FIFA\\u2019s abuses<\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n* *\* In my last post, I hinted at some examples of FIFA\\u2019s corruption and its \\u201cbeastlike\\u201d activities.<\\/p>\\n *\* I noted that the host country receives zero revenue for hosting a World Cup. ZERO. FIFA keeps it all: TV rights, merchandise sales, etc., all go to FIFA. And, as a non-profit\\u2014FIFA refuses to pay sales tax to the host nation on all merchandise purchases.<\\/p>\\n *\* *Yet, FIFA requires the host country to provide \\u201cFIFA quality venues\\u201d and infrastructure for all matches.<\\/p>\\n This often costs host countries billions of dollars (estimates are that<\\/a> in 2010 South Africa spent $7.2 billion; in 2014 Brazil spent $19.7 billion; in 2018 Russia spent $16 billion; and in 2022 Qatar has spent $220 billion).<\\/p>\\n In case you are wondering, FIFA\\u2019s net reserves are in the billions. Yep, a non-profit that has billions in reserves. Even my non-profit only has a few million. Okay, maybe not.<\\/em><\\/p>\\n Why would a country even want to host the World Cup? <\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n***** *\* Host nations are sold on the fact that they can use this as an opportunity to upgrade their infrastructure and better their country. They also benefit from the added exposure and the tourism that the World Cup brings: hotels, restaurants, and the like enjoy the profits.<\\/p>\\n *\* *****Even so, we must ask: is it worth it for a country to spend billions preparing for a World Cup?<\\/p>\\n The answer is likely no. That is why the people of Brazil were protesting<\\/a> in the years, weeks, and months ahead of the World Cup in 2014. The money spent to meet FIFA\\u2019s demands for world-class venues could have been used for better purposes.<\\/p>\\n An example of FIFA\\u2019s at times ridiculous demands is found in their request that a World Cup quality venue be built in Manaus, Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup.<\\/p>\\n The problem is that this stadium is virtually unusable today for the poor residents of Manaus who cannot afford the ticket prices to attend a game.<\\/p>\\n Oh, and there is the fact that Manaus, though a large city, is more than an hour from the next populated city in Brazil and there are no roads to travel there.<\\/p>\\n This is why, when the stadium was being constructed they had to float construction materials up the Amazon just to get it there. Look at what this report<\\/a> says about the stadium in Manaus,<\\/p>\\n \\u201cThe Arena da Amazonia is located in Manaus, Brazil. Manaus is in the middle of the Amazon and very hard to travel to. The stadium took 4 years to build. It\\u2019s estimated to have cost the Brazilian government $220-$300 million. Three workers died during construction. It\\u2019s one of 12 stadiums Brazil built for the 2014 World Cup. The stadium was used for just 4 matches during the World Cup. It was also used for a few matches during the 2016 Olympics.<\\/em><\\/p>\\n Now it sits mostly unused. . . . Most local matches bring in fewer than 1,000 people.<\\/em><\\/p>\\n The stadium took in $180,000 in the first 4 months of 2016, while spending about $560,000 in operating costs. It\\u2019s not the first<\\/em>\\u00a0stadium to sit mostly unused<\\/em><\\/a>\\u00a0after being used for just a few big events. It probably won\\u2019t be the last.\\u201d<\\/em><\\/p>\\n So much for helping a country with its infrastructure. FIFA\\u2019s idea of infrastructure is to provide a stadium that is more costly to maintain than it generates in revenue.<\\/p>\\n The end result is that the World Cup in 2014 devastated Brazil\\u2019s economy.<\\/p>\\n This is why, once the people of Brazil realized what was happening, they began to protest.<\\/p>\\n Qatar and the World Cup 2022<\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n******* *\* *******None of this is a problem, however, for the gas-rich nation of Qatar. Estimates are that Qatar has spent over $220 billion (with a \\u201cB\\u201d) on stadiums, transportation, hotels, and the like to host the games.<\\/p>\\n Here\\u2019s the real kicker: the city scheduled to host the finals, Lusail City, didn\\u2019t even exist at the time Qatar won the bid. Qatar built an entirely new city<\\/a>, about 15km north of Doha, to accommodate the tournament.<\\/p>\\n Now imagine what $220 billion could be better spent on. Of course, this is a futile exercise, because it\\u2019s unlikely that, should the World Cup have been taken away from Qatar, the $220 billion would have been spent on education, poverty relief, or even growing the game of soccer among the poor.<\\/p>\\n Why would Qatar want to host the World Cup?<\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n Qatar\\u2019s goal has been, among other things, to improve its image and increase tourism in the years to come. (NB: this article on ESPN.com<\\/a> provides more insights into why Qatar is willing to spend $220 billion to host the World Cup even though they receive none of the proceeds from the tournament itself).