The Tower of Babel Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” (Genesis 11: 4 to 7) After setting down at Shinar, men learned how to make bricks and decided to build a tower. Then God confused their language so that they couldn't communicate with each other to continue their project. To build a tower didn't seem to be harmful.  However, the purpose was so that they wouldn't be scattered.  This was against God's will.  God’s will for Noah and his sons was “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9: 1). Don't even mention that they wanted the tower to reach the heavens to make a name for themselves.  No wonder God wanted to stop it.  The question is how did God stop it by confusing their language? When God did that, He didn't do it by Himself.  There were others.  Who were they?  The same matter happened in the New Testament too.  In Acts 2, it described that while disciples were gathering in one place, suddenly, a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house.  After the Holy Spirit had rested on them, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  The languages they spoke included Africans, Asia, and Europeans, just like what happened to people who were building the tower of Babel.   The reason that disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit was because that Jesus promised them by saying “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14: 16) So, it was God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who made it happen.  It was then and it was now. However, this time it was for disciples to fulfill Jesus' command as below. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1: 8) To do so, they needed to speak various tongues. However, how to use this spiritual power is important. In the first Corinthians, Paul stated as below. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (First Corinthians 10: 12 to 15) If we are using this spiritual power to build our own domain and fame as the tower of Babel then in the end, it would become vanity with nothing left as wood, hay and straw in fire. If we are willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus, then as Jesus said "For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." (Matthew 16: 27). What we have done would last and be valued as gold, silver and precious stones till Jesus comes. Emmanuel. (To return, select <- on the toolbar)