Just moments ago on Friday afternoon, October 10th, Dr. Greg Thornbury of Union University in Jackson, TN gave an address at "The Politics of Jesus" conference at the First Baptist Church of Durham, NC entitled "Marriage: If Not Sacred - What?"  The young theologian of rising renown spoke with characteristic eloquence and punch in his talk, questioning as he went along the helpfulness of natural law theory, the state of marriage in the current, the need to evangelize through biography, and the duty of the church to place itself in the midst of society as a light in darkness. 

“Marriage: If Not Sacred – What?”

I. Opening Excursus on the Promises and Disappointments of Natural Law

a. Key Matters

With the foundational consensus crumbling, how can the church even speak of marriage in the culture in a manner which would gain a hearing?  Is marriage within evangelical life flourishing to the point that it commends marriage to the unbelieving world?  In what way can a common language be advanced in the matter of public law, and how should local churches respond to this cultural change?

b. 2008 may well be remembered as the year when the apple lost its shine relative to natural law theory and marriage

c. Evangelical media personalities are now the stuff of parody

d. Henry—conservative evangelicals never heeded his call to social responsibility but had adopted posturing, overheated rhetoric, and “logically irreconcilable one-liners”

Bad: “Not Adam and Steve, it’s Adam and Eve in the Bible”

e. Neo-thomists are legion, for they are many—Sproul, George, Geisler

                        Hope for natural law is high now

f. We Christians like the “silver bullet” idea—we seek the one solution that will cure all our problems

1. Some now think that pure reason, cool analysis, is the answer for evangelical political woes; natural law is the answer!, some say.

2. (Sarcastically) Shame on Carl Henry, Karl Barth, Jacques Ellul and Stanley Hauerwas for their biblical idealism

3. Thornbury: I had an opportunity to speak to a Washington legal group and was told that my talk could not include any Scriptures; I am skeptical that such an approach could work

g. Is Optimism in the power of Natural Law justified?

1. Straussians, Stephen Pinker, Leon Kass, Roman Catholic Intrigue, and Jabba the Hut

i. Pinker: Concept of dignity is natural ground on which to build a ground for bio-ethics. 

ii. Church is franchised to guide people in the most important events of people’s lives.

iii. Thornbury: If you want to cite Roman Catholics this much, just go ahead and cite Scripture

iv. Sooner or later, you will encounter a Jabba the Hut who recognizes that natural law theorists are ultimately Catholic or Catholic-influenced

2. Also, while truth may be objective (ala natural law), knowledge is always personal (cf Polanyi)

i. Also, do we really trust public reason?  We should not be too optimistic about pure reason; 30% of Americans believe in UFOs

ii. I do not dislike natural law theory altogether but I do think it is a bad fit for a postmodern age

II. The Foundational Consensus on Marriage Crumbles

a.      Bans in trouble

1. California State Court overturned the marriage amendment

2. Marriage issues are off the radar due to the economic crisis

3. 33% of evangelicals have no problem with same-sex marriage in some polls

b.      Evangelical’s house not in order

1. Evangelicals divorce at the same rate as the culture

2. Barna Group: in area of divorce rates, evangelicals are just like the culture

3. What can help us regain credibility in the culture?

III. Community, Narrative, Biography, and Public Policy

a.      Our weakness on the marriage issue is in the area of authenticity

1.       How about a seminar on how to forgive as a Christian?  To forgive as a spouse?

b.      The language of life action almost always speaks louder than speech—we need to acquire a Jesus “skill set”

c.       The remarkable claims of Athenagoras

1.       Recounted injustices Christians suffered

2.      Implored persecutors to examine the lives of Christians—prayed for the country, group did not commit abortions, no accusation would stick to the group

d.      Defending the Power of Narrative Theology

1.       Some evangelical leaders have recently said that Christianity is not a life, but a body of doctrine

2.      The Christian life tells a body of doctrine better than any other medium!

3.      Biography is an ideal medium for the current day; could not stories of inspiring lives mean as much as syllogistic arguments?

                                          i.    We know that we are sinners; we need to tell our own stories of sin and redemption

                                          ii.    We should tell stories with moral clarity and courage, just like numerous Hollywood movies (Juno, for example)

IV. Four Questions for Testing the Authenticity of Narratives in Public Policy

a.      Is there “articularity”? (literary data) Can you tell the story articulately?

Charles Taylor: the key power of an idea’s power is articularity, not inarticulateness

b.      How deeply rooted in the tradition of the culture in question is the story? (biblical data) Scriptures are part of our culture, so we should use them; they are part of our cultural literacy

How well have the Islamic scriptures contributed to society?

c.       What is the shape of the narrative? (sociological data) Sociological data continues to suggest that a home with a dad and a mom is the happiest of all forms

Example of a salesclerk who did not know what a wedding was like and wanted to find out; natural curiosity

d.      Is there explanatory power to the story? (natural law) Can we not say that nature creates an inherent complementarity between the sexes?

Knowledge can be experienced by communities, individuals, societies; in this sense it is strongest, not when it is merely cognitive

V. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Religionless Time”

a.      The confessing church struggled mightily in Nazi Germany to stem the tide of evil

The broad majority of citizens trusted Hitler and his government; Bonhoeffer did not

b.      “Do not seek great things for yourselves” (Jer. 45:5) Bonhoeffer quoted this line from Jeremiah to establish the fact that God would save the soul and that even if God destroyed Germany, He would save the souls even as the building burnt to the ground

Conclusion

1. The church stands not at the boundaries of culture, but in the middle of the village

2. The church does not stand in the halls of power; it does not seek power; it must stand in the midst of the village, giving biographies to those who desperately need the Lord Jesus Christ

Image via Wikipedia

Do you wonder about Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's actions 70 years ago concerning Hitler's threats to invade Czchecoslovakia? The London Times offers wide ranging access to its news archives to give a wide ranging picture of what was happening in Europe in the months leading to WW II.

In 12 short months the world went from "peace in our times", declared by PM Chamberlain on his return by plane to England after meeting with Hitler & Co in Munich, to a declaration of war by Chamberlain on Sep 3, 1939.

My septuagenarian memories: I was 3 years old in Oct 1938 and I was living in Vernet-les-bains in the French Pyrenees with my mother. In April 1939 we moved to Paris when my father became Branch Manager of the Royal Bank of Canada in Paris.

