Yes — the Tower of Babel was a pivotal moment of rebellion and false religion in biblical history.
It stands in the middle of the roughly 400-year gap between Noah's flood and the call of Abraham. Under Nimrod, humanity united in Shinar instead of scattering as God had commanded, and Les teaches that Satan used this gathering to launch all pagan religion and idolatry. God judged the rebellion by confusing their language and scattering the people, leaving Babel as the root of every false religion that followed.
Genesis 11:4 — This verse records the stated intent of the people at Babel, showing their united rebellion against God's command to scatter.
Genesis 11:9 — This verse records God's judgment at Babel — the confusion of language and the scattering of the human race.
Genesis 11 records that the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. As people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said one to another, "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." The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, and He said that nothing would be restrained from them which they had imagined to do. He confounded their language so they could not understand one another, and He scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth. They left off building the city, and the name of it was called Babel, because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth.
Les places the Tower of Babel in the middle of the roughly 400-year period between Noah's flood and Abraham. After the flood, Noah's three sons repopulated the Middle East for about 200 years, but instead of scattering as God had commanded, the people united under Nimrod in the plains of Shinar on the Euphrates. Les says the tower was not an attempt to build a literal staircase to heaven; it was a place of religion by which they could usurp the throne of God religiously — Satan's age-old goal. At Babel, Satan instituted all pagan, idolatrous, and mythological religions, and every cult, occultic religion, and false religion since has its roots there. God's judgment was to scatter them and confuse their language, and by the time God called Abraham 200 years later, idolatry had permeated the whole human race.
Les says no. The tower was not intended to take brick and stone all the way to heaven. It was a place of religion whereby the people could literally usurp the throne of God religiously. He says that has always been Satan's goal, and at Babel they were going to replace the things God had instructed with the things Satan promotes.
Les teaches that under Nimrod, Satan instituted all pagan and mythological religions at Babel. Everything contrary to the one-God concept of Scripture — Eastern religions, idolatry, mythology, occultic religions, and cults — has its roots at the Tower of Babel. He says that even if a cult uses Scripture, parts of its doctrine can still be traced back to Babel.
God scattered the people from Babel, and the name Babel means confusion. Les notes that after Babel, idolatry and paganism permeated the whole human race, and apart from Noah there is no indication that anyone had knowledge of the one true God. Approximately 200 years later, God sovereignly called Abram out of the mainstream of humanity and promised him the nation of Israel.
Biblical Timeline: Creation to Christ's Kingdom!
what got them interested. This is what began to make sense out of what the Bible is saying. So we're going to go back over to the very left-hand end of the line, and we're going to take this timeline as just an unfolding now of human history, which of course is God's term for His story. And we start back here with the creation of Adam and Eve at approximately 4004, naturally, B.C.
Rebellion and a Religious Usurpation
Les explains that the tower was not a literal attempt to reach heaven but a religious act intended to usurp God's throne, motivated by Satan's goal of replacing God's instructions.
Satan Institutes Pagan Religion
Les shows that the Tower of Babel, built by a one-language human race in Shinar under Nimrod, is where Satan instituted all pagan and mythological religions.
The Root of All Idolatry
Les emphasizes that all idolatry, paganism, occultic religions, and cults that have saturated the world find their roots in the Tower of Babel.
Rejection of God's Command
Les describes Babel as a total rejection of God's instruction to scatter and repopulate the earth, and the beginning of every religion contrary to the one-God concept.
Paganism Permeates the Human Race
Les says that from Babel, paganism permeated the whole human race, and aside from Noah there is no indication anyone retained knowledge of the one true God.
The Origin of Every Cult
Les explains that every true cult and every world religion can trace its roots directly back to what began at the Tower of Babel.
God's Scattering and Abraham's Call
Les concludes that God scattered the people, Babel means confusion, and about 200 years later God sovereignly called Abraham out of mainstream humanity.
Genesis 11:1: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
Establishes the one-language condition of the human race before the tower.
Genesis 11:4: 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.
Explains the people's motive, which Les interprets as an attempt to replace God's order with a false religious unity.
Genesis 11:8: So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
Shows that God's direct response was to scatter the builders and halt construction.
Genesis 11:9: Therefore is the name of it 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.
Provides the biblical origin of the name Babel and connects it to the confusion of languages.
Les says no. The tower was not intended to take brick and stone all the way to heaven. It was a place of religion whereby the people could literally usurp the throne of God religiously, following Satan's goal of replacing God's instruction with his own promotion.
The people had stayed together in rebellion against God's command to scatter and repopulate the earth. God responded by confounding their language and scattering them, and the place was called Babel, meaning confusion.
Les teaches that at Babel, under Nimrod, Satan instituted all pagan and mythological religions. Every idolatrous system, cult, and occultic religion has its roots at the Tower of Babel.
Watch the Teaching: Biblical Timeline: Creation to Christ's Kingdom!