The Tower of Babel - the Beginning of these Systems.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel... (Gen. 10:10)

But it, considering the circumstances of the world today, has been demoted
to probably one of the most obscure and insignificant events of our ancient
history. This important story is rarely mentioned in modern history books -
almost intentionally forgotten.

Also, when one hears the name Nimrod many tend to think of some
clumsy oaf; one of little intelligence. In actuality, the Nimrod of old was a
mighty leader, the founder of the first great empire of post-flood
civilization - the kingdom of Babylon.[1]

The flood of Noah devastated the world Noah once lived in. After the
waters receded, and Noah and his family left the Ark, God commanded the
survivors to "spread out, and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:7 KJV).
Unfortunately, the people of the day chose not to obey God. Nearly two
hundred years after the flood, the descendants of Noah began to multiply
in great numbers. Noah's close descendants became the patriarchs of a
great number of families who, eventually, had coalesced into nations. This
disbursement would set the stage for the eventual Babylonian Empire, and
Babylonian Religion(s).

Noah's grandson Cush was one of these early patriarchs; the one who
became a leader of many. He did not want to follow God's commandment
of "fill the earth," but strove for the opposite - he wanted to bring all of the
people together. He began to unite everyone into one huge nation; thus
beginning the unification movement - all centered at the Tower of
Babel.[2]

The Bible gives us little information about Cush, Nimrod, and the Tower
itself. As we read in Genesis 10:8, Cush was the father of Nimrod - and
that's about all. Even though the Bible doesn't give us much more about
their individual lives, we do learn from other ancient texts that Cush and
Nimrod would become legendary, throughout the secular/pagan world.[3]

The Bible does, however, tell us about the beginning of this apostasy at the
Tower of Babel - the major rebellion against God, and His commandments:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech... they
found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.... 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 (KJV)

As we'll discover in Giants of Scripture, the people of the post-flood era
began to pursue the same ideological ideas as their ancestors did before the
flood: they wanted to find ways to "make a name for themselves." These
pride-filled people wanted to exemplify themselves; and not God. Once
again, they intentionally disobeyed the ways of God, and went out on their
own. Why? How could these people become so rebellious, so quickly?
One reason was that many people still may have recalled stories of how
their ancestors had rebelled against God (before the flood), and thought
highly of their efforts. Many of these people began to care more about
their ancestors than they did about God. They also seemed more
concerned for their own lively hood than society at large. It soon became
"all about them." And where did they get the fuel for their self-absorbed
"fire?" Cush and Nimrod, of course.

The leaders of this movement wanted the people to make sure that if God
ever become angry at them again, He would not be able to sweep them
away by a flood, as He did earlier![4] This was a major reason for the
building of this tower - pride-filled rebellion. According to a variety of
ancient texts, the people of Babel, under Cush's command, were
attempting to build a structure so high that they would never have to worry
about any judgment this so-called God might have in store for them.

On top of it, they even wanted to be able to climb up this tower, all the
way to heaven, and be able to destroy God with their swinging swords![5]
Their own power, at least in their own minds, was in their unity. Their
desires for vengeance became so strong that nothing (at least in their
minds) was going to stop them - their resolve for "freedom". It may be a
little hard to understand why these people would deviate from God's
righteousness so quickly; but the more we understand how they lived, and
the ideological ways they quickly began to follow, the more it may begin to
make sense.

As always, God had a perfect plan to thwart these rebellious ways:

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is
one, and they all have one language; and this they began to do: and
now nothing will be restrained from them, which they had imagined
to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that
they might not understand one another's speech. So the LORD
scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of the whole earth:
and they left off to build the city. Therefore the name of it was 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. - Gen. 11:5-9 (KJV)


This is about as far as the Bible goes into it; but what happened around this
time would set the stage for the establishment of one of the most influential
ploys of power and control in our history.

After God confused the people's languages, nobody could really
understand anyone else around them; and the construction of the tower
came to a grinding halt. Cush, their former leader, was forced to give up
this tower-building project, and hung his head in disgrace. The groups of
families/nations once united here were now forced to scatter abroad, each
nation according to their own languages - just as God intended. Even
though they were forced to separate, the people still wanted to retain their
"unity of thought" they learned at the tower, amongst other rebellious ways.

As some of these established states form into empires, the people
continued the influences and knowledge they acquired from Cush and
Nimrod into their own ways of life![6]

Although most people gave up on finishing this Tower of Babel project,
some continued on, in the same vicinity, with another endeavor: the
completion of a city. No longer did they concentrate on the Tower of
Babel, they now had a city, of which they were to finish; a city with a new
name: Babylon.

The word Babylon simply means confusion: named after the confusion
which resulted from God changing the languages of the people there. So,
even though Cush had been disgraced here, he would still regain his stature
- he kept his high esteem with the people, because of his once-powerful
position.

Cush's son Nimrod also kept his esteem and stature. He would go on to
take over the reigns of the establishment of the city of Babylon. Through
this, Nimrod would amplify the dignity and respect of even the scattered
people around him.[7] He would take this entire tower-building rebellion of
Cush one step further.