By July 13 1940 we ended up in Halifax NS after crossing U-Boat infested waters in the North Atlantic. Phew!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Miliband dismay at comparison with Chamberlain over EU treaty
• 'Munich' Should Not Be A Dirty Word

La Religione Cattolica è l’UNICA religione ad avere una propria banca, la Banca del Vaticano, detta anche IOR. Lo IOR non è una banca qualsiasi, è la banca più ricca del mondo e l’unica a non essere soggetta ad alcun vincolo di trasparenza informativa. Ogni flusso finanziario non viene registrato, i suoi Bilanci sono segreti, noti soltanto una stretta cerchia di Cardinali. Una banca che è stata coinvolta nei + grandi scandali finanziari del dopoguerra e che oggi gode di un patrimonio di 5 miliardi di Dollari, completamente investito in attività finanziarie.

Come nasce? E Come fa una religione che chiede elemosine ai fedeli per opere caritatevoli a godere di un patrimonio di 5 miliardi di Dollari?

Nel 1887 Papa Leone XIII fondò lo IOR, al fine di convertire le offerte dei fedeli in un fondo facilmente smobilizzabile. Successivamente, nel 1929 lo stato Italiano versò al Vaticano 100 milioni di dollari in qualità di risarcimento per le perdite che lo Stato Pontificio aveva subito in seguito all’unificazione d’Italia. Questo ingente patrimonio venne affidato all’Ingegner Nogara che lo incrementò grazie a speculazioni monetarie e ad altre operazioni di mercato nella Borsa Valori. Investì in attività in netto contrasto con l’insegnamento cattolico, come contraccettivi ed armi, tantochè nel 1935, quando Mussolini ebbe bisogno di armi per la campagna d’Etiopia fu lo stesso Nogara a fornirgliele.

Nella seconda guerra mondiale il vaticano si dichiaro neutrale e, come la Svizzera, fece affari con la Germania e con Hitler permettendo ai Nazisti di depositare presso di loro i propri beni sottratti agli Ebrei. Il Vaticano non risarcì mai le vittime dell’olocausto, restituendo loro i preziosi che i nazisti avevano trasformato in lingotti. Ancora oggi il Vaticano si riufiuta di rendere pubblici gli archivi relativi alla II guerra mondiale.

A fine guerra, mentre l’Europa era ridotta in Brandelli, il Patrimonio dell’IOR era ENORME e diventò una vera e propria Banca dotata di un’autonoma personalità giuridica che investiva in qualsiasi mercato promettesse rendimenti. Rendimenti sui quali non pagava alcuna imposta grazie ad una concessione dell’allora Ministro alle finanze Paolo Thaon di Revel.

Negli anni ‘70 la Banca del Vaticano è fra le più potenti al mondo con aggangi ovunque: Credit Suisse, Hambros Bank, Morgan Guarantee Trust, The Bankers Trust di New York (di cui Nogara si serviva quando voleva comprare e vendere titoli a Wall Street), Chase Manhattan, Continental Illinois National Bank. Nogara assicurò al Vaticano partecipazioni in società che operavano nei settori più diversi: alimentare, assicurativo, acciaio, meccanica, cemento e beni immobili. Un susseguirsi di successi finanziari senza precedenti per la Chiesa cattolica nei cui consigli di amministrazione sedevano i “fedelissimi” del Papa, come i 3 nipoti di Pio XII.

Tutti i proventi derivanti da queste attività sono TOP SECRET: Lo stato Vaticano non vincola l’IOR ad alcuna legislazione e tantomeno a legislazioni internazionali. Non pubblica nenache un bilancio annuale che rende pubblici i resoconti delle attività. Resoconti obbligatori in qualsiasi altra nazione del mondo, democratica e non.

A ogni cliente viene semplicemente fornita una tessera di credito con un numero codificato: né nome né foto. Con questa si viene identificati: alle operazioni non si rilasciano ricevute, nessun documento contabile. Non ci sono nemmeno libretti di assegni intestati allo IOR!

Con il Banco Vaticano possono investire ed aprire conti solo esponenti del mondo ecclesiastico: ordini religiosi, diocesi, parrocchie, istituzioni e organismi cattolici, cardinali, vescovi e monsignori, laici con cittadinanza vaticana, diplomatici accreditati alla Santa Sede. A questi si aggiungono i dipendenti del Vaticano e pochissime eccezioni di cui non si conoscono i criteri di scelta.

Un altro particolare possibile solo nella Banca Vaticana (e vietato nel resto del mondo) è la valuta con cui aprire il conto: qualsiasi. Senza alcuna differenza. In questo modo il cliente può ricevere o trasferire soldi in qualsiasi momento “da” e “verso “qualsiasi banca estera senza alcun controllo. Per questo, negli ambienti finanziari, si dice che lo IOR è l’ideale per chi ha capitali che vuole far passare inosservati. I suoi bilanci sono noti a una cerchia ristrettissima di cardinali, non esisitono ricevute o registrazioni alcune dei flussi di denaro: qualsiasi anagrafe bancaria è IMPOSSIBILE.

Dietro questa segretezza si celano i fatti più sconvolgenti: come lo scandalo del Banco Ambrosiano, a cui seguì addirittura una schiera di omicidi.

Lo IOR era negli anni ‘70 l’azionista di maggioranza del Banco Ambrosiano che dichiaro’ bancarotta condannando migliaia di cittadini Italiani alla perdita dei propri risparmi. E’ stato lo scandalo finanziario più grosso dal dopoguerra, anche superiore al recente crack Parmalat.

Grazie alle dichiarazioni di Vincenzo Calcara (pentito di Cosa Nostra) furono svelati i contatti fra Marcinkus, uno dei massimo dirigenti dello IOR, Licio Gelli, esponente della P2 e altri membri di Cosa Nostra, e i modi con cui lo IOR riciclava denaro mafioso. In seguito a queste dichiarazioni il presidente del Banco Ambrosiano Roberto Calvi fu trovato impiccato a Londra, Michele Sidona, finanziere in stretti rapporti con lo IOR fu avvelenato in carcere, il Capo della P2 Licio Gelli fu arrestato.
I restanti indagati erano Paul Marcinkus, Luigi Mennini e Pellegrino de Strobel, ai Vertici dell’IOR e diretti controllori del Banco Ambrosiano, che essendo funzionari e rappresentanti di un ente centrale della Chiesa cattolica, furono considerati coperti da immunità penale e non vennero mai processati.

