Understanding the Tower Of Babel/NWO

[p51-mustang]

Lately I have been trying to understand the meaning of the tower of Babel as recorded in Genesis. It seems somewhat silly that they were really trying to build a tower to reach heaven. Could this story have some other more hidden meaning? Was this tower some sort of attempt to consolidate power and/or set up a world religion/secular govt?

Help me to understand what this old testament story means and how it relates to today.

[Original_Intent]

I have always taken it to mean men becoming so great (through massive buildings, technology or whatever) that they say they do not need God and that they can be saved by their own works without God. Or setting themselves equal or above God.

[clarkkent14]

I had an institute teacher talk to me about the Tower being built to prevent death from another flood. I don't remember all of the discussion, it was maybe 5 years ago.

Although I do remember talks about Nimrod being a "mighty hunter of the Lord's people."

I ran upon this too: http://www.cuttingedge.org/NEWS/RTBIntroduction.html

[patriotsaint]

From the March 1998 Liahona:

The Tower of Babel
Response by Lee Donaldson, V. Dan Rogers, and David Rolph Seely


Lee Donaldson, V. Dan Rogers, and David Rolph Seely, “I Have a Question,” Liahona, Mar. 1998, 46–48

According to the account in Genesis, the events surrounding the building of the Tower of Babel represent a crucial point in history. Is there additional background information and perspective available to help us better understand the meaning of these events?

Genesis 10 describes the scattering of the sons of Noah and their descendants after the Flood. Verses 9 and 10 [Gen. 10:9–10] tell us that Nimrod founded the kingdom of Babel, or Babylon as it was later called, in the land of Shinar. Genesis 11 begins: “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. …

“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, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:1, 4).

The Lord came down to see the city. He decided to confound the language and scatter the people (see Gen. 11:5–9).

Early Jewish and Christian traditions reported that Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, referred to as a pagan temple, in an attempt to contact heaven. Among the Jews, Nimrod’s name has always been a “symbol of rebellion against God and of usurped authority”: he “established false priesthood and false kingship in the earth in imitation of God’s rule and ‘made all men to sin’ ” (Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and The World of the Jaredites, volume 5 of The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley [1980], 156).

Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, provided additional insight. He noted that Nimrod had tried to gain power over the people. Nimrod probably felt this counterfeit temple would add to his control (see Antiquities of the Jews, book 1, chapter 4, paragraph 2).

The building of the tower was undertaken when the people discovered an important new technology—oven-baked bricks. Ordinary mud bricks, baked in the sun, could be used to build only to a limited height or they would crumble under the stress. But bricks baked in an oven could be stacked quite high; the temple towers at Babylon were 91 meters high. In the Bible, bricks are mentioned only in connection with this tower, pharaoh’s buildings, and idolatrous altars (see Gen. 11:3; Ex. 1:14; Ex. 5:7, 14, 16; Isa. 65:3). This usage suggests the people’s feelings of rebellion against the Lord in the society that had developed since the Flood.

The account in Genesis provides further insight regarding the significance of the building of the tower. First, the impetus in building this temple was to make themselves a name (see Gen. 11:4). In other words, Nimrod was proposing that they build a temple to receive the name of God without making eternal covenants. Second, they wanted to build this tower-temple so they would not be “scattered” (Gen. 11:4). Latter-day revelation ties the sealing power to preventing the earth from being wasted at the Second Coming (see D&C 2:3). One meaning of the word wasted in Joseph Smith’s day was “destroyed by scattering” (Webster’s Dictionary [1828]). Finally, the word Babel in Hebrew meant “confusion,” but in Babylonian, the meaning was “gate of God.” Nimrod and his people were building their own temple, their gate to heaven, without divine approval or priesthood keys.

The Babylonians, an apostate people, had some understanding of temple ordinances and temple purpose, so they constructed an edifice symbolizing to them their connection to God. And using their own contrived ceremonies to imitate true temple worship, they attempted to duplicate the process of preparation for the hereafter.

Further, the word Babel in Hebrew is the same word translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as “Babylon.” Thus, in biblical terms, the people in this story were building Babylon—a city that has come to represent the world or worldliness (seeD&C 1:16).

The story of the Tower of Babel must be read in the context of the whole book of Genesis. After the Fall, the gospel was taught to Adam’s descendants. Some accepted gospel teachings, but many rejected them. Secret combinations, starting with Cain’s, brought apostasy into the world. At the same time, Enoch gathered the righteous to Zion, and they were translated. Then the Lord sent a flood that destroyed the unrepentant. In the aftermath, a covenant was made with Noah and his seed to reestablish the teaching of the plan of salvation on the earth (see Gen. 9:11; Joseph Smith Translation, Gen. 9:17).

The city of Enoch had been translated (see Gen. 5:23–24; Moses 7:21, 69) before the Flood, but at the time of Abraham (the general time of the Tower of Babel), Melchizedek also created a society that produced a Zion people who sought to join the city of Enoch and obtain heaven (see Joseph Smith Translation, Gen. 14:33–34). Considering the trauma of the Flood (see Gen. 6–8), the aspiration to build a tower to heaven, with water-impervious materials, may also have been an attempt to survive a flood, should God attempt to destroy earth’s inhabitants again. Thus, their temple-tower was likely designed for many purposes, making the tower more meaningful in their eyes. However, their attempt to dodge the judgment of God was based on their human ingenuity rather than on repentance. The Lord’s response was to humble these people.

The building of the Tower of Babel was the transitional event between the dispensations of Noah and Abraham. Immediately following the scattering, the Lord intervened by establishing his covenant with Abraham and taking him to the promised land (see Gen. 12). The Lord established the Abrahamic covenant as the basis for building Zion, and that covenant is based on our acknowledgment of and dependence on the cleansing blood of the Atonement.

