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212 Accompanying these expectations was Babylon’s role as the new Navel of the Earth—inheriting the prediluvial status of Nippur as the DUR.AN.KI, the “Bond Heaven-Earth.” That this was now Babylon’s function was expressed by giving the ziggurat’s foundation platform the Sumerian name E:TEMEN. AN.KI (“Temple of the Foundation for Heaven-Earth”), stress- ing Babylon’s role as the new “Navel of the Earth’—a role clearly depicted on the Babylonian “Map of the World” (see Fig. 10). This was terminology that echoed the description of Jerusalem, with its Foundation Stone, serving as a link be- tween Earth and Heaven! But if that was what Nebuchadnezzar envisioned, then Babylon had to replace the existing post-Diluvial space link—Jerusalem. Having taken over Nippur’s prediluvial role to serve as Mission Control Center after the Deluge, Jerusalem was lo- cated at the center of concentric distances to the other space- related sites (see Fig. 3). Calling it the “Navel of the Earth” (38: 12), the Prophet Ezekiel announced that Jerusalem has been chosen for this role by God himself: Thus has said the Lord Yahweh: This is Jerusalem; In the midst of the nations I placed her, and all the lands are in a circle round about her. Determined to usurp that role for Babylon, Nebuchadnez- zar led his troops to the elusive prize and in 598 B.C.E. cap- tured Jerusalem. This time, as the Prophet Jeremiah had warned, Nebuchadnezzar was carrying out God’s anger at Jerusalem’s people, for they had taken up the worship of the celestial gods: “Ba’al, the Sun and the Moon, and the constel- lations” (IJ Kings 23: 5)—a list that clearly included Marduk as a celestial entity! Starving Jerusalem’s people by a siege that lasted three years, Nebuchadnezzar managed to subdue the city and took THE END OF DAYS EZEKIEL 5: 5