Better Bible Study #4

Major Themes of the Bible

The Reason We are Focusing On This is…

Because it Will Help Us Recognize the Bible as One Unified Story that Leads to Jesus

We Tend to Look at the Bible as a Book of Facts/Rules

But the Bible is a Story, and it is Supposed to Be Studied as a Story

Whenever We Study the Bible as a Unified Story…

We Will Have a MUCH Better Understanding of its Teachings

And as Christians We Will See Our Story as Part of Israel’s Story

Last Time, We Looked at the Tree of Life

The Bible Begins With:

Humans in a Garden Paradise

Humans in God’s Presence

Humans Having Access to the Tree of Life that Grants Eternal Life

The Bible Ends With:

Humans in a Garden Paradise

Humans in God’s Presence

Humans Having Access to the Tree of Life that Grants Eternal Life

The Climax that Took Place Within the Story that Made…

The Garden Paradise, God’s Presence, and the Tree of Life Possible…

Was the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus

Introduction

Back Before the 1940s, the Name Nimrod was a Name that Represented Power and Strength

It is a Biblical Name of a Mighty Hunter (We’ll Look at Him in Just a Moment)

But Now the Word Primarily is Used to Refer to Someone Who is Dim-Witted

This Change in Meaning Began in the 1940s

Does Anyone Here Know What Caused the Change?

These 2 (Daffy Duck & Elmer Fudd)

In a 1948 Episode of Loony Tunes, Daffy Duck Refers to Elmer Fudd as “My Little Nimrod”

This was a Sarcastic Remark About the Not-So-Bright Hunter

But the Biblical Reference Went Right Over Most Children’s Heads

So, Over Time, People Began to Believe “Nimrod” was an Insult that Meant “Idiot” or “Stupid”

It’s Funny How a Cartoon Duck Can Change an Entire Culture’s Perception on a Word

In Genesis 10, We are Given a Genealogy of Noah’s Descendants

Genesis 10:8–12 (NASB)

Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Nimrod is an Interesting Person, Even Though We Know Little About Him

He was a Mighty Man Who Built Many Mighty Cities

2 of Which Become the Capitals of 2 of the Most Powerful Kingdoms in History

2 Kingdoms that Would Be Used By God as Israel’s Greatest Enemies and Conquerors

He Built Both Babel/Babylon and Nineveh, Assyria

The Very Next Chapter Tells Us the Very Beginnings of the City of Babel/Babylon

What We Find in the Bible is that Babylon Plays a Major Part in the Story

Babylon Itself is a Biblical Theme

Babylon

Where Do We First See Babylon? (Genesis)

Almost All Major Themes Start in the Beginning of the Story

The Origins of Babylon Begin in Genesis 11

Genesis 11:1–9 (NASB)

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

At Some Point After the Destruction of the World By Water…

All the People of the World Decided to Join Together in One Place and Build a City

In This City Would Be a Tall Tower

(Artist Rendition of the Tower of Babel)

Similar Ziggurats Found Around the World

What was Their Purpose for Doing All This?

“Let Us Make for Ourselves a Name, Otherwise We will Be Scattered Abroad Over the Face of the Whole Earth.”

It was Done Out of Pride

They Wanted to Be Independent and Self-Sufficient Apart From God

It was Done Against the Will of God for Humanity

Gen. 1:22, 28; 9:1,7 All Tell Us that God Wanted Humanity and All of His Created Creatures to Fill the Earth

It was Called Babel Because God “balal” the Language

Babylon is Named After “Confusion, Mixed Up”

From its Very Establishment, Babylon was a City/Kingdom Opposed to God and His Will

The Next Time We See Babylon is in 2 Kings

In Chapter 17, Babylon is Mentioned as a People Who are Subject to the Kingdom of Assyria

Then in Chapter 20, King Hezekiah of Judah is Warned that Babylon is Going to Conquer Judah After His Death

By Chapter 24, Babylon is the New Powerhouse of the World Under King Nebuchadnezzar

And He Did Just as Isaiah Had Warned King Hezekiah He Would Do

He Laid Siege to Jerusalem, Deported Thousands of Jews to Babylon, and Eventually Completely Destroyed Jerusalem

God Used the Wicked and Powerful Kingdom of Babylon to Punish His People

Most of the Prophets Deal with the Babylonian Invasion and Exile

Jeremiah Lived in the Time of the Babylonian Invasion

Ezekiel and Daniel Were Both Taken as Exiles

Haggai and Zechariah Both Returned to Jerusalem From the Babylonian Exile

Ezra and Nehemiah Both Returned to Jerusalem From the Exile as Well

New Testament Usage of “Babylon”

Babylon Plays a Major Role in Most of the OT

But, Babylon, Though No Longer a Powerful Kingdom, Still Plays a Part in the NT as Well

The Name “Babylon” is Mentioned 12 Times in the NT

Matthew Refers to Babylonian Exile as a Way to Memorize Jesus’ Family Lineage Throughout Israel’s History

