The beginning of nations
Image via Wikipedia "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." ( Revelation 21:24 ) This somewhat enigmatic verse assures us that, even in the eternal ages, God still has a place and purpose for distinct nations. Presumably, they will all speak the same "pure language" ( Zephaniah 3:9 ), but they will continue to be recognized as nations. The nations were originally established after the confusion of tongues and dispersion of the families at Babel ( Genesis 11:9 ). There seems to have been 70 families there, and these became the 70 original nations, as listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 . There were three basic streams of nations ( Semitic , Japhetic , and Hamitic ) and although there has been much mixing and proliferation, these three basic streams of nations (not "races"!) are still roughly distinct. In his day, as God was about to establ