The Bible only mentions him in a couple of verses:


And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He
was a mighty hunter before the LORD... And the beginning of his
kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of
Shinar. - Gen. 10:8-10 (KJV) (also mentioned in Micah 5:1)

Nimrod was the first "Mighty One" of the post-flood world. Also known as
The Subduer of Leopards, he earned his fame through conquering large,
wild animals. He was very strong: a giant in both name and in stature.
Eventually, after conquering all the dangerous animals around him, he
turned his powerful sights towards conquering people.[8]

Eventually, Nimrod began the first empire of the post-flood world - the
Assyrian/Babylonian Empire. Nimrod brought the original grandeur of
the tower-building project into his new political system of governmental
rule. And, on top of it, he used theologies that he and his father had taught
into forming a religious system of this same foundation. From these
systems of politics and religion, his authority and control over people was
about to take hold - on a grand scale.[9]

Cush and Nimrod were even known for their ability to "channel," or
communicating with those of the spiritual world. In some schools of
thought, the spirits they communicated with were actuality considered the
dead spirits of their antediluvian ancestors![10] Regardless, from these acts
of communication, the two were able to acquire a great deal of occult
knowledge - which allowed them the ability to accomplish such great feats
as the construction of the tower. Just as their pre-flood ancestors did,
Nimrod and Cush were also able to "make a name for themselves." In fact,
the scattered people of their era began to admire them, and their positions,
so much that they started to revere them as "gods."

Cush and Nimrod became so popular their likenesses were incorporated
into many facets of empirical culture since then. Cush, for example, also
became known as Thoth, Hermes, and Mercury; Nimrod came to be
known under the names Jupiter, Osiris, etc.[11] The Bible may even
equate them to gods such as Baal and Merodach (in Judg. 6:25-8, Jer.
50:2). In the end, the religious foundation of monotheism - there being one
and only one God - was about to be challenged.

So, once again, God engaged in a plan to upstart this new system of
apostate religious beliefs.

We'll see what happened next in Origins of Babylon - Part 2.

Footnotes:

[1] Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers,
1916), 12-13.
[2] Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews Volume I: From the Creation to Jacob, trans.
Henrietta Szold (Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1909), 179.
[3] J. Garnier, The Worship of the Dead Or the Origin and Nature of Pagan Idolatry and Its
Bearing Upon the Early History of Egypt and Babylonia (London: Chapman & Hall, Limited,
1909), 61.
[4] Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews Volume I: From the Creation to Jacob, trans.
Henrietta Szold (Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1909), 179.
[5] ibid. p. 179.
[6] Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers,
1916), 80-81.
[7] ibid. p. 23, 28, 31, 41.
[8] ibid. p. 23-24, 40, 227.
[9] ibid. p. 243.
[10] Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft (New York: Facts
on File, 1989), 309.
[11] Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers,
1916), 209, 25-26, 20, 30, 230, 297, 22, 43-44, 46, 56, 314, 49, 246.


Copyright 2010, Brett T., All Rights Reserved

What happened to Nimrod's Babylon?

...and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel... (Gen. 11:8-9)

The religion, pushed by Cush and Nimrod, marked the beginning of pagan polytheism in the post-flood world: the worship of many gods.

The snake, sun, and fire became their symbols of the pagan god on earth. Human
sacrifice became openly practiced.[1] Even though God wanted His people
to spread out, and only serve Him, Nimrod, through this empire and
religion of Babylon, began to unite the people - all under his "one-world
government." As a result, this early Babylonian religion began to be
abhorred by pious, God-following generations of their era. One of them,
Noah's son Shem, decided to do something about it.

According to tradition, Shem gathered 72 co-conspirators to help him, and
some made their way up to the palace where Nimrod lived. After catching
him in a double-cross, Shem killed Nimrod; and cut his body into little
pieces! He alerted his co-conspirators - each one of them - to take a piece
of Nimrod's body and distribute it to all the cities under his rule. They did
as they were told. But, all of this gore had a purpose, however: to show the
world, proof-positively, that Nimrod wasn't a god. It was Shem's warning
to all of Nimrod's new followers: stop what they were doing and start
obeying God, or else![2]

Nimrod's followers did become very frightened. They worshipped him as a
god - a god of whom they thought would live forever. Now, he was dead;
the validity of their newfound religion was in question. Cush, his father,
was already shamed for his previous actions at the Tower. He wasn't really
able to unite the people under these systems as Nimrod did. Their whole
ability to control the populous had to go a little less "out in the open."

The way they maintained their power would be accomplished, in part, by
another up-and-coming character: a woman.

Rarely-known by her proper name, Semiramis was to be exalted into one
of the most famous women since the flood! She was Cush's wife at the
time of the tower, and also mother of Nimrod! After Cush was disgraced,
subtle Semiramis didn't want to go down with him. So, to maintain her
reputation, she did the unthinkable: she married her own son![3]

By marrying Nimrod, Semiramis could still maintain somewhat of an
authority over the populous - as long as her husband remained in charge.
Once Nimrod was murdered, however, Semiramis was, again, in danger of
losing all that she had.

