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Note: Transcripts are unedited. Please forgive any errors.
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THE ACTIVE WORD
TITLE OF
Message: One Hour Judgment
MESSAGE DATE: 8/31/03 TAPE NUMBER: A1455
Kris Belgie PAGE 1 OF 44
Scripture Reference for Message: Revelation 18
TIMECODE:
Opening Praye
Father, we certainly thank You for the chance to change. You choose to use Your Word. It hits our heart. We can receive it or we can reject it. But we would today be wise, not like those who are self-deceived, not choosing to put to practice the lessons learned. No, we ... God, we want to be more like Jesus. We want to have more grace, more mercy, more love, more peace. And we know that with You, all things are possible. So please take the part of our heart we are reluctant to surrender. Make us wise so that with open hand we offer afresh, for Your great glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Message - TIMECODE:
I start this study with a heavy heart. Maybe you'll sense the same. You see, I was reading recently, Fox news. Well, the subject - public school. Medford, New Jersey. The new Bush administration policy that has made it possible for students to express their religious convictions is now facing challenges from activists who say that the new rule violates the Constitution. The policy, dubbed by some as "Zack's Rules" after a young New Jersey boy whose family fought the restrictions, allows students to express their religious beliefs in homework, artwork, or other written and oral assignments. And it calls on teachers to actually judge and grade on academic standards without discrimination.
How did it all start? In 1996, Zachary drew a picture of Jesus on a poster and wrote, "Thankful for Jesus" for a kindergarten class Thanksgiving assignment. His school in Medford, New Jersey, took it down from the hallway display. A year later he chose his favorite Bible story from his Beginner's Bible to read out loud in the class. But school officials wouldn't let him read it. "They all made it feel like religion was a bad thing," Zachary told Fox News.
"Discriminating against religion is very un-American and very wrong," said Zack's mom, Carol Hood. What's that? That's a public school. A place where, it wasn't that long ago, the only textbook was the Word of God. That's the public school?
Then I was reading an article. I was thinking about marriage. This from the Washington Post, "Straight Eye for the Gay Bride." Believe it or not, Bride's Magazine has made history. In its September-October issue, Bride's published an article on "Brace Yourself America - Gay Weddings." The article's been on newsstands for a month now and, amazingly, Western civilization has not collapsed. No, the Bride's article was such a ground-breaking, earth-shaking event that its appearance was covered in the New York Times. "This is the first time that any five of the top-selling bridal magazines has published such a feature," the Times reported. It continues, "The author's only complaint? You didn't teach us enough about a gay wedding. What we don't know is, if it's two guys, is one actually supposed to wear the tuxedo and the other one wear ... I mean, how do we know what role or what responsibility? If it's two women getting married, we don't know, are they supposed to both wear gowns?" That was the question he presented.
And then I was reading, and I was thinking about our judicial system. Oh, maybe you saw it. It was the USA Today. Just last week. "Alabama's Judge's Monuments Removed." They took the Ten Commandments out of that court just last week, and yet ... Well the article continues. "Seventy-seven percent back Ten Commandments display." For some strange reason, as I'm scratching my head, I thought this was a government by the people and for the people. Seventy-seven percent of the people wish the Ten Commandments were in the court of law. So what in the world is happening? Happening in our public school? Happening in our marriage? Happening in our local court system? Happening in our ...?
Now I was thinking about churches. I was thinking about the way we get together. What is right? What is wrong? And I saw this article in the Sun-Sentinel. Title? "Polyamorys Seek Acceptance in Unitarians." Dateline Boston. "No one uttered a word when Harlan White walked into the church one day with two women. One each on each arm. They were, he says, accepted like any other family in his Unitarian congregation. 'When we walked into the Sunday service hand in hand, hand in hand, no mention was made of it. At least not to us,' he said. Now White and others are hoping that, through Unitarian congregations nationwide their tiny group can foster greater acceptance for those who practice Polyamory. Activists define polyamory as "responsible non-monogamy," or the potential for loving more than one person at a time. They say poly's want honest, intimate, enduring love relationships. They just don't want relationships to be limited to two people."
So then I was reading, and I was thinking about our public school. I was thinking about our marriages. I was thinking about our court system. I was thinking about our churches. And then I was thinking about our entertainment. Our entertainment. You know. And the next generation. And then I saw in the Sun-Sentinel. Did you miss the MTV Awards? If you did, you also missed a lesbian lip lock with Brittany Spears and Madonna. At just the right time they, with tongues in motion, gave a kiss so that all of your daughters - Moms and Dads that really still do admire Brittany Spears - could see how she feels about Madonna.
Yeah, I was thinking about our ... our entertainment. Eminem and his vile lyrics ... wins another award? I was thinking about our church and our practices. Oh, I bet I sound a little bigoted today suggesting that marriage is a man and a woman. I was thinking about our court system. I realize how I believe. But evidently my beliefs don't matter anymore. I was thinking about our marriages and realizing I have to just become much more tolerant. And I was thinking about our public school and realizing that certainly in an academic atmosphere, any reference to God at all ...
