Hello, I'm Jill Morikone,
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and we just want to welcome you
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to another edition of
3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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I can't believe we
are in lesson number six
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of our journey
through the Book of Isaiah.
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This lesson is
entitled "Playing God."
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I wanna encourage you
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if you don't have your
own copy of the quarterly,
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you can go to the
following website,
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that's ABSG.Adventist.org
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and you can get your own
copy and follow along with us.
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That stands for
AdultBibleStudyGuide
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. Adventist.org
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So grab your pen and
your paper and your Bible,
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especially your Bible
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and get ready for this edition
of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
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We're so glad that
you've been journeying with us
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with the Book of Isaiah.
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I love Isaiah.
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I've already
said this many times.
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It is one of my favorite
books in the Word of God.
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We are in lesson
number six, Playing God,
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and we have our
3ABN family with us.
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To my left Pastor John Lomacang,
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privileged to have you here.
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Thank you, Jill.
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We have been
journeying through Isaiah.
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And we praise the
Lord for this journey.
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Amen.
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To your left Jason Bradley,
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you've been on
Sabbath School Panel
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before and we always are blessed
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by the insights
God provides you.
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Oh, praise the Lord.
Happy to be here, Jill.
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To your left
Shelley Quinn, my sister
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and excited to be
studying with you as well.
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Oh, I learned so much
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each time I'm here
listening to you all.
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Thank you so much
for your diligent study.
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Amen.
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And last but not
least Pastor Ryan Day,
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and I love your
enthusiasm for the Word of God.
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Thank you for being here.
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Well, the Word of God
is exciting to talk about
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and we're gonna be talking
about victory today, so, yeah.
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Amen. Amen.
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As we look at Playing God,
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we're actually
jumping into Isaiah 13.
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The last couple of lessons
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we've been on that
whole section of Isaiah 7-12,
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but we finished that
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and now we jump
into Isaiah 13, 14,
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and bless Ryan's heart,
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he's got quite a
few chapters to cover
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all the way up to Chapter 27.
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Before we go any further,
let's go to the Lord in prayer.
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And, Jason,
would you pray for us?
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Absolutely.
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Dear heavenly Father,
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it's always a
privilege and a blessing
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to be able to study Your Word.
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Lord, I just ask that
You would guide our thoughts
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and guide our conversation
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and give us direction
in Jesus' name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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We look this week as
we look at Playing God,
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we look at
several different things.
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One is the origin of
pride and self-exaltation
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that started
with Lucifer himself.
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And I think
Jason's gonna cover that
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in more detail.
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There was a story on
Sabbath's portion of the lesson,
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which I thought was really cute.
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It was a minister who
was preaching on pride.
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And there was a certain woman
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that the sermon
really spoke to her.
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And she was waiting for him
at the back door of the church.
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So as he came out, he
shaking hands and she said,
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"Oh, she said,
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I discovered that
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I have the sin
of pride in my life.
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I sat for an hour
in front of the mirror,
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admiring my beauty."
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And the minister said,
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"That's not the sin of pride,
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that is the sin of imagination."
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You see, pride does not respect
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the boundaries of reality.
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Sometimes, we can be prideful
in something that's real,
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but it would be misplaced
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because every
good and perfect gift
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comes from above,
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but sometimes
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we are prideful in something
that's entirely imagined.
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We think we sing
well, or we speak well,
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or we cook well, or we look well
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as the woman thought,
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but the reality
is far different.
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And spiritual pride,
pride in what we do for God,
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how spiritual we think we are,
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how many people we
think we have won to Christ.
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That is the worst.
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Besides looking this week
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at the origin of
pride and self-exaltation,
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we're also going to look
at some oracles of judgment.
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Let's look at Isaiah Chapter 13.
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Isaiah 13, we will read verse 1,
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and that is actually
the beginning of my section
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"Doom on the
Nations" on Sunday's lesson.
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Isaiah 13:1,
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"The burden against Babylon
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which Isaiah the
son of Amoz saw."
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Now that word
burden means utterance,
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oracle, prophecy, or sane.
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It's used 11
times in this section
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that we're gonna
be studying this week.
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And it's talking about
a voice that is lifted up
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to proclaim a message,
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a message
carried to someone else,
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and usually there's a
heaviness associated with it
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because it's a judgment oracle.
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There's many
oracles, many nations
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that are talked about
specifically in this passage.
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There's a judgment
against Babylon and Assyria,
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the Philistines and
Moab, Syria, Israel, Ethiopia,
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Egypt, Edom,
Arabia, Jerusalem, Tyre,
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and the whole earth
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by the time we get
down to Ryan's Day.
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All of these nations
had encounters with Judah.
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God used these heathen
nations to bring judgment
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upon His people.
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But yeah, as we
would discover today,
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these nations were
later punished themselves,
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like the nation of Babylon,
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God used that
nation to bring judgment.
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The people were
brought into captivity,
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but later God judged Babylon,
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and they were overthrown
by the Medes and the Persians.
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We're gonna look at
the city of Babylon,
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both literal and symbolic.
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And we see God's
salvation and mercy
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still extended
toward His people.
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Let's read our memory
text, it's Isaiah 25:9.
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Isaiah 25:9,
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"Behold, this is our
God, we have waited for Him,
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and He will save us.
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This is the Lord,
we have waited for Him,
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we will be glad and
rejoice in His salvation."
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On Sunday, we talked
about the oracle of judgment
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against Babylon,
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it's actually
titled Doom on the Nations,
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but I'm not gonna look
at Babylon or the city,
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or the conquering of Babylon
by the Medes and Persians,
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or the spiritual analogies
to Babylon in Revelation
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because other people
are gonna cover all of that.
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What I'm looking at today,
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and this is the
focus of Sunday's lesson,
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how do we reconcile a loving God
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with a God who brings judgment?
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How do you reconcile that?
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I call it the
apparent harshness of our God
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'cause you read
some of these verses
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God can appear harsh,
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but this is the
apparent harshness of our God.
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Okay.
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So, of course, you
know, there is a list,
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we're gonna look at five keys
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to understanding
the character of God,
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but before we get to the keys,
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let's look at this
apparent harshness of our God
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as exhibited in Isaiah
13:4, let's pick it up there.
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The second half of
Isaiah 13:4, God is a warrior.
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It says,
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"The Lord of hosts
musters the army for battle.
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They come from a far
country, from the end of heaven,
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the Lord and His
weapons of indignation,
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to destroy the whole land."
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What do I see?
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God is a warrior and
He brings destruction.
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Let's look at verse 6.
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"Wail, for the day
of the Lord is at hand!
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It will come as
destruction from the Almighty.
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Therefore all
hands will be limp,
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every man's heart will
melt, and they will be afraid."
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God's destruction, it
brings fear to the wicked.
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Remember in
Revelation, what did they say?
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Fall on us and hide us
from the face of the Him
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who sits on the throne.
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It brings fear to the wicked.
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God would destroy sinners
with a fierce wrath and anger.
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Verse 9,
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"Behold, the day of
the Lord comes, cruel,
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with both wrath
and fierce anger,
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to lay the land desolate,
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and He will destroy
its sinners from it."
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God's redemptive judgments
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are because of man's wickedness,
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we would
discover this in verse 11.
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It says,
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"I will punish the
world for its evil,
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and the wicked
for their iniquity."
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You see the
description of man's wickedness,
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we have evil, we have
wicked, we have iniquity.
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"I will halt the
arrogance of the proud,"
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we have arrogance,
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"I will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible."
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We see that
everyone is affected.
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In verse 15, it says,
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"Everyone who is found
will be thrust through,
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everyone who is captured
will fall by the sword."
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Now I think the next verse
is the hardest verse for me,
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as I look at the
apparent harshness of our God,
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this is verse 16.
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Because we get upset
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if we know that wars
happen in today's society,
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but we got upset
if women are involved,
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don't we?
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Or if children,
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innocent children are involved,
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and it says here in verse 16,
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"Their children
will be dashed to pieces
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before their eyes,
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their houses will be plundered
and their wives ravished."
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Or literally
they're going to be raped.
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Okay, that's heavy.
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When I read that,
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how do you reconcile
1 John 4:8 that says,
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"God is love."
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So if I look at this
judgment that's coming,
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and then I compare
that with God is love.
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How do I put the two together?
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How do I look at
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even Isaiah
Chapter 13 through the lens
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that God is love?
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I think the key is,
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is to understand
the character of God
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and we're gonna
look at five keys
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for the character of God.
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I'm gonna give them to
you, and then we'll unpack them.
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Key one, love is holy.
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Number two, love is jealous.
00:10:00.80\00:10:04.57
Number three,
love is disciplinary.
00:10:04.60\00:10:08.74
Number four, love is fair.
00:10:08.77\00:10:11.64
And number five,
love is redemptive.
00:10:11.67\00:10:14.94
If we look at God
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and we look at some
of these harsh passages
00:10:16.51\00:10:19.51
in the Old Testament,
00:10:19.55\00:10:21.18
through the lens
00:10:21.22\00:10:22.55
that love is holy and jealous
00:10:22.58\00:10:24.19
and disciplinary
and fair and redemptive,
00:10:24.22\00:10:27.29
it makes a difference in my mind
00:10:27.32\00:10:28.82
and how I
interpret the scripture.
00:10:28.86\00:10:31.03
So let's look at love is holy.
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God's anger can
truly be understood
00:10:33.23\00:10:36.10
in light of the
purity and holiness of God.
00:10:36.13\00:10:39.73
And the dissonance that
00:10:39.77\00:10:41.57
that creates
between holiness on one side
00:10:41.60\00:10:44.84
and sin on the other.
00:10:44.87\00:10:46.98
It shows us how
truly distasteful
00:10:47.01\00:10:50.41
and dangerous sin is,
00:10:50.45\00:10:52.35
after all, it caused
the death of the Son of God.
00:10:52.38\00:10:54.92
1 Peter 1:16,
00:10:54.95\00:10:56.89
"For it is written, 'Be
holy, because I am holy.'"
00:10:56.92\00:11:01.12
We've established
in previous lessons
00:11:01.16\00:11:02.99
that sin cannot exist in
the presence of a holy God.
00:11:03.02\00:11:08.33
Love is holy,
00:11:08.36\00:11:09.80
and sin cannot
exist in that presence.
00:11:09.83\00:11:13.74
Number two, key
number two, love is jealous.
00:11:13.77\00:11:16.47
God's anger can be
understood in light of sin
00:11:16.50\00:11:19.81
or other things that
come between me and God
00:11:19.84\00:11:23.35
and become my
focus instead of Him.
00:11:23.38\00:11:26.75
You know, Exodus 20,
the Ten Commandments,
00:11:26.78\00:11:28.92
verse 5, it says,
00:11:28.95\00:11:30.45
"You shall not bow
down to them nor serve them.
00:11:30.49\00:11:32.55
For I, the Lord your God, am a,"
00:11:32.59\00:11:33.92
what's that word?
00:11:33.96\00:11:35.29
Jealous.
00:11:35.32\00:11:36.66
"Jealous God,
00:11:36.69\00:11:38.03
visiting the iniquity
00:11:38.06\00:11:39.39
of the fathers upon the children
00:11:39.43\00:11:40.76
to the third and
fourth generations
00:11:40.80\00:11:42.13
of those who hate Me."
