Revelation 18:2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, `Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Many folks try to make you think that this Babylon spoken of here in Revelation, is the ancient city of Babylon that has been rebuilt and will become a tremendous trade center. I beg to differ with them on the basis of Scripture. Lets turn back to Isaiah Chapter 13. This Babylon in Revelation is not speaking of any one city in particular. But, as we have been witnessing in the last 20 years or so, the world is getting smaller and smaller. With all of our vast communications systems, and the speed of transportation, anything that takes place is all of a sudden a world-wide news event. So it is with commerce and politics. We are talking about one world government lately and the great new age. Well, this is all because its coming down to the place where, indeed, the whole thing can come to its end in just one very short period of time. So, when you see that word `Babylon in Revelation, always think of the whole global picture, whether it be religion, politics, or the economy. Those three areas of activity comprise, you might say, the whole social fabric of the world tonight; it is all intertwined, and thats the world system. Since the world is getting so small and its getting there so fast, the Bible can rightfully call that whole system now one word. Babylon! Now the other word for Babylon, or what we normally think of as Babel, is `confusion. And as the world gets smaller and smaller. and all three of these are so closely related and involved together, what is rising proportionally? Confusion. Jesus said in Luke 21:25, ...and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;... And is that what we are coming to? They are just filled with perplexity. They dont know where to go next. Within our own nation we have perplexity. But nothing compared to the perplexity of the whole world! Now if you have Isaiah Chapter 13, here is the basis for my saying that the of Babylon is not going to be rebuilt and become a center of commerce. Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Now, this Babylon is talking about the ancient , the capital of Nebuchadnezzars empire. Isaiah 13:20,21It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. It is so clear that the ancient city of Babylon, with all of its beautiful hanging gardens and what have you, once it was destroyed, (you might say God had put such a curse on it) it would never be rebuilt. Its so interesting how many things are said in Scripture that, regardless what man may try to do, cant be done. And one of them is the Golden Gate. We call it the Eastern Gate. If you ever see a picture of the eastern wall of Jerusalem, always be mindful that right in the center of that wall is the eastern gate. And it is always shut, and Scripture says, Its amazing that when you go back through history how many emperors and kings have said they were going to go to Jerusalem and open that eastern gate. But no one has ever succeeded. They either died or were defeated by some military power. And the reason the eastern gate is closed this very day is because Scripture says it would be. And so it is with Babylon; the Scripture says it will never be rebuilt! Go back to Revelation Chapter 18. So this Babylon in Revelation is the whole global system. Its all the great commercial and cultural centers of the world that are included in that one word. Revelation 18:3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. I was thinking about this verse this week. I make no apology that Im a full-time rancher, and I have spent a lot of time out in those hot hay fields the last few days. Its been hot here in Oklahoma. But I couldnt help, as I was driving along on that tractor thinking about this verse and the word I think of the life style of the rich and famous when I think on this verse. And that wont be just in isolated areas, but world-wide. Even the communists in Russia have sumptuous places where they can live head and shoulders above the common man. And so it is all around the globe tonight, the rich and the famous with all of their high income. And some of these incomes are two and three million dollars a year. Personally, I cant envision any one man being worth that much every 12 months. But you see, this is exactly what the world is coming to. Oh, some of them are not that way, there are exceptions, but the vast majority of the wealthy fit that verse we just read exactly. Solomon would have called it, vanity, vanity, all is vanity. But more and more this is what the world is coming to. A few believers are also wealthy, but, for the most part, most of us in the Christian community are of very limited means. Now verse 4: Revelation 18:4aAnd I heard another voice from heaven, saying (that is out of this world system),... This doesnt just mean in the final hours of the Tribulation. This is speaking to you and I who are living before the Tribulation has begun. And here is the admonition to believers who may have some kind of a desire to be part of that lifestyle of the rich and famous. I wouldnt want any part of that kind of lifestyle. Ive often said I would like to have enough that if I need a new car, I could go and pay for it with a check, and I would. But to have that kind of lifestyle and wealth I dont want it. Now lets read verse 4 again: Revelation 18:4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, `Come out of her, my people (see God doesnt expect the unsaved world to drop that life style, but He expects His own to shun it), that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. God is very patient tonight. When you look around you today, I dont Teaching by les Feldick lesfeldick/
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 02:33:37 +0000
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