Yeah, I was reading Fox News and USA Today and Washington Post and Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald. And then I was reading the Bible. And do you know what I read? Luke chapter 17 and verse 26. I read this:
And as it is ... as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
If that's not clear enough, a newer translation presents it this way:
When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up until the time Noah entered his boat. The flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business, eating, drinking, buying, selling, farming, building until the morning Lot left Sodom. And fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes ... listen to this line ... Yes, it will be business as usual right up to the hour when the Son of Man returns.
"Business as usual? What are you suggesting, Pastor Bob?"
It's an old Billy Graham quote. Billy once well said, "If God does not judge the United States of America, He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology." I agree and I'll add, if God does not judge the United States of America, He not only owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology. He owes Tyre and Damascus and Edom and Bethesda and Chorazin and Capernaum and Babylon ... He owes them all an apology! Why? Do you know the reasons that those cities ... are not? Cities like Tyre. Why did He judge them? Failure to honor the covenant with Israel, according to Amos 1:9. Why did He judge Damascus? Well, according to Amos 1:3, they unjustly attacked the people of Gilead. Why did He choose to judge Edom? According to Amos 1:11, they lacked pity toward Israel. Why did He choose to judge Bethesda or Chorazin or Capernaum? Because they failed to respond to the miracles of Christ according to Matthew chapter 11 and verse 21.
You see, God has dealt with - quite severely and very seriously - those countries, those communities that mock and shine Him on. So how is it and why is it we think we are exempt?
"But Bob ... Bob, Bob, Bob ... wait a minute. Time out. Time out. Easy. You're back from vacation again. It seems like you're a little tense. Bob, Revelation chapter 18 is about Babylon. And last week in Revelation chapter 17, you told us that Babylon was a religious system. You mean to tell me you think that Babylon is ... the United States of America in chapter 18?"
Well, it's certainly not the religious system we studied last week in 17. It is an economic system this week in Revelation chapter 18. But what I'm gonna ask you to do is to conclude it for yourself. You see, I will at no point suggest or submit that Babylon here in the Bible is the United States of America. But what I will do is make a few points and ask you to draw a few conclusions. Why? My opinion? When I look at our world ... my opinion. I think that right now in too many areas of life - entertainment, finance - in too many places in this world - New York, Los Angeles, Miami - it's as if we are provoking God to punish. It's as if we're daring Him to discipline. It's as if we're inviting judgment. Why? Well, you'll understand why if you take the time to read with me Revelation 18 starting in the first verse. We'll read through the chapter, come back for some commentary. Note carefully, however, with highlighter handy, those points that you believe God is choosing to speak to you. John writes:
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying - "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' Therefore her plagues will come in one day - death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
"The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, crying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
"And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?'
"They threw dust on her heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.'
"Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!"
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery - original word your "pharmacea," your drug use - all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."
Your attention please?
"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi ... Man! Am I ever glad you said you weren't gonna say that's the United States of America! I know better! Cuz last week we studied Revelation chapter 17. Sounds to me like city on seven hills. A little bit more like Rome. You know, the Vatican. You know all the stuff that those guys do. Oh, that ... that wouldn't be us, then. United States of America then. Then it wouldn't be our religious circles. No. A religions system. Yeah. Sounds a lot more like the Roman Catholic Church."
Is that what you believe? Have you read that? OK, so picture this for me, and I'm gonna ask you this question. Judgment. Roman Catholic Church. We have an elderly Catholic woman with a rosary, faithfully praying her rote prayer. And that deserves to be judged. But the guy over here in the United States of America that's in a thousand-dollar suit prancing his platform, telling his congregation nationwide, that what they really need to do is go to K-Mart and buy cubic zirconium rings so that they can begin to visualize the real ones. Because if you are a child of God, you deserve to be blessed. He doesn't deserve judgment but she does?
"No, no, no. OK, so it's not Roman Catholic Church. And it's ... oh boy. OK, well then wait a second. If it's not the Roman Catholic Church, then it's maybe real Babylon. Maybe it's the real place. Maybe because Baghdad and Babylon are separated by 50 miles ... I mean, it is that piece of property, right? And ... is not Saddam Hussein in his own words, what he believed to be the reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar? The one that actually controlled the world at that time by putting his thumb on the Jew? OK, so it's Babylon-Babylon, right? So ... it's not? What do you mean? Why couldn't it be Babylon-Babylon? I mean, you know, the actual piece of property? That territory. That turf. Why, why couldn't it be?"
Well, could be. But scholars scatter at this point and I'll tell you why. The term "Babylon" is not just a religious system. It's not just a real city. It appears to me to be in the Word of God a rebellious people. And this rebellious people group? Well, let's do a little digging. Let's find out, first of all, why we are somewhat convinced it's certainly not Baghdad 50 miles west today. Say goodbye to Revelation chapter 18. We'll come back. But this time it's Isaiah chapter 13. Drawing your attention to the 19th verse. Isaiah 13:19. Here's what we read:
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation; nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
"Wait, wait, wait a minute. Excuse me. Um ... Isaiah. Isaiah. Can I have your attention real quick? You said that once this Babylonian territory was wiped out, nobody would ever inhabit the land ever again, from generation to generation. I don't know if you know this, but there's people living there right now."