00:11:42.16\00:11:43.50
That word jealous
00:11:43.53\00:11:44.87
in Hebrew was used six
times in the Old Testament,
00:11:44.90\00:11:46.23
and it's always
used in reference to God.
00:11:46.27\00:11:48.10
Now I thought growing up
jealousy was a bad thing.
00:11:48.14\00:11:50.74
And there is a
sinful jealousy for sure,
00:11:50.77\00:11:52.97
but there is
also a godly jealousy.
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.54
Sinful jealousy is jealous for,
00:11:55.58\00:11:58.91
godly jealousy is jealous of.
00:11:58.95\00:12:02.65
Sinful jealousy
00:12:02.68\00:12:04.02
would be jealous for
someone else's spouse
00:12:04.05\00:12:05.65
that I can't have.
00:12:05.69\00:12:07.02
And that doesn't belong to me.
00:12:07.06\00:12:08.39
Jealous for
someone else's position,
00:12:08.42\00:12:10.06
or someone else's house,
00:12:10.09\00:12:11.56
or someone else's money
that doesn't belong to me,
00:12:11.59\00:12:14.56
but God, we belong to
Him and He is jealous,
00:12:14.60\00:12:18.33
not for us, but others
00:12:18.37\00:12:20.40
because we already belong to Him
00:12:20.44\00:12:23.71
because love is
holy and God is holy.
00:12:23.74\00:12:25.94
He wants nothing
between Him and us.
00:12:25.97\00:12:28.64
Nothing that would pull
our affections from Him.
00:12:28.68\00:12:32.68
2 Corinthians
11:2 puts it this way,
00:12:32.71\00:12:34.82
"I am jealous over
you with godly jealousy.
00:12:34.85\00:12:37.62
I have betrothed you or
espoused you to one husband,
00:12:37.65\00:12:41.42
so that to Christ,
00:12:41.46\00:12:42.79
I may present you
as a pure virgin."
00:12:42.82\00:12:45.43
Key number three,
love is disciplinary.
00:12:45.46\00:12:48.16
God's anger can be understood
as a redemptive judgment
00:12:48.20\00:12:52.10
from a parent
who loves their child
00:12:52.13\00:12:55.14
and wants to save them.
00:12:55.17\00:12:56.81
Hebrews 12:5,
00:12:56.84\00:12:58.17
"My son do not despise
00:12:58.21\00:13:00.01
the chastening or
correction of the Lord,
00:13:00.04\00:13:02.38
nor be discouraged when
you are rebuked by Him."
00:13:02.41\00:13:05.71
For whom the Lord
loves, He corrects,
00:13:05.75\00:13:07.92
and scourges every
son whom He receives.
00:13:07.95\00:13:12.15
Key number four, love is fair.
00:13:12.19\00:13:14.42
God's anger can
only be understood
00:13:14.46\00:13:16.66
in light of His
law and fairness.
00:13:16.69\00:13:20.23
You know, Romans
7:12 tells us what?
00:13:20.26\00:13:22.16
"The law is holy,
00:13:22.20\00:13:23.53
and the commandment
holy just and good."
00:13:23.57\00:13:26.37
The law of God
is perfect and holy,
00:13:26.40\00:13:28.34
but yet you and I
have transgressed that law.
00:13:28.37\00:13:31.87
Romans 6:23,
00:13:31.91\00:13:33.24
"The wages of sin is death,
00:13:33.27\00:13:34.61
but the gift of God is eternal
00:13:34.64\00:13:36.38
life through
Jesus Christ our Lord."
00:13:36.41\00:13:38.18
We all should have died.
00:13:38.21\00:13:39.68
We all deserve to be punished,
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.68
but God took our
punishment on our behalf.
00:13:41.72\00:13:48.39
You know, I think of the martyrs
00:13:48.42\00:13:50.23
when they were martyred.
00:13:50.26\00:13:52.29
I think of Revelation.
00:13:52.33\00:13:54.80
They cry out
from under the altar,
00:13:54.83\00:13:56.53
how long, oh, Lord,
00:13:56.56\00:13:58.43
until we are vindicated
00:13:58.47\00:14:00.57
until You arise
and bring judgment.
00:14:00.60\00:14:03.41
Now we're always delighted
00:14:03.44\00:14:05.37
and we want to
exercise judgment ourselves,
00:14:05.41\00:14:07.74
but then, when God does arise,
00:14:07.78\00:14:10.25
and when that
happens, we get upset.
00:14:10.28\00:14:11.61
Say,
00:14:11.65\00:14:12.98
"Why are you being?
Why are You judging?
00:14:13.01\00:14:14.35
Why are you bringing judgment?"
00:14:14.38\00:14:15.72
Because love is fair.
00:14:15.75\00:14:17.09
Key number five,
love is redemptive.
00:14:17.12\00:14:19.45
Jesus bore our
sins on the cross.
00:14:19.49\00:14:23.32
How do you
reconcile a loving God
00:14:23.36\00:14:25.76
allowing His only Son
to die a wicked death?
00:14:25.79\00:14:29.40
Because He's holy
00:14:29.43\00:14:30.77
because He is
fair in the demands
00:14:30.80\00:14:32.37
of the law must be met
00:14:32.40\00:14:34.30
because He is redemptive,
00:14:34.34\00:14:36.77
not willing that
any should perish,
00:14:36.81\00:14:38.81
but that all
should come to repentance.
00:14:38.84\00:14:41.44
Pastor John.
00:14:41.48\00:14:42.81
Wow, thank you, Jill,
00:14:42.84\00:14:44.18
for that amazing
approach to the lesson.
00:14:44.21\00:14:47.42
It's amazing.
00:14:47.45\00:14:48.78
Mine is on Monday,
00:14:48.82\00:14:50.15
"The Late Great
City of Babylon."
00:14:50.19\00:14:53.66
When I saw that I thought,
wow, what an application
00:14:53.69\00:14:55.96
because it's taken us not only
to the actual fall of Babylon,
00:14:55.99\00:14:59.59
but also to the
fall of symbolic Babylon.
00:14:59.63\00:15:02.40
And I'm gonna begin because
00:15:02.43\00:15:03.77
I want to walk
through a lot of times
00:15:03.80\00:15:05.50
we don't get a
chance to do this.
00:15:05.53\00:15:07.07
So I'm gonna
read Isaiah 13:2-22.
00:15:07.10\00:15:11.37
And follow along,
00:15:11.41\00:15:12.74
then I'm gonna
make some application,
00:15:12.77\00:15:14.38
not an exact
list, but application.
00:15:14.41\00:15:17.31
"Lift up a banner
on the high mountain,
00:15:17.35\00:15:20.72
raise your voice to
them, wave your hand,
00:15:20.75\00:15:23.59
that they may enter
the gates of the nobles.
00:15:23.62\00:15:26.42
I have commanded
My sanctified ones.
00:15:26.45\00:15:29.09
I've also called My
mighty ones for My anger."
00:15:29.12\00:15:32.29
God is marshaling
His forces together.
00:15:32.33\00:15:35.00
"Those who
rejoice in My exaltation.
00:15:35.03\00:15:37.47
The noise of the
multitude in the mountains,
00:15:37.50\00:15:39.27
like that of many people!
00:15:39.30\00:15:41.04
A tumultuous
noise of the Kingdom
00:15:41.07\00:15:43.20
of nations gathered together!
00:15:43.24\00:15:45.01
The Lord of hosts
musters the army for battle.
00:15:45.04\00:15:48.44
They come from a far country,
from the end of the earth,
00:15:48.48\00:15:51.21
the Lord and His
weapons of indignation,
00:15:51.25\00:15:53.28
to destroy the whole land."
00:15:53.31\00:15:55.38
Now it talks
about the act of God.
00:15:55.42\00:15:57.45
"Wail, for the day
of the Lord is at hand!
00:15:57.49\00:15:59.69
It will come as
destruction from the Almighty.
00:15:59.72\00:16:02.29
Therefore all
hands will be limp,
00:16:02.32\00:16:05.36
every man's heart will
melt, and they will be afraid.
00:16:05.39\00:16:09.10
Pangs and sorrows
will take hold of them.
00:16:09.13\00:16:11.60
They will be in pain
as a woman in childbirth.
00:16:11.63\00:16:14.57
They will be
amazed at one another.
00:16:14.60\00:16:16.47
Their faces
will be like flames."
00:16:16.50\00:16:18.57
Meaning red hot in fear.
00:16:18.61\00:16:20.48
"Behold, the day
of the Lord comes,
00:16:20.51\00:16:22.54
cruel, with both
wrath and fierce anger,
00:16:22.58\00:16:25.11
to lay the land desolate,
00:16:25.15\00:16:26.78
and He will destroy
its sinners from it."
00:16:26.82\00:16:29.45
Now there's
beginning to be a parlay
00:16:29.48\00:16:31.05
between the fall of
Babylon and the world itself.
00:16:31.09\00:16:34.92
What about the
time of this judgment?
00:16:34.96\00:16:36.76
Verse 10,
00:16:36.79\00:16:38.13
"For the stars of
heaven and their constellations
00:16:38.16\00:16:40.50
will not give their light,
00:16:40.53\00:16:42.06
the sun will be
darkened in its going forth,
00:16:42.10\00:16:44.47
and the moon will not
cause its light to shine."
00:16:44.50\00:16:48.60
Showing the
atmosphere in the heavens
00:16:48.64\00:16:50.94
during the time
of this judgment,
00:16:50.97\00:16:52.91
but now the
parallel application,
00:16:52.94\00:16:54.54
verse 11,
00:16:54.58\00:16:55.91
"I will punish the
world for its evil,
00:16:55.94\00:16:58.18
and the wicked
for their iniquity.
00:16:58.21\00:17:00.15
I will halt the
arrogance of the proud,
00:17:00.18\00:17:01.75
and lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible.
00:17:01.78\00:17:04.82
I will make a mortal
more rare than fine gold,
00:17:04.85\00:17:08.49
a man more than the
golden wedge of Ophir.
00:17:08.52\00:17:12.39
Therefore I will
shake the heavens,
00:17:12.43\00:17:14.20
and the earth will
move out of her place,
00:17:14.23\00:17:16.46
in the wrath of
the Lord of hosts
00:17:16.50\00:17:18.33
and in the day
of His fierce anger.
00:17:18.37\00:17:20.20
It shall be as
the hunted gazelle,
00:17:20.24\00:17:23.07
and as a sheep
that no one takes up,
00:17:23.10\00:17:25.51
every man will
turn to his own people,
00:17:25.54\00:17:27.94
and everyone will
flee to his own land.
00:17:27.98\00:17:30.11
Everyone who is found
will be thrust through,
00:17:30.15\00:17:32.41
and everyone who is captured
will fall by the sword."
00:17:32.45\00:17:35.22
What a picture.
00:17:35.25\00:17:37.52
"Their children also
will be dashed to pieces
00:17:37.55\00:17:40.39
before their eyes,
00:17:40.42\00:17:41.76
their houses will be plundered
and their wives ravished."
00:17:41.79\00:17:44.33
And you explain
that very clearly, Jill.
00:17:44.36\00:17:47.20
"Behold," now it's going
back to the prophetic aspects.