Successivamente a questi fatti nel 1982 Papa Luciani, appena eletto, propose di rimuovere dai vertici dell IOR Paul Marcinkus. Dopo soli 33 giorni di pontificato Luciani morì in circorstanze misteriose e non fu più eletto un papa Italiano.

Ancora oggi lo IOR non aderisce alle norme bancarie internazionali sulla trasparenza dei conti. Si sa solo che ha un patrimonio di 5 miliardi di Dollari e che a tutti coloro che detengono conti presso l’unica sede della banca vaticana esistente (in Vaticano appunto) viene garantito un interesse pari al 12.5 % una somma ALTISSIMA, il triplo rispetto agli interessi promessi dalle più floride banche mondiali.

E se i clienti guadagnano il 12% medio annuo, vuol dire che i fondi dell’Istituto rendono ancora di più. Quanto, però, non è dato saperlo perchè il Vaticano è l’unica banca al mondo ad avere bilanci segreti: l’unico a tenere i conti è il Cardinale Angelo Sodano e Ada, Joseph Maida che siede nel collegio di Vigilanza dello IOR e che ha sede, guardacaso, nelle Isole Cayman, noto paradiso fiscale.

I ricavati degli investimenti effettuati dalla banca vaticana vengono SEMPRE reinvestiti in altre attività a reddito, siano esse finanziarie (tanto la Chiesa non paga alcuna tassa sui dividendi accumulati) o Immobiliari (tanto non è soggetta al pagamento di ICI o altre tasse). Se fossero destinati ad opere di beneficenza o missioni umanitarie senza scopo di lucro non potrebbero MAI promettere e garantire interessi del 12,5% agli investitori, che comunque sono enti ecclesiastici.

Cio’ significa che la maggior parte delle donazioni che i credenti devolvono a questi enti, invece di essere destinati ad opere umanitarie come promesso, vengono puntualmente investiti in attitività finanziarie a unico vantaggio dello stato del Vaticano, unica religione ad avere un Papa che è sovrano di uno stato, che gode di una propria banca di cui egli è l’unico azionista.
E non una banca qualsiasi: la più ricca del mondo.

Fonti:

«Tutto quello che sai è falso», Nuovi Mondi Media Di Jonathan Levy

http://www.repubblica.it/2007/10/sezioni/cronaca/chiesa-commento-mauro/segreti-ior/segreti-ior.html

(e altre)

da http://mydesklight.wordpress.com

Gestern also habe ich mir die Folge "De Kraaienpartij" angeschaut. Auf Deutsch heißt die "Kra an die Macht". Es geht dabei im Kra, eine Krähe, die die Macht in die Deichhausen an sich reißt. Und jetzt weiß ich auch, warum ich die Serie immer so schrecklich gruselig fand. Für ein Kind ist Kra einfach schrecklich gruselig, böse, dunkel und gemein. Als Erwachsener sieht man dann eine weitere Parallele: Kra iwrd als Adolf Hitler dargestellt. Unverkennbar, nicht nur sein Aussehen sondern auch seine Art zu Reden und die Gesten erinnern sehr an Hitler. Im ersten Augenblick ist das echt erschreckend. Dann wiederum finde ich es faszinierend, dass man als Kind so eine Darstellung als gruselig empfindet. Das zeigt ja zumindets, dass Kinder eine gewissen natürliche Abneigungen gegen so eine Art von Macht und Darstellung haben.
Im Niederländischen Original heißt Kra übrigens Dolf, für die niederländischen Kinder ist der Weg zur Assoziation mit Hitler also noch ein wenig kürzer.

Und hier gibt es den ersten Teil der ersten Folge mit Kra für euch in der kommentierten Version:

"Babylon: An Ancient Assessment of a Present Reality"

On August 30, 1933, a German pastor named Julius Leutherser said these words to his flock: “Christ as come to us through Hitler… through his honesty, his faith and his idealism, the Redeemer found us… We know today the Savior has come… We only have one task, be German, not Christian.”

That same year, in the Magdeburg Cathdral, the dean, Dr. Ernst Martin, surrounded the altar with a forest of Nazi Flags bearing the Swastika, the broken cross that Hitler had adopted as the symbol of his reign. Dr. Martin said this:

“Whoever reviles this symbol of ours is reviling Germany… the swastika flags around the altar radiate hope; hope that the day is at last about to dawn.”

By contrast, another German Pastor saw through all the nationalism, perceiving instead a deep threat to the church of Jesus Christ. That man’s name was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and in the first sermon he preached after Hitler came to power in January of 1933, he said this:

“The church has only one altar, the altar of the Almighty… before which all creatures must kneel…. Whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God….The church has only one pulpit, and from that one pulpit faith in God will be preached and no other faith.”

Bonhoeffer was eventually arrested by the Nazis, and was hanged on April 9, 1945, just one month before VE Day, the end of WWII in Europe

As we meet together tonight, it is possible that we stand before a perilous future in America. The economic future looks exceedingly troubled, and some are wondering if we are heading toward another Depression. It was the extreme suffering in Germany under the Depression, with its extreme inflation and high unemployment that made Germany so ripe for a dictatorship. And in the name of extreme nationalism and pride and economic prosperity, the German church was in part deceived by the Nazis and subjugated to Nazi rule.

Now, as much as ever in our history, the American Church must be clear-headed and biblical about Jesus’ view of politics.

1. The Reality of Babylon and Our Present Situation

A. Christ’s Confession Before Pilate: “My Kingdom is not of this world…”

John 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

1. Worldly kingdoms: originate from the earth, advance by the sword

2. Christ’s Kingdom: originated from heaven, advances by loving self-sacrifice

3. But what about the kingdom Pilate represented? How should a Christian deal with secular governments?

4. The question on taxation… seeking to entrap Jesus

Matthew 22:16-17 "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Just as God cannot be mocked, so Jesus cannot be trapped. An African-American preacher once said “Your arm’s too short to box with God.” In the same way, your mind’s too shallow to play chess with Christ. You will lose:

Matthew 22:18-21 "But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" ²¹ "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

This is obviously a vital verse in understanding Christ’s attitude toward political involvement… toward a proper relationship to Caesar. There are some things that we must give to Caesar… some things it is right to give to Caesar… but all things belong to God

B. Government: Two Very Different Poles

Throughout redemptive history, God’s people have had a complex and ambivalent relationship with secular government.

