(upbeat music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
could join us again,
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this week we are
looking at lesson number nine,
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"A City Called Confusion."
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Now, if you don't think
that's an interesting subject,
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you're not gonna get
much outta this week's lesson,
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but I think you're gonna
get an awful lot out of it.
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Interesting subject.
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Let's begin with prayer
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and then we're going
to dive right into it.
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Father, we thank You for
being with us again this week
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as we continue our journey
through three cosmic messages.
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We ask that You'll bless
us as we seek to understand
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the "City Called
Confusion" this week.
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We thank You in
Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, our guest this week,
as every week this quarter,
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is Pastor Mark Finley,
international speaker and
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evangelist. We're glad to
have you back again this week.
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>>Thank you, Eric.
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It's such a delight to be here
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at It Is Written, so
many wonderful memories
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and I have such
confidence in this ministry.
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>>We're encouraged
by what God is doing
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and seeing what God
is doing in your life
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as you continue
to spread the Word
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and not the least of which
through this quarter's lesson.
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This has been quite a journey,
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we're now on lesson number nine.
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So we're edging closer to the
end of our 13 weeks together,
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but there's still a
bit of a distance to go,
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and this week, "A
City Called Confusion."
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You know, when you take a
look at the book of Revelation,
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there are a lot of contrasts
in the book of Revelation,
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and one of those
contrasts is these two women
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that you see,
one in Revelation 12,
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one in Revelation, chapter 17.
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Unpack this
contrast for us a little bit.
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>>Well, in the
book of Revelation,
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a woman represents the church.
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A pure, chaste woman
represents the bride of Christ,
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she is loyal to
her true lover Jesus,
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who's done so much for her.
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A harlot woman is one who's
left her true lover, Christ,
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committed spiritual
adultery with the world,
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and united with
the kings of the earth
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and the financial
leaders of the earth.
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In Revelation, chapter 12,
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we have a beautiful
picture in verses one and two.
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Would you like to read
Revelation 12, verse one and
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two? >>"Now a great
sign appeared in heaven:
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"a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon
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"under her feet, and on her
head a garland of twelve stars.
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"Then being with
child, she cried out in labor
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and in pain to give birth."
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>>What a beautiful picture.
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You have the sun in heaven, a
woman is clothed with the sun,
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she's iridescent
with the glory of God,
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she has come from
the very presence of God,
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the moon under her feet.
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There are many New
Testament scholars who believe
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of course, that the
woman of here is the church,
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the true church,
clothed with the glory of God,
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the moon under her feet,
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the moon reflects the sun
and the Old Testament reflects,
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only dimly and
faintly, the glory of Christ
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as we see in the New Testament.
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So the New
Testament church arising here,
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she has on her head
a garland of 12 stars.
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Could that be the 12 apostles?
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So here you have a picture
of the church that's rising
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in the New Testament,
that would be faithful
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to God's truth, that
would champion His Word,
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go out and proclaim
Jesus' grace and goodness,
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and that would be
persecuted by the enemy.
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This faithful line of believers
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would continue till end time.
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That's why you read in
Revelation 12, verse 17,
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"The dragon is
angry with the woman."
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So the church that has
risen in the New Testament
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has always had a
faithful remnant,
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always men and women
have been faithful to it.
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The dragon becomes
angry with the church
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and goes to make war with
the rest of her offspring,
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and we've talked about
those who keep the commandments
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of God and the
testimony of Jesus.
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So God would have
a faithful remnant.
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So that's the bride of
Christ in Revelation 12.
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When you come to
Revelation, chapter 17,
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there is a
totally different picture.
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Revelation 17, and Pastor,
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why don't you go and
read verses one and two.
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>>"Then one of the seven angels
who had the seven bowls came
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"and talked with
me, saying to me, 'Come,
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"'I will show you the
judgment of the great harlot
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"'who sits on many waters,
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"'with whom the
kings of the earth
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"'committed fornication,
and the inhabitants of the earth
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were made drunk with the
wine of her fornication.'"
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>>So here is not the
pure bride of Christ,
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she's not decked out with
the iridescent glory of Christ.
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Look at how she's
decked out in verse four.
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>>"The woman was
arrayed in purple and scarlet,
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"and adorned with gold and
precious stones and pearls,
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"having in her hand a
golden cup full of abominations
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and the filthiness
of her fornication."
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>>So the true church of
Christ, united to Christ,
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the bride of Christ,
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passes out the
pure, undiluted wine
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of the gospel, the
unfermented wine of the gospel.
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But here, this harlot woman
who's drifted away from Christ,
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who unites with the
kings of the earth for power,
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she doesn't unite
with Christ for power,
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she unites with
the kings of the earth.
