hernan Cortez)

Around this time,Christendom was divided. Also the Conquest by the Conquistadors was being felt by the Aztecs. The Church went in and set up Catholicism.

There Could be a 490 year period here somehow from 1517-1521 to 2007-2011. Only after all is said and done, will we be able to look back and make the connections. 70x7, the same number used in the coming of Christ in the 1st Century.

Stay Awake.

I think there are a lot of ideas floating around about what the original post about 7 mountains, etc. etc. means. I did a quick internet search and I found something about 7 kingdoms possibly setting up in the middle east to be an alternative I hadn't heard before.
www.balaams-ass.com...

I'm not going to worry about something I'm not clear on.

I have been fascinated with the book of revelation for many years. Through that time, I have interpreted the verses so many different ways I lost count.

One moment it really does appear we are near the end, then things change and it seems we are not. There are probably many who believe like yourself that we are close.

Other places in the bible that also give clues to end times like these.......


Establishing the state of Israel

Isaiah 11

11) It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
12) He will set up a banner for the nations,
And will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
And gather together the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.



This one, I find quite interesting in terms of current events regarding Israel and her troubles.

Zechariah 12

1) The burden[a] of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
2) “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
3) And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Zechariah 14

1) Behold, the day of the LORD is coming,
And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2) For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem;
The city shall be taken,
The houses rifled,
And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity






One thing that is often used as an argument against bible prophecy is that the PTB are using this prophecy to their advantage and that things are being done deliberately to make it look like prophecy is coming true... all part of the plan......... Perhaps, but what if they are being controlled by a higher power without knowing it. Anything is possible I suppose.

Originally posted by apollos84
Hi there RedCloak,

I'm thinking more along the lines of a Spring setting. Here's why......

You have the Jewish Calendar that starts in Spring.


SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The month of Nisan, being the first month, is what Jehovah switched the Calendar to during Moses' days. The Kings of Israel counted their Regnal years from Spring to Spring. The Egyptians from Summer to Summer. The Babylonians also had a Spring to Spring method.

If you read Song of Solomon 2:8-17, you will see what time Jesus calls for his bride to be with him. Its during the dry season after the first few months of the rainy Spring season.,

Jeremiah the Prophet helps pinpoint this time period to Pentecost when they received the Law Covenant.The nation said "WE DO" in a rich symboilc way. The mountain also can take rich symbolic meaning as being a marriage altar, or chuppa, and moses bringing the marriage covenant back with him. Jeremiah 2:1-3, 8:7

Note the time when the birds come migrating in......spring-time 8:7

The burning of the prostitute happens BEFORE the marriage of the true bride.Only the Father knows when this time will come. It will be quick,swift and all encompassing.

Luke 21:29-31 late spring,early summer
Genesis 3:7 summer, for full leaf figs
Daniel 2:35 summer threshing floor
Jeremiah 52:12 mid-summer 5th Jewish Month

All these scriptures have a summer theme to them. This would seem when the finale is pushed to a completion.In Summer-time.

I study History alot.Here are some other clues to the puzzle.

Spring-time of 1521, Martin Luther is at the Diet of Worms.He appears before the Papacy and Rulers of the time to give a witness to truth.

Summer-time of 1521,Fall of Tenochtitlan (Hernan Cortez)

Around this time,Christendom was divided. Also the Conquest by the Conquistadors was being felt by the Aztecs. The Church went in and set up Catholicism.

There Could be a 490 year period here somehow from 1517-1521 to 2007-2011. Only after all is said and done, will we be able to look back and make the connections. 70x7, the same number used in the coming of Christ in the 1st Century.

Stay Awake.

Excellent thoughts. And I had not made that possible connection on the 70x7 to the events of 1521. Very interesting.

Sigismundus, I am thinking that the current situation with Israel, the US, and Iran is what causes this. I would throw the UK in there a little bit also because they also play a large part in what is going on with Israel.

