The Fall, The Tower Of Babel, Hubris And The Confusion Of The End Times

Fr. Dale Matson

I have kept in touch with one of my best friends from High School. We went to school in Suburban Detroit. I was his best man at his wedding. In a recent phone conversation, I was pained deeply by his understanding of current events. I believe our world views are now so distinct from one another that there is now a deep and unbridgeable gulf between our understandings of reality. I believe that this is a judgment from God on our country and our world.

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) There is certain clarity in the first commandment. Whether we make things, others or ourselves god, we do it at our own peril. God’s Word plainly teaches that He is the be all and end all of human existence.

“ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5) This temptation appealed to an innate weakness in the innocent but ambitious human soul. It was the same weakness that led to Satan being thrown out of heaven. Satan wanted to be equal with God. Human pride and hubris was an opening and an opportunity for Satan to bring down the human race and separate them from fellowship with God. Their reasoning no longer informed by God was fatally flawed, misguided and self-serving. Separated from God, they gave their authority over to Satan.

By the time of Noah, the human race had become completely degenerate. “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.  So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created.’” (Genesis 6:5-7a)

Following the great flood that destroyed all humans other than Noah and his family, there was a resurgence of the human race. There was also a resurgence of the hubris in the spirit of men.  

 “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.’” (Genesis 11:4a) In other words we hear once again that man wanted to be equal with God. The city and tower of Babel means “gate of God in Greek but in Hebrew, it means confuse or confound. At that time the human race had a single language. God caused humans to speak in a multitude of languages. Their arrogant unity was destroyed and they dispersed over the earth.

Today there is great evil in the world. False prophets are saying that evil is blessed and what is good, is evil. There is a great confusion. The human heart is once again puffed up by arrogance and hubris. While knowledge has increased, communication has decreased and confusion has increased. Today, people believe that they have a basic right to do whatever seems right in their own mind but give no quarter to God. “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” Romans 1:28). 

It won’t be long before the human race will find itself in the midst of the end times; those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Repent and return to Christ our only hope.

” But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)