WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.300 Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to Revelation chapter 17? That's page 974 00:00:09.300 --> 00:00:16.800 in the Pew Bible. We will look at this whole chapter today, but to begin, I want to start 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:22.960 by reading just the first six verses and then the last verse, verse 18, to get our bearings. 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:28.859 So, Revelation chapter 17. Let me pray as we come to God's Word. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.600 Father, we ask for your help now to hear and understand your Word. You said at the beginning 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:43.780 of this book of Revelation that there is a blessing for those who read and hear it, 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:51.939 so we ask that you would grant us this blessing, this blessing of increased wisdom and renewed 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:59.299 endurance and a refreshed love for Christ and His kingdom. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.400 All right, Revelation 17, starting with verses 1 through 6. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:09.800 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 00:01:10.600 --> 00:01:15.500 Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 00:01:15.800 --> 00:01:19.640 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:24.500 and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk. 00:01:25.520 --> 00:01:31.100 And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet 00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:39.239 beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:45.579 in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:53.539 full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written 00:01:53.540 --> 00:02:00.520 a name of mystery, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of the earth's abominations. 00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:07.840 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 00:02:08.980 --> 00:02:13.900 Now jump down to verse 18. The angel explains to John in verse 18, 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:27.960 Okay, so at this point in the book of Revelation, things are speeding towards a climax. 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:36.800 In the coming chapters, John will present to us in overlapping images the victory of God and the Lamb, 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:42.780 the final triumph over the forces of Satan, sin, and death, and the renewal of all creation. 00:02:43.980 --> 00:02:51.180 And one thread tying these final climactic chapters together is the image of a city. 00:02:52.640 --> 00:02:59.820 Actually, two cities. On the one hand, there is the worldly city, Babylon, and on the other hand, 00:02:59.880 --> 00:03:05.880 there's the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. If you have a pew Bible open, let me encourage you to 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:13.340 just turn over a page or so to Revelation chapter 21, verse 9. Revelation 21, verse 9. 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:21.699 There you'll see a passage that mirrors the one we just read. It goes like this, Revelation 21, 9 through 11. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:27.439 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:33.359 sounds like a familiar introduction, and spoke to me saying, come, I will show you the bride, 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:40.300 the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:47.320 holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a 00:03:47.320 --> 00:03:54.500 most rare jewel, like a jasper clear as crystal. So, Revelation is telling us then from one angle 00:03:54.500 --> 00:04:03.719 a tale of two metaphorical cities, the heavenly city and the worldly city. Both have an appearance 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:11.060 of beauty. They're attractive. They're both adorned with gold and jewels, but their nature and their 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:19.779 outcome are very different. One city is the bride of the Lamb. The other city is the prostitute of the 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:28.699 beast. One city is destined for glory. The other is destined for collapse. The New Jerusalem and Babylon. 00:04:30.739 --> 00:04:36.359 In the fifth century, the church father, Augustine, once said that nearly all of human history can be 00:04:36.359 --> 00:04:42.959 thought of in terms of the origin, the progress, and the end of these two symbolic cities, what he called 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:49.819 The City of Man and the City of God. And then he wrote about a thousand pages to prove his point in a work 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:57.180 he called The City of God. Now, Augustine lived at a time when the unthinkable was happening, the unthinkable 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:06.599 at least for his time. Rome was beginning to fracture and break. But Augustine's answer to that cultural 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:17.540 crisis was that the city of Rome was never really the eternal city as some touted it. His argument was 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:25.240 that there is only one true eternal city, the heavenly city, the city of God. And this city is entered not 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:33.020 by birth, but by spiritual rebirth. And this is a city not defined by one nation, but it spans all nations. 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:40.519 And this is a city aligned and organized not according to the standards of human wealth and power, 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:47.319 but it's aligned and organized according to God's life-giving incarnate word, the crucified and 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:54.719 resurrected Jesus. And this city exists in the midst of the earthly cities, but will one day be all in all. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:06:07.380 Now, in John's day, the collapse of the present-day Babylon, the city of Rome, seemed unthinkable to most 00:06:07.380 --> 00:06:16.180 of his contemporaries. It seemed that this Babylon was here to stay. So what were Christians to do in 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:24.420 the first century? And for that matter, what are we to do in the 21st century? Because Babylon, you see, 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:32.579 isn't just a first century reality. Even though Rome was the obvious first century expression of the 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:41.780 worldly city, Babylon didn't disappear when Rome fell in the fifth century. In fact, by using the very name 00:06:41.779 --> 00:06:51.259 Babylon, John is telling us as much. He's speaking symbolically about a principle. In the Old Testament, 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:59.319 Babylon was the empire that destroyed Jerusalem and exiled God's people in 586 B.C. But the idea 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:08.119 of human society arranged by its own standards of power and wealth, well, that goes back nearly to the 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:16.160 beginning of history, all the way back to the Tower of Babel. Let us make a name for ourselves, we humans 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:24.459 said. And so they started building a tower that would reach the very heavens, a tower, a city that would 00:07:24.459 --> 00:07:33.899 signal humanity's liberation from dependence on God so that we might pursue our own ends by our own means. 00:07:33.899 --> 00:07:43.139 And it must have been impressive to the ancient people as the tower started to emerge from the plains of 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:55.439 Mesopotamia. What couldn't human beings be capable of, they must have thought. And that spirit of Babel, of 00:07:55.439 --> 00:08:06.600 Babel has run and will run throughout human history, including our own. And John wants to show us here at 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:14.420 least three things about this Babylon. And we'll spend our time thinking about these three things in this 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:19.980 passage and then how to sort of live in light of that as we get to the end. So the three things we'll see 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:30.720 are first, the allure of Babylon. Second, we'll see the power of Babylon. And last, John will show us the 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:37.759 demise of Babylon. The allure, the power, and the demise. So first, let's look at the allure of Babylon. 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:42.759 We've seen this already in verses 1 through 6. The woman seated on the many waters, the woman seated on 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:48.120 the beast, and the beast is opulent, right? Verse 4, the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, adorned with 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:54.700 gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup. Babylon clearly represents here the 00:08:54.700 --> 00:09:02.580 seductive attraction of the world. We'll see next week in chapter 18 that when Babylon falls, one of the 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:11.779 great laments that goes up is the loss that that represents of wealth and luxury. Babylon is economically 00:09:11.779 --> 00:09:19.659 rich. It offers ease, comfort, and pleasure. And that allure comes to all levels of society. In verse 2, 00:09:19.699 --> 00:09:24.399 it's not just the kings of the earth who have given themselves to Babylon, but it's also the lowly 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:32.500 dwellers on earth as well. High and low, rulers and ruled, they're all captive to the economically 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:43.700 seductive allure of Babylon. The allure of prosperity and pleasure. And of course, John wants to unmask 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:51.200 this seduction for what it is. Behind the glitz and the glam, the prosperity and the pleasure, the reality 00:09:51.200 --> 00:10:04.480 is, John says, it is spiritual adultery. The golden cup might look nice on the outside, but inside it's 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:12.240 full of abominations and sexual immorality. Now, of course, John isn't just talking about breaking the 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:16.879 seventh commandment here, though certainly that is part of the seduction that Babylon holds out. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:22.720 No, throughout the Old Testament, sexual immorality is a poignant metaphor for idolatry. 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:31.720 Turning from the covenant love of the one true God, our Creator, and giving ourselves to the gods of 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:39.080 our own making. What is idolatry, according to the prophets of the Old Testament? It's spiritual adultery. 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:48.120 But of course, on the surface, we don't always see it that way as we participate in life. Remember, 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:54.000 John was writing to seven churches in Asia Minor, and each of those cities where they lived were each 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:59.860 in their own way expressions of Babylon. And historically, we know that in order for someone 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:05.460 to be fully kind of participating in the economic and social life of the city, that would often involve 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:12.400 attendance at idolatrous feasts and at pagan religious celebrations. And often it would hit at a very basic 00:11:12.400 --> 00:11:20.220 level. In many cities, in order to be a member of a trade guild, in order to do your work and support 00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:25.879 your family financially, in order to be a member of one of those trade guilds, you may have to sacrifice 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:33.000 