This relationship can best be summarized by looking at the opposite poles Romans 13 and Revelation 13:

1. Romans 13: God’s servant to do you good

2. Revelation 13: Satan’s puppet to crush you

In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul spoke of governing officials in these terms: "he is God's servant to do you good."

The foundation of this statement is Paul’s opening command and assertion which stands over all Christians for all time:

Romans 13:1 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

So according to Romans 13, even a pagan state like the Roman Empire was established by God and that submission to God-ordained authority was essential to a life well-pleasing to God.

Romans 13 thus paints a picture of governing authorities as God’s servants, established to do us good.

However, Revelation 13 paints an opposite picture… for there Satan in the form of a dragon is standing on the seashore, looking out on the turbulent waters of the ocean, and summoning forth a Beast… this Beast who will rule the whole earth in Satan’s name.

Revelation 13:7 "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation."

This fearsome ruler—called the Antichrist in 1 John 2 and the Man of Sin in 2 Thessalonians 2—is clearly the enemy of God, for he speaks blasphemies directly against God and seeks actively to destroy God’s people

Revelation 13:5-6 "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶ He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven."

The saints—God’s people—will suffer immensely under this wicked ruler, and will only survive because of God’s protective power and the invasion from heaven known as the Second Coming of Christ.

Two different pictures of human government—the Servant of God, established by God to do you good, and the Beast from the Sea, summoned by Satan to dominate you and destroy you.

C. Church History: Two Extreme Reactions

1. Embracing the State as a Christian Power

a. Constantine, October 28, 312, at the Milvian Bridge

b. Conquering by the cross??

c. Historian Eusebius celebrated Constantine with glowing praise

d. But now we have “convert or die”

in 782, Charlemagne, King of the Franks, beheaded 4500 pagan Saxons for repudiating their earlier baptism

The grossest medieval example of the blending of the church and state was the Crusade movement; thousands of Christian knights rode forth from Europe to reconquer the Holy Land from the Moslems by the power of the sword.

In the 20^th century, the blending of the church and state—the mixture of piety and patriotism—reached its nadir with the Nazi takeover of the German state church. Churches throughout Germany draped themselves in Nazi regalia… I saw black and white photos of a Nazi altar and of a Nazi baptism; the Nazi flag  was prominent in both pictures.

This is the grave danger of the Christian church in too close a relationship with the state

2. Shunning the State as a Demonic Pollution

a. Anabaptist’s doctrine of separation of church and state

b. State only necessary because of sin

c. Avoided all involvement… extreme dualism

So you have two opposite themes in scripture (government as servant of God and government as Beast from Satan), and two opposite extremes in church history (embrace the state fully as a Christian power vs. flee involvement in the state as though it were defiled).

D. Our Present Context: 21^st Century America

1. the legalization of abortion in 1973 has polarized American politics

2. Evangelical Christians tempted to resort to single-issue politics

3. Also the increasing secularization of American society and the increasing pluralism of this melting pot, coupled with the rise of post-modern questioning of absolute truth claims makes discerning Christ’s will in our political involvement much more difficult… we tend to run to and embrace a political party or candidate that gives us God-like buzz-words, and ignore other issues

What are we to do in the 21^st century American scene? We live in a strange time in American political and religious history: the last presidential election was decided in favor of George Bush in the key state of Ohio, and according to secular pundits, it was decided on moral themes like abortion and gay marriage. The “Politics of Jesus” were a hot theme then, and they are now as well. How shall we then live? What does the Scripture say?

E. The Lessons of the Rise and Fall of Babylon the Great

1. tracing out the biblical history of Babylon… from the flood to the end of the world

2. central lesson: ultimate allegiance is to Christ

3. no human government exists wholly for the glory of Christ and His Kingdom

Matthew 12:30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

4. according to prophecy, the future of human government is bleak

5. goal: biblically educated, wary of overweening loyalty to any one nation

Philippians 3:20 our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Chris

6. the rise and fall of the world: essential to our story

7. much-discussed quote from 18^th century Scottish historian Alexander Fraser Tytler:

"The average age," says Tytler, "of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years."

"These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency and from dependency back into bondage."

Origin of the quote is somewhat debunked by Loren Collins in “The Truth About Tytler” (http://www.geocities.com/nerolsnilloc/library/tytler.html); but the insight about history remains generally true

The Bible records the rise and fall of nations very plainly; and it says that the Sovereign Lord rules over all of that history.

No book of the Bible reveals this more plainly than the Book of Daniel:

8. Daniel speaks prominently of the “Rise and Fall of the World”

a. Key message for the exiled and enslaved Jews to learn: God rules history

b. Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream = the Rise and Fall of the World

c. Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar’s Judgment = the Rise and Fall of the World

d. Daniel 5: Belshazzar’s Feast = the Rise and Fall of the World

e. Daniel 7: Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts from the Sea = the Rise and Fall of the World

Daniel 4:17 so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.'

Basic concept of the “Rise and Fall of the World” = God sovereignly rules over human history, allowing great empires to rise from the earth and rule for a time; but in God’s timing they are defeated and the next great world power pushes its way to the fore.

9. God’s Purpose in the Rise and Fall of the World

a. To control human history

b. To judge human pride

c. To protect His people

d. To advance the gospel of Jesus Christ

In this message, we will be tracing the rise and fall of the world through one mysterious word: BABYLON.

