Two Streams of People -- 10/26/08

Sunday, October 26, 2009

TWO STREAMS OF PEOPLE
Gen. 4:17-5:32

It seems that it is the nature of man to divide and make distinctions. It seems that the living of life requires us to make such distinctions. A week or two ago we had the Apple Festival at High Rolls. Those who grow and process the apples must make distinctions. They grade the apples because some are better than others. The whole system of grading is based on making distinctions. All human beings are involved in making distinctions, organizing, and filing.

This morning we are going to see a very basic distinction, as we look at Genesis 4 and 5. All of mankind is divided into two basic groups. That, in itself, is rather amazing. When we look at the variety among human beings, we would think that there would have to be at least a dozen different groups. Considering the diversity of mankind, surely there isn’t any way to reduce them down to two groups. Oh, but there is, and God does.

Let’s look for this basic twofold division, as we read Gen. 4:16-5:32…
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 25. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Gen. 5 "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 9. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13. And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16. And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17. And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28. And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29. And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

We find the root of this division in the sons of Adam and Eve. Who were their first two sons? Cain and Abel. But something happened to Abel. And what happened? Yes, Cain killed his brother Abel. Why? Because the deeds of Abel were righteous, but his own deeds were evil. Out of a heart of jealousy, Cain murdered his own brother and refused to acknowledge it before God. What a scandalous beginning for the human race.

But that isn’t the end of the story. In time, Adam and Eve had another son whom they named Seth. As we will see, Seth became a replacement for Abel. Though other sons may have been born in between (we are not told), Seth was the son whom God appointed as a substitute for Abel (according to the testimony of Eve).

Though it is not true physically, there is a sense in which every person who ever lived is either a Cainite or a Sethite. Physically, we are all descended from Seth, because all the descendants of Cain died in the flood. Nevertheless, the spirit of Cain was reborn and perpetuated after the flood, and his spiritual line will continue until the end of the world. Ever since these early beginnings all people have fallen into one camp or the other – the Cainites or the Sethites.

I. The Society of Cain

Let’s begin where the scripture begins, looking at Cain and his descendants. I refer to this as “the society of Cain,” because we are going to see that Cain and his seed developed a great secular society. We pick up the story where we left off last week. We concluded our study about Cain with the tragic words of verse 16, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Not only did Cain go out from the presence of the Lord physically, but he also departed from the Lord spiritually. He wanted nothing to do with God. And as the word “Nod” means “wandering,” so Cain would be a wandering fugitive, just as the Lord had said.

At this point we might think that would be the end of Cain in the divine record. What more can be said of him, once he has departed from the presence of the Lord? As we can see, plenty is said about Cain, primarily through his descendants. Here in the brief space of verses 17 and 18 we have the record of six generations… Cain/Enoch/Irad/Mehujael/Methusael/ Lamech. We don’t anything about four of those generations except their names, but we are told more about Lamech. By the way, don’t get the idea that these were the only descendants of Cain. No doubt, just as we will see concerning the line of Seth, other children were born to Cain, Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, and Methusael. These are mentioned because they were the firstborn.

Don’t be confused by the names Enoch and Lamech. You probably noticed that these same names occur in chapter 5. The Enoch of chapter 5 is not the same as that of chapter 4, and the Lamech of chapter 5 is not the same as the Lamech of chapter 4. Those in chapter 5 are the descendants of Seth, not the descendants of Cain.

It is also interesting that two of these descendants of Cain have names that end with –el. That is the name for God. You have probably heard the name “Elohim.” “El” is simply a shortened form. We see it attached to names throughout the Bible. “Bethel,” for example, means “the house of God.” “Samuel” means “asked of God.” So why were Mehujael and Methusael given these particular names by people who seemed to have no regard for God? The best guess is that Mehujael means, "God blots out," (or “smitten of God). The meaning of Methusael is debated (MacArthur – “violence of God”). That doesn’t mean that they worshipped God. Rather, at best. it is simply an acknowledgement that they are under the judgment of God.

So in the list of six generations, we are given information about the first, Cain, and the last, Lamech. About Cain we are told that he and his wife had a son Enoch. As we mentioned last time, people often ask where Cain got his wife. The answer is simple – he married one of his sisters, a daughter of Adam and Eve. Hundreds of years later, God would give a commandment forbidding a man to marry his sister, but at this point there was no reason for such a commandment. There was nothing wrong with Cain marrying his sister. Even if there would have been, it wouldn’t have mattered to Cain.

