Reset 2.0

          Since all the inhabitants of the earth come from Noah’s family, what Gen. 11:1 tells us makes sense. “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” It also makes sense that they would spread out to other regions and establish other people groups and cultures. At least that is God’s plan.
            So it shouldn’t surprise us that creation stories appear in various forms in many cultures. What may be surprising is that many cultures also have a redemption analogy. That is, something that is a type or shadow of mankind being restored back to something that was lost. This similarity should not throw us as believers. In fact, it shows the unifying thread of the Seed and God’s plan of redemption—no matter how much Satan tries to disguise it or corrupt it.
            Isaiah 64:9 is another important prophetic connection: “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah, an Heir of My Mountain. My elect shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there.” The distinction between the elect and the servants is key; we shall find that key later in God’s His-Story as we discover more about the identity of the Mountain.
            It shouldn’t surprise us that the fallen nature of mankind leads to another prideful rebellion.  In direct disobedience to God’s Genesis mandate to multiply and fill the earth, Gen. 11:3-4 sets the scene. “Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’ ”
             So what is the big deal about the bricks? It was a point of pride. It showed that mankind could now create the building materials themselves. In other words, they were showing that everything was supposedly under their control. They saw themselves in charge. Compare this to God’s instructions for building the Temple out of stones from His creation (1 Kings 5:17).
            As for the tower, the Hebrew word comes from the root word that means to twist, to make large, and to advance. They intend to build their own counterfeit mountain. The tower is actually a ziggurat, a building with a very specific shape. It has a square base with sides that recede inward as the building rises, much like steps going up a mountain. Typically it has a flat top that supports some form of a shrine.
            An example is the Great Pyramid of Giza built by the Sethites (as in Adam and Eve’s third son). You can also find this temple-like structure on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill. The capstone of the “all-seeing eye” is coming down to complete the edifice. Sadly, this doesn’t represent the nation under God, but rather mankind’s enlightenment and ability to govern themselves.
            The Tower of Babel is meant to enshrine the idea that mankind can achieve anything. It is a shrine to the religion of humanism. That is, we can evolve progressively, until we reach the pinnacle of our own utopia.
            The word Babel means confusion. It comes from the root word to mingle. Does that sound familiar? It’s basically another vindictive violation inspired by Satan. God exposes the counterfeit strategy: “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” (Gen. 11:6). God isn’t against growth and progress; He put the principle of seedtime and harvest into the earth. He is against the growth of evil and its acceleration. Hence, this second timely reset.
            The Chronos Lesson: Once again we see that choices have consequences. Mankind decided they could reach to the heavens on their own and thereby make a name for themselves. In essence, this is the source of the various man-made false religions. In each case, humans have to follow certain steps to rise up to the God-like supreme icon of that religion. In Christianity, God mercifully stepped down into our existence through Jesus in order to bring mankind back to Himself.
            In these last Days, we see this same human bravado in the Gentile cities lording it over the nations as they try to erect their own “tower” that will reach unto Heaven—that of a global government. It, too, is destined to collapse when God begins to shake the earth and the heavens at the Day of the Lord.
            Notice it didn’t take very long after the first reset for this second reset to happen. Instead of bringing Heaven to earth as God’s representatives, the ungodly people determined to bring earth to Heaven and be like God. Judgment comes swiftly. Then we see mercy prevail—again.
            God calls out a godly man from among the nations to form a people group of His own. The man’s name is Abram. To mark the momentous act, God subsequently changes the man’s name to Abraham—meaning the “father of a multitude.” Out of this nation the lineage of the Seed will be established. Both Matthew and Luke records Jesus’ lineage from his earthly father, Joseph, through David and Abraham, back to Adam. God’s Word is steadfast and true.  
            The lineages foreshadow Christ’s work: (1) to establish a covenant of grace based on faith; and (2) to be the last Adam. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45).