1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,520 Revelation chapter 18. 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:14,360 I know it's exciting because we're getting closer and closer to the end. 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,000 If you have... 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,200 Well, yeah, I don't want to spoil it for you. 5 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,200 It ends with the maps. 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,360 If you've missed any of our Revelation sermons, we've got two and a half years of them on 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,280 the website, so y'all can back and watch. 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,440 We are in Revelation 18. 9 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:41,320 Last week we were talking about the prostitute and the beast and how Satan works through 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:48,080 human governments and through worldly, fleshly enticements to try to get people to join his 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,160 kingdom of darkness. 12 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:57,360 The angel ended part of that section by telling us that the prostitute was Babylon. 13 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:02,400 If you remember, we said that this is most likely not referring to the literal actual 14 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,480 city of Babylon that's going to rise to power again, but Babylon is being used as a symbol 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:14,840 of all the worldly powers that are opposed to God and in rebellion against God. 16 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:19,840 And now, as we come to chapter 18, we get to hear about the judgment that is coming 17 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:27,000 in the fall of Babylon and also what we are to do as Christians in light of that judgment 18 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,000 in that fall. 19 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,000 So notice how he starts in verses one through two here. 20 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:39,000 After this, I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority and the 21 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:45,000 earth was made bright with his glory and he called out with a mighty voice, fallen, fallen 22 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,120 is Babylon the great. 23 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:53,680 She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt 24 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:59,640 for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 25 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:01,720 All right, so here's my first question. 26 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,280 We're reading this. 27 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:05,720 Who is this angel? 28 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:06,720 Which angel is this? 29 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,680 There's only one right answer. 30 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,680 Nope. 31 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,520 I don't know. 32 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,520 Okay. 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:25,760 We got to get used to saying this, does the Bible tell us who this angel is? 34 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:26,760 No? 35 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:27,760 Yeah. 36 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:28,760 Okay. 37 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,600 So let's not get hung up on speculation and debates because if you read any book on revelation 38 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,000 anytime an angel is mentioned, they will almost certainly try to identify and they'll 39 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,080 put a name and say, we don't know. 40 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:41,080 The Bible doesn't tell us. 41 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,560 Let's be content because the point is not the identity of the angel. 42 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,840 The point is the message of the angel and what he has to tell us. 43 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:49,840 What is he doing? 44 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,520 He's announcing the fall of Babylon. 45 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:57,800 And so Babylon again represents a culture in rebellion and opposition to God. 46 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:03,640 And so her fullness mean that this rebellious culture is finally coming to an end. 47 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:09,440 So this chapter therefore is depicting the judgment that the worldly cultures and governments 48 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,680 opposed to Christ are going to suffer at the end. 49 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,480 And there are those who would say that this is referencing the fall of Jerusalem or the 50 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,000 fall of Rome, which is not out of the realm of possibility. 51 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:26,120 But I think more importantly, rather than it specifically referring to Jerusalem or 52 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:31,560 Rome, I think what's actually happening here is the Bible is establishing a principle that 53 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,720 applies for all of these possibilities. 54 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:40,000 And so the Bible is saying here that just as literal Babylon fell and just as literal 55 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:46,880 Jerusalem fell and just as literal Rome fell, so too all the rebellious kingdoms and cultures 56 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:52,600 of this world will fall and they will be judged for their idolatrous ways. 57 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,320 So does this refer to Rome? 58 00:03:54,320 --> 00:04:00,320 Yes, and Rome and America. 59 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,920 Rome and North Korea, Rome and Russia. 60 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:09,520 You can apply this same principle to any godly government or culture that is opposed to God 61 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,200 in his ways. 62 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:17,520 And it is important that we specify kingdoms and cultures as opposed to the world itself, 63 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:23,360 because this passage doesn't depict judgment upon the physical world as a whole, but on 64 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,320 an evil and idolatrous culture that inhabits the world. 65 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:32,080 And it's important for us to remember that because the Bible tells us that when God created 66 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:36,040 everything, he said it was good. 67 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:37,040 The world was good. 68 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,920 Even though creation has been marred by sin, the fact remains that God has great plans 69 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,000 for creation. 