For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
February 01, 2025by: T. Desmond Alexander
With remarkable conciseness the opening chapters of Genesis introduce a story that looks forward to the creation of an exceptional city where God and humanity will live in harmony. Specific references to the city are muted, but the garden of Eden narrative sets the scene for what is to follow. Unexpectedly, however, the garden is invaded by a wily predator that deceives the human couple into disobeying their Creator. By submitting to the seductive prompting of the mysterious Serpent, Adam and Eve fail to fulfill their duty as God’s vice-regents. Their authority to rule over the earth, delegated to them by God, passes to the Serpent (cf. Eph. 2:2). Consequently, they become subservient to it.
In view of God’s aspirations for humanity, it is noteworthy that one of the activities associated with Cain is the building of a city. Genesis 4:17 states briefly: “Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.” The Hebrew text does not say explicitly that Cain “built a city.” Rather, it implies that he was building a city (cf. NIV). City building was in his DNA, a fact that is no surprise when we consider God’s design for humanity. However, it is noteworthy that Cain names the city after his son, Enoch. By doing so he glorifies his own offspring rather than the One who has equipped him to be a city builder. Cain’s actions anticipate the creation of further cities, but, as we shall see, this does not necessarily bode well for humanity.
References to city building do not figure prominently in Genesis 5–10. Rather, attention is given to how people fill the earth with violence (Gen. 6:13), resulting in God’s punishing them by sending a flood. When Noah and his family emerge from the safety of the ark, God reaffirms to them the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 9:1; cf. Gen. 9:7). This marks a new beginning for the earth, but, unfortunately, people continue to live in opposition to God.
Linking the garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem, this volume traces the theme of city throughout Scripture—revealing God’s plan for his people in the great city to come.
If God’s intention in making the earth is the creation of a city, Genesis 11 introduces a short account that is highly ironic.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 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.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Gen. 11:1–9)
This brief episode describes how humans set about building a city with a tower that will reach up to the heavens. They do this intentionally so that they will not be dispersed throughout the whole earth. This reverses the divine plan, for God is interested in making the whole earth his residence by filling it with holy people. In marked contrast, the people of Babel attempt to access heaven and avoid populating the earth. Babel epitomizes the antithesis of what God desires.
Although the Genesis 11 report of the building of Babel is exceptionally brief, nine verses in all, this city casts a long shadow over the whole of the Bible. It does so for a number of reasons. At the outset, Babel has to be viewed as the prototypical Godless city. In Babel we see people uniting as one to make a name for themselves by building a tower that reaches up to heaven itself. Their ambition is clearly motivated by pride in their ability to achieve great things. While in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve aspired to become like God, the inhabitants of Babel now seek to establish themselves as supreme not only on earth but in heaven as well. With incredible arrogance they attempt to build a tower that will enable them to take control of heaven itself. The building of Babel typifies two different characteristics of humanity: (a) the capacity of people to achieve great things; (b) the arrogance of those who have turned away from God.
What a wealth of human meanings converge in the single image of Babel! It is an ambivalent image, evoking powerful feelings of a wide range. On one side we can see the human longings for community, achievement, civilization, culture, technology, safety, security, permanence and fame. But countering these aspirations we sense the moral judgment against idolatry, pride, self-reliance, the urge of material power and the human illusion of infinite achievement.1
While in one sense the construction of Babel is a natural consequence of people using divinely given abilities, they do so without regard for the One who gifted them. Their aspirations are to replace God, not only on earth, but in heaven as well. Constructed by people for people alone, Babel is a mockery of what God intended when he created humans and commanded them to fill the earth. As we shall see, the phenomenon of Babel is not restricted to Genesis 11. Babel typifies every proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.
The use of “Babel” as the city’s name in Genesis 11 is an anomaly. For centuries this city has been designated “Babel” in English. This name is derived from the Hebrew title for the city, babel. However, babel, which occurs over two hundred times in the Hebrew Bible, is almost always translated into English as “Babylon.” Remarkably, in the whole of the Old Testament there are generally only two exceptions to this rule. These are Genesis 10:10and Genesis 11:9, and even here a few English translations replace Babel in Genesis 10:10with Babylon (e.g., NIV; JPS). Babel should be called Babylon.2
When we name the city “Babylon,” a highly significant pattern begins to emerge. Babel is not only the antithesis of the holy city that God desires to build upon the earth, but it is also its great rival and opponent. This is an especially significant theme, appearing in both Testaments. More shall be said about this later.
