Having been gone last Sunday, I wasn't here to preach a July 4th message. And July 4th was actually closer to today than it was last Sunday. And so I wanted to preach something about our nation or about nations. For the adult Bible class this morning, we're gonna be looking at a statement that you'll find in our Constitution. And it's simply this, a Republican form of government. We don't often hear what form of government we truly have in this country. And I thought it was important for us to realize that as Christians because there is an argument taking place today called Christian nationalism. Let me just tell you something. I'm a Christian and I'm a nationalist. But don't confuse me with some of the Christian nationalists. But do understand, I am a Christian and I'm a nationalist. And then this afternoon at 1.30, our service will be looking at the health of a nation. the health of a nation. So today's messages have to do with our country. I'm so proud to be an American. I am thankful to be an American. It is by God's grace that I was born in America and you too. God has blessed this nation. And the Bible says that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. And so I'm going to preach a message again today that I preached exactly five years ago today. exactly five years ago. Under a different title, it was One Nation Under God five years ago. But today, I arrived at wanting to preach this message again because I wanted to preach it from a different perspective, a different application. And it has to do with nationalism versus globalism. You see, of supreme importance to any nation is its relationship to her creator. Yes, God created this world, but he also created nations. He is the one who formed nations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. And yet people today, perhaps your neighbors, perhaps some of your coworkers, are learning to fear nationalists, especially those who call themselves Christian, Christian nationalists. You see, globalism is becoming, again, the great goal. Notice I use the word again. Globalism is the goal of the tyrant of all the earth. Who is the tyrant of all the earth? The devil is. Satan is behind globalism and that's becoming, again, the great goal. If that's Satan's goal, we should learn why it's a threat and why it is wrong. People like to associate nationalism with Adolf Hitler. But Adolf Hitler's goal was not nationalism. His goal was globalism, using nationalism to that end. Globalism then has more to do with Nazism and Hitler than does nationalism. To understand our relationship with God as a nation, to understand America's relationship with God, it is helpful to see the formation of nations throughout history, especially God's intent from the beginning. The outline this morning, will be as follows. Let me just give it to you up front. We're gonna be in Genesis 11 for the first two points and in Daniel chapter two for the third point. The first point is the disposition of the whole earth. The second will be the dispersion of the whole earth. That is found in Genesis chapter 11 verses one through nine. You can turn there because that's where we're gonna start. And then the third point's gonna be the disintegration of the whole earth. We're gonna see that in Daniel chapter two. So this morning I want to start with my first point that I see in Genesis chapter 11 verses 1 through 4, the disposition of the whole earth. By disposition, I mean the inclination, I mean the tendency of the whole earth. And you're gonna notice that it says this in verses one and two, and the whole earth was of one language and of one speech and it came to pass as they. Notice the word they, the plural they in verse two refers back to the whole earth in verse one. So the disposition of the whole earth as seen here, is to be, number one, of one lip. Verse one says, the earth, the whole earth, was of one language and of one speech. The word language there is often translated lip. That's why I use the word lip there. The disposition, folks, of this whole earth is to be of one lip, the organ and state and gate of our speech. Our speech takes place through our lips. Then it also says in verse one, and of one speech, and that most likely refers to the actual words, the vocabulary that people would use. So the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. Now that's the tendency, that's the inclination of the whole earth is to be of one lip. Secondly, The disposition of the whole earth was to be of one location. It says in verse 2, And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, it should say, it's actually meaning as they journeyed to the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. They dwelt there. Who did? The whole earth. The whole earth of verse 1. In other words, all of Noah's first descendants. As God says in verse 6 of this same chapter, the people is one. This is when the whole earth was one. One location, their intended location is the land of Shinar, it says there in verse 2. It's the land called the land of Nimrod. In chapter 10, verses 8 through 10, notice that Shinar is listed again in verse 10 of chapter 10. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, and Achad, and Kalni in the land of Shinar. That's the land of Nimrod. These people could communicate with one another as they get to this land of Shinar. They're talking to each other. They all have the same lip. Now they're in one location. And they are communicating with each other to say in verse three, let us make brick. Notice the phrase, let us. Let us make brick. Again, let us burn. Verse four, let us build. We together in this location, let us make brick, burn and build. A city and a tower, and notice what it says, whose top may reach unto heaven. That's an expression that is regarded as meaning a very high tower. They're going to build a very high tower that reaches unto heaven. That doesn't mean that they believe it's gonna reach into space, it's just gonna be a very high tower. Furthermore, they say, and let us make us a name, which would allow them to have one label. So the disposition of the whole earth was to be of one label. Verse three, and they said to one to another, go to, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and slime, that's tar, had they for mortar. By the way, where is Shinar in this world today? It's in modern day Iraq. What do they have a lot of in Iraq and Iran that they export? Car, oil, kind of interesting. I remember when I was in high school, it was my freshman year, and Miss Brockman, she was a lady in her 80s. She was a tremendous science teacher. She's the one who first pointed out to me, and I've never been able to find this or to actually confirm it, but she said something. You know how they discovered oil? Because they talk in the Bible, because in the Bible it mentions that they took Moses' little ark that he was floating in and pitched it with tar. And Noah's ark was pitched with tar. And obviously that was in the Middle East. That's how we discovered oil. I'm like, as far as I know, she didn't even believe the Bible. Where did she come up with that? I've never been able to confirm that. That one was free. The disposition of the whole earth was to be of one label. As they kept growing, they wanted to make sure or ensure that this city, Shinar, was central to maintain unity. and to make it the capital to govern the whole earth. All of this was said and done, as it says in verse four, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. What are they trying to prevent? They are trying to prevent the people from being scattered all over the earth. What had God intended? God had intended, according to chapter 9 and verse 1, when He commanded Noah, He said, And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, which would take scattering all over the earth. Again mentioned in verse 7 of chapter 9. You get to chapter nine and verse 19, and 9.19 of Genesis states what eventually happens. Look at verse 19 with me. These are the three sons of Noah, and of them was the whole earth overspread. What Moses is stating in chapter nine and verse 19 actually happens after what we're reading in chapter 11. God is going to make sure that contrary to their intent, He is going to make sure that everybody spreads all over the earth. So what they're doing in Babel here is intended to prevent that, to hold that away. They are desiring basically, let me just put it, cut to the short of it. In chapter 11, they are desiring a one world government. They are desiring globalism. That is the disposition, that is the tendency of the whole earth then, listen to me, and it's again the tendency of our world now. It is the world of Antichrist. One world government. Globalism. It is the disposition of the whole earth. Globalism, I read, is a name for the attempt to bring peace and prosperity to the world by uniting mankind under a single political authority. Let's find one man we can follow. And that cry is still there. And one day soon, that is going to be answered. And the Bible identifies the one who does that as the Antichrist. You know, uniting mankind may sound good, but the question is this, under what single political authority? Under whose authority? Folks, since the rebellion in the Garden of Eden, who has been the political authority of this world? Under whom is this world under the influence? The Bible records the temptation of Jesus Christ. And it's interesting that the devil showed unto Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said, if thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. In other words, it was in his power to grant that. Jesus called Satan in John chapters 12 14 and 16 the prince of this world the ruler of this world under whose Authority is our world today? the same as that day of in the day of Christ the same as way back into the time of the Tower of Babel. The prince of the world is the devil. So the world partners with the devil because the Bible says in Revelation chapter 12 that the devil deceiveth the whole world. Constantly being deceived by the devil. Again, in contrast to that, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The whole earth, even after the judgment of the flood that we read about in chapters 7 and 8, 6, 7 and 8, the whole world, even after the judgment of the flood, would never recognize that God is the Lord. Therefore, it is important that there be separation from those who want to unite under a single political authority. There must be separation. So the formation of nations and the disposition of the whole earth is indicated in verses one through four. Secondly, the formation of nations and the dispersion of the whole earth is noted in verses five through nine. Let me just read verses five through nine. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, behold, the people is one. and they all have one language. And this they begin to do, and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. Go to let us go down, and there confound their language that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city. 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." Nationalism is what God is forming here, as opposed to globalism. Nationalism, not as in tyranny of one nation over another, but devotion to the interests of a particular nation. I read again a description Given by someone that's in your notes, nationalism is the opposite of imperialism, or globalism, or transnationalism, which are all names for the attempt to bring peace and prosperity to the world by uniting mankind under a single political authority. That is not said by a Christian. That is actually something quoted in one of PragerU's videos. Dennis Prager, a Jew, Nationalism is the opposite of imperialism or globalism or transnationalism. Those are all names for the attempt to bring peace and prosperity to the world by uniting mankind under a single political authority, I say again. I want us to see in verses 5 through 6 the necessity of the dispersion. It had to take place because look at verse 5, the Lord's consideration. The Lord came down to see this city and the tower which the children have been built. He came down to inspect this city and this tower. Can you picture the Lord coming down? Well, it's an anthropomorphic expression to ascribe human characteristics to God. Was not God aware of what they were doing before He came down to see it? Absolutely. But this is an