1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,760 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,040 There's something that I believe we need to understand today 6 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,440 ourselves in regard to how is this fallen system affecting our 7 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,080 own lives today? How connected are we to this 8 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,400 world system, this fallen world? How much do we love the world? 9 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,000 How much are we under its control even as Christians at 10 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,920 times? And that's what I sort of want 11 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,000 you to step back and maybe take a look at your own heart today, 12 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,720 where you are with everything occurring in these last days. 13 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,360 When I think of the future, I often imagine things like Star 14 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,240 Trek or the Jetsons, but even as far as we've come with 15 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,680 technology, it all seems so distant. 16 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:20,840 I know we don't have flying cars yet, but if you think about it, 17 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,960 everyone has a personal touch screen device in their hand. 18 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:27,520 That's pretty wild. In today's message, Pastor Clark 19 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,040 wants you to consider how far the world has already moved 20 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,520 toward the prophecies of the Book of Revelation. 21 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,400 Can you see how the world around you is primed for the Antichrist 22 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:41,680 now? Here's Pastor Clark in 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,160 Revelation chapter 18 with today's edition of Living Waters 24 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,520 of Grace. We'll start our study Revelation 25 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,800 chapter 18, verse one of chapter 18 through verse 8. 26 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,240 That's what we'll try to cover today. 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,880 After these things. I saw another Angel coming down 28 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,120 from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was 29 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,600 illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a 30 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,919 loud voice, saying, Babylon the Great has fallen, has fallen, 31 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:13,440 and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every 32 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:17,400 foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hated bird. 33 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,440 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,680 fornication. The kings of the earth have 35 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,920 committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth 36 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,600 have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. 37 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,160 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come up not of 38 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,560 her, my people, lest you share in her sins, unless you receive 39 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,000 of her plagues. For her sins have reached to 40 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,520 heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 41 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,680 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her 42 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,160 double according to her works and the cup which she has mixed 43 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,680 double for her in the measure that she glorified herself, and 44 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,200 live luxuriously. In the same measure give her 45 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,920 torment and sorrow, for she says in her heart, I sit as a queen 46 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,720 and am no widow, and will not see sorrow. 47 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,360 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,360 and famine, and she will be utterly burned with fire, for 49 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,280 strong as the Lord God who judges her. 50 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,880 This is describing the fall of Babylon, Babylon the Great. 51 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,280 Now, when you think about Babylon, there's a lot of 52 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,440 different positions as you study commentaries regarding what is 53 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,760 this place called Babylon. Some people believe it's the 54 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:34,040 modern city of Rome today. Some people believe it's going 55 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,880 to be a rekindled, redeveloped, spectacular nation that will one 56 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,040 day be reestablished on the face of the earth. 57 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,360 I seem to believe, along with some other commentators that I 58 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,080 enjoy their their teaching is that when we look at chapter 17, 59 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,600 we're studying about a system of false ecclesiology, meaning a 60 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,680 false religious system. And in chapter 18, we're 61 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:58,240 studying about the commercial business, commerce power of this 62 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,920 entity, which is the one world government under the one world 63 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,000 banking, one world financial system. 64 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,960 And so we're the day reading about this eventual destruction 65 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,640 of the city. And whenever we teach the Book 66 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,320 of Revelation, I find that it's real easy to look at things from 67 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,760 a futuristic point of view and not think about where we are 68 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:19,920 today as believers, followers of Christ. 69 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,120 It's real easy to, as I said in the past, to study this book and 70 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,280 say, boy, these poor people, they're going to be left here 71 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:27,720 during the tribulation. I'm glad I'm not going to be 72 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,000 there and I'm glad I'm not going to have to deal with this stuff. 