Perspective

   By L. Jim Tuck

   March 30, 2023

The Rise and Fall of the New Tower of Babel

Greetings from Phoenix,

            The English writer Charles Dickens wrote in the introduction to his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”

            Dickens describes the radical opposites which existed across the English Channel, in France and the United Kingdom respectively.  It also expresses the age we live in where knowledge is exploding around the world at an astounding rate. In 1945, knowledge was doubling every twenty-five years, and today the volume of knowledge is doubling every twelve hours.

            God revealed to the prophet Daniel, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

            In an article in the Jerusalem Post this week titled, “Futurist Predicts Humans Will Be Immortal, Identical to AI by 2045,” futurist and former Google engineer, Ray Kurzweil, said that he believes humans will reach immortality by 2045.

            Knowledge is increasing greatly and human beings have accomplished incredible feats in technology, physics, chemistry, biology, and the human brain.  When Francis Crick unraveled the DNA molecule in 1953, he recognized the incredible odds of discovering and deciphering the double-helix structure. It was a discovery that changed the world.

            Kurzweil predicts “The singularity will come at the end of six epochs, according to Kurzweil who added that we have gone through four: physics, chemistry, DNA and biology and brains and technology. According to the theory, humanity is currently in the midst of the fifth epoch which is human technology and human intelligence.”

            Is it possible? Is it within the technological reach of human beings to accomplish such a thing? Skepticism makes us think not. However, consider the words of God at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:5-6: “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.’”

            God said if man became united together to pursue those things they desire to accomplish, “nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.”

            God separated human beings into different languages by confusing their tongues, and man broke off working together to build the tower of Babel. God said, “‘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 ceased building the city. Therefore its name is 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 11:7-9)

            Since the development of Morse code, telegraph, and then the telephone, and now the internet, the world has been connected at a progressively increasing rate. The worldwide web of the internet has connected the world as at no other time.  What greater technologies are coming?

            It seems clear as we venture into the years ahead, human beings are building a new tower of Babel which will bring about great technological wonders.  The big question is, will this lead the world to the brink of total annihilation?

           In the book of Daniel there is a graphic depiction of the downfall of this new tower of Babel in a dream interpreted for King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel said, “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35)

 

            We may yet live through the worst of times, but the best of times are ahead.  Jesus Christ, the King of kings, will return to save mankind from destroying themselves in the nick of time (Matthew 24:22). Christ will return as the Stone which will destroy what man has created led by the Devil, and man’s new tower of technology and the end-time Beast power and Babylon will be smashed out of existence. God will use the saints to bring about a new world which will be based on His beautiful laws. Our Lord will raise up the kingdom of God on earth and sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem forever, and of the increase of His government there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:6-7).

            Have a great Sabbath and Passover season.