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The Tower of Babel.
(Notes by Howard Taylor)

After Noah's flood, next main story is Tower of Babel.

But first remind ourselves of a verse from Noah's flood story: Genesis 6:11, 5-6.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Cross

Not just war - this past century - 100s of millions murdered by state power.

Refresh our memories:
Gen 3. Adam makes himself his own god.
He by himself will decide the difference between good and evil.
Consequences: increasing chaos, moral breakdown and violence.

Further danger.
- He gets tired of chaos and turns to strong govt to bring things to order.
- So govt and state power become his 'god'.
We need nations and govts.
- Danger is when nation state seeks power for its own sake.
- Now men have given over their individual power to State.
- Nation State sets itself against God.
- Called Babylon.
- Means any Nation which uses its power to oppose God.
First read of it in Gen 11.

Later in OT it is the Babylonian Empire that becomes the great oppressor.

Many forms in history. Nazi Power - Fascism.

Rev 18 describes God's final judgenment on the Babylons of this world.
16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
How does it happen that a Nation becomes transformed into a Powerful Beast?
- Reaction against chaos of each individual being his own god.
- Band together.

It can even happen here.
- How can it happen in a democricy?
- We ordinary people expect govts to provide of all our needs: wealth, happy, jobs.
- Instead of depending on family life and Christian fellowship to be the basis of human goodness, govts must do it all for us.

Dependent upon Govt.
- So govts must make themselves, rich and ;powerful so as to be able to satisfy our demand.
- So govt says: we must own everything.
- So govt takes over factories, markets, farms, houses, shops, transport systems.
- So now it thinks it has power to make everyone happy.
- You see we have asked it to be our god and it has accepted our request.
- Extreme left and Extreme Right have in common - own and control everything.
- Govt demands loyalty.
- Hitler and Confirmation services.
- Govts are made of sinful people. (Bible says all have sinned.)
- With all that Power begin to do terrible things.
- Enjoy Power and want to keep it.
- Get rid of anyone who stands in way.

That is how the Babylons of the world get started.
Origin of War.

First hint of this process in Gen 11:3-4
3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

We, Ourselves, Our City will reach heaven.
(Our city will be our god.)
But God does not let it last
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

- Ethnic Confusion.
- Nationalisms.
- People worshipping their own nationality.
- Babylons of this world, rise, frighten the world and then fall.
- Hitler and Stalin came, killed 100s of millions but are now just history.

People who built Tower of Babel wanted to created Nation

State that could bring heaven to earth - can't be done.
==============
There is though, a way for heaven and earth to touch.

Genesis: 28: 10-13a
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder  set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.
What was that ladder?
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Son of Man: Suffering servant.

The way for earth to be brought to heaven is not:
1. We each  become our own god.
2. Nation State becomes our own god.

Cross of Jesus:
- There we see the everlasting love and
- righteousness of God.
- Place where God felt the appalling pain of all the violence of the world, dying for your sins and mine.

No political system is going to give us heaven on earth.
- We need govts and politicians but don't expect them to solve all our problems.
Another city mentioned throughout the Bible:
- City of God. City of Peace.
- Jesus sanctified it by shedding His blood and in it rising from dead.
- Jerusalem.
Not the Jersalem as it is today - a transformed Jerusalem not built by human hands.
- Not built from earth to heaven, but heaven to earth. Rev 21
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place [1] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
More about this city:
22:1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Tree of Life from Garden of Eden is restored there.
- Healing of the nations.
- How they need that healing.
- Will you be a citizen of that city?
Who will be a citizen?
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Robes: Righteousness.
- Like a garment.

Not those with clean robes. (All of us have done wrong).
- Those who have washed their robes.
- Blood of Jesus shed in the old Jerusalem. Is the way of cleansing.

- Put your faith there.

Howard Taylor. (January 2005)

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