Not only did Cain have a son named Enoch, but he also built a city. More literally, “he was building a city.” The idea seems to be that he was working on it, but he wasn’t too successful. When we think of city, we often think of a Dallas or Chicago or Phoenix, but the word here refers simply to a fenced-in place or a complex of buildings, whether large or small. And why was Cain trying to build a city? Most likely, he was doing it in defiance of God. The Lord had told him that he would be a wanderer and a fugitive, that the soil would not yield him a living. This man who had rejected God at every turn likely had the attitude, “If God says I’ll be a wanderer, I’ll show Him; I’ll establish me a town and settle down in it.” Notice that he named the city after his son Enoch. This may indicate that it was Enoch who finally finished the building of the town. So now we have the beginning of urban society. Men are coming together to live in a town. Cain and Enoch were the originally city dwellers.

After the record of four generations about which we know nothing, we come to Lamech in verse 18. “And Methusael began Lamech.” Then in verse 19 we find that Lamech took unto himself two wives, Adah and Zillah. You will notice that this is the record of a formal arrangement. While the Hebrew word “wives” can be translated “women,” even then we would read, “And Lamech took unto him two women.” He didn’t just decide that he would have relations with these women, but he took them as his own. In other words, there was a formal marriage arrangement.

This is the first record of polygamy in the Bible. At this time, God had not given many laws, as He would later do through Moses. However, there was one thing that was very clear, that God intended one man to have one wife for life. We find this back in Gen. 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Bear in mind that there is no reason to believe that Adam was not still alive. You remember that he lived to be 930 years old. We’ll talk about the implications of that later. The presence of Adam and Eve must have been a constant reminder of God’s original plan for marriage. Nevertheless, Lamech dared to defy God’s plan.

Then in verses 20-22 we have three sons of Lamech, along with a daughter. The sons are Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain. Without going into great detail, let’s notice that these were very capable men. You notice that the names of each of three sons ends with –bal. That is Hebrew suffix that roughly means “to produce.” The sons of Lamech were very productive. Listen again as I read verses 20-22…
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron…

Jabal was the original cattle rancher. The word “cattle” here speaks of livestock, rather than sheep. This whole section is about societal progress and innovation. Jabal was an expert in the science of domesticated animals. Jubal was the musician. This is the first biblical record of music of any kind. Can you imagine the invention and cultivation of music itself? But Jubal went so far as to develop instruments. He furthered culture by leaps and bounds. And then there was Tubal-cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of brass and iron. We could say that he was the inventor of metallurgy.

Stop for just a minute and think with me. These are no small accomplishments. We are only down to the seventh generation from Adam, and we are witnessing amazing accomplishments. Can you imagine what is involved in forging tools out of brass and iron? Think of what is involved in getting the brass and iron in the first place. Leading scholars of our day would have us believe that we began as primitive cavemen, but that isn’t what we see here. What we see is not the evolution of man, but the exact opposite. Man began with tremendous capability, which has slowly been eroded away by sin.

Don’t forget the fact that these people lived very long lives. As we will see in chapter 5, there was nothing unusual about living 800 years or more. Imagine what a man could learn in 800 years! What I am suggesting is that there was a highly developed society in that day. And don’t get the idea that there were only a few people around. Remember that people weren’t dying off; they were living hundreds of years. The first natural death recorded is that of Adam, and that was after he had lived 930 years. There are those who estimate that the population of the earth could have been anywhere from 5 to 10 billion. I thought that was a little strange—until I got out a pencil and did the math.

Our reaction is to say, “That could never be.” Why not? Because those people weren’t smart like we are. And besides, if there was such an advanced civilization, why don’t we have any record of it in our archeological records? Because there was this unequaled catastrophe called “the flood.” Some time you meditate on the accomplishments of the sons of Lamech and see what you think.

So what’s the point? Here’s the point. There was an advanced civilization, led by the descendants of Cain. The progress in animal husbandry, music, and metallurgy were wonderful for all mankind. However, there is a problem. There is no mention of God. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with any of the things they invented and advanced, but there was no place for God in any of it. The judgment of verse 16 was still hanging over all of it – “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” They were still going out from the presence of the Lord.

This is seen most clearly in the man Lamech. We find the climax of this whole section in verses 23-24 NIV…
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
wives of Lamech, listen to my speech.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
even a young man for hurting me.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.

What do we make of this strange speech from Lamech. It has been noted that Lamech was the first poet. If you are reading the NIV, the NASV, or the New King James, you can see that they have set these verses off as poetry. We’re not going to take time to study it carefully, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that this is indeed poetry. Lamech was highly skilled in the use of words.

So what exactly is he saying in this little poem? It seems that Lamech was really a tough guy and he was boasting about it to his wives. Remember that it was a wicked world. We read in chapter 6 that the world was full of wickedness, and it didn’t get that way overnight. And what happens in a wicked world? The same things that happen today – murder, rape, robbery. We men are rather careful about where our wives go, especially at night. Perhaps in that context, one of Lamech’s wives asked, “Are we safe? Do we need to worry about all these things that are going on?” “You wives of mine, listen to me. You have nothing to worry about with me. I kill any man who messes with me, even a young warrior who might injure me.” And what about that last part, Lamech being avenged 77 times? I don’t think he is talking about God taking vengeance. Rather, it seems to be something like this: “If God took vengeance on Cain seven times, you can be sure that I will take ten times as much vengeance. That’s why you don’t have to worry about anyone bothering me.”