to the pagan god of that guild, the patron god to whom it belonged. To secure your next contract, 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:39.899 you'd have to visit the local temple where the deals were done, but where also immorality and 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:48.820 false worship went hand in hand. And in reaction to this pressure, it would seem, as we read Revelation, 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:56.200 that some, even inside the church, were arguing that participation in idolatrous feasts, 00:11:56.200 --> 00:12:02.700 in sexual immorality, well, those are acceptable. In Revelation 2, the letters to the churches at 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:07.820 Pergamum and Thyatira, they seem to be talking about this very thing, about Christians compromising 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:10.500 under the sway and allure of Babylon. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.220 And if we're honest, this is a great temptation for us today. 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:24.520 Like the people of the first century, we don't just go along with dominant culture because we fear 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:31.860 persecution, right? In chapter 13, the beast sort of represented that persecuting power that Satan 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:36.899 exercises that makes us afraid. But that's not the only reason why we're tempted to go along with the 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:42.939 dominant culture. We also go along with the dominant culture because we're attracted to it. We're attracted 00:12:42.939 --> 00:12:47.639 to the economic benefits, the social comforts, the pleasures we receive. 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:55.080 You see, thinking of the dragon back in chapter 12 and the beast of 13, we might get the impression 00:12:55.080 --> 00:13:00.639 that Satan's primary mode of offense against the people of God is persecuting power, intimidating 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:09.740 fear. And of course, that's very real. But Satan has an equally strong approach in the form of Babylon, 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:18.060 the seductive allure of luxury, wealth, and ease. But John wants to unmask this form 00:13:18.060 --> 00:13:26.500 of Satan's opposition as well. Unmask it. Babylon 2, he says, is responsible for the demise 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:34.139 of many faithful witnesses to Jesus, as verse 6 shows us. So, John wants us to be on guard 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:42.419 against the allure of Babylon. But second, John wants us to not be fooled about the power of Babylon, 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:48.059 the power of Babylon. In other words, where does all this wealth, this prosperity, this seductive 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:55.460 luxury come from? What's the power that produces it? Well, John is very clear. It comes from the beast. 00:13:56.679 --> 00:14:01.679 The woman in verse 3 is seated on a scarlet beast, and we find in the following verses that this is the 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:06.319 same beast that we met in chapter 13. Let's look together at verses 6 through 14. Let's read the 00:14:06.319 --> 00:14:11.939 next section of our passage. John says, when I saw her, I greatly marveled. But the angel said to me, 00:14:11.979 --> 00:14:16.000 why do you marvel? I'll tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with seven heads and the 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:23.099 ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to rise from the 00:14:23.099 --> 00:14:28.259 bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:33.580 in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast because it was 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:41.659 and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:49.039 on which the woman is seated. There are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen. One is. The other 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:55.559 has not yet come, and when he does come, he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was 00:14:55.559 --> 00:15:01.819 and is not, it is an eighth but belongs to the seventh, and it goes to destruction. And the ten 00:15:01.819 --> 00:15:06.599 horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive 00:15:06.599 --> 00:15:13.339 authority as kings for one hour together with the beast. They are of one mind, and they hand over 00:15:13.339 --> 00:15:19.899 their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the lamb, and the lamb will conquer them, 00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:29.419 for he is the Lord of lords and king of kings. And those with him are called and chosen and faithful. 00:15:31.259 --> 00:15:36.980 So the angel explains the vision of verses one through six, and first he focuses in on the beast. 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:41.799 Now what are we to make of this beast? Well, if you want more detail about the beast, you can go back 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:46.519 and listen to Pastor Matt's sermon on chapter 13. But many commentators have picked up on the reference 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:52.740 in verse 9 to seven mountains, right? And many commentators have seen in those seven mountains 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:59.019 a clear allusion to the city of Rome. Rome was a city traditionally considered to sit on seven hills. 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:05.100 But then John says that these seven hills or seven mountains are also seven kings or seven kingdoms. 00:16:06.299 --> 00:16:13.019 And so many have tried to align this reference to seven kings with a particular sequence of Roman emperors. 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:20.220 Maybe it sort of recounts the sort of early emperors in the Roman Empire. 