It just happened that, right around this time, Semiramis was pregnant; the
father supposedly unknown. Yet, this was her golden opportunity to
capitalize on those looking for answers.

We will see that, from Cain: Seed of the Serpent, there was a famous
prophecy - given by God - to Adam and Eve:


And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
(the serpent's) seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel. - Gen. 3:15 (KJV)


This prophecy was also well-known to the people of Noah's post-flood era.
It stated simply that, one day, a savior would be born - a savior who
would arise from the "seed of Eve." This savior would "bruise the head" of
the serpent, and his seed, in order to save humanity from their worldly
sins. Semiramis believed that if she could convince the world that her
unborn son was the one who would indeed "save the world," she might still
retain all of her power. What if her unborn child was "the promised seed" -
the one destined to "crush the serpent's head;" able to remove the curse of
sin and death which began in the garden? This would, practically, launch
him into a god-like state in his own right. Her unborn child, according to
Semiramis, would become just that - none other than Nimrod reborn.[4]

According to her, Nimrod reincarnated himself in her womb. Semiramis
"slept with no man" in this case; and became pregnant by his "holy" spirit.
Doesn't this all sound familiar?

In the end, this slaughter of Nimrod was actually a good thing. He now
became a martyr. It would be Nimrod who died for the sins of the entire
world; and "rose again" as this child. Semiramis, naturally, would have to
be looked upon as a "great mother" - or even virgin mother - of this new,
wonderful, faith.[5] Surely, it's beginning to sound very familiar!

Yes, this was the greatest twist in the history of the world - the twist of
Jesus Christ.

Now, this theft of God's prophecy would rob millions of what would be the
true savior of the world - Jesus himself. The people now began to
preemptively accept Nimrod as the fulfilment of this great prophecy. His
death would be what saved everyone from the curse of the Garden!

Semiramis, naturally, would also have to become deified - as the "mother
of the child". Interestingly enough, many of the images the people made of
her, since then, looked like this:[6]

Now, this image of mother and child - two thousands years before the
actual birth of Christ - became the new object of veneration and worship!
Ultimately, this system of ancient Babylonian religion was saved by them
borrowing of God's prophecy, and twisting it all around.

Over time, Nimrod became considered the pagan "Horned God;"
Semiramis the "Goddess." Semiramis, once again, had managed to halt the
attempt of Shem and his Godly conspirators to stop the progress of a
Babylonian system of religion. She, as well, managed to explain away the
doubt and confusion steeped in the minds of Nimrod's believers. Nimrod -
pagan god of the old system - didn't really die. He was reincarnated into
another god for the people.[7]

The Babylonian religion before Semiramis might have seemed harsh to
some. Now - in order to make her new systems of religion look a little
more pure and wholesome - there had to be a few changes. No longer
would some of their graphic practices be openly practiced - such as human
sacrifice. A lot of it had to either go undercover for a while (until it was
safe to bring it out in the open, again), or it needed to be made to look a
little more "wholesome." Systems needed to be changed. Why? It was to
make sure that no-one of God (like Shem) would be able to go to such a
high level again, and almost devastate their entire belief structure!

These ancient Babylonian belief-systems - knowledge and ways of life to
be ingrained into forthcoming cultures, politics, and religious beliefs - would
have to be carefully and subtly molded and assimilated into each new
empire succeeding Babylon. To the pagans, God was still their enemy. His
ways were not their ways. Their own thought became the measure of all
things, not God. The two avenues of belief have been at odds with each
other, ever since the beginning.

The rise of the Israeli nation, as well as Christianity, would both work to
push much of the old, harsher facets of this old Babylonian religion under
cover; but they would not die. All of these different systems - or facets - of
culture, politics, and religion, that didn't exactly come from God, came
from somewhere! It is these "other" ways of looking at things, according to
the Bible, which could be amassed, collectively, into one sinister title:
Mystery Babylon.

What would happen after the adoption of Semiramis' new belief systems
could be found in Legacy of Nimrod. This section gives us details on how
some aspects of Mystery Babylon could even have been adopted by one of
Shem's descendants, and made it to work for evil.

For more on the ancient background of Babylon - from the beginning all
the way up the time leading up to Cush and Nimrod - please visit The Gap
Theory section.


Footnotes:

[1] Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews Volume V: Notes for Volume One and Two,
trans. Henrietta Szold (Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1909), 215.
[2] Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers,
1916), 66.
[3] Herman L. Hoeh, Compendium of World History, Vol. 1, Ch. 3, 4, http://www.earth-
history.com/Various/Compendium (accessed Dec. 19, 2007).
[4] Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers,
1916), 305.
[5] ibid. p. 74-77, 295, 304-06.
[6] ibid. p. 74, 264.
[7] William Schnoebelen, Wicca: Satan’s Little White Lie (Chino, CA: Chick Publications,
1990), 172; Rev. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux
Brothers, 1916), 58.


Copyright 2010, Brett T., All Rights Reserved