70 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,600 God is going to restore creation and renew creation, which is, sorry Doug, how the book 71 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,800 ends, with a new heavens and a new earth. 72 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,480 So God is actually going to regenerate the world and it's going to be brought back to 73 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,520 how he originally intended it to be. 74 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,200 And I do think it's important for us to understand this point, because I think too often Christians 75 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:09,800 tend to paint with too broad of a brush when we speak about the world, because we have 76 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:15,000 a tendency to condemn the world as a whole, but we need to remember that there are good 77 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,360 things in this world. 78 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,280 And here's the kicker that not a lot of Christians like to get behind. 79 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:25,560 God wants us to enjoy those good things. 80 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,520 The Bible tells us that everything we do, we do to the glory of God. 81 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:34,760 So can you eat a really good ribeye to the glory of God? 82 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:35,760 Amen. 83 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:36,760 Yes, you can. 84 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,400 I mean, that's the way God intended it to be, right? 85 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,000 Like, you can enjoy music, mazahn, right? 86 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:43,760 To the glory of God. 87 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:50,760 You can enjoy stories and books and all these good things that God has put into our world 88 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:56,760 to enjoy them, because they are ultimately a reflection of his goodness and his character 89 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,080 and his design and making things. 90 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,760 But the reason a ribeye tastes that good is because God is amazing and creative, and he 91 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,000 allowed it to taste that good. 92 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,320 So like, that's how you can eat a steak to the glory of God. 93 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:13,800 So we need to be careful not to just condemn the whole world, broad strokes. 94 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,000 We need to be careful to remember that there are good things in the world that God wants 95 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:19,000 us to enjoy. 96 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:25,600 That's why Paul says in Philippians 4-8, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, 97 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:30,040 whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there 98 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:35,680 is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 99 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,760 Now why would Paul say that unless those things actually existed? 100 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:40,760 He wouldn't, right? 101 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:41,880 It would be a waste of his words. 102 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,560 And so he's saying these things exist in the world. 103 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,680 And so this is not a condemnation of the entire world or even all that is in the world. 104 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:56,960 This is a judgment upon Babylon, that symbol of an idolatrous, perverse world system that 105 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,760 is in rebellion against God and His kingdom. 106 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:05,560 So I want you to notice how the angel describes the fallen culture in verse 2. 107 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,280 He says, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. 108 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:10,480 And I love this section. 109 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:18,080 She's become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for 110 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:24,600 every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 111 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:25,720 Now I want you to pay attention. 112 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:32,920 Notice in your Bibles there, it does not say that Babylon will be these things, but Babylon 113 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,560 has become these things. 114 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,200 I think that's a very important distinction. 115 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:43,280 The rebellious culture of this world at the time of judgment will be such that it is an 116 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:49,720 appropriate dwelling place for demons and every kind of detestable beast and creature. 117 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:55,120 In other words, what you're seeing is the slow culture death in the world. 118 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,000 You're seeing this slow downgrade in the world. 119 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,460 Basically when the kingdoms of this world and the cultures of this world turn their 120 00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:08,760 back on God and remove His presence from our world, that vacancy is naturally filled 121 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:10,480 by what? 122 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:12,280 Evil. 123 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:13,880 The demonic. 124 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:19,200 When we leave God a vacancy, when we push Him out, there's this left vacancy, the demonic 125 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,640 come in and they fill that vacancy in our world. 126 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:27,560 So whenever you stop living in accordance with God's ways and according to God's standards, 127 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,080 society will start to collapse and corrupt. 128 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,080 And we have seen this time and time again in our culture. 129 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:36,320 Have we not? 130 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:44,040 Anytime you remove God and His word from our culture, the culture goes downhill. 131 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,120 And there are great examples of this. 132 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,720 For instance, in 1963, anybody know what happened in 1963? 133 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:56,120 Okay, someone was born over here. 134 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,800 1963, the Supreme Court made a ruling. 