Bible Study What were they able to accomplish?

[Chopper]

Genesis 11:6 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.

I have often wondered about this passage of Scripture in light of what man has been able to accomplish in the last 100 years. The Babel Builders erected a tall building and tower. Modern Man has walked on the moon as well as other accomplishments where they can peer into outer space with their massive telescopes.

I have also wondered what these Babel Builders really had in mind if God had left them alone....What do you think that God meant when He said, "nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them."

Here's my guess; they were exercising their independence from their Almighty Creator and were in defiance of His orders to populate the earth. They wanted to stay together so that they could accomplish great things without the aid of God.

It is my guess that they would eventually find a way to make it back to where the Garden of Eden was and eat of the fruit from the tree of life and therefore live forever despite God's decree that they would surely die....God had to put a stop to their thoughts and future ambitions.

 

[Brother Mike]

Genesis 11:6 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.

I have often wondered about this passage of Scripture in light of what man has been able to accomplish in the last 100 years. The Babel Builders erected a tall building and tower. Modern Man has walked on the moon as well as other accomplishments where they can peer into outer space with their massive telescopes.

I have also wondered what these Babel Builders really had in mind if God had left them alone....What do you think that God meant when He said, "nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them."

Here's my guess; they were exercising their independence from their Almighty Creator and were in defiance of His orders to populate the earth. They wanted to stay together so that they could accomplish great things without the aid of God.

It is my guess that they would eventually find a way to make it back to where the Garden of Eden was and eat of the fruit from the tree of life and therefore live forever despite God's decree that they would surely die....God had to put a stop to their thoughts and future ambitions.

Blessings Chopper. God is certainly not going to stop progress. Jesus said without me, ye can do nothing, and without the God of Israel you can do nothing also. So, their great progress would not have been the issue.

If you remember though, just a few chapters back...............

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
(Gen 6:12)



And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, 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 the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
(Gen 11:1-9)

You have a large group of people, they can communicate with everyone else on earth, they have come together, and nothing is fenced off from them, withholden from them, or nothing they can't gather. Also it's what they imagined to be doing.

This scenario present a issue that occurred in Genesis chapter 6. If all one people are running off the cliff, then the whole planet goes down again.

If they all imagine to serve God, and do right, then no problems. They had an idea though that was not from God and were following that idea.

They were following the idea's of someone else.

Go to, 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

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For 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, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
(Isa 14:12-14)

We can see who they were listening to and following, and why God scattered them. If God had not scattered them, back to finding another Noah, and flooding this time was not an option.

Mike

 

[selihah]

In this case I think Biblical information is scanty at best, leaving us only to ponder over such statements. One source of information I like to peruse from time to time is the Jewish Encyclopedia. In it I usually find pretty good scientific, archeological, biblical, rabbinic and other sources of information regarding questions like yours.

It's for me a great starting point which can lead to other sources of more in-depth opinions. And as you may find out after reading through it you are good company as far your opinion here is concerned.

http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2279-babel-tower-of

Peace.

 

[Chopper]

Blessings Chopper. God is certainly not going to stop progress. Jesus said without me, ye can do nothing, and without the God of Israel you can do nothing also. So, their great progress would not have been the issue.

If you remember though, just a few chapters back...............

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
(Gen 6:12)



And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, 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 the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
(Gen 11:1-9)

You have a large group of people, they can communicate with everyone else on earth, they have come together, and nothing is fenced off from them, withholden from them, or nothing they can't gather. Also it's what they imagined to be doing.

This scenario present a issue that occurred in Genesis chapter 6. If all one people are running off the cliff, then the whole planet goes down again.

If they all imagine to serve God, and do right, then no problems. They had an idea though that was not from God and were following that idea.

They were following the idea's of someone else.

Go to, 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

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For 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, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
(Isa 14:12-14)

We can see who they were listening to and following, and why God scattered them. If God had not scattered them, back to finding another Noah, and flooding this time was not an option.

Mike

Thanks Mike for your knowledgeable reply. It seems that mankind has always had an independent spirit. Adam and Eve, prompted by Satan started it off and that spirit showed up with Nimrod leading the way for his Babel Builders. I read somewhere that Nimrod may have been in fear of another flood not being aware of the Covenant with Noah. The result was to build their tower so high that they would be safe in their tower. One has to know that the tower that they were building was massive. A similar structure called a Ziggurat was at least 150 x 200 feet at the base. I would imagine that the Babel tower was probably larger to support the height that they planned.

 

[th1b.taylor]

A grand subject to ponder, Chopper.
What I see, in spite of my former addiction to science and science fiction, is man devolving. God created Adam perfect but when Sin entered the mix, perfection left, of necessity. We were created in the image of God and as we look at, just, the life span and it's steady decline from almost a thousand years (969, Methuselah) to our three score and ten today, it becomes apparent that something, serious, is happening over the past six or about six thousand years.

