Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20010715.htm

REVELATION: CALL TO HOLINESS IN VIEW OF PROPHECY
Part III: The Things Hereafter'
"M. God's Revealed VENGEANCE For US On Babylon the Great'"
(Revelation 17:1, 5, 15; 18:20-24)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

You and I have heard of alleged "worldwide conspiracies" against godliness, and they don't seem to be going away:

(1) The year he ran and lost in his last bid for the American presidency, Pat Robertson of the Trinity Broadcast network wrote a book claiming an evil "illuminati" was behind America's politics.

(2) On June 28, 2000, a member in our Church downloaded an account from Radio Liberty written by Dr. Stanley K. Monteith, M. D. in which he claimed there was a worldwide push by a Satanic group to promote genocide and keep the world's population in control.

He claimed that a Madam Blavatsky who founded a pro-Satanist religion, Theosophy in the early part of the 20th century, had among her followers Adolf Hitler. He claimed this religion is one of the most powerful forces working behind the scenes in New York City and Washington, D. C., and that it desires the eradication of Bible Christianity in America!

(3) When we consider what we ourselves witness at Nepaug Bible Church, we might think there to exist a conspiracy against godliness! One of our members showed me an article this week by Ken Ham of the reputable Answers in Genesis group who is concerned about a move from another Christian group we support as a Church to go "soft" on theistic evolution! I read a letter to Ken Ham by the leader of the group in question, and he claimed he does not wish to alienate believers who believe in theistic evolution, so it has publicly taken a neutral stand on the issue!

What is troubling about the spread of theistic evolution is that it seems to correspond with the rising dialogue between Evangelicals and Catholicism: according to The Washington Post, Pope John Paul II issued a statement in October of 1996 saying evolution is "more than just a theory." Then, Promise Keepers' official magazine, New Man that same year endorsed theistic evolution while Christianity Today six months later endorsed the Pope's statements! (cited in The Berean Call, Mar. 99) Significantly, both of these Evangelical magazines have ties with Evangelical leaders who have met with Vatican officials.

IS there a worldwide conspiracy against the Bible's truth? IF so, WHAT are individual believers supposed to DO about it?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I've heard of a world conspiracy against Bible Christianity! IS there such a scheme, and, IF so, what could I ever DO about it?!"
  1. Jesus revealed God's future judgment on a mystical "Babylon the Great," an event to bring US great joy since believers have suffered much from its efforts over the centuries, Rev. 17:1, 5; 18:20, 24.
  2. To APPRECIATE this judgment, we define "Babylon the Great" from Scripture and secular observations as follows:
    1. We learned from a former message on Revelation 10 an event occurred between the Genesis 9 end of the Noahic Flood and the Genesis 12 Abrahamic Covenant that angers God even to this day!
    2. We found Genesis 10:11 shows event involved a group apostasy!
    3. In Genesis 11:1-9, we note that event as an anti-God paganism begun at the old city of Babylon that has plagued God's people ever since:
      1. Noah's descendants rebelled against God's call to spread out on the earth, and expressed this on the plain of Shinar, Gen. 9:1; 11:1-2.
      2. Hence, God gave them different languages to slow down their apostasy development and scattered them on the earth, Gn. 11:5-8.
      3. We know from Genesis 11:9 the original name of the city was "Babel," meaning "to confuse." The Babylonians liked a variant meaning, "gate of God," Ryrie Study Bible: KJV, ftn. to Gen. 11:9.
      4. The nations took this anti-God pagan rebellion with them as they went, accounting for the similar ancient tower structures associated with stellar observations around the globe (Egypt's pyramids, Inca towers, ziggurat at Ur, etc. and Genesis 11:4b)!
    4. This entity has bred many apostasies (Rev. 17:5b), & we name a few:
      1. Freemasonry - Freemasonry claims it came from the worship at "the Pyramid of vitrified brick, near Babylon," Albert Pike, Morals & Dogma, p. 11! [Often U.S. presidents are high degree Masons!]
      2. Mormonism - This faith arose from Freemasonry: Dr. Durham, a past head of Mormon Archaeological artifacts was nearly defrocked by telling the General Assembly of Mormon Officials he found Joseph Smith had not tried to get back to Christian roots, but to Freemasonry's roots! (Hunt/Decker, The God Makers)
      3. Islam - Mohammed claimed God was "Allah," & "Allah" is the pagan deity for the Arab Quraish tribe in Saudia Arabia (cf. Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, IV, p. 160-161 as cited in Dave Hunt's The Berean Call, February, 2000 issue). Mohammed started his religion after an alleged angel Gabriel appeared & gave him much of what is Islamic belief, SIM Now, Jul-Aug., 89, p. 2f.
      4. Roman Catholicism - Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons reveals the pagan mother-son cult started by Semiramus, Nimrod's wife at old Babylon mingled with Christian belief in Constantine's era to form Catholicism. [Today, many Evangelicals going soft on Biblical doctrines are warming up to Catholic ecumenical beliefs!]
      5. Paganistic-Protestantism - Though many believers hold to John Calvin's views, his predestination belief comes from Augustine whose predestination was in turn framed by pagan Neo-platonism. This ideology is pantheistic (man is an extension of God minus his own will, cf. Edward Mcnall Burns, West. Civ., p. 272, 460). It has led Calvinists to see God's elect are so divinely-supported they are authorized to overthrow despotic secular rulers; Calvin's other views coupled with his predestination has thus spawned many revolutions, legalistic church oppression and materialism, Ibid., p. 461-462; Boettner, The Ref. Doct. of Pred., p. 392ff. Its reaction in Arminianism mirrors a pagan self-help-merit salvation faith in the Pelagian heresy (in Catholicism & Pentecostalism), cf. Shell, "Making Sense of Election," unpublished man., p. 283-292.
  3. This "Babylon the Great" will center in Rome as a one-world order in the Tribulation, & God will destroy it, Rev. 17:5, 9, 18; 18:20-24.
Application: (1) Believe on Jesus Christ to be translated into His kingdom, Jn. 3:16; Col. 1:13. (2) Then, (a) INSTEAD OF trying to identify so as to destroy the "Babylon the Great" around us, (b) REST in God's lordship over all (Rev. 3:14c) and His plan to vindicate us in the end, and (c) focus on heeding God's WORD'S leading for us (use of our gifts, local church ministry functions, leaning on the Spirit in life, etc.) (d) We will thus avoid defeat by not taking on Satan on his "home Babylonian the Great turf," but be victorious by gaining God's protective help, Ephesians 6:10-20!

