Latest / 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast / Babylon Revealed | Jeremiah, Revelation, and the Mystery Harlot (Oct 26)

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Babylon Revealed | Jeremiah, Revelation, and the Mystery Harlot (Oct 26) · 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast

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Babylon. Have you ever wondered whether or not this
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Babylon that's spoken of in Revelation 17
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and 18, the mystery harlot woman who rides the Beast,
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who carries the cup of abominations that all the nations get
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drunk on— is this woman, this mystery Babylon harlot
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woman, is it literal or is it allegorical?
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Today we are going to look at Jeremiah chapter 50 and 51
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and see the amazing parallels between
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Jeremiah 50 and 51 as
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it connects to Revelation 17 and 18 where
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we see Babylon very prominently in Revelation
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17 and 18. Is it literal or
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is it allegorical? Listen in as we
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unpack this. Welcome to the Daily Audio
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Torah. Today is October 26th.
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Now let's continue our journey reading through the entire Bible
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in one year. This week we are reading from the New Living
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Translation for the Old Testament and for the
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New Testament.
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Numbers 29:26-40.
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On the 5th day of the festival, sacrifice 9 young bulls,
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2 rams, and 14 1-year-old male lambs,
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all with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls, rams,
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and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and
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liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a
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male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt
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offering with its accompanying grain offering
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and liquid offering.
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On the 6th day of the festival, sacrifice 8 young bulls,
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2 rams, and 14 1-year-old male lambs
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with no defects. Each of these offerings of bulls,
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rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering
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and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice a
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male goat as a sin offering in addition to the regular burnt offering with its
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accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
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On the 7th day of the festival, sacrifice 7 young bulls,
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2 rams, and 14 1-year-old male lambs,
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all with no defects.
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Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied
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by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering.
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You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering in addition
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to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering
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and liquid offering. On the 8th day of the festival,
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proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary
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work on that day. You must present a
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burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma
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to the Lord. It will consist of 1 young bull, 1 ram, and 7
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1-year-old male lambs, all with no defects.
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Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain
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offering and liquid offering. You must also sacrifice
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1 male goat as a sin offering in addition
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to the regular burnt offering with this— with its accompanying grain
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offering and liquid offering. You must present these offerings
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to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition
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to the sacrifice sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows
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or as voluntary offerings: burnt offerings, grain offerings,
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liquid offerings, or peace offerings.
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So Moses gave all these instructions to the people of Israel as
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the Lord had commanded him.
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Jeremiah 49:23-50:46.
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This message was given Concerning Damascus.
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This is what the Lord says: The towns of Hamath
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and Arpad are struck with fear, for they have heard the news
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of their destruction. Their hearts are troubled like a wild
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sea in a raging storm. Damascus has become feeble,
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and all her people turn to flee. Fear,
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anguish, and pain have gripped her as they do a woman
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giving birth. That famous city, a city of joy,
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will be forsaken. Her young men will fall in the streets
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and die; her warriors will all be killed, says the
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Lord Almighty. And I will start a fire at the edge of Damascus that
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will burn up the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
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This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of
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Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
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This is what the Lord says: Advance against Kedar; blot
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out the warriors from the east. Their flocks and tents will be captured,
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and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
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Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard: We are terrorized
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at every turn! Flee for your lives! says the Lord.
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Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor, for King Nebuchadnezzar
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of Babylon has plotted against you and is preparing to destroy you.
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Go up and attack those self-sufficient nomadic tribes,
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says the Lord. They live alone in the desert without
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walls or gates. Their camels and cattle will all be yours.
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I will scatter to the winds these people who live in distant places.
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I will bring calamity upon them from every direction,
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says the Lord. Hazor will be inhabited by jackals
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and it will be desolate forever. No one will live there
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anymore. This message concerning Elam
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came to the prophet Jeremiah from the Lord at the beginning of
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the reign of King King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the Lord
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Almighty says: I will destroy the archers of Elam,
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the best of their marksmen. I will bring enemies from all
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directions, and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four
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winds. They will be exiled to countries around the world.
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I myself will go with Elam's enemies to shatter it.
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My fierce anger will bring great disaster upon the people of
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Elam, says the Lord. Their enemies will chase
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them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.
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I will set my throne in Elam, says the Lord, and I
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will destroy its kings and princes. But in the latter
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days I will restore the fortunes of Elam.
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The Lord gave Jeremiah the prophet this message concerning
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Babylon and the land of the Babylonians.
