Last week I published a message investigating some of the characteristics of the Tower of Babel which are present today in our society across the world. The insights for me were a great revelation and I am sure we will see more and more evidences of these come about. However this message is a follow up to that message.

This message is to speak to the modern day Church and the ministries that are part. I would like to speak within the context of 2020 and the lessons which God is taking everyone through. There are two contrasting realities between the Tower of Babel and the New Jerusalem. We saw that out of Babel and its Kingdom came Abraham, to which Hebrews 11:10 says that he saw the eternal programme of God for a celestial community. We can see the implications of the contrast between the two. This message is to make that contrast.

The Tower of Babel is about resisting God, the New Jerusalem is about resting in God

There is a great contrast here, the resistance of those who built the tower resides in the will of the people to not fulfil God’s command to spread over the earth and populate. In the New Jerusalem what we see is faith to enter, obedience to build, and fulness to bring to descend from heaven to the new earth. The Scripture talks about this in terms of “Day”, in which there was one day for “sabbath” rest for man, another “rest” God gave Solomon to build the Temple, and there is a final “Day” when all shall be full and complete. Then the New Jerusalem will descend from a New Heaven, to a New Earth. The fact is when we resist God we never enter full rest as we are subject to circumstances and the currents that are governing this world, which has one destiny, to be done away with by fire.

The more I study the Word the more I come to understand what faith is concerning what we live in, in that the definition in Hebrews 11:1 is key to our direction and destiny:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen KJV

This is the same substance that gave motivation for Abraham to leave Babylon, Ur, for the Promised Land. It obeys in the present to invest in eternity. That vision is that which descends, its not dependent on our desire, or our imagination. Obedience releases God’s revelation to us, giving us the conditions and conviction to be led to where God leads.

In contrast in the Tower of Babel, the corporate decision is to resist because they “saw” that Shinar was pleasant. This “saw” also is the same as the one that Lot exercised when choosing Sodom to live. He was vexed sorely for choosing what was pleasing to his eyes. The beauty of the plain, hid the ugliness of the heart. The same comes in the example of James and John who “saw” that Jesus was not accepted in Samaria, wanted to call down fire, not knowing the spirit for which they said this. In Isaiah 11 makes the contrast, in that he that is full of the Sevenfold Spirit is not moved by the hearing of his ears, nor the sight of his eyes. It is this that Hebrews 5:14 exhorts for maturity for the natural senses can never discern spiritual things.

It is a good guide for now, our senses this year have been steered by fear and circumstances, various, many negative, in terms of health and wealth, and in these difficult crises it is difficult to discern God’s ways in this. What we are seeing today is the Tower of Babel becoming manifest again, and where the world’s resistance to God is evident, and the faith of God’s people become more and more pronounced as they grasp the eternal vision and the rest of God that lies before them.

 

The Tower of Babel is about reaching Heaven, the New Jerusalem is about Heaven reaching down

James 1:17 tells us that every good gift, perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights. In fact there is a guide in contrasting these two, is the fact that things from God “reach down” to us. All descends, the Voice descends down the Mountain of God, in Exodus. In Genesis, the angels came down, the Lord at the top of the staircase speaking down to Jacob concerning His covenant. In Genesis we see God “go down” to examine Babel and then confound it.

When man tries to reach above without allowing God to reach down to him, he is building from a position of resistance, of rebellion. How many religious practices are for us “reaching” for a state of enlightenment, when Jesus, the embodiment of all enlightenment came down and became one of us.

The Tower of Babel is about a false unity around a common rebellion, the New Jerusalem is about a true unity around surrender to Jesus the King

The determination of God was about the potential that the false unity of that people that all kinds of things would become possible and would eventually destroy them, hence He spread them through confusing their communication. Right now seeing different leaders saying the same things about a GREAT RESET can only be visited by God again who will confuse, because saying the same things does not equate true spiritual unity, because this false unity only leads to destruction and desolation in a lost eternity. The New Jerusalem is made up of the foundations of the Church, the gates of Israel, and building blocks of every saint who professes Jesus Christ as King. Those building blocks are within the lives of every saint, embodied in the Sevenfold Spirit of Isaiah 11, and the worthiness of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Revelation 5.

The Tower of Babel ends with confusing communication and the New Jerusalem has one communication of love

It is here that languages birthed, and they were confounded in the common effort. God is unifying the peoples of different languages and cultures into Christ, where the message of the Gospel is the same in English as it is in any other language. Paul said 3 would remain to eternity in 1 Corinthians 13, faith hope and love. He highlights that Love remains the greatest. Right now we shall see yet again man try his hand at unity, yet there will be great confusion, and you will see in this season that the Church, that Israel will fall into greater love for the Messiah. Zechariah 12:10 tells us the moment that Israel shall see the Messiah WHO THEY PIERCED presented before them, and they shall mourn, and shall see through their repentance a fountain cleansing Jerusalem and the land in preparation for eternity. The Messiah shall be in a clearer recognition and the denominations shall come into unity as Jesus is plainly seen and theology will not be a dividing factor, but a unifying factor as spiritual vision of Him shall be the foundation to all theology. For the Church to get to this point Jesus speaks plainly to Ephesus to buy gold tried in the fires of preparation and affliction. There is no doubt that all shall go through that until we come out refined.

The Tower of Babel remained unfinished whilst the New Jerusalem is founded by Him who said “It is finished” and they who finish their race

The Scripture is full of admonition that we must overcome. We must finish what the ancients of Hebrews 11 started. This “finishing determination” is going to be imparted by Jesus, the Overcomer, into our hearts in this season. We may be separated physically from our brothers and sisters, and our Churches may be physically closed, but it won’t prevent us from finishing the vocation that Jesus gave us. The modern Tower of Babel will remain unfinished and a ruin because what Jesus has come to bring human efforts and projects have no room to exist. The building blocks of Jesus’ mission for eternity is built of eternal building blocks, eternal motivations and eternal relationship with Jesus, the King.

I am sure I will return to this theme, but it is to encourage us to look up, for our REDEMPTION COMES DOWN TO US. We need to look away from the media, from politicians, from commentators, for the greatest Media Outlet exists for thousands of years: The Bible. From that we take our clear template for life, and that template has proved that those who grow in faith, subdue kingdoms, overthrow kings, overcome lions and giants, call down fire from heaven, pray for rain. Not because we are marching, chanting, looting, but because we call upon Him who builds the New Jerusalem each day: “Your Kingdom Come!”

Shalom.