135 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,400 It changed American history. 136 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,120 Anybody remember what that ruling was in 1963? 137 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:05,800 Yeah, that's right. 138 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:06,800 The guy got it. 139 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:12,640 They banned teaching the Bible and prayer in school. 140 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,800 And when that happened, they essentially made us a secular society. 141 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,520 And so what happened to America after 1963? 142 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:26,680 Well, I did some digging to find some statistics for you because I really like statistics. 143 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:33,080 So this is from 1963 for the next 41 years because I didn't have a lot of time today. 144 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:34,520 So we went up to 41 years. 145 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:35,520 Okay? 146 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:40,520 So this is what happened after that decision over the next 41 years. 147 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:45,440 Pregnancies out of wedlock increased 500%. 148 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:50,840 Reported child abuse increased 2,300%. 149 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:55,840 The divorce rate increased 350%. 150 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,200 This one is staggering. 151 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:03,960 Illegal drug use among youth increased 6,000%. 152 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:08,600 Marriage suicide increased 450%. 153 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:17,080 And one out of every four pregnancies in which the baby was completely viable was ended in 154 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:21,760 abortion because of the preference of the mother. 155 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:26,440 That is what happens when you remove God from a society. 156 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:32,320 It becomes a hunt for demons and the culture begins to decay. 157 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,960 Or you can think about even examples closer to us. 158 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,080 For instance, there's a church about 30 minutes that way. 159 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:44,400 First Baptist Church of Greenville, which is oxymoronic because it's neither Baptist 160 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,280 nor a church, but it's called First Baptist Church of Greenville. 161 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,840 And it played an essential role in the Southern Baptist Convention for a long time. 162 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:58,000 It was actually the birthplace of Southern Seminary, My Alma Mater. 163 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,640 It started at First Baptist Greenville. 164 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:05,200 And again, I think I've told you this, but if you drive near the Bylaw Center, the Bylaw 165 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:06,360 Center, you know where I'm talking about. 166 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:08,680 So if you use the Bylaw Center, it always will be. 167 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:12,040 So if you drive near the Bylaw Center and look across the street, you'll see street 168 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:16,240 names like it's Pettigrew Avenue over there. 169 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:17,400 There's Pettigrew Place. 170 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:18,880 There's Boyce Avenue. 171 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,800 There's Toy Road or Toy Street, something like that. 172 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,760 Those are all the last names of the founding professors of Southern Seminary. 173 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,240 It's just right there in Greenville. 174 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:32,600 And so First Baptist Greenville was essential in getting Southern Seminary going. 175 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:40,200 They were a pillar of orthodoxy for a long time, but now they are a hunt for demons. 176 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,800 And they are no longer orthodox. 177 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:47,400 They no longer hold to the inspiration, inerrancy, or infallibility of Scripture. 178 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:51,640 I believe at this point they have a woman pastor and they're fully accepting and affirming 179 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:58,280 of LGBT people, not just as members, but as pastors and elders within their church. 180 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:03,440 They removed God and His Word and the authority of God's Word from their church. 181 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:08,360 And so they are therefore no longer a church in the eyes of God. 182 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:14,720 So what happens when you remove God and His Word, you get evil. 183 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:20,360 You get corruption and you start accommodating to the culture, which is exactly what they 184 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:21,680 have done there. 185 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,040 And that's the angels point here when he's saying this. 186 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:28,200 He is saying that when the presence of the Lord is removed, that vacancy is occupied 187 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:29,680 by the demonic. 188 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,120 It's like a living death. 189 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,280 And then notice the sins that the angel lists there in verse three. 190 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:42,040 He says, for all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and 191 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,960 the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her. 192 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:51,120 And the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. 193 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:52,840 So there are three sins here. 194 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,080 The nations they've drunk the wine of her sexual immorality. 195 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,640 The kings of the earth have committed immorality with her. 196 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,160 And then the merchants have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. 197 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:09,400 And we get even more insight into this and to the rulers specifically in verses nine 198 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,140 through 10. 