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Verse two says she
commits fornication,
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she is adorned
not in the simplicity
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of the righteousness of Christ,
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but she's adorned with, her
colors are purple and scarlet,
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she's adorned with all
kind of pearls and costly array
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and she passes out,
around the golden cup
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full of abominations,
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the false doctrine that the
world becomes intoxicated with.
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So you have this
picture of the true
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and false systems of worship.
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>>So very, very clear
contrasts between the two.
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And then when we get
down a couple of verses later,
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we see an interesting name.
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It says, "On her
forehead a name [is] written,"
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in verse number five.
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After that very vivid
description of the colors
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that she's wearing and what
she's adorned with and so forth,
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and her activity.
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It says that her name is,
"Mystery, Babylon the Great,
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the Mother of Harlots and...the
Abominations of the Earth."
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So a very interesting
title that's given here.
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What do we make of that?
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What can we gather about her
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and her character
from that title, that name?
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>>You know, every word in
the Bible has significance.
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It says that, "On her
forehead, a name was written."
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Name in the Bible
indicates character,
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forehead has to
do with for brain,
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it's not simply that
the word B-a-b-y-l-o-n
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when it's written across here,
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but it's rather deep
within the recesses of her mind.
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There's a thought process
in Babylon's thought process.
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Just as when the seal of
God is placed in the forehead,
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that indicates a
thought process of total
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absolute commitment to Christ.
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Here there's a
thought process in Babylon
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and she's called,
"Mystery, Babylon the Great."
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In other words, the
principles of Babylon
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in the Old Testament
have influenced her thinking.
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By the time John
wrote in the first century,
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Babylon had been destroyed,
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it would never be rebuilt again.
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539 BC the Medes and
Persians attacked Babylon,
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overthrew it, and it has
been in ruins since that time.
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So "Mystery, Babylon the
Great" cannot be speaking
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of Old Testament Babylon,
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it has to be a
spiritual Babylon.
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But it takes the principles
of Old Testament Babylon,
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applies them to a
church-state union
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with a woman unites
with the kings of the earth.
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She is the "Mother of Harlots."
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So here is the
great mother religion
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that is the mother of other
religions that too have embraced
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the principles of Babylon in
the abominations of the earth.
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So that would have to
lead us to a question,
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what was Old
Testament Babylon like?
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>>So what was it like?
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We know that it
was an enemy of God,
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it was an enemy of God's people,
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we read about it of
course, in the book of Daniel.
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It was, we'll call it
wayward, perhaps is a good word.
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What were some
ways that it was wayward
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that we might see reflected
here also in Revelation 17?
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>>Let's go back to
Daniel, chapter four.
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One of the first
principles, I think,
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of Old Testament
Babylon, is that was built
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on a very shaky foundation.
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It was built on
the principles of man
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rather than the
principles of God.
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It was built on human foundation
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rather than a divine foundation.
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You find that, you
know, in Daniel, chapter four,
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and we're looking there at
verse 30, and you can go ahead
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and read that, if you would,
please, Daniel 4 and verse 30.
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>>"The King spoke, saying,
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"'Is not this great
Babylon, that I have built
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"'for a royal
dwelling by my mighty power
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and for the
honor of my majesty?'"
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I see some very self-centered
words in that passage.
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>>Yeah, exactly.
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So when you look
at ancient Babylon,
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it was built on
the glory of man,
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it was built on a
philosophy that was human.
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It did not take
the divine scriptures,
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which are the basis
of truth, seriously.
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It wasn't based on
the prophetic word,
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the prophets of
Isaiah, Jeremiah, you know,
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it was rather based
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on the thought
patterns of Nebuchadnezzar.
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Incidentally,
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Nebuchadnezzar
also claimed himself
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to be a representative of deity.
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He sat on his
throne ruling his subjects,
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both from the political
and the religious aspect.
00:10:01.70\00:10:05.50
He actually commanded worship.
00:10:05.50\00:10:09.17
We find that in a number of
places in the book of Daniel,
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particularly in
Daniel, chapter three,
00:10:12.97\00:10:15.48
where Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego,
00:10:15.48\00:10:17.61
the three Hebrew worthies,
00:10:17.61\00:10:19.61
are compelled to
worship the golden image
00:10:19.61\00:10:23.99
representing Babylon and
its glory and its kingdom.
00:10:23.99\00:10:28.59
You know, the
archeologists have discovered
00:10:28.59\00:10:31.13
an interesting
tablet in Babylon that says,
00:10:31.13\00:10:34.63
"Oh, Babylon, the
delight of mine eyes,
00:10:34.63\00:10:37.20
the excellency of my
kingdoms, may it last forever."
00:10:37.20\00:10:40.37
So Nebuchadnezzar wanted
to build an earthly kingdom
00:10:40.37\00:10:44.91
that would last and
be preserved forever.
