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Well, thank you, Dr. Zeller, for that update and the encouragement. See God at work all around the world. And so it's a good reminder and a great encouragement. And we certainly appreciate your ministry. We love having Emmett with us. And just look forward to see what God's going to do next.

So please turn in your Bibles. Speaking of that part of the country, of the world, turn to Revelation 18. Ancient Babylon is not all that far north of there, is it? Do you know mileage? I don't know. How far is it? 100, 200. Okay. 100, 200 miles. Okay.

So we're right in the heart of humanity, the cradle of it all. So please turn in your Bibles to Revelation verse 18. I mean, chapter 18. I'll look at the first eight verses this morning. After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.

And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit. And a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her.

And the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality. I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues. For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds. In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree, give her torment and mourning.

For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning. For this reason, in one day, her plagues will come, pestilence, and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire, for the Lord God, who judges her, is strong.

Lord, we come before you just wanting to know your truth, wanting to understand the things we've read, so that we could apply them to you. Our hearts so that we may respond in a way that is most pleasing to you. In Christ's name, amen. Well, just recently, I looked up some of the most dangerous sports that one can think of.

And there are several different lists, but they all kind of approximate some of the same. They're all pretty much in general agreement. And I was surprised to realize that one of the top, nearly in the top 10, number 11, is bull riding. And close to that, bronco riding.

I remember one time years ago, Nancy and I were up in Montana, and there was this rodeo. And it was a major rodeo. And so I thought I'd take my wife out for a nice evening at the rodeo. Well, when I got there, something I noticed something. There was only one female contestant in the Bronco riding competition.

And I told Nancy, this is a big deal. There's only one woman signed up. I think you ought to sign up. Because have you seen how big those belt buckles are? All you have to do is get up there and fall. And you're guaranteed a silver buckle. A big one.

She goes, I don't have my boots. It doesn't matter. Just get up there and fall. She pushed back, and I tried to, I was serious. I was like, really? All you got to do is fall. I mean, what a great story that would make. Just think you could have that.

And just think if you hold on for a little bit longer, you might even have the gold. And there you are, beating all these cowgirls out in Montana. Time and chances in your favor. Go do it. She said, Look, I am a mother. I said, Yeah, that was what makes the story so good.

No, no, I am a mother. I have nothing to prove. I don't need a story, and I don't need a belt buckle. I don't have to live that close to disaster to make a name for myself. And so, guess what? She didn't write. Surprise. And I remember that girl, that cowgirl, that when they let her out of that, out of the chute and that Bronco came out, there she went, just flying.

I'm like, honey, that could be you. And she got the gold. That's all she had to do. Didn't realize that was one of the most extreme sports, but there are even more extreme sports than that. The top five caught my attention. Number four was free solo cliff climbing.

That's going up the extreme grades with no ropes. Have you ever done it? You ought to try it. It's a real cliffhanger. Number three, number three is winged suit flying. Ever seen that? It's like it's people wanting to be like squirrels that can float. And they put these suits on that allows them to have webs and they fly 170 deaths in two decades.

Very, very. Have you ever tried it? You really should. It's a breeze. Cut it out. Cut it. Number two was high-altitude mountaineering. High-altitude mountaineering. It's getting up above where oxygen isn't there. I didn't realize that would be that dangerous, climbing Mount Everest, but 300 dead trying to climb Mount Everest.

Have you ever tried it? It's really cool. My dad jokes are getting worse. I know, I know. Here's one that's not rocket science. Base jumping. Number one, get it. Not rocket science. Base jumping. Okay, I'll quit. Base jumping, number one. Number one. You know what that is? Just going to a high place and just jumping off and hoping your parachute opens up in time.

I joke, but 450 deaths in four decades. And what's surprising about this is there are very few people who actually do this sport. It's like these people live on the very edge, flirting with disaster, to make a name for themselves, to prove something. But by the way, I had to give up all of these when I got married.

Not that I did them before, but the point of this: many flirt with disaster and are flirting. But what was surprising to me, or what is striking, is there's even another activity that is far more dangerous than any of the ones that I just mentioned. We'll come to that.

