From Faith to Faith vs the Fruits of Babylon

The title, Dave, from faith to faith versus the fruits of Babylon.

From faith to faith versus the fruits of Babylon.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, who came on the scene after the Greeks, and the Romans dominated Western culture to, in every dimension, you want to name for centuries.

And Rome has had a tremendous influence, and continues to have a tremendous influence, on the Western world especially.

The Greeks had basically adopted the culture of Mystery Babylon, and that culture of Mystery Babylon is described throughout Western literature. In his letter to the Romans in chapter one, he summarizes why he is writing to them. And then he summarizes in that same chapter the abominable elements of the Babylonian culture, which they had adopted. So let us first of all read the scripture that he is, why he is coming to Rome, in Romans chapter one, in Romans chapter one, and we'll begin in verse nine.

Romans chapter one and verse nine.

So remember the title now, From Faith to Faith versus the Fruits of Babylon.

In fact, Paul covers all of that in this one chapter.

In verse nine, For God is my witness, Whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without causing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making requests, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift at the end of my to the end you may be established. That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Now I would not have you ignorant brethren, that oftentimes I propose to come unto you, but was not permitted to do so, that I might have some fruit among you also even as among other Gentiles.

I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians.

In a sense that covers all of the Gentile world, the Greeks, the barbarians, everybody that doesn't believe, and both to the wise and to the unwise, so as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome.

Now in the next two verses, Romans 1.16 and Romans 1.17, these two verses have somewhat puzzled commentators and believers through the centuries, but the meaning of these verses is quite simple.

We notice in verse 16, He is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Why? For it is the power of God unto salvation. So the good news, the gospel of... See, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greeks.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed.

That's one of the key phrases. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, that just shall live by faith. Now, in Habakkuk 2, if you turn back to Habakkuk, hold your place there. In Habakkuk chapter 2, we see one of the places. This is the first place that this, the just shall live by faith is used in Scripture. And so we go back to Habakkuk. Maybe we can find it over the course of time. Let's see. We've got Micah and then Habakkuk.

In Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 1, I will stand upon the watch and set me upon the tower, and I will watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Habakkuk might be called a questioning prophet in that he asked God all these questions in chapter 1, and then said, I'm just going to sit back and see what he does and what his answer is. And the Lord answered me and said, write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it, for the vision is yet for an appointed time.

That appointed time is surely upon us now, but at the end shall it speak and not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not right in him, but the just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith. That's the first time that that appears in Scripture.

So let's read 16 and 17 again. For I'm not ashamed, back in Romans chapter 1, 16 and 17, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greeks. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, even as it is written, the just shall live by faith. And we have read where it was written in Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4. So why is he not ashamed?

Because the gospel, the good news, is the power of God unto salvation. So that's the reason he's not ashamed of the gospel. It is the pathway to eternal life. It is the power of God unto salvation. The only way that anyone can be set free from sin and death is through repentance and faith and exercising faith in the sacrifice of Christ. As it says in Acts 4, 12, there's only one name given under heaven whereby men must be saved.

And if the world understood that, a lot of people have called the book of Romans the blueprint to world peace. If the world really understood and practiced what is given in the book of Romans, we wouldn't have the beginning of sorrows. We'd have a totally different world.

The Jews were looking for a Messiah that would free them from Roman occupation and domination, and Rome had become to some degree the headquarters of pagan worship, sin and immorality and debauchery of every sort. The leaders were indulging in all of this moral debauchery, and hence the people in the culture that caused Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed.

It is said that Nero himself was homosexual, and homosexuality dates way back in history. And all the other practices go with paganism. Even Israel and Judah, as we'll read later, indulged themselves in child sacrifice in topic, which is in the valley of Yihanna, which is sometimes translated in the New Testament as hell, the place where the wicked are cast.

Now, one of the reasons that the pre-flood world was destroyed was because of marriage and family. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their moral decadence, and so many people have fallen into judgment in bad times because of moral debauchery. Now, will you notice a warning here? You might want to hold your place once again in Romans chapter 1. We go back to Luke chapter 17 and verse 26. Luke 17 and verse 26. And we see a prophecy here by Luke in which Jesus Christ is the one that is speaking. In Luke 17 and verse 26, we pick it up, as it was in the days of Noah.

