“AND the whole earth was of one
language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the
east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And
they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.
And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 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” Genesis 11:1-4
Each time I study this verse of the Scripture, a cluster of
thought congests my mind. What were these people actually thinking when they
made this decision? What level of intelligence would they have possessed? What resources
were within their reach that made them think they could actually achieve this
aim? The answers to these questions, though literal, are mysterious and could
not be fathomed by basic human knowledge. Now let’s take a tour…
Man, since his excommunication from the Garden of Eden, had
been looking for a means of returning back to God. Man had been looking for a
way to return back to his first estate where he enjoyed God’s riches to the
fullest and had peace of mind. The Garden of Eden is a place of comfort where
man don’t have to bother himself with the mundane things of this world neither
do man worry himself with what to eat or wear since God had readily made these
things before man was even created. Man remembered Eden and was saddened, so he
tried as much as possible to return to his creator. The tragedy is that the
connection is broken- no more transmission.
Man instituted various models and
media for connecting to his Creator but were all to no avail. This is the
origin of religion. Man’s initiative for pleasing God- known as religion,
failed. Man was searching for the True
God but could not find Him though he knew God exists. The frustration was what
triggered those ancient men and they, peradventure, said “Let’s go and meet
that God in heaven if He’s not coming to us” They made the move, gathered the
resources needed and started working out their vision. What I love most in
those men is their spirit of unity and cooperation. They would have done what
they determined, at least to some extent, if not for the intervention of
Heaven. But the truth is that they wouldn't have succeeded. Let’s look at it
this way…
*The Space which is believed to be the entrance (or a path)
to heaven is limitless. It has about seven layers (Atmosphere, stratosphere,
troposphere, mesosphere, etc.) which are all about 800 meters away from one
another. I don’t think the tallest building in the world is as high as that.
The Scripture says in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may
be found, call ye upon him while he is near” This scriptural reference
teaches us that God can be as close to us as our hearts. Could this be true?
1st Corinthians 3:17 says “Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” This verse
of the Scripture is an affirmation to what Isaiah said. God lives in you if you
believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. “For ye are the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus” Galatians 3:26
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him” John 14:23
Knowing God is not about you being religious or having a
religious title- Pastor, Reverend, Bishop, Apostle, Imam, Sheikh, Al ’haji,
Monk, Nun or Oluwo, it’s about you having the Spirit of Christ, which is the
Spirit of God, resident in you (Romans 8:9).
Do you want to know God more? Then accept Christ into your
life by following these simple steps…
- · Repent from all known sins
- · Ask God to forgive you and show you mercy
- · Believe that Jesus can save you
- · Then say this short prayer
“Lord Jesus, I come to you today. I believe you as the
Only Begotten Son of God who came to take away my sins. From today, I accept
you as my Lord and Saviour. Save me from sin. Build my faith in you and make me
to know you more. Write my name in the book of life and help me to follow you
dearly. Amen”
If you have made that decision to follow Christ, I want to
encourage you to continue in this faith by fellowshipping
with the children of God on a regular basis (Hebrews 10:25), praying always with the name of Jesus
(Philippians 2:10) and giving heed to
the word of God (Colossians 3:16). I pray that God will reveal Himself to
you and make you to know Him more in Jesus’ name.
E.O. Michael
Writer, Tutor and Researcher