One activity, and I'm fearful that there are many possibly in this room who are engaging in this activity right now. Message this morning is still continuing our journey through. Sorry, this thing is not clicking. Not advancing. Still not advancing. There you go. Whoops. I don't know what's going on.

Maybe I need to stop doing this. Let you just get me queued up. If you can get me on the. What's that? Okay. There we go. Well, you know where we are in Revelation. Seven seals opened up. Seven seals. And the seven seals tell the story about the rise of an empire, a worldwide empire, white horse, that which the leader takes dominion over the whole world.

And it tells the story of how that comes to be and the murderous intent, especially against God's saints, as seen in the fifth seal and the altar, those crying out for justice. Then the sun, the moon being darkened, and it's evident to everybody that the day of the Lord has come.

The trumpets depicting the day of the Lord, the long-awaited day of the Lord, is spelled out and showed to us in very vivid detail. Seven trumpets. And then the seventh trumpet, as that day of the Lord comes to its conclusion, there are seven bowls that bring about the final destruction upon this evil empire that has influenced and taken hold.

Of the whole world. The rise of the empire and the fall of the empire. And we come to the seventh trumpet, I mean, the seventh bowl, and it tells us, gives us more details of this fall of this final empire. Chapter 17 tells us about the fall of its religious influence.

Chapter 18 tells us the fall from its economic supremacy. And then chapter 19 is going to tell the account of its fall militarily. And that's what a superpower has: influence, strong economy, and strong military. All of these are going to be brought down. And the seventh bowl tells us, shows us some of those and how that unfolds.

But as we come to the text, looking back at verse 1, there is a message from above. There's a message in all of this, in all of the context of the rise, Revelation telling the story of the rise and the fall of this great empire, this final city built by man that has taken hold in light of its coming and its going.

How are we to live? Revelation 18:1 gives us a message. After these things, speaking about after the judgment of the harlot by the beast allied with the ten kings that we saw in 17, another Another angel appears, another one. I saw another angel coming down from heaven, another one, a different one than the one in 17.

He's having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. It's clear that he has come from the presence of God, radiating the light, just like Moses when he came down from the mountain, radiating light, evidence, presence with God. And this angel is going to reveal another aspect of Babylon's fall.

Its fall from the heights from its economic prosperity. It will be the world's economic center and leader. But if you look at verse 4, the key exhortation is there. There's the command in verse 4. I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people. Come out of her.

Y'all, come out of her. Be the word. You, plural, come out of her. Leave her. This is the exhortation for this chapter, and really, in large part, the book. Come out of her. Leave her. Cut all ties with her. Depart from her. Put yourself in a state of complete detachment from her.

That's the idea. Come out of her. That's the key exhortation in this exhortation. Is from God. And it's clear, as we've been making our way through, that the kingdom of the world is synonymous with the kingdom of Babylon or the Babylon the Great. In Revelation 11:15, you remember when the trumpet blew the seventh, or when the angel blew the seventh trumpet.

In 11:15, we read these words: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. The kingdom of the world connected with Babylon the Great. You see, Babylon the Great is a system, but it's also a city.

A system, much like we think of when you think of the Kremlin, you think of the Russian ideology and that center for where it is advanced. Think about Washington, D.C., you think about the capital, that place where the United States comes together or collects and advances as such.

Well, Babylon the Great, in similar fashion, is a city of the final world empire, but it is a city in control of a whole system, a whole worldly system, where man has said, we will build our own city apart from the God revealed in Scripture. A city. City with worldwide influence and worldwide domination.

And like any empire, it has its ideology, it has its territory, and this particular one has a very anti-God philosophy, has a passion for the immoral, a passion for sensual living, luxurious living. And out of that is going to flow civil injustice and clearly an intolerance of true Christianity.

But this system is very much alive today, even though it will culminate into a centralized location that will dominate the world in the future. It is that system, these ideologies, are very much alive today. And so, we, even as we may not be, this generation, even though this still speaks as we are to leave, we are to cut all ties, we are to put ourselves in a place of complete spiritual detachment from this system.