Lamech is like his ancestor Cain, but he has carried arrogance and defiance to a new level. He doesn’t deny that there is a God, but he has no use for him, just as Cain didn’t. The most striking thing about this entire section is that these people live as if there were no God.

II. The Society of Seth

I’m glad the story doesn’t end there with Gen. 4:24. As a matter of fact, I’m glad the story of life doesn’t end with what we see around us. Aren’t you? If we don’t continue to fill our minds with the truth of God’s revelation, we can begin to despair pretty quickly. Praise God that the greatest reality is not what we can see with these eyes. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers with these words, “[I pray that] the eyes of your heart might be enlightened…” And why did he pray that the eyes of their heart might be enlightened? So they would know the hope of His calling and the glory of His inheritance in the saints and ultimately the exceeding greatness of His power to those who believe! When we abide in Christ and His Word, we know the reality which extends beyond what we can see with these eyes.

Back to Genesis 4. Let’s read again 4:25-26…
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Abel was no more, because Cain killed him. But now Eve bears another son, whom she says God has appointed to be another seed instead of Abel. We don’t know if she had other sons between Cain and Seth. Don’t get the idea that Seth was born after Lamech. This account is not chronological, but rather thematic. The author (the Holy Spirit through Moses) has given us the account of Cain’s descendants, and now he is going to tell us about Seth’s descendants. In order to do that, he has to begin with the birth of Seth.

Seth had a son named Enos. It is after the mention of this son that we read this enlightening statement: “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” What a refreshing refrain. After hearing of no one calling upon the name of the Lord for seven generations of Cain’s descendants, now we find that men began to call on the name of the Lord. Again, we must realize that this did not occur after all the generations we just read about. Chronologically, it would have fit somewhere early in the time frame of Cain’s descendants. Praise God that it didn’t take seven generations before the line of Seth began to call upon the name of the Lord.

What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? Your translation may say (or have a footnote that says… NIV) “proclaim the name of the Lord.” The term may speak of praying or proclaiming. In short, it is a way of designating worship. Very simply, men began to worship the Lord. Understand that this is nothing new, for Adam and Eve had called upon the name of the Lord, though we are not told that specifically. They had walked and talked with God in the garden. They had been the recipients of Him clothing them with the skin of the animal, whose blood was killed as a sacrifice and substitute on their behalf. But for some reason, there is a new beginning after the birth of Enos. That is when people began again to worship the Lord. We might say that they had a revival. There was a renewing of the worship of the true and living God.

You might ask, “But why did this happen after the birth of Enos?” I don’t know. We are not told. But let me ask you a question. Is there anyone here that began to do some soul searching after the birth of your first child? I know I did. Perhaps the heavy responsibility of raising this son bore down on Seth. As he began to think about it, he recalled the experience of his parents in the garden. The more he thought about it, God gave him a wake up call, and it all happened after the birth of his son. Maybe that’s the way it came about.

On the other hand, maybe men began to call upon the name of the Lord a good while after Enos was born. Maybe it was Enos himself who was the beginning of this revival. Perhaps when he was 20 years old God began to work in him, and he truly began to worship the living God. He might have had a powerful influence on his own dad and then on those who came after him. We wish we knew the details, but we don’t. What we do know is that men began to call upon the name of the Lord, and it had something to do with Enos.

Now notice the structure of this section – 4:25-5:32. We have this little note in verses 25 and 26 about Seth and his relatives (plural “men”) calling on the name of the Lord. Then beginning in chapter 5 we have a listing of the descendants of Adam through Seth. Before listing this ancestry, the author brings out this contrast between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth. Cain’s children and grandchildren didn’t call on the name of the Lord, but Seth did. Then we back up and take a look at Seth’s line.

Look now at 5:1, "This is the book of the generations of Adam…” The Amplified puts it like this: “This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of the offspring of Adam.” He is simply preparing to tell us about Adam’s descendants. This is a very common expressing in Genesis. In Gen. 2:4 we read, "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens." Then go to Gen. 6:9, "These are the generations of Noah… Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." It is interesting to follow this expression through the book of Genesis, but we won’t take time to do it this morning.

Before we read the record of Adam’s descendants, notice the review in 5:1b-2, “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed the, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” He is simply restating what we have already read in chapter 1. When it says that God called their name “Adam,” remember that “Adam” is simply the word for “man.” Though they were Adam and Eve, they were both human beings. They were “man” in that sense.

