6. “MUST” THE MORAL IMPERATIVE: TO VINDICATE JESUS AS A TRUE PROPHET: (Ecclesiastes 8:5-6, 11).
I. Brief overview of the significance of the identity of “Mystery Babylon“: (See whiteboard.)
A. (About 1406 BC.) Three Witnesses: The Song of Moses, the Book of the Law, and Heaven and Earth.
1. The Song of Moses: READ: Deuteronomy 31:19-30.
2. Song of Moses: READ: Deuteronomy 32:1-5, 32, 45-47.
3. Song of the Lamb: Psalm chapters 22, 23.
B. READ: (About 68 AD) Revelation 15:1-4: The Witness speaks, introducing the seven last plagues, ending with the judgment of Babylon, chapters 15-18.
II. Jesus’ Prophecy: the end of the nation, its people and its capital city, Jerusalem.
A. Legal indictment: List of their crimes: READ: Matthew chapters 23:
Verse 3: Lip service only.
4: Burden others, not themselves.
5: Religious rituals for show only.
6-7: Pretentious parade of their own ‘righteousness’.
8-10: Intellectual pride.
11-12: [Should have servant spirit and humility.]
13: Hypocrisy: Makes the Kingdom exclusive to themselves.
14: ” : Devour widow’s houses, make long prayers.
15: ” :’Winning souls’ to devilish doctrine.
16-17: ” : Valuing gold above the temple.
18-22: ” : Valuing the gift above the altar.
23: ” : Valuing tithes above Judgment, Mercy, Faith.
24: ” : Emphasis upon trivial details; neglecting the most heinous sins.
25-28: ” : Emphasis upon external rather than internal cleanness.
29-33: ” : Honoring past prophets; killing present ones.[1]
34: ” : Killing, crucifying, scourging, persecuting, prophets and wise men.
35: ” : Verdict: GUILTY.
36-39:” : Pronouncing sentence upon their crimes.
1. Specifically 23: 36-38:
“Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”
2. “This generation” also in Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32. Strong’s #1074. “A generation, by implication an age, nation, time.” The Hebrew equivalent is #1755, “a revolution of time, i.e., an age or generation; also a dwelling.”
3. Since Jesus had pronounced their guilt and the time of their punishment, it was “morally necessary” that this come to pass. READ: Revelation chapters 14:6-11, 18-20. (For further study read Chapters 17 and 18.)
17:6: AMP: “I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly amazed and wondered greatly.”
18:24: KJV: “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”
19:1-2: KJV: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true an righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
B. Jesus refuted the “oral law” of the Pharisees while upholding the Biblical Law:
1. Matthew 5:17-48: catalog of contrasts between the two doctrines. The phrase: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time…..” (and similar phrases), refers to the “oral law”.
2. Matthew 6-7: More contrasts between what the “hypocrites” (Pharisees) do and what Christ commands.
3. Matthew 15:1-9: More condemnation of the Pharisees.
III. APPLICATION TO TODAY’S WORLD:
A. Do the Pharisees still exist today?
Yes. They call themselves “Jews” today and their religion they call “Judaism”. Judaism today is the religion of the Pharisees of the New Testament times. What Jesus said of the Pharisees, (Matthew 23, 24, etc), therefore applies to the so-called “Jews” of today.
Rabbi Dr. Louis Finkelstein, Professor of Theology at the Jewish Theological Seminary of American, in his book, The Pharisees, Volume 1, Foreword page xxi, traces the existence of Judaism:
“Pharisaism became Talmudism, Talmudism became Medieval Rabbinism and Medieval Rabbinism became Modern Rabbinism. But throughout these changes of name, inevitable adaptation of customs, and adjustment of Law, the spirit of the ancient Pharisee survives unaltered. When the Jew… studies the Talmud, he is actually repeating the arguments used in the Palestinian academies.”
[‘Talmudism’ means the religious belief in the Talmud as their rule of life, their inspired scripture. ‘Rabbinism’ means the rule of the Rabbis as the authoritative interpreters of the Talmud and the rulers of conversion to Judaism.]
B. What do they believe and teach?
Their authoritative “Scripture” is called “The Babylonian Talmud”. It is the written version of what they called the “Oral Law” in New Testament times. They claimed that God gave Moses another Law besides the written law, and that it had been passed down through the ages orally.
1. Christ refuted this “oral law” in Matthew 5:17-48.
Christ condemned this “oral law” in Matthew 23:15: “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
2. Paul, as one who had been a Pharisee, condemned Pharisaism: Acts 23:6; 26:5; Philippians 3:4-6. NOTE: 1 Thessalonians 2:15: that they were “contrary to all men”. This refers to the fact that the Talmud teaches that “only Jews are men”; Gentiles are classed as animals.
C. The Pharisees were against Christ, (anti-Christ).
They were anti-Christian in the New Testament Scriptures. They remain so today. The Church cannot support and approve of Judaism and at the same time be true to Christ. A kingdom divided cannot stand, Matthew 12:25. We cannot be Christian and anti-Christian.