Well, if there's people living there right now, and he said it was never going to be inhabited again ... Oh, maybe that's a ... an error in the Word of God? Maybe God didn't know that Saddam Hussein was gonna move there and ... and put people so close. I mean, God's Word evidently ... Well, wait a minute. If Isaiah's making a mistake, then Jeremiah's making the same mistake, right? For as we leave Isaiah chapter 13 and go with me to Jeremiah chapter 51, we see something very similar is said. This time by another prophet. Oh, it's Jeremiah's turn to say the same thing Isaiah just said. Jeremiah chapter 51 in verse 24, we read:
And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion in your sight." says the Lord.
Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys all the earth," says the Lord. "And I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you down from the rocks, and make you a burnt mountain.
Verse 26:
They shall not take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation, but you shall be desolate forever," says the Lord.
"Um, Jeremiah. Excuse me. I need to talk to you and Isaiah just for a minute. Because Isaiah says no one's ever gonna live here again. And people are living there. And you say forever. Uh, forever desolate. And ... and again, people are there. So I'm sorry. I guess you two prophets of God are ..."
Stop! No, they're not wrong. No, Babylon that will be completely, totally, annihilated, wiped out, destroyed ... is still yet to be.
"So it's not Saddam Hussein's territory? It's not Pope's parcel? You mean to tell me this is some other piece of property? So what is Babylon?"
I'm not gonna tell you it's the United States of America. But I'm just gonna throw out a few verses, and you get the chance to pray and think. Go with me to Isaiah chapter 18. Isaiah chapter 18. We'll look at the first couple of verses. You draw your own conclusions. Isaiah 18 verse 1:
Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings ...
Another translation reads, "Woe to the land shadowed with outstretched wings." A land shadowed with outstretched wings. You ever seen the back of the dollar bill? Do you know what our national symbol is? Outstretched wings? Now, I'm not saying, again, it's the United States of America. I'm just saying, that's interesting. Look at the second half of the same first verse:
... which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia ...
Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Do you know that that's a Hebrew idiom to simply imply Timbuktu? Ha ha ha ha. That's ... that's beyond, man! That's that land beyond. Now remember who it is that's doing the speaking. We are in the Middle East. So we're talking about a land whose symbol - outstretched wings - we're talking about a land that's on the other side. I mean, this is a land where, verse 2, ambassadors have to travel by sea. Now if this is Baghdad, who's got to travel to them by sea in the Middle East? Not many.
Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying, "Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth.
Are we not the tallest in the world? Well, wait a minute. Maybe that's not tall. Why? Tall and smooth can also be translated "wide and polished." Very wide, broad land. And how did we conquer this land? Look at the second half of verse 2:
... to a people terrible from their beginning onward. "Awesome," another translation reads. A nation powerful and treading down, whose land the rivers divide."
Treading down their own land? You mean to tell me we tread down our own land? The American Revolution. Everyone knows. State by state, territory by territory. What did we do to the indigenous people groups here? We came on strong. And if you're an American Indian, goodbye! We now control this land! Now again, could be another country. But I think at first read, it just says, "Hmmmm ... maybe. Maybe, just maybe." When I take this portion and I add it to ... Well, this time it's Jeremiah chapter 50. Jeremiah chapter 50. We look at verse 37. And I find this interesting. Once again, the subject matter's Babylon.
A sword is against their horses, against their chariots, and against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst;
Mixed peoples? Now it can't be Babylon-Babylon. Those aren't mixed peoples. That's a mono-ethnic community. This is, however, the United States of America, a multi-ethnic community. So here we've got a mixed people a lot like us. Not so much like Babylon-Baghdad. And then we read verse 38:
A drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is the land of carved images, and they are insane with their idols.
Insane with their idols? What would insanity be with our idols? Who are our idols? Adam Sandler? Cameron Diaz? What? This morning's paper tells me that Cameron Diaz made, last year, in excess of $42 million making movies. Now, she is topped by Adam Sandler because he made a whopping $49 million in 2001. That's a lot of money to earn playing a goofy guy and a half-crazed gal, isn't it? But we don't mind shelling out that money. Why? Are we crazy about our idols?
And when it comes to our water, and a drought. Wait a minute. Do you know? Or maybe you don't know. But because I'm from the land of the Great Lakes, do you know that one-fourth of the world's fresh water is right there surrounding Michigan? One-fourth of the world's fresh water surrounds Michigan in the Great Lakes. Now I'm, again, not saying this is the United States of America. I'm just saying, you know, I find that interesting.
You know what else I find interesting, though? Go a little further this time. It's chapter 51 of Jeremiah, and it's verse 13. Here's what it says:
O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.
O you who dwell by many waters. Now, last time I checked geographically, Baghdad-Babylon don't ... well, they're not surrounded by many waters. No, I mean, you gotta go some distance to find yourself, where? Well, there you are in the Gulf. And there you are ... But we are surrounded by many waters. In fact, we ... we got a lot of water all around us. Pacific and Atlantic and ... I'm not saying that that's us. I'm just saying that's interesting, don't you think? And then when you move to verse 49 of the same chapter, you read this:
As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.