Now, that was before the flood, of course, as it was in the days of Noah. So shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. The days of the Son of Man is a reference to the coming of Jesus Christ. They did eat, they drank, they married wives. Now, this is pre-flood world until the day that Noah entered into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot. Of course, this is post-flood world.

They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. Once again, the Son of Man being revealed is when Jesus Christ comes again.

So Jesus Christ came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, which is a spiritual kingdom. Flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 50, 51, 52 along in there. And Paul was called to take the gospel of the kingdom of God, which includes all facets of how one can enter in the kingdom of God to the Gentiles, and for that matter to the entire world. But especially, he was called the apostle to the circumcision, uncircumcision, the Gentiles. So once again, Paul writes in Romans 1, 1, 17, and I lost my place there, but I flipped back to it. Paul writes in Romans 1, 17, therein that is in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed. So how is the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel? Well, here's how. God has faithfully kept his word in that he would provide a Messiah who would be the pathway for saving the peoples of the world, and God is faithful to his promises. So God lived up to his promises. He is provided a Savior for the peoples of the world. He then says that through faith in the righteousness of God, once again, what is the righteousness of God? God is faithful in that he has provided the means whereby that all men must be saved through Jesus Christ. The peoples of the world can be saved through faith in the gospel that he is preaching, and that is in keeping with the admonition from Habakkuk that we read, that just shall live by faith. So from God's faithfulness to our living faithfulness, we shall be saved. First of all, God's faithfulness in that he provided the means whereby we can be saved. Of course, that involves so many elements among which one of the primary ones would be grace, that through his graciousness, through his love, through his mercy, through his grace, he provided a plan of salvation.

However, in Romans 1.18 and 19, Paul shows that the gospel has been held back in unrighteousness.

He goes on to say in figurative terms that how the gospel is revealed in the creation.

So now Paul is going to the rest of the chapter show from the time that God created the physical world, the gospel has been revealed in that. And then he shows the fruit of those who would not accept the proof of God's existence through the creation. So we pick it up now in 18.

For the wrath of God is revealed. Now the wrath of God, which you definitely do not want, the wrath of God. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. And many translations, the true translation is who holds back the truth in unrighteousness.

I believe there are a lot of ministers out there and a lot of people who really know that what is being preached in so many of the churches, it's really not true. They hold back the truth in unrighteousness because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, where God has showed it unto them. How? How did he show it unto them?

There are many ways for holding back or defending the tradition and place of scriptural truth. Now, in Rome, the way the gospel was held back was paganism. And we can hold back the gospel ourselves. See, we're commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For example, we must not lock ourselves into the traditions that were extant, some scriptural, some not, at any time in history. What we want to know is what does the Bible say about any topic that you want to name? Jesus continually condemned those who taught the tradition of men. We want the Bible, we want the Scriptures. Sola Scriptura was one of the sayings that they used during the Reformation, but actually they didn't practice it. And Jesus condemned those who taught the traditions of men. You can hold your place there in Romans and go to Mark 7 and verse 7. Of course, we have read this many times about it, and we know it, that the gospel held back by the traditions of men. How be it in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines and commandments of men?

That's Mark 7 and verse 7. Now we go to 1 Timothy chapter 4, and this is very relevant to us today, 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1, because what we have going on and what we're seeing among us are the doctrines of devils not only being preached and practiced, they are being preached and practiced, and it is becoming the normal behavior for the populace. So we have now 1 Timothy 4 and verse 1. Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the face. We'll try to search out different things. Giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. You might say, well, I will never be fooled by the doctrines of devils, but you might be, if you're not careful.

So we're in this period of time, and when the doctrines of devils are being taught, the LGBTQ agenda, abortion, and many other things, people in their right minds will not go along with that, but those who are of a reprobate mind, which Paul gets to later in Romans chapter 1, will go along with that. And they do go along with it, and it is defended to the ninth degree, or whatever degree you want to say, in some of the polls that they're taking. It says that the majority of Americans, like I think it's in 60%, say that they approve of a woman's right to choose, that she can her, quote-unquote, reproductive rights. So, as we already mentioned, the Word of God commands us to grow in grace and knowledge. So here in 2 Peter, if you turn there, 2 Peter 3, 17, and 18. I think we don't focus on this Scripture enough. We just repeat, repeat, repeat what we've heard for a hundred years or more.