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:25.620 But what's interesting about the way that John tells the story here, the seventh king 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:31.480 quickly gives way to the eighth, who is the beast, and then comes the end. 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:38.399 Now if that's the timeline, we know that Rome, the Roman Empire, didn't fall until hundreds of years 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:45.919 after John wrote Revelation. So he couldn't have been naming seven literal Roman empires or kings here. 00:16:46.179 --> 00:16:47.980 There must be something else going on. 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:53.779 Well, I think rather than seeing kind of a prediction of Roman emperors, 00:16:54.340 --> 00:17:02.379 I think John is trying to communicate that the church lives in the last phase of God's redemptive history. 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:09.720 Using the number seven symbolically, John is saying that a number of kings have come before. 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:12.259 We're still in the midst of that. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:15.339 But the final one, the seventh, is on the way. 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:20.640 We're in the sixth of seven chapters, John seems to be saying. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:24.180 We're in this sixth chapter of experiencing 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:28.920 the ruthless, beastly power of human kingdoms and human states 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:32.500 who try to live life without any real reference to the living God. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:38.539 Six chapters of the kingdoms of this world living in rebellion to the kingdom of God. 00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:42.320 And then he says, when the last, when the seventh comes, 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:44.080 it will only be for a little while. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.980 And in that day, the beast will be fully operative, 00:17:47.060 --> 00:17:48.539 the eighth that belongs to the seventh. 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:50.539 He'll be the embodiment of all that's come before, 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:52.680 this godless, oppressive power. 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:57.779 And then he'll draw ten horns of self-centered human power along with him 00:17:57.779 --> 00:17:59.539 to wage a final war against God. 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:06.220 And John sees that this future final war will be waged 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:10.340 between the godless powers of this world and the Lamb. 00:18:12.080 --> 00:18:16.460 And it will seem like the whole world is swept up after this false messiah, this beast. 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:22.420 And the ten horns represent the totality of godless power and worldly kingdoms. 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:25.240 And they will make war on the Lamb and on his people. 00:18:27.080 --> 00:18:29.740 But John says the Lamb will conquer. 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:39.220 And we have to ask, why does John give us this glimpse of the final eschatological confrontation 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:43.440 between the ruthless powers of this world and the victorious Lamb? 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.720 Why give that picture here? 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:49.120 How does this help us to not compromise with the worldly city of Babylon? 00:18:49.620 --> 00:18:51.380 What did the two have to do with each other? 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:57.079 Well, John seems to be saying that they have much to do with each other in every way. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:02.319 Because the woman, Babylon, is riding on the beast. 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:10.639 In other words, the engine underneath the opulence, the luxury of this worldly city, 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:16.539 the power that sustains and produces the alluring prosperity and pleasure of Babylon, 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.039 is the beast. 00:19:20.259 --> 00:19:24.220 The ruthless power of the godless state, 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:28.419 ready to oppress, to dehumanize, to kill, 00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:31.680 and to make war against the Lamb. 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:35.480 Don't be fooled, John is saying. 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:38.560 Where do you think that wealth comes from? 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:43.000 Those pleasures that you're tempted by, 00:19:43.600 --> 00:19:46.460 they are not innocently gained. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:50.880 Of course, this was true in the first century. 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:53.800 The brutal politics of the Roman Empire 00:19:53.800 --> 00:19:58.440 produced the conditions of wealth and prosperity in the cities of the empire. 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.720 And to be seduced by the allure of one 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:08.300 was to be buying into the brutality and oppression of the other. 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:10.840 They went hand in hand. 00:20:12.260 --> 00:20:13.580 If you befriend Babylon, 00:20:14.260 --> 00:20:15.920 you're in league with the beast. 00:20:17.580 --> 00:20:19.000 And friends, don't be fooled. 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:22.779 The same dynamics of political economy are alive and well today. 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.279 But third and last, 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:29.319 John doesn't just show us the allure and the power, 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:31.119 but the demise of Babylon. 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:32.279 The demise. 