For God So Loved The World

Christmas is a time of hope and blessings, a celebration of life and salvation. The Scriptures teach us that children are a blessing from God. It has also been said that the birth of each new child is a sign that God has not yet given up on this world. That was never more true than the night two thousand years ago when the Son of Man was born in Bethlehem; born to bring the hope of salvation and the blessing of eternal life.

During a sermon in 1926, Reverend James Allan Francis summarized the profound impact of life of Jesus Christ:

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village as the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty and then for three years was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness.

He had no credentials but himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of his divine manhood. While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. Another betrayed him.

He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon the cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth while he was dying, and that was his coat. When he was dead, he was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he is the center of the human race and the leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon the earth as powerfully as has this one solitary life.

No one can predict the headlines in the weeks and months ahead, but we can rest assured that one day every head will bow and every knee will bend before the King of Kings.

Understanding The Mystery Of The Trinity

Most people become perplexed and confused when faced with the biblical concept of the one true God comprising three persons. The reason is that we have finite minds and live in a finite world where everything including our lives has a beginning and an end. We understand only what we experience and know about the natural world around us.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  (Genesis 1:26-27)

Consider if you will, for the sake of your own understanding, that the Creator of the universe as we know it, exists in an eternal parallel universe or another dimension outside the constraints of time where there is no yesterday no tomorrow, only an eternal present. We can know from the first chapter in Genesis that the Creator refers to himself as "US" indicating that more than one person is the co-creator of all things. We know that God the father, is the primary person of great magnificence and almighty power that emanates through the will of His Spirit. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) 

He is also imbued with another persona, the Son. They have always co-existed in a dimension outside of time in an eternal universe. 

The thought that man is created in the image of God may seem overwhelming but it will be helpful in understanding the trinity. It has nothing to do with our appearance being at all anything like God, however it alludes to the fact that we are tripartite beings just as God is. We have a Spirit just as God the Father is Spirit, our spirit comes from God and gives us our innate God consciousness. We have a physical body just as God the son, and we have a soul or ego from which emanates our personality. Three distinct parts in one being that all work together.

God knew beforehand that man would fail Him (sin), He established the penalty of death for mankind's failure. In order for God to rescue His creation by offering Himself to pay the price for all the sins of mankind He would have to leave His eternal place and be born into this dimension governed by time, this is the motive and destiny of His Son, as the sacrifice and payment for the sins of man.

"In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:1-3)

In human terms it is difficult to contemplate a virgin giving birth, and yet not difficult at all for God who spoke the entire universe and everything in it into existence from nothing willed through His Holy Spirit.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35)

Hopefully the foregoing will give us all new insights as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Christ the Savior who is also known to many Jews as Yeshua the Messiah.

The Antichrist

Ever since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ people down through the ages have wondered who this Antichrist might be. The following refers to the signs of the times and the end of the age: 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 3-14)

Jesus made it clear to the apostles that there would be many antichrists. Here John says, "Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 

(1John 2:18-19) 

John is referring to false teachers preaching heresy that abound in every society but he also alludes to a specific person as Antichrist which has left believers open to a lot of curiosity and speculation as to who this individual might be and exactly when they will appear.

History has already shown us one type of the last days antichrist in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes, a Greek tyrant of the 2nd century B.C. He was a vicious enemy of the Jewish people, outlawing Judaism and desecrating the sacred temple with pig blood and setting up idols to be worshipped while considering himself Deus Ad Dominum.

However Jesus made the timing quite clear when he said, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake." Jesus is referring to The Great Tribulation of the church and of all believers. Here it is referred to again to John on the Isle of Patmos where he was given a look at events that were yet to come.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

(Revelation 6:9-11)

Recent news indicates that the murder of Christians and Jews has increased exponentially over the last few years with the advent of the "Arab 

Spring." The predominantly Islamic nations have been raging against those they refer to as "The People Of The Book," referring to those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, specifically Jews and Christians. 

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (1John 4:2-3) 

Rather than wonder who is the antichrist we need to consider what is the antichrist and recognize that these verses indicate antichrist is a spirit which is manifested in human beings who deny God and His Christ. The god of the Islamic world is a demonic entity of darkness, hatred, death, that disavows the One True God and His son Jesus Christ, whereas the God of Christians and Jews is a God of light, love and life. Here we have clearly identified the Antichrist of the last days that precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. We can conclude that antichrist is an attitude emanating from an evil spirit.

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever Amen." Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” and I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9-14)

There are teachers who insist that believers won't suffer in spite of these scripture verses, and that they will be miraculously raptured out of the way, however this is inconsistent with bible history. One need only ask themselves if believers today are somehow special and more deserving of escaping the sufferings of early Christians who were sawn in two, burned at the stake, eaten by lions, crucified and murdered in droves as they have been down through the ages for their faith.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world (Hebrews 1:1-2) 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26)

Time to consider where you stand, with God or the Antichrist? Ask Jesus (Yeshua) who is Co-Creator of the universe with the father to come into your life as Lord and Savior.