Come out of her, my people. And so, as we continue our study this morning, I want you to see three reasons why God wants his people to come out of this worldly system so that you will rid yourself of every spiritual connection today. Come out of her. That's the exhortation.

Come out of her. Come out of her, number one, because of what is going to happen to her. Come out of her because of what is going to happen to her. Look at verse 2. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great.

She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. Literally, here comes this voice fallen. Or it's like, it fell, it fell. It's in a state of irrevocable disrepair. That's the idea. It has fallen.

It fell. An irrevocable change has taken place. And this is because of the bold judgments. This empire, this city, capital, empire has been put into a state of fallenness, if I can use that word. And the height from which she has fallen is seen in what she becomes.

Remember, she's dominating. She's, as the text is going to say, queen. And yet, look at what she becomes. Three descriptions. A dwelling place of demons. A dwelling place of evil spirits. A habitat, an abode, a place. Remember, those demons got kicked out of heaven by Michael and his angels.

There was no room for them found in heaven. And this is going to be a prison. This is going to be the only place that's going to be found for them on earth. A dwelling place of demons, but look back. A prison of every unclean spirit. That is a prison for every defiled spirit, every filthy spirit, every foul spirit, every indecent spirit.

It's a place of incarceration for them. That's what she becomes. And look at number three: a prison for every unclean and hateful bird. This is a prison, a place to hold them against their will. And you get this image. It's quite frightening. From the exalted world leader and wealth and luxury to being the place and the very emblem of eternal horror.

The birds. Like a haunt of scavengers hovering over the fallen, the dead of the city. That's the image. Jeremiah 50 is going to add details of other things like hyenas and others. But the question this morning, why? Why would God do this to any city? What has she done?

Well, the reason for her fallen state is. Seen in verse 3. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her passion and her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.

Notice the nations, all the nations have embraced her rage. It's the word passion, madness. The rage, the madness, the furious passion for her immorality. All the nations have taken this in and are controlled by it. All the nations have given up virtue and have gone after this immoral, and have developed a furious passion for her immorality.

The kings, and look, notice the kings led the way, probably in some way reflecting the people. But also, they were probably enriched, just like the merchants. The merchants is going to be a big emphasis in this chapter as we keep going on. The merchants, the merchandise that went through her, is mind-numbing, as chapter 18 is going to go on and show.

But notice the merchants of the earth profited from her sensual extravagances. And the sensuality, don't just think that this is like the erotic, and it includes that. But the sensual luxuries, it's like this extravagances, it's a love for sensual desire, not just the erotic, but luxury living, living.

And the words involve like an unbridled desire, luxury, and it involves a pride and a trust in wealth and luxurious things. The merchants, now their role in all of this is they profit off of it. They are willing to give up whatever virtue, and there will always be a market for those who want immoral things and sensual living.

And so there are these merchants that they profiteer off it. And so, because you see, friends, there will always be a market for those who cater to fleshly interests, at least until Christ comes. And so, the fleshly indulgence of a fallen people is a good opportunity for commerce.

And that's what these merchants are profiting off of. They're profiting off the debauchery of humanity. Here's the message: come out of her. Do not be among those who are enticed by her sensuality. Do not be among those who compromise truth for wealth or money or luxury. So don't be enticed and don't profit.

Come out of her. Don't drink what she pours. Don't value what she values. Otherwise, you'll end up, as she does, in a prison of evil spirits. And where do you get rid of your evil desires? At the cross. That's the place of spiritual execution. That is where you come.

If this is you, if you are in this system now, if you are married to this world, the invitation for you is to come out, come out of her, come to the cross, send your sins away by virtue of the Lamb of God. But listen, I want you to take for a moment and just consider your exalted state.

I recognize this is a city in the future that has an exalted state, but consider your exalted state right now. Do you know what you were created to do? You were created to image God. You were created to make the invisible God visible. By reflecting him. Wow, what a high calling.

Look at the height of her fall. Don't partake in her sins. Come out of her because of what's going to happen to her. Second, come out of her because those who don't participate in her sins. Look at verse 4. I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins.

You see, proximity to her leads to participation with her. See, the book of Revelation is really about two cities, two kingdoms, two philosophies. Two cities, Babylon the Great, New Jerusalem, two kingdoms, the devils and gods, two philosophies. God is to be exalted. His lamb is to be praised.

