100428 Babylon Returns pt. 2
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
· Review Wednesday night 100421
o Babel – gateway of the gods
o Zerubbabel—stranger in Babylon
o We looked at 8 characteristics of Babylon and why they are significant to us today.
· Understanding Babylon is the key to discerning the current prophetic season.
o If we can’t identify where we are in God’s prophetic calendar, the events that lie ahead will catch us by surprise and thrust us into fear and confusion.
o “If we do not realize where we are and what time it is we will be imprisoned by the confusion of the coming crisis.” P.192 Babylon by Peter Herder and Benji Nolot. (Great resource for study of Babylon-available through IHOP bookstore)
· We know Babylon was a real city and we know through the Word of God that Babylon the Great is yet to be. That is the reason for the sermon title Babylon Returns pt. 1 & 2.
o The winds of change are blowing as our president has said.
o Note Zechariah 5:6 a basket going forth. From the context of the previous vision we know that ‘going forth’ means widespread influence. 5:3 spoke of the scroll that goes out over the face of the whole land.
· Zechariah 5:6-11 So I asked, "What is it?" And he said, "It is a basket that is going forth."He also said, "This is their resemblance throughout the earth: 7 Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket"; 8 then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork (stork was an unclean bird), and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven. 10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they carrying the basket?" 11 And he said to me, "To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base." NKJV
1. The Foundation is Set
a. Death is now certain. It began in the garden and immediately continues its assult outside the garden.
i. Adam chooses death. Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." NKJV
ii. Paul teaches the power of that death. Romans 5:15 by one man’s offense many died. NKJV
iii. Cain chose to exert his will over God’s and over his brother’s and Cain kills Able.
b. The pattern is the same.
i. Lucifer. Isaiah 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' NKJV What is found in the heart of Lucifer is found in every heart of fallen man. Pride is what leads us into sin, keeps us sin, and causes us to propagate sin.
ii. Ezekiel 28:2-5 "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,' Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god 3 (Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you! 4 With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; 5 By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches)," NKJV Pride is what causes us to desire to be humanly great. It causes us to lord it over others. Causes us to fight for our ‘rights’ in marriage, at work, school etc.
iii. Gen 10:8-12 Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. 9 Since he was the greatest hunter in the world,his name became proverbial. People would say, "This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world." 10 He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia,with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he expanded his territory to Assyria,building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).
1. Nimrod was the first great man! That was his title, his claim to fame. He is the first to be written about in scripture as being a great man.
2. Nimrod means ‘the rebel’. It can’t be good when you are named ‘the rebel’. Nimrod is the first ‘type’ of Antichrist.
a. The man of lawlessness-2 Thes 2:3
b. He was drive to obtain great power and glory for the admiration of man.
c. “In all likelihood he demanded the allegiance and adoration, if not worship, of his subjects.” The Antichrist—A. Pink p223
3. “The promise of human progress, human achievement, and human glory in the context of idolatry and sexual immorality served as the social conditioning needed to open the way for Nimrod to establish his reign.” P.61 Babylon-Herder
4. Nimrod built a city called Babel, “gateway to the gods” but isn’t it interesting that when you read of this in the word, Gen 11:45, God had to stoop down to see it.
c. What gave Nimrod the ability to do this.
i. He was a great man.
ii. There was common language.
iii. Wealth was centralized—in Babel.
iv. There were many God’s in Babel.
v. Sexual immorality was rampant. Assyrian legend speaks of the Queen of Assyria which Nimrod wed, as the most beautiful and seductive woman of the time. She led many into Nimrods plans simply by seduction.
vi. More than likely Nimrod used slaves to build his cities as did other conquerors after him.
