Lesson 07-01 the Religion of Babylon – Part 1 Genesis 11:1-9 the Religion of Babylon – Part 1 Many Years Have Passed Since the Flood
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The Origin of Evil and The Spread of False Religion The Spread of False Religion – Lesson 07-01 The Religion of Babylon – Part 1 Genesis 11:1-9 The Religion of Babylon – Part 1 Many years have passed since the Flood. Man is now seen congregating in a first kingdom. In this respect he is in defiance to God’s command to “replenish the earth” (Gen 9:1). In his rebellion, man has developed his own form of religion. The land is filled with apostasy. This religion will eventually pollute the entire earth. Genesis 11:1-9 GEN 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. The story of the Tower of Babel is the story of man’s collective rebellion against God. GEN 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. There were undoubtedly cities by this time in different parts of the immediate world. There were social and economic classes, even kings, but no government divisions and little governmental restraints. Ancient Sumerian records indicate that city leaders were benevolent judges with little or no judicial authority. [50]1 GEN 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. This is the first kingdom mentioned in the Bible. According to the earliest Babylonian legend, a conquering people came up by water, through the Persian Gulf with an army. [100; 118]2 Nimrod conquered the area of the Middle East known as the Plains of Shinar, Modern Iraq. [100]3 1 [50] Noah W. Hutchings, GOD DIVIDED THE NATIONS, Oklahoma, City, OK: The Southwest Radio Church, 1981. 2 [100] Bryce Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON, www.Ldolphin.org. “The earliest Babylonian legends tell of a conquering people who came up out of the Persian Gulf and established an empire from these cities. This seems to fit well with what we know of the movements of Nimrod in his early career. He was a native of Ethiopia and was widely traveled among the few populated areas of those days.” [118] Ralph Woodrow, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION, Riverside, CA: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, 1966. 3 [100] Self, SEMIRAMIS, QUEEN OF BABYLON. 1 Nimrod Came From The East Map from: RAND MCNALLY HISTORICALATLAS OF THE HOLY LAND. 12 GEN 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. This is defiance of God’s command to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (GEN 9:1) [93] The Trend Toward Apostasy There are numerous Scriptures in the Bible that show that the Church will trend toward apostasy in the last days. The postmillennialist’s view is that the Church will grow progressively better until finally all are saved. [113]4 However, this is not what the Bible says, as you will notice in the following: 1TI 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 2TI 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2PE 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. These verses do not sound as if the condition of the world is to steadily improve until all are saved. In fact, we will see that the world’s religious systems will culminate into one final end-time religion, especially after the Rapture when the restraining power of the Holy Spirit indwelling born-again believers will be removed (2Thessalonians 2:7). What we see happening in the Church today is theological apostasy, where modern Bibles have removed the power of the Scriptures, the deity of Christ has been challenged, the literal interpretation of Scripture has been reduced to allegory in this morally challenging age, and from the pulpit we receive only seeker sensitive, non-confrontational, sin avoiding messages of love and self help. [115]5 4 [113] John F. Walvoord, THE FINAL DRAMA, 14 Keys to Understanding the Prophetic Scriptures, Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993, p. 90. 5 [115] Rick Warren, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995, pp. 79, 80, 225-227. 2 If the Bible can be made to say anything that you believe, then that same theological apostasy will lead to moral apostasy. [113]6 That is what we do see happening today. According to John Walvoord: Absolute apostasy, or total departure from the faith, is held in check in the present age by the true Church, the body of Christ, and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. However, even the true Church can be corrupted to a degree by these doctrinal and moral problems. At the Rapture, much of what restrains evil now will be removed and apostasy will take its final form. [113] What does the Bible say about the final apostasy? The Last Days Babylonian Mystery Religion The last day’s world religion is seen in Revelation chapter 17. In these lessons we will attempt to define and identify this religion. This final religion will be based on the worship of the world ruler and Satan. [113]7 The final religion is represented in the book of Revelation as a woman, a great whore. REV 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns…. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. To help identify this final religious system we will look at two other women who play prominent roles representing religious ideas. Just as the Church has trended towards apostasy, we also see that Israel played the harlot and went after false religion (“stones and stocks”). Israel is the first of the women that represent a religious idea. [17]8 JER 3:6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.