1. READ: Isaiah 48:20-22, “flee from Babylon“.
[Jeremiah 50:8: “Flee out of the midst of Babylon.”]
2. READ: Ephesians 5:1-7, “Be not ye partakers with them“.
3. READ: 1 Timothy 5:22, “Neither be partakers of other men’s sins”.
4. READ: 2 John 10-11: “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God Speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds“.
5. READ: Revelation 18:1-4: “Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues“.
CHRONOLOGY[2] (For whiteboard)
Beginnings: Adam to Abraham: Genesis 5:5 to 11:27: 4139 BC to 1958 BC.
Development of Israel as a Tribe: Abraham to Moses: 2133 to 1570 BC: Genesis 11:27 to Exodus 1.
1. Development of Israel as a Nation: Moses to Joshua: the Exodus; the Wilderness, the Law and the Covenant: 1570 to 1043 BC.
2. Conquest of Canaan and time of the Judges: Joshua to Samuel: 1406 to 1043 BC.
Development of Israel as a Kingdom: 1043 to 931 BC: Kings of the United Kingdom from Saul through Solomon.
The Divided Kingdom: Ten-Tribe Israel and two-tribe Judah: 931 BC to 721 BC: Kings of each Kingdom:
Destruction of the Ten-Tribe Israel: 721 BC: Kings: Jeroboam to Hoshea; Prophets: Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah.
Survival of Israel in the Southern Kingdom of Judah: 728-586 BC: Kings Hezekiah to Zedekiah. Prophets: Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah. Fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Captivity foretold by Jeremiah 12:14, 15.
Captivity of Israel in Babylon: First captives taken: 605 BC. Jerusalem destroyed and captives taken: 586-538 BC.
Prophets in the captivity: Daniel, Ezekiel.
Restoration of Israel as a Nation: 538-400 BC. Leaders: Zerubbabel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah. Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Joel, Malachi. First group returns under Zerubbabel 538 BC; second group under Ezra, 458 BC; third group under Nehemiah 445 BC. Return was prophesied by Jeremiah 12:16. Return described by Ezra and Nehemiah.
Disobedience foretold: Jeremiah 12:17.
Later disobedience described in Matthew 23:13-39; Romans chapter 1 and 2; Revelation 13.
Utter destruction foretold: Deuteronomy 28:63-68; 29:18-21-28.
Promise of Return if they turn in repentance and obedience, that they will again be given back the land and the blessings: Deuteronomy 30:1-16.
But If, after this, they turn again to idols, Deuteronomy 30:17-20, they shall be destroyed from off the land. Deuteronomy 31: 26-32:47, Moses foretells their apostasy and idolatry and consequent cursing.
After all of the backslidings and restorations in the time of the Judges, in the time of the kings, Jeremiah foretold their destruction from off the land again, chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, even to 12:14.
Then, God promises another chance: Jeremiah 12:15-17, IF they turn to the Lord. “But IF they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord,” 12:17. 24:4-7; 26:1-6; 29:10-14; 30:2-3, 8-22; 31:7, the remnant; 31:31-40, the new covenant; 32:36-44; new covenant 36:40-42; 333:6-26.
Jeremiah foretells the coming of Messiah: 23:5-6; 33:15;
6 b. SIGNIFICANCE OF “MYSTERY BABYLON“
It is the climax of the Book of Revelation, chapters 17 and 18. Chapters 1-16 lead up to it; chapters 19-22 show the consequences of it.
SUMMARY OUTLINE TO SHOW SIGNIFICANCE OF “MYSTERY BABYLON“.
Chapter 1: Verses 1-3. PROLOGUE – Title, Setting and Purpose, Writer, Blessing.
Verses 4-8: Who it is from.
Verse 9: Writer, (John), starts to describe his experience of the visions.
Verses 1:10 – Chapter 3: First vision of Christ and His message to the
Churches.
Chapters 4-16: Second Vision: The Throne, Lamb, Sealed Book.
7 Seals opened → 7th contains the 7 Trumpets.
7 Trumpets sound → 7th contains the 7 Plagues.
7 Plagues poured out → 7th contains the destruction of Babylon.
Chapters 17 and 18: The Destruction of Mystery Babylon.
Chapter 19: Praise to God for deliverance; the wedding is announced; the Bride and Groom described.
Chapter 20: Destruction of all enemies.
Chapters 21 and 22:5: New heaven, earth, Jerusalem.
Ending: 22:6-21: The “Angel” identifies himself; John again identifies himself; the Spirit and the Bride issue their invitation; The Book is validated and closed; His soon coming is again declared; the Blessing and Amen.
[1] ‘Serpents’ and ‘vipers’ in Hebrew are Strong’s #8565, tan, and #8577, tanniyn. The Pharisees school of sages at that time were known as the tanah, or tanahim, very similar in sound, but meaning ‘to celebrate’ or ‘commemorate’.
[2] Most time lines are necessarily approximate. Information taken from The New Chronological Bible, King James Version. E. E. Gaddy & Associates, Inc., PO Box 8411 Nashville, TN 37207. Ó 1980.