73 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,320 But there's something that I, I believe we need to understand 74 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,560 today ourselves in regard to how is this fallen system affecting 75 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,400 our own lives today? How connected are we to this 76 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,680 world system, this fallen world? How much do we love the world? 77 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,080 How much are we under its control even as Christians at 78 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:51,920 times? And that's what I sort of want 79 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,920 you to step back and maybe take a look at your own heart today, 80 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,520 where you are with everything occurring in these last days. 81 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,760 Now when we think about this world system, it begins to give 82 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,960 us some understanding of light. In Ephesians chapter 2 talks 83 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,120 about where we all once were before we came to know Jesus 84 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,080 Christ. It says verse one and you hath 85 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,840 he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins at one time. 86 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:20,480 Every one of us here today, we're dead to God, dead to 87 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:22,040 Christ. Even though we're walking around 88 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,800 physically and we're enjoying our lives and whatever extent 89 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,680 that we're living in them at the present time, there was a time 90 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,840 for all of us that we didn't think anything about God, let 91 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:34,400 alone Jesus Christ of the Holy Spirit, that it wasn't on our 92 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,080 radar screen, right? We didn't give the the Holy 93 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,560 Trinity any respect or any kind of worship. 94 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,400 We basically worshipped ourselves. 95 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,040 And it also talks about that in Romans chapter 1, but it says 96 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:48,720 that this is where we all once were. 97 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,000 It says in which in verse 2 you once walked according to the 98 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,960 course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of 99 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,680 the air, the Spirit who now works in the sons of 100 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,040 disobedience. So at one time in our life, and 101 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,560 I remember in my own life, I mean, I didn't come to know 102 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:07,200 Christ until I was about 20. But there was a period in my 103 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,480 life, and also even after I became a Christian, that I was 104 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,880 very, very influenced by what the world was dictating to me 105 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:21,240 regarding success, security, materialism, all the things that 106 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:24,320 we all get caught up in. And at one time, though, before 107 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,480 I knew Christ, I couldn't do anything but walk according to 108 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,800 the course of this world. I was under the influence of 109 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,640 Satan, as you were. I was in darkness. 110 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,320 I didn't understand that there was a Kingdom of God. 111 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:37,640 I didn't understand that I was a Sinner. 112 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,360 I didn't understand that I was lost. 113 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,960 I was just heading down the road to destruction without any kind 114 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,840 of insight into another world existing. 115 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,000 And it says in verse three, among whom also, and you might 116 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,000 want to underline this in the Bible, it says we all once 117 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,120 conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, lusts of our 118 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,440 flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. 119 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,800 And we're by nature the children of wrath just as others. 120 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:07,400 So all of us, and this is your kids today, unless they've come 121 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:11,320 to Christ, perhaps your spouses, your brothers, your sisters, 122 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:15,720 anybody that is without Christ is walking according to the 123 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,320 course of this world. They're under the influence of 124 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,480 the devil and they're on their way to a crisis eternity. 125 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:25,840 And if the end times are coming up soon, these will be the folks 126 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,800 that will be left on the face of the earth to have to deal with 127 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,240 the horrendous outpouring of the wrath of the evil 1, the 128 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,760 Antichrist, Satan himself. But there was this time in your 129 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,360 life in mind that all we were thinking about was fulfilling 130 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:44,320 what my body told me it was good for me or what my mind activated 131 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,320 me to think of. You know, let's commit this sin. 132 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,920 Let's get involved in this kind of sorted activity, blow my 133 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,840 money on these foolish things or whatever it was. 134 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,840 It's different for all of us. Now, I'm probably, and I don't 135 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,320 say this out of any kind of sense of pride or ego, but I'm 136 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,360 probably the worst Sinner in this place. 137 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,120 And the apostle Paul said that he is the chief of all sinners. 138 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,240 So I can't claim that, but I'll tell you, I've done some wicked 139 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,560 things in my life. If it wasn't for the grace and 140 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,720 the mercy of God, I would be in big, big trouble. 