00:10:44.91\00:10:48.04
He sat on the throne commanding
00:10:48.04\00:10:52.18
not only political allegiance,
00:10:52.18\00:10:54.42
but religious
allegiance to his empire.
00:10:54.42\00:10:57.29
We find this principle
00:10:57.29\00:11:00.36
carried through
the book of Daniel.
00:11:00.36\00:11:03.32
Nebuchadnezzar's
kingdom collapsed.
00:11:03.32\00:11:07.03
Belshazzar brought the vessels
00:11:07.03\00:11:09.83
from the sanctuary in Israel,
00:11:09.83\00:11:13.07
the very vessels that
were dedicated to God,
00:11:13.07\00:11:18.07
that were used in the
worship of the sanctuary
00:11:18.07\00:11:20.74
that reflected the
Shekinah glory of God.
00:11:20.74\00:11:23.31
He brought those vessels
including the golden candlestick
00:11:23.31\00:11:26.82
that reflected and
illuminated the wall.
00:11:26.82\00:11:29.22
"Mene mene tekel upharsin,"
now weighed in the balances
00:11:29.22\00:11:31.85
and found wanting.
00:11:31.85\00:11:33.09
So what was Babylon like?
00:11:33.09\00:11:35.79
It was a system
based on human philosophy,
00:11:35.79\00:11:40.06
the pride of man that defied
00:11:40.06\00:11:43.73
the principles of God's Word
00:11:43.73\00:11:45.63
and turned their backs upon it.
00:11:45.63\00:11:47.40
>>So ancient Babylon
ultimately came to an end.
00:11:47.40\00:11:51.01
Its clock ran out,
00:11:51.01\00:11:53.54
and the Bible of course,
records how that happened,
00:11:53.54\00:11:56.04
but there is an element
of Babylon that continues
00:11:56.04\00:11:59.95
and we're going to be delving
into that here very shortly.
00:11:59.95\00:12:03.99
One thing I want
to encourage you to do
00:12:03.99\00:12:05.82
and you've heard me
recommend it before,
00:12:05.82\00:12:07.66
and you will not hear me
stop recommending it right now.
00:12:07.66\00:12:10.99
If you have not yet
picked up the companion book
00:12:10.99\00:12:14.03
to this quarter's
Sabbath School lesson,
00:12:14.03\00:12:16.60
this is one you
really want to pick up.
00:12:16.60\00:12:19.33
It is called
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:12:19.33\00:12:21.94
by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:12:21.94\00:12:24.21
And Pastor Mark, you've
shared a little bit before
00:12:24.21\00:12:26.47
what's in this book,
00:12:26.47\00:12:28.31
give us a few more insights
into what we can expect to gain
00:12:28.31\00:12:31.25
from this companion book beyond
what's in the lesson study.
00:12:31.25\00:12:35.12
>>When an author writes
the lessons for Sabbath School,
00:12:35.12\00:12:39.15
the author spends hour
after hour in research.
00:12:40.26\00:12:43.69
We only have a limited
space of what we can put
00:12:43.69\00:12:46.59
in each lesson,
and each day, in fact,
00:12:46.59\00:12:48.73
we're given word counts.
00:12:48.73\00:12:50.10
You know, I have
to count my words,
00:12:50.10\00:12:51.57
let my computer
do that, of course.
00:12:51.57\00:12:53.67
And so in the
companion book, Pastor Eric,
00:12:53.67\00:12:57.04
we actually have
much, much more material,
00:12:57.04\00:13:00.54
much more research.
00:13:00.54\00:13:02.14
And so for somebody who
might be teaching Sabbath school
00:13:02.14\00:13:06.05
in a local congregation,
00:13:06.05\00:13:07.82
the book provides
them resource material.
00:13:07.82\00:13:10.09
For serious Bible
students who really want
00:13:10.09\00:13:12.25
to delve more into the subject,
00:13:12.25\00:13:13.82
the book reveals that.
00:13:13.82\00:13:16.42
One of the things I've
done in the book as well,
00:13:16.42\00:13:18.53
is given you a
lot of illustrations.
00:13:18.53\00:13:20.76
So if you're a
Sabbath school teacher,
00:13:20.76\00:13:22.90
you'll have illustrations.
00:13:22.90\00:13:24.50
If you want to see
the book highlighted,
00:13:24.50\00:13:27.30
the lessons highlighted,
00:13:27.30\00:13:28.90
there are aspects that we
don't cover in the lessons,
00:13:28.90\00:13:32.01
filled with stories,
filled with illustrations,
00:13:32.01\00:13:34.94
filled with deep Bible truth.
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.41
In fact, I've done a lot of
work on the meaning of the text.