The narrative begun in Genesis ends in 2 Kings 25 [2 Kgs. 25]. Abraham’s descendants, the children of Israel, find themselves—because they broke the covenant—back in Babylon where the story began. Their breaking of the covenant resulted in their exile from Jerusalem (Zion) to Babylon. Yet the Lord had the power and the mercy to bring them back, through their repentance and his renewal of the covenant. Subsequently, Israel was released from Babylon by Cyrus and later by Darius. Zerubbabel, and later Ezra and Nehemiah, led the people, and some did return and renew the covenant.

In the latter days, the Lord once again has called us out of the world: we have been instructed to go “out … from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon” (D&C 133:14) to build Zion.

[believer]

Tower of Babel - Nimrod

It tells a lot about Nimrod, and the Tower of Babel in "The First 2000 Years", by Cleon Skousen, starting on page 230. "The Inspired Version, [the Joseph Smith translation], says: ‘And it came to pass that many journeyed from the east and as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelt there in the plain of Shinar. And they said one to another, Come, go to let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick of stone, and they had slime (asphalt) for mortar. And they said, Come, go to, let us build a city, and a tower whose top will be high, nigh unto heaven; and let us make us a name lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ ( Jos. Smith translation, Gen. 11:1-3)

"This is the city which became Babel. Three things are noteworthy about this city. First, that it was built for purposes which were in direct opposition to the commandment of God. The Lord had told them to spread abroad in the earth, but they built this city to concentrate the population. The Lord knew that city life under the wrong kind of leadership could corrupt a whole nation in one generation.

"The second thing to observe about Babel is the fact that it was governed by the seed of Cain. Nimrod, grandson of Ham, is given specific credit for the founding of the city.

"Third, a brief comment might be made concerning the tower which these people determined to build. Note that it was to be high, nigh unto heaven. The purpose of the is tower was to escape the vengeance of a just God if there should ever be another flood. Apparently Nimrod had no confidence in the covenant between Noah and the Lord.

"Josephus begins to give us some insight into the personality of Nimrod. He was a defiant, rebellious son of Cain. Josephus gives us the judgment of Jewish history on Nimrod:
"’Now it was Nimrod who excited them (the people of Shinar) to such an affront and contempt of God (such as refusing to spread abroad in the earth). He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it (their prosperity) to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning man from the fear of God but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged of God, if He should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.

"’Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it as a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work; and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water.’

"…Although Nimrod may not have realized it, he was building the foundation for a great heathen culture which would be the curse of civilization for more than four thousand years."
("The First 2000 Years", by W. Cleon Skousen, pgs. 229-230.)

In Gen. 11:5 JST, it says: "Behold, the people are the same, and they all have the same language; and this tower they begin to build, and now, nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined, except I, the Lord, confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So I, the Lord will scatter them abroad from thence, upon all the face of the land, and unto every quarter of the earth."

It was about this time that the Jaredites left.

In Clarke, Bible Commentary, Vol. I, p. 84, it says: "Nimrod began to be mighty in sin, a murderer of innocent men and a rebel before the Lord. " In another place they say: " He was mighty in hunting and in sin before God, for he was a hunter of the children of men… and he said unto them, Depart from the religion of Shem, and cleave to the institutes of Nimrod!"

Back to The First 2000 Years: "As we have previously pointed out, nimrod is described a having established a kingdom through rapine, murder and tyranny. (Josephus, Book I, Ch. 4:2). It says he did it because he could discover ‘no other way of turning men from the fear of God.’

"Josephus says that he belittled God and tried to destroy men’s confidence in God. He did not deny His existence. He just said God wasn’t important. He said men were their own benefactors and didn’t need to thank God for the prosperity which they had worked so hard themselves acquire.

"Here is the conerstone of heathen worship—to place man above God.

"The next step is to worship great conquerors such as Nimrod and call them gods." The Historian L. Ginzberg, in "The Legends of the Jews", Vol. I, P. 1788), says, "And not all this sufficed unto Nimrod’s evil desire. Not enough that he turned men away from God, he did all he could to make them pay divine honors unto himself. He set himself up as a god, and made a seat for himself in imitation of the seat of God. It was a tower built out of a round rock, and on it he placed a throne of cedar wood, upon which arose, one above the other, four thrones, of iron, copper, silver and gold. Crowning all, upon the golden throne, lay a precious stone, round in shape and gigantic in size. This served him as a seat, and as he sat upon it, all nations came and paid him Homage.’"
(Skousen, W. Cleon, "The First 2000 Years, pp. 242-243)
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It seems to me that Nimrod was about a evil as a person could get. It reminds me of all that is evil about the NWO. He wanted to be worshipped, just like Lucifer wanted to be worshipped.


Believer

[creator]

There are two interesting theories I've heard...

1) The Tower of Babel was being built as protection against a possible future flooding of the earth.

2) The City of Enoch, for some time, was visible in the sky and they were attempting to build a tower to get to "heaven" (i.e. The City of Enoch).

[patriotsaint]

Hmmm,

I'd never heard the theory that they were trying to reach the city of Enoch. That is interesting to think about.

[Maksim]

Bump

Just in case you're teaching....

For GD lesson 6, "Noah...Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House"

[firefly]

I agree that the tower served many different purposes.

1. The carnal man's attempt to survive another flood.

2. A wicked temple

3. Turn men's hearts from the fear of God

4. To consolidate power by Nimrod

One that hasn't been talked about that I found while reading some Apocrypha a few years back on this subject, is it's relationship to the premortal life. When satan was cast out of heaven he was bound to this earth. He and his cast out spirits desired to return to heaven reengage the war up there. They mocked and talked about how the tower was to stabilize the heaven above so that the water in heaven wouldn't tip and spill again. The tower to heaven really seems fruitless but I guess that's all they can do.