141 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,560 And God's mercy endures forever. No matter how bad or how wicked 142 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,840 we have been or what we've done in our past, the cross and the 143 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,080 blood of Jesus Christ is there for every one of us all the 144 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,920 time, to forgive us and to transform us and to make us into 145 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,600 new people. To change our lives, to change 146 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,559 our conduct, our behavior, the way we think, the way we act, 147 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,200 the way we treat others, our priorities, our goals, our 148 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,200 desires, our dreams, our ambitions. 149 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,039 Everything begins to change when we're brought into the Kingdom 150 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,000 of God. But some of you here today might 151 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,360 not have committed really horrible sins. 152 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,920 You might look at your life and you say, well, I'm really not 153 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,680 that bad or I never really did some of the things perhaps that 154 00:08:54,680 --> 00:08:57,360 Clark did or some other people I've met that give their 155 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,520 testimonies, well, that doesn't take you off the hook because 156 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,560 the Bible says that if we've committed one sin, we're guilty 157 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,120 of them all. That's hard to swallow for proud 158 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,520 people. A lot of people less times will 159 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,160 look and say, well, I never did this. 160 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,920 I'm better than that. And so, you know God will accept 161 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,160 me because I wasn't as evil as this person. 162 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,160 Well, the Bible says for all of sin and falling short of the 163 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,000 glory of God. So there's not one of us in here 164 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,920 today. No matter the minimum amount of 165 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,400 sin you committed or the maximum amount of sin you committed, 166 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,960 we're all in the same position, guilty before holy God. 167 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,520 So this is the picture though, of the world system today. 168 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:35,400 This is the picture of the spiritual Babylon, where the 169 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,960 world today is under the influence of the devil, and the 170 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,120 only thing that prevents it from being really, really bad is the 171 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,680 presence of the church and the body of Christ on the face of 172 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:45,400 the earth. Today. 173 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:49,080 We're still salt, we're still light, and we still have an 174 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:50,760 impact. And whenever the church is 175 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,800 pulled out prior to the beginning of the tribulation at 176 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,320 the rapture, literally all hell will break loose. 177 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:58,320 And you think things are dark and bad now. 178 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,040 You have no idea what they're going to be like after the 179 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,320 church is no longer on the face of the earth. 180 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:07,680 It also tells us in the book of first John regarding this world 181 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:10,720 system. And chapter 2 verse 15 says do 182 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,920 not love the world nor the things that are in the world. 183 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,160 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in 184 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:19,840 Him. Now I've had discussions with 185 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,080 people sometimes. Does that mean that I can't like 186 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,560 creation and I can't like nature and and the things that God's 187 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:26,960 made? No, that that isn't talking 188 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,680 about, that the world system is what the apostle John is 189 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:34,600 speaking about here. If anyone loves this world, in 190 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:38,520 other words, the passion of your life is in everything that is 191 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:43,080 represented by the world, greed and materialism and lust and 192 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,400 idolatry, then you're connected with loving the world. 193 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,960 And John is saying that if you love the world, God's love isn't 194 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,040 in you. For all that is in the world, 195 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,080 the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of 196 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,640 life is not of the Father, but is of the world. 197 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,320 And the world is passing away and the lust of it. 198 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,440 But he who does the will of God abides forever. 