199 00:13:11,140 --> 00:13:15,760 The Bible tells us and the kings of earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in 200 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:21,560 luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 201 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:27,240 They will stand far off in the fear of her torment and say, alas, alas, you great city, 202 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:33,680 you mighty city Babylon, for in a single hour your judgment has come. 203 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:40,560 Now the rulers here are most likely referring to the rulers of local provinces around the 204 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:45,640 Roman Empire, like the province of Asia Minor, which is significant because all the 205 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:50,920 churches that John is writing to in Revelation were located in Asia Minor. 206 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,880 And so he's referring to these rulers of these provinces and what they had done, they aligned 207 00:13:55,880 --> 00:14:02,000 themselves with Rome and they participated in all of its paganism, idolatry and sinful 208 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:03,320 ways. 209 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:10,040 And they did so because Rome provided them with power and security and prestige and stability. 210 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,520 And so all these local provinces, basically what they did is they made a deal with the 211 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:14,520 devil. 212 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:19,600 And so Rome said, hey, you side with us, you do what we tell you to do, you participate 213 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:24,760 in all the things we participate in, you go by our system and here's what we can do for 214 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,320 you in return and not appeal to them. 215 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:29,400 And so they did it. 216 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:35,840 But notice when they lament, they're not necessarily mourning the loss of Babylon because they 217 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:40,360 love Babylon, they're mourning the loss of what Babylon did for them. 218 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,360 There was something in it for them that is now gone. 219 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,800 And you see this kind of thing play out throughout history as well. 220 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:53,920 There are often times when lesser forces will join up with greater forces that they know 221 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:58,880 we're evil and they know we're doing wrong because they think there's something in it 222 00:14:58,880 --> 00:14:59,880 for them. 223 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,200 I mean, you can think about the Soviet Union. 224 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:07,640 And the Soviet Union had a bunch of satellite states and many Eastern European nations like 225 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:14,000 East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia, they all aligned themselves with the Soviet Union 226 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:21,160 and they submitted to the Soviet Union because they benefited economically and militarily. 227 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:25,600 But they showed their support and they made a deal with the devil and it cost them because 228 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:35,080 the Soviet Union oppressed them and ultimately when the Soviet Union collapsed in, figure 229 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:40,120 out who Gene would be the only one who knows. 230 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:41,120 1991. 231 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,800 Doug, you're pretty close. 232 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:44,800 Good job, man. 233 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:49,240 Yeah, when I read it collapsed in 1991, I was like, oh man, I was born in 92, so that's 234 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,000 a little weird. 235 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,000 But basically what happened? 236 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:58,040 The Soviet Union collapsed and then all of these nations, they faced economic turmoil, 237 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:03,040 political instability and lasting troubles as a result of their partnership with the 238 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:04,040 Soviet Union. 239 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:09,000 And you say, well, okay, well, that's history, but look, I think we still see it today, right? 240 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,240 I think you still see it in America today, which we don't like to think about because 241 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:19,600 what happens is people are aligning themselves with politicians in America who are against 242 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:24,280 God, against His word, against everything God stands for. 243 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,680 And then when you have someone who comes and does stand for God, they what? 244 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,120 They weep and wail, right? 245 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:34,600 So when a president says that life begins at conception or when a president says that 246 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:39,360 there are only two genders, male and female, or when a president sends abortion back to 247 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,920 the states, what is the response? 248 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,240 Weeping and wailing. 249 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:46,840 People are crying in the streets. 250 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:51,000 I mean, they're mourning, they're walking around in like sackcloth and ashes and black 251 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,720 and they're just parading it around the streets. 252 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:58,760 And as a Christian, we look at this and we say, well, I know exactly what that is. 253 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:05,120 Babylon is falling and those who have aligned themselves with Babylon are crying for her. 254 00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:07,200 Exactly what you see here. 255 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:14,640 They're having a lament in this moment just as we read about in this passage. 256 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,120 When we see these things happen, it's like we can already hear the shouts of fallen, 257 00:17:18,120 --> 00:17:23,600 fallen is Babylon, the great Christians rejoicing these things. 258 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:29,400 But I want to just remind you this evening that the people who mourn the fall of Babylon 259 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,160 are those who are Babylonian in heart. 260 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,600 Those who have aligned themselves with that wicked kingdom will mourn her fall. 261 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,240 And that's exactly what we're seeing in our country. 