1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

i.e., heirs to the promise of beingmade a blessing to all families of theearth; and we shall cease to be heirs whenwe obtain the promised inheritance. Butthe advocates of this theory not onlymisapply this promise and ignore orreject the "fall" and the Ransom, but theyeither twist or limit Moses' account ofthe deluge and the confusion of tongues,as recorded in Genesis: "All flesh diedthat moved upon the earth...everyliving thing that creepeth upon theearth, and every man...and everyliving substance was destroyed...both man and cattle...and Noahonly remained alive and they that werewith him in the ark" (Gen. 7:21-23).If, as is asserted, the word earthmeans land, and the distinction waslimited, did God then destroy the highestof mankind excepting only Noahand his family and spare the lowest entire?For it is evident all were equallysinful and depraved, and because of thisGod destroyed them. Of Noah's posterityassembled in the plain of Shinar tobuild Babel, it is said, "The wholeearth (all mankind) was of onelanguage and of one speech....the Lord did there confound thelanguage of all the earth (Gen. 11:6-9).Therefore the confusion was not in thatwhich did exist, but was the result ofthe introduction of new elements--strange languages. And as a type it isvery significant, and more particularlyso now, because fulfilled in its anti-type,the Babel of the nominal gospel church,that has said, as in the type, "Let usmake us a name" (Gen. 11:4). Catholic,Methodist, Episcopal Baptist, Presbyterian,etc.: into which have been introducednew elements--traditions andprecepts of men which make the wordof God of no effect; all this the Lordcalls "Babylon the great" (the greatconfusion).