I have written before on the relationship between the confounding of language in Genesis and the restoration of a common language in Acts Chapter 2. (See link CRYPT AND DECRYPT).
In summary I believe because the Jewish people were far removed from God and absent from the Holy Spirit, and that their common language became encrypted with thousands of mutations as a lesson in justice. I believe that prior to that time the common language was Adam's language. When the Word spoke to Adam it was the incarnate Jesus' Voice which was heard and it was a holy language. Some say that it was ancient Hebrew.
In Acts I believe Jesus came again! He returned in spirit without flesh. Because a dead person's spirit came back, a disembodied spirit is a ghost. In this case he came back as the Ghost of Jesus because it was the Spirit of a dead man who came back. The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit, but specifically the Spirit of God in Jesus who was with him on the cross!
Just as the Holy Spirit discomforted sinners with the confounding of their language, it appears that the Holy Ghost removed the confound when the church was young. People needed to understand each other to populate the church, the opposite of the confounding which depopulated Babel.
The Holy Spirit encrypted mankind's language and the Holy Ghost decrypted it; returning to a common language such that everyone who was in one accord understood the language! It was an "unknown tongue" (although the Greek doesn't say "unknown") since the people had never heard it before because it ceased to be thousands of years before at Babel!
With that said, let's look at the store again:
Genesis 11:1 "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 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. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."Two things are brought to our attention: 1) "The whole earth was on of one language," and 2) "They all gathered together on the plain of Shinar (Iraq). Then when justice was served the Lord "said" things. In scripture when the Lord "speaks", he is The Word and is the pre-incarnate Jesus!
What was manner of justice was served? 1) Their language was confounded, and 2) the Lord scattered the people over the face of the earth. As they were scattered their communion was cut off for two reasons: 1) Understanding and 2) proximity. God allowed them to "do what was right in their own eyes" because God chooses not to force love. When people scattered they established new gods in distant lands and even the Hebrew people had "other gods before him".
Justice was served for ages. Then the Father decided that the time had come. He had a Son who was as his Father. This Son's difference was that he took on the same flesh enjoyed by man, felt man's temptation, had empathy of the creature and then because he loved his creation so much, Jesus died in their place. He died for all those peoples scattered all over the earth! They were of the seed of all those who built the tower in defiance of God's will!
After three days Jesus was resurrected. Because he loves us so much his desire is that we all be resurrected. After preparing to rejoin God, Jesus ascended, but shortly his Holy Ghost descended. When Jesus returned in Spirit he resurrected the old common language which had been encrypted so long ago. There was one more thing he must do to restore the people. They were to be resurrected as well!
Acts Chapter 2 is the resurrection of what was before the tower of Babel. Not only was their language resurrected, but so were the people. They gathered there from all over the earth and their language was restored to them. They became one people again under Jesus with one language! Rather than seek another God by looking toward the heavens they found God right there. After being scattered because of disloyalty to the Word, they were restored because of loyalty to Jesus! They were changed people!
The people came from all over the earth and joined together again in a new kingdom; the kingdom of God. They were separated in Babel, but were resurrected in God's Kingdom. That's where the original language is spoken; the language of angels which Adam spoke!
Before the people were Babblers. Now they are gathered together and called Christians. Just as the false religion of Babel was destroyed, the true religion of Christ was born! The followers of Jesus from many lands became one people again! And as Acts Chapter 2 indicates, as Jesus came back in Spirit they were all one again, being all in one accord!
In Babel because of disrespect they went from one to many peoples, but Christians came from many into one!
John 17:21 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."From many one! What a story. What God put asunder God restored. Those people whose seed died spiritually in Babel were resurrected again as they joined together as one in Christ centuries later. What a plan! God is a just God. His restoration of defiant people is grace. He didn't have to do that for those who despised him, but he did it because he loves them so!
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