Babel typifies every proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.
Babel/Babylon takes on added significance when we observe that the city is also associated with aggressive human leadership or kingship. This link may not appear very obvious, for Genesis 11:1–9 contains no reference to any king. However, Babel/Babylon is first mentioned in Genesis 10:8–12 in association with the powerful hunter Nimrod:
Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
Within Genesis 10 this passage stands apart. Genesis 10:8–10 focus on Nimrod, about whom a few selected details are recorded. In most English versions, Nimrod is taken to be the subject of Genesis 10:11. However, it is more likely that Genesis 10:11 refers to the activity of Asshur, who founds cities in northern Mesopotamia.3
Nimrod is designated a powerful or mighty man, a hunter in the sight of the Lord. This description ought to be viewed negatively. While the Hebrew text may legitimately be translated in this context “in the sight of the Lord,” it may also imply “against the Lord.”4This latter sense seems more appropriate in the context of all that is said in Genesis 1–11. Nimrod’s aggression as a person runs totally counter to what God intended when at creation he commissioned people to rule the earth on his behalf. His forceful nature recalls the violence of previous generations, who provoked God to anger.
Through the use of force, Nimrod founded an extensive kingdom that includes Babel/Babylon. He is also a role model for Asshur. Undoubtedly, this tradition of kingdom building through aggression lived on in these cities. Later in history, the inhabitants of both Babylon and Nineveh descended in destructive power on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, and, at a different time, the Babylonians decimated the southern kingdom of Judah.
God intended humanity to rule over the earth in peace, but Nimrod uses power to establish a kingdom that is a distortion of the kingdom that God wants to create on the earth. By linking Nimrod to Babel/Babylon, the author of Genesis introduces the idea of two contrasting cities and kingdoms. Due to the rebellion of Adam and Eve, God’s desire to establish his kingdom on the earth through the construction of a city is thwarted. Instead of ruling as his viceregents, humans oppose God and establish alternative kingdoms.
When we grasp the true intention of the human city builders of Babel/Babylon, it is clear that their project is not as innocent as it may seem at first. On the contrary, what we have here is an account in which all the God-given abilities of humans are deliberately focused on creating a society that has no need of God. Confident in their own capacity to meet every challenge, the inhabitants of Babel/ Babylon view the Creator as irrelevant. In light of God’s initial creation project, the account of Genesis 11:1–9 is a stark reminder of how perverted human nature has become.
To hinder human aspiration to work together in opposition against the One who created them, God prevents people from understanding each other by introducing multiple languages. This leads to the creation of different ethnic groups and nations, who struggled to comprehend one another. Nevertheless, although God intervenes to halt the Babel/Babylon project by scattering the city’s inhabitants throughout the earth, the human ambition to construct alternative, godless cities remains. Babel typifies every social enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator. From Genesis to Revelation, Babel/Babylon features prominently as the symbol of humanity’s attempt to govern themselves without reference to and in defiance of God.
There’s a possibility that Genesis 1–2 introduces a story that anticipates the creation of an extraordinary city where God will dwell in harmony with humanity. Against this background, it is noteworthy that the last episode in the primeval era (Genesis 1–11) concerns the construction of a city. This metropolis, however, is the antithesis of what God desires. In the light of this, the rest of Genesis starts a process that will result in the creation of an alternative city where God will dwell on earth in harmony with people.
Notes:
This article is adapted from The City of God and the Goal of Creation by T. Desmond Alexander.
T. Desmond Alexander (PhD, The Queen’s University of Belfast) is senior lecturer in biblical studies and director of postgraduate studies at Union Theological College in Belfast. Alexander is the chairman of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical and Theological Research, served as coeditor of The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, and has written many volumes in the area of biblical theology. T. D. is married to Anne, and they have two adult children.
The English word “three” used for the number 3 is recorded 485 times in 426 King James Bible verses. It occurs 410 times in the Old Testament and has 75 occurrences in the New Testament. The Old Testament writings that use “three” the most are the book of 1Chronicles (35 times) then Numbers (33). The New Testament books that use the word the most are the book of Acts (17 times) followed by Matthew (12). The first use of the word is found in Genesis and its last is in Revelation.
Timeline of Peter’s Life and Ministry!