II. The History and Character of Babylon

A. A Literal City, With a History of Rebellion

1. (Genesis 10) founded by Nimrod, a mighty hunter and warrior who also established Nineveh and thus could be seen as the first tyrant conqueror emperor

a. it was built in the fertile soil of Mesopotamia right on the Euphrates River, less than 75 miles from the Tigris River in modern Iraq, only about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad

b. it was well-situated… not only the fertile soil between the Tigris and Euphrates but also along the major trade route of the fertile crescent connecting the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea

c. it thus began as a nation of merchants (Ezekiel 16:29 calls it a land of merchants), but also of warriors like their founder mighty Nimrod

d. with Babylon and these other urban centers came the concept of the “City-state”… a region controlled by a city

2. Genesis 11) The Tower of Babel: the Power of United Sinners Retarded

Genesis 11:4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

a. at the core of this effort was self-worship… pride… ambition… the desire to be like God and to ascend to heaven

b. God gave his stunning assessment of human power in cooperation

Genesis 11:6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."

c. He then retarded the progress of evil by confusing the languages… a perfect “babble” of confusion

d. from this came the origin of all the languages on earth… it began in Babylon

3. The Defeat of Babylon by Abraham (Genesis 14)

4. From Abraham to the Babylonian Exile

a. Babylon was conquered and dominated by Assyria

b. At one point, Babylon was friendly toward King Hezekiah and sent emissaries to congratulate him on the defeat of Assyria and his healing from a fatal illness… Hezekiah welcomed the emissaries and showed them all his riches; Isaiah the prophet predicted at that point the exile to Babylon

B. The Exile to Babylon

1. 586 B.C.: King Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled God’s warnings and threats against his sinning people and conquered Jerusalem

2. they destroyed the city, burned the temple to the ground, slaughtered all but a small remnant of the people… those people they exiled to Babylon

3. there the Jews, the People of God, dwelt for seventy years as a punishment for their many sins

4. while there, the Jews settled down and lived their lives

5. some of them prospered greatly, like Daniel who became the third highest ruler in the land and a special counselor to King Nebuchadnezzar

6. the Book of Daniel gives a glimpse into a fruitful life lived in a pagan land under the domination of pagan government

7. Daniel himself is a godly government leader who maintains his integrity and his walk with God by faith and obedience, while at the same time being an indispensible member of the government… highly skilled and influential

8. Daniel also recorded clear visions of the rise and fall of the world

C. The Fall of Babylon: Prophesied and Fulfilled

1. God ordained the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem… but then He punished Babylon for doing it

2. Through the Prophet Jeremiah, God predicted the duration of the exile: seventy years

3. Through the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, God also predicted the destruction of Babylon

Isaiah 13:19-22 "Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians' pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. ²⁰ She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. ²¹ But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. ²² Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces."

Jeremiah 25:12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever.

4. the Fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians described plainly in Daniel 5

D. The Spirit of Babylon Rises from the Ashes

1. God predicted the total destruction of Babylon and stated that it would remain desolate forever

2. key point: this did not happen immediately…

Cyrus the Great of Persia took over Babylon and ruled it, but destroyed the immense walls so its citizens couldn’t revolt

Alexander the Great wanted to live there and make it his empire’s capital city, but he died there before his dreams could be realized

309 B.C. Antigonis I of Macedonia leveled Babylon

in 275 B.C., Antiochus I took away the remaining civilian population and deported them to other cities.

Pausanias, a Greek writer and geographer of the Roman period, said that there was absolutely nothing within the walls of Babylon.

Last century before Christ, ancient geographer Strabo wrote “the great city of Babylon has become a wilderness”

The Roman Emperor Trajan, eager to visit the infamous Babylon, was disappointed when he arrived at the site; it was only a wasted pile of rubble

As recently as a century ago, the ruins of ancient Babylon had yet to be discovered

Today: modern Iraq, Saddam Hussein had plans to rebuild Babylon, but they were thwarted by the Gulf Wars

Some modern Iraqi leaders want to turn it into a theme park centered around archeological artifacts… problem is, American troops using ancient Babylonian clay to fill their sand bags have inadvertently destroyed ancient artifacts

In the adjacent area there is today the city of Hilla, but the site of Babylon’s ruins is now uninhabited except by wild animals and birds

So the city of Babylon slowly sank down into the dust of the centuries, sinking under the judgment of God.

BUT the “Spirit of Babylon” lived beyond it:

there were “kings of Babylon” after the end of the Babylonian empire

Ezra 5:13 calls Cyrus the Great “King of Babylon”, even though Babylon had been destroyed.

so the spirit of Babylon moves on and inhabits whoever rules the world

key passage: 1 Peter 5:13

1 Peter 5:13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.

this proves the “Spirit of Babylon” infused the Roman Empire of Peter’s day

Babylon itself was a howling empty wasteland at that time

Church tradition puts Peter in Rome where he would later die

“she who is in Babylon, chosen together with you” is code language for the Church of Rome

Thus the Spirit of Babylon rises from the ashes of the last world dominating empire and takes over

It goes from Babylon to Persia to Greece to Rome to the Huns to the to the Vikings to the Mongols to the Turks to the Spanish to the French to the British to the Germans… right up to the present day

Any realm which seeks to dominate the world militarily and economically

E. Two Aspects of Babylon

1. Military Domination resulting in cruel tyranny

 The beasts from the sea are symbols of this aspect of Babylon

Note what Daniel says about the fourth beast

Daniel 7:7 "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast-- terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left."

2. Economic Prosperity resulting in pleasure-filled self-indulgence

First: building of a glorious self-celebrating culture

Nebuchadnezzar’s boast

Daniel 4:29-30 "the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"

Second: the widespread trade resulting in economic domination and gluttonous self-indulgence

Revelation 18:2-3 "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!... ³ For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

Third: the corruption of morals weakening the empire and making it ready for the next Babylon to rise

F. The Final Form of the "Babylonian Empire: Revelation 18

Babylon the Great of Revelation linked to the persecution by the Roman Empire

however, the best interpretation of Revelation 18 is of the final form of Babylon… the worldwide reign of the Anti-Christ

right before the Second Coming of Christ, the final fall of Babylon the Great is described

III. The Power Behind the Throne: Satan

A. Two Great Texts in the Old Testament: Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28

On the surface, two prophetic passages about human kings… the King of Babylon and the King of Tyre… but the passages soar above language usually reserved for merely human kings.

Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

KJV famously calls him “Lucifer”…

Ezekiel 28:12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre…"'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God … You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones."