00:17:47.23\00:17:50.30
"'Behold, I will stir
up the Medes against them,
00:17:50.33\00:17:52.63
who will not regard
silver, and as for gold,
00:17:52.67\00:17:55.17
they will not delight in it."
00:17:55.20\00:17:56.77
Because Babylon
was the golden kingdom.
00:17:56.81\00:17:59.01
"Also their bows will
dash the young men to pieces,
00:17:59.04\00:18:01.84
and they will have no pity
on the fruit of their womb.
00:18:01.88\00:18:04.41
Their eyes will
not spare children.
00:18:04.45\00:18:06.38
And Babylon, the
glory of kingdoms,
00:18:06.41\00:18:08.25
the beauty of
the Chaldeans' pride,
00:18:08.28\00:18:10.49
will be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:18:10.52\00:18:13.05
It will never be inhabited."
00:18:13.09\00:18:14.99
This is a key in
the latter application.
00:18:15.02\00:18:18.26
"Nor will it be settled
from generation to generation,
00:18:18.29\00:18:21.60
nor will the Arab
pitch tents there,
00:18:21.63\00:18:23.43
nor will the shepherds
make their sheepfolds there.
00:18:23.47\00:18:26.17
But wild beasts of
the desert will lie there,
00:18:26.20\00:18:29.60
and their houses
will be full of owls.
00:18:29.64\00:18:32.07
Ostriches will dwell there,
00:18:32.11\00:18:33.94
and wild goats will caper there.
00:18:33.98\00:18:36.04
The hyenas will
howl in their citadels,
00:18:36.08\00:18:38.81
and jackals in
their pleasant places.
00:18:38.85\00:18:41.02
Her time is near to come,
00:18:41.05\00:18:42.98
and her days will
not be prolonged.'"
00:18:43.02\00:18:45.39
That's a mouthful.
00:18:45.42\00:18:46.76
But God is showing that
this great kingdom Babylon,
00:18:46.79\00:18:50.26
and we're gonna see the
parallel in a moment here
00:18:50.29\00:18:52.29
because Babylon was the
greatest of the kingdoms
00:18:52.33\00:18:54.83
of antiquity,
00:18:54.86\00:18:56.20
the golden
kingdom, the lion kingdom,
00:18:56.23\00:18:58.63
but as Babylon began to
depreciate in its value,
00:18:58.67\00:19:01.40
the lion began to, his
wings were plucked away.
00:19:01.44\00:19:05.67
And then instead of
standing on four legs,
00:19:05.71\00:19:07.64
he stood upon two,
00:19:07.68\00:19:09.18
and then instead of
having a lion's heart,
00:19:09.21\00:19:10.85
a man's heart was given to him.
00:19:10.88\00:19:12.78
The power of
Babylon began to fall.
00:19:12.81\00:19:14.98
And as we know,
00:19:15.02\00:19:16.35
on the night of drunken revelry,
00:19:16.38\00:19:18.12
Babylon was ripped away,
00:19:18.15\00:19:19.95
as Belteshazzar
had a golden cup,
00:19:19.99\00:19:24.43
fill the Lord's golden cup
00:19:24.46\00:19:27.03
filled with the wine of Babylon,
00:19:27.06\00:19:29.33
and then the reading of heaven.
00:19:29.36\00:19:31.07
Tonight, thy kingdom is divided
00:19:31.10\00:19:33.30
and given to the
Medes and the Persians.
00:19:33.34\00:19:35.27
And what a fall Babylon was.
00:19:35.30\00:19:37.71
But as we go back to
the antiquity dates in 626,
00:19:37.74\00:19:41.84
the Chaldean Nabopolassar
restored Babylonian glory
00:19:41.88\00:19:46.01
by making
himself king of Babylon,
00:19:46.05\00:19:48.22
beginning the
Neo-Babylonian dynasty
00:19:48.25\00:19:51.02
and participating with Media
00:19:51.05\00:19:53.96
in the defeat of Assyria,
00:19:53.99\00:19:55.49
his son,
Nebuchadnezzar II was the king
00:19:55.52\00:19:57.89
who conquered
and exile to Judah.
00:19:57.93\00:20:00.06
So even after they fell,
00:20:00.10\00:20:01.93
there was some remnants
that were left of the kingdom.
00:20:01.96\00:20:05.07
That's why even
Babylon talks about the beast
00:20:05.10\00:20:07.04
that comes up out of the sea.
00:20:07.07\00:20:08.54
It has remnants
of Babylon in it.
00:20:08.57\00:20:10.27
Babylon, Medo and Persia
00:20:10.31\00:20:11.64
are part still
of the last puzzle.
00:20:11.67\00:20:13.48
But we know as I
repeated Daniel 5:22-28,
00:20:13.51\00:20:17.91
how God had divided the kingdom,
00:20:17.95\00:20:21.02
and He finished it.
00:20:21.05\00:20:22.62
In 539,
00:20:22.65\00:20:24.89
Cyrus the Persian
captured the Babylonian Empire,
00:20:24.92\00:20:27.96
and later merged
the Medo-Persian Empire,
00:20:27.99\00:20:30.93
but in 482, Xerxes,
00:20:30.96\00:20:33.63
one brutally
suppressed the revolt of Babylon
00:20:33.66\00:20:35.93
against the Persian rule.
00:20:35.96\00:20:37.53
So you see, there
was still some skirmishes
00:20:37.57\00:20:39.33
that continued afterwards,
00:20:39.37\00:20:40.94
still trying to hold
on to the former glory.
00:20:40.97\00:20:43.24
But let's now go
down to Revelation 17,
00:20:43.27\00:20:45.47
because there's a parallel
00:20:45.51\00:20:47.64
to literal Babylon
in symbolic Babylon.
00:20:47.68\00:20:50.75
Let's look at the
present position of Babylon
00:20:50.78\00:20:52.95
in the eyes of God.
00:20:52.98\00:20:54.48
Revelation 17:5,
00:20:54.52\00:20:56.72
"And on her head, "
00:20:56.75\00:20:58.09
speaking about this woman
00:20:58.12\00:20:59.45
sitting on a
scarlet colored beast,
00:20:59.49\00:21:02.19
"a name was written,
00:21:02.22\00:21:03.73
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
00:21:03.76\00:21:06.39
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
00:21:06.43\00:21:08.06
AND OF THE
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
00:21:08.10\00:21:10.10
Very quickly.
00:21:10.13\00:21:11.47
She's the mother
because she has daughters.
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.10
When you look at what
the Babylonian system,
00:21:14.14\00:21:16.14
this false religious system,
00:21:16.17\00:21:18.57
but also is gonna be
a coalition of religion,
00:21:18.61\00:21:21.24
of the kings of the earth
00:21:21.28\00:21:22.61
and of the
merchants of the earth.
00:21:22.64\00:21:24.58
And I want to
make very, very clear,
00:21:24.61\00:21:25.98
I'm a member of the
World Economic Forum.
00:21:26.01\00:21:27.98
And I can see this
coming together in our day,
00:21:28.02\00:21:30.59
the world is being reset,
00:21:30.62\00:21:32.65
the world is going through
00:21:32.69\00:21:34.02
what they call a
build back better moment
00:21:34.06\00:21:36.29
where these economic powers
merging with religious powers,
00:21:36.32\00:21:40.93
under the guidance of Rome,
00:21:40.96\00:21:43.16
are beginning to
develop this picture.
00:21:43.20\00:21:45.53
And evangelicals that
have turned their minds
00:21:45.57\00:21:48.40
away from God's truth,
00:21:48.44\00:21:50.51
are beginning to merge,
00:21:50.54\00:21:52.37
to create the threefold union
00:21:52.41\00:21:54.98
that will unite to fight
00:21:55.01\00:21:56.34
against God's remnant
church in the last days,
00:21:56.38\00:21:58.65
but how does God see the system?
00:21:58.68\00:22:00.68
Revelation 14:8,
00:22:00.72\00:22:02.65
the present position
of Babylon in God's eyes,
00:22:02.68\00:22:06.25
"And another
angel followed, saying,
00:22:06.29\00:22:07.92
'Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city,
00:22:07.96\00:22:10.26
because she made all nations
00:22:10.29\00:22:12.13
drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication.'"
00:22:12.16\00:22:15.50
That's Babylon's
present position in God's eyes.
00:22:15.53\00:22:18.70
But let's look at
Babylon's future decline
00:22:18.73\00:22:21.07
in God's eyes.
00:22:21.10\00:22:22.44
Revelation 16:19,
00:22:22.47\00:22:24.61
"Now the great city was
divided into three parts,
00:22:24.64\00:22:28.04
and the cities of
the nations fell."
00:22:28.08\00:22:30.71
Notice now it's not
going to the antiquity Babylon,
00:22:30.75\00:22:33.45
but it's going to the
Babylon of these present days,
00:22:33.48\00:22:36.18
the coalition, the beasts,
00:22:36.22\00:22:38.92
the false prophet, and
the dragon, spiritualism,
00:22:38.95\00:22:42.02
apostate
Protestantism and Romanism,
00:22:42.06\00:22:45.29
three parts, a kingdom divided
against itself cannot stand.
00:22:45.33\00:22:50.13
And the Bible says,
00:22:50.17\00:22:51.50
"And the great Babylon
was remembered before God,
00:22:51.53\00:22:54.04
to give her the cup of the wine
00:22:54.07\00:22:56.37
of the fierceness of His wrath."
00:22:56.40\00:22:58.94
So God is gonna deal with
00:22:58.97\00:23:00.98
the latter day application
of this corrupt system,
00:23:01.01\00:23:04.85
He brought it down in the past,
00:23:04.88\00:23:06.55
and when He
brings it down again,
00:23:06.58\00:23:08.08
it will never be inhabited.
00:23:08.12\00:23:10.32
Let's look at the
future decline of Babylon
00:23:10.35\00:23:12.52
in man's eyes.
00:23:12.55\00:23:13.89
It's already
fallen in God's eyes.
00:23:13.92\00:23:15.62
But now Revelation 18:6-11.
00:23:15.66\00:23:18.89
Let's see if I can get this in.
00:23:18.93\00:23:20.83
"In the measure that
she glorified herself
00:23:20.86\00:23:22.90
and lived luxuriously,
00:23:22.93\00:23:24.47
in the same measure
give her torment and sorrow,
00:23:24.50\00:23:27.24
for she says in her heart,
00:23:27.27\00:23:28.64
'I sit as a
queen, and am no widow,
00:23:28.67\00:23:31.34
I will not see sorrow.'
00:23:31.37\00:23:32.84
Therefore her
plagues will come in one day,
00:23:32.87\00:23:35.68
death and mourning and famine.
00:23:35.71\00:23:37.48
She shall be
utterly burned with fire."
00:23:37.51\00:23:39.51
Notice the comparison
between the past and the future.
00:23:39.55\00:23:42.38
"For strong as the
Lord God who judges her.
00:23:42.42\00:23:44.99
The kings of the earth
who committed fornication
00:23:45.02\00:23:47.42
and live luxuriously with her
will weep and lament for her,
00:23:47.46\00:23:50.76
when they see the
smoke of her burning,
00:23:50.79\00:23:53.36
standing at a distance
for fear for torment, saying,
00:23:53.40\00:23:56.70
'Alas, alas,
00:23:56.73\00:23:58.07
that great city
Babylon, that mighty city!
