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About Jesus - Steve Sweetman
Undoing Babel 'western
immigration policies'
If you're interested in
understanding the Israeli Palestinian conflict from a moderate Muslim's
perspective I suggest you read "Our Last Best Chance" by Jordan's King Abdullah. Abdullah
is a moderate, westernized, Muslim, who was educated from a child in Although King Abdullah is
a friend of the When I think of ethnic
conflicts, I think of Nimrod, the first recorded tribal leader to aspire
to be king of a global empire as seen in Genesis 10 and 11.
He built the famous Tower at Babel, which by the way, wasn't what got God upset, as I believe the text
implies. It was man's
aspiration for global supremacy that bothered God.
So, God scattered man across the face of the earth and disrupted
his communications with the creation of many confusing languages which
in effect divided, or helped divide, man into various ethnic peoples.
In response, man has systematically tried to undo God's will as
seen at Babel. One way we've undone Babel
is the spread and acceptance of the English language across the globe
that has made for easier communication.
Technical advancements in transportation, computers, the
internet, communication devises, and more, have torn down ethnic walls.
Our nationalized multi-cultural doctrine of tolerance has also
undone Babel
in many respects. In association with multi-culturalism are western immigration policies that have allowed the
free exchange of ethnic peoples from one nation to another.
Especially in the west, nations are no longer based on one
ethnicity, but on every ethnic peoples you can think of.
You can visit downtown Toronto
on any given day and see all ethnic peoples functioning together in fine
fashion. Nimrod would have
loved Toronto. He would have been in awe
of the CN Tower that rises above Toronto's skyline, and until recently, was the tallest free standing structure
in the world.
You might ask,
"What's wrong with our immigration policies?"
On the surface there appears to be nothing wrong with them,
especially when many of these policies are based on compassion for the
less fortunate. Again, if
you think about it, these policies, along with modern advancements in
technology, do unscatter what God scattered at Nothing can or will be
done about this. Humanity is
trapped in its own fallen and sinful nature.
Even when we attempt to do good as seen in compassionate based
immigration policies, we undo Babel. In other words, we're
damned if we keep these policies and we're damned if we don't keep them.
I find God's immigration
policies as seen in the Law of Moses interesting.
When the Jews conquered Canaan as they were commanded, those
living in Canaan, as the NIV puts it, were called "native
born" while those relocating to Canaan
were called "foreigners" (Exodus 12:49 and elsewhere in the
NIV). The Law provided
social and financial protection for the native born and the foreigner as
seen in Numbers 15 and elsewhere. Leviticus
19:34 commanded Israel
to love foreigners, even though they were Israel's enemies. That being said,
the Law of Moses demanded that the native born and foreigner obey the
Jewish God, keep His commands, and forsake their paganism (Exodus 12:49,
Leviticus 24:22, Numbers 15:29 and elsewhere).
Now that's an interesting multi-cultural concept.
From my Futurist view of
prophecy, I realize what I'm saying
is so culturally and religiously foreign to most of us that it sounds
heretical. I admit that
there may be more to this issue than what I've considered, but, what I
have considered might well be worth your consideration.
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