Hi Bernie:
What I see in the Genesis rainbow is a promise by God that he would never
again judge his people in that manner. They were judged again most severly
in 70 AD by the Romans. Some even see judgment in the holocaust, though I
don't. But no flood of similar magnitude has ever again struck the Semites
or the nation of Israel.
After the flood mud brick platforms emerged in the major cities of
Mesopotamia. These grew in proportions to become the ziggurats of which the
fabled Tower was one. So I see a number of reasons to confuse their
tongues.
First, the platforms were to survive floods. God promised Noah he would not
bring another flood of that magnitude. Yet, here were God's chosen people
building a massive flood-surviving ziggurat.
Second, The city god who was being honored may not have been God at all but
some other contrived deity. Marduk came later so I can't say it was Marduk
at that time or not, but the Akkadian father-god was already in residence
elsewhere. The temple for Ea, the reputed creator of mankind, was located
at Eridu. The father-god Ilu (or Anu) was already established at Erech. So
the two most important gods were already living elsewhere. The Tower
constructed at Babylon had to be dedicated to some other god.
The Assyrian king Sennacherib destroyed the Tower along with Babylon itself,
but under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar it was reconstructed.
Now O lord, thou who hast caused our deliverance,
What shall be our homage to thee?
Let us build a shrine whose name shall be called
`Lo, a chamber for our nightly rest': let us repose in it!
Let us build a throne, a recess for his abode!
On the day that we arrive we shall repose in it."
When Marduk heard this,
Brightly glowed his features, like the day:
Like that of lofty Babylon, whose building you have requested,
Let its brickwork be fashioned. You shall name it `The
Sanctuary.'"
The Anunnaki applied the implement;
For one whole year they molded bricks.
When the second year arrived,
They raise high the head of Esagila equaling Apsu.
Having built a stage-tower as high as Apsu,
They set up in it an abode for Marduk, Enlil, (and) Ea
In their presence he adorned (it) in grandeur.
To the base of Esharra its horns look down.
After they had achieved the building of Esagila,
The Anunnaki themselves erected their shrines.
[...] all of them gathered
[...] they had built as his dwelling.
The gods, his fathers, at his banquet he seated:
"This is Babylon, the place that is your home!"
Third, Babylon was a wicked city under the reign of a wicked Hamite king,
Nimrod. This was one way to get his people out of Dodge. This event may
have been the impetus for Terah or one of his immediate forefathers to head
south to Ur.
Dick Fischer, GPA president
Genesis Proclaimed Association
"Finding Harmony in Bible, Science and History"
www.genesisproclaimed.org <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org/>
-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Dehler, Bernie
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 1:37 PM
To: ASA
Subject: RE: [asa] Noah's ark- rainbow question
Hi Dick-
Now that's a view the ancients didn't have (those living in Bible times).
Also, God must have changed His mind about frustrating the works of humans,
like when He cursed men for building the tower of Babel. Since then, we
made skyscrapers much taller than any tower of Babel, we got to the moon,
and are even exploring outside the solar system with spaceships. I wonder
if Christians opposed the space program on the grounds that God will curse
us for the same reason he cursed those who made the Tower of Babel. It was
before my time so I don't know...
...Bernie
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Fischer [mailto:dickfischer@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:13 AM
To: Dehler, Bernie
Cc: ASA
Subject: RE: [asa] Noah's ark- rainbow question
Hi Bernie:
The rainbow effect comes whenever light is refracted off water droplets.
When I used to fly KC-135 tankers occasionally when we flew above the clouds
and the sun was overhead we could see the shadow of our airplane on the
clouds beneath with a circular rainbow around the shadow.
BTW, someone else thinks he has found the Garden of Eden. Too early by my
calculatios and in the wrong place.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1157784/Do-mysterious-stones-
mark-site-Garden-Eden.html
Dick Fischer, GPA president
Genesis Proclaimed Association
"Finding Harmony in Bible, Science and History"
www.genesisproclaimed.org
-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Dehler, Bernie
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:46 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: [asa] Noah's ark- rainbow question
After Noah left the ark, God told Noah that He would send a rainbow to
remind everyone that he would never again destroy the earth with water.
However, is it possible to not have a rainbow when it is raining and the
sunlight is right? According to the passage, it rained for 40 days/nights,
then there was no rain. That's interesting- 150 days (or maybe even 9
months) with no rain, with all that water and condensation al over the
world- even if locally? And if it did rain after those 40 days (because of a
different interpretation), but while Noah was still on the boat for about 9
months after the 40-day rains, couldn't it make a rainbow?
The rainbow is a natural occurrence, not supernatural.
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Received on Tue Apr 14 14:28:32 2009
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