262 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,240 I mean, you look at so many horrible things. 263 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:53,000 I told you before about, I think it was last year, there was a LGBTQ plus rally that was 264 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:57,200 going on in the streets of a major city. 265 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,360 And at one point, they were walking around naked and everything. 266 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:05,880 And at one point they were screaming, we're here, we're queer, we're coming for your children. 267 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:09,480 And that sounds like a line people would make up to say, oh, that's what they say. 268 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,960 But it was actually on video of them saying this, we're coming for your children, we're 269 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,200 coming for your children. 270 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:20,040 And this was in response to things that had been said about, hey, maybe abortion needs 271 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,040 to go back to the States or maybe this needs to be done. 272 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:26,120 And people were weeping and wailing. 273 00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:30,360 The fact that something good was done in their response was to rise up with wickedness and 274 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:31,360 rebellion. 275 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:33,680 That's exactly what we're seeing here. 276 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:38,880 Babylon is falling and those who are Babylonian in heart are going to mourn her. 277 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:44,440 And that's not just the rulers you read about in verses 11 and following the merchants. 278 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,920 It says the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her. 279 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,520 Because no one buys their cargo anymore. 280 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:58,240 Cargo gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds 281 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:03,480 of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, 282 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:10,680 bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine 283 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,920 flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots and slaves. 284 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:18,000 That is human souls. 285 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,480 The fruit for which you're so longed has gone from you. 286 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,080 And all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you. 287 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:26,720 Never to be found again. 288 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:31,640 The merchant of these weirs who gained wealth from her will stand far off in fear of her 289 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,080 torment weeping and mourning aloud. 290 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:40,240 Alas, alas for the great city that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet adorned 291 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,880 with gold, with jewels and with pearls. 292 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,760 For in a single hour, all this wealth has been laid waste. 293 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:52,600 And all the ship masters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea stood 294 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:57,560 far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. 295 00:19:57,560 --> 00:19:59,800 What city was like the great city? 296 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:04,400 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned crying out, alas, alas for 297 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,880 the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth. 298 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,800 For in a single hour, she has been laid waste. 299 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:17,480 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given 300 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,240 judgment for you against her. 301 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,800 So notice here, it's not just the rulers, it's the merchants and those who trade on 302 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:25,800 sea. 303 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:31,200 There's a theologian who said they see their whole livelihood in purpose of living disappearing 304 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:36,400 before their eyes and all that they have counted valuable is gone. 305 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:43,640 You see, all that list and you heard that long, long list of extravagancies. 306 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:48,000 And it's interesting, I know that a lot of times people compare America with Rome, you've 307 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,280 probably heard this comparison many times before, how America is a lot like the Roman 308 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,160 Empire. 309 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,280 We have nothing compared to their extravagancies. 310 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,760 I mean, it's not even worth comparing. 311 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:02,520 Aristides wrote this of Rome. 312 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:07,880 He said merchants are merchandise is brought from every land and sea. 313 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:13,360 Everything that every season begets and every country produces the products of rivers and 314 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:19,600 lakes, the arts of the Greeks and the Barbarians, so that if anyone were to wish to see all 315 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:24,400 these things, he would either have to visit the whole inhabited world to see them or to 316 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:26,920 visit Rome. 317 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,600 Everything flows to Rome. 318 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:34,240 Price cargos, the products of land, the emptying of mines and the product of every art that 319 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,080 is and has been. 320 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:39,480 And you look at how the emperors lived and their extravagance. 321 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:45,720 Suetonius wrote this of the emperor Caligula, who was crazy, absolutely crazy. 322 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:52,680 He said this, in reckless extravagance, he outdid the prodigals of all times in ingenuity, 323 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:58,680 invi- in new sorts of baths and unnatural varieties of foods and feasts, for he would 324 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,800 bathe in hot or cold perfumes. 