00:23:58.10\00:24:01.94
For in one hour
your judgment has come.'
00:24:01.97\00:24:04.41
And the merchants
of the earth will weep
00:24:04.44\00:24:06.64
and mourn over her,
00:24:06.68\00:24:08.28
for no one buys
their merchandise anymore."
00:24:08.31\00:24:10.91
In other words,
00:24:10.95\00:24:12.28
when they see
Babylon for what it is,
00:24:12.31\00:24:14.32
they're not buying it.
00:24:14.35\00:24:15.78
But God is saying,
don't wait till then
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.89
we can see Babylon
for what it is now,
00:24:17.92\00:24:20.16
by reading the Word of God.
00:24:20.19\00:24:22.06
Symbolic Babylon dies
because of abandonment.
00:24:22.09\00:24:25.59
And I don't have
the time to read that,
00:24:25.63\00:24:26.96
but Revelation
18:17-19, it says,
00:24:27.00\00:24:30.00
"Alas, alas, that great city,
00:24:30.03\00:24:32.13
that wealthy city
became in one hour,
00:24:32.17\00:24:35.50
it became desolate."
00:24:35.54\00:24:37.24
But the fate in
God's eyes is this.
00:24:37.27\00:24:39.27
Revelation 18:4, why
is God giving us this?
00:24:39.31\00:24:42.14
"Come out of her, My people."
00:24:42.18\00:24:44.45
God is calling those in Babylon
00:24:44.48\00:24:46.35
to come out
before the destruction.
00:24:46.38\00:24:48.28
Amen.
00:24:48.32\00:24:49.65
Nobody teaches
the Book of Revelation
00:24:49.68\00:24:51.72
like Pastor John.
00:24:51.75\00:24:53.09
Thank you, Pastor
John. Amen. Praise the Lord.
00:24:53.12\00:24:54.46
We're gonna take a short
break. We'll be right back.
00:24:54.49\00:24:55.82
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Welcome back to our
study of lesson number six,
00:25:30.93\00:25:32.99
Playing God.
00:25:33.03\00:25:34.36
We pick it up
with Tuesday's lesson,
00:25:34.40\00:25:35.86
Jason Bradley. Yes.
00:25:35.90\00:25:37.77
Pastor Lomacang, all
I have to say is wow!
00:25:37.80\00:25:41.24
Wow!
00:25:41.27\00:25:42.60
Tuesday's lesson
00:25:42.64\00:25:43.97
the Fall of the Mountain "King."
00:25:44.01\00:25:45.54
In this lesson, we're
going to take a look at
00:25:45.57\00:25:47.71
just how
destructive pride can be.
00:25:47.74\00:25:50.78
We'll also take a look
at a few different ways
00:25:50.81\00:25:53.28
that pride manifests itself,
00:25:53.31\00:25:55.38
and we will examine
00:25:55.42\00:25:56.82
what the Bible has
to say about pride.
00:25:56.85\00:25:59.69
Before we go any further
00:25:59.72\00:26:01.06
let's consider a few
definitions of pride,
00:26:01.09\00:26:03.63
beginning with
definition number one.
00:26:03.66\00:26:05.56
A feeling of deep
pleasure or satisfaction
00:26:05.59\00:26:08.50
derived from
one's own achievements,
00:26:08.53\00:26:10.80
the achievements of those
00:26:10.83\00:26:12.33
with whom one is
closely associated
00:26:12.37\00:26:14.87
or from qualities or possessions
00:26:14.90\00:26:17.04
that are widely admired.
00:26:17.07\00:26:19.21
Definition number two,
00:26:19.24\00:26:20.61
consciousness of
one's own dignity.
00:26:20.64\00:26:23.31
Now perhaps you've
heard something like,
00:26:23.35\00:26:25.48
he swallowed his
pride and asked for help
00:26:25.51\00:26:29.12
or the third definition
00:26:29.15\00:26:30.55
and probably one of the
most common definitions,
00:26:30.59\00:26:33.22
the quality of having
an excessively high opinion
00:26:33.25\00:26:36.89
of oneself or one's importance.
00:26:36.93\00:26:40.96
Now let's take a look
00:26:41.00\00:26:42.33
at what the Bible
has to say about pride
00:26:42.36\00:26:44.27
and look at some of
the devastating effects.
00:26:44.30\00:26:46.74
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that,
00:26:46.77\00:26:50.01
"Pride goes before destruction,
00:26:50.04\00:26:52.47
and a haughty
spirit before a fall."
00:26:52.51\00:26:55.34
It's also important to note that
00:26:55.38\00:26:57.05
we cannot be prideful and
submissive, simultaneously.
00:26:57.08\00:27:01.75
We cannot be prideful and
submissive simultaneously.
00:27:01.78\00:27:06.49
Pride causes us to miss out
on some amazing opportunities.
00:27:06.52\00:27:10.59
The Bible tells us
about plenty of people
00:27:10.63\00:27:13.36
that allowed
pride to manifest itself
00:27:13.40\00:27:15.73
in their lives in
one way or another.
00:27:15.76\00:27:19.33
Now imagine being in
the perfect environment,
00:27:19.37\00:27:22.00
but then pride
rears its ugly head
00:27:22.04\00:27:25.14
and get you kicked out.
00:27:25.17\00:27:26.94
The lesson asks the question,
00:27:26.98\00:27:28.68
how could Isaiah 14:12-14
00:27:28.71\00:27:32.75
apply to a king of Babylon.
00:27:32.78\00:27:35.85
So let's look
at Isaiah 14:12-14,
00:27:35.88\00:27:40.12
beginning in verse 12,
00:27:40.16\00:27:41.79
"How you are fallen from heaven,
00:27:41.82\00:27:43.96
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
00:27:43.99\00:27:45.99
How you are cut
down to the ground,
00:27:46.03\00:27:48.43
you who weakened the nations!
00:27:48.46\00:27:51.23
For you have said in your heart,
00:27:51.27\00:27:52.70
'I will ascend into heaven,
00:27:52.73\00:27:54.67
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God.
00:27:54.70\00:27:58.27
I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation
00:27:58.31\00:28:01.48
on the farthest
sides of the north.
00:28:01.51\00:28:03.95
I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds,
00:28:03.98\00:28:07.05
I will be like the Most High.'"
00:28:07.08\00:28:09.25
He has lost his mind.
00:28:09.28\00:28:10.82
The audacity of
Lucifer to say in his heart
00:28:10.85\00:28:14.32
that he'd exalt his
throne above the stars of God
00:28:14.36\00:28:17.86
on the farthest
sides of the North.
00:28:17.89\00:28:20.03
He wanted to be worshipped.
00:28:20.06\00:28:21.83
He's lost it.
00:28:21.86\00:28:23.20
Another manifestation
of pride in one's life
00:28:23.23\00:28:25.63
is the notion that
00:28:25.67\00:28:27.00
one always knows best
00:28:27.04\00:28:28.57
despite God's clear
revelation of truth.
00:28:28.60\00:28:31.64
In Daniel Chapter 2,
00:28:31.67\00:28:33.51
God told Daniel King
Nebuchadnezzar's dream
00:28:33.54\00:28:36.14
and its interpretation.
00:28:36.18\00:28:38.38
Daniel then shared
with the king his dream
00:28:38.41\00:28:40.48
and its meaning.
00:28:40.52\00:28:41.85
Now King
Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged
00:28:41.88\00:28:43.22
that Daniel's God
was truly the God of gods
00:28:43.25\00:28:45.99
and the Lord of kings,
00:28:46.02\00:28:48.46
but something that's
important to notice is that
00:28:48.49\00:28:50.43
Daniel gave all the
credit for the dream
00:28:50.46\00:28:53.13
and its interpretation to God.
00:28:53.16\00:28:56.77
And that's crucial
to take note of that.
00:28:56.80\00:29:00.10
Daniel made
himself of no reputation.
00:29:00.14\00:29:02.90
In this particular dream
00:29:02.94\00:29:04.51
Babylon was
represented or symbolized
00:29:04.54\00:29:07.38
by the head of gold as
you brought out earlier,
00:29:07.41\00:29:09.54
the chest and
arms were of silver
00:29:09.58\00:29:11.58
and represented Medo-Persia,
00:29:11.61\00:29:13.31
its belly and
thighs were made of bronze
00:29:13.35\00:29:15.75
and was symbolic of Greece,
00:29:15.78\00:29:17.65
and Rome was
represented by the legs of iron
00:29:17.69\00:29:20.59
and the division of Rome
00:29:20.62\00:29:22.36
was symbolized by the
feet of iron and clay.
00:29:22.39\00:29:25.69
Now recognize the fact that
the head was of gold, right?
00:29:25.73\00:29:30.63
The great stone
that was in the dream
00:29:30.67\00:29:33.67
represents
God's eternal kingdom.
00:29:33.70\00:29:36.00
Now instead of taking heed
to what he saw in the dream,
00:29:36.04\00:29:40.28
the king erected a
statue of all gold.
00:29:40.31\00:29:44.95
So not just the head of gold,
00:29:44.98\00:29:46.48
but all gold as to imply that
00:29:46.51\00:29:49.98
his kingdom was
going to be eternal
00:29:50.02\00:29:52.15
and he commanded
people to bow down
00:29:52.19\00:29:55.36
and worship the statue
whenever music was played.
00:29:55.39\00:29:58.29
Again, we see that
that false worship.
00:29:58.33\00:30:01.66
We know that Babylon fell
00:30:01.70\00:30:03.37
and we also know that
00:30:03.40\00:30:04.73
spiritual Babylon
is going to fall too.
00:30:04.77\00:30:08.20
Only the one true God
is worthy of our worship.
00:30:08.24\00:30:12.57
King Nebuchadnezzar
had a second dream
00:30:12.61\00:30:15.08
that the Bible mentions.
00:30:15.11\00:30:16.98
And he also had a
very humbling experience.
00:30:17.01\00:30:20.32
Now in Daniel 4:29-32.
00:30:20.35\00:30:23.85
Here's yet another example
00:30:23.89\00:30:25.22
of how pride goes
before destruction.
00:30:25.25\00:30:29.12
Beginning in verse 29,
00:30:29.16\00:30:30.49
"At the end of the twelve months
00:30:30.53\00:30:32.56
he was walking about
the royal palace of Babylon.
00:30:32.59\00:30:36.20
The king spoke saying,
00:30:36.23\00:30:37.73
'Is not this great Babylon,
00:30:37.77\00:30:40.47
that I have built
00:30:40.50\00:30:42.77
for a royal
dwelling by my mighty power
00:30:42.80\00:30:46.31
and for the
honor of my majesty?' "
00:30:46.34\00:30:49.98
It was a little
prideful to say the least.
00:30:50.01\00:30:54.75
"While the word was
still in the king's mouth,
00:30:54.78\00:30:59.12
a voice fell from heaven."
00:30:59.15\00:31:00.92
And I don't know why I
always picture this voice
00:31:00.96\00:31:02.99
sounding like James Earl Jones,
00:31:03.02\00:31:04.53
my voice isn't that deep, but,
00:31:04.56\00:31:07.00
"King Nebuchadnezzar,
to you it is spoken,
00:31:07.03\00:31:10.43
the kingdom has
departed from you!
