Just as the Lord ceased working on the seventh day of Creation, He instructed the people to rest every seven days, and He told them to let the land rest every seven years. The seven year cycle is a natural cycle of rest and release of debt. In his book The Mystery of the Shemitah, Brother Jonathan Cahn shows how the sabbatical cycles have affected the United States.

He also tells the story of towers, and how they signify the arrogance of mankind. It began, of course, with the Tower of Babel. In modern times the first “skyscraper” was built here in the United States in 1870. It was seven stories tall, and was the tallest building in the world for several years. This building signified the growing financial prominence of the United States. In 1871 the United States surpassed Great Britain as the largest economy in the world.

Prior to the first skyscraper, the tallest building in the world was a cathedral! The symbolism of towers also shows how commerce has become more important to the world than the Lord and His Church.

After the 1870 skyscraper came the Woolworth Building in 1913; 791 feet high. Next was the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building. This building was 928 feet high and was completed April 30, 1930. Just a month or so later, the Chrysler Building was completed at over 1,000 feet high. The Chrysler Building was the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building was completed at 1,454 feet in height.

The Empire State Building was completed on April 30, 1931, exactly one year after the completion of the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building. April 30th is also the anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington. After this foundational inauguration, the President and his cabinet went to St. Paul’s Chapel to pray. This chapel, by the way, is located on the very same piece of property as was the World Trade Center. You could consider this land as foundational land to America.

The concept of the World Trade Center was started in 1945, a Sabbath Year. After overcoming obstacles and objections, construction of the building began in 1966, a Sabbath Year. The World Trade Center was under construction for seven years. It was dedicated April 4, 1973, a Sabbath Year. The twin towers became the tallest buildings in the world at 1,730 feet in height including the antenna tower. The World Trade Center was destroyed September 11, 2001, a Sabbath Year.

Since the building of the World Trade Center, the tallest buildings in the world have been built in Asia; the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, 1,483 feet; the Taipei World Financial Center in China, 1,671 feet; the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, 2,722 feet.

The symbolism of towers indicates that prominence is passing from the United States to Asia. The International Monetary Fund estimates that in 2014 China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest economy.

The Lord has blessed the United States in wonderful and unimaginable ways. But the U.S. has turned its back on the Lord. The Sabbath Years appear to tell the story. Praise the Lord for His blessings, and His wonderful grace and patience with America.