This is evidently ... and, and I'm not, you know, this is not spiritual speculation. But evidently Babylon, this Babylon, has a relationship with Israel. And as long as they enjoy the relationship to Israel, they stand because they're supporting Israel and it stands. But when it seemingly decides to disengage from its relationship to Israel, Israel falls and then they fall. Well now, that's interesting. Because, of course, we've been so pro-Israel for so long. But lately, much more pro-Palestinian. And ... kind of divided as to whose side we should be on. You know, that's just interesting. And then, even more, verse 53 of the same chapter:
Though Babylon were to mount up to heaven ...
How does a country mount up to heaven? Is that kinda like a space program? And then in the same heaven she fortifies herself? Is that like a Star Wars program? I mean, again, this is just speculation. But I'm thinking, "Man, that sounds a lot like something that we've done. Or something that we're doing. Kinda put in Hebrew form. I mean, just ... it's just ... me, me talking out loud this morning. Do you know what I mean?"
Of course I'm talking out loud. Because in the listening distance of my voice, we have to take the time, from time to time, to not automatically say, "Oh Babylon, man! That's that Catholic Church! Oh Babylon, man! That's Baghdad! That's Saddam Hussein, man. God, time for You to judge them!"
Judge them? What we'll do is go back to Revelation chapter 18. And what I'll share are five sentences. And each one will teach us a little bit more about Babylon according to the Word of God. And then again, you draw your conclusions. I'm not gonna say the United States of America's Babylon. But what I will say, sentence number one, if you're taking notes is that Babylon has got power. And it's the power of poisons. Poisons. Look at verse 3. Revelation 18:3. It says:
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her.
Fornication. Sexual sin. All the other nations are committing fornication with her. She is evidently the supplier of sexual sin so that all the other nations find themselves partaking in her perversion. Is that the United States of America? Pornography. You may not want to hear this. May you didn't know. But this is from a PBS Frontline documentary. The Marriott, the Westin, the Hilton? These major hotel chains all offer in-room X-rated movies delivered to the hotel by one or two major distribution companies. Listen. Bottom line? It's ten percent of their revenue. Ten percent of their revenue. Now, when it comes to cable and satellite companies, AT&T - this is what the PBS documentary said, and I'm quoting from their script: "AT&T is the biggest American company that is accommodated itself to the pornography boom. Its cable division, AT&T Broadband, distributes subscribers the explicit porn channel, the Hot Network. With its pending $72 billion merger with competitor Comcast" (that already went down, that's a little old) "they become the nation's largest porn distributor." It says, and I continue, "For AT&T, porn distribution is great business. But there's no mention of adult material on the company's annual report, nor how much it contributes to the company's bottom line."
Why? Well because they, along with the other companies, gotta keep quiet about that. Other companies like ... well, like General Motors. General Motors? Yes. This, now, is from a New York Times article that was titled "Erotic Inc." Listen to this. This is from New York Times: "The General Motors Corporation now sells more graphic sex films each year than does Larry Flynt, owner of the Hustler empire. The 8.7 million Americans who subscribe to Direct TV, a General Motors subsidiary, buy nearly $200 million a year in Pay Per View sex films from satellites, according to estimates provided by distributors from the films - estimates the company did not dispute. In addition to that, Echo Star Communications Corporation, the number two satellite provider, whose chief financial backers include Mr. Merdock, makes more money selling graphic adult films through its satellite subsidiary than Playboy, the oldest and best-known company in the sex business, does with its magazine, cable, Internet business combined, according to public and private revenue accounts by the companies.
Wait a minute! I didn't know Echo Star and General Motors were bigger than Playboy and Hustler, did you? Even more so, none of the company or corporate leaders at AT&T, Time-Warner, General Motors, Echo Star, Liberty Media, Marriott International, Hilton, On Command, Log Net Entertainment, or the news corporation - all the companies that have big financial stake in the adult films that are held by millions of shareholders - were willing to speak publicly about the sex side of their business. "How can we?" said an official at AT&T. "It's like the crazy aunt in the attic. Everyone knows she's there, but you can't say anything about it."
Whoa! And that's just one - listen - industry. We call that the pornographic industry because it's multi-millions of dollars, it's tens of thousands of employees. And we in the United States of America are the number one distributor ... alongside tobacco.
The tobacco industry. An industry? A multi-million dollar, multi-billion dollar industry, that has tens of thousands of employees that make sure that these little white wrapped sticks of ... Well, there's distribution centers everywhere. And we go and buy them, knowing that on the outside of the pack, there's a connection to disease that's costing us countless billions of dollars in health ... I ... Sometimes I say to myself, "What are you doing, America? What are you ... what are you ... what are you doing?"
Alcohol, tobacco and pornography. So strong, our participation. Listen to this. And you can do the homework. If it was not for pornographic trafficking on the Internet, the Internet would cease to exist. That's the infrastructure of the Internet. And the subtlety, my friend? It sneaks in, you see. Based on estimates provided by the hotel industry, at least half of all guests buy these adult movies. Half. Which means that the Pay Per View sex from television hotel rooms may generate about $190 million a year in sales. At home, Americans buy or rent more than $4 billion a year worth of graphic sex videos from retail outlets and spend an additional $800 million on less explicit sexual films. All told, about 32 percent of the business for general interest video retailers that carry adult topics, according to the compilations done by two trade organizations that track video rentals.
