Studies in the Prophecies
“Babylon the Great”—No. 1
INSPIRED history gives the following account of the origin of that remarkable city, Babylon: “And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” The time was about a century after the flood. The place was “the land of Shinar,” “the ancient name of the great alluvial tract through which the Tigris and Euphrates pass before reaching the sea—the tract known in later times as Chaldea or Babylonia.” That which incited them to build the city was the fear lest they should be “scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” This attempt to keep a large number of people together in one place was directly4contrary to the purpose of God and the instruction which he had given to “multiply, and replenish the earth.” The purpose in building the city, and the tower “whose top may reach unto heaven,” was to seek to learn through human wisdom the cause of the flood, and to provide against the possibility of being destroyed by another flood. “The dwellers on the plain of Shinar disbelieved God’s covenant that he would not again bring a flood upon the earth. Many of them denied the existence of God, and attributed the flood to the operation of natural causes. . . . By carrying the structure [the tower] to a much greater height than was reached by the waters of the flood, they thought to place themselves beyond all possibility of danger. And as they would be able to ascend to the region of the clouds, they hoped to ascertain the cause of the flood. The whole undertaking was designed to exalt still further the pride of its projectors, and to turn the minds of future generations away from God, and lead them into idolatry.” This flagrant manifestation of the spirit of rebellion against God, and this open attempt to counterwork his purpose, called for divine interposition. In mercy the God of heaven interfered with their plans in order that the rebellious spirit might not be strengthened in the hearts of men to such an extent that grace and forgiveness would be utterly spurned. The divine gift of speech was being perverted to persuade men into a united attempt to resist the purpose of God for the salvation of the world. The power to do this was therefore limited by introducing a variety of languages so that they could not understand one another’s speech. As the result of this confusion “they left off building the city.” The circumstances which attended the defeat of their purpose gave the permanent name to the city which they began to build. “Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth.” “The monument to their pride became the memorial of their folly.” Thus the very foundations of Babylon were laid in rebellion against God. The city and the tower represented an organized movement to thwart the purposes of God, and the tower-builders were simply putting some of their own ideas into concrete form. They were giving expression to their feeling of independence of God, of their own ability to solve the problem of the divine government and to provide salvation for themselves. It was the climax of self-assertion. It was such a profession of man’s power to reach heaven by lifting himself through his own efforts as, if unrebuked, would greatly strengthen the pride of the human heart, and thus open the way for the prince of this world to bind men more strongly in his service. It was the creed of self-righteousness—righteousness by works—expressed in stone and mortar, and designed to appeal to generations yet unborn. But God did not permit their purpose to be accomplished. From heaven itself it was proclaimed, by a visitation of divine wrath, that there is no way of self-salvation, and that the connection between heaven and earth must be made by the ladder from heaven rather than by the tower from the earth. Righteousness by faith was the truth of the gospel then as now. Any perversion of this heaven-born provision for restoring man to the image of God and of establishing again the divine government in unity and peace would lead to confusion worse confounded. “There are tower-builders in our time. Infidels construct their theories from the supposed deductions of science, and reject the revealed word of God. They presume to pass sentence upon God’s moral government; they despise his law, and boast of the sufficiency of human reason. . . . In the professedly Christian world, men turn away from the plain teachings of the Bible, and build up a creed from human speculations and pleasing fables; and they point to their tower as a way to climb up to heaven. Men hang with admiration upon the lips of eloquence while it teaches that the transgressor shall not die, that salvation may be secured without obedience to the law of God. If the professed followers of Christ would accept God’s standard, it would bring them into unity; but so long as human wisdom is exalted above his Holy Word, there will be divisions and dissensions. . . . The time of God’s investigation is at hand. The Most High will come down to see that which the children of men have builded. His sovereign power will be revealed; the works of human pride will be laid low.”