A Tale of Two Cities Part 2

Human history can be viewed as the attempt by Satan to bring men back to a new Babylon after he failed in Genesis chapter 11 to create a global political order of mankind, where every empire, answers to 1B with this one world religion serving as the glue in this political empire that defies creator God is the world ever said that people ever look to the stars. My the will. Babylon was a real city. It's also used in Scripture to represent world system that stands opposed to God here on wisdom for the heart Stephen baby is in a series called Armageddon in the fall of Babylon, a battle is coming, in which Babylon and what it represents will be destroyed. We began this lesson last time, but weren't able to finish it.

So Stephen's going to do just a little bit of review and then bring you the conclusion to this message. Called a tale of two cities the next time Babylon appears with all its might is under the rule of a man named Nebuchadnezzar remember him second Kings 2425.

This conquering king comes in with three different military campaigns and levels Jerusalem to the ground. He takes the finest of the citizens brings them back to be raised in Babylon in one of those young men was Daniel. It will be in the kingdom of Babylon that Daniel prophesied of the ultimate victory of Jerusalem.

Daniel prophesied from within the city walls of Babylon.

The Babylon will be defeated by the Medo Persians and they were the Persians will be defeated by Greece and they were and Greece will be defeated by Rome and they were and then he will also prophesied that there is coming, then a final world Empire. These 10 toes of this image. 10 king coalition we been studying in Revelation and ruled by the Antichrist in this revived Roman empire. So what I'm saying is this the conflict that began in Genesis will reach its climax in Revelation human history can be viewed as the attempt by Satan to bring men back to a new Babylon after he failed in Genesis chapter 11 to create a global political order of mankind for every empire. Answers to 1B. Once again, in effect, with this one world religion serving as the glue in this political empire that defies creator God is the world ever said for that. Do people ever look to the universe. More than ever to the stars, but the God prepped and ready for the final kingdom in between Genesis and Revelation. It frankly seems like Satan is winning as Nimrod appeared on the scene of the first book of the Bible and the Antichrist appears in the last book of the Bible just like Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar the Antichrist builds a statue in his honor. Just like Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar of all Babylon, the king of new Babylon will demand that everybody worship before the image of his own greatness and the glory of his own empire and enlightenment. Both of them. All three will ultimately be defeated in battle. In fact the last time a conflict occurs between Babylon and Jerusalem. It's called the battle of Armageddon in Jerusalem when in case you're wondering now and our past studies. We've unpacked the truth of that battle is the forces of the kings who marched against God were defeated in the blood you remember the flood from the defeated armies ran like a river through the valley of Jezreel.

The balls of God's judgment are finally emptied and Christ in his glory comes to sit upon the throne of Jerusalem. All right, enough of an introduction let's go to Revelation chapter 17 quickly okay Revelation chapter 17. Tall wrapping up here. John is been watching the Bulls poured out. He's been stupefied. No doubt at all the sights and sounds of God's judgment. Christ is coming back just prior to that something interesting happens, it does it in Angel pulled John aside and says hey let me show you then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying come here I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters know what's happening here as it's already happened several times in the book of Revelation, you'll see events racing across the monitors you're watching what is happening so quickly.

What just happened and that is like somebody pushes a button and having stop and is rewound and started over again in slow motion is what happens in chapter 17 and 18 chapter 17 and 18 are slow motion vector rewind were shown the details of Babylon, new Babylon chapter 17 will show us the religious system of new Babylon and its ultimate demise.

Chapter 18 will show us the city, the capital of this Empire, new Babylon and its ultimate destruction. By the way, before we dive in.

There is more said about Babylon in the book of Revelation than any other topic or event. There are 404 verses in the book of Revelation were covering 10 year. Out of the 404 44 of them have to do with Babylon, which means if your mathematician and I had to use my calculator because am.that's 11%, 11% of the book of Revelation deals with Babylon. In fact, more there is more attention given to Babylon then the new heaven and would like more information about the new heaven. I would why so much information on Babylon as opposed to the new heaven, there's no answer provided. I can only speculate, but I came to my mind that perhaps it's because we can understand much about heaven, we better understand much about Babylon because were in a battle in our generation is the kingdoms of this world with her philosophies and their religion and their false worship were in that battle today very quickly. I want to give you six characteristics of the system of religious Babylon system of spiritual foals worship the first thing I want you to notice is her influence her being this religious system referred to as the harlot verse one tells us she sits on many waters right there at the end of verse one.

I look across a verse 15 we were told exactly what that meant and he said to me, the waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, our people and multitudes and nations, and tongues.

In other words, there will be the growth of this religious system which will affect the world.

I go back to verse one. I will show you the latter part the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, that is affecting nations and tongues, and people with whom verse to the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. Just imagine for a moment the world without any true Christians in and I mean true, genuine Christian at the ready cousins of the Christian we live in a city filled people was am a Christian, I mean genuine Christians who come to faith and under the mastery of this when we call our Lord Jesus Christ. Just imagine the world without any true Christian. The raptures taken place and the Christians are gone see and will be unleashed throughout the world like never before because the restraining influences of salt and light are gone.

