The fall from self-government to human government, however, was not the final fall. Man fell even further than this, falling from human government to Satan's instigation. Human government was of God's authorization. But Satan utilized the authority which God gave man to form nations and to instigate a rebellion against God with the nations. Hence, man fell into an open rebellion against God. What is rebellion? Rebellion is the denial of right and authority. At the rebellion at Babel, man declared that he denied God's right and that he was absolutely free from God's authority. We see this in the world today. Some people say, "Who is God? What is God?" They cast off the feeling of their conscience and deny God's right and authority over them. This is exactly what happened at Babel. In that rebellion the human race cast away God's right and authority over man. Although there is a tendency along this line today, a part of the human race still is not for this. This is the reason that God is able to allow the human race to remain on earth. If the human race suddenly all became like man at Babel, God would have to say, "This is the time when I must come down to intervene." We have already seen that at the fall at Babel God personally intervened and judged that rebellion directly.
The fourth fall at Babel was more than a fall; it was a rebellion. That rebellion was a satanic instigation. The fourth fall was not a matter of immorality, murder, or violence. If you read the record concerning man's fourth fall in Genesis 11, you will find that it says nothing about immorality and violence being involved there. When I read this portion of the Bible as a young man, I did not think that it was so bad. I said to myself, "What was wrong for people to build a city and a high tower? It seems wonderful to me. Why did God have to come down to judge? There was no theft, murder, or immorality." At that time I did not see what was behind that rebellion. At the back of that rebellion was the satanic instigation. Thus, man's fourth fall must be called a rebellion. The question in that fall was not morality or immorality. It was a question as to who would have the right and the authority in the universe. Do the right and the authority belong to God or to man? They belong to God. He is the Creator, the owner of all. All right and authority must be His. At Babel, the creatures of God rebelled against Him, saying that they did not care for Him. They claimed that they were the owners, that authority was theirs, and that they would do whatever they wanted to do. Thus, that was not merely a fall, but a rebellion instigated by the rebellious Satan.
Firstly, man was under God; secondly, man was under man's conscience; and thirdly, man was under human government. Where was man at the time of Babel? He was under Satan's instigation. At that time man was altogether under Satan. Man collaborated with Satan. This brings us to the second factor of the cause of the fourth fall.