This brings up a question. Would a "Star Trek"-like future even really be possible? I mean pretending the second coming wasn't for another 4 thousand years. Satan is bound to this earth, but let's say that some one built a space ship. When the ship leaves, one of the crewmen gets possessed by a demon. Then with that ship, couldn't they sail around the universe and the cast out spirit would no longer be bound to this earth? Anciently they built a tower to escape the earth... couldn't they build a space ship today?

[friendsofthe]

Here's a quote I came across just the other day that should be very interesting.

In his personal journal, George Laub records Joseph Smith as teaching in a discourse given April 13, 1843:
Now I will tell the designs of building the tower of Babel. It was designed to go to the city of Enoch, for the veil was not yet so thick that it hid it from their sight. So they concluded to go to the city of Enoch, for God gave him place above this impure earth (Journal of George Laub, BYU Studies, 18:2, page 175).

[heartsongs]

Here is also an interesting perspective to consider as well...
http://www.ldolphin.org/babel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Tower of Babel

The tenth and eleventh chapters of Genesis are composed of genealogies of nations and peoples designed to link the story of Noah and the Flood, which fills chapters 6 through 9, with the story of Abraham and his descendants, which fills the remainder of the book. The genealogies begin with Noah's three sons-Shem, Ham, and Japheth-and move eventually to Terah from whom Abraham is born. At two points there are parentheses dealing with the founding of the first world empire under Nimrod. The first parenthesis is 10:8-12. The second is 11:1-9.

These two go together. The first tells of Nimrod's exploits. The second does not mention Nimrod but speaks rather of an attempt to build the city of Babylon, a central feature of which was to be a great tower. On the surface these seem to be accounts of two quite separate incidents. But this is not the case. The second does indeed tell of the founding of Babylon, but we learn from the first that Babylon was the initial city of Nimrod's city-building empire. Moreover, as we study them we see that the founding of Babylon and the building of the tower of Babel in chapter 11 are an elaboration of the earlier narrative. In the first we have an emphasis on Nimrod--what he was like, what he did, what his goals were. In the second we have a treatment of the same theme but from the perspective of the people who worked with him. In each case there is a desire to build a civilization without God.

THE FIRST "COME"

The account of the building of Babylon begins by saying that the world had one common language (as would be expected due to the people's common descent from Noah) and since part of the world's people moved eastward, some settled on the plain of Shinar or Babylonia. So far, so good. God had told the descendants of Noah to "increase in number and fill the earth" (Gen. 9:1), a reiteration of the command originally given to Adam and Eve in Paradise (Gen. 1:28). The settlement of Shinar could be construed as a partial fulfillment of that command. Yet as we read we find that the goal of this particular settlement was not to fulfill God's command but to defy it. From the beginning, Babylon's goal was to resist any further scattering of the peoples over the earth and instead to create a city where the achievements of a united and integrated people would be centralized.

The Bible reports this desire as an invitation to "come" together to work on this great project. It is the first important "come" of the story. "They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. 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 and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth"' (Gen. 3,4).

Three things are involved in this invitation: 1) a vision for the city, 2) a desire for a name or reputation, and 3) a plan for a new religion. The plan for a city does not need to be examined at length; we have already discussed it in our study of Nimrod. The important point is that it was not God's city, as Jerusalem was. It was man's city, the secular city. As such it was constructed man for man's glory. The last of these desires--to construct a place for man's glory--is involved in the word "name": Come, let us...make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." It was the desire for reputation but, more than that, also a desire for independence from God. This reputation was to be earned by man apart from God. It was to be his alone.

We cannot forget that one characteristic of the God of the Bible is that He names people. He gives them names symbolic of what He is going to do with them or make of them. God named Adam (Gen. 5:2), Abraham (Gen. 17:5), Israel (Gen. 32:28), even Jesus (Matt. 1:21). In each case, the names point to what God has done or will yet do. The people of Babylon wanted none of this. They wanted to establish their own reputation and eliminate God entirely.

The second interesting feature of this part of the story is that God came down to see the tower the men of Babylon were building. This is an anthropomorphism, that is, God being described as if He were a man. (We are not to think that God actually had to get off the throne of the universe and come down to earth to determine what the builders were doing. All things are known to God always.) But it is not a "crude anthropomorphism," as some have chosen to call it. It is used with effect. Here were men attempting to build a great tower. The top was to reach to the heavens. It was to be so great that it and the religion and defiance of God it represented would make a reputation for these citizens of Shinar. There it stood, lofty in its unequaled grandeur. But when God wants to look at it He comes down. He has to stoop low to see this puny extravagance.

***This last paragraph is not implying that God has to come down to this lowly state to see, in the previous paragraph that I did not copy and paste implies that God does not have to leave the heavens at all to see anything here, but, that the people who built the tower were in their way mocking God, putting themselves above him in essence saying you must "come down" to our place to see. Well, you get the picture anyway.***

Possibility?

[buffalo_girl]

The Bible Dictionary has an interesting bit on Lucifer:

Literally the Shining One; also Lightbringer or Son of the Morning. Lucifer is also known as Satan or the devil. The name Lucifer appears only once in the Bible (Isa. 14:12; compare Luke 10:18). Apparently Lucifer is the name of the devil before his rebellion and fall. Latter-day revelation clarifies the fall of Lucifer and equates him with Satan (D&C 76:25–38; see also Rev. 12; 2 Ne. 9:8; D&C 29:36–38; Moses 4:1–4).