199 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,600 So we're studying a revelation today about this present world 200 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,880 system that's one day going to be destroyed and completely 201 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,480 obliterated. And degree of how you see it and 202 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:14,720 how you understand it. Today there will be a new heaven 203 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,560 and a new earth that God will create at the end of time. 204 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,880 But the world is getting darker. And unfortunately, because you 205 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,040 and I are still living in this world, we are bombarded and 206 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,600 attacked by the world every day. Jesus says it's the cares of the 207 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,800 world, The deceitfulness of riches and the lust are the 208 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,040 things that choke his word out in our hearts and cause us to be 209 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,920 unfruitful. Now the cares of the world, am I 210 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,680 going to have enough food? Am I going to have enough money 211 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:44,400 to pay my bills? Am I going to have heat to heat 212 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:45,760 my house? These are all practical 213 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,200 considerations of of us as human beings that we need these things 214 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,600 to survive. You know, is the Social Security 215 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:53,400 going to be there? Is there going to be enough 216 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,160 money, money in the bank to put my kids through college or, you 217 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,320 know, the cares of the world, It ties us up, you know, am I going 218 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,160 to have enough money to pay my mortgage? 219 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:04,200 And so many today are not having the funds necessary to pay their 220 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,320 mortgages. You know, can I get a bigger 221 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,760 house and have a bigger mortgage or can I get a better car and 222 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:11,720 drive? You know, there's not one of us 223 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,600 in here that aren't affected by those kind of emotions. 224 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:18,440 And we have to be real careful because God trusts us with his 225 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,800 resources. Many of us have been blessed 226 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,440 beyond what we could ever imagine in this life, living in 227 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,280 this this country and the freedom and the economic system 228 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:29,280 that the free enterprise and the capital environments that have 229 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,520 enabled the United States of America to thrive as a nation 230 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,240 and a country in this world to be prospering. 231 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:40,760 Yet everything that God trusts you with and trust me with is a 232 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,040 gift. It's not a right. 233 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,760 It's not something that I'm entitled to. 234 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:50,160 It's the grace of God. And so as I live in this world 235 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,280 and as you live in this world, what am I to do with what it is 236 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,640 that God entrusts me with? And that's where you and I have 237 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:01,800 to talk honestly with God about what it is we have and how we 238 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,520 use what He gives us, either for ourselves and our own sense of 239 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,040 greed or our sense of His love and His Kingdom and for the sake 240 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,920 of others. We're all struggling with that 241 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:13,840 to some degree or another. All of us. 242 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,560 The more I allow the world to take control of my heart and 243 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,040 obsess my mind, the less room I have for God and others. 244 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,920 And I've experienced that in my life when I've been full of 245 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,840 myself and what I want and what I think I need and my 246 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,560 possessions and my rights. I don't have time for anybody 247 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:33,920 but me, myself and I, which is the unholy Trinity. 248 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:37,720 So John is speaking in Revelation and in this epistle 249 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,320 about the danger of this present world system. 250 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,760 And then the the lust of the flesh is a whole nother 251 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,600 dimension of this world system. And I can't help but to speak on 252 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,200 this periodically through this book because this comes up and 253 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:55,480 the text is like everything that is on TV that is being 254 00:13:55,480 --> 00:14:00,760 advertised to make you want, it is the lust of the flesh to make 255 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,320 you not satisfied with what it is that God has enabled you to 256 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,080 have. I get a kick out of these 257 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:08,080 commercials. You know, there's nothing wrong 258 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:09,760 with driving a Lexus or whatever. 259 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:13,000 If God enables you to provide, you know, you make the money and 260 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,680 you can, you know, everything's proportional. 261 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:16,840 If you're making 10,000 a year, you're not going to drive a 262 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:18,840 Lexus, right? If God has blessed you to make a 263 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:20,840 half a million a year, you can drive a Lexus. 264 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:22,720 And some people might think, well, why are they driving a 265 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,120 Lexus? Well, proportionally to their 266 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,680 income, it's not a big deal, right? 267 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,680 But if you're driving a Lexus and you're only making 30,000 a 268 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,600 year and that's all you got to pay, say it's any money you 269 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,520 have, all your money is going to pay for some stupid car payment. 270 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:36,960 You've gotten hooked by the lust of the flesh. 271 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,680 But everything is in the sense of God's Providence and what he 272 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:43,160 allows us to do with our resources. 273 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,600 In the Old Testament, he said, I'm going to give you 90%. 274 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,600 You just give me 10%. That's a deal, right? 275 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,280 When God gives you everything and he says I'm going to let you 276 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,440 have 90 and all I'm asking you to do is, you know, give me 10%. 