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This is what the Lord says: Tell the whole world and keep
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nothing back. Raise a signal flag so everyone will know
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that Babylon will fall. Her images and idols will be shattered.
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Her gods, Bel and Marduk, will be utterly disgraced.
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For a nation will attack her from the north and bring such destruction
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that no one will live in her again. Everything will be
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gone. Both people and animals will flee.
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Then the people of Israel and Judah will join
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together, says the Lord, weeping and
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seeking the Lord their God. They will ask the way to Jerusalem
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and will start back home again. They will bind themselves
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to the Lord with an external covenant that will never again be
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broken. My people have been lost
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Sheep! Their shepherds have led them astray and turned
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them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and cannot remember
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how to get back to the fold. All who found them
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devoured them. Their enemies said, We are allowed to attack them
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freely, for they have sinned against the LORD, their place of rest,
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the hope of their ancestors. But now flee from Babylon,
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leave the land of the Babylonians! Lead my people home
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again, for look, I am raising up an army of great nations from
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the north. I will bring them against Babylon to attack her, and she
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will be captured. The enemy's arrows will go straight
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to the mark. They will not miss. Babylonia will be
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plundered until the attackers are glutted with plunder, says the Lord.
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You rejoice and are glad, you plunderers of my
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chosen people. You frisk about like a calf in a meadow and
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neigh like a stallion, but your homeland will be overwhelmed
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with shame and disgrace. You will become the least
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of nations, a wilderness, a dry and desolate land.
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Because of the Lord's anger, Babylon will become a deserted
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wasteland. All who pass by will be horrified
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and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
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Yes, Prepare to attack Babylon, all you nations
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round about! Let your archers shoot at her.
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Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the
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Lord. Shout against her from every side!
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Look, she surrenders! Her walls have fallen!
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The Lord has taken vengeance, so do not spare her.
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Do to her as she has done to others.
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Lead from Babylon all those who plant Send all the
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harvesters away. Let the captives escape the
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sword of the enemy and rush back to their own lands.
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The Israelites are like sheep that have been scattered by lions.
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First, the king of Assyria ate them up. Then King
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Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cracked their bones.
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Therefore, the Lord Almighty, the Lord of Israel,
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says, now I will punish the king of Babylon and
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his land just as I punished the king of Assyria. And I
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will bring Israel home again to her own land,
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to feed in the fields of Carmel and Bashan,
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and to be satisfied once more on the hill country of Ephraim
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and Gilead. In those days, says the Lord,
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no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah, for I will
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forgive the remnant I preserve. Go up, my warriors,
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against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod,
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Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels,
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a land that I will judge. Pursue, kill, and completely
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destroy them, as I have commanded you, says the Lord. Let the battle
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cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction!
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Babylon, the mightiest hammer in all the earth,
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lies broken and shattered.
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Babylon is desolate among the nations. Listen,
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Babylon, for I have set a trap for you. You are caught!
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For you have fought against the Lord. The Lord has opened
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his armory and brought out weapons to vent his fury against his enemies.
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The terror that falls upon the Babylonians will be the work
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of the Sovereign Lord Almighty. Yes, come against her from
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distant lands, break open her granaries, crush her
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walls and houses into heaps of rubble, destroy her
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completely and leave nothing.
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Even destroy her cattle. It will be terrible for them
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to slaughter them all, for the time has come
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for Babylon to be devastated. Listen to the people who
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have escaped from Babylon as they declare in Jerusalem how
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the Lord our God has taken vengeance against those who
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destroyed his temple. Send out a call for archers
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to come to Babylon. Surround the city. So none can
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escape. Do to her as she has done to others,
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for she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
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Her young men will fall in the streets and die. Her warriors will all
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be killed, says the Lord. See,
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I am your enemy, O proud people, says the Lord, the Lord
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Almighty. Your day of reckoning has arrived. O land
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of pride, you will stumble and fall, and no one will raise you up.
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For I will light a fire in the cities of Babylon that will burn
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everything around them. And now the Lord
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Almighty says this: The people of Israel and Judah have
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been wronged. Their captors hold them and refuse
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to let them go. But the one who redeems them is strong.
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His name is the Lord Almighty. He will defend
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them and give them rest again in Israel. But the people of Babylon,
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there will be no rest for them. The sword of destruction
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will strike the Babylonians, says the Lord. It will
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strike the people of Babylon, her princes and wise men too.