Footnote for Isaiah 14:12:
HEB morning star, son of dawn. The ruler of the wicked world (Babylon) is spoken of as Lucifer, the ruler of all wickedness.

There are some who believe the satanic cult begun by Cain found renewed commitment in Nimrod's rule over the People.

What would 'the tower' be in our day? I have to wonder if transgenic and transhuman engineering isn't comparable.

[Rensai]

There are two interesting theories I've heard...

1) The Tower of Babel was being built as protection against a possible future flooding of the earth.

2) The City of Enoch, for some time, was visible in the sky and they were attempting to build a tower to get to "heaven" (i.e. The City of Enoch).

I've heard these as well. On the second Idea I have an article I'll share.

"THE SIGN” of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

The scriptures speak of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the signs that will precede and accompany His arrival. These prophecies strike dread in the hearts of the wicked, promise hope for the saints and in the calm before the coming storm, generates feelings that range from anxiety to shear terror for everyone. How important are the signs of the times to those of us that live in the Last Days? Why did the Lord, even through His Old Testament prophets, provide lists of latter-day events and conditions as signs of His impending return? Are we to study these signs as part of the restored gospel? These modern day scriptures provide the answer.
D&C 45:38-39 Even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh. And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.
44 And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off.

Some signs refer to the restoration of the Lord’s church but most speak of frightful calamities that will affect the whole world. Some even focus on events that will drastically disrupt the lives of members of the Lord’s church here in the Rocky Mountains. Signs of the Second Coming started a long time ago and are fast becoming current events. The following are quotes from early church leaders, including the prophet Joseph Smith, and scriptures, both ancient and modern, about the signs that the world will witness as the great day of the Lord draws nearer. First, a short review of the “last days” judgments pronounced upon this nation, included to set the stage for the main focus expressed in the title of this study. To set this stage I begin with words of the prophet Joseph Smith: "I will prophesy that the signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced. One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your doors. …The time is soon coming when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her Stakes.”

Mosiah Hancock recorded a prophetic statement made by Joseph Smith, 8 days before his martyrdom: “There will be two great political parties in this country. One will be called the Republican, and the other the Democrat party. These two parties will go to war and out of these two parties will spring another party which will be the Independent American Party. The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will say, “let’s divide up the lands of the United States…”And another related statement by the prophet: “…the land will be literally left without a supreme government and every species of wickedness will run rampant. Father will be against son, and son against father, mother against daughter, and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of murder and blood-shed and rapine that ever been looked upon will take place.”

President Woodruff speaking of a time, still in our future, when all order in this nation will cease and mobs will begin to rule. The federal and state governments will literally cease to function.
“The judgments of God will now begin to rest more fully upon this nation and will be increased upon it, year by year. Calamities will come speedily upon it and it will be visited with thunder, lightning, storms, whirlwinds, floods, pestilence, plagues, war and devouring fire; the wicked will slay the wicked until the wicked are wasted away.”
“Can you tell me where the people are who will be shielded and protected from these great calamities and judgments which are even now at our doors? I'll tell you. The priesthood of God who honor their priesthood and who are worthy of their blessings are the only ones who shall have this safety and protection. They are the only mortal beings. No other people have a right to be shielded from these judgments. They are at our doors; not even this people will escape them entirely."

President George Q. Cannon said: “You will see the day, and it is not far distant, when these mountains will be the stronghold of a free people, and when men will come here because the principles of the Constitution will be maintained here; and they will be protected in their political and religious rights.” There will be no law and order; there will be confusion everywhere except here in the Rocky Mountains where the Church is headquartered. At first order will be maintained by the priesthood; there will be peace and security here while the rest of the nation destroys itself in anarchy. Because of this lawlessness, members of the church will not be the only ones that come to the Rocky Mountains seeking safety. George Q. Cannon, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, and Joseph Smith spoke to this fact.

Just prior to this time the call will go out for all Saints world wide to gather to the Rocky Mountains. Their instruction contained in D&C 133 will be “Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion …unto the mountains of the Lord's house. Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon. But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.” The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of the Saints that are called to gather to the Rocky Mountains gave this warning; “I prophecy, that that man who tarries after he has an opportunity of going, will be afflicted by the devil. Wars are at hand; we must not delay; but are not required to sacrifice. We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry is to make haste. …They will follow the Saints of God from city to city.”

Orson Pratt, speaking of the future of this nation, said: “it will be a war of neighborhood against neighborhood, city against city, town against town, county against county, state against state, and they will go forth, destroying and being destroyed and manufacturing will, in a great measure, cease, for a time among the American nation. Why? Because in these terrible wars, they will not be privileged to manufacture, there will be too much blood shed, too much mobocracy, too much going forth in bands and destroying and pillaging the land to suffer people to pursue any local vocation with any degree of safety. What will become of millions of the farmers upon that land? They will leave their farms and they will remain uncultivated, and they will flee before the ravages armies from place to place; and thus will they go forth burning and pillaging the whole country; and the great and powerful nation, now consisting of some forty millions of people, will be wasted away, unless they repent.”

Brigham Young, speaking of this future gathering, to the Rocky Mountains, said; “An inland empire will be established in these valleys of the mountains, which will be a place of refuge for millions of people to gather to, when the great day of the judgments of God comes upon the earth, and the righteous come here for safety. Our people will go East, West, North, and South, but the day will come, when they will be glad to come back. We will be shut out from the rest of the world.”