325 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:07,720 He would drink pearls of great price that had been dissolved in vinegar. 326 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:14,120 And he would set before his guests loaves of loaves and meats of gold. 327 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:19,040 It was said of Nero that he never wore the same outfit twice, that he never traveled 328 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:26,800 with less than a thousand carriages, and that he actually put silver horseshoes on his mules. 329 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,240 This was the extravagance of Rome. 330 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,920 So it's one thing to afford name brand soda. 331 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:37,920 It's another thing to be drinking pearls that had been dissolved in vinegar. 332 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,040 That was the extravagance of the Roman people. 333 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:45,840 And the Bible is saying here that everyone who's been enticed by this and this extravagant 334 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:53,120 living as a result of siding with Rome or the Babylonian empire is going to lament this 335 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:55,200 great fall that is happening. 336 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:56,760 They mourn and they well. 337 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,920 But I want you to notice something interesting here. 338 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:04,560 It never says that any of these, the rulers, the merchants, or the sea traders, none of 339 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,800 them come to her aid. 340 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,280 None of them go to help her when she falls. 341 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:10,280 They stand afar. 342 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,200 It's said afar multiple times. 343 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,200 You can go back and underline that word or circlet. 344 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:20,600 They stand afar and they witness her fall, but they do nothing to help her. 345 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:27,160 They are paralyzed by their loss, thinking of only themselves and what they have lost. 346 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,440 And so really the question comes to this. 347 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:34,080 What do Christians do in a world like this? 348 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,760 The Bible is saying Babylon is here. 349 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:39,400 Babylon is in the process of falling. 350 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,880 One day it will ultimately fall finally. 351 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:50,540 But we are here in a world that is also inhabited by the Babylonian spirit. 352 00:23:50,540 --> 00:23:52,640 So what do we as Christians do? 353 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:57,680 And it's interesting if you read verses four through six, we hear exactly what we're supposed 354 00:23:57,680 --> 00:23:58,680 to do. 355 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:04,800 The angel or a voice from heaven says, come out of her, my people, lest you take part 356 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:11,160 in her sins, lest you share in her plagues for her sins are heaped high as heaven. 357 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:16,680 And God has remembered her iniquities, pay back her or pay her back as she herself has 358 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:22,400 paid back others and repay her double for her deeds, mix a double portion for her in 359 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,320 the cup she mixed. 360 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:26,760 So notice what he's doing here. 361 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,640 He's saying there's a call for separation. 362 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:35,720 You are in a world and Babylon is in this world and there's a call for separation. 363 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,800 Christians are to be separated from the Babylonian culture in this world. 364 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:46,320 But more importantly, Christians are to be separated to God. 365 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:51,400 So when we talk about holiness, you've probably heard it said that holiness refers to being 366 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,000 separate or being distinct. 367 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,640 And that's only part of it. 368 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,760 You look at the word holiness in Hebrew, there's a lot that goes into it. 369 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:04,380 But the other side of holiness is a commitment to something. 370 00:25:04,380 --> 00:25:10,120 So it's not just that you're distinct or you're separate from something, you're also wholeheartedly 371 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:13,000 committed to something else. 372 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,600 And so when Christians are called to be holy as God himself is holy, the Bible is saying 373 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,960 we are to be separate from the world, separate from this sinful culture, but we are to be 374 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:28,240 wholly devoted to God and to his kingdom. 375 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:29,760 Yeah. 376 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:30,760 Yeah. 377 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:31,760 Yeah. 378 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,320 It's not a secret Christian. 379 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,200 Yeah, there is no secret convert. 380 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,680 There is no secret Christian. 381 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,560 But it does raise the question like what does this actually look like? 382 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,280 Because we say these type of things, right? 383 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:48,840 Christians are to be in the world, but we're not to be of the world. 384 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:49,840 So what does this look like? 385 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:53,280 Are Christians to withdraw from the culture entirely? 386 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:59,240 Like do we need to be living like the Amish and be our own separate society? 387 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:00,240 Mark says yes. 388 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:01,240 Okay. 389 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:06,040 Do we need to build the monasteries again and we all inhabit the monasteries where we 390 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:10,400 have our own place where we can be and the whole world can just do whatever it wants, 391 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,120 but we're our own separate thing. 