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And when it strikes her wise counselors, they will become fools.
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When it strikes her mightiest warriors, panic will seize them.
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When it strikes her horses and chariots, her allies from other
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lands will become as weak as women. When it strikes
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her treasures, They all will be plundered. It will even strike her
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water supply, causing it to dry up. And why?
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Because the whole land is filled with idols,
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and the people are madly in love with them. Soon this
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city of Babylon will be inhabited
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by ostriches and jackals. It will be
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a home for the wild animals of the desert.
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Never again will people live there. It will lie desolate forever.
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I will destroy it just as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and
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their neighboring towns, says the Lord. No one will live there anymore.
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Look, a great army is marching from the north.
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A great nation and many kings are rising against you from far-off lands.
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They are fully armed for slaughter. They are cruel and show no
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mercy. As they ride forward, the noise of their
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army is like a roaring sea. They are marching in battle
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formation to destroy you, Babylon. The king of
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Babylon has received reports about the enemy, and he is weak
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with fright. Fear and pain have gripped him like that of a
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woman about to give birth. I will come like a lion
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from the thickets of the Jordan, leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
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I will chase Babylon from its land, and I will appoint the
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leader of my choice. For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
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What ruler can oppose my will? Listen to the Lord's
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plans against Babylon and the land of the Babylonians.
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Even little children will be dragged off, and their homes will
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be empty. The earth will shake with the noise
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of Babylon's fall, and her cry of despair will be
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heard around the world.
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Titus 1:1-16.
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This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and
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an apostle of Jesus Christ.
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I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen
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and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live
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godly lives. This truth gives them the confidence
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of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began,
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and he cannot lie. And now, at the right time, he has revealed
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this good news, and we announce it to everyone. It is by the command
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of God our Savior that I have been trusted to do this work for
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him. This letter is written to Titus, my true
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child in the faith that we share. May God the Father
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and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace, and peace.
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I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work
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there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.
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An elder must be well thought of for his good life.
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He must be faithful to his wife and his children must be
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believers who are not wild or rebellious. An elder must
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live a blameless life because he is God's minister. He must not
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be arrogant or quick-tempered. He must not be a heavy drinker,
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violent, or greedy for money. He must enjoy having
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guests in his home and must love all that is good.
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He must live wisely and be fair. He must live a
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devout and disciplined life. He must have a strong and
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steadfast belief in the trustworthy message he was taught.
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Then he will be able to encourage others with right teaching
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and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
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But there are many who rebel against right teaching. They engage
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in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially
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true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation.
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They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned
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whole families away from the truth. Such teachers
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only want your money. One of their own men, a prophet
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from Crete, has said about them, the people of Crete are all liars.
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They are cruel animals and lazy gluttons. This is true,
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so rebuke them as sternly as necessary to make them
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strong in the faith. They must stop listening to Jewish myths
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and the commands of people who have turned their backs on the truth.
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Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure, but nothing
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is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving because
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their minds and consciences are defiled.
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Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by
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the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient,
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worthless for doing anything good.
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Psalm 97:1-98:9.
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The Lord is King! Let the earth rejoice; let
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the farthest islands be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness
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and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes
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before Him and burns up all His foes.
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His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and
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trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
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before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens declare His
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righteousness. Every nation sees His glory.
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Those who worship idols are disgraced. All who
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brag about their worthless gods. For every god must
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bow to him. Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced,
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and all the cities of Judah are glad because
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of your justice, Lord. For you, O Lord,
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are most high over all the earth. You are exalted far
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above all gods. You who love the Lord hate
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evil. He protects the lives of his godly people
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and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
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Light shines on the godly, and joy on those
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who do right. May all who are godly be happy in
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the Lord and praise his holy name. Sing a
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new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds.
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He has won a mighty victory by his power and
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holiness. The Lord has announced his victory and has
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revealed his righteousness to every nation. He has remembered
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his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The whole earth
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has seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth!
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Break out in praise and sing for joy! Sing your praise
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to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious
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song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram's horn. Make a joyful
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symphony before the Lord, the King! Let the sea and everything
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in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things
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join in! Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
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Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord!
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For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. He will judge
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the world with justice and the nations with fairness.
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Proverbs 26:13-16.
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The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, I can't go outside because there
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might be a lion lion on the road. Yes,
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I'm sure there's a lion out there. As a door turns back and
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forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
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Some people are so lazy that they won't lift a finger to feed themselves.
