Unleashing the Beast

212 / U NLEASHING THE B EAST

Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there (Isaiah 13:19, 20). This prophecy of destruction must allude to the present, since the Arabians did not pitch their tents there until 637. Between A.D. 661 and A.D. 750, the Arabs conquered the town of al-Kufa, which was situated near the ruins of ancient Babylon. This town became the capitol of Iraq and the headquarters for the Umayyad dynasty. Between 744-750 the Islamic caliph, Marwan II ibn Muhammad transferred his residence to Harran, Iraq. Beginning in 717, fanatical caliphs began to persecute the Jews living in and around Babylon. Throughout Islamic history, the fate of the Jews often depended upon who the regional Islamic governor was at the time. In A.D. 850, the Islamic caliph al-Mutawakkil, a religious fanatic, demanded Jews to wear a yellow head covering. The poor and servants had a yellow patch attached to the clothes on their chests or backs. During the early centuries of Islam, Jews and Christians were often forced to wear yellow clothing with patches on them, identifying them. In most instances Jews and Christians were levied with heavy taxes. Clearly, the plains of Shinar, the tower of Babel, the city of Babylon and the Kingdom of the Babylonians have played a major role in Biblical history and prophecy.