00:31:10.47\00:31:15.07
And they shall
drive you from men,
00:31:15.10\00:31:17.37
and your dwelling
00:31:17.41\00:31:18.74
shall be with the
beasts of the field.
00:31:18.77\00:31:21.04
They shall make you
eat grass like oxen,
00:31:21.08\00:31:23.55
and seven times
shall pass over you,
00:31:23.58\00:31:26.88
until you know
00:31:26.92\00:31:28.35
that the Most High
rules in the kingdom of men,
00:31:28.38\00:31:31.25
and gives it to
whomever He chooses.'"
00:31:31.29\00:31:35.16
Now after the
king's humbling experience,
00:31:35.19\00:31:38.19
he was singing a different tune.
00:31:38.23\00:31:39.56
Look at verse 37.
00:31:39.59\00:31:42.36
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
00:31:42.40\00:31:44.07
praise and extol and
honor the King of heaven,
00:31:44.10\00:31:48.70
all of whose works are truth,
00:31:48.74\00:31:50.67
and His ways justice.
00:31:50.71\00:31:52.74
And those who walk in
pride He is able to put down."
00:31:52.77\00:31:56.58
Now King Nebuchadnezzar
had a first-hand experience
00:31:56.61\00:31:59.48
on what happens
when you are prideful.
00:31:59.51\00:32:02.95
Now look at what
the lesson points out,
00:32:02.98\00:32:04.75
"As in Isaiah 14,
00:32:04.79\00:32:06.96
Ezekiel 28 identifies
heaven-daring arrogance
00:32:06.99\00:32:11.49
with the ruler of a city.
00:32:11.53\00:32:13.36
Here also, the
description goes beyond that
00:32:13.40\00:32:16.06
of an earthly monarch,
00:32:16.10\00:32:17.83
and God's crosshairs
come into sharper focus,
00:32:17.87\00:32:20.84
the proud potentate
was in the Garden of Eden,
00:32:20.87\00:32:24.74
an anointed
covering, or guardian cherub
00:32:24.77\00:32:27.61
on God's holy mountain,
00:32:27.64\00:32:29.44
perfect from the
day he was created
00:32:29.48\00:32:31.28
until sin was found
in him, cast out by God,
00:32:31.31\00:32:35.98
and will eventually
be destroyed with fire."
00:32:36.02\00:32:40.59
Again, pride
leads to destruction.
00:32:40.62\00:32:44.83
Humility is the
antithesis of pride.
00:32:44.86\00:32:47.90
Let's look at 1 Peter 5:5-7
00:32:47.93\00:32:53.20
at this wise counsel.
00:32:53.23\00:32:56.37
"Likewise you younger people,
00:32:56.40\00:32:58.94
submit
yourselves to your elders.
00:32:58.97\00:33:01.31
Yes, all of you be
submissive to one another,
00:33:01.34\00:33:04.11
and be clothed with humility,
00:33:04.15\00:33:05.65
for 'God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.'
00:33:05.68\00:33:10.22
Therefore humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God,
00:33:10.25\00:33:13.79
that He may
exalt you in due time."
00:33:13.82\00:33:16.36
Notice it's God that
exalt you, in due time.
00:33:16.39\00:33:19.73
"Casting all your care upon Him,
00:33:19.76\00:33:21.90
for He cares for you."
00:33:21.93\00:33:24.73
To wrap up today's lesson,
00:33:24.77\00:33:26.97
we'll compare a few
verses, Isaiah 14:13-14,
00:33:27.00\00:33:31.24
we read this earlier.
00:33:31.27\00:33:33.64
"For you have
said in your heart,
00:33:33.68\00:33:35.14
'I will ascend into heaven,
00:33:35.18\00:33:36.88
I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God,
00:33:36.91\00:33:39.51
I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation
00:33:39.55\00:33:42.32
on the farthest
sides of the north,
00:33:42.35\00:33:44.49
I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds,
00:33:44.52\00:33:46.82
I will be like the Most High.'"
00:33:46.86\00:33:48.62
Lucifer has lost his mind.
00:33:48.66\00:33:52.06
Every time I read that,
00:33:52.09\00:33:53.60
I'm just blown away
00:33:53.63\00:33:54.96
that he could
even think of himself
00:33:55.00\00:33:57.10
in such a manner.
00:33:57.13\00:33:58.77
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says,
00:33:58.80\00:34:01.87
"Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me,
00:34:01.90\00:34:05.17
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart,
00:34:05.21\00:34:07.81
and you will find
rest for your souls."
00:34:07.84\00:34:09.88
Notice the contrast there.
00:34:09.91\00:34:11.68
And notice what
Jesus does in John 13:5.
00:34:11.71\00:34:16.12
"After that, He
poured water into a basin
00:34:16.15\00:34:18.35
and began to wash
the disciples' feet,
00:34:18.39\00:34:20.72
and to wipe them with the towel
00:34:20.76\00:34:22.76
with which He was girded."
00:34:22.79\00:34:24.56
And our final
verses from this lesson
00:34:24.59\00:34:27.63
comes from Philippians 2:5-8.
00:34:27.66\00:34:31.63
"Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus,
00:34:31.67\00:34:36.10
who, being in the form of God,
00:34:36.14\00:34:38.71
did not consider it
robbery to be equal with God,
00:34:38.74\00:34:42.14
but made Himself
of no reputation,
00:34:42.18\00:34:45.38
taking the form
of a bondservant,
00:34:45.41\00:34:47.55
and coming in
the likeness of men.
00:34:47.58\00:34:50.39
And being found in
appearance as a man,
00:34:50.42\00:34:53.56
He humbled Himself
00:34:53.59\00:34:54.99
and became obedient
to the point of death,
00:34:55.02\00:34:58.29
even the death of the cross."
00:34:58.33\00:35:01.46
Now look how
beautiful Christ's character is.
00:35:01.50\00:35:05.40
I mean, when you look
at the contrast there,
00:35:05.43\00:35:10.11
we need to
reflect Christ character.
00:35:10.14\00:35:13.74
Pride and submission
do not go hand in hand.
00:35:13.78\00:35:18.11
We don't need to go through
00:35:18.15\00:35:19.91
King Nebuchadnezzar's experience
00:35:19.95\00:35:22.62
and have, you know, that
rough humbling experience
00:35:22.65\00:35:26.99
and come that way.
00:35:27.02\00:35:28.66
We need to just
go to God right away.
00:35:28.69\00:35:31.26
Amen. Amen. That was wonderful.
00:35:31.29\00:35:35.00
Well, my lesson is
Wednesday "Heaven's Gate, "
00:35:35.03\00:35:39.80
and it's on Isaiah 13 and 14.
00:35:39.83\00:35:42.70
There's a little
duplication here,
00:35:42.74\00:35:44.47
but that's okay.
00:35:44.51\00:35:45.84
When we said in Isaiah
00:35:45.87\00:35:47.58
or Isaiah is
taunting in Isaiah 14:12,
00:35:47.61\00:35:51.61
"How you have fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer,
00:35:51.65\00:35:54.55
which is the morning
star, son of the dawn, he says,
00:35:54.58\00:35:58.52
son of the
morning, son of the dawn.
00:35:58.55\00:36:00.02
How you were cut
down to the ground,
00:36:00.06\00:36:03.83
you who weakened the nations!"
00:36:03.86\00:36:06.93
As you
mentioned, in Genesis 3:15,
00:36:06.96\00:36:11.97
when God spoke to the serpent,
He was also addressing Satan.
00:36:12.00\00:36:17.81
Here is a taunt
against the king of Babylon,
00:36:17.84\00:36:21.44
and Satan who energized him.
00:36:21.48\00:36:23.31
So there's this taunt here.
00:36:23.35\00:36:25.68
And he used a similar language
00:36:25.71\00:36:27.45
against the king
of Tyre and Satan
00:36:27.48\00:36:29.62
who was behind
him in Ezekiel 28.
00:36:29.65\00:36:33.39
So when you think of Lucifer,
this shining morning star.
00:36:33.42\00:36:39.33
What happens to the morning star
00:36:39.36\00:36:42.33
when the sun arises?
00:36:42.36\00:36:45.23
It fades. It's gone.
00:36:45.27\00:36:47.44
And that's what's gonna happen.
00:36:47.47\00:36:49.30
You know, actually,
Jesus referred to you
00:36:49.34\00:36:51.77
actually kind
of paraphrased this
00:36:51.81\00:36:53.98
when He was describing
Satan's fall in Luke 10:18.
00:36:54.01\00:36:58.15
"He said, 'I saw Satan fall
like lightning from heaven.'"
00:36:58.18\00:37:04.59
Because Revelation 12:9 says,
00:37:04.62\00:37:06.35
"The great dragon was cast out,
00:37:06.39\00:37:09.29
that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan,
00:37:09.32\00:37:12.33
who deceives the whole
world, he was cast to the earth,
00:37:12.36\00:37:17.13
and his angels
were cast out with him."
00:37:17.17\00:37:19.90
I wanted to read
just a paragraph,
00:37:19.93\00:37:21.60
the quarter like
'cause you couldn't place,
00:37:21.64\00:37:23.44
say it any better than this.
00:37:23.47\00:37:25.44
In Isaiah 14, a
taunt against Satan,
00:37:25.47\00:37:28.98
"the fallen day
star, the son of dawn"
00:37:29.01\00:37:32.65
is blended into a taunt
against the king of Babylon.
00:37:32.68\00:37:36.89
Why?
00:37:36.92\00:37:38.25
Well, if you
compare Revelation 12:1-9,
00:37:38.29\00:37:41.92
where the dragon
is identified as Satan
00:37:41.96\00:37:45.56
tries to destroy the
child, as soon as it is born.
00:37:45.59\00:37:50.67
And in Revelation
12:5 shows us that
00:37:50.70\00:37:53.23
this child is clearly Christ.
00:37:53.27\00:37:56.67
So then he says,
but it was King Herod,
00:37:56.71\00:38:00.64
who tried to kill
Jesus as a young child.
00:38:00.68\00:38:03.18
The dragon is both
Satan and the Roman power
00:38:03.21\00:38:09.82
represented by Herod
00:38:09.85\00:38:11.82
because Satan works
through human agents.
00:38:11.85\00:38:15.42
So similarly, Satan has,
00:38:15.46\00:38:18.69
he was the power
behind the king of Babylon,
00:38:18.73\00:38:23.06
and the king of Tyre.
00:38:23.10\00:38:24.83
So why does
Babylon later refer to Rome
00:38:24.87\00:38:31.37
in the evil power in
the Book of Revelation?
00:38:31.41\00:38:33.74
Let's look at 1 Peter 5:13.
00:38:33.78\00:38:38.61
1 Peter 5:13.
00:38:38.65\00:38:41.25
Peter writes,
00:38:41.28\00:38:42.62
"She who is in Babylon, "
00:38:42.65\00:38:44.49
she is referring to a church,
00:38:44.52\00:38:47.16
"She who is in Babylon,
elect together with you,
00:38:47.19\00:38:52.03
greets you,
00:38:52.06\00:38:53.60
and so does Mark my son."