We know how much time elapses between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation, which begins with the peace treaty of the Antichrist with Israel, but in my lapse of time.

There is no gospel after the distribution begins, the witnesses will traverse planet Earth 144,000 of them declaring the gospel in many will come to faith in Christ when you have this period of time where the church is gone. No gospel, no salt, no light.

Imagine that kind of world sin will just come on court, it will no unleashed around the world and religion will have been doing it will flourish like never before. The references to Babylon's religious system is pictured with sexually freighted words because God is always considered idolatry and false religion.

To be spiritual adultery that you're giving your love to somebody else were truly belongs with God and the world were told is going to be drunk with both sin and idolatry you think about it how many religious systems of worship.

Do you think will carry on after the rapture, without missing a beat. The world is a religious place in the rapture won't slow them down at all. In fact I think will only increase.

There will be Protestant churches who will carry on as if nothing happened for staff still on planet Earth as well as most of the church members Catholic churches will have their mass as usual, the Mormon church won't miss a service Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Taylor was Judaism will continue uninterrupted. Why the only missing element is the salt of the genuine believer in Christ 211 rapture and the only religious people who by the way, are are carrying about the Bible sudden the people within the religious systems of the world who care about God's word and laughing literally never cared so the people that are gone are the ones who in our generation are are are going to denominational meetings, saying we can't do that.

The Bible says this the gospel means that there gone. The missing people are the missionaries both vocational and for an informal board testified one say hey, wait a second. There are many paths to God is only one Jesus Christ is the only way there there gone. Now we have is religion with any gospel will coalesce rapidly with great joy as people are gone but were so glad to get on with what we want to do when the world Council of churches, which is just one of many expressions of this desired coalesce apart from the true revelation of God's word.

The world Council of churches was organized in Amsterdam in 1948 one of its aims.

It said was to I could bring all branches of Christianity, and I use that term loosely to bring all branches of Christianity together, including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches under one organization. Well, their dreams will come true. The current pope today who desires unity with Islam and Judaism's wish will come true. The religions of our world will unite with great joy in the one massive confused Tower of Babel. One other evangelical author said he expects if we are indeed moving more and more toward the Sarah expects to see more and more mergers between denominations and more emphasis on ecumenism, ecumenism is a word that simply refers to the effort to merge all the world religions and the one giant wall religion sweaty afternoon to do that doctrine get rid of any theology and basically say it will all unite around this, whatever that may be what you're atones all it takes is for the bride of Christ to disappear and the world will in a very brief period of time without the salt and light of the gospel run together. So finally we are one last I went to the notice.

Secondly, her partnerships with verse three, he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names is one of course is the harlot. This false religious system sitting on this beast for blasphemous names, having seven heads and 10 horns that we've already learned that the empire of the Antichrist will be the seventh world Empire, the revived Roman Empire to be made up of a coalition of 10 kings. The these are the 10 toes of Daniel's vision that the image of the last world Empire. When I get to take time because we arty have.

To go through these descriptive phrases in chapter 17 regarding the Antichrist kingdom. However, there is one key verse that we have an interest in our studies that I want to show you it's verse nine verse nine of chapter 17.

Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Now this is a reference to seven hills in this particular reference to seven hills causes some to believe that this woman, this system of false religion is the Roman Catholic Church. Since Rome sits on what seven hills. Not only is that viewpoint in my mind wrong. It's far too restricted for all of the world to come under the banner of Roman Catholicism in this one world church. What makes me even more convinced that that isn't true is that the Bible goes on to say even more about this in fact is not,.

At the end of that phrase Arriba, the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, he continues on by saying and they the seven hills are what seven teams you can render that seven kingdoms.

Another was the seven hills are seven kings or kingdoms will who are they John gives us the answer. Five have fallen, one is in the other is not yet come, and you say thanks John it's so helpful. I know exactly no what you mean well you understand that if you understand this metaphor is, is one of hills being empires, five have come and gone. Who are they well studied world history, Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Medo Persia and Greece have come and gone. John says one of those empires is present tense when was John writing during the reign of what the Roman Empire and nieces one has yet to come. There's one beyond Rome.

We know to be this final world Empire. The revival of the Roman empire. This 10 toes of the image Daniel prophesied.

But guess what that means now here we are in the 21st century. This means there is only one more Empire to come. We have seen six come and go. There's only one left revived Roman Empire ruled by the Antichrist were closer than ever before were living in that moment in human history when the next world Empire ruled by a man will be the last to be ruled by a man. The one following that is the one ruled by the God our King, Jesus Christ. The fact that this harlot is seen riding on the beast is John's way of saying that she's partnering with it, the Antichrist, in fact, there are some that believe that there's an implication here that she's actually controlling the beast. I believe that's true in the Antichrist is going to put up with it for very long, as we'll see in a moment.