392 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,480 Well, it's interesting. 393 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:20,240 The voice says to come out and he says part of that coming out process means not taking 394 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:21,560 part in her sins. 395 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,080 It says, lest you take part in her sins. 396 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:30,840 And I want to just pause here because I know that it's easy for us when we read that not 397 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:32,960 to take part of in her sins. 398 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:37,000 It's easy for us to start thinking of all the obvious sins in our heads, right? 399 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:38,000 Okay. 400 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,640 If I'm not supposed to sin like the rest of the world, you know, you go back to the old 401 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,280 phrase, you don't drink, you don't chew, and you don't go with girls who do. 402 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:47,440 Like that's what a Christian is. 403 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:50,240 And so that's not original. 404 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:51,960 Y'all have heard that before, right? 405 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:52,960 Okay. 406 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:53,960 Yeah. 407 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:59,720 That's what we think of all the obvious ones. 408 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:00,720 We think about that. 409 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:07,520 We think about don't still, don't commit adultery, don't do drugs, don't be a drunkard, but leaving 410 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:16,600 Babylon, it also means not adopting the Babylonian mindset, which is a lot harder to identify. 411 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,440 So it's one thing to say, hey, I'm a good Christian because I don't kill, but it's another thing 412 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:25,160 to look at your heart and say, yeah, but how much do you love materialism? 413 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,440 How much of your life is devoted to consumerism? 414 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,520 Comfort. 415 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:37,440 How much of your life is devoted to individualism, which is not taught in the Bible, by the way, 416 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:42,160 the Bible is a very communal book, but here in America, we're all about individualism, 417 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:46,600 my rights, my wants, my needs, it's all about me. 418 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,080 And this is all part of the Babylonian mindset. 419 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,600 And if we're not careful as Christians, we can avoid all the quote unquote big sins while 420 00:27:53,600 --> 00:28:00,880 still being guilty of all these other sins that are present in this culture. 421 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:06,800 Yeah, yeah, that's great that you have that ambition, but if ultimately you view that 422 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:11,560 as a means by which God should be pleased with you, it's like, well, you can do nothing 423 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:12,560 apart from God. 424 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,160 So what does that even mean? 425 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,040 I mean, there's so many things like this in our world. 426 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:22,840 Our world is currently telling people to buy the lie that getting married and having kids 427 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:28,560 will somehow take away from your life experience or the joy that you're going to have in life. 428 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:32,320 And so they're telling young people, hey, never get married, just be in a perpetual 429 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:33,720 state of dating. 430 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,120 Or if you do get married, don't think about having kids, just go and travel, have fun, 431 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:42,840 do whatever you want to do, which again is an anti biblical mindset. 432 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:47,200 We're literally one of the first things God says to humanity after he marries someone 433 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,000 is be fruitful and multiply. 434 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,720 Like it's about more than you in this world. 435 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:57,280 And so yes, we're called to leave behind the obvious sins, but in order to truly come out 436 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:03,720 of Babylon, we have to work hard to identify the deeply ingrained values of Babylon that 437 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,240 we are wrestling against in this culture. 438 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:10,920 And so Christians, yes, we are to be in the world, but not of the world. 439 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,440 And we need to separate ourselves from Babylon. 440 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:20,760 And it was this exact mentality that we see our God writing to Jeremiah or God telling 441 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:26,720 Jeremiah to write to the Israelites in exile in Babylon. 442 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:35,640 And so God was putting forth this way of living for him in a anti Christian world when the 443 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:37,720 Israelites were in Babylonian captivity. 444 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,720 Now this is literal Babylon, keep in mind, not the metaphor or the symbol. 445 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,880 They were in Babylonian captivity. 446 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:45,960 And you remember, they thought they were going home quickly. 447 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:50,080 You know, there are even false prophets saying, hey, pack your bags, be ready to go. 448 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:53,040 God's getting us out of here tomorrow. 449 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:55,520 And Jeremiah writes to them to kind of spoil that. 450 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:59,960 And he's like, actually, hold on, going to be about 70 years. 451 00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:06,360 And so they know that they're going to be in this anti God culture for 70 years. 452 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:07,480 So what does God say to them? 453 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:12,480 Does he say, just do everything you can to bring the culture down? 454 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:14,480 Do everything you can to defy the king? 455 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,200 Do everything you can to make some noise there and rile people? 