expression to tell us that now He is officially going to consider what they're doing. And I find it interesting that despite the height of the tower, he still came down. He wasn't on this earth where he had to go. He's always above everything that takes place here. He always can see what's taking place on this earth from above. You know what? The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. To show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. I'm glad that he sees everything. Deism, which some of our founders believed in, teaches that God created and then he let things go. It's like you do when you wind up a clock. You wind up the clock and then you let it go. And that's what deism teaches. No, God is always watching. God is always considering. For example, later on in regard to the sin of homosexuality in Genesis chapter 18, the Bible says, the Lord said, because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto me. You better believe that when God sees what takes place on this earth, he comes down, he sees it. There's the Lord's consideration. In verse 6, we see the Lord's comprehension. Verse 6 says, And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language. And this they begin to do. And now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do. You see, the Lord comprehends their presumption. The people presumed that they could keep building as one people and one language, and they could just do it. Man is always very presumptuous when it comes to this world, but we'll just do such and such. Well, God knows how to deal with that kind of presumption. Take away that which allows them to continue what they began. So what's God gonna do, come down and destroy this tower? No, he's simply going to deal with the people who are trying to build the tower. And their ones, their one lip, their one location, their one label, he begins to deal with it. He takes that one lip and turns it into many. He takes that one location and turns it into many. He takes that one label, turns it into many. He comprehends their presumption. Last part of verse six, he comprehends their predisposition. You look at the word imagined at the end of verse six, and it refers to their evil plans and schemes. It's the same word imagination that is used in Genesis 6, 5, that God saw that the imaginations of their heart was only evil continually before the flood. God comprehends their predisposition. and the imagination they imagine. Then it says, otherwise nothing would be restrained from them. Nothing would be restrained. As far as they're concerned, nothing can stop us. It's the same word used in Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 28 translated walled. And then in Deuteronomy 3.5, fenced. In other words, you could translate that again, 11.6, as which they fenced to do, which they walled to do. Nothing will be walled from them. They're limitless. Their wicked plans and schemes required walls. God builds walls to keep man from self-destruction. They have such an imagination that nothing can be fenced off from them. Well, God will send a fence. God will build a fence. How's that? God will construct a fence. God will build a wall. It's much like parents have to do with kids. What do they put around swimming pools? Fences, why? lest kids self-destruct by jumping in. What do you do with kids when you get in your car? You fence them in. How? Seat belts. They're strapped in. You have to. And God has to do that with mankind. He has to fence us in. The necessity of the dispersion, verses five and six. Look at the method of the dispersion, verse seven. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language that they may not understand one another's speech. And by the way, notice the phrase let us in verse seven and contrast that with the previous let us. Three times before this we see let us, but that's talking about men. Now the let us of God with his hosts of heaven responds to the let us of conniving man on earth. Men had held counsel to conspire against God earlier. God counsels to counter them. God's confounding the language of men is the fence he erects between men to disrupt the unity that would be under a global tyrant. Kyle and Delitzsch put it this way, God determined by confusing their language to prevent the heightening of sin through ungodly association and to frustrate their design. Have you ever noticed how godlessness tends to be heightened in larger cities? Have you ever noticed that the greatest amount of crime takes place in the large cities, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver? Why is it that it's always the large cities? What is it about the large cities? You say, well, they're all Democrat controlled. Why is that? Why is that? Because through ungodly association, men become more open in their sin. And that's what takes place. I once, I've mentioned this to you before how in college, I did a speech in persuasion class. I forget what my thesis was, but it was something like that rural America is the best place to raise children. And even at Bob Jones University, when they registered how people felt about it, I had to do a survey, a closed survey in the class. And it ranged from negative 5 to positive 5, somewhere it would fall in there. The whole class was a negative two on my thesis. That's why the teacher said, you can use that one, because you've got to persuade the class. Large cities is the worst place. Association. And I started this off because I had been raised out in the country. And I loved it. And I thought, OK, there's got to be something to this fact. And I did all kinds of study. Went to the library, this is before the internet, and had to go look through the catalog, you know, look at every card. Oh, I've got to go get this book, yeah. It took a tremendous amount of time. And I found all kinds of supporting evidence about how you get away from the cities, get out of the cities, get kids off by themselves in the country, so that all they have to play with are their brothers and sisters who are under the influence of their mom and dad. And you know what they turn out to be? Pretty conservative. Godlessness tends to be heightened in the cities. And so you see the necessity of the dispersion, the methods of the dispersion. Verses 8 and 9, you see the consequence of the dispersion. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city. You see, from there, from Shinar, the Lord scattered them and brought upon the face of all the earth. Thus, the nations you read about in chapter 10, the previous chapter, it's almost counterintuitive as you're reading your Bible, you think everything's taking place in logical, no. Chapter 10 actually takes place after chapter 11. Chapter 11 is an explanation of the nations formed in chapter 10. The nations of chapter 10 are formed, and there's three main nation groups mentioned in chapter 10 from the three sons of Noah. Who are the three sons of Noah? Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But they're actually listed in reverse order, Japheth, Ham, and Shem. Look at chapter 10, look at verses 2 through 5, and you see the sons of Japheth. And you get to verse five and you have the first mention of the word nations in the Bible. That's the first time you'll see it in the Bible. Chapter 10 and verse five. Verses six to 20 of chapter 10, you have the sons of Ham. Notice verse 20 of chapter 10. These are the sons of Ham after their families, after their tongues, in their countries and in their nations. Even from them, other nations were formed. There's not just three nations, there's all nations being formed constantly after this. Verses 21 to 31 of chapter 10, the sons of Shem. Note verse 31. These are the sons of Shem after their families, after their tongues and in their lands, after their nations. Tongues, people speaking different languages. Now you've got all these different nations. Note chapter 10 and verse 32 that precedes what we're looking at here in chapter 11. These are the families of the sons of Noah after the generations in their nations and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood and after what takes place in the first verses of chapter 11. The theological word book of the Old Testament defines the word nation this way, that nation refers to specifically defined political, ethnic, or territorial groups of people. In that definition, I want you to take note of the word territorial. In other words, borders. Nations have borders because you have territory. Nationalism holds that borders are crucial. The border is where each nation's ambitions should stop. What is being sought to tear down today? Our nation's border. Why? There's one more step toward globalism. In Genesis chapter 10, the word nation occurs five times. It's not mentioned, the word nation is not mentioned in chapter 11, but again it's mentioned in Genesis chapter 12 in verse two. The sixth occurrence is where God promises to Abraham, and I will make of thee, Abraham, a great man. I will make of you a great nation." Folks, through this dispersion in chapter 11, God divided the world in order to separate his own people from those who would unite under a single political authority. You have the nation of Israel, and the nation of Israel is unlike any other nation in the world, and there were many of them after Babel. God chose one. He said, I'm going to make you different. and they were to be a testimony of God's grace. God never intended for people to unite together under the rule of Satan. The only way to prevent complete corruption is to have nations disperse and divide. Our nation's history, praise God, that our nation split, split off from Great Britain. As Jesus said in Luke chapter 12 and verse 51, when we talk about the whole earth, he said, suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth, I tell you nay, but rather, does anybody know what that says? Division. Why wouldn't Christ come to unite the earth when he first came? Because under the domination of Satan, this world can never be united. Jesus' first coming was not to make peace with the prince of this world, and that would have been necessary, but to separate a people from him, to separate us as the children of God from him. And wherever the gospel is preached, you know what ensues? You know what happens? Division. People say, I hate division. I wish there wasn't so much division. Praise God for division. That's what keeps us pure. People say, I hate the fact that there's all these denominations. Praise God for denominations, because it says, you know what? What's happening in this denomination is not right. And people will try to correct it within that denomination. And so they might want to. But eventually, if that does not change, You split off from them like people are doing with United Methodist today. Going the homosexual route, the transgender route and so forth. It's time to split from them. Time to get out of there. Become separate. Come out from among them. Division is what God uses to keep a people pure. Does God want unity? Absolutely. But only when it's based on purity. Unity for the sake of unity? leads to impurity. We see that division that followed the apostle Paul everywhere. You've ever thought of this? As we're going through the book of Acts, how much division followed him wherever he went. For example, when he was in Iconium, the multitude of the city was divided, part held with the Jews and part with the apostles. Division followed him wherever he went. And folks, so long as biblical Christianity is on this earth, the dreamed of unity will never take place. But one day when the Lord comes, and it could be today, when he comes, all of us who have separated ourselves from the world and caused that division, because we're followers of Christ, not of the ruler of this world, Satan, we're out of here. We're out of the way. Now what can the world do? They can coalesce around their prince, Satan. And they'll have exactly what they've wanted and desired, but they're gonna find out that what they wanted is going to be literally, almost literally a hell on earth. The Bible says that the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, in verses eight and nine. And that's in direct contrast to what these people had desired in verse four, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. What the whole world desires is in conflict with the will of God. And we read this in 1 John 5, 