This is a commandment. You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the era of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. We've already read that in the latter times many shall depart from the faith, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to him, be glory both now and forever. Amen. So what is being revealed in the phrase from faith to faith is that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. That righteousness is revealed in the ultimate sense by God sending his beloved Son to die for the sins of the world so that a person can be justified by exercising faith in the Son of God, coupled with repentance. Now Romans 3, which we're not going to go into a discussion of, but I encourage you to master Romans 3. Back several years ago, I gave a handout which was titled, Mastering the Book of Romans, and gave a little synthesis of each chapter of the book of Romans. But Romans 3 focuses on how a person is to be justified through faith in the sacrifice of Christ.

So as we shall see, Paul contrasts the pagan way of Rome with the power of God. So in Romans chapter 1, we already read 18 through 20, but I want to pick up with 20 again.

For the invisible things of him... we're back to Romans 1.20. Romans 1.20.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.

So they rejected what the true God had to say. From his instruction in the Garden of Eden, to Adam and Eve. Eve believed the devil instead of God and decided to choose for herself what was right and what was wrong.

And man has gone that path ever since. That's what's wrong with the world.

The world doesn't understand the way to being justified before God and attaining unto salvation.

You think that sometimes I think if the world could just understand why God created man, why man exists in the first place, what a different world this would be.

And that's what Romans to a large degree is about.

Verse 22, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Now Paul is going to show the fruits of the Babylonian pagan system.

So first of all, he says the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel, the gospel of salvation. God has kept his word. Now you're to keep the gospel, be faithful to it from faith to faith, from the faith of God providing the way to living the faith through faith in God and Christ, and by reading, studying the word of God, growing in grace and knowledge.

So man has become fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Now if you go to Isaiah 13 verses 20 through 22, which I'm not going to do, but anyhow it talks about when Babylon is destroyed that it becomes the habitat of such things of wild beasts, creeping things, birds. That's also in Revelation chapter 18. Now verse 24, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts. So when you just allow the lust of your own heart to take control, and that's what has happened to humankind, the lust of their hearts. You know, in 1 John chapter 2, it's the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Those three things get humanity. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And they get to them through the lust of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. They dishonor their bodies, which he describes in more detail in the book which he describes in more graphic details later, who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who was blessed forever. Amen. For this cause, God gave them up to vile affections, or even their women to change the natural use into that which is against nature. And likewise also, the man leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their own lust toward other men, with men working that which is unseemly and received in themselves that recompense of the era which was fitting. It is so tragic that humankind has fallen for that lie. It was in the pre-flood world, it was in the immediate post-flood world, and it's as we shall see, it's with us as we know for sure it is with us today. So from faith to faith versus the fruits of Babylon, hear the fruits of Babylon that Paul is describing right here. Verse 28, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them to reprobate mine to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death. I mean, leave it to the Apostle Paul to make a list. I mean, here is a list, and it describes our society. So from the Garden of Eden to the present day, there's no, as Solomon writes, there's no new thing under the sun. Not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Oh yeah, those that do them, those ungodly things, they're the ones that are glorified. They're the ones that get the awards. They're the ones that get the attention. They're the ones that get the press. So now let's review the origin of the Babylonian system. It dates back to the pre-flood world and the immediate post-flood world. Nimrod, Noah's great grandson, let's go back to Genesis 10 and verse 9. So here is the origin in the immediate post-flood world of what Nimrod did. Elements of the Babylonian system existed in the pre-flood world, as I read from Luke 17, as it were, in the days of Noah. So shall it be in the coming of the son of man. In verse 9, let's read to 8, and Cush begat Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

And there are all kind of theories about what mighty means there, but he was quite the man in the physical sense. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, which, wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, and the beginning of his kingdom, that is Nimrod's kingdom, was Babel, or Babel, or Babylon, and Erech, Akkad, and Kalna in the land of Shinar. So we see the origin right there of where it all began in the post-flood world, the immediate post-flood world. We should note that at one time in the Church of God, Hyslop's book, The Two Babylons, was mentioned and highly regarded because he was able to research ancient manuscripts pieced together a somewhat coherent history of the Babylonian mystery system in a form that the average person could read and make it accessible to the population at large. So at one time, Hyslop's book was quite often mentioned in sermons and Bible studies and quoted from, and in fact, C. Paul Meredith was an uncle of Rod Meredith. He wrote a book back in, I guess it was the either the 50s or early 60s, titled Satan's Great Deception, which reinforced Hyslop's book. But we had so-called scholarly theologians attack these books, and they somewhat faded in the back of the bookshelves in the library or were removed. I did a Google search, C. Paul Meredith's book, on Satan's Great Deception this morning, and numerous platforms came up in which it's available. And of course, Hyslop's book is available as well. According to Hyslop, Semiramis, the greatest accomplishment was aiding her husband Nimrod in replacing the worship of God with a polytheistic system based on the stars. And she became associated with Ishtar, Astarti, and Asheroth. So in scripture, you'll read about Ishtar, Astarti, Asheroth, sometimes called the Queen of Heaven. So we go to Jeremiah 44 in verse 15, Jeremiah 44 in verse 15, Jeremiah 44 verse 15. Jeremiah 44 verse 15 is where we're going. Jeremiah 44 verse 15.

Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by a great multitude, even the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt and pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, for the word that has been spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto you. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goes forth out of our own mouth to burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven. Of course, Semiramis was the first one to so-called hold this title, Queen of Heaven. Then it appears in scripture as Ishtar, Astarti, Astarti, and Asheroth. To burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her as we have done.

We and our fathers, our kings and princes, in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem, Jerusalem. For then had we plenty of food to eat, and were well and so no evil. So, just because you may be blessed physically in some ways doesn't mean that you're obeying God. It doesn't mean necessarily that the blessings are coming from God. It has to be based on whether or not you are. Semiramis and her son became known as Tamuz. Semiramis and her son inspired Isis and Osiris and Egypt, Venus and Adonis and Greece, and Isis and Bishnu and Hinduism.

Hyslop also claims that the Catholic Church adopted the mother's son worship into their veneration of Mary. More and more you hear today about the veneration of Mary and praying to Mary. And so the son oftentimes, in Ezekiel 8 14, it talks about Tamuz not turning there.

It is said that Shem obtained the aid of a group of Egyptians to overcome Nimrod.

Nimrod fled to Rome where he was slain. Then Nimrod's body was cut into pieces, burnt. I don't know, I guess she burned it some way. This is according to Hyslop, page 63.

Was burnt and the pieces sent as a warning to various areas against such evil and apostasizing from the truth. And according to Wilkinson's book, title, Egyptians, volume 5, page 17, the death of Nimrod seemingly halted the counterfeit pagan worship which he started. The Egyptians hold that Nimrod's dead body was cut into pieces. It was sent to many cities throughout the country as a stern warning as to what would happen to others who might desire to apostasize. There are two examples in Scripture of one was a Levite's, a Levite's cocky bind. This is him. I'm not going to turn there. Judges 19. You ought to read Judges 19.

Some very interesting stories in the Old Testament. Here, a cocky bind was taken from this Levite and a group of men abused her all night and then came and left her at the door of this Levite and she was dead. So he then cut up her body. And this is in Judges 19 verse 29. Judges 19 verse 29 says what I'm telling you. Cut up her body and send it to the tribes of Israel. Of course, it's a warning to them. Another example is in 1st Samuel 11.7, where an ox was slain and cut up into pieces and sent to the twelve tribes. So this act of cutting up a body and sending it out was not an unusual practice. The death of Nimrod served as a warning against paganism and it had a marked effect on apostates. It was one of a powerful witness. If Nimrod could be slain and his body sent to various parts of the world, cut up pieces, then it's a warning to the rest of the people. You better be careful. So the mystery religions in paganism began to go underground. After that, the people were afraid to worship these objects, although they desired to do so. So if they were to continue worshiping these forbidden pagan idols, there was only one way which it could be done, and that was for someone to initiate a system whereby the forbidden things of worship were represented by something else. So we look at the star and there's a god associated with the star and the various icons and idols. Now I'm going to quote Josephus. Josephus wrote the book Antiquities of the Jews, which used to be used in Bible classes at an ambassador.

I think it's referred to now from time to time at ABC.

So here's a quote from Josephus. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an upfront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but believed that it was their own courage which procured their happiness. And Josephus goes on to describe what Nimrod did in changing the government and worship to that of paganism. So this system became known as the ancient mysteries, and one was initiated into the mysteries, and they would know that they, in reality, were worshiping the forbidden son or serpent when they worship these new symbols. But the outsider would not know it would be a mystery to him that they were actually worshiping Satan the devil.

