They Lose, We Win pt. 1
What in the World is Going on? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I want to start off today by reading our verse, just one verse, Revelation 14:8
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Revelation 14 is the chapter of the conquering Lamb. In verses 1-7 we see Him standing in victory in Jerusalem. The rest of the chapter is a prediction and explanation of the events leading up to His ultimate victory. Chapter 14 can be viewed as a table of contents for the rest of Revelation or if you prefer, you can think of it as “previews” of “coming attractions” as in going to a movie theater. I love how we start off with victory! Aren’t you glad that there is no doubt that Jesus wins?
The next preview we see is a preview of the destruction of Babylon. Babylon is one of the most important cities mentioned in the Bible, but there is much more to it than simply a city. Babylon plays an important role in the tribulation, but its not mentioned until chapter 14, and then only in one verse in which is declared the “fall” or destruction of Babylon. Chapters 17-18 deal with the details, chapter 14 just tells us that its time is coming.
Here is a good question for us, “Why is Babylon so important?” To answer this question we must understand the history of Babylon. It began, not in BC 607 with Nebuchadnezzar, but in BC 2347 with Nimrod (Genesis 10:10). Babylon predates Egypt, and like Egypt, it represents the world with its allure, its power, its influence, and of course, its evil intentions.
There are two aspects of Babylon we must be aware of if we are to truly appreciate the angel’s declaration, the first is...
The Religion of Babylon
The Religion of Babylon
If we are to understand the religion of Babylon we must understand its origins. Read Genesis 10:8-10
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Notice verse ten mentions “the land of Shinar”. Now read Genesis 11:1-4
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
What is the problem? What is wrong with building a civilization? Plenty when God is not involved! Psalm 33:12
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
I want to call to your attention that the events in Genesis 10 take place right on the heels of the world-wide flood in Noah’s day, that Cush is Noah’s grandson making Nimrod his great-grandson. In the days following the flood God told Noah and his entire family to spread out and to populate the earth, to rebuild what had been destroyed. Yet we read in Genesis ten that Nimrod was the leader of a rebellion against God.
He did not spread out from the area, instead he caused everyone to follow him. He became their king and his kingdom became Babel. Later, much later, Babel would become known as Babylon.
What good is a king without a queen? Nimrod married a woman name Semiramis a woman who was as wicked as Ahab’s Jezebel. It was Semiramis that fashioned a fantastic story around herself and her husband, elevating them both to the position of deity. She devised that she herself hatched from an egg on the shores of the Euphrates river, fully grown…what an origin story.
After the death of Nimrod she claimed that he was eternal that his spirit lived forever and returned to the earth once a year around the winter solstice…she was half right…his soul was eternal, but it did not return from the hell he went to!
Listen very carefully to what I am saying, I am coming quickly to a point.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
For years I read this verse with the mindset that they were trying to build a tower literally to heaven. I envisioned a stairway to where God lived. This is not true. This tower was really a temple. You’ve seen similar ones in Mexico and South America among the Mayans and the Incas. It is pyramid shaped, going up in levels with an observation deck on the top. What is the purpose of the observation deck? To study the stars, their movement, this is called today Astronomy, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, they did not stop there! They began to attempt to use the starts to predict the future, this is called “astrology” and it is wicked!
Do you understand the gravity of this? Babel - Babylon - was/is the beginning of false religion.
Before the flood you had groups who either worshiped the God of Heaven, or no god at all. Before the flood we see the birth of atheism. That’s no good. Satan began to understand two truths about humanity:
If man will not worship the true God, they will not worship him as their alternative to God.
Man is inherently religious. Man will worship something. So through Nimrod and Semiramis, Satan hatched the idea false religion.
Have you ever wondered where the Greeks recieved their “idea” for the Zodiac? It wasn’t original! It was passed down for generations from the ancient Babylonians beginning in Genesis 11. Orion, the hunter? Nope, Genesis 10:8-9
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.
At Babel they began to worship Nimrod, they would used the position of the stars and planets to predict future events. This would trickle down to the Egyptians whose chief God Osiris, was the equivalent to Nimrod. The Tower of Babel was the beginning of polytheism and every false religion traces its roots there.
“Pastor, why are we going so far back in history to look at something that is so far into our future?” Becasue we must understand that though the ancient city of Babylon is destroyed, the practices and system are alive and well.
I’ve mentioned there are two aspects regarding Babylon, the first is its religious aspect. This will be important in the days following the rapture. Already there is a false church, but in those days to come it will sweep the world and gain total control until Satan is ready to elevate his man to the position of a god. Chapter 17 deals with destruction of “religious Babylon”. The final aspect of Babylon is not religious, it is...
The System of Babylon
The System of Babylon
There are two facets of the Babylonian system:
Political - rule
Economic - materialism
Chapter 18 of Revelation deals with these in greatest detail, so we will wait until we arrive there to discuss these fully.
Suffice it to say, the world system, ruled by Satan, began as we know it at Babel/Babylon. Genesis 11:1-4
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Babylon is rooted in pride, and was seeded by Satan.
Conclusion: I want to leave you with this fault, look with me again at Revelation 14:8
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
See that phrase, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen...” The double usage indicates that this declaration is as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise.
Do you know what else is certain? Jesus Christ is coming for His church, and He is coming soon. When He comes for His church if you are saved you will be taken to Heaven with Him. If you are not saved you will go through the worst time this earth has ever known.
Here is the best part, you don’t have to. Right here today you can place your trust in Jesus, have your sins forgiven, and you can leave here knowing that you are a child of God with a home in heaven. Will you bow your head with me in prayer today?