<\\/p>\\n One of Qatar\\u2019s main efforts has been to improve its global image\\u2014thus increasing tourism. In fact, if you want to travel and enjoy the World Cup in person, Qatar will pay for your travel and hotel costs. <\\/strong>All you have to do is agree to provide positive social media content<\\/strong> regarding Qatar during the time of your stay! (See this article on Yahoo.com<\\/a> for more info).<\\/p>\\n Qatar and human rights<\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n*********** *\* You might be thinking that I am looking down on a nation for spending money trying to improve its image and thus increase its wealth. Well, not exactly.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***********When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.<\\/p>\\n These concerns have been raised by virtually every global human rights organization: Amnesty International<\\/a>, in fact, has called the 2022 World Cup, \\u201cthe World Cup of Shame\\u201d. See also the report by Human Rights Watch<\\/a>.<\\/p>\\n Among the human rights concerns are the thousands of deaths that have resulted from the construction of the needed infrastructure. (see podcast series: \\u201cThe Lords of Soccer\\u201d).<\\/p>\\n Although the government of Qatar says that only a few deaths have occurred in the construction leading up to the World Cup, human rights organizations have counted thousands. What accounts for the difference?<\\/p>\\n The government of Qatar only counts the deaths of those who died while building the World Cup venues themselves. The fact is, however, that the number of deaths of all workers who have died during the construction of all projects related to the World Cup totals in the thousands (the British newspaper the Guardian reports<\\/a> over 6,500 deaths).<\\/p>\\n This is to say nothing of the horrendous working conditions of the migrant workers, which can only be described as \\u201cslavery\\u201d (see numerous reports from Human Rights Watch<\\/a> and others).<\\/p>\\n NB: For more details, the 1 hour ESPN E:60<\\/a> report with Jeremy Schaap is worth your time.<\\/em><\\/p>\\n Why would FIFA grant Qatar the World Cup? <\\/strong><\\/h2>\\n So, how did Qatar win the bid in the first place? The answer is, of course, they paid for it<\\/strong>! This is no industry secret: See ESPN special with interviews<\\/a> of those who witnessed Qatar officials paying bribes for votes; see also this report<\\/a>; which details the bribes paid to earn the votes needed to secure the World Cup.<\\/p>\\n What does this mean for us?<\\/h2>\\n*************** *\* Well as a sports fan, I am indeed going to watch the games. But I am also going to weep.<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n *\* I noted in my last post, my love for travel. Well, if there was ever a place to see\\u2014in the winter months of course\\u2014it would be Qatar. They didn\\u2019t spend all that money on nothing!<\\/p>\\n *\* The problem is that traveling to Qatar and enjoying the beauty they have created\\u2014which I am sure would indeed be a lot of fun\\u2014cannot be done without an awareness that its splendor was shaped largely on the backs of slaves, thousands of whom died.<\\/p>\\n *\* Now, I am not saying you shouldn\\u2019t go. Nor am I saying that you shouldn\\u2019t watch the World Cup. (I already have my favorite teams set to record so that, if time allows, I won\\u2019t miss a match)<\\/p>\\n *\* I am saying that, just as when we travel to the Pyramids in Egypt or the Coliseum in Rome, we need to reserve time for weeping.<\\/p>\\n *\* Sure it is beautiful. Sure it displays the capabilities of human achievements. Sure the games will be a pleasure to watch\\u2014as long as one of my teams win of course.<\\/p>\\n *\* But it also displays what happens when those in power use their power to accomplish their own ends and they do so at the expense of the poor and the marginalized.<\\/p>\\n *\* We cannot walk the streets of Qatar, or many of the ancient cities, without realizing the men and women gave their lives so that others may prosper.<\\/p>\\n *\* We cannot watch the World Cup from our homes without the realization that tens of thousands of people endured horrific working conditions and thousands died so that we can enjoy a sporting event.<\\/p>\\n *\* What does this have to do with the Beast?<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n *\* I have been arguing that the Beast is empire. Empires exert power to impose their will on their subjects.<\\/p>\\n *\* As I said in a previous post, those in power often have as their first priority the aim to stay in power. Empires most often rule at the expense of the people. The mass of people labor so that the few may profit.<\\/p>\\n *\* This was most certainly the way of empire in ancient Rome. And this is certainly what Jesus was countering when He told His disciples that they are not to rule like the nations (Mark 10:42-45).<\\/p>\\n *\* Perhaps, however, one of the greatest sources of power is the ability to control the narrative. In the book of Revelation, Satan is referred to as: \\u201cthe serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world\\u201d (Rev 12:9).