00:38:53.63\00:38:56.33
Babylon was an alias,
it was a codename for Rome.
00:38:56.36\00:39:02.40
And here's what happened.
00:39:02.44\00:39:05.07
When Rome burned
all of its temples
00:39:05.11\00:39:08.14
and its shrines,
and its architecture,
00:39:08.18\00:39:10.11
everything that
about the culture,
00:39:10.15\00:39:12.31
all the household
items were burned up.
00:39:12.35\00:39:16.38
The people were
furious with Nero.
00:39:16.42\00:39:22.32
They assumed and
knew it was Nero,
00:39:22.36\00:39:25.79
who burned Rome,
00:39:25.83\00:39:27.53
but they knew that
00:39:27.56\00:39:28.90
because he had such an
insatiable quest building,
00:39:28.93\00:39:35.14
that the only way
that he could build more
00:39:35.17\00:39:37.07
was to burn up
what he'd already built,
00:39:37.11\00:39:38.67
so everybody is upset with them.
00:39:38.71\00:39:41.81
But what Nero does
is he's very cunning,
00:39:41.84\00:39:45.71
and he blames the Christians.
00:39:45.75\00:39:48.28
And this started a fierce,
00:39:48.32\00:39:52.22
it was a vicious persecution
against the Christians
00:39:52.25\00:39:57.13
because they basically knew that
00:39:57.16\00:40:03.83
the Christians were
associated with the Jews.
00:40:03.87\00:40:05.83
Now they're being
blamed for the fire.
00:40:05.87\00:40:08.14
Well, this put
Christians in danger.
00:40:08.17\00:40:12.57
So in times of persecution,
00:40:12.61\00:40:15.51
writers would
often use code names
00:40:15.54\00:40:18.15
'cause they didn't want
the church to be identified
00:40:18.18\00:40:21.35
through their letters.
00:40:21.38\00:40:22.72
And Peter didn't
want this letter found,
00:40:22.75\00:40:25.02
and then have it be
resulting in the church
00:40:25.05\00:40:28.26
being further persecuted.
00:40:28.29\00:40:30.23
So he uses this
name, codenamed Babylon
00:40:30.26\00:40:33.73
because Babylon
was a city of idolatry,
00:40:33.76\00:40:38.27
which is as Rome.
00:40:38.30\00:40:40.60
You remember, in Genesis 11,
00:40:40.64\00:40:43.00
when the people
built the Tower of Babel.
00:40:43.04\00:40:48.74
They did this
00:40:48.78\00:40:50.35
so that they
could exalt themselves
00:40:50.38\00:40:54.32
get to a divine
level of immunity,
00:40:54.35\00:40:56.69
they didn't want
another flood to come through.
00:40:56.72\00:40:58.95
They were gonna
take over basically,
00:40:58.99\00:41:01.16
they didn't want any
accountability to God.
00:41:01.19\00:41:03.89
So they're taking
00:41:03.93\00:41:05.36
their own
destiny in their hands,
00:41:05.39\00:41:09.16
if you will.
00:41:09.20\00:41:10.53
And the name Babylon
implies rebellion against God,
00:41:10.57\00:41:16.30
like literal Babylon.
00:41:16.34\00:41:18.97
What we see is Rome and Babylon.
00:41:19.01\00:41:22.68
The Babylon of Revelation
are proud, ruthless powers
00:41:22.71\00:41:29.25
who oppressed the people of God.
00:41:29.28\00:41:31.69
So Revelation 14:8,
when we get to Revelation,
00:41:31.72\00:41:36.06
Babylon is this
code word for Rome.
00:41:36.09\00:41:38.83
And Revelation 14:8 says,
00:41:38.86\00:41:41.46
"Another angel followed, saying,
00:41:41.50\00:41:43.26
'Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city,
00:41:43.30\00:41:46.63
because she has
made all the nations
00:41:46.67\00:41:49.14
drink of the wine of
the wrath of fornication.'"
00:41:49.17\00:41:52.47
Now if you flip
over to Chapter 17,
00:41:52.51\00:41:55.71
Revelation 17:5-6 says,
00:41:55.74\00:41:59.25
"On her forehead
a name was written,
00:41:59.28\00:42:02.48
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS,
00:42:02.52\00:42:06.65
THE ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH."
00:42:06.69\00:42:10.56
And he said, "I saw the woman."
00:42:10.59\00:42:12.66
And remember, a woman is
a code word for a church.
00:42:12.69\00:42:15.66
That's a symbolic word.
00:42:15.70\00:42:17.57
I saw the woman drunk
with the blood of the saints
00:42:17.60\00:42:20.27
with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus.
00:42:20.30\00:42:22.40
When I saw, I
marveled with great amazement.
00:42:22.44\00:42:26.54
So John's using
this code word Babylon
00:42:26.57\00:42:29.44
as well for Rome.
00:42:29.48\00:42:31.21
Revelation 18:2, he says,
00:42:31.25\00:42:35.48
"After these things
00:42:35.52\00:42:36.85
I saw another angel
coming down from heaven,
00:42:36.89\00:42:39.45
having great authority,
00:42:39.49\00:42:41.89
and the earth was
illuminated with his glory.
00:42:41.92\00:42:44.19
And he cried mightily
with a loud voice, saying,
00:42:44.23\00:42:48.30
'Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen,
00:42:48.33\00:42:51.77
and has become a
dwelling place of demons,
00:42:51.80\00:42:54.54
a prison for every foul spirit,
00:42:54.57\00:42:57.57
and a cage for every
unclean and hated bird!"
00:42:57.61\00:43:02.04
And I jump down to verse 20.
00:43:02.08\00:43:03.65
Revelation 18:20,
00:43:03.68\00:43:06.01
"'Rejoice over her, O heaven,
00:43:06.05\00:43:08.82
and you holy
apostles and prophets,
00:43:08.85\00:43:11.42
for God has avenged you on her!'
00:43:11.45\00:43:15.12
Then a mighty
angel took up a stone
00:43:15.16\00:43:16.86
like a great millstone
00:43:16.89\00:43:18.63
threw it into the sea, saying,
00:43:18.66\00:43:20.46
'Thus with violence
00:43:20.50\00:43:22.50
the great city
Babylon will be thrown down.'"
00:43:22.53\00:43:26.27
This system, this
false system of Rome,
00:43:26.30\00:43:30.34
will be thrown down at the end.
00:43:30.37\00:43:33.78
In the Babylonian
language, Babylon was Bab-ili,
00:43:33.81\00:43:40.45
and it means that
Gates of the Gods,
00:43:40.48\00:43:44.29
it referred to a place of access
00:43:44.32\00:43:47.46
to the divine realm.
00:43:47.49\00:43:50.19
So based on this
model, Babylon had...
00:43:50.23\00:43:55.16
When you think of it
00:43:55.20\00:43:56.53
as the gate of
multiple pagan gods,
00:43:56.56\00:44:00.17
they had their
towers and their ziggurats,
00:44:00.20\00:44:02.67
and all of this
built by human hands,
00:44:02.70\00:44:05.04
but it was all false.
00:44:05.07\00:44:08.44
And all false
religion, including,
00:44:08.48\00:44:11.58
may I add the
religion of salvation by works?
00:44:11.61\00:44:17.12
That's a false religion.
00:44:17.15\00:44:19.25
That's all human secularism.
00:44:19.29\00:44:22.59
So let's look at the
contrast to heaven's true gate.
00:44:22.62\00:44:27.90
Genesis 28:16,
this is Jacob's dream.
00:44:27.93\00:44:34.04
And there's a ladder
that originates from heaven,
00:44:34.07\00:44:37.27
connecting heaven and earth.
00:44:37.31\00:44:38.97
And Genesis 28:16,
00:44:39.01\00:44:40.84
"Jacob awoke from
his sleep and said,
00:44:40.88\00:44:42.44
'Surely the Lord
is in this place,
00:44:42.48\00:44:45.01
and I did not know it.'
00:44:45.05\00:44:47.75
And he was afraid and said,
00:44:47.78\00:44:49.68
'How awesome is this place!
00:44:49.72\00:44:52.35
This is none other
than the house of God,
00:44:52.39\00:44:54.62
this is the gate of heaven!' "
00:44:54.66\00:44:57.69
He names the place Bethel,
which means house of God,
00:44:57.73\00:45:02.56
gate of heaven.
00:45:02.60\00:45:03.93
And the gate of
heaven contrasting
00:45:03.97\00:45:08.44
when you look at
the path of salvation,
00:45:08.47\00:45:11.17
it is divinely originated.
00:45:11.21\00:45:14.08
It comes from heaven to us.
00:45:14.11\00:45:16.61
There's no way human works,
we cannot work our way up,
00:45:16.64\00:45:21.68
we can't build a ladder,
00:45:21.72\00:45:23.55
God sent Jesus Christ
00:45:23.59\00:45:26.39
as the bridge
between heaven and earth.
00:45:26.42\00:45:28.86
That's true religion.
00:45:28.89\00:45:30.23
Amen.
00:45:30.26\00:45:31.59
Lots and lots to study, right?
00:45:34.20\00:45:36.46
The Book of Isaiah is
just packed with so much.
00:45:36.50\00:45:39.30
And if I were to
go through everything
00:45:39.33\00:45:42.60
that this lesson is
having me to talk about today,
00:45:42.64\00:45:45.81
we'd be here for
more than 10 minutes,
00:45:45.84\00:45:48.08
but, you know, it seems like
we're moving quickly through
00:45:48.11\00:45:51.25
about 9 chapters,
00:45:51.28\00:45:53.28
on the other side
of Chapters 13 and 14,
00:45:53.31\00:45:56.08
what you see, you
know, in Chapters 15, 16, 17,
00:45:56.12\00:45:59.19
all the way
through to Chapter 13,
00:45:59.22\00:46:01.32
in the Book of Isaiah,
00:46:01.36\00:46:02.69
is these proclamations
00:46:02.72\00:46:04.06
against these
individual nations.
00:46:04.09\00:46:06.03
And you see there in Chapter 15,
00:46:06.06\00:46:07.56
the proclamation,
00:46:07.60\00:46:08.93
and also in
Chapter 16, against Moab,
00:46:08.96\00:46:11.13
17 against Syria and Israel,
00:46:11.17\00:46:13.44
18 against the
nation of Ethiopia,
00:46:13.47\00:46:16.24
and, of course, 19 is Egypt.
00:46:16.27\00:46:18.34
And you go all the way
through and you're seeing again,
00:46:18.37\00:46:19.94
they bring up Babylon,
again, against Jerusalem.
00:46:19.97\00:46:23.41
There's all these
different proclamations
00:46:23.45\00:46:25.55
all the way through.
00:46:25.58\00:46:26.92
And by the time you get to
Chapters 24, 25, 26, and 27,
00:46:26.95\00:46:32.22
which is basically
00:46:32.25\00:46:33.59
what Thursday's
lesson is all about.
00:46:33.62\00:46:35.12
And by the way,
00:46:35.16\00:46:36.49
we're going to
talk about victory.
00:46:36.52\00:46:37.86
Okay?
00:46:37.89\00:46:39.23
We're going to
talk about victory
00:46:39.26\00:46:40.60
because that's exactly
what lesson six is all about.
