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Was the tower completed? It should be noted that
the builders evidently finished the tower, for the work
was stopped on the city only (Gen 11:4, 8)!
Did The Tower Really Reach Heaven?
"And they said. Go to, let us build us a city and a
tower, whose top may reach (omit) unto heaven; and let
us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the
face of the whole earth'9 (Gen 11:4).
It should be noted that there are no words in the
Hebrew text for "may reach," which means that there is
nothing Biblically to suggest that the height of the tower
was to reach into the distant heavens. Instead, the top
portrayed the heavens. The meaning is that the top would
be dedicated to, or would depict the heavens, with signs
of the zodiac portrayed on it as visible objects to worship.
Tie religious associations of the tower are
strengthened by the similarity of this tower built by the
first king of Babylon on a plain with the statue built by
Nebuchadnezzar on the plain ofDura, also in Babylon.
It may be that the locations are identical. There is
a certain continuity of theme to be found in present Arab
leaders (kings of Babylon) showing a distinct liking for
large monuments and religious imagery expressed in big
building projects. Saddam Hussein, claiming to be Ihe
latter day Nebuchadnezzar, tried to rebuild Babylon and
fill the area with religious towers and shrines that
glorified himself.
"Let us make brick" is literally "let us make
ourselves Laban" (Gen 11:3).
This passage continues the Arab connection,
seeing that Laban's persecution of Jacob typifies that of
Israel by the Arabs, especially in the last days.
The Babel passage is the account of Arab growth
in Genesis 10, and that Babel was built under Arab
auspices. Bearing in mind the certain Arab domination of
Israel in the last days, it is surely justifiable to see in this
record a hint of a latter day Arab-led coalition.
The tower being built of baked clay and mortar
and being effectively destroyed by the Lord's "coming
down" inevitably connects with the feet of the statue,
which Daniel interpreted, when in Babylon.
The feet were "mixed (Heb. arab) with miry
clay" (Dan 2:41), again foreshadowing a last day
Moslem connection of the beast.
Isaiah 41:25 also springs to mind, speaking of the
Second Coming, "He shall come... he shall come upon
princes as upon mortal, and as the potter treadeth clay."
It has been shown (Colin's book titled: The
Revelation of the Beast) that the image in Daniel 2 can be
interpreted in a primarily Arab context, and that the
Babel-builders are also primarily Arab.
"They journeyed from the east...they said...they
builded" in Genesis 11 probably refers in large part to the
Arab peoples listed in Genesis 10.
The King of Babylon
"Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation (i.e. the
Temple Mount), in the sides of the north (Jerusalem -
Psa 48:2)...yet thou shall be brought down,.. that they (his
children) do not rise nor possess the land, nor fill the face
of the world with cities " Isa 14:13,14,15,21).
This last phrase is definitely alluding to the
record ofNimrod*s city building program as detailed in
Genesis 10:9-11. Tie "king of Babylon" of Isaiah 14 can
refer with equal relevance to either Nebuchadnezzar or to
Sennacherib, both of whose invasions of Israel are typical
of that which is to occur in the last days.
Noah's Day
"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be " (Matt 24:38).
According to our Lord's parallel, similar
conditions that existed during the era of Noah will
dominate the era just prior to the return of our Lord. Is
there a parallel?
"And it came to pass, when men began to
multiply on the face of the earth" (Gen 6:1).
The following chart from the World Almanac
will verify that we are truly in an age of not just an
increase in population - but of a population explosion!
During Noah's Day, there also seemed to have
been a great accumulation of knowledge and skills in the
arts and sciences.
Genesis 4:22 describes Tubal-cain (contemporary
with Noah) as "an instructor of every artificer in brass
and iron," hinting at technical education and
industrialization. This becomes even more significant
when one considers the so-called "free trade" among the
industrialized nations today and that rather than
"independence," the nations, including the U.S.. is now
bound by what is politically termed "inter-dependence."
Unfortunately, that means as one goes, so are all affected.
Similarly, Jubal was the "father of all such as
handle the harp and organ" (Gen 4:21).
REVIVING BABEL Page 2
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