There is an instance, a living metaphor, that I have found to be perfect for what was going on in Bable in that day. When the Allies defeated Germany and Japan, we did not destroy the evil found there, no, we imported it, as quickly and as quietly as possible. (A very un-godlike action.)

All the research documents and some of it's best scientists of the Japanese Nuclear Project were seized even though we had, by the grace of God, succeeded where they had not. And, today, we have, on the Earth, two competing Space Exploration Programs that are the direct result of importing documentation and scientists from the Third Reich. And today the Russians and the USA are working, at one another's throat, but) together to explore what we have no real need of.

I do not find, in the scriptures, where God wants us to be city dwellers. And though most city dwellers think farmers slow and ignorant, the South, to this day is thought to be the Bible belt. I believe there are more lessons than we are likely to extract in our life-times for this passage but one, clearly seen, is God sent them to live apart and thus, back to growing crops to feed themselves and their offspring.

I do not, for a single moment, believe we are as capable as people were in this day but because we, once again, live on top of one another, sin is going rampant once more.

 

[Deborah13]

Personally I think that it was always God's plan to have different tribes of people spread out across the earth. Babel and one language was preventing that. So God stopped it.

 

[Sinthesis]

Consider the difference in the accomplishments of the various Mesopotamian cultures divided into multiple competing city-states, versus the accomplishment of the united (upper and lower) Egyptian empire. Abraham was commanded to leave the former, and later found refuge from famine in the latter under his son Joseph.

 

[ezrider]

Thanks Mike for your knowledgeable reply. It seems that mankind has always had an independent spirit. Adam and Eve, prompted by Satan started it off and that spirit showed up with Nimrod leading the way for his Babel Builders. I read somewhere that Nimrod may have been in fear of another flood not being aware of the Covenant with Noah. The result was to build their tower so high that they would be safe in their tower. One has to know that the tower that they were building was massive. A similar structure called a Ziggurat was at least 150 x 200 feet at the base. I would imagine that the Babel tower was probably larger to support the height that they planned.

If I were to take a guess as to the size of the tower, then I would say it was probably 375 W x 375 L x 375 H, that being 375 miles or 3,000 furlongs. I would have to imagine that it would have had to challenge the measurements of New Jerusalem as given in Rev 21.

 

[th1b.taylor]

If I were to take a guess as to the size of the tower, then I would say it was probably 375 W x 375 L x 375 H, that being 375 miles or 3,000 furlongs. I would have to imagine that it would have had to challenge the measurements of New Jerusalem as given in Rev 21.

What is the basis for those measurements, please.

 

[Brother Mike]

What is the basis for those measurements, please.

The book of Jubliee has the tower at about 1.6 miles high........... 8,000 some feet about 7 World trade centers stacked on each other.
That seems a bit exaggerated, Then again, I was not there.

Mike

 

[ezrider]

What is the basis for those measurements, please.

I already gave it to you.

 

[Sinthesis]

I already gave it to you.

Your guess is not consistent with scripture.

 

[th1b.taylor]

I already gave it to you.

Not so, 1200 furlongs = 241.4061k = 150 miles. And if you have actually made this error, how do you ever connect this to the Tower. You might not be but you seem to be egging me again but it will not work, I hurt to much to care right now. Please, connect the dots and show all of us what a good man you are.

 

[th1b.taylor]

The book of Jubliee has the tower at about 1.6 miles high........... 8,000 some feet about 7 World trade centers stacked on each other.
That seems a bit exaggerated, Then again, I was not there.

Mike

I've seen those numbers somewhere before but that is quite a bit different and as fantastic an operation as that would be I, like you, will reserve judgement on those fruits until the Master informs us of the truth.

 

[Chopper]

A grand subject to ponder, Chopper.
What I see, in spite of my former addiction to science and science fiction, is man devolving. God created Adam perfect but when Sin entered the mix, perfection left, of necessity. We were created in the image of God and as we look at, just, the life span and it's steady decline from almost a thousand years (969, Methuselah) to our three score and ten today, it becomes apparent that something, serious, is happening over the past six or about six thousand years.

There is an instance, a living metaphor, that I have found to be perfect for what was going on in Bable in that day. When the Allies defeated Germany and Japan, we did not destroy the evil found there, no, we imported it, as quickly and as quietly as possible. (A very un-godlike action.)

All the research documents and some of it's best scientists of the Japanese Nuclear Project were seized even though we had, by the grace of God, succeeded where they had not. And, today, we have, on the Earth, two competing Space Exploration Programs that are the direct result of importing documentation and scientists from the Third Reich. And today the Russians and the USA are working, at one another's throat, but) together to explore what we have no real need of.

