Rebellion

It didn’t take long for the bloodline of Noah to forget the awesome power of their ancestor’s God, or the magnitude of His fierce anger. Within the span of six or seven generations, the hearts of Noah’s lineage had grown dark and evil. It was in this darkened state that they concocted a plan, one that would, allow them to reach the heavens. It was to be the first organized rebellion against God, and it has been a reoccurring theme in the world for thousands of years ever since.
The plan that their rebellion had concocted was no small thing. It would take organization, intense labor, and a commitment of decades instead of mere days, but in their evil hearts they believed the payoff would be worth the struggle, the toil, the sweat, the tears, and the bloodshed.
They would make bricks, and bake them thoroughly, they would use asphalt for mortar, and they would begin to build a tower, for one reason alone; to reach the heavens.
Although Biblically the size of the tower of Babel is never mentioned, one would only have to consider the final goal of the plan, that of building a tower high enough to reach the heavens, to realize it was truly a monstrosity of a project.
Brick by brick, day by day, the inched their way closer to their designated goal, but there was no purity in the intent of their hearts. They did not desire to build this tower to behold the face of God, they did not desire to build this tower to have a more intimate fellowship with Him, but rather to satisfy their own selfish ambitions, and warped desires.
“Let us make a name for ourselves”, was their motto, and they let nothing deter them from their plans. This motto is alive and well to this day, and not only in the world around us but within the body of Christ as well. Whether an individual, a ministry, or a denomination, this desire to make a name for oneself is seen more readily in the actions they undertake, than in their verbal expressions. No one says they want to make a name, but their actions betray the desires of their hearts, and every move they make, every position they take is geared toward the goal of elevating their status, of bringing them to the forefront, or praising them, and of honoring them. In all the tumult, Jesus has been all but forgotten, and the motivation for our worship, the motivation for our sermons, is not to draw men to God, or to reveal the wonder of His loving kindness and mercy, but to coddle men and placate them that they might in no way, shape or form feel convicted or be stirred to repentance. Instead of bricks and mortar we are using words and actions, but our rebellion is as evident now, as it was in the days of the tower of Babel.
If those building the tower of Babel wanted to reach heaven still in full possession of their sinful nature, today men and women with beaming smiles, and fidgety eyes, are trying to tell the masses that they too can reach heaven, still in full possession of their sinful natures, by simply supporting them financially, or giving sacrificially. There is only one path to heaven, there is only one way by which we can be reconciled unto God, and that is by being born again, through repentance and obedience to the Word of God.
Jesus said there was only one way, and He was that way, and no matter how many voices rise up claiming the opposite, the words of Jesus will stand as witness against them on the Day of Judgment.
Today the religion of self justification has taken root in the hearts of many, and it is as wicked and unacceptable in the sight of God, as was the building of the tower of Babel. The root in the hearts of those attempting to find another way to heaven, other than Jesus, is the same naked rebellion that was visible in the hearts of those who purposed in their hearts to build the tower itself.
In its most basic definition, rebellion is the refusal to accept authority. When we see these newfangled teachings concerning the many paths that lead up to the same destination, or that the god of your choosing, no matter who or what it might be is sufficient to ensure your entry into paradise, all they really are, are the refusal to accept the authority of Christ. It is this refusal, this outright rejection of humility in the hearts of men that causes them to wander, and to receive in their hearts destructive heresies that lead them to spiritual death.
In the midst of all the confusion, in the midst of all the voices vying for our attention, we have the promises of Jesus that not only encourage us but comfort us as we see the world descending into greater and greater darkness.
John 14:1-4, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may also be. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
There are two truths that are of paramount importance in this passage. First, we know where He went, and second, we know the way to get to where He is. In His loving kindness, and glorious mercy, Jesus not only went to prepare a place for us, but He has show us the way, He has revealed Himself and the power of His grace, that we might follow the way He set forth, and be with Him in eternity.
Rather than attempting to build our own path toward heaven, brick by brick, may we simply submit ourselves, and humble ourselves in repentance, receiving the priceless gift of salvation from the throne room of God.
Just as God confronted the rebellion of those who were attempting to build the tower of Babel, turning their well laid plans upside down, and keeping them from succeeding in their quest, He will soon expose the foolish doctrines of foolish men who are attempting to strengthen the hands of the wicked, and make the hearts of the righteous sad. God will not be mocked, and the day of reckoning is upon us.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.