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Lazy people consider themselves smarter than 7 wise counselors.
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I want to speak to you today from our reading from Jeremiah chapter
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50. And tomorrow we're going to be reading from Jeremiah chapter
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51, and these 2 chapters are a prophetic
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judgment against Babylon.
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And so the $64 million question is, who or
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what is Babylon? Is Babylon
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Rome? Is it the Roman Catholic Church? Is it
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the United States of America? Is it the global Babylonian
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system with many tentacles like an octopus,
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or is it literally a city?
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So we're going to take a look at this and we're going
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to compare Jeremiah chapter 50 and 51.
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There's many, many parallels between those 2 chapters
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in Jeremiah and Revelation chapter
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17 and 18.
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So in Jeremiah chapter 50, the similarities— let
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me just run through the list quickly. The name of the city is the same
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in Jeremiah chapter 50, verse 1, and in Revelation 17,
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verse 5. Babylon's punishment is deserved.
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Babylon's desolation is final, and it becomes
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uninhabitable by men. An outcry is
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heard among the nations. The kings, the merchants, and the shipmasters.
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God's people are commanded to flee and to depart from Babylon
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both in Jeremiah 51 and in Revelation 18.
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Babylon is associated with a cup in Jeremiah
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51:7 and Revelation 17 and 18.
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Babylon intoxicates all the nations of the earth,
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Jeremiah 51:7 and Revelation 17:2.
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Babylon's destruction will be sudden.
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In Jeremiah 51 and in Revelation 18,
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Babylon is said to dwell on many waters.
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That's in Jeremiah 51:13 and Revelation 17:1.
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Babylon will be destroyed by fire.
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That's in Jeremiah 51:30 and in Revelation 17.
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Heaven rejoices over Babylon's judgment from
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God. That's in Jeremiah 51:48 and also
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in Revelation 18:20. Babylon's persecution of the saints
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and destruction is illustrated by a stone
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sinking into the Euphrates or the sea,
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and no stone from Babylon will be used to
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rebuild. So let's just walk through
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this table. The name of the city is the same. Jeremiah chapter
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50, verse 1, the word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon,
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the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet. And the
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comparison in Revelation 17, verse 5,
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and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery,
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Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and
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of the abominations of the earth.
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Another characteristic similarity Babylon's punishment
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is deserved. In Jeremiah 50:29,
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Summon many against Babylon, all those who
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bend the knee, and camp against her on
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every side. Let there be no escape. Repay her
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according to her work, according to all that she
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has done, so do to her. For she has become arrogant
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against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel. And in
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Revelation 18:6, pay her back even as she
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has paid and give her back to her double according to her deeds.
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In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice
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as much for her. Another similarity, Babylon's desolation
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is final. She will become uninhabitable by
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men. Jeremiah 50:39-40,
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therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals.
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The ostriches also will live in it and it will never again
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be inhabited or dwelt in from generation to generation,
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as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,
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declares the Lord. No man will live there, nor will
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any son of man reside in it.
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And in Jeremiah 51:62, and you say,
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you, O Lord, have promised concerning this place to cut
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it off. So that there will be nothing dwelling in
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it, whether man or beast. And then in Revelation chapter
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18, verse 2, the, the parallel: And he cried
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out with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!
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She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison
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of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean
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and hateful bird. There is an outcry heard
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among the nations from the kings, the merchants, and the shipmasters.
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And in Jeremiah chapter 50, verse 46, at the shout,
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Babylon has been seized, the earth is shaken,
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and an outcry is heard among the nations.
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And in Revelation chapter 18, verse 9,
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and the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality and lived
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sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her
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when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance
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because of the fear of her torment, saying, woe,
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woe, the great city Babylon,
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the strong city! For in one hour your
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judgment has come.
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Another similarity or parallel between Jeremiah
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50 and 51 to Revelation 17 and 18.
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God's people are commanded to flee from Babylon.
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Jeremiah 51:6, flee from the midst of
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Babylon, and each of you save his life. Do not be destroyed
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in her punishment, for this is the Lord's time of vengeance.
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He is going to render recompense to her. And again in Jeremiah
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51:45, come forth from her, my people,
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And each of you save yourselves from the fierce anger of the
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Lord. Jeremiah 51:50, you who have escaped the
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sword, depart, do not stay. Remember the
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Lord from afar and let Jerusalem come to your mind.
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And here's the parallel, the similarity. Revelation 18:4,
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I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her,
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my people, so that you will not participate in her sins
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and receive of her plagues.
