The Discovery of Genesis (75 page)

Perhaps the wise old sage who was given the assignment by his king of inventing a written language for the new nation had even been present as a young man at the Tower of Babel and had witnessed the profound effect upon the confederate rebels when their common mother tongue was suddenly confused and communications were broken down. There had been days or turmoil when families speaking the same tongue were organizing themselves into bands. Finally, the companies of people dispersed in all directions. His compatriots had made the lengthy, hard migration as far as possible to the east, where they hoped for isolation and a new beginning. He had received the total historical background by word-of-mouth, possibly even from Noah or Shem themselves; then with his own more recent personal experiences to use as familiar facts, he cleverly added to the written language. Only a pictographic and ideographic language could so perfectly preserve history in such accurate detail.

One might even question whether the Chinese themselves took part in the rebellion at Babel. Since they were the only worshipers of the Supreme Ruler of Heaven, other than the Shemites, and since they had such a high moral code, along with rituals similar to the Shemites, might they have had the same fraternal roots? It is entirely conjectural, but they may have taken this opportunity to leave the polytheistic environment of Babel and join in the dispersion simply from the standpoint of wanting to separate themselves from nonbelievers.

Study suggests that the Chinese forebears summarized the three great rebellions of early mankind by indicating that the recalcitrants
united as one
in their defiance of God. Note this figure in the following characters. For Adam and Eve, the first rebels, there was the
flaming sword
which prevented them from repossessing Eden. The antediluvians, who entered into mass malcontent and disbelief, were
drowned
by the flood, while the bold seditionists at the
Tower
of Babel had their tongues confounded. In each of these instances, with corresponding commemorating characters, the
confederacy
and determination to act independently and to separate themselves from God, can be seen.

Even the punishment decreed by God for these great rebellions of mankind was measured out with a mixture of blessing. The “thorns and thistles” allotted to Adam and Eve kept them and all mankind busy with honest labor. The punishment of the antediluvian world changed the face of the entire earth and all weather conditions. But even the flood, with the burial of tremendous amounts of organic matter from both plant and animal sources, has proven a boon to modern man who benefits from the resultant oil and coal deposits.

The dispersion at the tower of Babel again may have been seen as a curse by the wicked who had their rebellious plans thwarted, and the differences in language throughout the world have been a continuing impediment to understanding and communication. On the other hand, the Babel migration was a means of repopulating the entire earth, and was actually an advantage to some, such as the Chinese who could isolate themselves in a distant land and carry on worship to the true God without molestation. This they apparently did for 2,000 years, although the people gradually lost sight of the meaning of their worship, which became a mere ceremony. With the loss of understanding of their rituals, the way was opened for acceptance of new religious innuendos and the introduction of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.