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:34.759 We see this in verses 15 through 18. 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:36.619 Having explained the beast, 00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:40.240 the angel now turns to explain the rest of the vision of verses 1 through 6. 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:41.839 Let's pick up in verse 15. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:42.900 And the angel said to me, 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:46.180 The waters that you saw where the prostitute is seated 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.480 are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 00:20:50.280 --> 00:20:51.759 And the ten horns that you saw, 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:53.800 they and the beast will hate the prostitute. 00:20:54.280 --> 00:20:55.900 They will make her desolate and naked 00:20:55.900 --> 00:20:58.519 and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. 00:20:59.080 --> 00:21:00.740 For God has put it into their hearts 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:03.259 to carry out his purpose of being of one mind 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:06.019 and handing over their royal power to the beast 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:08.039 until the words of God are fulfilled. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:11.039 And the woman that you saw is the great city 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:13.460 that has dominion over the kings of the earth. 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:17.039 So John here, looking again at the end of history, 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:21.379 John sees that Babylon will eventually be destroyed. 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:24.279 The pleasures will end. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:26.940 The wealth will be decimated. 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:31.340 But the great irony that John sees 00:21:31.340 --> 00:21:33.920 is that the downfall of Babylon 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:39.740 will come at the very hands of the beast and the ten horns. 00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:43.799 In other words, evil will turn against itself. 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:47.980 The warring rage of humanity against God 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:51.539 incited by Satan and his false Messiah 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:52.900 will, on the final day, 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:57.180 tear down all the wealth and prosperity it has amassed 00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:59.380 and Babylon will be in ruins. 00:22:01.860 --> 00:22:04.600 You see, friends, the tragic reality is 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:08.100 evil is always self-defeating. 00:22:08.840 --> 00:22:11.440 It will collapse upon itself. 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:17.160 And I think John wants his readers to see this 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:18.300 and to feel this. 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:21.540 The allure of the world seems so strong. 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:25.180 It seems to promise happiness, prosperity, pleasure, 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:27.619 but it won't last. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.839 Old Testament Babel didn't last. 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:33.920 Old Testament Babylon didn't last. 00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:35.180 Rome didn't last. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:37.200 And on and on throughout history. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:41.279 If the Lord tarries, the United States might not last. 00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:45.879 Human kingdoms and the Babylons they produce 00:22:45.879 --> 00:22:49.139 will all eventually fall on the final day. 00:22:49.140 --> 00:22:54.180 So put your hope in something far more lasting. 00:22:56.780 --> 00:22:59.180 You know, it's a terrible thing, this final picture. 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:03.460 The image here is that the beast has raised up this woman. 00:23:04.520 --> 00:23:06.600 He has prostituted her to the nations 00:23:06.600 --> 00:23:08.800 and then destroyed her in the end. 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:12.120 What an awful, awful scene. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:18.019 Friends, how different is the Lord Jesus Christ? 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:20.539 He sees his beloved 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:25.659 and he doesn't use her as a pawn in a scheme for power. 00:23:27.659 --> 00:23:31.039 No, from heaven Jesus came and sought her 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:33.159 to be his holy bride. 00:23:33.160 --> 00:23:36.100 With his own blood he bought her 00:23:36.100 --> 00:23:38.759 and for her life he died. 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.560 That's the love of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:23:42.560 --> 00:23:43.500 for his city. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:48.480 And because of this infinite love that he has, 00:23:48.560 --> 00:23:52.100 he's the only proper object of our desires. 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:55.400 The beast wants us to live in fear. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:57.519 Babylon wants to convince us 00:23:57.519 --> 00:23:59.160 to live according to our lusts. 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:02.779 But Jesus Christ is the only true object 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:04.480 of reverence and desire. 00:24:07.560 --> 00:24:08.580 The psalmist says, 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:10.060 in your right hand, O God, 00:24:10.120 --> 00:24:11.900 are pleasures forevermore. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:15.440 Come away with me, my beloved, 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:17.120 Christ says to his church 00:24:17.120 --> 00:24:18.480 in the Song of Solomon. 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:22.560 We are offered infinite happiness 00:24:22.560 --> 00:24:24.220 in the new Jerusalem. 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:28.100 As John will show us in just a few short chapters, 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:36.039 as we conclude then, 00:24:36.579 --> 00:24:38.179 what does it look like to live faithfully 00:24:38.179 --> 00:24:40.539 in our own Babylon moment? 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:42.859 What does it look like for us today? 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:44.399 Well, throughout Revelation, 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:45.579 John has been holding up 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:48.079 the picture of faithful witness. 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:50.539 Faithful witness is the appropriate posture 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:52.699 of Christians living through the church age 00:24:52.699 --> 00:24:54.119 in the midst of all these dynamics. 00:24:54.119 --> 00:24:56.599 What does faithful witness look like 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:58.859 in our 21st century Babylon? 00:24:59.639 --> 00:25:01.299 Well, I think there are at least two things 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.259 it cannot mean. 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:04.759 Living faithfully cannot mean 00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:05.439 at least two things. 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:08.219 First, it cannot mean that we simply run away. 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:11.099 You know, it's been a temptation of Christians 00:25:11.099 --> 00:25:11.959 in every generation 00:25:11.959 --> 00:25:13.219 when confronted with the world 00:25:13.219 --> 00:25:15.779 to simply run away, 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:18.179 to find a secluded place 00:25:18.179 --> 00:25:20.139 supposedly away from the fallen world 00:25:20.140 --> 00:25:22.180 and try to bunker down in safety. 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:25.280 But you know, 00:25:25.560 --> 00:25:27.480 that never works. 00:25:29.320 --> 00:25:30.220 On the one hand, 00:25:30.280 --> 00:25:30.720 as witnesses, 00:25:31.320 --> 00:25:32.720 I mean, in order to be witnesses, right, 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:33.980 we have to be in the midst of the world. 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.080 How can we be faithful to Jesus 00:25:36.080 --> 00:25:36.780 to be his witnesses 00:25:36.780 --> 00:25:38.200 if we avoid all contact 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.340 with those who presumably 00:25:39.340 --> 00:25:40.460 need to hear it, right? 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:44.200 But running away 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:45.120 and bunkering down 00:25:45.120 --> 00:25:46.079 in supposed safety 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:47.600 never works for another reason. 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:48.500 It never works 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:49.600 because sooner or later, 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:52.100 the Christians who physically flee the world 00:25:52.100 --> 00:25:53.140 find 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:56.360 that they've simply brought Babylon with them. 00:25:57.940 --> 00:25:59.519 Sin remains in all of our hearts. 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:02.920 There's no place we can run to 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:04.720 where human fallenness 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:06.860 will not taint all of our best efforts. 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:10.539 So being a faithful witness 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:12.339 can't mean simply running away. 00:26:14.459 --> 00:26:15.919 But it also can't mean, 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.299 secondly, 00:26:16.419 --> 00:26:17.419 it also cannot mean 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:19.079 using the world's means 00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:21.439 to accomplish God's ends. 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:25.159 The world works through power, 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:26.079 coercion, 00:26:27.199 --> 00:26:27.659 violence, 00:26:27.879 --> 00:26:28.519 and spin. 00:26:30.479 --> 00:26:31.159 And too often, 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:32.459 Christians have tried to use 00:26:32.459 --> 00:26:34.439 these infernal methods of the beast 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:37.160 to try to spread the kingdom of the Lamb. 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:39.980 And it doesn't work. 00:26:41.100 --> 00:26:42.960 Any short-term supposed victory 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:44.740 is bound to fail. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:49.440 The ends never justify the means 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:50.880 in the kingdom of God. 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:53.680 Remember the Beatitudes of Jesus 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.640 in the Sermon on the Mount? 00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:58.480 Is that what our neighbors see in us 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.680 as we participate in public life? 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:14.420 Do they see the same anger 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:15.700 and cynicism 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:18.620 and dehumanizing realpolitik 00:27:18.620 --> 00:27:19.840 as the rest of the world? 00:27:22.840 --> 00:27:24.460 So we can't run away. 