Another description of conditions in the United States is recorded in a vision attributed to Wilford Woodruff: “as I passed along upon my way east, I saw the road full of people, mostly women, with just what they could carry in bundles on their backs traveling to the mountains on foot. I wondered how they could get through with such a small pack on their back. It was remarkable to me that there were so few men among them. It did not seem to me as though the cars were running. The rails looked rusty and abandoned.” Joseph Smith said: “You will be so numerous that you will be in danger of famine, but not for want of seed time and harvest, but because of so many to be fed. Many will come with bundles under their arms to escape the calamities, and there will be no escape except by fleeing to Zion.”

With the Lord’s church; the Kingdom of God was restored to the earth and has continued to grow within the church’s organizational structure. According to the Prophet Joseph Smith the Kingdom of God is be a separate organization from the Church of God and will in the last days emerge as the presiding world government; the political arm of God on earth and will, eventually grow to hold worldwide dominion. Eventually, after the Kingdom has been established the church will turn its attention to reclaiming Zion and the return to Missouri for the building of the New Jerusalem.

Joseph F. Smith describes the journey in these words. “When God leads the people back to Jackson County, how will he do it? Let me picture to you how some of us may be gathered and led to Jackson County. I think I see two or three hundred thousand people wending their way across the great plains enduring the nameless hardships of the journey, herding and guarding their cattle by day and by night, and defending themselves and little ones from foes on the right hand and on the left, as when they came here. Note: the Law of Consecration (the United Order) will be established for this journey and for settling in Missouri.

The scriptures lists the numerous glorious and yet horrific calamities that will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ, but there is one all important sign referred to as THE sign of the Son of Man. Our understanding of what this sign will be, its symbolic meaning and how it will effect the world is key to seeing all other signs of the Second Coming from a correct perspective. The questions this study will address are: what will it be and when will we see it?

THE Sign:

The New Testament apostle; Matthew describes the appearance of THE sign as an event that will cause “all” to mourn:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Latter-day scripture teaches that everyone will see THE sign together:
“And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together.”

Joseph Smith said that Jerusalem and her temple must be built and the waters of the Dead Sea healed before the Lord returns and then spoke of THE sign: …"then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east."
"For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."

The symbol that is THE sign of the Second Coming will be something that “all people shall see …together”, and that will cause the people of the world to “say it is a planet”.

A planet in our solar system, close enough for everyone to see together, or did these prophets mean something else? Parley P. Pratt, with information obviously received from the prophet, said: ”We are nowhere given to understand that all the stars will fall or even many of them: but only “as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken with a mighty wind. The stars which will fall to the earth are fragments, which have been broken off from the earth from time to time, in the mighty convulsions of nature. Some in the days of Enoch, some perhaps in the days of Peleg, some with the ten tribes, and some at the crucifixion of the Messiah. These all must be restored again at the “times of restitution of all things.” This will restore the ten tribes of Israel; and also bring again Zion, even Enoch’s city. It will bring back the tree of life which is the midst of the paradise of God: that you and I may partake of it. When these fragments, (some of which are vastly larger than the present earth) are brought back and joined to this earth, it will cause a convulsion of all nature: the graves of the saints will be opened, and they rise from the dead; while the mountains will flow down, the vallies rise, the sea retire to it’s own place, the islands and continents ill be removed, and earth be rolled together like a scroll. The earth will be many times larger than it is now.” (Millennial Star, Vol. 1)

A similar statement, by Wilford Woodruff, also originating with Joseph Smith, reads: “Joseph also said that when the city of Enoch fled and was translated, it was where the Gulf of Mexico now is; it left that gulf a body of water.”

Section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants says: “And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above… if THE sign is to be a planet, what will be this heavenly wonder’s affect upon the earth, its gravity, its oceans?
D&C 133: 23 “He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land; …and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.” foot note: Gen 10: 25 “…Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided;”

Orson Pratt makes reference to the division of the earth in the days of Peleg, a division that will be reversed with the restitution of all things: “Many changes were made upon the earth in the days of Enoch; and no doubt the flood occasioned still greater; but we must look to the days of Peleg for the division of the earth into continents and islands, and the letting in of the waters upon the equatorial regions,” (The Seer, vol. II)

“Letting in the waters”, brings to mind the question: from where? The only force that could possibly drive and then hold earth’s oceans at the North Pole, both in the day of Peleg and again at a future date, is gravity. Remember this will be part of the “times of restitution of all things” and that it will require gravity generated by a planet of sufficient size and that is relatively close to the earth. Peleg; a grandson of Shem; Noah’s son, lived on the earth at the time that the world’s oceans long held at the north pole were released, causing what had to have been a flood second only to the flood of Noah. “like it was before it was divided” means that the earth as we know it will change drastically with the restoration of this sign to its place above the earth. Does “the earth divided” mean that half of it separated itself and moved to another location? Bathsheba W. Smith, wife of President George A. Smith wrote in her " Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith": “I heard him say; Peradventure, the Ten Tribes were not on this globe, but a portion of this earth cleaved off with them, went flying into space, and when the earth reels to and fro like a drunken man, and the stars from heaven fall, it would join on again." (Juvenile Instructor Vol. 27 - June 1892}

Oceans “driven back into the north countries” and then held at the North Pole, may be the cause of what John Taylor saw in a vision: “I seemed to be standing on the west bank of the Missouri River opposite the City of Independence, but I saw no city. I saw the whole states of Missouri and Illinois and part of Iowa were a complete wilderness with no living human being in them” If it is gravity that pulls “the great deep …back into the north countries,” the water presently filling the Gulf of Mexico would move northward, as the object generating the gravitation pull moves closer and closer. This would literally sweep Missouri and its neighboring states clean of all inhabitants.
Heber C. Kimball: “Missouri will be swept so clean of it’s inhabitants that, as President Young tells us, when we return to that place, ‘there will not be left so much as a yellow dog to wag his tail.’ “

We have, from a list of scriptures and inspired teachings, established that the whole world will see “one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven”, that it will appear to be “a planet”, that it will be one the “fragments, which have been broken off from the earth” some time in the distant past, that “the great deep”; the oceans, “shall be driven back into the north countries”, and that “the whole states of Missouri and Illinois”: will consequently have “no living human being in them.”

