Sermon Central
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Confusion Series
Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Feb 21, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Babel means ‘confusion.’ It’s where we get the word ‘babble.’ And man w/out God is confused, and only God can help man ’rise up’ and make sense of things. Link inc. to formatted text, audio/video, PowerPoint.
Confusion
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Confusion.html
Babel means ‘confusion.’ It’s where we get the word ‘babble.’ And man w/out God is confused, and only God can help man ’rise up’ and make sense of things.
1) After the Flood, God commanded man to spread abroad, replenish and fill the earth.
“Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.” Genesis 8:17
“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.” Genesis 9:1, 7
In Genesis 11:1-9, mankind rebelled, and under their world leader, Nimrod, decided to construct a tower that would reach into the heavens.
The ark rested on Mt. Ararat, several hundred miles east of Mesopotamia in the Mid East. No doubt the 3 brothers Shem, Ham, and Japheth had spoken of their old home and their descendants decided to travel there.
v. 2-4 “may reach unto heaven” = “whose top is heaven”
Most likely this tower was made for astrology, and as a humanistic, prideful lunge at making something great of themselves.
What is astrology? Not astronomy! It’s the supposed influence of the heavens on human affairs, according to the dictionary. But spiritually speaking, it is the heathen worship of the heavens. Worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. Some Christians read their horoscopes and look for signs in the skies. It’s a subtle form of Satan worship. The Bible warns against this activity!
We are to look to God for our guidance. The Bible calls Him our ‘High Tower.’
Today, we have different towers of Babel we are building. Humanism comes in many forms as mankind thinks he is evolving and bettering himself. Men imagine the eventual inhabiting of outer space, which is contrary to the will of God. God made the earth for men, and has reserved the heavens for his own purposes (Ps. 115:16). Men today are building a modern day tower to reach into the heaven! But no matter where they go in their vain travels, God will find them and bring them down (Amos 9:2-4; Obad. 1:4).
Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Amos 9:2 ...though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
Obadiah 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
Shifting gears...
The Tower of Babel has likely been found in modern day Iraq. Several possible sites exist, and it could be one of them pictured here. [slides] Dried bricks in 7 stages corresponded with the known planets of that day.
The signs of the zodiac were found there as well.
It was an open, defiant turning to Satan and the beginning of post flood devil worship.
God told Noah and his sons to scatter themselves abroad across the earth, but instead their descendants came together at Babel.
It was man’s first attempt at a one world movement.
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Nimrod is a type or picture of antichrist. He was the great-grandson of Noah. He also was the founder of Nineveh, the wicked place where Jonah was sent to preach.
In Daniel we see Nebuchadnezzar trying to do the same thing in the same basic location, setting up a huge idol to gather everyone together as a one world church. And it will be the same in the end of the world. What a demonic influence there is in that region!
2) Babylon was a city conceived in rebellion, the seat of the first great apostasy (falling away from God).
We are like Satan when we rebel. It is the ultimate lie.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
We live in a day of great rebellion. We don’t submit ourselves well to authority in our lives. Behind their backs we do and say all kinds of rebellious things. [boss / spouse / teacher / pastor / parents / etc.]