America! America! God shed His ...
How long does He shed His grace on a country that's peddling pornography? That's pushing addictions? How long does He do that? I mean, I'm not saying that we're Babylon. I'm just saying, isn't it interesting that we have this power of poisons and that we actually call them industries. That's all I'm saying.
What else am I saying? Sentence number 2. Babylon appears to be a people that are prosperous. Look at verse 7 of Revelation 18:
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow ...
Why does she get in so much trouble for being so prosperous? I'll tell you why. Keep your place in Revelation 18. Turn with me quickly to the book of James. It's just a few pages to the left. Book of James chapter 5, verse 1. Here's why.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. For you have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
You say, "Wait a minute, Pastor Bob! No, no, no. You don't understand. Right now I'm barely getting by. I mean, right now the United States of America is in an economic slump. We're in an economic downturn. Right now things are not like they used to be, buddy Bob."
Oh really? Oh, I understand, then, this sad and shocking report. You see, this is a track of U.S. consumer spending patterns over the last two years. We are in such a tough time economically, listen to this, this is gonna break your heart. We are so struggling that in the last two years we've only been able to spend $6 million a year on teeth-whitening sales. That's how tough it is, man. It's so hard, we as a people, $600 million a year on teeth whitening. I mean, man, that's tough! In the last two years we've only been able to spend $8.2 billion a year on video games. In the last two years we've only been able to spend $13 billion a year on chocolate. $20 billion on cosmetics a year. $23 billion on toys a year. $24 billion in jewelry a year. And listen. To make sure that Fluffy has a nice collar, $29 billion pet-related products. $29 billion! $36 billion in vending machines. $38 billion state lottery. $58 billion a year on soft drinks. But not to be bitten by alcohol. No! $70 billion on alcohol sales a year. $85 billion on lawn and garden products. $100 billion on tobacco sales. And $129 billion a year on fast food!
We are a very prosperous country. And when you compare our prosperity to ... Listen to this. This is from the President's Report on Economics. The World Trade Bank estimates that 1.2 billion people - that's 20 percent of the world's population - lived on less than one dollar a day. Twenty percent of the world's population lived on less than one dollar a day!
You say, "But wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Come on. Hang on, hang on, buddy Bob. Listen. We might be very prosperous and there's a lot of poor people. But that's part of what we do. We help those people who are poor. Come on, man! Farm Aid. And, you know, and ... and Band Aid. And, all kinds of opportunities helping anybody we can to help them."
Oh, you think so? Listen to this. With only 5 percent of the world's population, the United States now produces 27 percent of the world's economic output. The richest nation on the earth, the only remaining superpower, the technological center of the new global economy, we've got a lot to celebrate. In fact, the past 20 years, the wealth of America grew from $7 trillion to $32 trillion. But we're not only the richest. It turns out we're also the stingiest nation in the world. According to a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the aid we give to poor nations amounts to $29 per American each year, putting us next to the last among 21 industrialized countries per capita. We have so much! And we give so little.
Now, I'm not saying we're Babylon. I'm not gonna say that. But what I'm saying is that when you've got this measure of glory, she glorified herself! That's what verse 7 says. It's not that God glorified her. At some point in time she said, "I don't need God to give me glory. Why? I'll glorify myself! Look at all that I have!"
Economic downturn? I just finished reading in the USA Today how tough things are economically, and I found myself at the Towne Center Mall in Boca. And there at the Mack cosmetic counter, women waiting in line to buy the most expensive make-up money can offer. Economic downturn? No. No, no, no, no, no, no. No!
Babylon. Babylon, a picture of punishment. Sentence number 3. A picture of punishment. Now, look with me this time. It's verse 19 in chapter 18. It says:
They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city ... who was made desolate in one hour.'
Is that a picture of punishment when you're made desolate in one hour? Now, it certainly is. Why? Because Sodom and Gomorrah was made desolate in one hour. Do you understand? If God's gonna judge and it's gonna happen in one hour, that's pretty serious. That's pretty severe. Now, how in the world would we, as the United States of America, look at all like Sodom and Gomorrah? Well, let me ask you this question. Why did God judge Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you know? We'd all assume Sodom, sodomy. Homosexual sin, right?
Go with me to Ezekiel chapter 16. Let's find out if we're right. Ezekiel chapter 16 tells us why God judged Sodom. I'll start in verse 44, and I'm gonna use a New Living Translation. I want you to follow along with me. Ezekiel 16:44:
Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you, "Like mother, like daughter." For your mother's loathed her husband and her children and so do you. You're exactly like your sisters. For they despised their husbands and their children. Truly, your mother must have been a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters in the north. Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south. But you've not merely sinned as they did. No! That was nothing to you. In a very short time you far surpassed them. "Surely as I live," says the Sovereign Lord, "Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you or your daughters. Sodoms sins were ..."
Now here we are in verse 49, Ezekiel 16:
"They were (1) pride, (2) laziness, (3) gluttony, (4) while the poor and needy suffered outside her door, and (5) she was proud and did loathsome things. So I wiped her out, as you have seen."