The vision painted here is mind-boggling, but it lends understanding to several scriptures like this one in Revelation 6. These verses describe a scene so terrifying that it will cause “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man” to hide “in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains” and to wish they could call for “the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:” In the preceding verses we learn that this fear follows “a great earthquake” of such immense magnitude that it will cause “every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” In a catastrophe of this magnitude people would be busy rescuing the injured, clearing the rubble, and rebuilding damaged structures. There would be many survival concerns, but the scripture speaks of hiding. Will this sign that has drawn the oceans to the North Pole, swept the population off the mid American states, and caused an earthquake to end all earthquakes still be ominously perched overhead? Will this scene be taken to be, “the face of him that sitteth on the throne;” the Lord?

Another example worth considering is: the motive of the builders of the tower of Babel. Remember we’re speaking of restoring to the earth portions that were removed anciently. First read Genesis 11:4, look into the sky, and ask yourself: would anyone really convince themselves that they could “build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” without being able to see their destination. Now, picture the sky with THE sign near enough for its gravitational pull to hold the oceans at the North Pole and ask your self the same question. Orson F. Whitney in 1889 said: “This sounds, indeed, like a fairy tale …intelligent enough to build a great tower of which the world has not since seen the counterpart, …could cherish the idea that they could actually reach the sun, moon, or one of the stars, simply by piling brick upon brick and stone upon stone. But the Prophet Joseph Smith, whose mission it was to shed light upon the darkness of this generation, is said to have declared that it was not their intention to reach heaven, but to reach Zion, which was then suspended in mid-air, between heaven and earth, or at such a height as to render the project feasible”.

Elder Joseph Young of the First Council of the Seventy and the brother of Brigham Young, claimed to have learned the following from Joseph Smith himself: “…Enoch and his people, with the city which they occupied, and the foundations on which it stood, with a large piece of earth immediately connected with the foundations and the city, had assumed an aerial position within the limits of our solar system…” Another student of the prophet, Orson Pratt noted: “The descendants of Noah not having faith sufficient to be caught up into Zion, concluded to build a tower sufficiently high to get there without being under the necessity of receiving a translation. From this it appears that the early descendants of Noah had an idea that Zion was located somewhere near the earth.” (The Seer, Vol. II)

To generate a picture of this scene in our mind we have to consider the moon’s size, it’s proximity to the earth, and it’s minimal tidal influence upon earth’s oceans. Then try to imagine a globe of sufficient size and position to lift and hold all the earth’s sea-water at the North Pole. This scene will also help us understand why a scroll was used as a scriptural symbol of the restitution of the earth to its pre-flood paradisiacal condition. We can easily picture, in our minds eye, another planet and the earth as they roll toward each other across the immensity of space and envision a scroll, seen from the end, being rolled together.
Isaiah 34:4 …the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll
Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
3 Nephi 26:3 …the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll
Mormon 5:23 …at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll
Mormon 9:2 …that gporeat day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll

According to the prophet Joseph Smith THE sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ will be the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel returning to the earth and Orson Pratt, of another similar event, wrote: “This city will, most probably, not rest upon the earth but hover over it… This proves that there will be a glorified place above the surface of the earth… The Zion of Enoch, therefore, will probably be very near the earth, located over the American continent where it was anciently built; and most likely, will partake of the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth, so as not to change it’s relative position in regard to the western hemisphere of our planet.”
In a statement above, the Apostle Parley P. Pratt spoke about “fragments… broken off from the earth” returning during the restitution of all things. He spoke not just about the City “of Enoch” but also of the lost “ten tribes.” In an article published in the March 1892 Young Woman’s Journal, O. B. Huntington, an intimate associate of the Prophet Joseph Smith and a Patriarch in Springville, Utah mentioned that the earth had two wings and drew them as semi-circles giving the earth the appearance of having polar elongations. Another friend, and onetime bodyguard of the Prophet, Philo Dibble is said to have received a diagram from the Prophet in 1842, which indicated the arrangement of this earth as a triple planet, at the time when the Ten Tribes were directed to the northern sphere.

The scene we are considering lends understanding to and makes it easier to picture the ten tribes traveling from the northern axis of the earth to the American continent. D&C 133 is describing a melting ice cap, is it melting because it will be covered by “the great deep”?
Verse 26: And they who are in the north countries shall come… …and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. 27 And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

A “restitution of all things” would, of course, return the earth to its pre-flood condition. Something, not here now, will transform the climate and environment of the earth into a terrarium-like condition.
Genesis 2 …the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

These are just a few examples, there are others that when considered under the light of the vision suggested above become clearer, easier to picture in our mind.
Revelation 8 …a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; …and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, …and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

In this study we have established that THE sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ will be a now hidden planet moving into a position very close to the earth. The next question we will address is: when will all the earth see THE sign.