277 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,000 I mean that who would ever run into someone and says, I'm going 278 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,920 to give you everything that I have and bless you with it, and 279 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,880 I'm just asking for a 10% return on my investment In the New 280 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,760 Testament, we don't see the numbers set up like that. 281 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,200 It's even more intense where God says everything you have is 282 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,920 mine. And so it isn't like, well, you 283 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,240 know, if I give 10%, then that that's enough God. 284 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,640 But you know, in the New Testament under grace, it's 285 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,600 like, I just want to, you know, abundantly pour out what God's 286 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,120 bless me with for the sake of others and for the sake of his 287 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:27,280 Kingdom. So hopefully we're none of us 288 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:30,600 are thinking how stingy we can be with the goodness of God, but 289 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:34,560 how abundant can we be because God has been so merciful and 290 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:36,680 abundant with us. But the lust of the flesh. 291 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:38,240 And so these commercials, have you seen them? 292 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,920 Nice looking couple come out, beautiful house. 293 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,240 The car, this thing is wrapped and like beautiful, you know, 294 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,720 Christmas wrapping. They pull it apart and it's a 295 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:50,160 Lexus, a red Lexus or a black like, you know, such a small 296 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,160 percentage of our population can afford that, but they know what 297 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:54,960 they're doing. I might not be able to get a 298 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,480 Lexus, but maybe I can get a, a Honda, Toyota, Buick, you know, 299 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:00,480 Chrysler, doesn't matter. You know, I would get something 300 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,400 that is newer or better or brighter or shinier. 301 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,560 And so it just causes us to lust. 302 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:09,160 Maybe we see the woman on TV and the guy will say, well, why 303 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,080 can't I have a wife like that? Or the wife will say, why can't 304 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,480 I have a husband like that? The constant dissatisfaction 305 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,760 with what God has allowed us to have as a blessing. 306 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:23,440 And then the pride of life. Many people are interested in 307 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,760 looking good in the eyes of other people. 308 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,400 And so everything they do in life is to impress other people. 309 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:32,080 Whatever it is they buy or how they live or how they dress, 310 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,800 It's all designed to say, look at me, aren't I great? 311 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,840 You know, I have this, I have that, you don't, too bad for 312 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:40,640 you. That kind of thing, The pride of 313 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:42,600 life. And so all these things are 314 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,360 influencing the culture and also the church. 315 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,720 The world is in the church today more than the church, which is 316 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,600 in the world, if you get my drift, Right. 317 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,520 We are being more impacted today as believers in evangelical 318 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:59,040 communities by what the world says as opposed to what the word 319 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,200 of God says. And so John is addressing these 320 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,280 things in this 18th chapter of Revelation. 321 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,040 And it's really serious because as I study this and prepare to 322 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,599 teach on it, I have to say to my own heart, OK, he's talking 323 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:15,560 about Babylon. How affected am I by Babylon, 324 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,839 this world system? How am I being influenced by 325 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:23,040 this false political commercial system that one day is going to 326 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,640 be completely destroyed? And so as John is talking about 327 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,680 chapter 17, he goes into verse 18 and he says, I see another 328 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,040 Angel coming down from heaven. This Angel has great authority 329 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,040 and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 330 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:39,920 So this Angel, I don't know who it was. 331 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,400 Could it be Gabriel or Michael, the highest created archangels? 332 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,320 I don't know. The scriptures doesn't give any 333 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,160 detail to who they were, but whoever they were, they had such 334 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,200 an anointing on them that when they came, the brightness of 335 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:55,080 their position and authority illuminated the whole earth. 336 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:59,120 The Trinity allowed this Angel to manifest the brightness of 337 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:01,960 the glory in the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 338 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,720 And this Angel cries in verse 2 mightily with a loud voice 339 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:09,960 saying Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and has 340 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,320 become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul 341 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:17,000 spirit, a cage for every unclean and hated bird. 342 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:21,600 One day the financial markets will crash. 