The King of Babylon in Isaiah 14: Arrogant Military Dominance

The King of Tyre in Ezekiel 28: Gluttonous Economic Dominance

These are the two great attribute of Babylon throughout human history… and these human Kings are merely frontmen for Satan as he wickedly dominates the earth.

i. fascinating that Satan is hiding behind these two great Kings, which represent the two great aspects of mighty Babylon… the crushing conquest and the economic prosperity

ii. behind both is the true spirit of Babylon: prideful ambition resulting in rebellion in God, resulting in judgment from God

the story of Satan before the fall is clearest in Ezekiel 28

Ezekiel 28:12-15 …

a. “model of perfection” = lit. sealed in perfect proportions

b. “full of wisdom” = intellectual, mental ability and moral judgment

c. "perfect in beauty”… and there follows a listing of magnificent precious gemstones to describe the beauty of this cherub (vs. 14)

d. A created being… “on the day you were created” (vs. 13); “so I ordained you” (vs. 14); “from the day you were created” (vs. 15)

e. Position: anointed as a guardian cherub

f. Purity: blameless in your ways from the day you were created

the unsolvable mystery of theology: the origin of evil

Ezekiel 28:15 "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you."

Ezekiel goes on to describe more of Satan’s early thoughts

Ezekiel 28:17 "Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings."

a. He was apparently corrupted by pride… impressed by his own beauty, he corrupted his wisdom

      b. Isaiah takes up the account from there

            c. Satan’s Pride and Ambition: Five “I will”s

Isaiah 14:13-14 You said in your heart,

I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High."

“I will ascend to heaven…”: an upward mobility stemming from pride

a. Satan had been set perfectly where God wanted him

b. But it wasn’t enough for Satan… he wanted more

c. He wanted to be higher than all the other angels… to rule over them

d. He wanted to sit enthroned on the mount of assembly… basically

e. He wanted to take God’s place and rule the universe and be worshiped as God

      f. He wanted to BE GOD

            g. Satan Thrown to the Earth… and Ultimately to the Grave

Isaiah 14:15 "But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

Ezekiel 28:16-17 "I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones…. I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings."

Jesus said: Luke 10:18 "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

Satan, thrown to the earth but not finally judged or destroyed then moved to take dominion of the earth.

He recruited Adam, the federal head of the human race, to join him in rebellion against God.

Adam was the first human King on the earth, and he joined Satan in rebellion against God.

Satan has had a powerful influence over government ever since:

The “Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air” (Ephesians 2, 6)

Satan told Jesus he was in charge of all the kingdoms on earth:

Luke 4:5-7 "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

Note that the devil wants Jesus to worship him… to WORSHIP HIM, as though he is God.

Characteristic of all the Kings of Babylon is arrogance and pride… the most prideful among them actually get deceived into thinking that they are divine, that they should be worshiped… more on this in a moment.

The point here: Satan controls all the authority and splendor of all the kingdoms of the world.

i. Jesus called Satan the ruler of this world

John 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me"

i. the apostle Paul spoke of Satan in governmental terms:

Ephesians 2:1-2 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."

This is a KEY PASSAGE in understanding secular governments!!! Satan is the ruler of an invisible kingdom, the “kingdom of the air”, he is an invisible spirit who is now at work in all who are disobedient.

Thus, every non-Christian governmental official, prime minister, king, governor, dictator, premier, emperor, etc. is actually in some sense under the domination of Satan, whether they realize it or not. This does not mean everyone is equally bad, equally evil, equally Satanic; just INFLUENCED EFFECTIVELY by the ruler of this age.

Ephesians 6:12 "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

IV. The Human on the Throne: The "King of Babylon"

Isaiah 14: The Human “King of Babylon”

a. many commentators completely reject the idea that Isaiah 14 is talking about Satan

b. John Calvin called it a useless fable, rooted in ignorance, based on the fact that commentators paid no attention to context

c. but the wider context of the Bible makes it plain that Satan does in fact dominate unbelieving Kings and government officials

d. he hides, quietly, spiritually dark, the malevolent power behind the throne

e. the human frontman may not even be aware that he’s being used

f. so there is a human king of Babylon… he who through military conquest lays low the nations

g. there is also a human King of Tyre, who through widespread trade pollutes and corrupts the hearts of the nations with greed and lust and self-indulgence

                   i. and Satan is behind all of it

Driven by Cruelty, Arrogance and Greed

a. like Satan, the human empire builders are not satisfied with their original position

b. they move out, they conquer, with relentless cruelty

Isaiah 14:3-6 "On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, ⁴ you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! ⁵ The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, ⁶ which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression."

a. they amass wealth and power and nations and gold and silver and “stuff”

b. the truck and trade of Babylon listed in Revelation 18:

Revelation 18:12-13 "gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men."

Blasphemy: The God-Complex

a. central to their persona is soaring ambition, pride, arrogance

b. in some cases it reaches the point of seeing themselves as gods who should be worshiped

c. their adoring crowds gladly comply and lavish on them worship

Acts 12:21-22 "On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man."

a. history is full of the accounts of human rulers who claimed to be God or whose followers spoke of them that way

         i. Alexander the Great visited a shrine of Zeus in Ammon and became convinced that Zeus was his father; from then on he called Philip of Macedon “my so-called father” and accepted worship as a god; coins minted depicted ram’s horns coming from his head as a symbol that he was Zeus Ammon

         ii. In Rome, Julius Caesar himself had claimed descent from the ancient Roman kings and the gods. After crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, Caesar was greeted and worshipped by the Romans as a god. After his first victories in the civil war, he received cults and worship as god and savior in the East; the cult of the Emperor then became part of the religion of all Romans; to be patriotic, you had to burn a pinch of incense to the Emperor

         iii. Napoleon, on the day of his crowning as Emperor of France, took the crown from the hands of the pope and put it on his own head; a clear symbol of rejecting God as the one who established him as ruler; a German poet, upon meeting Napoleon, saw the incredible power of his personality and declared, “There is something in his face that makes one say, “You shall have no other gods but me.”

         iv. Adolph Hitler encouraged his cult status, and for many Germans, they all but worshiped him in his life:

Hitler said privately to his closest followers, “I am going to become a religious figure. Soon I’ll be the great chief of the Tartars. Already Arabs and Moroccans are mingling my name with their prayers.” [Lutzer, Hitler’s Cross, p. 63; quoting Robert G. Waite, Adolph Hitler: The Psychopathic God, p. 29.]

Erwin Lutzer writes, “Hitler did become a god for millions…. At one of the Nuremburg rallies, a giant photo of Hitler was captioned with the words, ‘In the beginning was the word.’”