Thirdly, I want you to notice her well notice her well.

The wealth of this unified religion verse four the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her and around all this is to say she's just extremely well. Purple and scarlet closing by the where were the most expensive clothing you can wear in John's day millions of certain small sea snails that a minute of purple dye would have to be harvested in the Mediterranean region to make enough dietetic dyed cloth purple in John's day, 1 ounce of purple dye was worth more than 1 pound of gold, so will have to say this religion that captures the attention of the world will be immensely elaborate. The buildings will be stunning. It will be incredibly wealthy and I find it interesting. If you want negative verse that this woman is decked out in things that have and will have an abundance right gold, precious stone pearls. She's got to get a feel of a maybe a string of pearls. Maybe some gold rings on her fingers, and precious stones. Perhaps she sees decked out in in that which by the way, when compared to heaven will make her look like she just as if you drink remember playing with my youngest daughter charity when she was a little girl most often time in the evening. That little game pretty pretty Princess played the game at the hands everywhere I you probably don't admit you did. I'm doing it publicly, but that's where you pushed a little board piece ahead and if you got to a certain place you be able to pull out of this box a big plastic during the clip on hearing it look dazzling in a little further along you get another earring he put that one on and then you get the necklace and then even get a little crown and if you win and II want often times I was I was completely decked out while I took pictures of me completely decked out in this jewelry which is a scary picture now that I look at it and you never see it ever, ever. I hope the little kid that that stuff that plastic that was dazzling. Wow and see like it's a pretty pretty Princess and see what I'd say to her pretty pretty friends is just amazing to make the jewelry of this false religion look like plastic junk trinkets see the glory of heaven.

Notice forcefully. Her perversion verse five and on her forehead a name was written, mystery now unfolded. Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth and all the words are all started with mother Babylon.

It all began with her. The source of organized rebellion and creature worship and universe adoration and astral devotion and demon inspired idolatry and on and on it goes back to Babylon.

She is the mother of spiritual prostitution worship. That ought to belong to God, but is given to another and it says here that her name is on her for head. It's interesting to me to learn in John's day the common prostitute in the first century there was a legal flourishing trade war. Her name on a scarf on her head or on a colorful headband's was how she advertised what profession she was in the other way she advertises by braiding her hair and exposing her back so I probably come along later and tell the women in the New Testament church. Don't braid your hair. In other words, don't look like a prostitute. The principal is timeless. The rating here. Certainly is all right in this culture.

Her name is on for how she advertised was her effort to be remembered so that she could be called upon again by name. So the spiritual harlot here seeks to be remembered and desired, but it will work after all.

We quickly show you. Fifth, her agenda for six I saw a woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus you boil it all down and basically at that she hates God change the people in the world talks about tolerance. It can speak of tolerance with every religion but it cannot be tolerant with us as Christians. They hate us something about us because of whom we represent is true. By the time of the tribulation here. The woman is actually portrayed as drunk. She's drunk she is. She is totally inebriated. She is saturated with the blood of the believer horrific expression and will reach horrific stages as we've already seen in our study of the tribulation days were she will put to death. Millions of believers. Finally, six. I want you to notice her ultimate destruction for 16 verse 16 and the 10 horns which you saw in the beast, these will hate the harlot is false religion and will make her desolate and naked, will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire. Put simply, the 10 kingdom Federation and the antichrist will reach a point where they will have no need of her anymore. She served her purpose antichrist now unveils his image desecrates the holy place. The one world church will be replaced. Many believer in the latter part of the tribulation. When the antichrist will claim to be God and set himself up to be worshiped alone. He will not allow anybody to worship one more star.

He won't stand for anybody worshiping the moon there will not be allowed to worship the sun there will not be allowed to worship anything a stump or an animal.

They will be forced to worship him to his got to get rid of this help this helper. So John tells us we could spend the sermon unpacking this book very quickly. He basically says that what the antichrist is going to do is to rob her to take all of her assets were well is going to disgrace her baby expose her hypocrisy. Devour and destroy her. More than likely straw that breaks the camels back will be some claim by her to rule the church will rule the stated he will say though, I will rule both church and state, and everyone will worship where is God in these wretched days of blasphemy are things out of hand close by reading verse 17 just a commoner to. Don't miss this for God put it in their hearts to execute his purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast into the words of God will be fulfilled. Listen, the return of mankind to Babylon and to the religion of Babel confusion as part of the plan of God in this final showdown. This final conflict between the city of man in the city of God the kingdom of Babylon and the kingdom of Christ is fascinating, then, to consider that from Genesis to Revelation. The purposes of God are being played out. You can bank on.

You can depend upon it. He is the author of an those of us who believe in him.

Even our lives now.

No matter what the struggle them out of the suffering chaos. The conflict God's purposes for you will be fulfilled perfectly on time and ultimately we will be part of this final scene is the city of Jerusalem defeats once and for all. The city of Babylon and our King takes his rightful place on the throne of David.

There's one God in this in his victory is secure.

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