Stephen, in Acts 7, Refers to Judah Going into Babylonian Captivity

But We Really Want to Focus On How the Apostles Peter and John Use Babylon

Peter Mentions Babylon at the End of His 1st Letter

1 Peter is a Short Letter That Addresses How Christians Should Respond to Persecution, Mistreatment, and Suffering

He Starts Off His Letter By Saying:

1 Peter 1:1 (NASB)

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

Peter’s Recipients are Referred to as “Aliens”

ESV - “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion”

NIV - “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces”

NLT - “to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners”

Peter Calls These Persecuted, Mistreated, and Suffering Christians:

Aliens, Exiles, Foreigners

They are Living in a Place or Under Conditions that are Not Like Home

1 Peter 1:17 (ESV)

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

1 Peter 1:17 (NIV)

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

1 Peter 2:11 (NASB)

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

NIV - “Foreigners and Exiles”

In Calling Christians Exiles, Peter isn’t Referring to a Literal Exile

He is Referring to How this Present World is Not Our Home

He is Using Language that Reminds Us of the Exile of Judah into Babylon

Just as They Were Exiled Away From Their Home…

Christians are Also Exiled Away From Our True Home

Then Peter Ends His Letter Like This:

1 Peter 5:13–14 (NASB)

She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

“She Who is in Babylon” Very Likely Refers to the Church in Babylon

But What Does “Babylon” Refer to?

Surely He isn’t Writing This Letter From the Old Ruined City of Babylon

No, He Using Language His Audience Would Understand

Babylon was the Most Powerful Kingdom in the World and an Enemy to God and His People

Was There a Similar Nation/Kingdom/Empire in Peter’s Day?

Rome

Christians in Peter’s Day Were Exiled Under the Power of Rome Away From Their True Home

Babylon has Taken On a Different Meaning

It No Longer Represents Nebuchadnezzar’s Empire…

It Represents the Similar Empire of Rome

Understanding Peter’s Use of Babylon Helps Us Understand John’s Use of Babylon

Revelation is Apocalyptic Literature

It is a Genre of Writing that “Reveals” God’s Plans in Symbolic Language

John Tells Us in the Very First Verse:

Revelation 1:1 (NASB)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

What was About to Be Revealed to Him was Something that Would Take Place Soon in His Day

We Get So Bogged Down Trying to Decipher Every Little Piece of Symbolic Language…

That We Forget this Was Written to a Specific Audience at a Specific Time in History

The Signs and Symbols Probably Made a Whole Lot More Sense to Them Than They Do to Us

Our Concern Shouldn’t Be Every Little Detail

Our Concern Should Be the Big Picture

The Book of Revelation is All About Encouraging the 1st Century Christians

God is in Charge and He is Working to Bring About His Will in the World

God Will Be Victorious Over the Forces of Evil and His People Will Be Victorious With Him

Therefore, God’s Faithful People Have Nothing to Be Afraid of

John is Going to Mention Several Beasts, a Dragon, and Women

We May or May Not Know the Exact Meaning of Every Detail

But We Know They Represent Things that Would Soon Take Place in John’s Day

The First Time We See “Babylon” Mentioned By Name is in Revelation 14:8

In This Context, 3 Angels Announce God’s Judgement, the Fall of Babylon, and the Eternal Punishment of Those Who Worshipped the Beast

Revelation 14:8 (NASB)

And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

As Soon as Babylon is Mentioned, it is Said to Have Fallen

Babylon Had Made All People Take Part in Immorality

Then in Revelation 16:19

Revelation 16:19 (NASB)

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.

God’s Wrath is Against Babylon the Great

That Leads Us Up to Chapter 17, Where the Fall of Babylon is Elaborated Upon

Babylon is Described as a Great Prostitute…

Who Causes the Inhabitants of the Earth to Become Drunk On Her Immorality

She is Dressed in Colors of Royalty and Riding On a Terrifying Beast

Revelation 17:5 (NASB)

and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

She Was Drinking the Blood of Martyred Christians

She is the Great City that Rules Over the Kings of the Earth

The Immediate Fulfillment of These Descriptions are the Roman Empire and the Demonic Forces Working Through it

But When You Think About it…

These Descriptions Fit Every Powerful Kingdom that’s Ever Existed

A Few of the Major Ones are:

Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and in John’s Day, Rome

But These Descriptions Don’t Stop with Rome

Ever Since the Construction of the Tower of Babel…

Nation After Nation and Kingdom After Kingdom Have Risen to Power and Prominence…

And Have Persecuted God’s People and Led the World to Wickedness

Babylon was a Literal Place

But to the Biblical Writers it was More Than a Place

It was an Idea

Any Nation/Kingdom that Sets itself Against God and in the Place of God is Babylon

Babylon is Any People Who Unite in Common Opposition and Rebellion to God

Babylon is the Enemy of God and His People

Revelation 17-18 are About God’s Judgement Upon Babylon and the Celebration of Heaven and God’s People

Babylons Will Come and Go On this Earth Until Jesus Returns

And in His Return, Babylon Will Fall

The Dragon Who is the Power Behind Babylon Will Be Cast into Hell

And God’s Faithful People Will Rejoice and Live in Peace With Him Forever

Do We See Any Babylons in Our World Today?