Several scriptures link the common elements of the appearance of THE sign to one frightful event in the future; the battle of Armageddon. Near the end of a three and half year siege upon the city of Jerusalem the Savior, even Jesus the Christ, will come to the rescue of the Jews. According to Zechariah: “the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” The Old Testament prophet then outlines a couple of things about the day of the rescue that tie this scripture to other prophesies about this event: “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Though not emphasized as such, to consider the breaking of the Mount of Olives down the middle with the opposing halves moving away from each other, creating “a very great valley,” to be just another earthquake is probably a bit of an understatement. The book of Revelation, again speaking of “a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” describes the magnitude of the earthquake, along with “voices, and thunders and lightening,” as a “great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty and earthquake, and so great” and concludes with “every island fled away and the mountains were not found.” This earthquake to end all earthquakes will be caused by the same gravitation pull that will drive the seas of the world back to the “north countries.” It will, by lifting and then releasing the rotating earth’s upper crust; similar to the moon’s tidal influence on the oceans of the world, level every mountain range on the planet, thus returning the surface of the earth to its original mountain-less condition. Genesis 7 says that the flood waters were just fifteen cubits; less than 25 foot deep: “and the mountains were covered.” Ezekiel 38 described in specific detail the destruction to be caused by the earthquake resulting from the appearance of THE sign: “at the same time, when “Gog shall come against the land of Israel, …there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.”

Zechariah continues with a second element unique to this prophesied event: “…And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.” Modern day scripture, section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants, weaves the prophesied elements of the great battle Armageddon and the appearance of the Savior on the Mount of Olives into the appearance of THE sign of His Coming and the associated earthquake in these words: “For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; …earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. …And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people. …And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together.
With a picture of THE sign in your mind read: Isaiah. 60:19-20; The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Will THE sign be self-luminous or perhaps reflective like a moon, will it partially obscure the light of the sun and moon?
Zech. 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

Section 88 describes what will happen following the appearance of THE “great sign in heaven” that “all people shall see …together” “And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him. And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him …They are Christ’s, the first fruits,”
This is of course, speaking of the Coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory and the morning of the first resurrection when the saints, both the living and the resurrected dead will be caught up to meet him and then descend with Him. This appearance however, will not occur when Christ comes to Jerusalem to rescue the Jews. Section 88’s “…half an hour” sounds like the Second Coming of the Savior will happen a short time after He makes His appearance upon the Mount of Olive until we remember: “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Half an hour of a thousand year day is about twenty one years which will allow ample time, after the battle, for the chores prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel to be performed.
Ezek. 39:8-21 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. …And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

Taking a chronological step backward: before Christ makes His appearance at the climactic conclusion of the Battle of Armageddon, Gog; the modern day Russia, from “out of the north parts”, will mount a siege; the abomination of desolation, upon the city of Jerusalem that will last three and a half years:
Dan. 12 …and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (battle of Armageddon): and at that time thy people shall be delivered (by Jesus Christ upon the Mount of Olives), …And one said …How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, …it shall be for a time, times, and an half (3 ½ years); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people (Israel), all these things shall be finished.
Dan. 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (3 ½ years).
special note: verse 12 tells when the Savior will make His appearance: Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (3 ½ years plus 45 days)
Rev. 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months (3 ½ years).
Rev. 13:4-5 And they (people of the world) worshipped the dragon (the devil) which gave power unto the beast (McConkie – government): and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months (3 ½ years)

“Gog” with “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya …will think an evil thought;” and “in the latter years …come into the land …against the mountain of Israel, …to the land of unwalled villiages; …to carry away silver and gold.” This assault will turn into a 1,290 day; 42 month; three and a half year campaign; the “abomination of desolation” and will conclude 45 days later with the appearance of the Savior Jesus Christ in Jerusalem at which time an earthquake will literally level every mountain range on the earth and all men worldwide will witness the appearance of THE sign of the His Second Coming. This milestone event will be followed by a twenty one year “half an hour,” then and only then will the world witness the long awaited second coming of Jesus Christ to reign upon the earth for a thousand years.

In conclusion, referencing again the restitution of all things before the Second Coming: in an interview of Homer Brown of the Forest Dale ward, Granite Stake: "Brother Brown, can you give us some light and explanation of the fifth verse …which speaks of the Ten Tribes of Israel on part of the earth which now forms another planet, according to the composer, Eliza R. Snow?"
Eliza R. Snow a wife of the prophet wrote this poem:

"And when the Lord saw fit to hide
The ten lost tribes away,
Thou, earth, was severed to provide
The orb on which they stay."

And thus, from time to time, thy size
Has been diminished til
Thou seemest the law of sacrifice
Created to fulfill.

A “restitution” yet must come,
That will to thee restore,
By that grand law of worlds, thy sum
Of matter heretofore.

“Yes, sir, I think I can–I think I can answer that question. Sister Eliza R. Snow, when visiting my grand parents, was asked by my grandmother: “Eliza, where did you get your idea about the Ten Lost Tribes being taken as you explained in your hymn on page 386 of the Hymn Book?” She answered as follows, “Why, my husband, the Prophet Joseph told me about it."

[Still Learning]

According to the phttp://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 09485ophet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Joseph Smith THE sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ will be the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel returning to the earth and Orson Pratt, of another similar event, wrote: “This city will, most probably, not rest upon the earth but hover over it… This proves that there will be a glorified place above the surface of the earth… The Zion of Enoch, therefore, will probably be very near the earth, located over the American continent where it was anciently built; and most likely, will partake of the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth, so as not to change it’s relative position in regard to the western hemisphere of our planet.”
In a statement above, the Apostle Parley P. Pratt spoke about “fragments… broken off from the earth” returning during the restitution of all things. He spoke not just about the City “of Enoch” but also of the lost “ten tribes.” In an article published in the March 1892 Young Woman’s Journal, O. B. Huntington, an intimate associate of the Prophet Joseph Smith and a Patriarch in Springville, Utah mentioned that the earth had two wings and drew them as semi-circles giving the earth the appearance of having polar elongations. Another friend, and onetime bodyguard of the Prophet, Philo Dibble is said to have received a diagram from the Prophet in 1842, which indicated the arrangement of this earth as a triple planet, at the time when the Ten Tribes were directed to the northern sphere.
quote="patriotsaint"


I'd never heard the theory that they were trying to reach the city of Enoch. That is interesting to think about.[/quote]

[believer]

Rensai-

That was all very interesting. Thank you for posting it. Where did you get that article. It covered a lot. I had heard about the City of Enoch being in sight for awhile, but had totally forgotten about it.