What did she do? Her number one sin, Sodom's sin, was pride. Pride. She believed she was beyond judgment. She probably sat in a service like this. And as the pastor preached, she probably assumed in her own heart he was just carrying on. "What a religious windbag!"
No, no, no, no, no. Pride? Now, was it religious pride or patriotic pride? Was it religious? "Hey, our churches in America. I mean, we are doing the work of the Lord." Was it patriotic pride? "Hey, I still got my flag up. I've been flying a flag faithfully ever since September 11th, man! I've actually replaced it three times, 'cuz Old Glory's not gonna be old in my house!"
Oh, that's what makes us right - right? No, that's pride. You see, it's an amazing thing to see just three years after they pulled the Ten Commandments out of the court. Wow! And the next time something like that happens, you want to get on your knees and cry out to the same God that gave you those commandments and say, "Please, please help us!"
Pride was their number one sin. Their second sin is interesting. Did you see it? In the New King James it was "fullness of food." Fullness of food. Now, I'm gonna speculate for a moment. I would imagine at Sodom restaurants, waiters would show up at the table and they'd have these huge plates with portions that were far beyond the need of one. But it was kind of the popular thing to do. At a Sodom restaurant, you'd sit down and you look at this meal and go, "Wow! I can't finish this! But it costs a lot of money. I'll eat as much as I can." And waiter after waiter, night after night, we take good food, and we simply throw it in the trash. That's what they do in Sodom!
And while they're throwing out food, they're got a lot of time on their hands. In fact, they have an abundance of idleness. When we went to Disney, we got the Four-Day Hopper. You gotta get the Four Day Hopper, especially if you're a resident here. Why? Well, because you don't know what to do. You got all this time on your hands. And do I want to go to Epcot? Do I want to go to Magic Kingdom? Do I want to go to Animal Kingdom? Do I want to try Universal? I've got so much time on my hands. And I have so much in the way of resources. So what I like to do is I like to take my money and try and find out ways to bring me pleasure. Because that's the American way. I mean, that's the Sodom way. Right?
While ... sin #4 was ... there were poor and needy people close by and you didn't do anything to strengthen their hand. So while you've got a very needy country 45 minutes away called Haiti, and in the northwest section some kid every month goes blind because they don't have the nourishment from a carrot, we sit here trashin' our food. "But I don't have time to go there and help 'em. Why? I've got time on my hands, but I gotta do things with my money that bring me more pleasure because that's what us Sodomites do, right?"
He says, and on top of that, verse 50:
They were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away.
What's that? They did some abomination, but they were haughty about it. Was it homosexual sin? Was it heterosexual sin? Whatever their sin was, they probably decided to have Pride Parades. "OK, you call it sin! Your Bible says it's sin. But we want to join the parade and march, and on floats flaunt everything that you say is unrighteous. We're not only doing our abomination, but we're haughty about our abomination." That's what they did in Sodom. Aren't you glad we wouldn't have the audacity to do that here? And God says, "And you know, for all those reasons I saw fit just to wipe 'em out. And they were gone in an hour."
[SIDE ONE OF TAPE ENDS HERE}
Babylon is a place of participants. Did you see that? Back to Revelation chapter 18. A place of participants? Verse 15:
The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing.
And then in verse 23, the second half:
For your merchants were the great men of the earth.
Do you know we have more billionaires in the United States of America than any other country? We have 269 billionaires. Do you know how many billionaires Saudi Arabia has? Eight. There's a difference there, isn't there? The only other country close to us, when it comes to billionaires, is Japan. They've got 29. We've got 269 billionaires. Japan's got 29. Germany 28. Italy 17. Canada 16. Canada 16. We've got 269 billionaires. The great merchants of the world.
And, what's interesting is when it comes to our merchandise back and forth, one of our favored trade nations is none other than China. China, a country for every ten pregnant women, we're gonna kill nine of those babies. And if you happen to be a little girl in the womb, and you're the one, 90% tells me you're not gonna make it out of your mother's womb. Because we've got a program to make sure that we abort as many as we can, only allowing one child per family. But that happens to be the country that every year we will import $140 billion worth of goods.
And because they send us so much stuff, we were a little bothered. So in the President's report we decided we'd put restrictions upon trade. If you want to stay a member trading with us, here's the only criteria out of the President's report. From now on, you're gonna help us protect our copyrights. Materials such as software, films and other recordings that would undercut our support for China's membership. We didn't ask them about civil rights. No. We were more interested in economic rights. And why is that important? Well, because, you see, we are ... we are the world economy.
Do you realize that if the United States of America goes down, who else goes down with us? Let me give you some interesting statistics. Something that you wouldn't consider. But I've got four major companies. Listen to these. BMW Group, Dalmer-Chrysler, Toyota and Sony. Now, I've got revenues and then I've got our share. How much money we are the ones responsible for. Listen to this. BMW Group: $42 billion in Euro dollars. How much are we responsible for? $13 billion. That's 32 percent. Thirty-two percent. Imagine having a company and suddenly we get wiped out so you lose 32 percent of your business. How about Chrysler? $55 billion in Euro. We are 19 percent of that. Toyota. Fourteen trillion yen. We happen to be 40% of that money. And then Sony. Seven trillion. We happen to be 32 percent of that. So that the day we go down, the ships in the sea that look on at the United States going up in smoke certainly would throw dust on their heads and say, "Alas, alas, a great city gone. Oh no!" What other country do you know would have that profound effect on the world economy?
