Families of Humanity in the Bible Usually Genesis 10 Noah Nations, Languages and Families (Clans)

Defence of Biblical Term Families, Kindreds or Clans Being Generally, Also in Later Part of the Bible and Human History Than the Time Right After Noah's Flood and the Closely Following Tower of Babel Dispersion of the Human Race Being the Same 70 or 72 Groups of People Families (or Clans), Nations, and Languages (But With Substantially Multiplied Numbers of Population), as in Genesis 10 and 11 in Early Human History. This is Rather Than (As is More Popular Recently in Global Christian Missions) Generally Being Later in Human History (Including the Current Time or the End of Time (Last Days) Much Smaller Groups of People that are Much Smaller Sub-sets of the Original 70 or 72 Genesis 10 Noah Nations, Languages and Families or Clans

1/ At first (right after Noah's flood and the closely following world scattering of humanity after the Tower of Babel in Genesis 10 and 11 just before Abraham in Genesis 12) families (kindreds or clans) were equal to the nations, languages, tribes (or people) because the earth had only a small populaton right after the worldwide flood of Noah and building of the tower of Babel

2/ After the dispersal of human beings from Babel in Mesopotamia (in what is now Iraq in the Middle East) after the confusion of tongues the nations and languages grew in size and number of people in each (and perhaps the lands on which some of these nations dwelt increased) but they were still descended from and were one or more of the 70 or 72 nations, languages and families of Genesis 10 and 11

3/ There could be sometime later in the Bible (than Genesis 10 and 11) and later in time and human history references to families (or clans or kindreds) as still a relatively small group of people (as the number of people in the families, nations and languages from Noah in Genesis 10 and 11 were immediately after the Flood and scattering from Babel). However, these later references to families such as in Exodus 6 of the tribes of Israel or divisions within the Levitical tribe then in the time of Moses or with the larger family of Achan within one of hte tribes of Israel in Joshua 7 in Joshua's time were within one of the 70 Genesis 10 and 11 Noah nations and families. (In both of these cases the families of the tribes of Israel and the family including Achan were within the Genesis 10 Noah nation of Peleg descended from Shem the son of Noah.) The Noah nation of Peleg from Shem and the other 70 Noah nations had time, by the time of division of Israel into tribes in Exodus 6 or the incident of Achan in Joshua 7, to expand to a population that included all the Israelites who physically descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) as in Genesis 12, 26 and 28. I don't believe these later references in Exodus and Joshua to families who would be part of one of the 70 Genesis 10 and 11 Table of Nations from Noah go against the main meaning of families, clans or kindreds as being in general the 70 Noah nations, languages as well as families in Genesis 10 and 11. I believe the main meaning of families, languages and nations (and peoples) would continue to be mostly just the 70 Genesis 10 Noah nations (or families or languages) even though each of these 70 nations, languages and families and peoples even in the time of Exodus or Joshua would have had much larger populations that had grown over hundreds of years time and human history even to the time of Moses and Joshua in around 1400 BC.

4/ I also think that, even though there would be much more time and human history and opportunity for population growthto the 1st century AD - the time of the New Testament and the Great Commission of Jesus such as in Matthew 28 or Luke 24 or the revelation to the apostle John of the completed Great Commission for the Church in Revelation 5 and of the tribulation saints in Revelation 7, these preceding references do not have families, tribes, kindreds, languages or nations other than the 70 nations, languages, families (or clans or kindreds) and peoples of Genesis 10 and 11. These Noah nations I believe would be the same that started, with each then having much less population, in the time of the worldwide flood of Noah perhaps around 3500 BC and the scattering of humanity to all corners of the Earth soon after that. This early scattering of human beings was after God made all the 70 different languages at His judgment of humanity's efforts to unite to build the tower of Babel in Babel or Babylon in Mesopotamia in what's now the political nation of Iraq. I believe these are are or will be the same nations, kindreds or families and languages or peoples of all the earth, even though they now and by the end of the tribulation or the end of the Millennial or Messianic Kingdom, these 70 Noah nations, families, languages will each have many more people than around 3500 or 3300 BC when these divisions of humanity descended from Noah just started out or originated.

5/ I also believe all the families or nations blessed through Jesus from Abraham in God's promise to him in Genesis 12 or 17 and quoted in Acts 3:25, Romans 4:17-18 or Galatians 3:8 are not any different than the 70 Genesis 10 and 11 Table of nations for the same reasons of God viewing population growth over the centuries and millennia since Noah as still being of one or more of the 70 Noah nations. I don't believe God views human population growth of humans over the centuries as expanded from the 70 Noah nations in around 3300 BC to somewhere about 12,000 people group nations as popularly believed in much of evangelical Christian world missions thinking today and recently. I also think there are just a couple, perhaps 2 or 3, of these 70 Noah nations (or languages or families) especially of Joktan in southern Arabia or perhaps of Ludim or Phut in Libya that are the only nations for the Great Commission as in Matthew 28 or the Church's part of Matthew 24:14 to reach or have some people saved from to complete the Church's part of the Great Commission. I believe after the Church reaches unto salvation in Jesus at least some people of each of the 70 Noah nations, languages, peoples and families of the earth the rapture or catching up to heaven with Jesus as in John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 of the then complete Church or Church Age phase of the Kingdom of God will occur. I believe this then completed Church is pictured in heaven in Revelation 5 before God's throne before the tribulation starts on Earth in Revelation 6.

Illustration of 70 Noah Nations Families of Earth Growth Over Time

Illustration of About 12,000 People Group Nations of Earth Over Time

6/ I also believe the witness of Jesus will be completed to have everyone on Earth hear the Gospel of Jesus and a further great multitude of people from each of the 70 Genesis 10 or 11 Noah nations, families or kindreds, languages or peoples will be saved from in the 7 year tribulation by the witness of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses for Jesus as in Revelation 7. Then the end of the time of the Gentiles will fully come as in the final part of Matthew 24:14 with the glorious Scond Coming of Jesus from heaven to Earth to judge the world and set up God's visible Kingdom over all the Earth. This Kingdom will be based in Jerusalem in the holy land with restored Israel, the saved of the (70 Genesis 10 Noah) nations (families or languages) and the true Church as in Revelation 19-20, Zechariah 14, Acts 1:9-11, Matthew 26:62-65 or Psalm 24 etc.