<\\/p>\\n *\* Thus, Qatar\\u2019s efforts to pay for your trip for positive social media exposure should alert us that something more is going on.<\\/p>\\n *\* Let me close with this thought. Qatar is merely doing what empires do.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***************And we too easily look past this because of the love of the game! Because we love sports, we look past the human rights violations.<\\/p>\\n This behavior is known in the human rights world as Sportswashing<\\/a><\\/em>: a \\u201ccatch-all phrase applied to any country or regime with questionable human rights records or autocratic rulers who wield their financial power to acquire prestigious roles and stakes within the sporting world.<\\/em>\\u201d<\\/p>\\n That is but just an example of what the Beast does!<\\/p>\\n I said in post #1 of this series: \\u201cunderstanding what the book of Revelation (and the whole of the Bible) says about the nature of the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world is of utmost significance. This is especially the case for the western church in the early part of the 21st<\\/sup>\\u00a0century.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Then I added, \\u201cit is my conviction that much of the western church has largely fallen prey to the Beast of Revelation 13. And, I would add, we have also been seduced by the Harlot of Revelation 17-18.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Then in post #3, I reiterated that as I discuss further what the Beast is and what it may mean for us today, \\u201cI am not sure you will like what I have to say.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Now my question is, \\u201cdo we not like it, or are we becoming uncomfortable, because we are beginning to see that the Beast is not simply \\u2018over there\\u2019? Could it be that the Beast is a lot closer than we think?\\u201d<\\/p>\\n \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more\\/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link<\\/span><\\/a>.<\\/b><\\/p>\\n Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.<\\/p>\\n If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app <\\/b>simply download the \\u201ctithe.ly<\\/span><\\/a> church\\u201d app on your smartphone and insert \\u201cdeterminetruth\\u201d as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the \\u201cblog\\u201d icon and it will automatically load.<\\/p>\\n If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me<\\/span><\\/a> tab on this site.<\\/p>\\n Remember that our friends at Hearts & Minds<\\/b><\\/span><\\/a>, an independent bookstore in central Pennsylvania, have offered to give our listeners a 20% off on nearly anything ordered. Just mention Determinetruth\\u00a0<\\/b>and they will get back to you promptly with personalized service like you rarely see these days.<\\/p>\\n \\n<\\/p><\\/body><\\/html>\\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, and if you didn\\u2019t then you are among a small minority on the entire planet who didn\\u2019t know, the World Cup \[…\]<\\/p>\\n","protected":false},"author":4320,"featured\_media":0,"comment\_status":"closed","ping\_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":\[226,12,268,277,271\],"tags":\[\],"class\_list":\["post-4333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beast","category-biblical-interpretation","category-fifa","category-qatar","category-world-cup-2022"\],"yoast\_head":"\\nRome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7 Qatar and the 2022 World Cup: The Beast?<\\/title>\\n<meta name=\\"description\\" content=\\"This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"robots\\" content=\\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\\" \\/>\\n<link rel=\\"canonical\\" href=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:locale\\" content=\\"en\_US\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:type\\" content=\\"article\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:title\\" content=\\"Rome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7 Qatar and the 2022 World Cup: The Beast?\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:description\\" content=\\"This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:url\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:site\_name\\" content=\\"Determinetruth\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:author\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/rob.dalrymple.79\\/\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:published\_time\\" content=\\"2022-11-21T08:33:44+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"article:modified\_time\\" content=\\"2022-12-09T23:28:55+00:00\\" \\/>\\n<meta property=\\"og:image\\" content=\\"https:\\/\\/wp-media.