Defining True Faith

Faith has always been a difficult concept for many to fully understand and they often assume that believing that God exists is sufficient, which is far from the truth! Believing is a start, and is foundational to what may become real true faith, but believing is only a mental assent to something that is. Belief in and of itself cannot be construed as faith. Belief in God calls for a response that begins within the heart beginning with trust. We must trust in the veracity of the existence of Almighty God and that He created the universe and everything in it and controls all things including our own existence and that without Him we would cease to exist.

The Holy Bible says that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear." (Hebrews 11:1-3)

We have belief in God and on that belief we have come to trust in Him, but are those two elements alone sufficient to be considered true faith? There is yet another requirement for true faith and God expects to see us moved to action and begin sharing our belief in Him and the blessings that have been bestowed on us with others. What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:14 & 26) 

One final element which is an absolute requirement and an act of faith is prayer, our communication with God who we cannot see, touch or feel. That act alone is proof to Almighty God that we know He exists and that we trust in Him for all things. "And without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." We can conclude that there are four essential elements for true faith; Belief, Trust, Action and Prayer.

The faith of the entire Christian world is based in the following; "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17) 

Envy And Murder, A Curse In Our Times

Let us revisit an event that happened eons ago and consider how relevant the story is today. 

Here it all began as fallout from the parent's original sin in the garden of Eden where Eve was beguiled by the voice of the tempter who had introduced her to feelings of envy.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. And to Adam God said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; (Genesis 3: 1-6 & 17)

This act of disobedience to God was the moment when envy was conceived on earth, as the tempter appealed to the woman through the lust of the eyes, (the fruit looked appealing), the lust of the flesh, (she could become like God), and the pride of life, (she felt compelled to have it). She took it and ate and gave some to Adam who was complicit and fully responsible as head of the human family, suddenly both knew good and evil and became self aware, exchanging an inherently good nature for one of sin and wrong choices, a trait to be passed on to every generation that followed.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4: 1-7)

Some might think that God had treated Cain unfairly for not accepting his offering, a portion of the fruit from the ground which he had planted and nurtured. One must consider that God had cursed the ground for the sin of Adam and Eve, and that is what made Cain's offering unacceptable. Cain may have known better and could have traded some of his goods with his brother for a lamb to offer God, but he made the prideful decision to present what he had grown from the ground that God had cursed.

The reason Able's sacrifice of a lamb from his flock was acceptable is because, "the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21) It was extremely significant because the first blood sacrifice was made by God Himself on behalf of man as a covering for his nakedness. And it would be by the shedding of the blood of a lamb without blemish or spot that would be acceptable to God. When Able sacrificed a lamb from his flock it was pleasing in the sight of God who looked ahead in time when He Himself would offer His perfect and only begotten Son on a cruel Roman cross as a ransom and a covering for the sins of all mankind.

Cain was filled with envy toward his brother Able who was successful in pleasing God while he himself had been a failure, and his envy grew to malice until he became filled with rage. Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. (Genesis 4: 8)

All this occurred long ago but is repeated continuously throughout the world today. The Islamic world has always envied and hated Jews and Christians who are being murdered in great numbers even as I write. Those who are successful are universally always envied by those who have accomplished little and throughout Western Civilization those who adhere to godly principles of rule and law are generally more successful than those who don't. " A wise man’s heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool’s heart toward the left." (Ecclesiastes 10:2) In today's world God fearing people who live by the rule of law are envied and hated by the typically hedonistic self-absorbed people who shun all previously revered tradition. The rift between the Right and the Left has become a wide chasm whereby the enemies of God and of those who are His attempt to destroy all that is good, perfect and righteous. 

Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. (2 Timothy 3: 2-4)

This is a call for those who wish to be approved by Almighty God to take a stand and ask Jesus into your hearts and lives, He is God's only approved covering for the sins and failures of life. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

The Most Pressing Questions Of Life

Have you come to the place in your spiritual life that you can confidently say that you know for certain that you will eventually go to heaven? Suppose that you were to die tonight and find yourself standing before God, and He asked you why you think He should let you into Heaven?

You might say that you don’t believe in God and that it is simply man’s fantasy. However it is an arrogant and very unwise assumption to make. If there was no God the heavens and earth would cease to exist. "The fool says in his heart there is no God" (Psalm 14:1) 

You might answer saying that you have lived a good life, attended church or synagog faithfully, gave to the poor and supported righteous causes, was a good parent, faithfully supported your spouse and children, obeyed the laws and tried to be a model citizen. 

All of those things are commendable however the scriptures indicate that there is a problem. God loves us but hates our shortcomings (sin), and is sworn to punish it.

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.” (Proverbs 16:2)

“There are those who are pure in their own eyes but are not cleansed of their filth.” (Proverbs 30:12)

The scriptures point out that God is righteous and will punish sin which He will not tolerate. Sin is a word that simply refers to a shortfall from absolute perfection. 

(Habakkuk 1:13) Says of the Lord, “You who art of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wrong.”

“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

Here it becomes evident that no matter how good we try to be that there is nothing we can do to offset even the slightest of life’s failures and that all of our good works are counted as nothing in the face of our sinful nature. It may appear that God may have a confusing dilemma, on one hand He is a loving God and yet He is sworn to punish us for our sins. However God knew from the beginning how helpless His human creation really is and He spoke of His plan of redemption through the prophet Isaiah.