00:46:40.63\00:46:41.96
It's about the
Final Triumph of Zion,
00:46:42.00\00:46:44.40
we're moving toward God dealing.
00:46:44.43\00:46:46.30
God's been, He's
claim those proclamations
00:46:46.33\00:46:49.97
against those
individual nations.
00:46:50.01\00:46:51.67
And now in
Chapters 24, 25, 26, and 27,
00:46:51.71\00:46:55.44
we see how God is
going to declare victory
00:46:55.48\00:46:59.11
for the remnant.
00:46:59.15\00:47:00.95
Okay, I want to make that clear.
00:47:00.98\00:47:02.32
It's for Israel,
it's for the Jews,
00:47:02.35\00:47:04.79
but it's for the remnant.
00:47:04.82\00:47:06.15
And you can actually go
back and read about that remnant
00:47:06.19\00:47:08.52
in the latter
verses of Isaiah 10.
00:47:08.56\00:47:10.93
God's people will be victorious.
00:47:10.96\00:47:13.66
And so what we're gonna spend
00:47:13.70\00:47:16.16
the bulk of our
time in right now
00:47:16.20\00:47:17.53
is Isaiah 24,
00:47:17.57\00:47:18.93
as to how God is going
to bring about this victory
00:47:18.97\00:47:21.37
because we're gonna see that
00:47:21.40\00:47:23.84
if you are an enemy of
God, you do not go undealt with.
00:47:23.87\00:47:27.94
Okay, God is going to
deal with those enemies, right?
00:47:27.98\00:47:31.45
And so we live in a world
today where it seems like,
00:47:31.48\00:47:33.92
you know, with
all of the injustices
00:47:33.95\00:47:35.52
that are being done,
00:47:35.55\00:47:36.89
all of the oppression,
all of the corruption,
00:47:36.92\00:47:38.89
I find myself often saying,
00:47:38.92\00:47:40.29
"Man, you know, I just wish,
00:47:40.32\00:47:42.26
I wish that these
people could be dealt with."
00:47:42.29\00:47:44.16
And God is saying, "Hang on."
00:47:44.19\00:47:46.13
Because there's coming a time
when vengeance will be mine,
00:47:46.16\00:47:48.90
and I will deal
with the enemies of God.
00:47:48.93\00:47:51.57
And that's what
we're seeing here
00:47:51.60\00:47:53.03
in the majority of Isaiah 24.
00:47:53.07\00:47:55.40
So let's go there, Isaiah 24.
00:47:55.44\00:47:57.81
I'm going to start
reading there in verse 1,
00:47:57.84\00:47:59.31
and then we're gonna skip down.
00:47:59.34\00:48:01.51
We see that Isaiah is
given a prophetic vision,
00:48:01.54\00:48:05.18
a prophetic picture
00:48:05.21\00:48:07.18
of how God is gonna
deal with the enemies of God
00:48:07.22\00:48:10.19
and what this
world is gonna look like
00:48:10.22\00:48:11.79
when God finally declares
00:48:11.82\00:48:13.79
open war on the
enemies of the Lord.
00:48:13.82\00:48:15.69
So notice Isaiah 24,
starting with verse 1, it says,
00:48:15.72\00:48:18.99
"Behold, the Lord
maketh the earth empty,
00:48:19.03\00:48:22.46
and maketh it waste."
00:48:22.50\00:48:24.37
I'm reading from
the King James Version.
00:48:24.40\00:48:26.20
I like how some of it was worded
00:48:26.23\00:48:27.57
a little bit better
than the other versions.
00:48:27.60\00:48:29.87
It says, it goes on to say,
00:48:29.90\00:48:31.27
"And turneth it upside down,
00:48:31.31\00:48:32.91
and scattereth it abroad
the inhabitants thereof."
00:48:32.94\00:48:36.64
That's the
first part of verse 1,
00:48:36.68\00:48:39.01
now skip down to verse 19.
00:48:39.05\00:48:41.15
Isaiah 24:19,
00:48:41.18\00:48:43.45
he describes what he sees
00:48:43.49\00:48:45.12
when Jesus comes
back in all of His glory,
00:48:45.15\00:48:48.09
and He's about to deal
with these enemies of God
00:48:48.12\00:48:51.29
so that God's
people can be victorious.
00:48:51.33\00:48:53.40
He says,
00:48:53.43\00:48:54.76
"The earth is
utterly broken down,
00:48:54.80\00:48:57.80
the earth is clean dissolved,
the earth is moved exceedingly.
00:48:57.83\00:49:02.90
The earth shall real to
and fro like a drunkard,
00:49:02.94\00:49:06.11
and shall be
removed like a cottage,
00:49:06.14\00:49:08.01
and the transgression
thereof shall be heavy upon it,
00:49:08.04\00:49:10.98
and it shall fall,
and not rise again.
00:49:11.01\00:49:15.05
It shall come to
pass in that day,
00:49:15.08\00:49:16.45
that the Lord
shall punish the host
00:49:16.48\00:49:18.32
of the high ones
that are on high,
00:49:18.35\00:49:20.09
and the kings of the
earth upon the earth.
00:49:20.12\00:49:23.26
And they shall be
gathered together,
00:49:23.29\00:49:24.89
as prisoners are
gathered in the pit, "
00:49:24.93\00:49:27.60
can't emphasize that
language enough, okay,
00:49:27.63\00:49:30.43
"as prisoners are
gathered in the," what?
00:49:30.47\00:49:32.53
"In the pit."
00:49:32.57\00:49:33.90
Okay, the Septuagint,
00:49:33.94\00:49:35.27
there's a particular word
used there in that translation,
00:49:35.30\00:49:37.57
but we're gonna
see in just a moment
00:49:37.61\00:49:39.04
that we see this same language
00:49:39.07\00:49:40.41
come back up in
the Book of Revelation
00:49:40.44\00:49:42.18
because there's a
prophetic application here.
00:49:42.21\00:49:44.78
"So as they are
gathered together,
00:49:44.81\00:49:46.31
as prisoners are
gathered in a pit,
00:49:46.35\00:49:48.08
and shall be shut up
in the prison," okay?
00:49:48.12\00:49:53.22
"And after many days
shall they be visited.
00:49:53.25\00:49:56.09
Then the moon
shall be confounded,
00:49:56.12\00:49:57.66
and the sun ashamed,
00:49:57.69\00:49:59.03
when the Lord of the
hosts shall reign in Zion,
00:49:59.06\00:50:02.86
and in Jerusalem,
00:50:02.90\00:50:04.23
and before the
ancients gloriously."
00:50:04.27\00:50:07.20
Okay, so what you're
seeing is Isaiah's version
00:50:07.24\00:50:10.74
that God showed him.
00:50:10.77\00:50:12.11
Isaiah is basically recording
what he saw that beautiful,
00:50:12.14\00:50:16.98
incredible scene of
when Christ comes back
00:50:17.01\00:50:19.01
in all His glory.
00:50:19.05\00:50:20.38
It's beautiful to
those who are triumphant.
00:50:20.42\00:50:22.62
It's beautiful to those
00:50:22.65\00:50:23.99
who have given
their hearts to God,
00:50:24.02\00:50:25.39
who had trusted in Him
00:50:25.42\00:50:26.76
who are a part of
the remnant of the Lord,
00:50:26.79\00:50:28.99
but it's not so pretty to those
00:50:29.02\00:50:30.63
who were an
enemy of God's people,
00:50:30.66\00:50:32.39
an enemy of God's
agenda, an enemy of God Himself.
00:50:32.43\00:50:36.33
In fact, notice what
Revelation Chapter 20
00:50:36.36\00:50:38.87
speaking of that
language of use, again,
00:50:38.90\00:50:40.64
prisoners gathered in
the pit like prisoners again,
00:50:40.67\00:50:43.30
locked up in the prison.
00:50:43.34\00:50:44.67
Notice what
Revelation 20:1-3 says,
00:50:44.71\00:50:47.61
speaking of that time,
00:50:47.64\00:50:48.98
when Christ comes back, it says,
00:50:49.01\00:50:50.35
"And I saw another
angel come down from heaven,
00:50:50.38\00:50:52.45
having the key of
the bottomless pit
00:50:52.48\00:50:54.75
and a great chain in his hand."
00:50:54.78\00:50:56.22
We know that these
are symbolic words,
00:50:56.25\00:50:58.42
symbolic language
is being used here.
00:50:58.45\00:51:00.22
These are chains
of circumstances.
00:51:00.26\00:51:02.39
And the Lord is about to deal
with the great enemy of God,
00:51:02.42\00:51:04.89
the devil himself.
00:51:04.93\00:51:06.26
Notice, it says,
00:51:06.29\00:51:07.63
"And he laid
hold on that dragon,
00:51:07.66\00:51:09.10
that old serpent, which
is the Devil, and Satan,
00:51:09.13\00:51:10.87
and bound him a thousand years,
00:51:10.90\00:51:13.17
and cast him into
the bottomless pit."
00:51:13.20\00:51:15.77
We know that this pit
00:51:15.80\00:51:17.14
is the language
for the earth, okay?
00:51:17.17\00:51:18.87
A chain of circumstances
00:51:18.91\00:51:20.24
in which the enemies
of God will be destroyed
00:51:20.28\00:51:23.28
and laid abroad their carcasses,
00:51:23.31\00:51:26.28
as Matthew 24 says,
00:51:26.31\00:51:27.88
their carcasses
are spread abroad
00:51:27.92\00:51:30.19
all over this earth,
00:51:30.22\00:51:31.62
and the devil and his minions,
00:51:31.65\00:51:33.19
his demons are left
here with no one to bother,
00:51:33.22\00:51:35.66
no one to tempt, no
one to cause distress upon.
00:51:35.69\00:51:40.03
And it goes on to say,
00:51:40.06\00:51:41.40
"And cast him in
the bottomless pit,
00:51:41.43\00:51:42.76
and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him,
00:51:42.80\00:51:45.23
that he should
deceive the nations no more."
00:51:45.27\00:51:49.14
Amen? Amen.
00:51:49.17\00:51:51.37
But till the 1000
years, it should be fulfilled,
00:51:51.41\00:51:55.61
and after that
he shall be loose,
00:51:55.64\00:51:56.98
a little season,
00:51:57.01\00:51:58.35
but by this point,
you know, we can sing,
00:51:58.38\00:52:00.05
"Victory in Jesus"
00:52:00.08\00:52:02.75
because God's
people will be victorious.
00:52:02.78\00:52:04.92
We don't have to deal
with this devil anymore.
00:52:04.95\00:52:07.76
Amen to that.
00:52:07.79\00:52:09.59
But notice here
in the latter part
00:52:09.62\00:52:11.09
of that verse that I just read,
00:52:11.13\00:52:12.46
again, that
beautiful prophetic application
00:52:12.49\00:52:14.56
that God showed,
00:52:14.60\00:52:15.93
so priestly
prophets, like Isaiah,
00:52:15.96\00:52:17.73
and he showed also Jeremiah
received the same vision.
00:52:17.77\00:52:20.17
Go read in Jeremiah Chapter 4,
00:52:20.20\00:52:22.40
Jeremiah saw the
coming of the Lord
00:52:22.44\00:52:24.04
and how the earth
was left desolate.