Now again, I'm not saying that we're Babylon. I'm just saying here's a few things that you want to think about and a few things you want to consider. Why? Well, in Psalm 10, specifically, we read this:
Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
What's the problem? Verse 13 of Psalm 10. Just listen to this. Don't turn there:
Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account."
The wicked renounce God in their heart because they don't believe they'll ever be accountable. We believe as a nation right now, "I got a shield about me, man! America, He's shed His grace on me. And I'm under the protective power of God."
No, no, no, no. You know what happens to Babylon according to Jeremiah chapter 50? God actually snares them. He traps them. They don't even know what's going down. Just like in the days of Noah. One day everything's fine, then suddenly, "Wah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!"
Now, let me ask you a question. Just ... this is just curious. Would it be like the Lord at all, before He does really judge us, to give us just a taste of judgment? Like a 9-11 thing happens? Just here's a taste of this? Would it be like the Lord to just allow the northeast grid to just go out over the course of a few days and see how we do without? I mean, just to kind of get our attention. Go, "Hey! C'mon. These things can happen. 9-11 happens. C'mon. Blackouts happen. C'mon guys, c'mon. Little direction this way. C'mon. A little closer to the Lord."
And we continue to [laughing], "Need God? What is the deal with the Ten Commandments? So we have the President of American Atheists on Fox News a couple of nights ago. "How dare they say we're a Christian nation? We've never been a Christian nation. Ralph Reed is making up stories. Those are myths. Our founding fathers were never on their knees praying to God. He's just trying to turn this into a religious argument. We're a secular society. We have been. We always will be."
I ... ah ... I'm not gonna tell you that I think we're Babylon. But my final sentence sounds like this. Babylon is a place of piety where we're convinced, like those in Revelation 3:17 that we're rich. We're fine. We have need of nothing. And yet Jesus said to that church, "You don't realize you're pitiful, poor, naked and blind."
And then the topper happens this week. I don't know how many of you know this. But I shared about a year ago that I ... ah ... I was bugged every time I drove through Tradewinds Park to see the Fantasy of Lights display because there was no Christian declaration. So I said to my wife, I said, "I wonder if I get a few friends together and they'll be willing to spend the money, we can put up something that's Christian right there in the Fantasy of Lights display. You know, the Christmas Light display. Or the ... I'm sorry ... Winter Solstice display."
So, $15,000 you can buy and you can have them design whatever you'd like. That's the way it's always been. And so Pino Tile has their octopus. Maybe you've driven through. Channel 7 has a big Channel 7, you know. And they've got their ... you know, there's penguins doing, you know, hockey pucks. There's all kinds of different fantasy of lights. And you drive through real slow in your car. No mention of God, no mention of Jesus. I thought, "That's kind of a rip. I mean, it's Christmas time. They have Christmas trees. They have Santa Claus. But they don't have anything about Jesus."
So we contacted them. Said, "Hey. It's Calvary Chapel. We're willing to spend the same money everybody else spends. We're not asking for a favor. But what we'd like to do is ... is we'd like to put up a cross and just say 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season.'"
"No. Can't do that."
"Why? It's a county park. I mean, isn't my county that county? And don't I pay taxes?"
"No."
"Tell you what. Tell us what we can do."
"Well, you could put up a star."
"Can I say with the star, 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season'? Or can I say, 'The star points to Him'? You know. Or something like that?"
"No, no, no. Can't do that."
"Well, can I say, 'God Bless America'?
"Ah, let me see. Guess you could say that."
So we get a star and God Bless America. But I don't mind. I'll go ahead and do that. Because I know I can call the Rutherford Institute and I can make a bigger to-do about this after we've got our place. So that's what I do. And last year, if you drove through, you saw a star presented by Calvary Chapel, God Bless America. In between the time, we contacted the Rutherford Institute to say, "Hey, this is wrong. If every other company or every other business can put up whatever they want to, why can't we put up what we want to?"
"Well, what do you guys want to put up?"
"I want to put up a cross, and I want to say, 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season.' That's what I want to put up. And we're putting up the same money everybody else is. Why don't we do that?"
Now, last year, the insult to the injury. The star, God Bless America. But when they published - listen to this - when they published the programs that had all of the companies that were a part of the Fantasy of Lights, available to all, they took our logo. And if you're not familiar with our logo, it's the sun cresting over the horizon with a cross. When I get the brochure, I look and the cross is gone. And I called them and said, "Excuse me. The cross is gone."
"Oh, we took off the cross. We had to."
"You took the cross off of our logo?"
"Well, we can't be publishing anything that's religious."
"You're not! I paid for that the same way ... You didn't take Channel 7 and turn it into an 8 'cuz you don't like sevens! What in the world are you doing?"
Now listen to this! This year, because we fight the thing in a legal way, their attorney finally contacts us and says, "You know what? Based upon the ..."
