In this chapter and the next, we want to see two cities in the Bible: Babylon and Jerusalem. We have seen that God's intention is to have a universal, corporate vessel to contain Himself, and this vessel will be the New Jerusalem. Thus, the last city named in the Bible is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of all God's operation throughout all the generations.
But before Jerusalem there is a counterfeit called Babylon. In the Bible, Babel, or Babylon, is first mentioned in Genesis 11, but the name of Jerusalem is not mentioned until much later. Babel is the Hebrew word for Babylon. Babel is Babylon. Babylon came first because the enemy of God, Satan, knows that God's purpose is to have a living city composed of living persons to be a corporate vessel to contain Himself. Thus, the enemy of God tried his best to make a counterfeit, and this counterfeit was the city of Babel.
In Genesis 11 with Babel you can see four main points. First, man at that time was trying to do something against God by attempting to make a name for himself (v. 4). That was why man was trying to build up a city with a tower reaching to the heavens. Babylon is good for man to make a name, not for man to call on the name of the Lord. Babylon's purpose is to make a name for man.
Second, Babylon means confusion. Of course, you may say that God came in to confuse the people there, to confound them. But you have to realize that this confounding from God was a punishment to man due to his trying to make a name for himself. He confounded them by causing them to have different languages. I speak my language and you speak yours. I have my opinion, you have your thought, and we all are different; I do not understand you, nor do you understand me. This is a punishment from God.
Christianity is under God's punishment. The denominations do not speak the same thing, nor do they understand one another. The Presbyterians do not understand the Baptists, nor do the Baptists understand the Presbyterians. The Methodists understand the Methodists, but they do not understand the Episcopalians, etc. Each denomination is different from the others. This situation of division and confusion is a punishment from God. The Scriptures reveal that the local churches are not confounded or confused like Babel but are united as one Body. With Babel the second point is confounding, confusion. Those at Babel did not understand one another. This was done by God. He exercised His judgment upon the rebellious human race.
The third point with those at Babel is that all of them were scattered. Instead of being gathered, they were scattered. In the local churches we have a gathering, not a scattering. The Bible reveals that God's people always gathered together in Jerusalem. In the ancient time all the Israelites came together three times a year (Deut. 16:16). They had the "togetherness," the gathering. They came together at Jerusalem, but at Babel there was a scattering.
In today's Christianity the first point is that man is going to make a name. The second point is the misunderstanding between all the Christian groups and denominations. The third point is the scattering. Each one goes his own way and direction. Man's attempt to make a name for himself, confusion, and scattering are the significant points with Babel. All these points are still remaining with Christianity because it has become today's Babylon.