I do not find, in the scriptures, where God wants us to be city dwellers. And though most city dwellers think farmers slow and ignorant, the South, to this day is thought to be the Bible belt. I believe there are more lessons than we are likely to extract in our life-times for this passage but one, clearly seen, is God sent them to live apart and thus, back to growing crops to feed themselves and their offspring.

I do not, for a single moment, believe we are as capable as people were in this day but because we, once again, live on top of one another, sin is going rampant once more.

A good reply there. I believe you have hit on a very big problem with mankind. I've been watching the Military Channel and they just ran a series on "Nazi Hunters" which covered these war criminals who were German scientists. The U.S. wanted them before the Russians could get their hands on them so that our war machine with rockets would gain superiority over the world. So, they gave them a free ride here called "paperclip".

 

[Chopper]

If I were to take a guess as to the size of the tower, then I would say it was probably 375 W x 375 L x 375 H, that being 375 miles or 3,000 furlongs. I would have to imagine that it would have had to challenge the measurements of New Jerusalem as given in Rev 21.

I do agree that the base of that structure had to be huge. The tower itself had to be as big as would hold the population of those building the tower. I read some history on the building of the tower and whoever did not want to engage in the work of construction, or couldn't for some reason, would not be allowed in the tower.

 

[ezrider]

Not so, 1200 furlongs = 241.4061k = 150 miles. And if you have actually made this error, how do you ever connect this to the Tower.

Revelation 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

12,000 furlong = 1,500 miles
/ foursquare sides
= 3,000 furlong or 375 miles per side

Now whether it is that size or nor, it goes to show the enormity of it.

You might not be but you seem to be egging me again but it will not work, I hurt to much to care right now.

If would would please go back and look, I did not address you in this thread. I only responded to your questioning of the basis for the numbers that I posted.

Please, connect the dots and show all of us what a good man you are.

There are no dots to connect. The one has nothing to do with the other, and yet at the same time there is much similarity and contrast between the two. It is only but for your imagination to explore them.

Chopper presented a good question in his OP. Brother Mike followed up presenting the preceding scriptures from Genesis 11 and highlighted the portion of the scripture that read "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;" I thought to myself there is only one city whose city reaches into the heavens, and that city is New Jerusalem.

I have absolutely no idea how big the original city and tower of Babel was, nor is it of any real great importance to me. My point was if they were going to make a name for themselves and build a tower that reached to the heavens, then the standard to measure such a structure would be the one city that we are told does reach into the heavens above and the earth beneath.

.

 

[Brother Mike]

Revelation 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

12,000 furlong = 1,500 miles
/ foursquare sides
= 3,000 furlong or 375 miles per side

Now whether it is that size or nor, it goes to show the enormity of it.




If would would please go back and look, I did not address you in this thread. I only responded to your questioning of the basis for the numbers that I posted.




There are no dots to connect. The one has nothing to do with the other, and yet at the same time there is much similarity and contrast between the two. It is only but for your imagination to explore them.

Chopper presented a good question in his OP. Brother Mike followed up presenting the preceding scriptures from Genesis 11 and highlighted the portion of the scripture that read "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;" I thought to myself there is only one city whose city reaches into the heavens, and that city is New Jerusalem.

I have absolutely no idea how big the original city and tower of Babel was, nor is it of any real great importance to me. My point was if they were going to make a name for themselves and build a tower that reached to the heavens, then the standard to measure such a structure would be the one city that we are told does reach into the heavens above and the earth beneath.

.

Yes, it was a city (With a tower) We actually added the name "Tower of Babel" Hence I highlighted the scripture to draw attention to that.

The new city will have 2 million miles of real estate.

View attachment 6943

 

[th1b.taylor]

Revelation 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

12,000 furlong = 1,500 miles
/ foursquare sides
= 3,000 furlong or 375 miles per side

Now whether it is that size or nor, it goes to show the enormity of it.

Okay, My error but I have heard it taught that the Angel measured one side, all that is required for it is foursquare or if the southern or the northern borders were to sit one corner in downtown Houston and go westward the next corner would fall inside LA, Calif, still not 375 miles and to be honest, even with our modern ovens and the ability, they did not have, to collect High Grade Clay, without trucks, trains, highways, tracks, tressels and on and on, it could not happen and remember, God was not in this.

 

[th1b.taylor]

Chopper presented a good question in his OP. Brother Mike followed up presenting the preceding scriptures from Genesis 11 and highlighted the portion of the scripture that read "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;" I thought to myself there is only one city whose city reaches into the heavens, and that city is New Jerusalem.

This all depends on where you line you perspective from and in what direction. there are two Heavens that are reachable and any farmer that has never been to NYC would say the buildings reach the clouds or heaven.