The Cradle is the Grave

As long for and worked toward manipulating the hearts of the unbelieving world powers to ultimately come back to one voice. One global nation defiance to God began with planet Earth's first city, Babylon in the cradle of civilization's final defiance against God will once again emanate from Babylon. In the battle of Armageddon will sweep away the cradle of civilization will graveyard by humans. It is literally hell on earth city void of Christ. But in Revelation 18 God will finally destroy Babylon once and for all. How is it that the once beautiful and prosperous city gets reduced to rubble.

The reason is that destruction and judgment is the future of everything that stands opposed to God today on wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey concludes his series called Armageddon in the fall of Babylon. With this lesson. The cradle is the great most of you have heard the phrase the cradle of civilization your middle school teacher might have described it in your social studies class or geography class is the Tigris Euphrates River Valley were civilization began geographical points of reference for the garden of Eden provided in Genesis chapter 2 indicate the garden's location in this River Valley with the Tigris and Euphrates flowing past this beautiful sanctuary were Adam and Eve tended the garden.

The animals and walked with God because of the sin of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. They were expelled from the garden human race began in first. Beyond that is well as every sin imaginable, including murder. Eventually humanity reached such perverted and blasphemous conditions that God judge the world by sending a universal flood, literally wiping the human race along with the animal kingdom off the face of the earth.

However, God in his grace had first provided mankind with an invitation of mercy and grace. They were invited to come to the ark.

As Noah preached 420 years warning them of the judgment to come, but according to Genesis chapter 6 when it came not one person outside the family of Noah responded in the cradle of civilization became an beyond around the world of mass grave, Noah and all who would come through him were commanded to go out and and enjoy the earth populated worship God and obey him.

Genesis 9 of course, following the promise of Genesis 3 that the one we know as Christ would soon come. Noah's great-grandson rebelled and instead called all of the people to gather together in that River Valley and defy God so they gathered and built the first city after the flood the city of rebellion against God and its first Caesar was Nimrod. We also built as we learned their Tower of Babel dedicated the stars, moon and sun, the zodiac, which was originated created by the Babylonians, and they held the fact that certain signs in the sky. The movements of stars literally held people captive to some higher power, and the only way you could find your destiny would be to follow the signs they had rejected the creator and they had begun worshiping creation all the way back to the great-grandson days of Noah. Genesis 11 reveals how God judge the human race again, this time by confusing their one language and separating them into a thousand plus different dialects and they couldn't understand each other.

They literally scattered around the world. Babylon was never completely abandon grew in size and significance century after century until a king named Nebuchadnezzar build it into its grandest state ever. Herodotus described the city all 60 miles of it surrounded by a brick wall. 87 feet thick hundred feet high, so strong was at the 250 towers stretch from the top of the wall upward, as if to tell any invading army don't even think about Euphrates river ran through the city diagonally the banks of the river as it ran to the city were beautifully walled with steps leading down to the waters edge. The hanging gardens created by Nebuchadnezzar build by his engineers to help pacify his homesick wife were quite the thing terrorist patios with exotic plants and flowers tended by gardeners and laborers 24 hours a day. These gardens would become one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Babylon was laid out with 25 main avenues that traveled through in straight lines.

The streets were 150 feet wide at the ends of each Avenue would be gates as a ended from one side of the city to the other gates that Herodotus said were overlaid with brass. That is, they were opened and closed in the setting arising of the sun. They shone like the leaves on it was an awe-inspiring site. One of those gates was named the Ishtar gate named in honor of a starter chief goddess. The queen of heaven with her virgin born son had very gate. By the way is been excavated now is in the museum in Berlin. I've seen pictures of it. I've stood by some of the procession way in the museum with my wife, and in Vienna just stunning blue stone goldleaf Dragon lien is painted on Nebuchadnezzar's own inscription was excavated and he had written that these gates and this city was built, and I quote his transit. The translation of his inscription so that man might stand in all through those gates, perhaps even the Ishtar gate, young teenager entering the city of Babylon Daniel.