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters (Genesis 5:22, KJV).
On the east (of New Jerusalem) three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates (Revelation 21:13, KJV).
The number 3 conveys the meaning of completeness, though to a lesser degree than 7. It derives its symbolism from the fact that it is the first of four spiritually perfect numerals (the others being 7, 10 and 12).
The 3 righteous patriarchs before the flood were Abel, Enoch and Noah. After the deluge, there was the three righteous “fathers” of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (later renamed Israel).
There are 27 books in the New Testament, which is 3 cubed, or completeness to the third power.
Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. He was placed on the cross at the 3rd hour of the day (9 a.m.) and died at the 9th hour. There were 3 hours of darkness that covered the land while Jesus was suffering on the cross from the 6th hour to the 9th hour. Christ was dead for three full days and nights, a total of 72 hours, before being resurrected on Saturday, April 8, just before sunset.
Jesus took only 3 of his disciples, James, Peter and John, up a large hill in order to view his transfiguration (Matthew 17:3 – 9). What the men saw, in a vision, were 3 people in their glorified form (Jesus, Moses and Elijah).
The apostle Paul was an exceptionally well-educated person. In three different occasions he quotes directly from Greek poets (Acts 17:28, 1Corinthians 15:33 and Titus 1:12). He also was privileged to visit the location of God’s throne, which is in the third heaven (2Corinthians 12:2 – 4).
The three words that appear only once in Scripture are “reverend” (Psalms 111:9), “eternity” (Isaiah 57:15) and “grandmother” (2Timothy 1:5).
Only 3 people were allowed to ask God anything. They were Solomon (1Kings 3:5), Ahaz (Isaiah 7:11) and, of course, Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:9). The gifts given to Israel by God were his law, the land of their inheritance, and their calling (the world to come).
The Bible only mentions the name of three angels (Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer).
Surprisingly, there were three rulers over the Kingdom of Judah who died in a foreign land.
The first was King Jehoahaz who, at age 23, was taken as prisoner by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C. Jehoahaz had only served as king for 3 months when he was captured and taken out of the land. He ultimately died in Egypt (2Kings 23:31 – 34).
Jehoiachin, the second from last king over Judah, also reigned for only 3 months when he was taken out of the land. King Nebuchadnezzar captured him in 597 B.C. and took him back to Babylon (2Kings 24:12). In 561 he was released by Evil-Merodach (2Kings 25:27) and died in the country.
King Zedekiah assumed the throne as the last ruler over Judah when he was 21. In 586 B.C., eleven years later, he is captured by the Babylonians. They not only perform the gruesome acts of gouging out his eyes, they also bind him with fetters and take him to Babylon. He dies while in captivity (2Kings 25).
There are 3 places in the New Testament where sex sins are specially referenced. The first is in Romans 1:20 – 32, where certain people who reject God are given over to defile themselves in a variety of ways that includes homosexuality (male and female) and overall sexual immorality.
The second mention of sex-related sins is in 1Corinthians 5:1 – 13, where the apostle Paul had to deal with the local church allowing open incest to be committed. The third sex issue dealt with in the New Testament is in Revelation 2:19 – 25. A female who considers herself a prophetess within the Thyatira church, in the spirit of Jezebel, was teaching believers to commit sexual immorality and spiritual adultery.
Next to seven, 3 is the most commonly used number in Revelation. An angel is charged to cry three woes to those who live on earth to warn them of more trials to come (Revelation 8:13).
The Two Witnesses, after their end time ministry runs its course, will be murdered by the Beast power. Their bodies will then be left exposed to the elements for all the world to see. After 3 1/2 days they will be miraculously resurrected from the dead and will rise to meet God!
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them (Revelation 11:11, KJV).
A triple threat of unclean spirits will be allowed to deceive the whole world to fight the returning Jesus Christ in what is called the battle of Armageddon.
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:13 – 14, KJV).
God, when all prophecy has been fulfilled, will create a new Jerusalem which will be shaped like a square with 3 gates on each side (Revelation 21:13).
A triangle, which is a polygon with 3 sides and vertices, is considered the most stable physical shape. Its stability allows it to be widely used in construction and engineering.
The Greek word abba, Strong’s Concordance #G5, is found only three times in the Greek New Testament. Left untranslated in the King James, the word means Father and is only used in reference to God.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6, KJV, see also Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15).