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows,and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1-12) 

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 

(Acts 13:38-39)

We are told to repent, this requires some personal introspection and recognition of the fact that we are not perfect and have faults, and to come to God with a contrite heart and a desire to have a right relationship with Him.

“But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.” 

(Acts 3:18-20)

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

God has shown us what His criteria is for salvation, it has nothing to do with how nice a person we might be, or the fact that we might be religious and attend church or synagog regularly, it is a matter only of God’s grace richly bestowed on those who believe and have faith in His Son the Messiah, that what He did on the cross is sufficient covering for our sins.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

What is the meaning of faith?

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. (Hebrews 11: 1-3)

An excellent example of faith was played out in July of 1859 when Charles Blondin famously walked a 1300 foot tightrope across Niagara Falls while 25,000 people looked on. He asked if they thought he could accomplish such a daring feat, and they cried out “We believe you can do it Blondin!” Following that amazing feat he cried out, “Do you think I can do it with a man on my back?” They said “Yes we believe you can do it too!” He then said, “Who will get on my back then?” Finally his manager Harry Colcord volunteered and with Harry clinging to his back Blondin gave his manager the following instructions: “Look up, Harry you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we will both go to our death.” Faith then is more than just a mental acceptance, it is an absolute trust that requires a response followed by action.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

The Mystery Of Babylon

What is the shared significance of the ancient ziggurat known as the Tower of Babel and later the Babylonian Empire and most recently the World Trade Center?

The Tower of Babel

Modern scholars have associated the Tower of Babel with known structures, notably a ziggurat dedicated to the Mesopotamian god Marduk by Nabopolassar, the king of Babylonia circa 610 BCE, the Great Ziggurat of Babylon.

Now the whole earth had one language and few words. And as men 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 scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 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. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad 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 scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.(Genesis 11: 1-9) 

Babylon

The city of Babylon was situated on the banks of the Euphrates River, the remains of the oldest city are below groundwater level. From written sources, however, we know that the city became important after the fall of the empire of the Third dynasty of Ur, when the Amorites had invaded the area.The Greek word Babylon is a rendering of Babillu, a very old word in an unknown language. When Mesopotamia was infiltrated by Akkadians and Amorites who spoke a Semitic language, they recognized their own words Bâb ("gate") and ili ("gods") and concluded that this place was "the gate of the gods".

King Nebuchadnezzar the son of Nabopolassar ruled from 605 to 562 and is credited with rebuilding his capital as the most splendid city in the Mid-East. It was during his reign that he magnified himself before God and as a result was rendered temporarily insane for a period. 

All this came upon King Nebuchadnez′zar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnez′zar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox; and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnez′zar. He was driven from among men, and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4: 28-33)

The partial answer to our original question is this: The Tower of Babel was the result of the pride of a united people that spoke one language and who were determined to build a tower for themselves that would allow them to reach great heights. What happened at Babylon was essentially no different. A great city composed of people from many nations speaking one tongue both represented but a shadow of things to come. The key word here is “Pride.” 

“In the pride of his countenance the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”(Psalm 10-4)

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 

(Proverbs 16:18)

The World Trade Center

The twin towers of downtown Manhattan’s World Trade Center were a triumph of human imagination and will. Completed in 1973, the towers stood at 110 stories each, accommodating 50,000 workers and 200,000 daily visitors in 10 million square feet of space. They were the hub of the bustling Financial District, a top tourist attraction and a symbol of New York City’s–and America’s–steadfast devotion to progress and the future. Clearly there is much pride and hubris evident in the preceding comments! On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center became the target of a massive terrorist attack that took the lives of nearly 3,000 people. The disaster also radically altered the skyline of New York City, destroying the twin columns of glass and steel that over the years had come to embody the city itself. The impact of the two planes that hit the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, was more devastating than any of the building’s designers and engineers had ever imagined. 

The World Trade Center represented all the nations of world working together and speaking in one unified tongue, controlling the world markets under the flag of a nation having great aspirations, that reach even above the stars. The destruction of the Wold Trade Center was only the beginning of a coming event spoken of in (Revelation Ch.17 & 18) the fall of Babylon the Great! We should read those chapters in light of what we understand so far with an open mind, asking God to reveal His will for each of us, asking Christ to be our Lord and Savior.

Consider that God’s foreshadowing of events is His way of piquing man’s curiosity in order to get him to search for God in all earnestness and find the true reason for that which He has in store for us. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 -10) What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new?” It has been already, in the ages before us. 

Babel and Babylon in Ur of Chaldea, were just a foreshadowing of a much greater future event, just as the sacrificial offerings of sheep and goats were a foreshadowing of the death and resurrection of Christ for the sins of mankind.

The second part of the answer to the original question is found in God’s condemnation of Lucifer for his pride and wanton disobedience. His is the same spirit that drives men to seemingly great endeavors that always results in pridefulness, hubris and arrogance in the face of God which He hates.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!

How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God

I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit.

(Isaiah 14:12 - 15)