And another philosophy, he is to be opposed. But if you remain under this influence, the influence of this world, you inevitably, it inevitably leads to participation with her sins. Listen, when the original city leaders under Nimrod, Began building, they wanted to stack bricks until they reached heaven. But guess what?

Every single day that you live, you are building something. You are part of a civilization building something. You're either adding to, edifying, being used by God to build up the kingdom of God, or you're building the kingdom of the world. You're either under direction, under God's spirit, or under Satan's spirit.

And every activity that you engage in is building something. But listen, we don't have very much time on this earth. As your friend, as your pastor, as brother, as a fellow sojourner with you, I say, even if eternity isn't in the picture, this is not the way to live.

Don't use your life building up something that is harmful or something that has to be destroyed. God has so much more for us. Live your life participating in His glory, in His goodness. God has so much more. So don't remain with her. So come out of her because of what's going to happen to her.

Come out. Of her because those who don't participate in her sins. But also notice that come out of her because those who don't participate in her judgment, not only do they participate in her sins, but those who remain with her participate in her judgment. Look at, again, verse 4.

Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues or strikes, blows. Judgment strikes. Come out of her so that you don't be judged along with her. Those who participate in her sins will inevitably receive the same judgment.

And the next few verses, verses 5 through 8, we receive a basic theology of God's judgment. It's very fascinating. You want to see some principles of God's judgment? Well, look at these verses. First of all, I want you to see the reasons of God's judgment. The reasons, we'll look at the reasons for His judgment, and then we'll look at the manner of His judgment.

But first of all, the reasons, look at verse 5. For her sins have piled up as high as heaven. Why does God judge those in sympathy? With her because they are instruments in building a world hostile to God. That's what's going on. You remember in Genesis 11, you remember when after the flood, the ark lands somewhere in the Mount Ararat area, Euphrates.

Ararat is at the headwaters of the Euphrates. And in Genesis 1:11, let me just read to you. Now, the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

What they're doing is they're following down the Euphrates, heading east, eastward, and they come to this land of Shinar. And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.

So this is the migration after the flood. There they are in the land of Shinar, building a tower, piling up stones to reach heaven. And what this text is saying, these her sins have piled up. Have built is a city, a civilization whose sins have piled up, just like bricks into heaven have piled up as high as heaven.

And God judges. He must bring down the world that is hostile to him and hostile to the creation he made. So don't use your God-given abilities to build a world hostile to him. Do not harm that which he's created. Do not harm those he's created. God must condemn those who harm.

Second reason is that God remembers sin. Look back at verse 5. And God has remembered her iniquities. Every sin will be accounted for. God is mindful of them all. He is not an absent-minded bookkeeper. He is mindful of them all, and he will render justice for everyone. God must deal with sin.

We see the good news. You see, early on, in Leviticus, even. Remember the scapegoat? You know what the scapegoat taught us? Us taught the world that the sin of one can be transferred to another. Leviticus 16:21, Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins.

All notice all their transgressions, all their sins, he shall lay on them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness. What a glorious thought. This is the gospel reality. This is what Christ came to do to take away the sin of his people and the punishment they deserve.

God will reckon, he will account for every sin. And if your sin is not transferred to Christ, you will bear the consequences of that sin. But good news. You don't have to. But God remembers sin, and he remembers her sin. And so he's going to bring her down from their heights to the lowest place.

So that's the reasons for God's judgment. If you're thinking about a theology of God's judgment, second, this text shows us the manner in which. Which he judges. The manner, look back. Verse 6, pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds.

In the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree, give her torment and mourning. See, one thing you can tell about the manner in which God judges, guess what he does? He lets people reap what they sow.

She is going to be paid back in kind. He's probably speaking to the executioners of the city. Pay her back in kind. To the degree that she glorified herself, to the degree that she praised herself, to the degree that she clothed herself in splendor, you're going to pay her back in kind.

Now, some would see this as, well, is he paying her more than she deserves? No, he's not being unjust. The word for double, and I won't get into all the nuances of it, but the word for double can easily mean duplicate. Measure out what she has measured and pay her back accordingly.