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/sites\\/1298\\/2022\\/11\\/Courtesy-ESPN-scaled.jpg\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"author\\" content=\\"Rob Dalrymple\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:card\\" content=\\"summary\_large\_image\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:creator\\" content=\\"@RobDalrymple\\" \\/>\\n<meta name=\\"twitter:label1\\" content=\\"Written by\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data1\\" content=\\"Rob Dalrymple\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:label2\\" content=\\"Est. reading time\\" \\/>\\n\\t<meta name=\\"twitter:data2\\" content=\\"12 minutes\\" \\/>\\n<script type=\\"application\\/ld+json\\" class=\\"yoast-schema-graph\\">{\\"@context\\":\\"https:\\/\\/schema.org\\",\\"@graph\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"WebPage\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/\\",\\"name\\":\\"Rome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7 Qatar and the 2022 World Cup: The Beast?\\",\\"isPartOf\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#website\\"},\\"datePublished\\":\\"2022-11-21T08:33:44+00:00\\",\\"dateModified\\":\\"2022-12-09T23:28:55+00:00\\",\\"author\\":{\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/dd78b21ff764a5126f6a02bb92a64f25\\"},\\"description\\":\\"This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. 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But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7\\"}\]},{\\"@type\\":\\"WebSite\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#website\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/\\",\\"name\\":\\"Determinetruth\\",\\"description\\":\\"Challenging the Church to be the Church\\",\\"potentialAction\\":\[{\\"@type\\":\\"SearchAction\\",\\"target\\":{\\"@type\\":\\"EntryPoint\\",\\"urlTemplate\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/?s={search\_term\_string}\\"},\\"query-input\\":\\"required name=search\_term\_string\\"}\],\\"inLanguage\\":\\"en-US\\"},{\\"@type\\":\\"Person\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/dd78b21ff764a5126f6a02bb92a64f25\\",\\"name\\":\\"Rob Dalrymple\\",\\"image\\":{\\"@type\\":\\"ImageObject\\",\\"inLanguage\\":\\"en-US\\",\\"@id\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/\\",\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/eb5fe911cf419f88e9fe4e994de34655?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\\",\\"contentUrl\\":\\"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/eb5fe911cf419f88e9fe4e994de34655?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg\\",\\"caption\\":\\"Rob Dalrymple\\"},\\"description\\":\\"Rob Dalrymple and his wife Toni have four fabulous children, as well as 2 grandchildren! He has been teaching and pastoring for over 32 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD (Westminster Theological Seminary) in biblical interpretation. Rob is currently serving as the Executive Director of Determinetruth ministries, which is a 501c3 parachurch ministry whose vision is to provide a platform of training for pastors, leaders, and members of local churches, especially those who have been wounded by the evangelical church. Rob hosts the weekly determinetruth podcast and writes a weekly blog: all of which can be accessed at determinetruth.com He is the author of four books: Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation These Brothers of Mine: A Biblical Theology of Land and Family Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters Revelation and the Two Witnesses. And is presently writing a commentary for the book of Revelation (Cascade Books) titled Revelation: A Love Story\\",\\"sameAs\\":\[\\"http:\\/\\/determinetruth.com\\",\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/rob.dalrymple.79\\/\\",\\"https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/RobDalrymple\\",\\"https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/channel\\/UCy4xZC-rMk5i93o7plLFz3A\\"\],\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/author\\/rdalrymple\\/\\"}\]}<\\/script>\\n","yoast\_head\_json":{"title":"Rome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7 Qatar and the 2022 World Cup: The Beast?","description":"This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. 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There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.","og\_url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/","og\_site\_name":"Determinetruth","article\_author":"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/rob.dalrymple.79\\/","article\_published\_time":"2022-11-21T08:33:44+00:00","article\_modified\_time":"2022-12-09T23:28:55+00:00","og\_image":\[{"url":"https:\\/\\/wp-media.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/sites\\/1298\\/2022\\/11\\/Courtesy-ESPN-scaled.jpg"}\],"author":"Rob Dalrymple","twitter\_card":"summary\_large\_image","twitter\_creator":"@RobDalrymple","twitter\_misc":{"Written by":"Rob Dalrymple","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\\/\\/schema.org","@graph":\[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/","name":"Rome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7 Qatar and the 2022 World Cup: The Beast?