00:52:24.07\00:52:25.97
And there was no man he said,
00:52:26.01\00:52:27.48
"I looked, and
behold, there was no man."
00:52:27.51\00:52:29.34
He's talking about
there was no living man
00:52:29.38\00:52:31.01
because the
living the triumphant
00:52:31.05\00:52:33.18
had been taken
victoriously with the Lord,
00:52:33.21\00:52:35.98
but those who
were not of the Lord,
00:52:36.02\00:52:37.72
who did not trust in the Lord,
00:52:37.75\00:52:39.15
who did not give
their life to the Lord,
00:52:39.19\00:52:40.99
they're left behind,
00:52:41.02\00:52:42.36
of course, broken down
00:52:42.39\00:52:43.73
and desolate with this horrible,
00:52:43.76\00:52:45.39
horrible broken down earth.
00:52:45.43\00:52:47.26
So notice the
latter part of Isaiah 24.
00:52:47.30\00:52:49.63
I'm looking at verse
23. Notice what it says.
00:52:49.66\00:52:51.97
And it says,
00:52:52.00\00:52:53.34
"Then the moon
shall be confounded,
00:52:53.37\00:52:54.70
and the sun ashamed,
00:52:54.74\00:52:56.07
when the Lord of hosts
shall reign in Mount Zion,
00:52:56.10\00:52:59.01
and in Jerusalem,
00:52:59.04\00:53:00.38
and before his
ancients gloriously."
00:53:00.41\00:53:02.74
Now the lesson brings out that
00:53:02.78\00:53:05.15
Isaiah probably
would have understood this
00:53:05.18\00:53:07.72
to be a time in which
this would actually happen
00:53:07.75\00:53:10.95
in the literal city of Jerusalem
00:53:10.99\00:53:12.65
that he would have seen,
he would have been a part of,
00:53:12.69\00:53:15.22
but we know when we go
to the Book of Revelation,
00:53:15.26\00:53:17.69
God was speaking of a time
in which the New Jerusalem,
00:53:17.73\00:53:21.23
a newly made Jerusalem,
00:53:21.26\00:53:23.23
which He would dwell
with His people once again,
00:53:23.26\00:53:25.60
of course, I'm
speaking of Revelation 21:2,
00:53:25.63\00:53:28.57
notice what the Bible says
in Revelation 21:2, it says,
00:53:28.60\00:53:31.54
"And I John saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem,
00:53:31.57\00:53:35.01
coming down from
God out of heaven,
00:53:35.04\00:53:36.85
prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband."
00:53:36.88\00:53:40.18
Okay, so the New Jerusalem,
but what did it say in Isaiah?
00:53:40.22\00:53:43.35
It said, the moon
shall be confounded,
00:53:43.39\00:53:45.52
and the sun ashamed.
00:53:45.55\00:53:46.89
What is that saying?
00:53:46.92\00:53:48.26
It's talking about how the
moon will not give its light,
00:53:48.29\00:53:49.62
there would be
no need for a sun.
00:53:49.66\00:53:51.09
We're not in the old Jerusalem,
00:53:51.13\00:53:52.89
but the New Jerusalem
00:53:52.93\00:53:54.26
that we just read
about in Revelation 21.
00:53:54.30\00:53:56.23
In fact, if you
in that same chapter,
00:53:56.26\00:53:58.07
Revelation 21:23,
00:53:58.10\00:54:00.37
beautiful, I love it.
00:54:00.40\00:54:01.74
It says,
00:54:01.77\00:54:03.10
"The city had
no need of the sun,
00:54:03.14\00:54:04.91
or the moon to shine in it,
00:54:04.94\00:54:06.94
for the glory of God
00:54:06.98\00:54:08.81
illuminated it,
the lamb is its light."
00:54:08.84\00:54:12.15
Hallelujah!
00:54:12.18\00:54:13.52
Jesus' glory is so
bright and so powerful
00:54:13.55\00:54:16.42
that there's no need for a sun
00:54:16.45\00:54:17.79
or a moon or the stars
or anything to light it
00:54:17.82\00:54:20.06
because Jesus is the light.
00:54:20.09\00:54:21.42
And, of course,
we also read that
00:54:21.46\00:54:22.79
again in
Revelation 22:5 where it says,
00:54:22.82\00:54:25.39
"That there shall
be no more night there.
00:54:25.43\00:54:27.83
There need no lamp
nor light of the sun,
00:54:27.86\00:54:32.10
for the Lord
gives light to them.
00:54:32.13\00:54:33.97
And they shall
reign forever and ever."
00:54:34.00\00:54:36.87
We're talking about
the triumphant victory
00:54:36.91\00:54:39.21
of God's people,
00:54:39.24\00:54:40.58
as they have placed
their trust and their lives
00:54:40.61\00:54:42.78
in the hands of the Savior.
00:54:42.81\00:54:44.21
He will not let
those wicked people,
00:54:44.25\00:54:47.15
He will not let
the enemy go unpunished
00:54:47.18\00:54:49.65
as we have just read.
00:54:49.68\00:54:51.82
Notice also in Isaiah 28:21
00:54:51.85\00:54:55.06
talking about the
journey towards victory,
00:54:55.09\00:54:57.19
we got to address really quickly
00:54:57.23\00:54:58.76
the destruction of the wicked.
00:54:58.79\00:55:00.13
It says,
00:55:00.16\00:55:01.50
"For the Lord shall rise
up as at Mount Perazim, "
00:55:01.53\00:55:04.83
kind of feel confirm,
00:55:04.87\00:55:06.20
if I'm saying
that correctly or not,
00:55:06.23\00:55:07.57
"Perazim,
00:55:07.60\00:55:08.94
He shall be worth as
the Valley of Gibeon."
00:55:08.97\00:55:11.14
Notice,
00:55:11.17\00:55:12.51
"That He may do His
work, His strange work,
00:55:12.54\00:55:15.91
and bring it to pass as His act,
00:55:15.94\00:55:18.11
His strange act."
00:55:18.15\00:55:19.48
Notice how the destruction,
00:55:19.51\00:55:21.08
the destructive work
of God is strange to him.
00:55:21.12\00:55:23.65
And it's strange to him
00:55:23.69\00:55:25.02
because he
doesn't want to do it,
00:55:25.05\00:55:26.89
but he does it
because he has to do it.
00:55:26.92\00:55:29.36
He has to deal
with this sin problem.
00:55:29.39\00:55:31.16
And I don't
know about, you guys,
00:55:31.19\00:55:32.53
but I want to make sure
00:55:32.56\00:55:33.90
I'm on the side
of victory, right?
00:55:33.93\00:55:36.06
We want to put
our trust in Jesus,
00:55:36.10\00:55:37.83
trust in the Lord,
00:55:37.87\00:55:39.20
and you will be victorious.
00:55:39.23\00:55:40.60
Amen.
00:55:40.64\00:55:41.97
Thank you all so much.
00:55:42.00\00:55:43.34
What an incredible
study, Playing God.
00:55:43.37\00:55:45.31
I want to give
each one of you a moment
00:55:45.34\00:55:46.68
to share
something about your day.
00:55:46.71\00:55:48.04
Pastor John?
00:55:48.08\00:55:49.41
The last great city
Babylon, Revelation 18:21,
00:55:49.44\00:55:51.51
makes it very clear.
00:55:51.55\00:55:52.88
"Then a mighty
angel took up a stone
00:55:52.91\00:55:54.45
like a great millstone
00:55:54.48\00:55:55.82
and threw it
into the sea, saying,
00:55:55.85\00:55:57.62
'Thus with violence
00:55:57.65\00:55:58.99
the great city
Babylon shall be thrown down,
00:55:59.02\00:56:01.62
and shall not be found anymore."
00:56:01.66\00:56:03.76
God is still in
charge of the end result.
00:56:03.79\00:56:06.49
Praise God for that. Amen.
00:56:06.53\00:56:09.30
Don't be a part
of self-exaltation.
00:56:09.33\00:56:12.60
Let God exalts you.
Let God move in your life.
00:56:12.63\00:56:16.54
If our Creator is
humble, who are we to be proud?
00:56:16.57\00:56:21.88
Who are we to be
a prideful people?
00:56:21.91\00:56:23.85
Amen and Amen.
00:56:23.88\00:56:25.65
Mine was Heaven's Gate.
00:56:25.68\00:56:27.12
And I'll just say this,
00:56:27.15\00:56:28.48
that we know that
Ephesians 2:8 says,
00:56:28.52\00:56:33.49
"By grace you are
saved through faith,
00:56:33.52\00:56:35.92
Jesus is the gate to heaven."
00:56:35.96\00:56:38.09
You cannot work your way there.
00:56:38.13\00:56:40.06
That is a false gate.
00:56:40.10\00:56:43.23
I said it earlier,
00:56:43.26\00:56:44.90
"Victory in Jesus,
my Savior forever."
00:56:44.93\00:56:50.44
Jesus is our Savior.
00:56:50.47\00:56:51.81
And we can have
victory in Him. How?
00:56:51.84\00:56:54.14
Let me give you this
closing thought here.
00:56:54.18\00:56:55.51
Proverbs 3:5-6.
00:56:55.54\00:56:58.28
We read it many, many times.
00:56:58.31\00:56:59.98
"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
00:57:00.02\00:57:02.55
and lean not on
your own understanding.
00:57:02.58\00:57:05.42
In all your
ways acknowledge Him,
00:57:05.45\00:57:07.76
and He shall direct your paths."
00:57:07.79\00:57:10.39
Amen. Amen.
00:57:10.43\00:57:11.79
Thank you so much,
Pastor Ryan, and Shelley,
00:57:11.83\00:57:14.30
and Jason, and Pastor John,
00:57:14.33\00:57:15.86
thank you for your
study of the Word of God.
00:57:15.90\00:57:18.00
When I look at this
lesson, lesson six, Playing God.
00:57:18.03\00:57:21.34
When we think we
know better than God,
00:57:21.37\00:57:24.74
and we want to become like
God, that's when we play God.
00:57:24.77\00:57:28.28
When we think we
know better than God
00:57:28.31\00:57:30.11
and engage in false teachings
00:57:30.15\00:57:32.11
and false worship as
we discovered in Babylon.
00:57:32.15\00:57:35.95
That's when we play God.
00:57:35.98\00:57:38.12
When we engage in
judgment against other people,
00:57:38.15\00:57:42.12
instead of waiting for God,
00:57:42.16\00:57:43.83
the righteous judge
to rise up and judge,
00:57:43.86\00:57:47.56
that's when we play God,
00:57:47.60\00:57:50.00
but instead of that
God calls you and me,
00:57:50.03\00:57:52.93
each one of us
to come before Him
00:57:52.97\00:57:55.07
to seek His face humbly,
00:57:55.10\00:57:57.64
to ask Him into our heart,
00:57:57.67\00:58:00.24
and to study His Word
00:58:00.28\00:58:01.61
to show ourselves
approved unto Him.
00:58:01.64\00:58:03.45
Join us next week
lesson number seven,
00:58:03.48\00:58:05.88
"Defeat of the Assyrians."
00:58:05.91\00:58:08.58
Amen.
00:58:08.62\00:58:09.95