There were some great comments from WTCOMMENTS on this weeks WT study. But I found this subject very profound and wanted to get some more direct thoughts on this scripture.
“Jehovah said Look! They are one people and there is one language for them all, and this is what they start to do. Why, now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them." (Genesis 11:6)
This is taken from the account of the tower of babel. If god is so sure of himself why did he fear them uniting together. Of course after this he confused the languages so that they no longer spoke one language and could be united for one goal. You can argue that from this divine intervention on gods part, springs all of the hatred, strife and mis-trust that has plagued mankind. and why? Because with mankind united under one language god felt "now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them."
Of course the whole issue of the universal sovereignty comes into question. The WT article maintains that god has left man to his own devices as to how to rule himself. But, by god confusing their languages this put an unfair handicap on their efforts, right when it seems they were making progress.
Genesis 11:6
by darth frosty 14 Replies latest watchtower bible
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darth frosty
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journey-on
Read "The Gods of Eden" by William Bramley and you'll get a whole different perspective on the story
of the Tower of Babel.
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Doug Mason
Such stories were "explanations" for things the writers were observing. They would not have thought these accounts were to be taken literally. For example, the earliest book, Job, is in the form of a play. Each of the accounts of Creation likewise had a local purpose at the time they were written.
Get out of the OT and START with the message of Jesus Christ and what he has achieved on our behalf. This is THE GOSPEL. This is significant. Look at the OT through the eyes of the NT.
Do not major on minors, like chronology.
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wozadummy
Excellent point Darth ,it does seem unfair that he did'nt realy leave us tour own devices did he?
It then leads us to our day then ,what if man goes much further in his scientific endeavors like what we see with cloning, grandmothers giving birth to their daughters children etc ? Where will it end and when does God say again what he said at the tower of Babel .Does he again step in because we might crack the DNA code to live forever with no sickness? Will we still need him or will he just kill us all for having the audacity to prove that we can use the brain he gave us? mmmmmmm.........
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greendawn
It would be extremely dangerous to let a mankind that was beginning to become wayward to remain as one solid entity, it had to be broken up to reduce its effectiveness otherwise the world would come under a hopelessly powerful tyranny.
Ever since the nations remain divided which puts in place the necessary checks and balances to their policies. A global human government will never be allowed. -
Awakened07
Such stories were "explanations" for things the writers were observing. They would not have thought these accounts were to be taken literally. For example, the earliest book, Job, is in the form of a play. Each of the accounts of Creation likewise had a local purpose at the time they were written.
Get out of the OT and START with the message of Jesus Christ and what he has achieved on our behalf. This is THE GOSPEL. This is significant. Look at the OT through the eyes of the NT.- But when we look at the OT through the eyes of the NT, it's clear (at least to me) that the writers in the NT didn't view the stories of the OT as myth, legend, allegories:
On Adam and Eve (and creation):
- "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam , the son of God." (Luk 3:38)
- "Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam , who was a pattern of the one to come." (Rom 5:14)
- "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Cr 15:22)
- "So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"*; the last Adam , a life-giving spirit." (1 Cr 15:45)
- "And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." (1 ti 2:14)
- "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent 's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (2Cr 11:3)
On Noah and the flood (and creation):
- "As it was in the days of Noah , so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. | For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;" (Mat 24:37,38)
- "the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah , the son of Lamech," (Luk 3:36)
- "By faith Noah , when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." (Hbr 11:7)
- "who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water," (1Pe 3:20)
- "if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah , a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;" (2Pe 2:5)
- "But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. | By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed." (2Pe 3:5,6)
(all NIV)
Why should we then believe that for instance the story of the tower of Babel was any different? "All scriptures are inspired", are they not?
It would be extremely dangerous to let a mankind that was beginning to become wayward to remain as one solid entity, it had to be broken up to reduce its effectiveness otherwise the world would come under a hopelessly powerful tyranny.
Ever since the nations remain divided which puts in place the necessary checks and balances to their policies. A global human government will never be allowed.The point of the comments for the Watchtower study article, was that according to JWs at least, mankind was given a certain amount of time in order to 'experiment' and try to rule themselves. The point here being that God - just as it seemed mankind were succeeding in becoming united - came down to intervene, and therefore didn't let mankind ''experiment" and do their best to rule themselves.
Even if we assume that mankind - both before the flood and at the time of the building of the tower of Babel - was so bad and evil that it would all go down the drain eventually, then one could say that Satan already at that time had "lost the bet", and mankind had already shown that they were unable to rule themselves. Armageddon and the new world could have come then. Besides - how much worse could the history of mankind have been if they had been allowed to have one language and build a large civilization? Peace and prosperity have only been short periods between wars throughout mankind's history as it is.
Anyway - again - every Christian has his/her own view on all this it seems, and therefore the subject can't be universally "attacked". What was being discussed was what the Watchtower teaches about these things.
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Narkissos
Leaving aside the extra-textual (and specifically JW) "universal sovereignty issue," this is definitely my favourite Yahweh. Diabolically (in the etymological sense of diabolos, "dividing") thwarting every attempt at "unity," hence totalitarianism, through the subversive introduction of linguistical and cultural difference.
Let's hope he's still around and kicking.
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Black Man
this goes up...............
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marmot
I don't read these accounts literally anymore. The flood of Noah's day was not global, Adam and Eve weren't the first humans, people did not speak Hebrew until magically scattering at the tower of Babel.
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Narkissos
I don't read these accounts literally anymore.
I suspect those who wrote them didn't, either.