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-11-21T08:33:44+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-09T23:28:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/dd78b21ff764a5126f6a02bb92a64f25"},"description":"This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\\u00a0 In case you didn\\u2019t know, When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":\["https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/"\]}\]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/2022\\/11\\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":\[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rome wasn\\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7"}\]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#website","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/","name":"Determinetruth","description":"Challenging the Church to be the Church","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/?s={search\_term\_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search\_term\_string"}\],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/dd78b21ff764a5126f6a02bb92a64f25","name":"Rob Dalrymple","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/eb5fe911cf419f88e9fe4e994de34655?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/eb5fe911cf419f88e9fe4e994de34655?s=96&d=identicon&r=pg","caption":"Rob Dalrymple"},"description":"Rob Dalrymple and his wife Toni have four fabulous children, as well as 2 grandchildren! He has been teaching and pastoring for over 32 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD (Westminster Theological Seminary) in biblical interpretation. Rob is currently serving as the Executive Director of Determinetruth ministries, which is a 501c3 parachurch ministry whose vision is to provide a platform of training for pastors, leaders, and members of local churches, especially those who have been wounded by the evangelical church. Rob hosts the weekly determinetruth podcast and writes a weekly blog: all of which can be accessed at determinetruth.com He is the author of four books: Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation These Brothers of Mine: A Biblical Theology of Land and Family Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters Revelation and the Two Witnesses. And is presently writing a commentary for the book of Revelation (Cascade Books) titled Revelation: A Love Story","sameAs":\["http:\\/\\/determinetruth.com","https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/rob.dalrymple.79\\/","https:\\/\\/twitter.com\\/RobDalrymple","https:\\/\\/www.youtube.com\\/channel\\/UCy4xZC-rMk5i93o7plLFz3A"\],"url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/author\\/rdalrymple\\/"}\]}},"\_links":{"self":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts\\/4333","targetHints":{"allow":\["GET"\]}}\],"collection":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts"}\],"about":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/types\\/post"}\],"author":\[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/users\\/4320"}\],"replies":\[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/comments?post=4333"}\],"version-history":\[{"count":0,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/posts\\/4333\\/revisions"}\],"wp:attachment":\[{"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/media?parent=4333"}\],"wp:term":\[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/categories?post=4333"},{"taxonomy":"post\_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/determinetruth\\/wp-json\\/wp\\/v2\\/tags?post=4333"}\],"curies":\[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\\/\\/api.w.org\\/{rel}","templated":true}\]}}

{"id":4333,"date":"2022-11-21T00:33:44","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T08:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/determinetruth\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2022-12-09T15:28:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T23:28:55","slug":"rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/determinetruth\/2022\/11\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Rome wasn\u2019t built in a night. But Qatar sure seems to have been. FIFA #2: The Beast #7"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

This is the 7th<\/sup> post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see <\/em>part 1<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>part 2<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>part 3<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>part 4<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>part 5<\/em><\/a>; <\/em>part 6<\/em><\/a>).\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

In case you didn\u2019t know, and if you didn\u2019t then you are among a small minority on the entire planet who didn\u2019t know, the World Cup begins next week in Qatar.<\/p>\n

NB: the World Cup is the premier soccer (futbol) event in the world. It is held every 4 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

NB: you may wonder what a post on FIFA and its corruption has to do with the biblical idea of the Beast. My answer is \u201ca lot\u201d and I hope to show this as we proceed. <\/em><\/p>\n