He would eventually prophesy that Babylon would fall to the Medes and Persians in chapter 2 of his book that would come true.

Babylon would fall. According to Daniel chapter 5 in history records for us outside of Scripture that Darius defeated Babylon and from that point forward. Babylon limped along for a while but then came another claimant to world power by the name of Alexander the great.

When he arrived in Babylon. He decided that he would stay there and rebuild its glory and make it his capital city. As we dismantled Nebuchadnezzar's centuries-old palace and plan to rebuild it to its original glory, but he died before he could hardly begin it again sort of went out of sight until another world leader stepped on the scene by the name of Napoleon who made plans to rebuild Babylon is erased to conquer the Western world. I have read that in the French Department of war in Paris. There are records of surveys and maps of Babylon made it Napoleon's command. He'd intended to rebuild the ancient city. In fact, even tended to call it new Babylon making it his capital, the governmental and commercial center of the Western he too failed again Babylon slipped off the radar of world attention turned to dust, but now there was for the last hundred years or so. Another reason for the city to capture the attention and imagination, and certainly the desire of mankind in a word oil. Iraq sits on one of the world's largest known crude all reserves will cause problems of plagued that region, namely, in the form of the last few decades of the tyrant who had visions of rebuilding Babylon and owning the world even declared himself to be the next Nebuchadnezzar you know him by the name Saddam Hussein. He would spend millions of dollars rebuilding the palace of Nebuchadnezzar on the same plot of ground where the original palace had studied law, and finally the picture Mark Hitchcock in his book entitled the second coming of Babylon provided in that book the religious motivation behind Saddam and the religious motivation the religious side of news rarely makes an ABC, NBC and even Fox News Saddam not only wanted to destroy the Jews, which he certainly did because he hated but Iran as well.

Why he hated Iranians as much as Jews simply because Iranians are the descendents of the Persians who had originally defeated his forefather and he wanted revenge he'd taken on as a personal quest, the right to renew the honor of his forefathers by conquering Persia now modern-day Iran, along with the Jews in Saddam's desire to get rid of Iranians and using certainly at obstacles in his quest also to rebuild Babylon. One of them. Of course, was money it would cost millions and millions of dollars that we now know that it was need for it was his need for money that he invaded Kuwait. He wanted to monopolize at least 10% of the world's all reserves so that he can.

What this is what we have the missing pieces are so he could rebuild and fund the rebuilding of new Babylon, but he failed all the others before him, he failed the subjects to he was only one more applicant for world ruler. He was only one more hopeful king of Babylon that the question would come to mind. Why would Satan, the enemy of God and God's people even conceive of the idea and even believe it possible that somebody will come along one day and rebuild Babylon because he is most certainly read the record of Scripture is what since Genesis chapter 11 in the overthrowing of Nimrod in the scattering of the people. Satan has long for and worked toward manipulating the hearts of the unbelieving world powers to ultimately come back to one voice. One people, one global nation the Empire that will one day rise from the rubble will indeed rule over a one world religion in a one world government, and it will again build a tower, so to speak that defies creator God fits the biblical record of history and prophecy perfectly so. Unlike many supposedly ministers and pseudo-scholars of the Bible and authors. Satan evidently believes the Bible defiance to God began with planet Earth's first city Babylon in the cradle of civilization.

Earth's final defiance against God will once again emanate from Babylon. In the battle of Armageddon that will sweep it away in the rubble once again.

Finally, as millions died in defiance to God. People will flock back the cradle of civilization will become a graveyard. John gives us the details on the revelation chapter 18 in verse one after these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority. The earth was aluminum with his glory and he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, fall and fall and there's Babylon the great, she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations of drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality in the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her and the merchants of the earth to become rich by the wealth of her sensuality Babylon once the city of dreams. Now the city of nightmares. Now is this literal Babylon.

