Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 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. 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.” (Genesis 11:1–4)

The story of the tower of Babel is the account of prideful people deciding they could elevate themselves through building a ziggurat so high they could knock on heaven’s door and God would need to answer. Isn’t that special. They actually went to a place that was considered God’s special property and expected He would need to come to some sort of agreement with them.

It speaks, doesn’t it, of their view of God. Though they didn’t yet have the Lord’s Prayer to suggest they consider God’s holiness before saying anything else, they had some Mesopotamian ideas and their own interpretations, as well. Such audacity wasn’t unheard of then. During those times kings and tyrants would compete to build the highest structure to challenge the divine order. What’s that you say? Yes, pride goes before a fall, but we also know that during their heydays Egyptians and Romans did just that when they considered their rulers to be gods. I suppose those who disagreed kept their mouths shut.

So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 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. (Genesis 11:8–9)

That right there, folks, is one of the most temperate and creative responses I can think of. Instead of smacking them into oblivion, God multiplied their one language into many. The ones who could understand each other found distinct places to live and nations were formed. He set them in a direction to save them from the terror of having a one-world power.

In the case of the Tower of Babel, God was DONE with those folks who apparently decided they would disseminate the religion of Babylon and substitute its gods for Yahweh. God doesn’t push in that regard. If they didn’t want a relationship with Him, if they didn’t want to honor Him, so be it. He assigned some of the lesser gods (I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit your belief system. You believe in angels, don’t you? What about demons? I don’t want to get off-topic. Just remember that God’s creation is not limited to the planets and everything on the earth. Read Michael Heiser and you’ll feel better. If doing so makes you feel worse, make yourself a cup of chamomile tea, look out the window, and rock back and forth to calm yourself.). As I was saying, God assigned lesser supernatural beings to stand in for Him. The dispersed nations would see what it was like to worship the lesser deities they wanted. And He would choose just one nation to show Himself to. This all happened before Israel existed, mind you. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9)

So when God called Abram out of Mesopotamia, He essentially was making a way for the rebellious, now disinherited, nations to return to Him. Israel would be the one nation, example, and source of a pathway back. It takes awhile (and the Babylon that some in the Old Testament experienced – think Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther Nehemiah, etc. was no picnic) but by the time we reach Pentecost, we understand that the Jews who embraced Jesus would be God’s messengers who tell the others the way back. The nations of the earth can again be under God’s authority through His Son.

As we reflect on a culture that has shrugged its shoulders at people replacing God with themselves – oh what am I saying – a culture that has encouraged its habitants to do so, we must acknowledge it is in stark contrast to who God is and how we should think of Him. In fact, it is the exact opposite. It is reminiscent of Babel – Babylon, if you will.

We are living during a time and in a place in which there is a segment whose desire is to build a Babel tower again in the form of centralized authority. The authority might be governmental, but it could also be financial, religious, or technological. Maybe all four. Maybe more. (Or maybe there are those who already do so under the radar.)

(Let’s take a moment, shall we, to differentiate between disagreement and actual crimes against humanity. Such crimes must be met with swift punishment. Without that response, the victims are again victimized and those who do such things are free to do them over and over and over.) The problem, of course, is that in a corrupted culture, even words are corrupted until everything loses its original meaning making it difficult, if not impossible, to operate with a defined sense of what is right.

If your centralized authority was righteous, it would probably be a very good thing. But I can only think of one person who could manage it: Jesus. And He’s not here (in the physical) yet.

People keep saying this must happen or that must happen for Biblical prophecy to happen next. I think that when we shake our heads at the New Testament people who didn’t recognize the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus’ day, maybe we need to make allowances for us doing the same. Maybe we haven’t recognized Babylon in our own day to day lives because we thought or were taught it would look different. We’re waiting to witness what is and has been already here. If so, shouldn’t we work to, in the words of Clyde Shelton in Law Abiding Citizen, “. . . pull the whole thing down. I’m gonna bring the whole xxx diseased, corrupt temple down on your heads. It’s gonna be biblical”? And let’s clarify, I am not condoning violence of any type or kind. But there are smart ways of “pulling things down”. One is where you put your money and how you use it. Another is seriously understanding the power of prayer to the God above all gods. Another is returning good for evil as counterintuitive as it might seem. Another is speaking truth about all things to all people. As you recall, the truth will set you free. It can also get your killed these days, but we’re told to STAND, to not desert our post – whatever and wherever it may be.

In the book of Revelation, John describes a great prostitute sitting on many waters – nations, if you will. He pictures a terrible beast. And he tells of the destruction of Babylon. That original tower was intended to lead people away from God. It seems to me, doesn’t it to you, that the final Babylon does the same thing. It sacrifices preborn babies and children of all ages. It rejects God’s omniscience.  It’s degenerate. It believes it can take over God’s creation. As far as not being able to buy or sell – I’ll leave it to you to come to your own conclusion. Those who are familiar with scripture know we will experience a sudden financial collapse. Lotta upset gonna happen.

Me? I’m going to take time to be holy, speak oft’ with the Lord, abide in Him always, and feed on His word. You might want to do the same.

Image:pexels-mauborjjaph-8742891.jpg; Sources: Dr. Michael Heiser: theTower of Bable Explained, Remnant Radio, youtube; Jordan Peterson: Why the Tower of Babel Matters in 2025, youtube; https://answersingenesis.org/tower-of-babel/ ; https://www.logos.com/grow/really-happened-tower-babel/ ; Logos Word by Word: The Tower of Babel Story: What Really Happened by Michael Heiser 5/18/22;  https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2014/04/babylonian-mentality; Quote: from the movie Law Abiding Citizen, 2009, directed by F. Gary Gray , starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler; Take Time To Be Holy by William Longstaff, 1890, Public Domain