Slides: Rebuilding Babel

Rebuilding Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
David Feddes

Rewrite life
Advances in gene editing are enabling us to rewrite the very language of life—and putting us closer to gaining near-complete control of our genetic destiny. We must do so cautiously, and with the utmost respect for the unimaginable power it grants us. (Jennifer Doudna & Samuel Sternberg, A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution)

Designer babies
In the future, parents may be offered the option of selecting for traits that go beyond disease susceptibility and gender and cross into areas like behavior, physical appearance, or even intelligence.  (Jennifer Doudna & Samuel Sternberg, A Crack in Creation)

Godlike control
Possessing exact knowledge of its genes, collective humanity in a few decades can, if it wishes, select a new direction in evolution and move there quickly… humanity will be positioned godlike to take control of its own ultimate fate. (Edward O. Wilson)

Control evolution
Today we can control our own evolution. 
We can decide what genes we give to our children… Already, that is being done to a limited extent with embryo selection in fertility clinics. Even with selective abortions, you are choosing not to put certain genes in your child… The global marketplace will reign supreme. (Lee Silver, Remaking Eden)

Brilliance

• Lamech: first poem recorded in history
• Jabal: tents, domestic livestock
• Jubal: music (strings, woodwinds)
• Tubal-Cain: metal tools changed farming, building, warfare

Brutal brilliance: History’s first poem is about Lamech killing a young man.
Marriage equality: Lamech redefined marriage to suit himself and married two wives.

Splendid sinner
Nimrod [name means: we will rebel] became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord… The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh. (10:8-11) [Kingly power was connected with hunting prowess.] 

Building Babel

• Technology: remake reality
• Government: centralize power
• Pride: make name for selves
• Utopia: make earth heavenly
• Religion: bring god down

Divided
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.” (11:6-7)

Disinherited
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9) [Israel was God’s portion. He delegated rule of other nations to other heavenly beings, and many of them rebelled against God.]

Chosen

• Humanity sinned at Babel. God scattered the nations, disowned them, and gave them over to other supernatural beings.
• God chose Abraham’s offspring to carry on his purpose for creation, display his glory, and eventually bless all nations.

City of God
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went… For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Babel rebuilders

• Tyre: king backed by demon Baal
• Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar, Lucifer
• Persia: kings and demon ruler
• Antiochus: ruler claiming divinity
• Babylon: dragon, Antichrist unites all nations against the city of God

Babel reversed
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… each one heard their own language being spoken. (Acts 2:4-6)

Rebuilding Babel

• Technology: remake reality
• Government: centralize power
• Pride: make name for selves
• Utopia: make earth heavenly
• Religion: bring god down

Babel burned
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! … Come out of her, my people… She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelation 18:2-8)

The holy city
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (Rev 21:2-3)