It seems to me that the great city that is destroyed may be New York, Washington DC, or may be in fact referring to the United States as a whole. It appears that the trigger event for this might be the US and/or Israel attacking Iran.

I realize that this seems out of sequences with what most religious leaders teach today, but it seems that for whatever reason the more I look at Revelation 17 and 18 it appears this is what is about to happen.

The spring time is also a good possibility as pointed out here also. The reason I am guessing the fall time is that I am estimating when the US economy might totally collapse and when the US military might be perfectly in place to launch a war against Iran.

Again, this is not a prediction or prophecy I am making, I am just intrigued at how much Israel's current situation seems to fit with what these parts of Revelation describe. I know this is one of the most studied parts of the Bible and that many people study it. So I am just curious as to if anyone else sees how this seems to be coming together.

I also realize as has been pointed out here that indeed it may simply seem that way by coincidence. But I can't really pinpoint another time or situation that matches so closely and again you can make the argument that it is symbolic, but I'm not so sure.

[edit on 25-3-2010 by Red Cloak]

reply to post by dashar


If you have eyes TO SEE and ears TO HEAR...

The disciples had ears and they had eyes, correct? The Pharisees and Sadduccees also had ears and had eyes also? Which ones had eyes TO SEE and ears TO HEAR? Jesus spoke in parables because not everyone that hears the truth will accept the truth. The same goes for the riddles of prophecy. Some can accept it and some cannot.

Respectfully,
A2D

Hi RedCloak etal.


As we mentioned before the Apocalypse of Yohanon the Levite (=Book of Revelation) is made up of midrashic scraps of older (often well known) prophecies from originally Hebrew and Aramaic writings (often taken from their Aramaic targum commentaries and brought into rough (& often impossible) Greek.

Sometimes these quotations are explicit in the book, sometimes they lay at the back of the images (like virtually every line of the Gospels which too make use of OT midrash, esp from Targumic material)

Rev. Chapter 18 is a test case for the re-use of these older OT sources:

The curse- and dirge-verses in chapter 18 seem to be a combination of several OT Midrashim taken fm doom & gloom prophecies from the OT Prophets (Isiaiah, Jeremiah, Hezekiel etal.) many of which refer to the fall of Babylon (BCE 539) at the hands of Cyrus the Persian (see Is. 45:1 : Behold, Cyrus, My Christ/Messiah !") when it was flooded by the Persian army- [or modelled on other OT dirges].

The images that were extracted from literature that described 'a long past history' were re-applied (i.e. new) to Jerusalem as the New Whore of Babylon in the 1st failed Jewish War (AD 66) in the Book of Revelation written around this time--and for whom the compiler was trying to draw a parallel: Jerusalem will go the way of Babylon, i.e. will fall quickly.

Compare chapter 18 with some of the various strands of older borrowed / stolen source material from the Hebrew scriptures, and you can see how the author of 'Revelation' was drawing upon existing dirge-texts that were by then over 600 years old

See : the Scroll of the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 51:60

"And when you get to Babylon,
read all these words aloud
and when you have finished
even reading this scroll from start to finish,
tie then a Millstone to it
and throw it into the Euphrates.

Then speak these words over it:
So may Babylon likewise sink
Never again to rise !
Yea, because of the disaster
even that which I myself shall bring upon her.
May she and all of her people die."

Also: Jeremiah 17:18 Bring on them the day of doom, and destroy them with double destruction!

See the image of Babylon as the Queen sitting on her throne in Rev 18 compared to its Midrashic source text = Isaiah 47:8

Now hear this:

You who are given over to pleasures,
You who lives without care,
who says in her heart : I reign alone '.
And who says continually, 'there is no one besides me,
I shall not sit as a widow,
neither shall I know the loss of children' !

For Amen, two things will come upon you,
even in a moment, in one single day :
Even the loss of children, and widowhood:
Yea, they both will come upon you severely
for your many Enchantments
and for the great abundance of your seductions !