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:27.240 And we can't use the world's means 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:28.600 to achieve God's ends. 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:30.859 So what does faithful witness 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:31.500 look like then? 00:27:33.399 --> 00:27:34.759 Well, I think the words of Jesus 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.679 are helpful here. 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:38.819 Jesus once said to His disciples, 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:42.659 you are a city on a hill. 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.199 Yes, you live in Jerusalem 00:27:46.199 --> 00:27:47.599 or in Rome 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:49.139 or in New Haven. 00:27:49.919 --> 00:27:51.039 That's the earthly city 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:52.179 where you find yourself. 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.619 Don't run away from it. 00:27:55.399 --> 00:27:56.379 Rather, in the midst 00:27:56.379 --> 00:27:57.599 of that earthly city, 00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:59.379 you be a city. 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:02.639 Be a city within that city. 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:05.039 Be the city of God 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:06.539 in the midst of the city of man. 00:28:09.619 --> 00:28:11.759 And the church will become 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:12.980 a picture 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:15.279 of a new sort of city, 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:17.139 a foretaste 00:28:17.139 --> 00:28:18.219 of the new Jerusalem 00:28:18.219 --> 00:28:20.459 where generosity 00:28:20.459 --> 00:28:21.939 and charity 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:23.380 and hope 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:25.259 are the new way 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:25.920 to be human. 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:28.620 Where instead of using 00:28:28.620 --> 00:28:29.140 one another, 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:30.120 we bless one another. 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:32.080 Where instead of shouting 00:28:32.080 --> 00:28:33.059 down at one another, 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:34.279 we listen to one another. 00:28:35.620 --> 00:28:36.480 And as we seek 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:38.279 to be this counter-cultural city 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:39.080 within the city, 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:39.759 Jesus says, 00:28:40.100 --> 00:28:41.299 will be salt and light 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:42.519 to those around us. 00:28:43.840 --> 00:28:44.640 Salt, of course, 00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:45.500 was a preservative 00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:46.360 in the ancient world, right? 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:47.000 It kept your meat 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:47.680 from rotting. 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:50.200 In Christians, 00:28:50.320 --> 00:28:50.720 Jesus says, 00:28:50.779 --> 00:28:51.480 we'll often need 00:28:51.480 --> 00:28:52.440 to be like salt. 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:53.560 We'll need to enter 00:28:53.560 --> 00:28:54.279 into the world 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:54.960 through our work, 00:28:55.340 --> 00:28:56.019 through our neighborhoods, 00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:57.140 through our public life, 00:28:57.140 --> 00:28:58.420 and we'll need to strive 00:28:58.420 --> 00:28:59.519 to have a preservative 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:00.279 and even sometimes 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:01.680 a transformative effect. 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:04.539 How can we love 00:29:04.539 --> 00:29:05.080 our neighbors 00:29:05.080 --> 00:29:06.019 as ourselves 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:07.240 and make sure 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:08.200 that there are conditions 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:09.380 so that others 00:29:09.380 --> 00:29:10.539 are able to do the same? 00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:14.559 As you're a city, 00:29:14.659 --> 00:29:15.500 in the midst of the city, 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:16.099 you'll be salt, 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:16.659 Jesus says. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.500 But then Jesus says, 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:18.779 you'll also be light. 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:21.859 Sometimes you'll need 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:23.200 to shine with something 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:24.159 totally new 00:29:24.159 --> 00:29:25.379 in the darkness. 00:29:26.779 --> 00:29:27.539 Sometimes Christians 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:28.299 will need to build 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:29.139 new institutions 00:29:29.139 --> 00:29:30.099 in the midst of the old. 00:29:31.299 --> 00:29:32.119 Sometimes Christians 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:32.839 will need to come up 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:34.059 with culturally new ways 00:29:34.059 --> 00:29:35.279 to achieve the common good 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:36.559 and the love of our neighbor. 00:29:39.159 --> 00:29:39.839 After all, 00:29:39.839 --> 00:29:40.519 you know, 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:41.859 after Rome fell 00:29:41.859 --> 00:29:43.879 to the barbarian migrations 00:29:43.879 --> 00:29:45.179 in the 4th and 5th 00:29:45.179 --> 00:29:45.939 and 6th centuries, 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:50.399 it was the Christian monasteries, 00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:50.939 actually, 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:52.579 that provided much 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:53.639 of the help and healing 00:29:53.639 --> 00:29:55.259 that not just the church 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:56.199 but the world needed. 00:29:57.619 --> 00:29:58.019 Education, 00:29:58.259 --> 00:29:58.699 hospitals, 00:29:58.879 --> 00:29:59.480 care for the poor. 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:02.299 Of course, 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:02.859 it'll look different 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:03.419 for us today. 00:30:03.539 --> 00:30:03.879 We don't live 00:30:03.879 --> 00:30:04.980 in 6th century Europe, 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:05.399 right? 00:30:07.919 --> 00:30:08.720 But the call 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:09.720 to be salt and light 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.440 is the same, 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:11.720 the call to be a city 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:12.740 on a hill, 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:14.240 a city in the midst 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:14.799 of Babylon 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:17.220 where men and women 00:30:17.220 --> 00:30:18.000 can flee 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:19.640 and find refuge. 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:22.319 It won't be popular 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:24.339 and it won't be easy, 00:30:24.339 --> 00:30:27.220 but Revelation tells us 00:30:27.220 --> 00:30:28.240 that it will be lasting 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:30.120 and it will be beautiful. 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:34.579 That's what faithful witness 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:35.219 looks like. 00:30:36.179 --> 00:30:36.759 A city 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:38.259 within the city 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:38.839 where the Lamb 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:39.500 is exalted 00:30:39.500 --> 00:30:40.819 and followed 00:30:40.819 --> 00:30:42.059 and proclaimed 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:44.019 and where those 00:30:44.019 --> 00:30:45.039 who are worn out 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:46.299 from the empty promises 00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:46.919 of Babylon 00:30:46.919 --> 00:30:47.619 will come 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:49.459 and find shelter 00:30:49.459 --> 00:30:50.599 and shade 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:52.199 and real beauty 00:30:52.199 --> 00:30:53.719 in the presence 00:30:53.719 --> 00:30:54.899 of the world's true king. 00:30:54.900 --> 00:30:57.019 Let's pray together. 00:31:02.360 --> 00:31:02.880 Lord, 00:31:03.280 --> 00:31:05.480 we humbly ask 00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:07.960 that by Your Spirit 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:10.580 You would be the one 00:31:10.580 --> 00:31:11.880 who satisfies our hearts. 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:15.240 We began this service saying, 00:31:15.380 --> 00:31:15.480 Lord, 00:31:15.580 --> 00:31:16.740 whom have we in heaven 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:17.280 but You? 00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:19.180 Oh God, 00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:21.039 make that truth 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:22.460 real to us. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:25.079 Lord Jesus, 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:26.079 would we see 00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:29.160 Your cruciform love 00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:29.779 for us 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:32.240 and be captivated 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:33.399 in love once again 00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.619 by Your forgiving, 00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:36.500 merciful grace. 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:40.740 And Lord, 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:41.539 as we are 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:44.859 broken free 00:31:44.859 --> 00:31:45.720 from the allure 00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:47.559 of the world around us, 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:49.019 would You then give us 00:31:49.019 --> 00:31:49.759 the courage 00:31:49.759 --> 00:31:51.440 and the creativity 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:54.000 to be the new Jerusalem 00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:54.640 in the midst 00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:56.839 of these old ruins 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:57.339 of Babylon? 00:31:59.339 --> 00:31:59.799 Lord, 00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:01.259 rise up in our midst, 00:32:01.460 --> 00:32:03.200 not a tower of Babel 00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:04.940 that doesn't need You. 00:32:07.059 --> 00:32:07.500 Lord, 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:08.579 but be like a well. 00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:11.160 Lord, 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:12.259 help us to dig wells 00:32:12.259 --> 00:32:12.920 that are full 00:32:12.920 --> 00:32:13.559 of the water 00:32:13.559 --> 00:32:14.299 of Your grace 00:32:14.299 --> 00:32:16.159 so that our neighbors 00:32:16.159 --> 00:32:17.500 can come 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:19.399 and drink from Your goodness 00:32:19.399 --> 00:32:20.319 and be satisfied. 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:22.539 We pray this 00:32:22.539 --> 00:32:24.099 in Jesus' name. 00:32:24.299 --> 00:32:24.500 Amen.