And even the Think about pay her double, you think about one act of sin, how it can have an exponential effect. Suppose you really harm or abuse a child, guess what? And that child grows up, and that child goes out and abuses and harms others. There's a multiplying effect of sin.

So, even in that sense, doubling her punishment is still commensurative with the far-reaching impacts of her deeds. So, that's one aspect, double, in the sense that she can, because of the far-reaching expoential effects of her sin. But double can also mean in kind with her activities. Here's the measure: double that, duplicate that, and pay her back.

And I think that is certainly consistent with what verse 7 says: to the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree, give her torment and mourning. The point of this, her punishment is going to be commensurate with her sins. God lets people reap what they sow.

But, second manner in which he judges, God brings down the proud. Look at verse 7. For she says in her heart, Heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning. For this reason, in one day, her plagues will come, pestilence, and mourning, and famine, and she will be burned up with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

She says in her heart, I am a queen. And this is a certainly a many, many of your verses, many of your translations have this capitalized. This is a reference to Isaiah 47, verses 8 through 11, speaking about the downfall of Babylon. Language here, I sit, and I'd love to read that to you, but for time we're not going to spend time there.

But here's what she believes: I sit, I am sitting, I am enthroned as a queen. I am master of my fate. I have many husbands. I am enthroned splendidly. I am not a widow. In other words, I shall never see grief. No one is capable of bringing me down.

Her faith is in her riches. Her faith is in her lovers. Her faith is in herself. Those are the lies that she believes. But for this reason, verse 8: for this reason, for her willful, sensual, stubborn arrogance, for this reason. Notice the suddenness of God's judgment. In one day, her plagues will come.

Notice the thoroughness of God's judgment. Pestilence or death, probably a better translation there is death, death, and mourning, and famine and fire. Thoroughly. Notice the reason for its sudden and thorough fall. Because, or for the Lord God who judges her, is strong. As mighty as she has become, the might of the Lord God is infinitely mightier.

And that will be demonstrated. Come out of her. Come out of her because of what is going to happen to her. Come out of her because those who don't participate in her sins. Come out of her because those who don't participate. In her judgment. So there are some extreme sports out there, people living on the edge, wing suit flying, high altitude, mountaineering, base jumping, all these flirting with disaster.

But there's one activity that far exceeds them all. A precarious situation that dwarfs every extreme sport you can imagine, and that is refusing to come out of the world after you have heard God call you out. And He is calling all of you out of this world today.

Step into a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is His call for you. Step into the place where the judgment has already happened. Step into the place, have a relationship with the One who has promised to take all of your sins away, nail them on the cross, never to bring them up again, and to bring you into the very place of God Almighty for eternity.

This is what you're called to today. Come out of her. Come out of this world. Rid yourself of every spiritual connection. Connection and do so quickly. Go where God calls you. Abraham was called out of this very same region. Genesis 12. It's no wonder that Genesis 12 happens right after Genesis 11, Tower of Babel, right there.

People building the city. And God calls Abraham out of your Chaldeans, right? Same general location. And Hebrews says this: Hebrews 11:8. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking for the city which has its foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Notice how he's come out of the region where the city is built by man.

Come to the place to look for the city which has its foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And then in verse 16 of Hebrews 11, but as it is, they desire a better country, that is, A heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

God is called. Don't be afraid to go where he calls. It is what true living is all about. And you're invited today to come to him. You're invited to sever every tie, every spiritual tie you have to the dominance of this world system and live your days here for his glory and knowing him.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for these truths. We thank you for the invitation to come out of this world. There isn't anything here. Father, we don't want to be part of a world that opposes you. Father, we know that that's futile. And Father, what a privilege it is to be able to come and to come into a right relationship with you and use this great privilege.

What an incredible endowment that we have, not something that we have done, but something that you have given. To be an image-bearer of you, and then to be a redeemed image-bearer of you, being transformed into the likeness of your Son. Such is so wonderful. So, Father, help us to hear, to desire.

To admire your Son, to desire what He gives, and to come after you. Thanking you, Lord, for all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.