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Babylon is associated with a cup. Jeremiah 51:7,
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Babylon has a golden cup in the hand of the Lord intoxicating
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all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine,
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therefore the nations are going mad. And here's the parallel,
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Revelation 17:3-4, and he
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carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a
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woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous
28:44
names, having 7 heads and 10 horns. The woman
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was clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and
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precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full
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of abominations and of unclean things in her immorality.
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Babylon intoxicates all the nations of
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the earth. Jeremiah 51:7. Babylon has been a
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golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating all
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the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine.
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Therefore, the nations are going mad. And the parallel in
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Revelation chapter 17, verse 2, with whom the kings
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of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who
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dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine
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of her immorality.
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Babylon's destruction will be sudden.
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In Jeremiah 51:8, suddenly Babylon has
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fallen and been broken. Wail over her, bring balm
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for her pain, perhaps she may be healed.
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And the parallel, Revelation 18:8-10,
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for this reason, in one day her plagues will come—
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pestilence and mourning and famine— and she will be burned
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up with fire. For the Lord God who judges her is strong.
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Another characteristic similarity between Jeremiah
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50 and 51 as it parallels his Revelation 17
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and 18: Babylon is said to dwell on many waters.
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Jeremiah 51:13: O you who dwell by many
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waters, abundant in treasures, your end has
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come. The measure of your end. And the parallel,
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Revelation 17:1. Then one of the 7
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angels who had the 7 bowls came and spoke with me, saying,
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come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who
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sits on many waters. Babylon will be destroyed
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by fire. Jeremiah 51:30.
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The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting. They stay in the
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strongholds. Their strength is exhausted. They are becoming like women.
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Their dwelling places are set on fire. The bars
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of her gates are broken. Jeremiah 51:58,
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thus says the Lord of hosts, the broad wall of Babylon will be completely
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razed and her high gates will be set
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on fire, so the peoples will toil for nothing.
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And here's the parallel in Revelation 17:16,
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and the 10 horns which you saw and the beast These
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will hate the harlot and will make her desolate
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and naked and will eat her flesh and will burn her
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up with fire. And also Revelation 18:8,
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for this reason, in one day her plagues will come,
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pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with
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fire. Heaven rejoices over Babylon's
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judgment from God. Jeremiah 51:48.
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Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for
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joy over Babylon, for the destroyers will come to her from the
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north, declares the Lord. And the parallel is Revelation
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18:20. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you
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saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced
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judgment for you against her.
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Babylon persecutes the saints. Jeremiah 51:49,
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indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
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as also for Babylon the slain of all the earth have
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fallen. And the parallel passage, Revelation 17:6,
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and I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the
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blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
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When I saw her, I wondered greatly.
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The destruction is illustrated by a stone sinking
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into the Euphrates or the sea in Jeremiah 51:63-64.
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And as soon as you finish reading this scroll, you will tie a stone
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to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates and say, just so
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shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because
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of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her, and they
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will become exhausted.
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Revelation 18:21 is the parallel passage.
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Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw
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it into the sea, saying, so will Babylon, the great city,
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be thrown down with violence and will not be found any longer.
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So now the question is,
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has this been fulfilled yet, or is it yet to be fulfilled?
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Well, when we look in history
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at ancient Babylon's historic fall,
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we find that Persia came in and conquered Babylon.
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And on the night that Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, was slain
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and the city came under the control of Darius the Mede from
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Persia, it fell politically but not physically. There was
34:07
no large-scale attack upon the city. In fact, many within
34:11
the city were not even aware for quite some time afterwards
34:14
that the city had been taken. The city was taken,
34:18
Jerusalem— Babylon, by diverting the waters
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of the Euphrates River. This allowed armed forces
34:25
to wade under her defenses without much of a fight.
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And so rather than being physically overthrown,
34:34
As it's been prophesied in Jeremiah 50 and 51,
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the city and, and its occupants were treated with considerable
34:42
respect. Babylon generally flourished under
34:46
the Persians, although there is record of a revolt
34:49
against Xerxes which resulted in a harsh response.
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So no,
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the total complete utter destruction
35:00
of Babylon that is spoken of in Jeremiah chapter 50 and
35:04
51, and also in Revelation 17 and 18,
35:08
has not yet been fulfilled. So again,
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we come back to the question, who or what is Babylon?
