"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." (Revelation 21:24)

This somewhat enigmatic verse assures us that, even in the eternal ages, God still has a place and purpose for distinct nations. Presumably, they will all speak the same "pure language" (Zephaniah 3:9), but they will continue to be recognized as nations.

The nations were originally established after the confusion of tongues and dispersion of the families at Babel (Genesis 11:9). There seems to have been 70 families there, and these became the 70 original nations, as listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. There were three basic streams of nations (Semitic, Japhetic, and Hamitic) and although there has been much mixing and proliferation, these three basic streams of nations (not "races"!) are still roughly distinct.

In his day, as God was about to establish Israel as His chosen nation, Moses said: "Remember the days of old. . . . When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 32:7-8). This may be a reference to the 70 souls in the original family of Israel (Genesis 46:27) and probably also to Israel's home at the hub of the world's nations.

God has a purpose for each nation, as is evident from Paul's sermon: "God . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord" (Acts 17:24, 26-27).

Old nations have disappeared because they refused to seek the Lord, and new nations have risen, proliferating now into over 150 nations and 3,000 languages, but each has had a time, and place, and purpose in the sovereign plan of God. HMM