We had our staff attorney along with the Rutherford Institute put together some papers. We sent it to them and said, "Listen, we have this right. You know we have this right." And they cited all kinds of court cases. It's true, it's true. We have the right.
OK. They call back. "OK, you can have your cross. You can have your statement. What do you want to say? Calvary Chapel says that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. That's fine."
So we thought it was a done deal. Until last week. Last week I'm waiting to get the drawings. You know, we got a cross. You know, we got this little saying.
"We've changed our policy."
"You've changed your policy? What?"
"Well, from now on, we have a brochure, and you can go ahead and pick out which display you want. We have grandfathered in all of the old displays so they can stay up again. And you, Calvary Chapel, have your choice of five different displays. None of them are a cross."
They came in from the back door! "You ... not very nice people, you! "
Now, sincerely, there's a part of my heart that just says, "Man, what a drag!" And there's a part of me that says, "Man, walk away. Lord, deal with this!" There's another part of me, however, that says, "What would happen if you got together with a group of people and contacted all the other sponsors? Let some of the Christians know at those major corporations what they've done to us. And maybe invite those same sponsors to pull out of the light display unless they give us what we want." You know what I mean, that kind of thing.
No, no, no. Wait. Wait. Or just at least get a group of Christians together, pick up some pickets and say, "Broward County happens to be very anti-God and anti-Christ because they won't let little Calvary Chapel put up a cross and a sign." That they ought to have the right to do because they're spending the same amount of money that everybody else is doing. Now, again, am I the activist type? ... Did you answer that for me just now, or was I asking you a question?
Now maybe you're somebody that's in a corporate position at one of those major companies that is a part of the, you know, ah, Tradewinds Park Fantasy of Lights display. And maybe you're sitting here now and saying, "Bob, I want to give you a call this week. Or maybe, like, Steve Kane was at the first service this morning. You want to get on the radio. And maybe you're from the Sun-Sentinel like was one here this afternoon, and you want to talk. Or maybe I should just go ahead and call Hannady Combs (sp?) right now. You know, it's just one of those things. "Bill O'Reilly. Hey, how are you? Do you know this is happening? And that this is not a right thing to do?"
Now, here's my point. If you don't know it or not, we're in the middle of a cultural war. But if you don't know it or not, we haven't been winning lately. And if you don't understand why, then you've missed the point. Because while the world continues to change before your very eyes, so much of the church is sleeping. And we're sleeping - listen - sadly, we're sleeping in some circles in our false doctrines. That if our focus continues to be greed and gain in the name of God, we'll never be willing to sacrifice anything. And if, in fact, we're so interested in the world's ways and the world's thoughts and the world's ideals, well then when would we ever rise up to be right? Why? Some of us don't even know what right is anymore. Because we're so interested in being tolerant, being truthful might rub somebody the wrong way. I mean, would I actually want to be in the paper with a sign saying, "I don't like Broward County's policies"? I mean, would I actually want to do that? Or would I actually say, "Now wait a second. Easy."
Don't you want to do what Jesus would do? What would Jesus do? I know how He felt about His Father's house. He turned a few tables. I know how He felt about the religious leaders of His day. He said to them, "Woe unto you."
So what are we supposed to do? Here's what we're supposed to do. And here's where it begins. It begins when we close a Bible study with communion. And everybody has a cup and a piece of bread in their hand where they go, "God, look what you've done for me." So that you can honestly ask yourself, "God, have I ever done anything for You?" And if you haven't taken a stand, let me tell you something. That's where it starts. It doesn't start in the political or the public arena until it starts here in the congregational consecration of us saying, "God, as for me and my house, I want to serve the Lord." I have to have a pure heart and clean hands before I point a finger. Why? He will undo me if I don't do it with Him. But if I do it with Him, it may be we turn the tide of public and popular opinion and we restore the years that the locust is trying very hard to eat away.
Christian, here's what I'm asking you to do. I'm asking that some of you would actually pray about involving yourself in the public arena of life. That some of you would actually find yourself in the next 5-10 years being a councilman. Being a senator. Being a ... whatever the position may be. Do you understand how important right now our judges are? I'm asking some of you to just be better moms and dads. If you're a businessman and you're a Christian, start a Bible study at your workplace. But what we have to do is erode and undermine the mindset that says God has no place in the workplace, and God has no place in the public arena. That's bizarre! It's very un-American, and it's truly un-Christian. And when you come to that place where you go, "You know what? The boy's got something here this morning and I have not as of late been bold in my faith," it means, Mom, you start that small group study. And you let the other sisters around your neighborhood know whatever time it might be. And we begin to do those things in the public forum that say, as for me and my house, I'm gonna serve the Lord. I'm just asking you to pray about it. And I think the prayer starts now.
Closing Praye
Father, we come to You in Jesus' Name. And we do so acknowledging that we, with Isaiah, say we're a foul-mouthed people in a perverse land. And You must judge first the church. For as Your Word clearly teaches, if judgment begins at the house of God ... if? No, You said it does begin in the house of God. And we really want to be consecrated completely to You. God, help this church shine a bright light and make a difference in our world. Please, God, for Christ's sake. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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