This calls for a mind with wisdom...

Hello Wonderful, Loving, Gracious Church Family:  
Do you ever feel overwhelmed at the increasing speed that the anti-God world system is moving forward in relativistic change demanding society to compromise or else!  Well, there is some great news in Revelation 17.  We get a close up look at how the world system “Babylon" is destroyed by our Creator God.  Now don’t forget that in Revelation "Babylon" is not a city but the world system that is anti-God.  We have discussed earlier in Revelation that Babylon is the symbol of human civilization, in all of its seduction, organized to oppose God.  Babylon, the world system seduces us to fall in line with its so-called freedoms and philosophies.  Babylon and its secularized freedoms is the totality of the prevailing culture that is in opposition to Jesus Christ and the Church.  Today in our nation we see this clearly as our culture rebels against God philosophically, politically, religiously, sexually, commercially, socially and morally in every way.  We daily watch our culture fully embrace a relativistic worldview and its very strange, contradictory irrationalities.  It makes no sense.
 
But wait!  As we live and work and have relationships with those who have embraced this Babylon world system, we have great hope!  And I believe for those who are open to discussions pertaining to our present world condition, they are desiring a hope and joy that they know the Babylon world system will never deliver.  Jesus shows John in the Revelation that Babylon will self-destruct.  There is no hope in the world system.  We can see this happening today.  You can feel this happening today.  One poll says that 54% of those who do NOT embrace the God of the Bible still believe that the world will self-destruct in an Armageddon type ending.  The world desires a hope that is real and unfading but they have been seduced into pursuing sin instead.  While we are shown in very vivid and colorful details in Revelation 17, that the world system, Babylon, will seduce individuals and nations into following it just as a prostitute seduces her next customer.  We are also encouraged, as followers of Christ, that we will be victorious in this hostile Babylon culture as we seek wisdom in Christ.  Church, rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2)!  As we live in this Babylon world, never stop rejoicing in the certain hope we have in Jesus Christ!

But, what are we to do today to be victorious in this anti-God world system? Jesus tells John in Revelation 17:9, as the Babylon world system continues to seduce the world, “this calls for a mind with wisdom.”   What does having a mind with wisdom look like?  First, know that the de-Godding of our nation and world is happening.  Watch and be wise as to the latest movements, laws, and philosophies where the culture is increasingly hostile against God.  Don’t ignore it or pretend it is not happening, be wise.  Second, seek and develop a theological and doctrinal understanding from God’s Word about what God is doing in this.  Our sovereign God is working out everything according to his purpose and He has written to us about how He will bring this about!  Know your end-times promises from God.  Third, move forward with boldness and victory knowing that God is moving and leading the world system to consume and destroy itself (Rev. 17:16-18).  That is sad but true.  The world system will devour itself.  Followers of Christ win!  God wins!  Let us show the world that the only hope is in Jesus Christ.    
 
Revelation 17:17 ...for God has put it into their (world system) hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

I can’t wait to worship with you this Sunday, Steve