343 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,040 None of us want to see that, especially those of us who have 344 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,720 our retirement tied up in that stuff. 345 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:31,400 But someday they will crash. I had a dream last night and it 346 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,840 was weird, you know, I'm seeing the Dow Jones industrial 347 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,520 numbers, you see in the financial News Network and the 348 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,720 tapes and the numbers, everything, the electronic 349 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:41,800 boards. And I'm seeing everything go 350 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,000 from here to 0. Everything from here to 0. 351 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:50,040 Can you imagine the worth of this whole earth in one day 352 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,960 being brought to nothing? There was an old song back in 353 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,000 the Jesus movement days when I first became a believer. 354 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,280 The song I wish would all been ready. 355 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,320 Remember that there's no time to change your mind. 356 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:03,360 The sun has come and you've been left behind. 357 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,000 It says a piece of bread could buy a bag of gold. 358 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,120 I wish we'd all been ready. One day gold will be worthless. 359 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,640 Everybody's saying what commodities are the way to go, 360 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,960 and maybe temporarily they are. You have to be an astute and 361 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,360 wise investor to know how to to take care of the money that God 362 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,000 has given you. You don't waste it and squander 363 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,640 it or hot it in a hole and hope it'll bring forth some kind of 364 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,680 return. You have to be a good steward 365 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,080 with what God trusts you with. But as much as we put confidence 366 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,720 in the commodity market, in the growth of copper, silver or 367 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,480 gold, one day there will come a time, and I'm not saying it's 368 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,560 tomorrow or next week or next month or next year, but it is 369 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:44,160 clear in Revelation at one day these markets and the plagues 370 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:46,800 will come. In verse 8, it says in one day 371 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,960 death and mourning and famine. And it says in verse 9 that the 372 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,320 kings of the earth who committed all the fornication, the people 373 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:58,320 that this completely ignored the throne of God live the way they 374 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,960 want. Says they live luxuriously with 375 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,960 her will weep and lament for her when they see the smoke of her 376 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:05,640 burning. So all the people left on the 377 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,760 face of the earth at this time will look at all the things they 378 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,600 trusted in, all the things they were excited about, all the 379 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,280 things they had their hope in and their their energy in and 380 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:17,640 they're going to see it completely be decimated in. 381 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,360 In a moment of time. And so this voice of judgement 382 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:26,040 from the Angel coming and warning the people about the 383 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,560 impending doom that's going to come upon the face of the earth. 384 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,480 And I don't know if you watch the headlines every day I get up 385 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,760 and I put CNN on and I want to see if the world is still here, 386 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:41,080 You know, is this is it over? And I look and I see this 387 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,400 morning that North Korea and South Korea are getting closer 388 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,800 and closer to a major conflict. So much to China right now is 389 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:53,120 involved in urgently, it says urgently wanting to appeal to 390 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:56,680 their potential conflict here. Now, China is usually the most 391 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,720 non committal nation of anybody in the world. 392 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:00,160 They sort of stay out of everything. 393 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:02,520 Meanwhile, they keep making all our stuff, right. 394 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,040 They're getting richer and richer. 395 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:06,720 Our jobs are being transported all around the world. 396 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,200 So Americans don't have the ability to make a decent 397 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,000 livelihood anymore in a lot of cases. 398 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:12,840 I mean, they got the best of all worlds. 399 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,560 But what's happening right now? And I watched the last week, 400 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,680 whenever the the attack initially started from North 401 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,560 Korea, it affected the market significantly. 402 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,720 Right now we look in Europe, we have Ireland that's having 403 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,960 problems with their finances and they're looking for a bailout. 404 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,520 Portugal's next. And next to Spain, the contagion 405 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,200 is basically unlimited. They can't stop it. 406 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,760 Everybody's acting like it can stop it, but they really can't. 407 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,040 So what's amazing, what's exciting, what's, what's 408 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,400 depressing in a way is that we're all going to be like 409 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,400 affected by this stuff. But what's exciting in a way is, 410 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,560 is that look up your redemption draws nod. 411 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,400 Because the more we see these things coming together and the 412 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,040 greater the intensity and the greater the instability of the 413 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,600 world system, the more we realize that the Lord is pulling 414 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,160 all these things together for His second coming. 