Hyslop's two Babylon's declares—this is page 66—and these circumstances then began that system of mystery which, having Babylon for its center, has spread over the world. We must remember that Babylon is a system that dates back to the pre-flood world, an immediate post-flood world, and elements of it were present in the pre-flood world.

Shortly after Nimrod's death, Hyslop writes that Semiramis earned the title Queen of Heaven, which we've talked about from Jeremiah, when she claimed that Nimrod was God and that her newborn son was Nimrod reincarnated. So Nimrod was killed, but Semiramis got pregnant. Many say that it was by someone other than Nimrod.

She claimed it was Nimrod, and that this son that she had, often referred to as Tammuz, was the reincarnation of Nimrod. So this began the worship of Semiramis and the child God in the whole paraphernalia of the Babylonian religious system. And perhaps you've seen many icons of what's called the Madonna. It's a woman holding a child.

And in that Madonna, which even in the far eastern countries, before Christianity made inroads into that area, there were icons of the Madonna, of the woman holding the man-child.

So the Madonna is a symbol present throughout the world, even in the east, even all the way to China. Catholics have more and more emphasized the mother-son relationship in recent times, and some chant, so one of the Catholic chants, is, Blessed be Mary, the mother of God. Mary is not the mother of God, and some pray to Mary.

I saw a documentary yesterday. Actually, this was an apologies for the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has recently visited Mongolia. Why in the world would he visit Mongolia?

Well, the reason given was that he wanted to say he couldn't go to China because China would not welcome him, but Mongolia would, the Dalai Lama and all that. And so he went to Mongolia and issued a message with regard to China's violation of human rights.

And it's estimated now, he said that 25% of the world's population is Catholic, or professed Catholic. They may be professing as one president professes, but that's the way they say it.

So after Nimrod's death, the Madonna became even more prevalent and is today in Catholic worship.

Now, another thing you need to understand about Babylon, there is the old Babylon and there is the Neo or the new Babylon. So after the demise of Nimrod and Semiramis, secular history records that Hammurabi, perhaps, had heard of the Hammurabi code. Secular history says that Hammurabi built Babylon and he is famously known for the Hammurabi code. And, of course, secular history tends to overlook the Bible and the account given in the Bible with regard to the building of Babylon. And they tend to overlook the development of the mystery system of religion that was developed by Nimrod and Semiramis. So pre-flood world, immediate post-flood world all the way up to the present time, and we read Paul's description of it.

There were times in which even Israel and Judas succumbed to the most horrific practice of burning children and sacrificing their children by fire to the pagan gods, Molech being one of the chief ones. Let's go now to 2 Kings 23 and verse 10. 2 Kings 23 and verse 10. There are several places in which this is talked about of sacrificing their children to the pagan gods. 2 Kings 23 and verse 10. 2 Kings 23 and verse 10.

And he defiled Tophat, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom. That's what I told you. It was in Tophat as a place in Hinnom. Hinnom is what the New Testament translates as hell, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the son at the entering inn of the house of the Lord by the chamber of Nathan, Molech, the chamberlade, which was in the suburbs and burned the chariots of the son with fire. So this was a great restoration that the king did in which he put an end to the practice of burning the children in the valley of Hinnom. And of course, the Supreme Court now has passed a law saying that that is illegal after 15 weeks, and many states have adopted that, and it's a great controversy. It will be in the upcoming election that's coming up with a presidential election. Jesus warned the apostles not to worship Satan the devil.

In John chapter 8, John records a big debate that Jesus was having with the people of his day, and Jesus said, he said to those people, you are of your father the devil, and the less of your fathers you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and above not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. So as we have already noted, the apostle Paul boldly confronted the pagan deities of Rome, and sometimes this goes over people's head. What he is describing was what Rome had become and what Western civilization really had become. See, Western civilization is patterned after the Greeks and the Romans. The educational system of today is to large degree patterned after the Greeks, and the Germans adopted that system. One time we had visiting the campus out here, Big Sandy, and I hosted the president of the University of Tokyo, and I said, what is it about Japan, Japanese education, that sets it apart from the other oriental countries? He said, we patterned our system after the German model, and the German model was patterned after the Greek model, and it is the model from which American education is patterned as well. Of course, there have been all kind of adjustments and battles through the 30 years with it.