Thus shall evil hit you that you
will not know from whence it came:
yea, mischief shall fall upon you
that you won't be able to stop it :
And Desolation will strike you so suddenly
that you will not be expecting it !"


Also take a close look at the LONG of wares in the markets are similar to the Isaiah Dirge against another symbol of the ancient market place, Tyre:

Scroll of the Book of the Prophet Hezekiel chapter 27:1, 10 -25

"Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre…

The Arvadites with your army they hung upon your walls
and Gammadim were in your towers,
hanging their shields on your walls making perfect your beauty !
Tarshish [was] your merchant by her riches;
with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in you bazaars.
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, were your merchants!

They traded male and female slaves there in the shops
And traded their vessels of brass in the open.
The house of Togarmah traded too with horses and horsemen and mules.
And the Dedanites too were also among your merchants--
yea those of the isles [were] the merchandise of your hands:
they used to bring you gifts of ivory and ebony horns!

Syria too came to your booths to sell their wares many of your goods
Even ornaments of emeralds, and costly items of coral and agate,
and with cloth of purple, and broidered work, and fine linen:
Judah, and Israe too traded in your stores, and were your merchants
selling and trading the wheat of Minnith, and Pannag,
and also jars of honey, and oil, and balm !

Damascus too was there to seek out the many riches
even all they they could get of precious things,
especially the Wine of Helbon, and the whitest wools.
Dan also and Javan walking back and forth in your malls
trading works wrought in iron, and things carved in cassia, and calamus,
Dedan traded precious clothes for your chariots.

Arabia, and the Kedar Princes came for the lambs, rams & he-goats:
And Sheba & Raamah were there too with rarest spices to buy and sell,
and with all manner of precious stones, and gold !
Dromederies from Haran, Canneh, Qeden, Sheba, Ashur-Chilmad came
All these traded in everything from blue cloth to embroidered work,
from chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, made of cedarware:

Yea the Sailors of Tarshish used to sing of you
yea they told of you in song about your marketplace –
How rich and very glorious you were
even these things made up the stuff of their songs,
so that even in the midst of the open sea
you were made famous by their praise !


See also the Targum of Hezekiel 21:24, 26

Therefore thus says the clan god YHWH;

Because you caused your iniquity to be remembered,
in that your transgressions are discovered,
and in all your dealings your sins are revealed !
Because, [I say], that you have come up to Remembrance,
you shall be captured
even suddenly, and by force !

Thus says the clan god YHWH:

Remove your diadem,
and take off your crown:
For it will not be as before:
Yea the low will be exalted
and the high ones brought down !
I will overrturn, overturn it all !

These are just a few examples that could be listed - a book could be compiled which shows an old-testament or intertestamental text (e.g. from Qumran from the Dead Sea Scroll material) that every line of the mangled & heavilly redacted Greek of the 'Book of Revelation' has a Hebrew textual basis upon which the vision-oracles-dirges are 'expanded' to suit the needs of Judaean Apocalypticists fighting a War in AD 66 they could not win against Rome - appealing to 'sacred' texts for hope.






[edit on 25-3-2010 by Sigismundus]

Originally posted by dashar

I am to more thinking that europe and america is the land of antichrist but i dont think that means everyone for it says come out of her my people ,why us we wage war killing civilians with out concern collateral damage,muslims observe fasting ,they pray.they attend church most dont destroy nature they havent raped the lands as much loads of things. tell you the truth i am scared .

think of all the dead through imperialism over the years

[edit on 3/24/2010 by dashar]

Maybe it's China, or even India ? What does the color scarlet imply ?

[edit on 25-3-2010 by rhines]

Originally posted by HooHaa


Didnt it say that the great whore is drunken from the shed blood of the saints? I havent seen world wide persecution and execution of Christians yet. I mean there is verbal abuse and some executions in some country's.

