The Bible ends with the faithful living for eternity in the celestial City of God or the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-27). Likewise, subsequent to the Fall of Adam and Eve Scripture talks about the City of Man or Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9),which represents human forces that attempt to over throw the power of God with the their religion and technological abilities. Knowledge is power. So great a threat does Babylon become that God descends to meet them in their ascendancy to heaven, “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. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded” (Genesis 11:4-5). When humanity rises above the clouds of their created position God comes down the see its accomplishments. This gives new meaning to the old saying, “Prepare to meet thy maker.” Humanity in its rebellion is a powerful force over the face of the earth, one that challenges God’s supremacy. God takes this encounter very seriously and recognizes the spark of divinity that he himself created in us, “God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). Humanity has extraordinary capabilities to change the world according to its own ambitions, ”nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do” (Genesis 11:6).
Applied to our times this means the advancement of technological progress that seeks only to reshape the world according to humanity’s fallen image; instead of following the divine likeness, which checks our development to see that it does not proceed out of control to human detriment and the defacement of God’s character. This limit is meant only for the glory of God in conjunction with the betterment of the human race.
We can think of the inherent power of genetic engineering capable of reconstructing not only the human genetic code but of every living thing on earth; or a global computer system that can monitor everyone who uses it. What will happen when the ideal person is conceived or a new view of nature is brought forth by those in power who have the ability to enforce their will on the rest of us? In Genesis the Lord took Babylon down a notch by scattering their concentration in one ideal place across the earth and confused their language to end the control of Nimord, the king of Babylon. And Revelation declares the end of spiritual Babylon, all would be aspirants to claim of universal power, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city” (Revelation 14:8). Judgment awaits the City of Man, all who play God.
But there’s another side to this story. The City of God eventually triumphs over the City of Man. God chose a city as the ideal of his will for mankind. Recall that the Bible begins with the Garden of Eden, the divine habitation for Adam and Eve, but ends with the city, a human creation: ability, culture and technology. The New Jerusalem was bedecked with all kinds of precious stones, jewels and pearls. A city made of transparent gold. Now God has no use for fineries such as these. They are included in the description of the divine habitation of redeem humanity because we esteem them as valuable. We make them and accord them worth. This is our technology. And as such God recognizes its importance. God and mankind are both creators and work together for the ideal world. Our technology will be redeemed along with us. And this salvation is not for the bye and bye but begins now here on earth. Technology used for the glory of God and the progress of the human race.
What will this redemption look like? Well for starters, going back to Genesis 11, God was displeased with the one world system ruled by one man so he confused their language, so that they would spread across the face of the earth. Language is a kind of technology that should be used to create diversity and honor the differences in the human race. God is an individualist and a pluralist. He believes in and values the worth and importance of every person and cultural diversity. Technology that empowers the individual and decentralizes knowledge and power and promotes cultural differences and plurality of thought approaches redemption. I say “approaches” because redemption is always an ongoing process which like the salvation of our bodies, is never finally complete until we enter the eternal age. It begins here and now and finds perfection in the New Jerusalem. God says from his eternal throne, “Look, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). This includes human nature and human culture, all our abilities and creations. Our art, technology and great cities will be with us in heaven to the glory of God.