So after Paul delivers this message about from faith to faith, which we talked about at the beginning, he describes in graphic detail what has happened with humankind to the present day. The development of a false religious system in which they came to worship the creation more than the creator. They perverted the gospel, they perverted the worship of God, made it into a mystery system with the heavenly bodies representing a pagan deity or god. They became wise in their own deceits, rejected the knowledge of God, and for this cause God gave them over to a reprobate mind. And what does a reprobate mind do? Faulty thinking. This led to all kind of intellectualism, sexual immorality, a host of sins, chief of which were sexual sins, and furthermore, they took pleasure in it. It's the big deal. It's the people who are looked up to in today's society.

Paul states that those who engage in such sinful behavior will incur the wrath of God and are worthy of death. What Paul and John describe under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is where the battleground is today. So we see a host of irrational behaviors, people exalting themselves against the knowledge of God and the media and most leaders eagerly defending the perpetrators of these acts. Let's go now to Revelation 18, and we'll start in verse 1.

Revelation 18 and verse 1. To a large degree, as I mentioned earlier, this is a quote from, it's not exactly a quote, but it's a paraphrase to a large degree from Isaiah 13 verses 20 through 22.

So we hear of these unbelievable stories every day. We can't believe every day there's some other new kind of, I never thought I would have heard this or that. It still seems that many in the church of God are still unaware of the system that we live in. As you heard in the sermon up, we live in Satan's world. We live in a world that is controlled by Satan.

So let's read Revelation 18 starting with verse 1. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven having great power, and the earth was lighted with his glory. Now did you get the time frame?

And he cried mighty with a strong voice, saying, Babylon is the great, is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devils and the whole of every foul spirit, that's demons, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. And he talks about the birds in Isaiah 13, 20 through 22. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. It didn't say just the western world, nor the western world has led the world in its form of paganism. The eastern world has their own form of ungodliness, which is more ungod, which one is more ungod, it is hard to say. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are wax rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her lawlessness, her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double according to her works, and the cup which shall be filled to the double. So in today's world we see Satan is in control. The only route of ultimate deliverance is to live by faith.

God is faithful who has promised. Not to be tricked by any kind of people, any kind of form of Gnosticism. Turn to Romans 10 now. Of course, Paul addresses just about everything under the sun.

And we live in a world in which we see messianic Judaism rising and people giving heed to it.

And I ask people to ask them, How do you view the resurrected Christ? What will we be? In the kingdom of God. And on and on it goes.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Were they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is that he provided a Savior and is through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as verse 4 notes, for Christ is the result, the outcome. That word where it says the end of the law is telos. It means the result or outcome. Christ is the result or outcome of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. For Moses described the righteousness which is of the law, that the men which do these things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaks unto this wise, say not in their heart, Who shall ascend unto heaven? That is, to bring Christ down from above. Who shall descend into the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. But what says it? The word is nigh unto you even in your mouth and in your heart.

That is the word of faith which we preach. And so Paul goes on to describe that. Now you look at Hebrews 10 and 23. How are we going to survive? How are you going to survive? How am I going to survive in the days and weeks that lie ahead? Hebrews 10, 23, 25. Hebrews 10, 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. Don't give way to any kind of Gnosticism. Oh, we have beautiful teachings that you can teach. If you want to only understand what we teach, then you would really understand the Bible. The understanding of the Bible in simplest terms is that God is bringing sons and daughters to glory in the kingdom of God, that in the kingdom of God we are going to be on the God plane. We shall see Him as He is, as it says in 1 John chapter 3, and that we, as you heard in the sermon, are going to be those who help God in Christ bring the whole world into a knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful to promise. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, forsaking not the assembling of ourselves together as a manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. Now drop down to verse 38. Now the judge shall live by faith. Remember we read the first appearance of this in a back to you in verse 4. From faith unto faith, from the faithfulness of God to the living faith of the individual, the judge shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul, my life essence, shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them who believe to the saving of the life essence, the soul.

In the coming days, months, and years, you will be severely challenged to come out of the system and to be holy. Peter writes, Be you holy, for I am holy. That's God's admonition to us to come out of the system, to live faith to faith, and not be taken in by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and to serve God with all our might, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, and understanding that knowledge in and of itself is not salvation. It takes much, much more than that. So, brethren, I hope that we will put our trust, our faith in God, as it says in Titus chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, God who has promised, who cannot lie. It made these promises to us, and if God is a liar, then what hope is there anyhow? There is no hope. But, brethren, we have placed our faith and trust in God, the one who cannot lie.