415 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,600 And so as we look at these things in this particular book, 416 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,680 John is describing this potential eventual destruction 417 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,320 of spiritual and financial Babylon and this world system. 418 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:13,160 It's organized by the Antichrist. 419 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:17,320 Now it says in Ephesians 2 that this world that we live in, the 420 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,920 Prince of the power of the air, Satan himself is the one that's 421 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:22,720 influencing and controlling everything. 422 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,480 He's not physically present yet in the form of a human being, 423 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:28,560 the Antichrist. But one day there will be 424 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:32,400 someone who will walk around filled with the presence of 425 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,880 Satan and in the flesh, and that will be the day that the 426 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,760 Antichrist will be ruling and reigning on the face of the 427 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,080 earth. Now this chapter 18 though, is 428 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:45,000 moving up toward the end of the Tribulation the last 3 1/2 429 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,240 years, and so will continue to hear. 430 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:52,240 He's crying out, warning everybody that's on the face of 431 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,240 the earth as to the impending doom. 432 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:59,240 A dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, a 433 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,400 cage for every unclean and hated bird. 434 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,520 The Gospels tell us that the birds represent those who come 435 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,640 and take the Word of God when it's planted in the heart, and 436 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,200 come and take the seed when it was planted and take it away. 437 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,600 So it can't take root in the heart of the hear the voice of 438 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,760 God's judgment through this Angel in spite of the darkness 439 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,080 and this last day of the tribulation, God's glory is 440 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,320 going to shine, because the Angel illuminates the earth with 441 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:32,480 his glory, so the darkness can't ever outshine the light. 442 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,000 And it talks about this judgment. 443 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,160 It says the nations have drunk of the wine for the wrath of her 444 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,120 fornication. The kings of the earth have 445 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:42,960 committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth 446 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,920 have become rich to the abundance of her luxury. 447 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:52,000 In the Book of Revelation, Pastor Clark is taking us 448 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,840 through all kinds of events and happenings that are predicted 449 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,480 for the future. But for those who believe and 450 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,520 follow Jesus, there's much to look forward to in heaven with 451 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,480 Jesus. However, for those who are here 452 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,720 on earth during the Tribulation, there's all kinds of chaos that 453 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,720 will unfold. The Bible talks about an 454 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:18,040 Antichrist, false prophet, and of course that evil enemy Satan. 455 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,840 Do you see how there are such clever attempts for the enemy to 456 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,080 disguise himself as God and even the Trinity? 457 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:29,560 The true Savior of the world is God and how he comes to rescue 458 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:34,880 through his triune nature, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and 459 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:39,120 God the Holy Spirit. Just like Satan tried to take 460 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:43,080 over for God in heaven and was cast out, Satan will try to 461 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:47,040 convince people on earth that he is the triune God to be 462 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,280 worshipped instead of the legitimate God in heaven. 463 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,440 It's an attempt, and although he will capture plenty in his 464 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:59,400 schemes, he will not win. The true God wins, and 465 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:03,200 Revelation unpacks how that will all happen in detail. 466 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,640 Be encouraged because there's a way out for all of this madness 467 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,320 that will ensue on this earth. But you don't want to wait 468 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,600 indefinitely to make that decision about Jesus. 469 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,880 We don't know when the church will be raptured, and you want 470 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,960 to be ready to be with Jesus. To learn more about this, head 471 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:28,200 over to calvarychapelonline.com. We're so glad you've been with 472 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,320 us today. And if you'd like to connect 473 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,640 further with this ministry, find us on Facebook or YouTube. 474 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,840 You can also download our mobile app at calvarychapelonline.com. 475 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:44,480 Be sure to join us for weekly services at 400 E Pittsburgh St. 476 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:53,040 Ste. 6B in Greensburg, PA 15601. This has been living waters of 477 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:53,600 grace.