00:13:36.41\00:13:39.45
We unpack the text
in much more detail,
00:13:39.45\00:13:41.92
so it'll really round
out your understanding
00:13:41.92\00:13:44.12
of the three cosmic messages
and the three angels' messages.
00:13:44.12\00:13:46.79
>>Fantastic,
thank you Pastor Mark.
00:13:46.79\00:13:48.96
So if you want to get
more out of your lesson
00:13:48.96\00:13:51.93
make sure you pick
up that companion book.
00:13:51.93\00:13:53.66
Where can you do it?
00:13:53.66\00:13:54.73
It's very easy.
00:13:54.73\00:13:56.16
Go to itiswritten.shop,
again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:56.16\00:14:00.70
And look for the book
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:14:01.80\00:14:03.51
by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.34
We're going to be
back in just a moment
00:14:05.34\00:14:06.74
as we continue our
journey through the study
00:14:06.74\00:14:09.88
of the three angels'
message, focusing on Babylon.
00:14:09.88\00:14:13.58
We'll be right back.
00:14:13.58\00:14:14.98
(upbeat music)
00:14:14.98\00:14:17.62
>>December 21, 2012
was when the Maya calendar
00:14:19.75\00:14:23.76
was set to expire.
00:14:23.76\00:14:25.26
Many said with the expiration
of this calendar would come
00:14:25.26\00:14:28.06
the end of the world.
00:14:28.06\00:14:30.37
The Maya were
remarkable builders,
00:14:32.53\00:14:34.40
but they did not
predict the end of the world.
00:14:34.40\00:14:37.04
So where can we find
predictions that we can trust?
00:14:37.04\00:14:40.74
Recent reports state
that more and more people
00:14:40.74\00:14:44.01
are embracing witchcraft,
00:14:44.01\00:14:45.81
tarot card
reading, and astrology.
00:14:45.81\00:14:48.68
People are grabbing
onto this even though
00:14:48.68\00:14:51.09
there's absolutely no
evidence that it's valid
00:14:51.09\00:14:54.52
and they're rejecting the Bible.
00:14:54.52\00:14:56.99
Now the Bible isn't
simply a book of predictions,
00:14:56.99\00:15:00.13
it's the story of God's
love for the human family.
00:15:00.13\00:15:03.33
But it's true that the
Bible does contain predictions,
00:15:03.33\00:15:06.80
in fact, God stakes His
reputation on His ability
00:15:06.80\00:15:11.14
to forecast the future.
00:15:11.14\00:15:13.07
"Predictions You Can Trust,"
watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:15:13.07\00:15:17.98
(upbeat music)
00:15:19.61\00:15:22.85
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:24.32\00:15:25.75
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:25.75\00:15:27.72
We are taking a look at
this woman called Babylon,
00:15:27.72\00:15:31.53
historically and in our day.
00:15:31.53\00:15:34.56
Pastor Mark, thank you
for helping us to understand
00:15:34.56\00:15:37.13
and unpack this
a little bit more.
00:15:37.13\00:15:39.03
So let me ask you this question.
00:15:39.03\00:15:40.90
We've covered a little bit
about the history of Babylon.
00:15:40.90\00:15:43.97
Refresh us a little bit,
00:15:43.97\00:15:45.44
summarize about
how Babylon is based
00:15:45.44\00:15:49.18
on the teachings of
man, the focus of man,
00:15:49.18\00:15:51.81
and then let's kind of take that
00:15:51.81\00:15:53.48
and move into
where we are today.
00:15:53.48\00:15:55.22
>>There are multiple
identifying characteristics
00:15:55.22\00:15:57.69
of Babylon in the Old Testament.
00:15:57.69\00:15:59.02
We've looked at
just one of them.
00:15:59.02\00:16:00.62
We're gonna proceed to look
at a second one in this lesson,
00:16:00.62\00:16:03.73
and then next week we'll look
00:16:03.73\00:16:05.23
at some more
identifying characteristics.
00:16:05.23\00:16:07.46
One identifying characteristic
is that Nebuchadnezzar sat
00:16:07.46\00:16:12.13
in what he believed
was the temple of God
00:16:12.13\00:16:16.47
or the temple of his gods,
00:16:16.47\00:16:19.07
ruling from his throne as god,
00:16:19.07\00:16:22.34
passing laws that
govern both political
00:16:22.34\00:16:25.41
and religious nature.
00:16:25.41\00:16:27.18
So one characteristic of Babylon
is that its leader believes
00:16:27.18\00:16:32.02
that they are almost
an incarnation of God,
00:16:32.02\00:16:35.66
they're speaking
for God and they are--
00:16:35.66\00:16:40.36
have the authority to speak
00:16:41.73\00:16:45.57
in direct terms,
00:16:45.57\00:16:49.90
compelling worship, at times.