456 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:22,280 Now this is what he says in Jeremiah 29. 457 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:27,560 He says, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have 458 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:34,360 sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses and live in them, plant gardens 459 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:39,880 and eat their produce, take wives and have sons and daughters, take wives for your sons 460 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:45,600 and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear sons and daughters, multiply there, 461 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:47,720 do not decrease. 462 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:48,840 But here's the key. 463 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:50,640 Listen to this phrase. 464 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:57,120 Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on 465 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:03,360 its behalf for in its welfare, you will find your welfare for thus says the Lord of hosts, 466 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,800 the God of Israel, do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive 467 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:13,600 you and do not listen to the dreams that they dream for it is a lie and they are prophesying 468 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:14,600 to you. 469 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:15,680 They are not prophesying to you in my name. 470 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,400 I did not send them declares the Lord. 471 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:19,800 Now here's the thing. 472 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:27,120 If that was true of the Israelites who were in exile, how much more true is it of Christians 473 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:28,600 today? 474 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:34,320 In other words, if it was true that the Israelites were to seek the good of their captors, how 475 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:42,280 much more is it true for Christians who are living in a free land, not in captivity? 476 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,960 And so is America a picture of Babylon? 477 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:46,400 Yeah. 478 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,560 Does the spirit of Babylon permeate America? 479 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:50,800 Yes. 480 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:52,040 So what do we do? 481 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,120 We separate ourselves from America's sins. 482 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:56,640 But listen to me church. 483 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,320 We seek the good of America. 484 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:08,280 Every good citizen of heaven is also a good citizen of his earthly kingdom. 485 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,000 So we do what God says here. 486 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:11,360 We get married. 487 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:12,360 We have kids. 488 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,320 We raise them in the fear and the admonition of the Lord. 489 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:22,760 Christians should be taking part in politics at every single level at the city level, the 490 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,720 county level, the state level, and the national level. 491 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,080 I know that people say Christians shouldn't be involved in politics. 492 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:30,280 That's hogwash. 493 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,520 Of course Christians should be involved in politics. 494 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,160 Otherwise the government's going to keep going downhill. 495 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:36,920 We need Christians in politics. 496 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:42,120 We need to seek the welfare of the place that God has placed us. 497 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:46,360 And God has placed us in this room in America. 498 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:50,120 And so we need to seek the good of America. 499 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:55,760 And one of the ways we do that is by getting involved in politics to try to get government 500 00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:00,200 bodies to implement Christian principles in their governing. 501 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:01,880 We pray for our city. 502 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,000 We pray for our county, our state, our nation. 503 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:09,440 And we ask the Lord to raise up Christian men and women who will bring about biblical 504 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:13,160 change in an evil and ungodly world. 505 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:15,800 That's exactly what we need. 506 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:16,800 Yeah. 507 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:22,600 Yeah, how are we supposed to shine our light before men if we never actually put that light 508 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:25,080 before the darkest areas? 509 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:26,960 It's the darkest areas that need the light. 510 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:30,720 And I think we all know politics is probably the darkest area, right? 511 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,320 They need the light of Christ. 512 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:37,960 And so in other words, church, Babylon will not go away by us isolating ourselves and 513 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:40,480 just waiting on Jesus to return. 514 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:42,840 We're not called to do that. 515 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:47,200 Babylon will fall from within. 516 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:53,600 Babylon will fall and collapse as a result of God working by his spirit through his people 517 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:58,360 to bring this world back into conformity to his standards. 518 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,560 That's how Babylon begins to fall. 519 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,680 That's how we can bring about the fall. 520 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:07,520 And ultimately, the Bible is telling us here that that final death blow will be when Jesus 521 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:17,080 returns and he brings that city to destruction and announces fallen, fallen is Babylon. 522 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,040 And so we need to be doing our part in the meantime. 523 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:38,720 All right, Don Cruz hit us with a word of wisdom.