19, we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in, Wickedness. From then, in chapter 11, until now, men have been pushing to have the whole earth come together again. You know what the world wants? Is another Tower of Babel. You know what that conflicts with? The founding documents of the United States of America. Obviously it conflicts with scripture. But the founding documents of our country based upon biblical principles? You know as well as I do that from the president down today, many in our government desire the elimination of borders and the disintegration of our nation. And yet we know that the world will disintegrate. And I'm not just talking about physical, I'm not talking about climate change. I'm talking about politically, I'm talking about spiritually, that disintegration is coming, disintegration. And that's where we go to the book of Daniel. And we finish in the book of Daniel. There's much we could look at in the book of Daniel. But now in this prophecy, we see the disintegration of the whole earth. You see, ever since the dispersion of Genesis chapter 11, the inclination, that is the disposition, of this world is to return to the first four verses of Genesis chapter 11. Did you pick up on that? The world wants to go back to the first four verses of Genesis chapter 11. They are always reattempting globalism. Who is behind that? The same one who was behind the Tower of Babel. Satan is a one world government united against God. Men desire a world, they would not say this, they would not use this term, but we know it to be true. They desire a world of antichrist. In Revelation chapter 13, During the tribulation, Satan gives the Antichrist, let me read what it says in verse seven of chapter 13, Revelation. Satan gives the Antichrist power over all kindreds and tongues and nations and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him. All shall worship him. Finally, Satan will get what he wants. Finally, the world under Satan is going to get what you want. They're gonna have a world supposedly united. And yet if you read Revelation, you go, this is not a pretty picture. It's ugly. Since the dispersion of Genesis chapter 11, there has been disintegration. And that disintegration is noted in the great image that we see in Daniel chapter two. Verses 36 to 43. Don't have time to read those verses, but you'll read here about the gold head. That's Babylon. That's the world under Nebuchadnezzar's reign, a tyrant. He's the gold head. And then as you go down in the body of that image, you go to the chest and the arms, and it's out of silver. What's more precious than silver is gold. That's media Persia. Then you keep going down to the brass belly and the thighs, and that's grease, that's brass. The metals are becoming less valuable, less important. Then you get down to the empire of Rome and the legs and the feet, and now you're down to iron. Disintegration. That same disposition. was taking place in Babel due to the rule of Satan, a tyrant. Thus, those men under the sway of Satan do as he does. They implement tyranny. Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant. And if you're still there in the book of Daniel, you'll notice that Nebuchadnezzar takes captive some people, Daniel being one of them. Look at chapter one and note verse two, where Nebuchadnezzar is. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, that is Nebuchadnezzar mentioned in verse one, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of where? Shinar. to the house of his God, and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God. You get to the first part, the image mentioned in Daniel, and you're back to Shinar all over again, Babylon. Here's the good news. Soon the people of this earth will be united under a single political authority and truly united. This is talked about in Isaiah chapter two, verses two to four. It's known in revelation as the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ, the millennium. Who is the political authority during the millennium? Jesus Christ, true unity. So much so that we read of the lion and the lamb lying down together. And the little child playing upon the cobra's den. I can't picture that. You know, a little child playing with a cobra, a little lamb lying down with a lion. Why? The political authority is the Prince of Peace. That's when the angel of the Lord will lay hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bind him 1,000 years. Folks, when he is bound, when he is tied up, and Jesus Christ reigns, we have a one world government. It's under him. And somebody's gonna be reigning with him. Do you know Christ is your Savior? If you do, you and I will reign with him. It was an act of God to come down from heaven and confound men's language to prevent them from understanding each other and to disperse them over the whole earth. But it was also an act of God when he came down in the person of the Holy Spirit to enable men to understand one another. on the day of Pentecost. He reversed that language barrier so that all men might hear the gospel to provide true unity in Jesus Christ so that the promise of God in Zephaniah 3.9 would take place. For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent. One day in heaven, all will with one consent sing a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. And we're all gonna sing that together. My Hebrew teacher said, we're gonna be singing in Hebrew. So start learning it now. Actually, you'll know it. Until then, what must we be doing? Well, if our gospel is hid, if it's hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom? The God of this world. hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto him. The God of this world, the tyrant of this earth, does everything he can to blind men to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet we are called as people of God to counter Satan and all of those under his authority and preach the gospel regardless of what they say, because we ought to obey God rather than men. And it causes division. I want unity as much as you do, but only based upon the purity of the gospel. How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Lord, we thank you for our country. Thank you for