00:16:49.90\00:16:51.91
And so we see that
in the coming crisis.
00:16:51.91\00:16:54.81
The spiritual Babylon
has a leader who speaks,
00:16:54.81\00:16:59.65
he believes, in behalf
of God, compels worship
00:16:59.65\00:17:04.05
just like ancient Babylon did.
00:17:04.05\00:17:07.09
>>So some very clear parallels
00:17:07.09\00:17:08.62
between ancient
and modern Babylon--
00:17:08.62\00:17:10.96
>>Exactly, exactly.
>>...spiritual Babylon.
00:17:10.96\00:17:12.63
Now we also see in Revelation,
00:17:12.63\00:17:14.03
that there is a great
struggle, a great conflict,
00:17:14.03\00:17:16.43
that goes on
between these two systems,
00:17:16.43\00:17:19.43
these two religious systems,
00:17:19.43\00:17:20.94
the one built on truth
and the one built on error.
00:17:20.94\00:17:25.11
It might, to human eyesight,
00:17:25.11\00:17:28.24
look as if truth is in trouble,
00:17:28.24\00:17:32.31
that error is
stronger, is more powerful,
00:17:32.31\00:17:35.18
is more influential, that
more people are following,
00:17:35.18\00:17:37.49
but it's not so much a
battle of numbers, I'm guessing.
00:17:37.49\00:17:41.02
How do we--how
can we have confidence
00:17:41.02\00:17:43.83
that God is
going to be victorious,
00:17:43.83\00:17:46.06
that we can be
victorious in the end,
00:17:46.06\00:17:48.46
in the face of this kind
of opposition and deception?
00:17:48.46\00:17:50.97
>>You know, we bring that out
actually in Wednesday's lesson
00:17:50.97\00:17:54.37
in "A Call to Commitment."
00:17:54.37\00:17:56.50
Christ promised that His
people would be victorious.
00:17:58.11\00:18:01.44
If you go to Revelation 17,
00:18:01.44\00:18:04.45
we've been looking through that
00:18:04.45\00:18:06.72
and we see this great
battle between Christ and Satan,
00:18:06.72\00:18:09.18
this great battle
between good and evil.
00:18:09.18\00:18:12.25
And in Revelation 17, verse 14,
00:18:12.25\00:18:17.03
you have this battle
00:18:17.03\00:18:19.69
that comes into the forefront.
00:18:19.69\00:18:23.06
And why don't you
read Revelation 17,
00:18:23.06\00:18:25.60
and you can go
ahead and read verse 14.
00:18:25.60\00:18:28.50
>>"These will
make war with the Lamb,
00:18:28.50\00:18:30.61
"and the Lamb
will overcome them,
00:18:30.61\00:18:32.24
"for He is Lord of
lords and King of kings;
00:18:32.24\00:18:35.34
"and those who are
with Him are called,
00:18:35.34\00:18:37.71
chosen, and faithful."
00:18:37.71\00:18:39.41
>>You know, just before that
it talks about, in verse 13,
00:18:39.41\00:18:43.32
"these," that is the woman
00:18:43.32\00:18:47.29
who unites with the beast
00:18:47.29\00:18:48.92
and the beast power, et cetera.
00:18:48.92\00:18:51.23
It says, "These are of one mind,
00:18:51.23\00:18:54.36
and they will give their power
and authority to the beast."
00:18:54.36\00:18:58.10
So there is this one-mindedness,
00:18:58.10\00:19:00.97
there is this
universal sense of unity
00:19:00.97\00:19:05.01
with the powers of hell.
00:19:05.01\00:19:07.34
There is false
religion that unites
00:19:07.34\00:19:10.08
with the political powers,
00:19:10.08\00:19:11.75
that unites with
the financial powers
00:19:11.75\00:19:14.12
in an attempt to
bring peace to the world.
00:19:14.12\00:19:17.02
They pass laws and legislation
00:19:17.02\00:19:20.82
like Nebuchadnezzar did
00:19:20.82\00:19:22.29
in ancient Babylon to
oppress the people of God
00:19:22.29\00:19:25.86
and compel worship.
00:19:25.86\00:19:27.76
But it says, verse 14, "These
will make war with the Lamb."
00:19:27.76\00:19:31.10
Remember in
Revelation 12:17 it says,
00:19:31.10\00:19:32.90
"The dragon was wroth
[or angry] with the woman,
00:19:32.90\00:19:36.14
...went to make war."
00:19:36.14\00:19:37.34
Well, this is the
fruition of that war,
00:19:37.34\00:19:38.91
"These...make
war with the Lamb."
00:19:38.91\00:19:40.48
Now, if a dragon
fought with a lamb,
00:19:40.48\00:19:41.94
you would think
the dragon's gonna win.