I asked in my last post<\/a>, \u201chow could FIFA [the governing body of futbol<\/em>] grant Qatar the World Cup?\u201d After all, summers in the Arabian desert are not conducive to hosting such an event.<\/p>\n

Well, couldn\u2019t they just move it to the winter months? Of course. But you must understand that this was not FIFA\u2019s plan when they awarded the World Cup to Qatar. They had every intention of hosting it in June-July.<\/p>\n

NB: there are a host of reasons why the World Cup should be played in June-July; including player safety. (even Sepp Blatter<\/a>, FIFA\u2019s former president, has recently admitted it was not a good idea\u2014though not because of the human rights concerns).<\/p>\n

It was not until several years into the project that they began seeking how they might arrange for the tournament to be played in Nov-Dec.<\/p>\n

FIFA\u2019s abuses<\/strong><\/h2>\n* In my last post, I hinted at some examples of FIFA\u2019s corruption and its \u201cbeastlike\u201d activities.<\/p>\n I noted that the host country receives zero revenue for hosting a World Cup. ZERO. FIFA keeps it all: TV rights, merchandise sales, etc., all go to FIFA. And, as a non-profit\u2014FIFA refuses to pay sales tax to the host nation on all merchandise purchases.<\/p>\n Yet, FIFA requires the host country to provide \u201cFIFA quality venues\u201d and infrastructure for all matches.<\/p>\n This often costs host countries billions of dollars (estimates are that<\/a> in 2010 South Africa spent $7.2 billion; in 2014 Brazil spent $19.7 billion; in 2018 Russia spent $16 billion; and in 2022 Qatar has spent $220 billion).<\/p>\n In case you are wondering, FIFA\u2019s net reserves are in the billions. Yep, a non-profit that has billions in reserves. Even my non-profit only has a few million. Okay, maybe not.<\/em><\/p>\n Why would a country even want to host the World Cup? <\/strong><\/h2>\n Host nations are sold on the fact that they can use this as an opportunity to upgrade their infrastructure and better their country. They also benefit from the added exposure and the tourism that the World Cup brings: hotels, restaurants, and the like enjoy the profits.<\/p>\n Even so, we must ask: is it worth it for a country to spend billions preparing for a World Cup?<\/p>\n The answer is likely no. That is why the people of Brazil were protesting<\/a> in the years, weeks, and months ahead of the World Cup in 2014. The money spent to meet FIFA\u2019s demands for world-class venues could have been used for better purposes.<\/p>\n An example of FIFA\u2019s at times ridiculous demands is found in their request that a World Cup quality venue be built in Manaus, Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n The problem is that this stadium is virtually unusable today for the poor residents of Manaus who cannot afford the ticket prices to attend a game.<\/p>\n Oh, and there is the fact that Manaus, though a large city, is more than an hour from the next populated city in Brazil and there are no roads to travel there.<\/p>\n This is why, when the stadium was being constructed they had to float construction materials up the Amazon just to get it there. Look at what this report<\/a> says about the stadium in Manaus,<\/p>\n \u201cThe Arena da Amazonia is located in Manaus, Brazil. Manaus is in the middle of the Amazon and very hard to travel to. The stadium took 4 years to build. It\u2019s estimated to have cost the Brazilian government $220-$300 million. Three workers died during construction. It\u2019s one of 12 stadiums Brazil built for the 2014 World Cup. The stadium was used for just 4 matches during the World Cup. It was also used for a few matches during the 2016 Olympics.<\/em><\/p>\n Now it sits mostly unused. . . . Most local matches bring in fewer than 1,000 people.<\/em><\/p>\n The stadium took in $180,000 in the first 4 months of 2016, while spending about $560,000 in operating costs. It\u2019s not the first<\/em>\u00a0stadium to sit mostly unused<\/em><\/a>\u00a0after being used for just a few big events. It probably won\u2019t be the last.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So much for helping a country with its infrastructure. FIFA\u2019s idea of infrastructure is to provide a stadium that is more costly to maintain than it generates in revenue.<\/p>\n The end result is that the World Cup in 2014 devastated Brazil\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n This is why, once the people of Brazil realized what was happening, they began to protest.<\/p>\n Qatar and the World Cup 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n None of this is a problem, however, for the gas-rich nation of Qatar. Estimates are that Qatar has spent over $220 billion (with a \u201cB\u201d) on stadiums, transportation, hotels, and the like to host the games.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the real kicker: the city scheduled to host the finals, Lusail City, didn\u2019t even exist at the time Qatar won the bid. Qatar built an entirely new city<\/a>, about 15km north of Doha, to accommodate the tournament.