Lesson: (1) There IS a worldwide anti-God conspiracy, but it is far more powerful and injurious than what we are generally led to believe: (a) It is a Satanically-fueled, pagan-originated rebellion against God begun at Genesis 11's Babylon that intends to leaven ALL man's institutions to ruin God's efforts. (2) God will destroy this "Babylon" in the Tribulation though He builds His Church opposite its influence today, Matt. 16:18. >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 To illustrate how to deal with "Babylon the Great" in practical terms, here is a case that affected our Church body in recent times:

(1) 1,500 years ago, a man named Pelagius taught one's own faith wrought his salvation as he claimed faith was meritorious. This view mirrors many ancient pagan self-help salvation beliefs.

(2) Centuries later, Jacobus Arminius reacted to Augustine's teachings in John Calvin's theology, and ended up mirroring the old Pelagian paganism of self-help salvation by a meritorious faith!

(3) Well, a certain Christian denomination in America adopts Arminius' Pelagian pagan heresy on the doctrine of faith! In doing so, it denies unconditional salvation security, saying faith keeps us saved.

(4) Then, some who had come under influence of an area church holding to Arminius' beliefs countered the stand the Pastor of Nepaug Church took on eternal security by charging (among other things) he was unloving in holding strongly to eternal security!

(5) Well, some Nepaugers were disillusioned at the Pastor's character by hearing these charges, and so attended several Sunday Evening services to ask him questions relative to these charges. Thus, the "Babylon the Great" begun by pagan influence came by Satan's fueling to challenge the Pastor so the Church could be harmed!

(6) Well, the Pastor would have had no effective way to answer these questions since all efforts to defend one's own credibility are always suspect by way of the person who has to answer the questions!

(7) However, By God's rich grace, he happened to be heeding God's previous lead to use lessons from 1 Corinthians he'd prepared 12 years before but needed to retype into the computer for use on the Church web site. Then, these lessons happened to answer every question these folk had before they could direct them at the Pastor so that after the respective service, they would report to him of the blessings the lessons had been! This happened for several consecutive Sunday evenings! So, by the Pastor's hiding in God's leading, God blocked Satan's effort to hurt the body by use of "Babylon the Great"!