00:19:41.94\00:19:44.71
I mean, that
dragon breathing out fire,
00:19:44.71\00:19:46.98
great paws with
claws to gobble up the lamb
00:19:48.12\00:19:52.12
and chomp it up and eat it up.
00:19:52.12\00:19:54.96
But the lamb wins,
00:19:54.96\00:19:56.69
the lamb wins
00:19:56.69\00:19:58.16
because Jesus has never
lost a battle with Satan yet.
00:19:58.16\00:20:01.86
It says,
"These...make war with the Lamb,
00:20:01.86\00:20:03.83
and the Lamb
will overcome them."
00:20:03.83\00:20:05.33
Why?
00:20:05.33\00:20:06.60
He is Lord of
lord and King of kings.
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.47
Christ is gonna be victorious,
00:20:08.47\00:20:10.74
Christ is gonna
vanquish all the powers of hell,
00:20:10.74\00:20:14.01
Christ is gonna defeat
all the powers of evil.
00:20:14.01\00:20:17.01
And here's the good news,
00:20:17.01\00:20:18.51
"Those who are with Him are
called, chosen, and faithful."
00:20:18.51\00:20:22.48
What does it mean to be
called, chosen, and faithful?
00:20:22.48\00:20:25.39
We are called by
God, every human being.
00:20:25.39\00:20:28.39
You know, in
Ecclesiastes, chapter three,
00:20:28.39\00:20:30.53
I think it's verse 11, it says,
00:20:30.53\00:20:32.89
"Christ has put
eternity in every heart."
00:20:32.89\00:20:35.83
In John, chapter 1, verse 9,
it says, "Christ is the light
00:20:35.83\00:20:40.10
that lights every man
that's born into the world."
00:20:40.10\00:20:43.30
And when we are born,
00:20:43.30\00:20:45.44
the Holy Spirit
begins drawing us to Christ,
00:20:45.44\00:20:47.61
we are called, every
human being is called.
00:20:47.61\00:20:51.18
As we respond to
that call, we are chosen,
00:20:51.18\00:20:55.05
chosen for a particular purpose,
00:20:55.05\00:20:57.02
chosen to be
lights in the world,
00:20:57.02\00:20:58.82
chosen to be
ambassadors for Christ,
00:20:58.82\00:21:01.12
chosen to reveal
His love and goodness.
00:21:01.12\00:21:03.56
And this group is
called, chosen, and faithful.
00:21:03.56\00:21:06.53
Faithful to what?
00:21:06.53\00:21:07.96
Faithful to His plan,
faithful to His way of life,
00:21:07.96\00:21:11.17
faithful to His commandments,
faithful to His truth.
00:21:11.17\00:21:14.54
And so here is the assurance,
His church will not flicker
00:21:14.54\00:21:18.71
like some candle and go out,
00:21:18.71\00:21:20.11
His church is gonna triumph;
00:21:20.11\00:21:21.71
the gates of hell
will not prevail against it
00:21:21.71\00:21:23.71
according to Jesus.
00:21:23.71\00:21:24.68
>>So that's fantastic news.
00:21:24.68\00:21:26.15
Even though the
odds are against,
00:21:26.15\00:21:28.12
it looks like God's
church is the underdog,
00:21:28.12\00:21:30.72
it looks like you've
got a dragon versus a lamb
00:21:30.72\00:21:32.95
and the lamb doesn't stand a
chance other than being lunch.
00:21:32.95\00:21:36.49
The lamb is
victorious because, of course,
00:21:36.49\00:21:39.76
God is on the side of the lamb,
00:21:39.76\00:21:42.33
God is on the
side of His church.
00:21:42.33\00:21:44.97
On Thursday's lesson,
00:21:44.97\00:21:47.27
you make an
interesting observation here.
00:21:47.27\00:21:49.80
It's called, "Babylon:
The Center of Idolatry."
00:21:49.80\00:21:54.04
So it's another one of the
characteristics of Babylon,
00:21:54.04\00:21:56.95
both ancient Babylon and
modern-day spiritual Babylon.
00:21:56.95\00:22:00.68
What role does
idolatry play in this?
00:22:00.68\00:22:03.69
>>In the early
ages of the church,
00:22:03.69\00:22:07.12
from about 313 AD to
about 538 AD when Constantine,
00:22:07.12\00:22:12.19
the pagan Roman ruler, united
with the powers of the church,
00:22:13.60\00:22:16.56
when church and
state united back then,
00:22:16.56\00:22:18.80
and the church
grew large, drifted away
00:22:18.80\00:22:22.10
from the plan
and purpose of God,
00:22:22.10\00:22:24.47
idols were brought into the
church as a form of worship.
