Page 291 - Foundations

able to cooperate freely in their renegade schemes. Rebellion and pride still existed in the hearts of
men, but the power of man to accomplish his purpose was diffused as divisions arose and man was
separated by tongues, by tribes, by culture, and by geography.

The Bible informs us that upon the confusion of man’s speech at Babel, the people left off building
the city and tower. This was not the end of Babel, however. Babel is more than a city. It is a spiritual
principle. Babel signifies mankind united in purposes that contradict the will of his Creator. Babel
is a symbol of humanity seeking to ascend to be like God, choosing self-rule over Divine rule.

Though the people left off building the city and dispersed throughout the earth, Babel was not
completely abandoned. Neither did men forsake the prideful act of building towers. Babel became
Babylon. The city reached its zenith seventeen centuries after the original city and tower were
abandoned. Nabopolassor and his son Nebuchadnezzar II raised up on this site one of the greatest
cities the world has ever known. It was referred to as “Babylon the Great.” It was vast in expanse,
surrounded by multiple layers of walls and fortifications. Babylon was renowned for its hanging
gardens, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The city and region were also
marked by towers, a form that is referred to today as the ziggurat. The term ziggurat comes from an
Akkadian word that means “to build upon a raised area.”

The building of towers was not rediscovered in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. The people of
Mesopotamia never forsook the building of ziggurats. Many ancient ziggurats pre-dating the time of
Nebuchadnezzar by centuries were constructed. Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt some of the ancient towers,
and he constructed new ones as well. Nebuchadnezzar, like the people of Babel before him, was
infected with that spirit of humanistic pride that boasted in what man could accomplish independently
of God. The Bible informs us of the spirit of those first tower builders.

Genesis 11:4
And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven,
and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

In the phrase “let us make for ourselves a name,” there is great pride manifested. The people wanted
fame. They desired to be a people of great renown. They desired to obtain glory on earth, a glory that
would raise its head toward the heavens and arrogantly declare to God, “Look what we have built by
the might of our own power.”

This spirit has always infected Babylon. After having completed Etemenanki, Birs Nimrud, and other
massive building projects in the city of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar manifested the pride that
drove him and the people to such works.

Daniel 4:29-32
[Nebuchadnezzar] was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and
said, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of
my power and for the glory of my majesty?” While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came
from heaven, saying, “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed
from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts