Participants: Jill Morikone (Host), John Lomacang, Jason Bradley, Shelley Quinn, Rayan Day
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210006S
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00:01 Hello, I'm Jill Morikone,
00:02 and we just want to welcome you 00:04 to another edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:05 I can't believe we are in lesson number six 00:08 of our journey through the Book of Isaiah. 00:11 This lesson is entitled "Playing God." 00:14 I wanna encourage you 00:15 if you don't have your own copy of the quarterly, 00:17 you can go to the following website, 00:18 that's ABSG.Adventist.org 00:22 and you can get your own copy and follow along with us. 00:26 That stands for AdultBibleStudyGuide 00:29 . Adventist.org 00:31 So grab your pen and your paper and your Bible, 00:34 especially your Bible 00:36 and get ready for this edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:10 We're so glad that you've been journeying with us 01:13 with the Book of Isaiah. 01:14 I love Isaiah. 01:15 I've already said this many times. 01:17 It is one of my favorite books in the Word of God. 01:19 We are in lesson number six, Playing God, 01:22 and we have our 3ABN family with us. 01:24 To my left Pastor John Lomacang, 01:26 privileged to have you here. 01:27 Thank you, Jill. 01:29 We have been journeying through Isaiah. 01:30 And we praise the Lord for this journey. 01:32 Amen. 01:33 To your left Jason Bradley, 01:35 you've been on Sabbath School Panel 01:36 before and we always are blessed 01:37 by the insights God provides you. 01:39 Oh, praise the Lord. Happy to be here, Jill. 01:41 To your left Shelley Quinn, my sister 01:44 and excited to be studying with you as well. 01:47 Oh, I learned so much 01:48 each time I'm here listening to you all. 01:50 Thank you so much for your diligent study. 01:53 Amen. 01:54 And last but not least Pastor Ryan Day, 01:56 and I love your enthusiasm for the Word of God. 01:59 Thank you for being here. 02:00 Well, the Word of God is exciting to talk about 02:04 and we're gonna be talking about victory today, so, yeah. 02:06 Amen. Amen. 02:07 As we look at Playing God, 02:09 we're actually jumping into Isaiah 13. 02:11 The last couple of lessons 02:12 we've been on that whole section of Isaiah 7-12, 02:16 but we finished that 02:17 and now we jump into Isaiah 13, 14, 02:20 and bless Ryan's heart, 02:22 he's got quite a few chapters to cover 02:24 all the way up to Chapter 27. 02:27 Before we go any further, let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:30 And, Jason, would you pray for us? 02:31 Absolutely. 02:33 Dear heavenly Father, 02:34 it's always a privilege and a blessing 02:36 to be able to study Your Word. 02:38 Lord, I just ask that You would guide our thoughts 02:40 and guide our conversation 02:43 and give us direction in Jesus' name we pray. 02:45 Amen. Amen. 02:48 We look this week as we look at Playing God, 02:50 we look at several different things. 02:51 One is the origin of pride and self-exaltation 02:54 that started with Lucifer himself. 02:56 And I think Jason's gonna cover that 02:58 in more detail. 02:59 There was a story on Sabbath's portion of the lesson, 03:01 which I thought was really cute. 03:02 It was a minister who was preaching on pride. 03:05 And there was a certain woman 03:06 that the sermon really spoke to her. 03:08 And she was waiting for him at the back door of the church. 03:11 So as he came out, he shaking hands and she said, 03:15 "Oh, she said, 03:16 I discovered that 03:17 I have the sin of pride in my life. 03:19 I sat for an hour in front of the mirror, 03:21 admiring my beauty." 03:23 And the minister said, 03:24 "That's not the sin of pride, 03:26 that is the sin of imagination." 03:28 You see, pride does not respect 03:30 the boundaries of reality. 03:33 Sometimes, we can be prideful in something that's real, 03:37 but it would be misplaced 03:38 because every good and perfect gift 03:40 comes from above, 03:41 but sometimes 03:42 we are prideful in something that's entirely imagined. 03:45 We think we sing well, or we speak well, 03:47 or we cook well, or we look well 03:50 as the woman thought, 03:51 but the reality is far different. 03:53 And spiritual pride, pride in what we do for God, 03:56 how spiritual we think we are, 03:58 how many people we think we have won to Christ. 04:02 That is the worst. 04:04 Besides looking this week 04:05 at the origin of pride and self-exaltation, 04:08 we're also going to look at some oracles of judgment. 04:12 Let's look at Isaiah Chapter 13. 04:15 Isaiah 13, we will read verse 1, 04:18 and that is actually the beginning of my section 04:21 "Doom on the Nations" on Sunday's lesson. 04:23 Isaiah 13:1, 04:25 "The burden against Babylon 04:27 which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw." 04:29 Now that word burden means utterance, 04:32 oracle, prophecy, or sane. 04:35 It's used 11 times in this section 04:39 that we're gonna be studying this week. 04:41 And it's talking about a voice that is lifted up 04:43 to proclaim a message, 04:45 a message carried to someone else, 04:47 and usually there's a heaviness associated with it 04:51 because it's a judgment oracle. 04:53 There's many oracles, many nations 04:56 that are talked about specifically in this passage. 04:59 There's a judgment against Babylon and Assyria, 05:01 the Philistines and Moab, Syria, Israel, Ethiopia, 05:05 Egypt, Edom, Arabia, Jerusalem, Tyre, 05:07 and the whole earth 05:09 by the time we get down to Ryan's Day. 05:12 All of these nations had encounters with Judah. 05:17 God used these heathen nations to bring judgment 05:21 upon His people. 05:23 But yeah, as we would discover today, 05:25 these nations were later punished themselves, 05:30 like the nation of Babylon, 05:31 God used that nation to bring judgment. 05:33 The people were brought into captivity, 05:35 but later God judged Babylon, 05:38 and they were overthrown by the Medes and the Persians. 05:42 We're gonna look at the city of Babylon, 05:43 both literal and symbolic. 05:45 And we see God's salvation and mercy 05:48 still extended toward His people. 05:51 Let's read our memory text, it's Isaiah 25:9. 05:56 Isaiah 25:9, 05:58 "Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him, 06:02 and He will save us. 06:03 This is the Lord, we have waited for Him, 06:06 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." 06:10 On Sunday, we talked about the oracle of judgment 06:13 against Babylon, 06:15 it's actually titled Doom on the Nations, 06:18 but I'm not gonna look at Babylon or the city, 06:21 or the conquering of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, 06:23 or the spiritual analogies to Babylon in Revelation 06:26 because other people are gonna cover all of that. 06:29 What I'm looking at today, 06:30 and this is the focus of Sunday's lesson, 06:33 how do we reconcile a loving God 06:36 with a God who brings judgment? 06:39 How do you reconcile that? 06:41 I call it the apparent harshness of our God 06:46 'cause you read some of these verses 06:48 God can appear harsh, 06:49 but this is the apparent harshness of our God. 06:52 Okay. 06:54 So, of course, you know, there is a list, 06:56 we're gonna look at five keys 06:57 to understanding the character of God, 06:59 but before we get to the keys, 07:00 let's look at this apparent harshness of our God 07:03 as exhibited in Isaiah 13:4, let's pick it up there. 07:08 The second half of Isaiah 13:4, God is a warrior. 07:12 It says, 07:13 "The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. 07:17 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, 07:20 the Lord and His weapons of indignation, 07:22 to destroy the whole land." 07:23 What do I see? 07:25 God is a warrior and He brings destruction. 07:29 Let's look at verse 6. 07:30 "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! 07:33 It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 07:37 Therefore all hands will be limp, 07:39 every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid." 07:42 God's destruction, it brings fear to the wicked. 07:46 Remember in Revelation, what did they say? 07:48 Fall on us and hide us from the face of the Him 07:51 who sits on the throne. 07:53 It brings fear to the wicked. 07:54 God would destroy sinners with a fierce wrath and anger. 07:59 Verse 9, 08:00 "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, 08:02 with both wrath and fierce anger, 08:06 to lay the land desolate, 08:07 and He will destroy its sinners from it." 08:10 God's redemptive judgments 08:13 are because of man's wickedness, 08:16 we would discover this in verse 11. 08:17 It says, 08:19 "I will punish the world for its evil, 08:21 and the wicked for their iniquity." 08:24 You see the description of man's wickedness, 08:26 we have evil, we have wicked, we have iniquity. 08:29 "I will halt the arrogance of the proud," 08:31 we have arrogance, 08:33 "I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." 08:37 We see that everyone is affected. 08:40 In verse 15, it says, 08:41 "Everyone who is found will be thrust through, 08:43 everyone who is captured will fall by the sword." 08:46 Now I think the next verse is the hardest verse for me, 08:50 as I look at the apparent harshness of our God, 08:55 this is verse 16. 08:57 Because we get upset 08:59 if we know that wars happen in today's society, 09:03 but we got upset if women are involved, 09:05 don't we? 09:06 Or if children, 09:07 innocent children are involved, 09:09 and it says here in verse 16, 09:10 "Their children will be dashed to pieces 09:14 before their eyes, 09:15 their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished." 09:19 Or literally they're going to be raped. 09:22 Okay, that's heavy. 09:23 When I read that, 09:25 how do you reconcile 1 John 4:8 that says, 09:28 "God is love." 09:30 So if I look at this judgment that's coming, 09:35 and then I compare that with God is love. 09:38 How do I put the two together? 09:40 How do I look at 09:42 even Isaiah Chapter 13 through the lens 09:45 that God is love? 09:47 I think the key is, 09:49 is to understand the character of God 09:50 and we're gonna look at five keys 09:52 for the character of God. 09:55 I'm gonna give them to you, and then we'll unpack them. 09:57 Key one, love is holy. 10:00 Number two, love is jealous. 10:04 Number three, love is disciplinary. 10:08 Number four, love is fair. 10:11 And number five, love is redemptive. 10:14 If we look at God 10:16 and we look at some of these harsh passages 10:19 in the Old Testament, 10:21 through the lens 10:22 that love is holy and jealous 10:24 and disciplinary and fair and redemptive, 10:27 it makes a difference in my mind 10:28 and how I interpret the scripture. 10:31 So let's look at love is holy. 10:33 God's anger can truly be understood 10:36 in light of the purity and holiness of God. 10:39 And the dissonance that 10:41 that creates between holiness on one side 10:44 and sin on the other. 10:47 It shows us how truly distasteful 10:50 and dangerous sin is, 10:52 after all, it caused the death of the Son of God. 10:54 1 Peter 1:16, 10:56 "For it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" 11:01 We've established in previous lessons 11:03 that sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. 11:08 Love is holy, 11:09 and sin cannot exist in that presence. 11:13 Number two, key number two, love is jealous. 11:16 God's anger can be understood in light of sin 11:19 or other things that come between me and God 11:23 and become my focus instead of Him. 11:26 You know, Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments, 11:28 verse 5, it says, 11:30 "You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. 11:32 For I, the Lord your God, am a," 11:33 what's that word? 11:35 Jealous. 11:36 "Jealous God, 11:38 visiting the iniquity 11:39 of the fathers upon the children 11:40 to the third and fourth generations 11:42 of those who hate Me." 11:43 That word jealous 11:44 in Hebrew was used six times in the Old Testament, 11:46 and it's always used in reference to God. 11:48 Now I thought growing up jealousy was a bad thing. 11:50 And there is a sinful jealousy for sure, 11:53 but there is also a godly jealousy. 11:55 Sinful jealousy is jealous for, 11:58 godly jealousy is jealous of. 12:02 Sinful jealousy 12:04 would be jealous for someone else's spouse 12:05 that I can't have. 12:07 And that doesn't belong to me. 12:08 Jealous for someone else's position, 12:10 or someone else's house, 12:11 or someone else's money that doesn't belong to me, 12:14 but God, we belong to Him and He is jealous, 12:18 not for us, but others 12:20 because we already belong to Him 12:23 because love is holy and God is holy. 12:25 He wants nothing between Him and us. 12:28 Nothing that would pull our affections from Him. 12:32 2 Corinthians 11:2 puts it this way, 12:34 "I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. 12:37 I have betrothed you or espoused you to one husband, 12:41 so that to Christ, 12:42 I may present you as a pure virgin." 12:45 Key number three, love is disciplinary. 12:48 God's anger can be understood as a redemptive judgment 12:52 from a parent who loves their child 12:55 and wants to save them. 12:56 Hebrews 12:5, 12:58 "My son do not despise 13:00 the chastening or correction of the Lord, 13:02 nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him." 13:05 For whom the Lord loves, He corrects, 13:07 and scourges every son whom He receives. 13:12 Key number four, love is fair. 13:14 God's anger can only be understood 13:16 in light of His law and fairness. 13:20 You know, Romans 7:12 tells us what? 13:22 "The law is holy, 13:23 and the commandment holy just and good." 13:26 The law of God is perfect and holy, 13:28 but yet you and I have transgressed that law. 13:31 Romans 6:23, 13:33 "The wages of sin is death, 13:34 but the gift of God is eternal 13:36 life through Jesus Christ our Lord." 13:38 We all should have died. 13:39 We all deserve to be punished, 13:41 but God took our punishment on our behalf. 13:48 You know, I think of the martyrs 13:50 when they were martyred. 13:52 I think of Revelation. 13:54 They cry out from under the altar, 13:56 how long, oh, Lord, 13:58 until we are vindicated 14:00 until You arise and bring judgment. 14:03 Now we're always delighted 14:05 and we want to exercise judgment ourselves, 14:07 but then, when God does arise, 14:10 and when that happens, we get upset. 14:11 Say, 14:13 "Why are you being? Why are You judging? 14:14 Why are you bringing judgment?" 14:15 Because love is fair. 14:17 Key number five, love is redemptive. 14:19 Jesus bore our sins on the cross. 14:23 How do you reconcile a loving God 14:25 allowing His only Son to die a wicked death? 14:29 Because He's holy 14:30 because He is fair in the demands 14:32 of the law must be met 14:34 because He is redemptive, 14:36 not willing that any should perish, 14:38 but that all should come to repentance. 14:41 Pastor John. 14:42 Wow, thank you, Jill, 14:44 for that amazing approach to the lesson. 14:47 It's amazing. 14:48 Mine is on Monday, 14:50 "The Late Great City of Babylon." 14:53 When I saw that I thought, wow, what an application 14:55 because it's taken us not only to the actual fall of Babylon, 14:59 but also to the fall of symbolic Babylon. 15:02 And I'm gonna begin because 15:03 I want to walk through a lot of times 15:05 we don't get a chance to do this. 15:07 So I'm gonna read Isaiah 13:2-22. 15:11 And follow along, 15:12 then I'm gonna make some application, 15:14 not an exact list, but application. 15:17 "Lift up a banner on the high mountain, 15:20 raise your voice to them, wave your hand, 15:23 that they may enter the gates of the nobles. 15:26 I have commanded My sanctified ones. 15:29 I've also called My mighty ones for My anger." 15:32 God is marshaling His forces together. 15:35 "Those who rejoice in My exaltation. 15:37 The noise of the multitude in the mountains, 15:39 like that of many people! 15:41 A tumultuous noise of the Kingdom 15:43 of nations gathered together! 15:45 The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. 15:48 They come from a far country, from the end of the earth, 15:51 the Lord and His weapons of indignation, 15:53 to destroy the whole land." 15:55 Now it talks about the act of God. 15:57 "Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! 15:59 It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 16:02 Therefore all hands will be limp, 16:05 every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. 16:09 Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them. 16:11 They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth. 16:14 They will be amazed at one another. 16:16 Their faces will be like flames." 16:18 Meaning red hot in fear. 16:20 "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, 16:22 cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, 16:25 to lay the land desolate, 16:26 and He will destroy its sinners from it." 16:29 Now there's beginning to be a parlay 16:31 between the fall of Babylon and the world itself. 16:34 What about the time of this judgment? 16:36 Verse 10, 16:38 "For the stars of heaven and their constellations 16:40 will not give their light, 16:42 the sun will be darkened in its going forth, 16:44 and the moon will not cause its light to shine." 16:48 Showing the atmosphere in the heavens 16:50 during the time of this judgment, 16:52 but now the parallel application, 16:54 verse 11, 16:55 "I will punish the world for its evil, 16:58 and the wicked for their iniquity. 17:00 I will halt the arrogance of the proud, 17:01 and lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 17:04 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, 17:08 a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 17:12 Therefore I will shake the heavens, 17:14 and the earth will move out of her place, 17:16 in the wrath of the Lord of hosts 17:18 and in the day of His fierce anger. 17:20 It shall be as the hunted gazelle, 17:23 and as a sheep that no one takes up, 17:25 every man will turn to his own people, 17:27 and everyone will flee to his own land. 17:30 Everyone who is found will be thrust through, 17:32 and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword." 17:35 What a picture. 17:37 "Their children also will be dashed to pieces 17:40 before their eyes, 17:41 their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished." 17:44 And you explain that very clearly, Jill. 17:47 "Behold," now it's going back to the prophetic aspects. 17:50 "'Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, 17:52 who will not regard silver, and as for gold, 17:55 they will not delight in it." 17:56 Because Babylon was the golden kingdom. 17:59 "Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, 18:01 and they will have no pity on the fruit of their womb. 18:04 Their eyes will not spare children. 18:06 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, 18:08 the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, 18:10 will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 18:13 It will never be inhabited." 18:15 This is a key in the latter application. 18:18 "Nor will it be settled from generation to generation, 18:21 nor will the Arab pitch tents there, 18:23 nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. 18:26 But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, 18:29 and their houses will be full of owls. 18:32 Ostriches will dwell there, 18:33 and wild goats will caper there. 18:36 The hyenas will howl in their citadels, 18:38 and jackals in their pleasant places. 18:41 Her time is near to come, 18:43 and her days will not be prolonged.'" 18:45 That's a mouthful. 18:46 But God is showing that this great kingdom Babylon, 18:50 and we're gonna see the parallel in a moment here 18:52 because Babylon was the greatest of the kingdoms 18:54 of antiquity, 18:56 the golden kingdom, the lion kingdom, 18:58 but as Babylon began to depreciate in its value, 19:01 the lion began to, his wings were plucked away. 19:05 And then instead of standing on four legs, 19:07 he stood upon two, 19:09 and then instead of having a lion's heart, 19:10 a man's heart was given to him. 19:12 The power of Babylon began to fall. 19:15 And as we know, 19:16 on the night of drunken revelry, 19:18 Babylon was ripped away, 19:19 as Belteshazzar had a golden cup, 19:24 fill the Lord's golden cup 19:27 filled with the wine of Babylon, 19:29 and then the reading of heaven. 19:31 Tonight, thy kingdom is divided 19:33 and given to the Medes and the Persians. 19:35 And what a fall Babylon was. 19:37 But as we go back to the antiquity dates in 626, 19:41 the Chaldean Nabopolassar restored Babylonian glory 19:46 by making himself king of Babylon, 19:48 beginning the Neo-Babylonian dynasty 19:51 and participating with Media 19:53 in the defeat of Assyria, 19:55 his son, Nebuchadnezzar II was the king 19:57 who conquered and exile to Judah. 20:00 So even after they fell, 20:01 there was some remnants that were left of the kingdom. 20:05 That's why even Babylon talks about the beast 20:07 that comes up out of the sea. 20:08 It has remnants of Babylon in it. 20:10 Babylon, Medo and Persia 20:11 are part still of the last puzzle. 20:13 But we know as I repeated Daniel 5:22-28, 20:17 how God had divided the kingdom, 20:21 and He finished it. 20:22 In 539, 20:24 Cyrus the Persian captured the Babylonian Empire, 20:27 and later merged the Medo-Persian Empire, 20:30 but in 482, Xerxes, 20:33 one brutally suppressed the revolt of Babylon 20:35 against the Persian rule. 20:37 So you see, there was still some skirmishes 20:39 that continued afterwards, 20:40 still trying to hold on to the former glory. 20:43 But let's now go down to Revelation 17, 20:45 because there's a parallel 20:47 to literal Babylon in symbolic Babylon. 20:50 Let's look at the present position of Babylon 20:52 in the eyes of God. 20:54 Revelation 17:5, 20:56 "And on her head, " 20:58 speaking about this woman 20:59 sitting on a scarlet colored beast, 21:02 "a name was written, 21:03 MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, 21:06 THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS 21:08 AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." 21:10 Very quickly. 21:11 She's the mother because she has daughters. 21:14 When you look at what the Babylonian system, 21:16 this false religious system, 21:18 but also is gonna be a coalition of religion, 21:21 of the kings of the earth 21:22 and of the merchants of the earth. 21:24 And I want to make very, very clear, 21:26 I'm a member of the World Economic Forum. 21:28 And I can see this coming together in our day, 21:30 the world is being reset, 21:32 the world is going through 21:34 what they call a build back better moment 21:36 where these economic powers merging with religious powers, 21:40 under the guidance of Rome, 21:43 are beginning to develop this picture. 21:45 And evangelicals that have turned their minds 21:48 away from God's truth, 21:50 are beginning to merge, 21:52 to create the threefold union 21:55 that will unite to fight 21:56 against God's remnant church in the last days, 21:58 but how does God see the system? 22:00 Revelation 14:8, 22:02 the present position of Babylon in God's eyes, 22:06 "And another angel followed, saying, 22:07 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 22:10 because she made all nations 22:12 drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.'" 22:15 That's Babylon's present position in God's eyes. 22:18 But let's look at Babylon's future decline 22:21 in God's eyes. 22:22 Revelation 16:19, 22:24 "Now the great city was divided into three parts, 22:28 and the cities of the nations fell." 22:30 Notice now it's not going to the antiquity Babylon, 22:33 but it's going to the Babylon of these present days, 22:36 the coalition, the beasts, 22:38 the false prophet, and the dragon, spiritualism, 22:42 apostate Protestantism and Romanism, 22:45 three parts, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. 22:50 And the Bible says, 22:51 "And the great Babylon was remembered before God, 22:54 to give her the cup of the wine 22:56 of the fierceness of His wrath." 22:58 So God is gonna deal with 23:01 the latter day application of this corrupt system, 23:04 He brought it down in the past, 23:06 and when He brings it down again, 23:08 it will never be inhabited. 23:10 Let's look at the future decline of Babylon 23:12 in man's eyes. 23:13 It's already fallen in God's eyes. 23:15 But now Revelation 18:6-11. 23:18 Let's see if I can get this in. 23:20 "In the measure that she glorified herself 23:22 and lived luxuriously, 23:24 in the same measure give her torment and sorrow, 23:27 for she says in her heart, 23:28 'I sit as a queen, and am no widow, 23:31 I will not see sorrow.' 23:32 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, 23:35 death and mourning and famine. 23:37 She shall be utterly burned with fire." 23:39 Notice the comparison between the past and the future. 23:42 "For strong as the Lord God who judges her. 23:45 The kings of the earth who committed fornication 23:47 and live luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, 23:50 when they see the smoke of her burning, 23:53 standing at a distance for fear for torment, saying, 23:56 'Alas, alas, 23:58 that great city Babylon, that mighty city! 24:01 For in one hour your judgment has come.' 24:04 And the merchants of the earth will weep 24:06 and mourn over her, 24:08 for no one buys their merchandise anymore." 24:10 In other words, 24:12 when they see Babylon for what it is, 24:14 they're not buying it. 24:15 But God is saying, don't wait till then 24:17 we can see Babylon for what it is now, 24:20 by reading the Word of God. 24:22 Symbolic Babylon dies because of abandonment. 24:25 And I don't have the time to read that, 24:27 but Revelation 18:17-19, it says, 24:30 "Alas, alas, that great city, 24:32 that wealthy city became in one hour, 24:35 it became desolate." 24:37 But the fate in God's eyes is this. 24:39 Revelation 18:4, why is God giving us this? 24:42 "Come out of her, My people." 24:44 God is calling those in Babylon 24:46 to come out before the destruction. 24:48 Amen. 24:49 Nobody teaches the Book of Revelation 24:51 like Pastor John. 24:53 Thank you, Pastor John. Amen. Praise the Lord. 24:54 We're gonna take a short break. We'll be right back. 25:00 Ever wish you could watch 25:01 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 25:04 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 25:07 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 25:12 A clean design makes it easy 25:14 to find the program you're looking for. 25:16 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:20 so you can follow along. 25:22 Sharing is easy. 25:23 Just click share 25:24 and choose your favorite social media. 25:26 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:30 Welcome back to our study of lesson number six, 25:33 Playing God. 25:34 We pick it up with Tuesday's lesson, 25:35 Jason Bradley. Yes. 25:37 Pastor Lomacang, all I have to say is wow! 25:41 Wow! 25:42 Tuesday's lesson 25:44 the Fall of the Mountain "King." 25:45 In this lesson, we're going to take a look at 25:47 just how destructive pride can be. 25:50 We'll also take a look at a few different ways 25:53 that pride manifests itself, 25:55 and we will examine 25:56 what the Bible has to say about pride. 25:59 Before we go any further 26:01 let's consider a few definitions of pride, 26:03 beginning with definition number one. 26:05 A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction 26:08 derived from one's own achievements, 26:10 the achievements of those 26:12 with whom one is closely associated 26:14 or from qualities or possessions 26:17 that are widely admired. 26:19 Definition number two, 26:20 consciousness of one's own dignity. 26:23 Now perhaps you've heard something like, 26:25 he swallowed his pride and asked for help 26:29 or the third definition 26:30 and probably one of the most common definitions, 26:33 the quality of having an excessively high opinion 26:36 of oneself or one's importance. 26:41 Now let's take a look 26:42 at what the Bible has to say about pride 26:44 and look at some of the devastating effects. 26:46 Proverbs 16:18 tells us that, 26:50 "Pride goes before destruction, 26:52 and a haughty spirit before a fall." 26:55 It's also important to note that 26:57 we cannot be prideful and submissive, simultaneously. 27:01 We cannot be prideful and submissive simultaneously. 27:06 Pride causes us to miss out on some amazing opportunities. 27:10 The Bible tells us about plenty of people 27:13 that allowed pride to manifest itself 27:15 in their lives in one way or another. 27:19 Now imagine being in the perfect environment, 27:22 but then pride rears its ugly head 27:25 and get you kicked out. 27:26 The lesson asks the question, 27:28 how could Isaiah 14:12-14 27:32 apply to a king of Babylon. 27:35 So let's look at Isaiah 14:12-14, 27:40 beginning in verse 12, 27:41 "How you are fallen from heaven, 27:43 O Lucifer, son of the morning! 27:46 How you are cut down to the ground, 27:48 you who weakened the nations! 27:51 For you have said in your heart, 27:52 'I will ascend into heaven, 27:54 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 27:58 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 28:01 on the farthest sides of the north. 28:03 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 28:07 I will be like the Most High.'" 28:09 He has lost his mind. 28:10 The audacity of Lucifer to say in his heart 28:14 that he'd exalt his throne above the stars of God 28:17 on the farthest sides of the North. 28:20 He wanted to be worshipped. 28:21 He's lost it. 28:23 Another manifestation of pride in one's life 28:25 is the notion that 28:27 one always knows best 28:28 despite God's clear revelation of truth. 28:31 In Daniel Chapter 2, 28:33 God told Daniel King Nebuchadnezzar's dream 28:36 and its interpretation. 28:38 Daniel then shared with the king his dream 28:40 and its meaning. 28:41 Now King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged 28:43 that Daniel's God was truly the God of gods 28:46 and the Lord of kings, 28:48 but something that's important to notice is that 28:50 Daniel gave all the credit for the dream 28:53 and its interpretation to God. 28:56 And that's crucial to take note of that. 29:00 Daniel made himself of no reputation. 29:02 In this particular dream 29:04 Babylon was represented or symbolized 29:07 by the head of gold as you brought out earlier, 29:09 the chest and arms were of silver 29:11 and represented Medo-Persia, 29:13 its belly and thighs were made of bronze 29:15 and was symbolic of Greece, 29:17 and Rome was represented by the legs of iron 29:20 and the division of Rome 29:22 was symbolized by the feet of iron and clay. 29:25 Now recognize the fact that the head was of gold, right? 29:30 The great stone that was in the dream 29:33 represents God's eternal kingdom. 29:36 Now instead of taking heed to what he saw in the dream, 29:40 the king erected a statue of all gold. 29:44 So not just the head of gold, 29:46 but all gold as to imply that 29:50 his kingdom was going to be eternal 29:52 and he commanded people to bow down 29:55 and worship the statue whenever music was played. 29:58 Again, we see that that false worship. 30:01 We know that Babylon fell 30:03 and we also know that 30:04 spiritual Babylon is going to fall too. 30:08 Only the one true God is worthy of our worship. 30:12 King Nebuchadnezzar had a second dream 30:15 that the Bible mentions. 30:17 And he also had a very humbling experience. 30:20 Now in Daniel 4:29-32. 30:23 Here's yet another example 30:25 of how pride goes before destruction. 30:29 Beginning in verse 29, 30:30 "At the end of the twelve months 30:32 he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30:36 The king spoke saying, 30:37 'Is not this great Babylon, 30:40 that I have built 30:42 for a royal dwelling by my mighty power 30:46 and for the honor of my majesty?' " 30:50 It was a little prideful to say the least. 30:54 "While the word was still in the king's mouth, 30:59 a voice fell from heaven." 31:00 And I don't know why I always picture this voice 31:03 sounding like James Earl Jones, 31:04 my voice isn't that deep, but, 31:07 "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, 31:10 the kingdom has departed from you! 31:15 And they shall drive you from men, 31:17 and your dwelling 31:18 shall be with the beasts of the field. 31:21 They shall make you eat grass like oxen, 31:23 and seven times shall pass over you, 31:26 until you know 31:28 that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, 31:31 and gives it to whomever He chooses.'" 31:35 Now after the king's humbling experience, 31:38 he was singing a different tune. 31:39 Look at verse 37. 31:42 "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, 31:44 praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, 31:48 all of whose works are truth, 31:50 and His ways justice. 31:52 And those who walk in pride He is able to put down." 31:56 Now King Nebuchadnezzar had a first-hand experience 31:59 on what happens when you are prideful. 32:02 Now look at what the lesson points out, 32:04 "As in Isaiah 14, 32:06 Ezekiel 28 identifies heaven-daring arrogance 32:11 with the ruler of a city. 32:13 Here also, the description goes beyond that 32:16 of an earthly monarch, 32:17 and God's crosshairs come into sharper focus, 32:20 the proud potentate was in the Garden of Eden, 32:24 an anointed covering, or guardian cherub 32:27 on God's holy mountain, 32:29 perfect from the day he was created 32:31 until sin was found in him, cast out by God, 32:36 and will eventually be destroyed with fire." 32:40 Again, pride leads to destruction. 32:44 Humility is the antithesis of pride. 32:47 Let's look at 1 Peter 5:5-7 32:53 at this wise counsel. 32:56 "Likewise you younger people, 32:58 submit yourselves to your elders. 33:01 Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, 33:04 and be clothed with humility, 33:05 for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' 33:10 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, 33:13 that He may exalt you in due time." 33:16 Notice it's God that exalt you, in due time. 33:19 "Casting all your care upon Him, 33:21 for He cares for you." 33:24 To wrap up today's lesson, 33:27 we'll compare a few verses, Isaiah 14:13-14, 33:31 we read this earlier. 33:33 "For you have said in your heart, 33:35 'I will ascend into heaven, 33:36 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 33:39 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 33:42 on the farthest sides of the north, 33:44 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 33:46 I will be like the Most High.'" 33:48 Lucifer has lost his mind. 33:52 Every time I read that, 33:53 I'm just blown away 33:55 that he could even think of himself 33:57 in such a manner. 33:58 In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, 34:01 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 34:05 for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 34:07 and you will find rest for your souls." 34:09 Notice the contrast there. 34:11 And notice what Jesus does in John 13:5. 34:16 "After that, He poured water into a basin 34:18 and began to wash the disciples' feet, 34:20 and to wipe them with the towel 34:22 with which He was girded." 34:24 And our final verses from this lesson 34:27 comes from Philippians 2:5-8. 34:31 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 34:36 who, being in the form of God, 34:38 did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 34:42 but made Himself of no reputation, 34:45 taking the form of a bondservant, 34:47 and coming in the likeness of men. 34:50 And being found in appearance as a man, 34:53 He humbled Himself 34:55 and became obedient to the point of death, 34:58 even the death of the cross." 35:01 Now look how beautiful Christ's character is. 35:05 I mean, when you look at the contrast there, 35:10 we need to reflect Christ character. 35:13 Pride and submission do not go hand in hand. 35:18 We don't need to go through 35:19 King Nebuchadnezzar's experience 35:22 and have, you know, that rough humbling experience 35:27 and come that way. 35:28 We need to just go to God right away. 35:31 Amen. Amen. That was wonderful. 35:35 Well, my lesson is Wednesday "Heaven's Gate, " 35:39 and it's on Isaiah 13 and 14. 35:42 There's a little duplication here, 35:44 but that's okay. 35:45 When we said in Isaiah 35:47 or Isaiah is taunting in Isaiah 14:12, 35:51 "How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, 35:54 which is the morning star, son of the dawn, he says, 35:58 son of the morning, son of the dawn. 36:00 How you were cut down to the ground, 36:03 you who weakened the nations!" 36:06 As you mentioned, in Genesis 3:15, 36:12 when God spoke to the serpent, He was also addressing Satan. 36:17 Here is a taunt against the king of Babylon, 36:21 and Satan who energized him. 36:23 So there's this taunt here. 36:25 And he used a similar language 36:27 against the king of Tyre and Satan 36:29 who was behind him in Ezekiel 28. 36:33 So when you think of Lucifer, this shining morning star. 36:39 What happens to the morning star 36:42 when the sun arises? 36:45 It fades. It's gone. 36:47 And that's what's gonna happen. 36:49 You know, actually, Jesus referred to you 36:51 actually kind of paraphrased this 36:54 when He was describing Satan's fall in Luke 10:18. 36:58 "He said, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" 37:04 Because Revelation 12:9 says, 37:06 "The great dragon was cast out, 37:09 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 37:12 who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth, 37:17 and his angels were cast out with him." 37:19 I wanted to read just a paragraph, 37:21 the quarter like 'cause you couldn't place, 37:23 say it any better than this. 37:25 In Isaiah 14, a taunt against Satan, 37:29 "the fallen day star, the son of dawn" 37:32 is blended into a taunt against the king of Babylon. 37:36 Why? 37:38 Well, if you compare Revelation 12:1-9, 37:41 where the dragon is identified as Satan 37:45 tries to destroy the child, as soon as it is born. 37:50 And in Revelation 12:5 shows us that 37:53 this child is clearly Christ. 37:56 So then he says, but it was King Herod, 38:00 who tried to kill Jesus as a young child. 38:03 The dragon is both Satan and the Roman power 38:09 represented by Herod 38:11 because Satan works through human agents. 38:15 So similarly, Satan has, 38:18 he was the power behind the king of Babylon, 38:23 and the king of Tyre. 38:24 So why does Babylon later refer to Rome 38:31 in the evil power in the Book of Revelation? 38:33 Let's look at 1 Peter 5:13. 38:38 1 Peter 5:13. 38:41 Peter writes, 38:42 "She who is in Babylon, " 38:44 she is referring to a church, 38:47 "She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, 38:52 greets you, 38:53 and so does Mark my son." 38:56 Babylon was an alias, it was a codename for Rome. 39:02 And here's what happened. 39:05 When Rome burned all of its temples 39:08 and its shrines, and its architecture, 39:10 everything that about the culture, 39:12 all the household items were burned up. 39:16 The people were furious with Nero. 39:22 They assumed and knew it was Nero, 39:25 who burned Rome, 39:27 but they knew that 39:28 because he had such an insatiable quest building, 39:35 that the only way that he could build more 39:37 was to burn up what he'd already built, 39:38 so everybody is upset with them. 39:41 But what Nero does is he's very cunning, 39:45 and he blames the Christians. 39:48 And this started a fierce, 39:52 it was a vicious persecution against the Christians 39:57 because they basically knew that 40:03 the Christians were associated with the Jews. 40:05 Now they're being blamed for the fire. 40:08 Well, this put Christians in danger. 40:12 So in times of persecution, 40:15 writers would often use code names 40:18 'cause they didn't want the church to be identified 40:21 through their letters. 40:22 And Peter didn't want this letter found, 40:25 and then have it be resulting in the church 40:28 being further persecuted. 40:30 So he uses this name, codenamed Babylon 40:33 because Babylon was a city of idolatry, 40:38 which is as Rome. 40:40 You remember, in Genesis 11, 40:43 when the people built the Tower of Babel. 40:48 They did this 40:50 so that they could exalt themselves 40:54 get to a divine level of immunity, 40:56 they didn't want another flood to come through. 40:58 They were gonna take over basically, 41:01 they didn't want any accountability to God. 41:03 So they're taking 41:05 their own destiny in their hands, 41:09 if you will. 41:10 And the name Babylon implies rebellion against God, 41:16 like literal Babylon. 41:19 What we see is Rome and Babylon. 41:22 The Babylon of Revelation are proud, ruthless powers 41:29 who oppressed the people of God. 41:31 So Revelation 14:8, when we get to Revelation, 41:36 Babylon is this code word for Rome. 41:38 And Revelation 14:8 says, 41:41 "Another angel followed, saying, 41:43 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, 41:46 because she has made all the nations 41:49 drink of the wine of the wrath of fornication.'" 41:52 Now if you flip over to Chapter 17, 41:55 Revelation 17:5-6 says, 41:59 "On her forehead a name was written, 42:02 MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, 42:06 THE ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH." 42:10 And he said, "I saw the woman." 42:12 And remember, a woman is a code word for a church. 42:15 That's a symbolic word. 42:17 I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints 42:20 with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 42:22 When I saw, I marveled with great amazement. 42:26 So John's using this code word Babylon 42:29 as well for Rome. 42:31 Revelation 18:2, he says, 42:35 "After these things 42:36 I saw another angel coming down from heaven, 42:39 having great authority, 42:41 and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 42:44 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 42:48 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, 42:51 and has become a dwelling place of demons, 42:54 a prison for every foul spirit, 42:57 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!" 43:02 And I jump down to verse 20. 43:03 Revelation 18:20, 43:06 "'Rejoice over her, O heaven, 43:08 and you holy apostles and prophets, 43:11 for God has avenged you on her!' 43:15 Then a mighty angel took up a stone 43:16 like a great millstone 43:18 threw it into the sea, saying, 43:20 'Thus with violence 43:22 the great city Babylon will be thrown down.'" 43:26 This system, this false system of Rome, 43:30 will be thrown down at the end. 43:33 In the Babylonian language, Babylon was Bab-ili, 43:40 and it means that Gates of the Gods, 43:44 it referred to a place of access 43:47 to the divine realm. 43:50 So based on this model, Babylon had... 43:55 When you think of it 43:56 as the gate of multiple pagan gods, 44:00 they had their towers and their ziggurats, 44:02 and all of this built by human hands, 44:05 but it was all false. 44:08 And all false religion, including, 44:11 may I add the religion of salvation by works? 44:17 That's a false religion. 44:19 That's all human secularism. 44:22 So let's look at the contrast to heaven's true gate. 44:27 Genesis 28:16, this is Jacob's dream. 44:34 And there's a ladder that originates from heaven, 44:37 connecting heaven and earth. 44:39 And Genesis 28:16, 44:40 "Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 44:42 'Surely the Lord is in this place, 44:45 and I did not know it.' 44:47 And he was afraid and said, 44:49 'How awesome is this place! 44:52 This is none other than the house of God, 44:54 this is the gate of heaven!' " 44:57 He names the place Bethel, which means house of God, 45:02 gate of heaven. 45:03 And the gate of heaven contrasting 45:08 when you look at the path of salvation, 45:11 it is divinely originated. 45:14 It comes from heaven to us. 45:16 There's no way human works, we cannot work our way up, 45:21 we can't build a ladder, 45:23 God sent Jesus Christ 45:26 as the bridge between heaven and earth. 45:28 That's true religion. 45:30 Amen. 45:34 Lots and lots to study, right? 45:36 The Book of Isaiah is just packed with so much. 45:39 And if I were to go through everything 45:42 that this lesson is having me to talk about today, 45:45 we'd be here for more than 10 minutes, 45:48 but, you know, it seems like we're moving quickly through 45:51 about 9 chapters, 45:53 on the other side of Chapters 13 and 14, 45:56 what you see, you know, in Chapters 15, 16, 17, 45:59 all the way through to Chapter 13, 46:01 in the Book of Isaiah, 46:02 is these proclamations 46:04 against these individual nations. 46:06 And you see there in Chapter 15, 46:07 the proclamation, 46:08 and also in Chapter 16, against Moab, 46:11 17 against Syria and Israel, 46:13 18 against the nation of Ethiopia, 46:16 and, of course, 19 is Egypt. 46:18 And you go all the way through and you're seeing again, 46:19 they bring up Babylon, again, against Jerusalem. 46:23 There's all these different proclamations 46:25 all the way through. 46:26 And by the time you get to Chapters 24, 25, 26, and 27, 46:32 which is basically 46:33 what Thursday's lesson is all about. 46:35 And by the way, 46:36 we're going to talk about victory. 46:37 Okay? 46:39 We're going to talk about victory 46:40 because that's exactly what lesson six is all about. 46:42 It's about the Final Triumph of Zion, 46:44 we're moving toward God dealing. 46:46 God's been, He's claim those proclamations 46:50 against those individual nations. 46:51 And now in Chapters 24, 25, 26, and 27, 46:55 we see how God is going to declare victory 46:59 for the remnant. 47:00 Okay, I want to make that clear. 47:02 It's for Israel, it's for the Jews, 47:04 but it's for the remnant. 47:06 And you can actually go back and read about that remnant 47:08 in the latter verses of Isaiah 10. 47:10 God's people will be victorious. 47:13 And so what we're gonna spend 47:16 the bulk of our time in right now 47:17 is Isaiah 24, 47:18 as to how God is going to bring about this victory 47:21 because we're gonna see that 47:23 if you are an enemy of God, you do not go undealt with. 47:27 Okay, God is going to deal with those enemies, right? 47:31 And so we live in a world today where it seems like, 47:33 you know, with all of the injustices 47:35 that are being done, 47:36 all of the oppression, all of the corruption, 47:38 I find myself often saying, 47:40 "Man, you know, I just wish, 47:42 I wish that these people could be dealt with." 47:44 And God is saying, "Hang on." 47:46 Because there's coming a time when vengeance will be mine, 47:48 and I will deal with the enemies of God. 47:51 And that's what we're seeing here 47:53 in the majority of Isaiah 24. 47:55 So let's go there, Isaiah 24. 47:57 I'm going to start reading there in verse 1, 47:59 and then we're gonna skip down. 48:01 We see that Isaiah is given a prophetic vision, 48:05 a prophetic picture 48:07 of how God is gonna deal with the enemies of God 48:10 and what this world is gonna look like 48:11 when God finally declares 48:13 open war on the enemies of the Lord. 48:15 So notice Isaiah 24, starting with verse 1, it says, 48:19 "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, 48:22 and maketh it waste." 48:24 I'm reading from the King James Version. 48:26 I like how some of it was worded 48:27 a little bit better than the other versions. 48:29 It says, it goes on to say, 48:31 "And turneth it upside down, 48:32 and scattereth it abroad the inhabitants thereof." 48:36 That's the first part of verse 1, 48:39 now skip down to verse 19. 48:41 Isaiah 24:19, 48:43 he describes what he sees 48:45 when Jesus comes back in all of His glory, 48:48 and He's about to deal with these enemies of God 48:51 so that God's people can be victorious. 48:53 He says, 48:54 "The earth is utterly broken down, 48:57 the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 49:02 The earth shall real to and fro like a drunkard, 49:06 and shall be removed like a cottage, 49:08 and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, 49:11 and it shall fall, and not rise again. 49:15 It shall come to pass in that day, 49:16 that the Lord shall punish the host 49:18 of the high ones that are on high, 49:20 and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 49:23 And they shall be gathered together, 49:24 as prisoners are gathered in the pit, " 49:27 can't emphasize that language enough, okay, 49:30 "as prisoners are gathered in the," what? 49:32 "In the pit." 49:33 Okay, the Septuagint, 49:35 there's a particular word used there in that translation, 49:37 but we're gonna see in just a moment 49:39 that we see this same language 49:40 come back up in the Book of Revelation 49:42 because there's a prophetic application here. 49:44 "So as they are gathered together, 49:46 as prisoners are gathered in a pit, 49:48 and shall be shut up in the prison," okay? 49:53 "And after many days shall they be visited. 49:56 Then the moon shall be confounded, 49:57 and the sun ashamed, 49:59 when the Lord of the hosts shall reign in Zion, 50:02 and in Jerusalem, 50:04 and before the ancients gloriously." 50:07 Okay, so what you're seeing is Isaiah's version 50:10 that God showed him. 50:12 Isaiah is basically recording what he saw that beautiful, 50:17 incredible scene of when Christ comes back 50:19 in all His glory. 50:20 It's beautiful to those who are triumphant. 50:22 It's beautiful to those 50:24 who have given their hearts to God, 50:25 who had trusted in Him 50:26 who are a part of the remnant of the Lord, 50:29 but it's not so pretty to those 50:30 who were an enemy of God's people, 50:32 an enemy of God's agenda, an enemy of God Himself. 50:36 In fact, notice what Revelation Chapter 20 50:38 speaking of that language of use, again, 50:40 prisoners gathered in the pit like prisoners again, 50:43 locked up in the prison. 50:44 Notice what Revelation 20:1-3 says, 50:47 speaking of that time, 50:49 when Christ comes back, it says, 50:50 "And I saw another angel come down from heaven, 50:52 having the key of the bottomless pit 50:54 and a great chain in his hand." 50:56 We know that these are symbolic words, 50:58 symbolic language is being used here. 51:00 These are chains of circumstances. 51:02 And the Lord is about to deal with the great enemy of God, 51:04 the devil himself. 51:06 Notice, it says, 51:07 "And he laid hold on that dragon, 51:09 that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, 51:10 and bound him a thousand years, 51:13 and cast him into the bottomless pit." 51:15 We know that this pit 51:17 is the language for the earth, okay? 51:18 A chain of circumstances 51:20 in which the enemies of God will be destroyed 51:23 and laid abroad their carcasses, 51:26 as Matthew 24 says, 51:27 their carcasses are spread abroad 51:30 all over this earth, 51:31 and the devil and his minions, 51:33 his demons are left here with no one to bother, 51:35 no one to tempt, no one to cause distress upon. 51:40 And it goes on to say, 51:41 "And cast him in the bottomless pit, 51:42 and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, 51:45 that he should deceive the nations no more." 51:49 Amen? Amen. 51:51 But till the 1000 years, it should be fulfilled, 51:55 and after that he shall be loose, 51:57 a little season, 51:58 but by this point, you know, we can sing, 52:00 "Victory in Jesus" 52:02 because God's people will be victorious. 52:04 We don't have to deal with this devil anymore. 52:07 Amen to that. 52:09 But notice here in the latter part 52:11 of that verse that I just read, 52:12 again, that beautiful prophetic application 52:14 that God showed, 52:15 so priestly prophets, like Isaiah, 52:17 and he showed also Jeremiah received the same vision. 52:20 Go read in Jeremiah Chapter 4, 52:22 Jeremiah saw the coming of the Lord 52:24 and how the earth was left desolate. 52:26 And there was no man he said, 52:27 "I looked, and behold, there was no man." 52:29 He's talking about there was no living man 52:31 because the living the triumphant 52:33 had been taken victoriously with the Lord, 52:36 but those who were not of the Lord, 52:37 who did not trust in the Lord, 52:39 who did not give their life to the Lord, 52:41 they're left behind, 52:42 of course, broken down 52:43 and desolate with this horrible, 52:45 horrible broken down earth. 52:47 So notice the latter part of Isaiah 24. 52:49 I'm looking at verse 23. Notice what it says. 52:52 And it says, 52:53 "Then the moon shall be confounded, 52:54 and the sun ashamed, 52:56 when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, 52:59 and in Jerusalem, 53:00 and before his ancients gloriously." 53:02 Now the lesson brings out that 53:05 Isaiah probably would have understood this 53:07 to be a time in which this would actually happen 53:10 in the literal city of Jerusalem 53:12 that he would have seen, he would have been a part of, 53:15 but we know when we go to the Book of Revelation, 53:17 God was speaking of a time in which the New Jerusalem, 53:21 a newly made Jerusalem, 53:23 which He would dwell with His people once again, 53:25 of course, I'm speaking of Revelation 21:2, 53:28 notice what the Bible says in Revelation 21:2, it says, 53:31 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 53:35 coming down from God out of heaven, 53:36 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." 53:40 Okay, so the New Jerusalem, but what did it say in Isaiah? 53:43 It said, the moon shall be confounded, 53:45 and the sun ashamed. 53:46 What is that saying? 53:48 It's talking about how the moon will not give its light, 53:49 there would be no need for a sun. 53:51 We're not in the old Jerusalem, 53:52 but the New Jerusalem 53:54 that we just read about in Revelation 21. 53:56 In fact, if you in that same chapter, 53:58 Revelation 21:23, 54:00 beautiful, I love it. 54:01 It says, 54:03 "The city had no need of the sun, 54:04 or the moon to shine in it, 54:06 for the glory of God 54:08 illuminated it, the lamb is its light." 54:12 Hallelujah! 54:13 Jesus' glory is so bright and so powerful 54:16 that there's no need for a sun 54:17 or a moon or the stars or anything to light it 54:20 because Jesus is the light. 54:21 And, of course, we also read that 54:22 again in Revelation 22:5 where it says, 54:25 "That there shall be no more night there. 54:27 There need no lamp nor light of the sun, 54:32 for the Lord gives light to them. 54:34 And they shall reign forever and ever." 54:36 We're talking about the triumphant victory 54:39 of God's people, 54:40 as they have placed their trust and their lives 54:42 in the hands of the Savior. 54:44 He will not let those wicked people, 54:47 He will not let the enemy go unpunished 54:49 as we have just read. 54:51 Notice also in Isaiah 28:21 54:55 talking about the journey towards victory, 54:57 we got to address really quickly 54:58 the destruction of the wicked. 55:00 It says, 55:01 "For the Lord shall rise up as at Mount Perazim, " 55:04 kind of feel confirm, 55:06 if I'm saying that correctly or not, 55:07 "Perazim, 55:08 He shall be worth as the Valley of Gibeon." 55:11 Notice, 55:12 "That He may do His work, His strange work, 55:15 and bring it to pass as His act, 55:18 His strange act." 55:19 Notice how the destruction, 55:21 the destructive work of God is strange to him. 55:23 And it's strange to him 55:25 because he doesn't want to do it, 55:26 but he does it because he has to do it. 55:29 He has to deal with this sin problem. 55:31 And I don't know about, you guys, 55:32 but I want to make sure 55:33 I'm on the side of victory, right? 55:36 We want to put our trust in Jesus, 55:37 trust in the Lord, 55:39 and you will be victorious. 55:40 Amen. 55:42 Thank you all so much. 55:43 What an incredible study, Playing God. 55:45 I want to give each one of you a moment 55:46 to share something about your day. 55:48 Pastor John? 55:49 The last great city Babylon, Revelation 18:21, 55:51 makes it very clear. 55:52 "Then a mighty angel took up a stone 55:54 like a great millstone 55:55 and threw it into the sea, saying, 55:57 'Thus with violence 55:59 the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, 56:01 and shall not be found anymore." 56:03 God is still in charge of the end result. 56:06 Praise God for that. Amen. 56:09 Don't be a part of self-exaltation. 56:12 Let God exalts you. Let God move in your life. 56:16 If our Creator is humble, who are we to be proud? 56:21 Who are we to be a prideful people? 56:23 Amen and Amen. 56:25 Mine was Heaven's Gate. 56:27 And I'll just say this, 56:28 that we know that Ephesians 2:8 says, 56:33 "By grace you are saved through faith, 56:35 Jesus is the gate to heaven." 56:38 You cannot work your way there. 56:40 That is a false gate. 56:43 I said it earlier, 56:44 "Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever." 56:50 Jesus is our Savior. 56:51 And we can have victory in Him. How? 56:54 Let me give you this closing thought here. 56:55 Proverbs 3:5-6. 56:58 We read it many, many times. 57:00 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 57:02 and lean not on your own understanding. 57:05 In all your ways acknowledge Him, 57:07 and He shall direct your paths." 57:10 Amen. Amen. 57:11 Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan, and Shelley, 57:14 and Jason, and Pastor John, 57:15 thank you for your study of the Word of God. 57:18 When I look at this lesson, lesson six, Playing God. 57:21 When we think we know better than God, 57:24 and we want to become like God, that's when we play God. 57:28 When we think we know better than God 57:30 and engage in false teachings 57:32 and false worship as we discovered in Babylon. 57:35 That's when we play God. 57:38 When we engage in judgment against other people, 57:42 instead of waiting for God, 57:43 the righteous judge to rise up and judge, 57:47 that's when we play God, 57:50 but instead of that God calls you and me, 57:52 each one of us to come before Him 57:55 to seek His face humbly, 57:57 to ask Him into our heart, 58:00 and to study His Word 58:01 to show ourselves approved unto Him. 58:03 Join us next week lesson number seven, 58:05 "Defeat of the Assyrians." 58:08 Amen. |
Revised 2021-03-12