One of his followers, Alfred Rosenberg said, “Let it happen as it will and must, but I believe in Adolph Hitler; above him there hovers a star.”

Hitler’s hold over people and over the German nation was supernatural and demonic… the evidence is overwhelming if you know what to look for.

William L. Shirer, covering the Nazi Rally in Nuremburg in September of 1934, was astonished by the rabid fanaticism of the German people toward Hitler. This is what he wrote that night:

"About ten o’clock tonight I got caught in a mob of ten thousand hysterics who jammed the moat in front of Hitler’s hotel, shouting: “We want our Fuhrer.” I was a little shocked at the faces, especially those of the women, when Hitler finally appeared on the balcony for a moment. They reminded me of the crazed expressions I saw once in the back country of Louisiana on the faces of some Holy Rollers who were about to hit the trail. They looked up at him as if he were a Messiah, their faces transformed into something positively inhuman. If he had remained in sight for more than a few moments, I think many of the women would have swooned from excitement."

Historian George Bruce concluded that Hitler had mediumistic powers that linked him with Satanic forces which spoke through him and gave him specialized information.

The Final Version: Antichrist

However great was the influence of this one demon-possessed ruler, it was a mere dress rehearsal for the future Antichrist who will come at the end of the world.

It will be the culmination of every tyrannical throne there has ever been… the final form of Babylon the Great that has ruled the world in various forms and in every era for thousands of years. And behind each of those tyrannical thrones has been the power of Satan himself…

The Dragon Who Will Control the Beast (Revelation 13)

Revelation 13:1 "And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name."

the dragon = Satan; stands by the sea = the turbulent nations

he summons the beast from the sea = calling forth a powerful ruler, Anti-Christ, who will rule in his name

Revelation 13:2 "The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority."

the end result of the beast’s reign is worship for the dragon; Satan finally gets what he’s always yearned for: worship as God

Revelation 13:4 "Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast"

the anti-Christ himself will be worshiped because of his

one of the consistent themes of the anti-Christ in Scripture: arrogant blasphemy

2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Daniel 7:8 This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints

Daniel 11:36 The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods.

This is the culmination of the Spirit of Babylon, the final phase of human government: the worldwide reign of Anti-Christ.

Indwelt by Satan himself, endued with miraculous powers, he will be worshiped as a god by all non-Christians; he will set up a military power that will be unchallenged; he will set up an economic system of prosperity that will feed the lusts of all his subjects.

He will abolish all religions, and will accept worship as god of all the earth.

In all this, he will merely be a frontman for Satan, who at last is receiving the worship for which he has yearned.

This Babylon, with its human and its true king is the very one that Christ will destroy at the Second Coming.

V, The People of God: Temporarily Crushed by the Throne

A. Living in Babylon

a. throughout history, God’s people have had to endure life in Babylon

b. we are in exile because of our sins, just as the Jews were

c. we have to settle down in Babylon and make our lives there

e. is the whole world “Babylon”? yes and no

i. I use the term for whatever national power dominates the world in any given era

ii. However, the whole world would LIKE to be in charge, to gain the whole world… so they are already infected with the Spirit of Babylon

1 John 2:16 "all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world"

a. What nation is the most powerful on the face of the earth now? What nation has the most powerful weapons and exerts the greatest military influence on earth? What nation has the greatest influence economically and represents the “lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life”… it is none other than America

b. that does not mean that all Americans are evil, or that all American political leaders are under the control of Satan… not at all; remember that one of the godliest men in the Bible was Daniel, and he was third highest ruler of Babylon and of the Persian Empire

c. but any person or nation that does not openly live for Christ and his glory, anyone that is not FOR Christ is AGAINST Him…

B. Protected by the Power of God

Only God’s power can keep us safe in Babylon… surrounded as we are by spiritual enemies at every moment:

John 17:11-12 "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-- the name you gave me-- so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost"

1 Peter 1:5 "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

C. Tempted by Babylonian Corruption

Babylon is powerful militarily, and God’s people can easily be swayed by nationalism to applaud the growing empire

German Christians were sorely tempted to applaud Hitler’s conquest of Poland and France in 1939-40.

even more to the point, Christians can be tempted by the allurements of the prosperity that Babylon’s success can bring

Revelation 18:3 "For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

D. Crushed by Babylonian Persecution

however, Babylon eventually persecutes the people of God

Peter was crucified upsidedown in Rome for the faith

E. Called on to Submit to the King of Babylon

1 Peter 2:17 "Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

Romans 13:1 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

F. Called on to Seek the Peace of the City

Jeremiah 29:4-7 "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

G. Instructed About the Final Destruction of the City

VI. The Power Above the Throne: Christ

A. Establishing Every King

[to Cyrus King of Persia] Isaiah 45:4 "I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me."

Daniel 4:17 "so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men."

B. Guiding Godly Kings Who Seek Him for Wisdom

C. Controlling Ungodly Kings Who Don’t Know His Name

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases."

D. Destroying the Final King

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming."

Revelation 19:11-16 "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Revelation 19:19-20 "Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur."

E. Coming to Establish His Kingdom

VII. Applications

1. Trust in Christ Alone for Salvation

2. Beware of Immoderate Patriotism

3. Do Not Put Trust in a Political Party or Leader

4. Give to Babylon What is Babylon’s and to God What is God’s

        i. pay taxes

        ii. give honor and respect to those whose positions merit it

5. Serve Babylon as God Wills

        i. some may be godly political leaders

        ii. make Daniel your role model

6. Understand: Christ’s Kingdom is Not of the World… and Doesn’t Advance by Killing

7. Seek the True Peace of Babylon… through Evangelism

8. Flee the Corruption of Babylon… through Personal Holiness

Revelation 18:4 "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.""

9. Yearn for the Coming Kingdom

10. Be Warned About the Final King of Babylon

1 John 2:18 "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour."

11. Honor the King of Babylon and Pray for His Conversion

It is quite possible that God used Daniel to lead Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon to saving faith.

Paul commands that we pray for kings…

1 Timothy 2:1-4 "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

If even a vicious tyrant like the first King of Babylon can be saved, then anyone can if God changes their hearts.