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And some people think it's just a metaphor,
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it's symbolic, maybe it represents the the
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world global system, the Antichrist system.
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It's like an octopus with many tentacles.
35:31
Some would say it's New York City or it's the Vatican or
35:35
it's the Roman Catholic Church or it's the United States of America.
35:39
But could it be? It's mentioned
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several times in both of these, in Jeremiah and also in Revelation.
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Babylon is a city.
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It's a city. It's not a nation. It's not a territory. It's a city.
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There was an ancient city called Babylon, and that
35:58
ancient city was just south of Baghdad in what is
36:02
now the modern-day nation of Iraq.
36:05
And Saddam Hussein, when he was in power before
36:09
he fell, he actually tried to begin to reconstruct and to
36:13
rebuild Babylon, but he was never able to finish or complete it.
36:17
He put up a museum there, but then after he fell, the museum
36:21
was plundered. And so, you know,
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is it possible that there's going to be a
36:29
reconstructed Babylon? Now,
36:35
think about it. If you lived in,
36:38
in the 1800s or the 1700s, the 1600s,
36:43
If you lived any time before 1948 and you were reading your Bible
36:47
and you read all these things about Israel and Jerusalem and the greening
36:50
of Israel and the return of the Jews to the land of Israel,
36:54
it would be almost unbelievable. The nation was
36:59
no more. It was totally desolate. Mark Twain
37:04
went and visited Israel, and it was just completely
37:08
desolate. Hardly anybody lived there. It was just like a deserted,
37:13
desolate place. And yet now Israel is
37:18
thriving. It's growing. It's powerful. It's strong.
37:21
It's on the cutting edge for agriculture
37:24
and for high tech.
37:28
And so, but if you had read your Bible before
37:32
May of 1948, you would have thought this is just impossible.
37:37
There is no Jerusalem. There is no Israel.
37:40
And now on the other side of May of 1948,
37:44
we can say, wow, look at how God has fulfilled
37:47
prophecy. So it's possible that
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there will be a city called Babylon in
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the future, and it hasn't been constructed yet.
37:59
And that all these prophecies about Babylon that we
38:03
see in Jeremiah 50 and 51, that we also see in Revelation
38:07
17 18, that this future prophetic,
38:14
uh, city that is the antithesis of
38:19
Jerusalem, it embodies everything of the Antichrist
38:23
world system. It's, it's, um,
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crooked, it's corrupt, it's evil, it's full of idolatry,
38:31
it's full of harlotry, it's You
38:34
know, it's a city that perhaps doesn't yet exist but will be
38:38
rebuilt and then be destroyed, never to be rebuilt
38:43
again. This is one possibility, and,
38:46
um, it's just something to consider.
38:50
It's a thought, something to reflect on, to pray
38:54
about, that perhaps there will be a
38:58
rebuilt city in the region of Iraq, perhaps in
39:02
the very same spot where the ancient city of Babylon once existed.
39:09
So something to think about. Um,
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and as we continue in Jeremiah chapter 51 tomorrow,
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um, you can kind of get this bigger picture that Jeremiah 50 and
39:20
51 have a lot of parallels.
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And similarities to Revelation 17 and 18.
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And to me, Babylon is like
39:35
the anti— the opposite of Jerusalem.
39:39
Jerusalem is the city of the great king. Jerusalem is going
39:44
to be the everlasting and eternal capital where Jesus
39:48
Christ rules and reigns forever and ever and ever. And so
39:52
it makes sense to me that the enemy, Satan,
39:56
wants to have his own city where he can rule
39:59
and reign from and where he can operate from, and that
40:03
that city is called Babylon.
40:07
And when you think about the Tower of Babel and the confusion of languages,
40:11
Babel, when you look at that word in the Hebrew, it actually
40:15
means confusion or mixture. And that's how
40:19
the enemy operates. He wants to bring confusion.
40:22
He wants to bring mixture. He wants to blur the
40:25
lines and blur the boundaries. And that's
40:29
one way how he operates.
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Okay, that's all I have for today. Have a blessed day, and we'll see
40:37
you tomorrow. Shalom.
40:44
Adonai,
40:49
we wish America.
40:57
Yeah, yeah,
41:00
Adonai,
41:05
another We
41:11
connect.
41:42
The Aaronic Blessing from Numbers chapter 6,
41:45
24 to 26.
41:49
Adonai bless you and keep you. Adonai make
41:53
his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
41:57
Adonai lift up his countenance upon you and give
42:01
you peace.