[Elias Returns]

Rabbi Daniel Lapin stated that from their teachings as Israelites, the Tower of Babel is not a literal physical edifice. It was symbolic of a group of people engaging into the same sickness we currently have in society, with no moral compass guiding them. They also loved and lived the ideas of socialism, and communism, and started to feel and live entitlements. Pretty soon they all lost their individualities, and become one and the same, but with no righteous intent, and then God saw that He needed to intervene, because the whole human race would have ended, if He had not stepped in. I met this Rabbi in SLC last summer, he's incredible.

[azalea.rubicon]

Technically Lucifer's followers were not confined to those 1/3 hosts of heavens that were cast out with him but there were a lot more who pretended they were for God's plan but their hearts are rebellious and was able to obtain their second estate- Nimrod is an example and many other evil human beings who has lived and will be born on this earth.

[BroJones]

UMMM, lets not distort the quote by shortening it...

M. Catherine Thomas, “Using the Book of Mormon to Face the Tests Ahead” Chapter 2 in
Robert L. Millet, Watch and Be Ready — President Heber C. Kimball was quoted later with respect to the intensity of the tests:
“The judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked, to the extent that our elders from far and near will be called home; or in other words, the Gospel will be taken from the gentiles, and later on will be carried to the Jews.
“The western boundaries of the State of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitants that as President Young tells us, ‘when we return to that place there will not be as much as a yellow dog to wag his tail.’
"Before that day comes, however, the Saints will be put to the test that will try the very best of them.
"The pressure will become so great that the righteous among us will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes. . . .
“Then is the time to look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall.” [. J. Golden Kimball, in Conference Report, Oct. 1930, 59–60.]

[davedan]

The problem with Babel is that there was one government, people, nation, language, economy, and religion. Everyone was required to worship but the God of Babel was not the true God.

In a fallen world, Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutelt. Evil had gotten complete control of the people. The building project was just an outward manifestation of the corruption. How many slaves died to build it?

For the sake of the people, God destroyed it before it was completed. God promises that he will hasten his coming and destroy the NWO before this system gains total control over the entire earth.

If we let evil take complete control over the Earth, the righteous would be destroyed. The remaining people would be genetically bred into a servant class to service the elite.

The whole Earth would be wasted without divine intervention and God wiping the slate clean again.

[buffalo_girl]

If we let evil take complete control over the Earth, the righteous would be destroyed. The remaining people would be genetically bred into a servant class to service the elite.

The whole Earth would be wasted without divine intervention and God wiping the slate clean again.

At this point, only an upgrade on the elemental level will 'cleanse the earth'.

D&C 101
24 And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed;

25 And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.

[Watcher]

Rensai,

Great article. Can you give the source?

[Nyfiken]

Now, I think several explanations put forward here have merit. I'm going to suggest a little something more. In those days the heavens were different and mankind was more advanced than I think we normally assume. In these latter days we speculate there are portals or wormholes and I'm going to suggest they understood enough to be trying to reach something like that. You see, I believe that we always think we are
the advanced ones on this planet and thats not true at all.

[Rick Grimes]

Thank you Rensai for posting that great article.

I actually had heard of this before, and believe it or not, I think it makes a whole lot of sense. People trying to reach a flying continent certainly makes a lot more sense, in my mind anyways, than people just blindly building a tower to reach "heaven".

If this were true, it could be the basis for some of our oldest myths and legends. Numerous cultures have stories about floating cities and such. Old nursery rhymes/stories like Jack and the beanstalk take on new light when you consider the reinstall possibly representing the tower used to climb up to gain the riches on the floating continent. :-B

This is a really interesting thread, and not at all a conversation that could be had in a Gospel Doctrines class!

[Rensai]

Rensai,

Great article. Can you give the source?

Sorry, I can't find a source. I THINK its from Anthony Larson though. At least it sounds like his books to me.

[JohnnyL]

https://bookofmormonnotes.wordpress.com ... -by-grego/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EXCERPT:
***
Like many stories, quite simple in its telling. But, what really happened?

I don’t think it was just a bunch of people building a big ladder up into the sky.
Nor do I believe it was about corrupt temple ceremonies/ covenants/ etc.

I believe it had to do with what we might call “transhumanism” today.

Long ago, I loved the library. My library had lots of books on “special” topics: the paranormal, great mysteries, weird science, etc. I read them. Sure, a few of the topics in some of those books turned out to be hoaxes, etc. But… ;)

Our typical great scientific books work really well for “hard” sciences and many experiments. However, there is so much more out there, it’s amazing; and the material is amazing.

Unbeknown to most of us, there are *many* natural laws that exist, many more rules about their manipulation and results. Some of these have been discovered; often by one individual, sometimes a small group; and so they go largely unheard of. Other times, they are purposefully kept secret. Even many of those that were heard of, are then concealed. One great example: Tesla.

Let’s start with something basic but extraordinary that energy workers know: it’s possible to transfer information over great distances by tapping into a field, and effect changes in a field. In fact, solid scientific experiments have shown this to be true. Mainstream science has downplayed much of this, holding that basic Einstein can’t be broken.
***