The Greek word halizo, Strong’s #G233, appears only 3 times in 2 Greek New Testament verses. Halizo is translated as “salted” and is famously used in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount admonition for believers to make a difference in the world.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted (halizo)? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (Matthew 5:13, KJV, see also Mark 9:49).
King David attracted to himself 3 men of war who would prove invaluable during the battles he fought. Known as the “three mighties” (1Chronicles 11:12), Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah, they had exceptionally distinguished themselves in battle. They repeatedly showed they were fierce and fearless warriors willing to perform astonishing acts of courage and bravery.
The Apostle John is the only one of the New Testament writers to record three epistles (1John, 2John, 3John).
The Bible books of Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 2Thessalonians, Titus and 2Peter contain 3 chapters. The only chapters to number three verses are Psalm 131, 133, 134 and Esther 10.
God is described, in the very beginning of the book of Revelation, as a Being with the three-fold characteristic, “which is, and which was, and which is to come” (Revelation 1:4).
There are 3 great periods of God’s annual Feast days of worship. They are the spring festivals (Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread), the summer festival (Pentecost) and the fall festivals (Feast of Trumpets, Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles).
What It Means:
“Hineni” (הִנֵּנִי) is a Hebrew word that means “Here I am.” But it’s much more than just a statement of physical presence—it’s a declaration of readiness, openness, and total availability to God’s calling.
Why It Matters:
“Hineni” appears in pivotal moments throughout Scripture. When God calls Abraham (Genesis 22:1), Moses (Exodus 3:4), and Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4), they each respond with “Hineni.” It’s not just about showing up; it’s about being fully present and willing to trust God’s plan, even when it requires sacrifice or courage. It embodies a posture of faith, surrender, and obedience.
Fun Fact:
When Isaiah encounters God in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:8), he responds with “Hineni—Here am I, send me!” This bold answer sets the stage for his prophetic ministry. But did you know the word “Hineni” can also carry emotional weight? It conveys an intimate readiness to be at someone’s service, whether it’s for God, a loved one, or a mission bigger than oneself.
What About You?:
Are you ready to say “Hineni” to God’s call in your life? What might it look like to stand fully present, heart and soul, and say, “Here I am”? 🙏✨
January 6, 2025 By Our East Africa Correspondent – Leave a Comment
Home where three Christians were burned to death in Budini Nyanza, Kaliro town, Uganda on Dec. 26, 2024. (Morning Star News)
NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – A Muslim couple and their adult son who received Christ in November were burned to death on Dec. 26 in eastern Uganda, sources said.
In the Budini Nyanza area of Kaliro town, Kaliro District, 64-year-old Kaiga Muhammad, his wife Sawuya Kaiga and their son Swagga Amuza Kaiga, 26, had put their faith in Christ on Nov. 22 when members of an undisclosed church visited their home with the gospel.
The pastor of the church, undisclosed for security reasons, said that after the three family members received Christ’s salvation, they requested prayer for Swagga Amuza Kaiga, who was suffering from malaria.
“We prayed for the son, and immediately he was restored to good health,” the pastor told Morning Star News. “The three members of the family who gave their lives to Christ decided to keep their faith secret for fear of Muslims of the area, since Muhammad himself was a committee member in one of the mosques in Budini Nyanza zone.”
On Dec. 15, area Muslims noted Muhammad leaving the church’s worship service in a nearby village and informed area chairperson Wangule Abudu. The chairperson on Dec. 16 went to Muhammad’s home to question him, and Muhammad openly told him that he and other family members had given their lives to Christ, the pastor said.
The angry Abudu gave Muhammad one week to renounce Christianity, saying that if he refused, he would mobilize the Muslim community against the family, said a relative who was away when the parents and son accepted Christ.
“Abudu said that our family had blasphemed the name of Allah and embarrassed the Muslim community,” the family member, whose name is withheld for security reasons, told Morning Star News.
Area Muslims on Dec. 26 set ablaze the family’s house with gas and burned the three members of the family beyond recognition, said a neighbor who had arrived with others too late to save them and the structure.
Kaliro police arrived after the lives had been lost and, after investigating, arrested Wangule Abudu, 62, and Ismail Njagi, 20. The two Muslims were being kept at Kaliro central police station on charges of murder and arson, sources said.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to Bumanya Heath Centre for postmortem.
The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.
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