Could this be a code name for New York or Paris or Berlin or Rome will if we answer that question by starting with the Old Testament we discover that whenever the word Babylon appeared every time it showed up. It referred to literal Babylon that city which is now located in modern Iraq whenever revelation uses the name of the city is to be taken face value unless there's something in the text that would indicate otherwise. Which happens at times that going back in Revelation chapter 11.

John refers to Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt uses it metaphorically. But he practiced that by writing the city which is mystically called Sodom and Egypt, so the readers given clear clues that he's using the term figuratively.

Furthermore, the city of Babylon. The literal city on the Euphrates fits the criteria for the city described in Revelation 17 and 18. We learned already that Babylon the word Babylon represents a city and a religious system we've seen in chapter 17. The collapse of Babylon is called the mother of harlotry, the religious system that the fountainhead of the poison of all false religion. We seen the collapse and now in verse two were told that the city no longer is the word mystery attached which was found in chapter 17. Now the city is announced to have fallen in judgment as the tribulation comes to close John, here's another voice verse four I heard another voice from heaven saying come out of her my people so that you will not participate in their sins and receive of her plagues for her sins of piled up as high as heaven and God has remembered her iniquities as we've already seen those that accepted Christ after the rapture, and there will be millions of believers still living in every tribe and tongue and nation people group forgiven unique and sometimes special warnings. Here's another one troubles coming to Babylon.

Those of you live in it. You might want to move for judgment will be justified because Babylon is refused justification by God through the gospel of Christ. I want to know is a word that appears several times in this chapter or Judges verse seven will be delivered to the degree that she glorified herself and live sensuously. In other words, Babylon creates her own new class of perversion and opulence. The entire city will be up literal playground for the rich and famous, and there will be no boundaries to their sinful behavior and their pride in their arrogance will be unbounded as well. Notice what might be easy to miss back in verse seven for she that Babylon, for she says in her heart.

I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and I will never see morning is a quote from Isaiah 47 it speaks of the Narron disaster, Babylon, and speaks certainly the of the of the long view of of prophecy in this ultimate fulfillment. She says McLean hours I will never be deposed again this is my eternal throne who imagine the greatest empire which is the hub of all world commerce and world trade and world power ever suffered any kind of collapse. Babylon says I will never be defeated again, who would ever deny it. Judgment falls in the world watches Babylon burns to the ground as Christ's return.

Now most of this chapter is the lamenting over all that is lost commercially. But there are three categories of people that are crying over the fall of Babylon. The first category we could simply call the monarchs of the earth verses nine and 10. They lament the fall there weeping why they lost their power. They lost their connection and they've lost their their sovereignty. The second category are the merchants verse 11. John tells us there weeping and mourning over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore. They lost their wealth. They lost their occupation careers gone destitute now.

The third category are the Mariners. The Denver 17 for one hour. Such great wealth is been laid waste every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying what city is like the great city and they threw dust on their heads and were crying out weeping and mourning saying well in the great city, listen they're all weeping. Why because they rebelled against God is now moved in judgment now there weeping because they lost all their stuff. So here you have monarchs, merchants, Mariners, representing literally every class, every occupation in society. Some are now standing in their executive suites halfway around the world watching brats on satellite television, Babylon, burned in their bursting into tears but often do you see a man weeping in public can hear all of humanity is bursting into weeping and wailing. Why because they're out of fellowship with God the Almighty sovereign. They just aren't getting their way in the city of man is fallen see this here. Revelation chapter 18 is Pearl Harbor is the stock market crash westernize is the Great Depression. It is the bubonic plague is the Holocaust, all rolled up into one hour. The fall of Babylon, is predicted in verses 1 to 8 fall of Babylon is lamented in verses 9 to 20. Finally, the fall of Babylon is completed in the last paragraph. An illustration of use by an angel to talk of its utter collapse.

Verse 21 that a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea. Saying so will Babylon the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer then the next few verses reveal the complete and utter loss music ceases. Verse 22.

The sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer. All music is silent, no more parties, no more rivalry. No more singing work ceases careers and John writes further verse 22 and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer domestic life ceases further in the sound of a mill will not be hurting you any longer. Every ancient home ground its own grain with a handheld millstone. The only thing I can think of that's comparable is my little coffee bean grinder in the kitchen of one of the cupboards and and I'll pour some beans and an push the button for time not have to do this. I don't think I'd make much coffee I just plug it in and it rained every home in John's day had a little hand with a grind was happening.

There's no one preparing food because there's no one home. Verse 23, the lamps are all gone out the crane city's gates were like leaves on fire is now dark and place gloomy place uninhabited except for the picture here demon's swirling about wailing their defeat in carrion birds swooping in to pick up the remaining marriages cease.

John writes as if to reinforce that there is no hope of ever rebuilding Babylon, verse 23 for the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer. The music work, marriage, domestic life, commerce career politic power everything imaginable like a candle is snuffed out city of man in its final gasp of defiance coming back full circle. After centuries of that which represents rebellion is now over.

Maybe you're wondering, are we any closer to that period of time course preceding that the rapture of the church. Surely there's no interest in rebuilding Babylon now all there will always be someone interesting.

If you read just read public information.

Now today the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. Now that Saddam is gone is pumping millions of dollars into Babylon and several other historical sites in Iraq with the help of private donors I've read, the United Nations is hoping to turn Babylon into a thriving center of tourism and commerce are in government, you may have heard recently pledge nearly $1 million of tax money to help rebuild the city of Babylon in Iraq.

I was invited to join a conference call with Joel Rosenberg. Joel is the author of a number of best-selling books that come to sift through the news accounts of the Middle East and then looks at it through the lens of prophetic Scripture I joined about 2025 other pastors and Christian leaders on the phone as Joel talked about current events that somebody had given me Rosenberg's recent bestseller epicenter published by Tyndale hadn't read it. I haven't read anything by him after he talked for some time. He asked if we had any questions and after a few did I learn asking this question will have a chance to do it.

I asked him if he believed in a future war between Jerusalem and a literal Babylon in light of our study annuity having today just a few days later he said absolutely is, in fact, I wrote an entire chapter in my book on I was obviously the only person on the phone that had read his book. I was kind to me.

Just kept going and he said this I wrote it down so I could quote them. Everything is moving toward that.

I believe the ultimate showdown will be between Jerusalem and Babylon.

I had read his book, but I have read this one and I couldn't agree more.

There is a final battle between the kingdom of man in the kingdom of God. There's a final duel so to speak, between the antichrist, the king of a rebuilt Babylon and Jesus Christ the king who returns to Jerusalem and listen I set up for him and say it again, the king of Jerusalem. When he went back is already one and is Artie spelled out still yet future and the next chapter. Chapter 19 as the tribulation ends. But what struck me in light of what Rosenberg written what struck me is after he wins the very next thing that happened is that the saints are sitting in the very first word in their him is the word Marty wanted to preach. I'm sorry like is the word hallelujah I have to check it again, but I believe is the first time it appears, hallelujah, the defeat of Babylon, and all that it represents is certain.

God already is victorious and that victory will culminate at the future time. In light of the fact that God wins the only appropriate response is to trust him now when God comes. Being on his side of the final conflict is the only safe place to be, were glad you joined us today here on wisdom for the hearts with Stephen Davey with this lesson. Stephen concluded a series called Armageddon and the fall of Babylon.

Today's lesson is called the cradle is the grave. If you joined us late or if you want to hear this lesson again or any of the messages in this series we posted it to our website wisdom online.org. Those resources are free and I hope you'll visit wisdom online.org to access them. I also hope you'll take the time to contact us, especially if you've never introduced yourself to us before we have a gift and an information packet that we'd like to send you can contact us by email by sending it to info@wisdomonline.org. Be sure and include your name and mailing address. When you write. You can also call us at 86 648 by we'd love to hear from you. Please join us next time. For more