<\/p>\n Now imagine what $220 billion could be better spent on. Of course, this is a futile exercise, because it\u2019s unlikely that, should the World Cup have been taken away from Qatar, the $220 billion would have been spent on education, poverty relief, or even growing the game of soccer among the poor.<\/p>\n Why would Qatar want to host the World Cup?<\/strong><\/h2>\n Qatar\u2019s goal has been, among other things, to improve its image and increase tourism in the years to come. (NB: this article on ESPN.com<\/a> provides more insights into why Qatar is willing to spend $220 billion to host the World Cup even though they receive none of the proceeds from the tournament itself).<\/p>\n One of Qatar\u2019s main efforts has been to improve its global image\u2014thus increasing tourism. In fact, if you want to travel and enjoy the World Cup in person, Qatar will pay for your travel and hotel costs. <\/strong>All you have to do is agree to provide positive social media content<\/strong> regarding Qatar during the time of your stay! (See this article on Yahoo.com<\/a> for more info).<\/p>\n Qatar and human rights<\/strong><\/h2>\n You might be thinking that I am looking down on a nation for spending money trying to improve its image and thus increase its wealth. Well, not exactly.<\/p>\n When it comes to a World Cup in Qatar, it is not just the expense of building the infrastructure and asking if the money could have been better spent. There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.<\/p>\n These concerns have been raised by virtually every global human rights organization: Amnesty International<\/a>, in fact, has called the 2022 World Cup, \u201cthe World Cup of Shame\u201d. See also the report by Human Rights Watch<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among the human rights concerns are the thousands of deaths that have resulted from the construction of the needed infrastructure. (see podcast series: \u201cThe Lords of Soccer\u201d).<\/p>\n Although the government of Qatar says that only a few deaths have occurred in the construction leading up to the World Cup, human rights organizations have counted thousands. What accounts for the difference?<\/p>\n The government of Qatar only counts the deaths of those who died while building the World Cup venues themselves. The fact is, however, that the number of deaths of all workers who have died during the construction of all projects related to the World Cup totals in the thousands (the British newspaper the Guardian reports<\/a> over 6,500 deaths).<\/p>\n This is to say nothing of the horrendous working conditions of the migrant workers, which can only be described as \u201cslavery\u201d (see numerous reports from Human Rights Watch<\/a> and others).<\/p>\n NB: For more details, the 1 hour ESPN E:60<\/a> report with Jeremy Schaap is worth your time.<\/em><\/p>\n Why would FIFA grant Qatar the World Cup? <\/strong><\/h2>\n So, how did Qatar win the bid in the first place? The answer is, of course, they paid for it<\/strong>! This is no industry secret: See ESPN special with interviews<\/a> of those who witnessed Qatar officials paying bribes for votes; see also this report<\/a>; which details the bribes paid to earn the votes needed to secure the World Cup.<\/p>\n What does this mean for us?<\/h2>\n Well as a sports fan, I am indeed going to watch the games. But I am also going to weep.<\/strong><\/p>\n I noted in my last post, my love for travel. Well, if there was ever a place to see\u2014in the winter months of course\u2014it would be Qatar. They didn\u2019t spend all that money on nothing!<\/p>\n The problem is that traveling to Qatar and enjoying the beauty they have created\u2014which I am sure would indeed be a lot of fun\u2014cannot be done without an awareness that its splendor was shaped largely on the backs of slaves, thousands of whom died.<\/p>\n Now, I am not saying you shouldn\u2019t go. Nor am I saying that you shouldn\u2019t watch the World Cup. (I already have my favorite teams set to record so that, if time allows, I won\u2019t miss a match)<\/p>\n I am saying that, just as when we travel to the Pyramids in Egypt or the Coliseum in Rome, we need to reserve time for weeping.<\/p>\n Sure it is beautiful. Sure it displays the capabilities of human achievements. Sure the games will be a pleasure to watch\u2014as long as one of my teams win of course.<\/p>\n But it also displays what happens when those in power use their power to accomplish their own ends and they do so at the expense of the poor and the marginalized.<\/p>\n We cannot walk the streets of Qatar, or many of the ancient cities, without realizing the men and women gave their lives so that others may prosper.<\/p>\n We cannot watch the World Cup from our homes without the realization that tens of thousands of people endured horrific working conditions and thousands died so that we can enjoy a sporting event.<\/p>\n What does this have to do with the Beast?