Now come to verse 3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in hiw own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Of course, we have already seen the birth of Seth in 4:25. That was a preview, but now we are beginning to read the official record of Adam’s lineage through Seth. This is very important because it is the lineage of Jesus Christ our Lord. In the third chapter of Luke, this lineage will be given, all the way from Adam to Christ, though in reverse order.

There is a certain tragic note in these first three verses. Adam was made in the likeness of God, but Seth is in the image and likeness of his father Adam. The record doesn’t say that Seth was made in the image of God, but in the image of his father Adam. And what image was that? The image of fallen man. Oh yes, there is a certain sense in which Seth was made in the image of God, but the image is marred; it is messed up. Because of the sin of Adam, this son is not fully in the image of God. From the time of his birth, he is a sinner, just like his dad. Praise God that He is working to restore His image in those who belong to Him, as He conforms ua to the image of His Son.

And then we come to this long listing of the descendants of Adam and Seth. It is very precise. The name of the father is given, then his age at the birth of his firstborn son, followed by the fact that he gave birth to other sons and daughters, and then his age at his death. From Adam to Noah we have listed ten generations.

Now I want you to notice something. This listing is similar to that in chapter 4, where we have recorded the descendants of Cain. But there are some differences. First of all, the listing of Cain’s descendants is not as precise. I believe that is primarily because it is not the ancestry through which Jesus would come. There isn’t the need for such precision. But I also want you to notice that there is nothing about the accomplishments of Seth’s children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. While we were told about the great accomplishments of Cain and his descendants, there is nothing about that regarding Seth. Seth didn’t build a city. None of his descendants can boast of inventing and advancing music. Someone could argue that they did have great accomplishments; they simply aren’t recorded. Even if that is so, the absence of such a record tells us that they aren’t what is important. Accomplishments apart from the Creator ultimately mean nothing.

So what is important with regard to Seth’s line? Let’s just list one thing this morning. Notice that Lamech, the Lamech in the line of Cain, was the seventh generation from Adam. Now who was the seventh generation from Adam in Seth’s lineage? If you don’t want to count them here in chapter 5, you can find the answer in Jude 14, "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam…" In these genealogies, Enoch is parallel to Lamech. Lamech is the seventh from Adam through Cain, while Enoch is the seventh from Adam through Seth. That is not accidental. Lamech is the climax of the wickedness that came through Cain’s line. But what about Enoch? He is the climax of righteousness. Let’s read again about Enoch in verses 19-24…
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Enoch walked with God. Back in 3:8 we read that Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Enoch is the first person recorded to have walked with God outside the Garden of Eden. I love the way it is put here: “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” As one commentator put it, “Enoch went out for a walk with God and walked right into heaven.” Listen to the testimony about Enoch in Heb. 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

What a contrast between Lamech and Enoch. What a contrast between the people of this world and the people of God. The people of this world may not be living immoral lives, may not be committing terrible crimes, but they are still in contrast to the people of God. They do not have a testimony that they please God. And what about the people of God? No, they haven’t reached a place of sinless perfection. They still mess up. Nevertheless, there is a marked difference in them. They have been called out of darkness into the marvelous light of their Lord. They were not a people, but now they are the people of God (I Pet. 2:9-10). They are “looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and their Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for them, that He might redeem them from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:13-14).

Conclusion

Lord willing, next week we will explore chapter 5 more fully and get into chapter 6. For now, let us be firm in our understanding that there has always been two streams of people. And it will continue that way until the coming of our Lord. Even now, there are two streams of people – those who are in the broad way that leads to destruction and those who are on the narrow way that leads to life. There are those who are the servants of sin and Satan, as was Cain, and there are those who are servants of righteousness and the true God.

I want to close this morning by reading the end of the story. Please turn to the 18th chapter of Revelation. We are going to read about Babylon, but understand that Babylon is more than a city. It is a system. It is a society and culture. In short, it is the worldly system that began with the descendants of Cain. Of course, that system was wiped out at the flood, but it was revived again afterward and continues throughout history. But an end is coming. As we read this chapter, I want you to note how the roots of this system are present in Genesis 4. Now let’s read Rev. 18:1-19:3…
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16. And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Rev 19… 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: 2. For true and 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. 3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

When we read that, we find a sense of reality. Deep down we know that it’s all going to end this way, but the way of Cain tries to deceive us into thinking that somehow maybe there will be exceptions. No, there will be no exceptions. The end is coming, and it’s coming soon. Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If we find we are, let us watch and be ready.

I recommend to you the book Intoxicated with Babylon, by Steve Gallagher. It is a timely message that we need to hear. When I stand before you and recommend a book or a sermon, I don’t do that lightly. I know you have plenty to do. I recommend them to you because I believe the Lord will use them in your lives, as He has used them in mine. You will find a copy of this book on the bookshelf in the back. If you need another copy, let us know.