00:22:24.47\00:22:29.54
Now let's go back and
see the link of idols coming
00:22:30.91\00:22:32.71
into the Christian
church with ancient Babylon.
00:22:32.71\00:22:35.78
We're gonna go to
Jeremiah, chapter 50,
00:22:35.78\00:22:39.15
Jeremiah, chapter 50,
00:22:39.15\00:22:41.62
and we're going to look there
at Jeremiah 50, verses 33-38.
00:22:41.62\00:22:46.70
We'll look at the link
between ancient Babylon
00:22:47.86\00:22:50.00
and modern or spiritual Babylon.
00:22:50.00\00:22:53.23
And go ahead Pastor,
00:22:53.23\00:22:54.67
and read Jeremiah
50, verse 33 and onward.
00:22:54.67\00:22:58.91
>>"Thus says the Lord of
hosts: 'The children of Israel
00:22:58.91\00:23:01.91
"'were oppressed, along
with the children of Judah;
00:23:01.91\00:23:04.91
"'all who took them
captive have held them fast;
00:23:04.91\00:23:07.85
"'they have
refused to let them go.
00:23:07.85\00:23:09.82
"'Their Redeemer is strong;
00:23:09.82\00:23:11.32
"'the Lord of hosts is His name.
00:23:11.32\00:23:13.22
"'He will thoroughly plead their
case, that He may give rest
00:23:13.22\00:23:16.89
"'to the land, and disquiet
the inhabitants of Babylon.
00:23:16.89\00:23:20.33
"A sword is
against the Chaldeans,'
00:23:20.33\00:23:22.30
"says the Lord, 'Against
the inhabitants of Babylon,
00:23:22.30\00:23:24.87
"'and against her
princes and her wise men.
00:23:24.87\00:23:28.04
"'A sword is
against the soothsayers,
00:23:28.04\00:23:30.24
"'and they will be fools.
00:23:30.24\00:23:31.44
"'A sword is
against her mighty men,
00:23:31.44\00:23:32.97
"'and they will be dismayed.
00:23:32.97\00:23:34.41
"'A sword is against their
horses, against their chariots,
00:23:34.41\00:23:36.98
"'and against all the mixed
peoples who are in their midst;
00:23:36.98\00:23:39.81
"'and they will
become like women.
00:23:39.81\00:23:41.52
"'A sword is against her
treasures, and they will be
00:23:41.52\00:23:44.99
robbed. "'A drought
is against her waters,
00:23:44.99\00:23:46.86
"'and they will be dried up.
00:23:46.86\00:23:48.26
"'For it is the
land of carved images,
00:23:48.26\00:23:50.83
and they are
insane with their idols.'"
00:23:50.83\00:23:53.46
>>Is that amazing?
00:23:53.46\00:23:54.96
>>That's a powerful passage.
00:23:54.96\00:23:57.10
>>So Jeremiah predicts,
at the height of Babylon,
00:23:57.10\00:24:00.57
that it would fall.
00:24:00.57\00:24:01.84
And it's interesting too,
00:24:01.84\00:24:03.10
it says the
rivers would be dried up.
00:24:03.10\00:24:04.64
You know when Cyrus came down,
00:24:04.64\00:24:06.68
he diverted the river Euphrates,
00:24:06.68\00:24:09.14
his troops marched
under the outer gates,
00:24:09.14\00:24:11.58
in through the inner gates,
00:24:11.58\00:24:12.81
in that drunken
feast that Belshazzar had.
00:24:12.81\00:24:14.72
But what I'm
interested is this phrase,
00:24:14.72\00:24:16.18
"They were insane
with their idols."
00:24:16.18\00:24:18.52
>>It's an
interesting choice of words--
00:24:18.52\00:24:19.99
>>It really is.
>>...that Jeremiah came with.
00:24:19.99\00:24:22.49
>>Yeah, and so
we have this linkage
00:24:23.63\00:24:26.33
between ancient Babylon idols
being brought into the church.
00:24:26.33\00:24:29.90
Jeremiah also mentions this
00:24:29.90\00:24:31.77
in chapter 51,
00:24:31.77\00:24:33.50
verse 17 and verse 47.
00:24:33.50\00:24:38.21
>>"Everyone is
dull-hearted, without knowledge;
00:24:38.21\00:24:41.38
"every metalsmith is put
to shame by the carved image;
00:24:41.38\00:24:45.18
"for [t]his molded
image is falsehood,
00:24:45.18\00:24:47.18
and there is no breath in them."
00:24:47.18\00:24:50.25
And then 47, "Therefore
behold, the days are coming
00:24:50.25\00:24:54.59
"that I will bring judgment
on the carved images of Babylon;
00:24:54.59\00:24:57.99
"her whole land
shall be ashamed,
00:24:57.99\00:25:00.10
and all her slain
shall fall in her midst."