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have been arguing that the Beast is empire. Empires exert power to impose their will on their subjects.<\/p>\n As I said in a previous post, those in power often have as their first priority the aim to stay in power. Empires most often rule at the expense of the people. The mass of people labor so that the few may profit.<\/p>\n This was most certainly the way of empire in ancient Rome. And this is certainly what Jesus was countering when He told His disciples that they are not to rule like the nations (Mark 10:42-45).<\/p>\n Perhaps, however, one of the greatest sources of power is the ability to control the narrative. In the book of Revelation, Satan is referred to as: \u201cthe serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world\u201d (Rev 12:9).<\/p>\n Thus, Qatar\u2019s efforts to pay for your trip for positive social media exposure should alert us that something more is going on.<\/p>\n Let me close with this thought. Qatar is merely doing what empires do.<\/p>\n ***And we too easily look past this because of the love of the game! Because we love sports, we look past the human rights violations.<\/p>\n This behavior is known in the human rights world as Sportswashing<\/a><\/em>: a \u201ccatch-all phrase applied to any country or regime with questionable human rights records or autocratic rulers who wield their financial power to acquire prestigious roles and stakes within the sporting world.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n That is but just an example of what the Beast does!<\/p>\n I said in post #1 of this series: \u201cunderstanding what the book of Revelation (and the whole of the Bible) says about the nature of the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world is of utmost significance. This is especially the case for the western church in the early part of the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century.\u201d<\/p>\n Then I added, \u201cit is my conviction that much of the western church has largely fallen prey to the Beast of Revelation 13. And, I would add, we have also been seduced by the Harlot of Revelation 17-18.\u201d<\/p>\n Then in post #3, I reiterated that as I discuss further what the Beast is and what it may mean for us today, \u201cI am not sure you will like what I have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Now my question is, \u201cdo we not like it, or are we becoming uncomfortable, because we are beginning to see that the Beast is not simply \u2018over there\u2019? Could it be that the Beast is a lot closer than we think?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more\/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link<\/span><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.<\/p>\n If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app <\/b>simply download the \u201ctithe.ly<\/span><\/a> church\u201d app on your smartphone and insert \u201cdeterminetruth\u201d as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the \u201cblog\u201d icon and it will automatically load.<\/p>\n If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me<\/span><\/a> tab on this site.<\/p>\n Remember that our friends at Hearts & Minds<\/b><\/span><\/a>, an independent bookstore in central Pennsylvania, have offered to give our listeners a 20% off on nearly anything ordered. Just mention Determinetruth\u00a0<\/b>and they will get back to you promptly with personalized service like you rarely see these days.<\/p>\n \n<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6).\u00a0 In case you didn\u2019t know, and if you didn\u2019t then you are among a small minority on the entire planet who didn\u2019t know, the World Cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[226,12,268,277,271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beast","category-biblical-interpretation","category-fifa","category-qatar","category-world-cup-2022"],"yoast_head":"\nRome wasn\u2019t built in a night. 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There are, and have been, major human rights concerns with Qatar long before they were awarded the World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/determinetruth\/2022\/11\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Determinetruth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rob.dalrymple.79\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-21T08:33:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-09T23:28:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1298\/2022\/11\/Courtesy-ESPN-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rob Dalrymple\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@RobDalrymple\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rob Dalrymple\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/determinetruth\/2022\/11\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/determinetruth\/2022\/11\/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-night-but-qatar-sure-seems-to-have-been-the-beast-7\/\",\"name\":\"Rome wasn\u2019t built in a night. 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