The way I interpret it is that it's world wide persecution unto death. Now I can only speak from my American view point, but we havent even SEEN persecution on that scale as of yet.

Ah, dude, those saints have been persecuted, tortured, and killed for the last 1260 years. It started around 800 A.D. when the little horn came to power after the fall of Imperial Rome.

reply to post by DISRAELI


Do you even know what the four horsemen are?Conquest, War, Death and Famine.
Conquest: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the seven living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

— revelation 6:1-2˄ NIV

The white horse of the apocalyptic four has been argued to represent either evil or righteousness

War: When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a huge sword.

— revelation 6:3-4˄ NIV

The rider of the second horse is often taken to represent War. His horse's color is red. In some translations, the color is specifically a "fiery" red. This color, as well as the rider's possession of a large sword, suggests blood that is to be spilled on the battlefield. The second horseman may represent the war of conquest as opposed to civil war that the first horseman brings.

Famine: When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

— revelation 6:5-6˄ NIV

The third horseman rides a black horse and is generally understood as Famine. The horseman carries a pair of balances or weighing scales, indicating the way that bread would have been weighed during a famine.

Of the four horsemen, the black horse and its rider are the only ones whose appearance is accompanied by a vocal pronunciation. John hears a voice, unidentified but coming from among the four living creatures, that speaks of the prices of wheat and barley, also saying "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." This suggests that the black horse's famine is to drive up the price of grain but leave oil and wine supplies unaffected. One explanation for this is that grain crops would have been more naturally susceptible to famine years than olive trees and grapevines, which root more deeply; the statement might also suggest a continuing abundance of luxuries for the wealthy while staples such as bread are scarce, though not totally depleted. Alternatively, the preservation of oil and wine could symbolize the preservation of the Christian faithful, who used oil and wine in their sacraments.

Death: When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

— revelation 6:7-8˄ NIV

The fourth and final horseman is named Death. Of all the riders, he is the only one to whom the text itself explicitly gives a name. Still others apply the names "Pestilence" or "Plague" to this horseman, based on alternative translations of the Bible (such as the Jerusalem Bible). Unlike the other three, he is not described carrying a weapon/object, instead he is followed by Hades. However, illustrations commonly depict him carrying a scythe (like the Grim Reaper) or a sword.

Conquest: Uh pretty much all of america right now. I heard that the entire war started over gas or something like that.
War: Like I said, pretty much all of america.
Death: See everything I just said.
Famine: Ditto

Originally posted by FateAtkinson
reply to post by DISRAELI

 

Do you even know what the four horsemen are?Conquest, War, Death and Famine.

Yes, I knew all that. Apart from the fact that I interpret the first horse as "Pestilence" or "Plague", I don't see that we're in disagreement.

I threw out the casual suggestion that ch6 could be fulfilled by events like an "apocalyptic virus" (my version of the 1st horse), War (we certainly agree on that one), and an economic collapse ( since this could be a contributing cause to Famine).

The sharp reaction implied by the insertion of "even" suggests that you see a reason for strong disagreement. I'm not sure I see where. Explain?

As to dates...stay away from that trap friend, even the Lamb doesn't know..only God.

In my studies, I suggest that the Mother of harlots is the Catholic Church from which all other Christian denominations came from...the harlots being the organized denominational churches....Baptists, Methodists, Lutheran, Presbyterian...etc.

We are warned to come out of the organized churches so we will not suffer from her whoredoms and subsequent punishment....ironic that the Catholic Church is headquartered in Rome...which sits on seven hills.

The harlot symbolically rides the beast...with 10 crowns on seven heads.... the rivived European Union will support and be supported by the revised Catholic Church... you can even see this symbol of Europa riding Zeus in front of the EU Parlimant Bldg in Strasbourg,Fr. ... a literal interpretation of prophesy.

Further, the EU Parlimant Bldg is based on a 16th century painting of the Tower of Babel or Babylon...again, literal symbolism come to pass.