00:25:00.10\00:25:03.10
>>So here we see that one of
the characteristics of Babylon
00:25:03.10\00:25:07.90
is image worship.
00:25:07.90\00:25:09.47
So what would we
expect in spiritual Babylon?
00:25:09.47\00:25:12.81
We would expect that
they would have a man claiming
00:25:12.81\00:25:17.21
to be a leader, claiming
to speak for God at times,
00:25:17.21\00:25:20.72
passing oppressive laws
against the people of God
00:25:20.72\00:25:24.85
and oppressive laws,
00:25:24.85\00:25:27.39
that if the people
of God did not obey,
00:25:27.39\00:25:30.46
they would
ultimately be persecuted
00:25:30.46\00:25:32.63
just like ancient Babylon.
00:25:32.63\00:25:34.10
We would expect Babylon to
be a religious system uniting
00:25:34.10\00:25:38.00
and getting currying favor
00:25:38.00\00:25:39.63
with the political
kings of the earth,
00:25:39.63\00:25:41.90
and we would expect it
be filled with idolatry.
00:25:41.90\00:25:44.84
There is a statement
that I've put in the lesson
00:25:44.84\00:25:49.61
that talks about this
00:25:50.45\00:25:54.05
idea of Babylon and idolatry.
00:25:54.05\00:25:57.85
It's a statement from Jane
McIntosh who wrote the book,
00:25:57.85\00:26:02.62
"Ancient
Mesopotamia: New Perspectives,"
00:26:02.62\00:26:05.96
and it says, "In [Babylonia]
religion, the ritual care
00:26:05.96\00:26:10.37
"and worship
of...statues [or] deities
00:26:10.37\00:26:12.50
"was considered sacred;
00:26:12.50\00:26:13.94
"the gods lived
simultaneously in their statues
00:26:13.94\00:26:16.97
"in [their] temples
and in the natural forces
00:26:16.97\00:26:18.87
"[that] they embodied.
00:26:18.87\00:26:20.61
"The pillaging or
destruction of idols
00:26:20.61\00:26:22.84
"was considered to be
[the] loss [of] the people
00:26:22.84\00:26:25.21
of divine patronage."
00:26:25.21\00:26:27.38
So that is quite remarkable
and we're gonna see that again.
00:26:27.38\00:26:31.32
Just think of the
idols that have been brought
00:26:31.32\00:26:33.62
into the Christian church,
particularly the Roman church,
00:26:33.62\00:26:37.13
that are so venerated.
00:26:37.13\00:26:38.63
If you go to St.
Peter's Cathedral you see Peter,
00:26:38.63\00:26:41.86
and people coming in
and kissing his feet,
00:26:41.86\00:26:44.00
in fact, the feet are
almost worn off from the kisses.
00:26:44.00\00:26:46.94
And I was driving
here to Chattanooga,
00:26:46.94\00:26:49.27
we happened to be in Florida,
00:26:49.27\00:26:51.27
and I drove past the
shrine of what they call
00:26:51.27\00:26:56.28
the "Blessed Virgin,"
00:26:56.28\00:26:57.88
and she was a blessed
virgin, but no shrine to her.
00:26:57.88\00:27:02.28
And but-- people going
to that shrine and they say,
00:27:02.28\00:27:04.52
for miracles, and
you kiss the virgin,
00:27:04.52\00:27:07.29
and you give
offerings to the virgin.
00:27:07.29\00:27:09.69
So this frankly, and I
wanna say it very reverently,
00:27:09.69\00:27:14.73
this frankly was paganism
that came into the church
00:27:16.13\00:27:18.17
to give these images sacredness
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.44
because they bore Christ,
they take the place of Christ.
00:27:20.44\00:27:24.01
And these images shape your
mind in different directions
00:27:24.01\00:27:28.84
than the living Christ.
00:27:28.84\00:27:30.55
>>These images, I
think, can bring Christ down
00:27:30.55\00:27:34.78
rather than lift Him up,
00:27:34.78\00:27:36.25
and ultimately we as Christians
are called to lift Him up.
00:27:36.25\00:27:40.36
We've looked this week at
"A City Called Confusion,"
00:27:40.36\00:27:43.39
and by God's grace,
we are less confused.
00:27:43.39\00:27:47.30
Want to thank you for
joining us again this week.
00:27:47.30\00:27:49.56
We look forward to having
you back again with us next week
00:27:49.56\00:27:52.40
as we continue our journey
through three cosmic messages
00:27:52.40\00:27:56.20
here on "Sabbath School"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:56.20\00:28:00.34
(upbeat music)
00:28:00.34\00:28:04.38
(music ends)
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