The True Path 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. (Genesis 11:4)

After the flood, the descendants of Noah began to multiply and re-people the earth. Over time, their faith dwindled and many fell into apostasy. Many of the descendants of Noah began a futile attempt at building a tower to heaven. Why? This verse gives us two clues. One, they were attempting to reach heaven. Two, the record says that they were trying to make a name.

Elder Orson F. Whitney said, “The people who built the Tower of Babel are said to have done so in order that its top might ‘reach unto heaven.’ It was to prevent them from accomplishing this purpose, that the Lord confounded their language. Tradition credits Joseph Smith with the statement that the ‘heaven’ they had in view was the translated city.”[1]

Elder Whitney stimulates an interesting idea. Certainly these people had knowledge of the city of Enoch. I would think that Noah often taught his family about his great grandfather and the city of righteousness he established. He probably spoke of it in the fondest of terms. Noah was one who suffered through the destruction of an evil world and must have wished that he could be in such a place. The story of Enoch was passed from generation to generation and became part of the history of these people, even after wickedness returned to the world. Rather than live a righteous life, these people somehow believed they could find Zion, the city of Enoch, by building a tower that reached into the heavens.

A reading of this verse would seem to indicate that a prophet had already testified to the people of Babel that if they did not repent there would be a scattering. Maybe they felt that if they built this tower to heaven or the city of Enoch, the Lord would honor them by not scattering them. It seems that they felt there was a better way to accomplish their goals than by righteous living.

There is a difference between striving for the earthly and striving for the eternal. What is the center of our life? Are we striving to achieve a name for ourselves by pursuing wealth and the things of the earth, power, glory, the honors of men, and following our own earthly pursuits. We may achieve greatness in this life, but it will end just as surely as does our mortal life. On the other hand, as we take upon us the name of Christ, we will make him and his gospel the focus of our life. We will strive to honor him and seek to obey his will rather than our temporal desires. Though we may have little in this life, we will have made a name for ourselves in the eternities.

This story also teaches the consequences wickedness. Building the tower may only have been a beginning. The story continues, “And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”[2] The confounding of the language may have been a merciful act of the Creator to prevent the people from falling into a pit from which there would have been no salvation.

The people who built the tower of Babel were punished because they tried to reach heaven by worldly means. Conversely, Noah and his family were saved from the flood because they lived according to God’s commandments. The only way for us to reach heaven, to return to live with our Heavenly Father, is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must live righteously, as did Noah, having faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, receiving sacred ordinances, and enduring to the end of our lives. If we do these things, we will rise above evil and be able to return to the presence of God.
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[1] Orson F. Whitney, Saturday Night Thoughts (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1921), p. 101.
[2] Genesis 11:6.

Building a Personal Ark of Safety

Make thee an ark of gopher wood…. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. (Genesis 6:14, 17-18)

Noah was commanded to build an ark to preserve his family from the great flood that would soon encompass the earth. That ark not only protected his family from the deluge, but the ark protected them from the flood of wickedness that had taken over the world.

W. Don Ladd taught that, “We all need to build a personal ark, to fortify ourselves against this rising tide of evil, to protect ourselves and our families against the floodwaters of iniquity around us. And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance.”[1]

What kind of Ark is Elder Ladd suggesting that we build? Do we need to go down to Home Depot and order several truckloads of lumber and start building a boat in the backyard? Elder Ladd continues, “The key is to accept the invitation of our prophet...‘to live with ever more attention to the life and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the love and hope and compassion He displayed’.”

What specific things do we need to do to build a family ark and to keep the flood waters of wickedness out?

• Study the words of eternal life in the scriptures and from the prophets.


• Frequent and sincere prayer.


• Regular church attendance and being attentive while there.


• Family home evening and family prayer.


• Temple attendance.


• Teach and abide by the principles in the pamphlet For The Strength Of Youth.


• Keep the Sabbath day holy.

This list is not all-inclusive, but here we find many of the materials that we can use to build and strengthen our ark.

Elder Ladd suggested that we should not wait until it starts raining. I think the rain has started. Look at what is happening all around us. Watch the news. Look at the lifestyles of so many around us. That which was once taboo in society is now common and acceptable. We must strengthen our ark with every available tool. The time for preparation is not past, but we can wait no longer. We must act. We cannot be like the people of Noah’s time and think that this is a passing storm. It will not pass until the Lord returns in glory.

We need to note that Noah was obedient to the Lord, both in spiritual preparation and physical preparation. Not only should we be doing the things that strengthen us spiritually, there are other things we need to be doing. Elder L. Tom Perry reminds us of four things we should be doing in preparing the physical portion of our ark:

• Gain an adequate education - learn a trade to enable you to provide for your family


• Live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day.


• Avoid excessive debt.


• Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life.[2]

President Ezra Taft Benson said that, “The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.”[3]

How prepared are we for personal calamity or a major disaster? I have heard the quotation, “When opportunity knocks, the time for preparation is past.” So it is with the temporal floods that may engulf us. Any of us could be in an accident and not be able to work for a period of time. Many parts of the country are subject to infrequent, yet powerful natural disasters. How will we do when and if such a disaster occurs? We can prepare today. We cannot prepare after the loss of income or after disaster strikes.

Elder Ladd: “When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark.... We...need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.”[4]

[1] Ibid., October 1994.
[2] Ibid., October 1995.
[3] Ibid., October 1987.
[4] Ibid., October 1994.