Dr Paul Allen

The Tower of Babel . King Nimrod wanted to be famous, so he convinced the people of Babylon to build a great tower that would reach heaven. God could see that the people were becoming prideful and decided that he should go down and mix up their language so they couldn’t understand each other. This teaches us that pride is bad and helps us understand where all the world’s languages came from. Most adults don’t really have an understanding of this story that’s any more sophisticated. But Dr. Michael S. Heiser , author of The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible , would like to remedy that.  In this post, adapted from his popular book, Heiser explains what really happened at the tower of Babel and unpacks its implications. Then he goes on to show how the New Testament corrects what happened at the tower of Babel.The famous story of the building of the Tower of Babel is about much more than an ill-fated construction project and language confusion.

The Netherlands (Flanders) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Most believers can tell you what happened at the Tower of Babel . King Nimrod wanted to be famous, so he convinced the people of Babylon to build a great tower that would reach heaven. God could see that the people were becoming prideful and decided that he should go down and mix up their language so they couldn’t understand each other. This teaches us that pride is bad and helps us understand where all the world’s languages came from. Most adults don’t really have an understanding of this story that’s any more sophisticated. But Dr. Michael S. Heiser , author of  The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible , would like to remedy that.  In this post, adapted from his popular book, Heiser explains what  really  happened at the tower of Babel and unpacks its implications. Then he goes on to show how the New Testament corrects what happened at the tower of Babel.  Interpreting the Babel na

Tower of Babel by Lucas van Valckenborch in 1594 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name." ( Genesis 11:4 ) The Bible has one Author ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ), and it is one Book. Therefore, it should be read as one book, from beginning to end, to understand its full meaning. The Tower of Babel incident ( Genesis 11:1-9 ) illustrates how truth can be gleaned by reading the Bible as a unified whole. Why did God include Genesis 11:1-9 as part of Scripture? First, consider the passage itself and the stated purpose for the Tower: "Let us make us a name". Second, consider the surrounding chapters. Chapter 10 ends with the genealogy of Shem (whose name means "name"), and the rest of Chapter 11 (after verses 1-9) traces Shem's genealogy down to Abraham , to whom God promised, "I will . . . make thy name [Hebrew shem] great" ( 12:2 ). Clearly, thes

Pergamon Museum Berlin 2007089 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Original image description from the Deutsche Fotothek: Deutsch: Berlin. Pergamonmuseum, Ischtar-Tor (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Ishtar Gate. Pergamon Berlin Museum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) City model of the main procession street (Aj-ibur-shapu) and Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Model at the Pergamonmuseum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Ishtar Gate is a symbol of ancient Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar II. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Babylon-ishtar-mod (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Throughout 1898 and the early part of 1899 Robert Koldewey reconnoitered the ancient city of Babylon . A brilliant architect and archaeologist, he knew he was to be appointed to head the digging. The German Oriental Society was picking up the tab and outfitting the expedition in full. The real work began after he received the expected authorization. On this date, March 23, 1899, he began excavation in earnest on the east side of the mound of Kasr. Digging wi