A Tale of Two Cities

The first story we come to after Noah is the Tower of Babel.  Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about it.

Genesis 11

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.  They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.  Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

This city, Babel, is the birth place of Babylon.  Babylon follows us throughout the Bible and is not only a picture of all things wicked, but of the religion of the world and the Beast that will rule with that religion at the end of the Age.  All through the prophets clear to Revelation at the end of time, we see Babylon.  

What is Babel all about?  Independence from God. “Come let us build ourselves a city and a tower that reached to the heavens, so that we can make a name for ourselves.”  They were bound and determined to exclude God.

And look at what else. God gave Noah the same command he had given to Adam, “Go forth, multiply, and fill the earth.”  What does sinful man do? Go out and build a city.  Notice that, up to this time, only the sinful people were city builders. The first city, remember, was built by Cain.

Let’s go on:

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.  The Lord  said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.   Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”  So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.  That is why it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

So, by God’s confusing of the language of the people, they were scattered like they were supposed to be in the first place.

We are living in a day where the confusion of languages is being reversed.  Type anything into Google Translate and see what it means from almost any language in the world. 

God said that nothing man proposes to do will be impossible for them.  This is important for us to take note of.

After the flood, Noah made a sacrifice to God and God smelled the sweet aroma. God said he would never curse the ground for man’s sake again, and here’s the important part, even though the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, (Genesis 8:21) the flood didn’t solve our sin problem.

When you put together the fact that nothing man proposes to do will be impossible for him and the fact that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, we have quite a situation. If man can think of it and communicate it, there is trouble.  I believe that man’s endeavors will always end up wicked if God is excluded. Just look at the world today.

So, now let’s see what God’s city is like.

Genesis 12 

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.  So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him;

 Hebrews 11:8-10

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Right after the story of The Tower of Babel, we have the story of Abram who became Abraham.  He was likely a contemporary of Nimrod, the king of Babel.  As a matter of fact, there are legends that say that this is the case.  But, while man was building his city, God called Abraham to carry out a plan of His own.

You see, God has a plan for a city too, and has all along. Remember, we have already established that God knew from the very beginning what He was going to bring about.

In Abraham, God found someone who would believe in His promises with no physical evidence, only God’s word that it would happen.  The Bible says Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.

Has that city been built yet?

Jesus said, 
“I go to prepare a place for you.  I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3

Like Abraham who went by faith, we are still waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise.  What does the Bible say about this city?  Let’s see.

Revelation 21:2-4 

And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

God’s city is beyond compare. We can’t even imagine.  The description of the glory of New Jerusalem continues with the streets of gold, the walls of precious stones and the gates of pearl.  
The 22^nd  chapterof Revelation goes on to say,

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

God will restore the perfection of The Garden of Eden and He, in the New Jerusalem, will be in the midst.  In the midst of what?  Us!  Complete restoration is what is in store for us.

Satan always  has a counterfeit for what God has for us.  Unfortunately, most people fall for those counterfeits.

I encourage you to study the word of God so you can recognize the fakes from the real deal and encourage yourself with the hope of God’s promises fulfilled.