2. Prelude to Babylon
a. Globalization
i. Common language—English is spoken most everywhere in the earth. Beyond that they things our language symbols represent are understood by people everywhere. Fallen humanity is far more degenerate when two or more gather in darkness than they do separated. God scattered the people who were building Babel.
ii. The primary reason for a common language is the growing reality of global commerce. Global commerce is the greatest force at work uniting the world today.
iii. The World is Flat—Thomas Friedman p.8. ‘Clearly...it is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and compete in real time with more other people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of the world…We are now connecting all the knowledge centers on the planet together into a single global network, which …could usher in an amazing era of prosperity, innovation, and collaboration.”
b. Financial Crisis—nothing accelerates change like crisis. Look at the US in the last two years. The government own, health care, automotive corporations, banks & lending institutions, etc. All because of crisis.
i. The current financial crisis could be paving the wave for single global currency. There is already global talk and cry for a new currency. “To adopt a global currency is to begin the journey toward unconditional surrender of national sovereignty and the tyranny of the Antichrist that will soon follow.” P. 177 Herder.
ii. The failure of the US financial system will lead to a world currency, world central bank, and a world stock market.
c. For Babylon to arise, the world must be united. Postmodernism is the one key that is doing that right now as we speak. Though postmodernism began a few years ago its roots reach back to Babel. Moderns sought to understand the world through reason.
i. Postmodernism has lead the world back to two driving pillars of Babel. 1. Idolatry and 2. Immorality. These are often expressed and defended under the banners of tolerance and diversity. Post moderns have cut all ties to the social constraints of the past.
ii. In this atmosphere, morality and spirituality are not grounded in any one set system of beliefs. It is all left up to the individual—their moral choices and all paths lead to god—little ‘g.’
iii. Moral relativism Judges 21:25 everyone did what was right in his own eyes. NKJV In this context sin has nothing to do with God it is an individual choice. When one takes this approach to life they are partnering with the kingdom of darkness and reason itself is abandoned—they are given over to a reprobate mind. Ro. 1:28.
iv. False religion. Isaiah 2:8 Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. NKJV Progression is a major issue of the postmoderns. Anything that hinders that is a threat—religion a.k.a. Christianity, Judaism. Those who have only one way to their God. What they say we need for progress is for the world to embrace ‘many ways to the gods”.
d. Human Trafficing
i. Revelation 18:13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. NKJV
ii. It seems incredible that a ‘progressive’ world would once again be sinking so deeply into the abyss of slavery and oppression. Many are hardly aware that this reality is already upon us. According to many experts human trafficking is a thirty two billion dollar a year industry! [They also contend that there are over 27 million slaves on the earth today, which is more than during the height of the transatlantic slave trade. 75% are for sexual explotation. A person is bought or sold every 8 seconds and every thirty seconds that victim is a child. Every year over 600,000 people are trafficked across international borders for the purpose of sexual exploitation. 80% of these are female. 50% are children. 100,000 women and children are expected to be trafficked to South Africa for the World Cup Soccer Games.Exodus Cry.com]
e. These trends make it clear we are living in prelude to Babylon the Great.
3. Prelude to Victory
a. Compare and Contrast
i. Babylon the Great vs. The New Jerusalem
ii. The Antichrist vs. Jesus the King of Kings
iii. A Tower raised up vs. a God who stoops down to see
iv. Babylon the Great arise from men in agreement with demons vs. New Jerusalem with those living in agreement with God.
v. Babylon the Great fills up the cup of sin vs. New Jerusalem as the holy city.
vi. Babylon is destroyed in an hour vs. New Jerusalem is eternal.
vii. The Antichrist will turn on the city and burn vs. Jesus cherishes His bride forever.
b. What must we do?
i. Only extreme vigilance in prayer will keep the heart from falling into decadent trappings.
ii. Fast will keep the flesh in check in a land of prosperity and delacies.
iii. Knowing the word will keep the heart free and keep us aware of the signs of the times so that we know what to do. Knowing the word enable us to discern the times and to defend how we must act.
iv. Worship—keep the King, Jesus, ever before us. Be fascinated by His love and His emotions towards us.
v. Make a decision to remain a stranger in Babylon just as Daniel and Zerubbabel-whose name means stranger in Babylon, did.
Conclusion:
· Understanding Babylon is the key to discerning the current prophetic season.
o If we can’t identify where we are in God’s prophetic calendar, the events that lie ahead will catch us by surprise and thrust us into fear and confusion.
o “If we do not realize where we are and what time it is we will be imprisoned by the confusion of the coming crisis.” P.192 Babylon by Peter Herder and Benji Nolot. (Great resource for study of Babylon-available through IHOP bookstore) | 