Apparently, this year they are making one scenario about Israeli checkpoints in Palestine. A student wrote in and complained about it. I quote her letter below in its entirety. Following the letter will be my reply, one that first outlines problems in this letter, and then explains exactly what checkpoints are, how they affect Palestinian lives, and why it is not one-sided. Here is the letter:

I am a senior at Boise State majoring in Business. I am writing this letter as a response to the proposed theme of this year’s “Tunnel of Oppression” that is put on yearly at BSU by your students. I am an Observant Jew and not only a supporter of the State of Israel but also of the proposed Palestinian State. The Palestinian people have lived in the land of Israel for a very long time and deserve a sovereign nation of their own. I have studied both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian situation and feel that I can write this letter in complete confidence of my knowledge.

A reliable source contacted me and forwarded me both the Youtube video entitled “Pregnant Palestinian Stopped at an Israeli Checkpoint!” which was apparently shown to the students in your class, and the proposed outline for the ‘Checkpoint’ scene in your tunnel. After reading the proposed idea and viewing the Youtube clip, I felt alarmed at the blatant one-sidedness and appalling misinformation that is portrayed by your project. You are portraying an Israel that only exists in western (and eastern – the blood libel has reappeared recently in Arab newspapers) media, the great “Zionist oppressor” that only the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad talk about. (I have personal friends that are Israeli and have served with pride in the Israel Defense Forces and they would be the first to tell you that none of it is true. I have personal friends that have lived in and visit Israel regularly and who are equally comfortable around Israelis and Palestinians.)

You are forgetting the other side of the story. Why don’t you tell your students to imagine Idaho being hit by several thousand rockets fired by a fringe-group of extremists from Canada? Why don’t you tell them the truth, which is that the checkpoints exist only because they must? There is a reason that every mall, Synagogue, school, and Mosque requires armed guards; it’s not because Israelis like being searched at every destination, it is due to the very real, everyday threat of terrorist attacks funded and supported by Islamist fanaticism. Why don’t you tell your students to imagine being killed by a suicide bomber during Christmas dinner at a local hotel? You’re forgetting that part. You also fail to mention that the Palestinians are regularly cared for at Israeli hospitals by staffs that comprise of both Jews and Muslims that work together seamlessly on a daily basis, treating peoples of all races, religions, creeds, and political affiliations. But I don’t need to mention any more because there is no truth to the portrayal of Israel and Israelis suggested for this farce.

This presentation is not only one-sided but also blatantly anti-Semitic. The representation of American Christians as being duped by a hidden cabal of Shylock-esque Israelis is clear. The Muslims are clearly supposed to be the helpless victims in this caricature, the Christians clueless but well-meaning, and the Jews are left to be characterized as bloodthirsty thugs “aroused by the sudden chaos” into beating civilians at random. I believe any Jew would be offended by this.

I have already made Boise’s small but very close-knit Jewish community aware of this atrocity along with the Idaho Statesman and the Arbiter. If you decide to allow this presentation to continue as it is written, I will contact the Anti-Defamation League and the ACLU for blatant Anti-Semitism on a college campus. I am in the process of forming a group of Israelis, American Jews, and fellow supporters of Israel of all faiths to protest your Tunnel of Oppression and hand out fliers from standwithus.org that show in plain fact, the truth in the Holy Land.

Dear Comrades,

The first claim this student makes is that Palestinians have lived "on the land of Israel" for a "very long time." Actually, Palestinians have always lived in Palestine NOT Israel; Israel did not exist before 1948. These Palestinians have been and are Muslims, Christians, and Jews. In fact, the city of Nablus, where I now live, is home to a community of Jews called Samaritans. These Jews identify as Palestinian Jews and when the state of Israel was created, they refused to move to the other side of the Green Line (the 1949 Armistice Line also known as the pre-1967 border). The Jewish Zionists who came to Palestine, starting in the late 19th century to colonize the land were European, also known as Ashkenazi Jews. They use the language of "return" to suggest that they were originally from here. But Israeli historian Shlomo Sand makes it clear that this is a myth; these Jews who colonized Palestine and ethnically cleansed the land of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 were Jews who converted to Judaism in Russia and Europe.

Second, the student argues that the Tunnel is only presenting one side of the story. I think what s/he really means is not that it's one-sided, but rather that it is not the side that s/he wishes to have at the forefront. The fact of the matter is: if you live in the U.S. and you breathe you get the other side of the the story on a daily basis. If you watch the presidential and vice presidential debates you not only hear the word Israel numerous times, you also hear the candidates' profession of love for Israel. In contradistinction, the word Palestine or Palestinian is never mentioned. That, my dear comrades, is one sided. The reason that some of us who do work in the U.S. trying to educate people about Palestine do not tell the so-called other side of the story is that we are working to bring to bear a side that is not represented, that is vigorously silenced. The only way one can understand the issue of sides is to think about the fact that the two sides are of colonizer and colonized. Of occupier and occupied. Imagine, for instant, that we wanted to present a narrative of slavery in the U.S. Would we (meaning those who oppose human rights violations, oppression) tell that story from the point of view of the slave owner? Or what if we wanted to tell a story about what happened in to gay people, Jehovah's Witnesses, handicapped people, and Jews in Nazi Germany--would we tell that story through the eyes of Adolf Hitler? Or if we wanted to talk about violence against Mexicans crossing the U.S. border would we use Chris Simcox of the Minute Men to tell that story? Or if we wanted to narrate a piece about the Native American genocide would we rely upon the words of those who conquered and colonized the Americas? I think you get my point.

The analogy s/he tries to draw with a made-up scenario of Canadians firing rockets into the U.S. doesn't quite work. One would have to tweak the scenario a bit. It would work as an analogy if about 60 years before the rockets started firing Americans had invaded, stolen and conquered Canada. If Americans massacred thousands of Canadians. If Americans made 750,000 Canadians refugees for 60 years. If throughout that time Americans stole Canadian homes, water, agricultural lands, murdered innocent civilians on a daily basis, built a 20 foot high concrete wall to confiscate more land and water and displace more people. If Americans set up a system of controlling Canadians through over 650 checkpoints on a daily basis. If Americans invaded Canadian homes, villages, and refugee camps every day, killing civilians and kidnapping them to warehouse 11,000 Canadians in American jails. If all of these things--and so much more--were true, then we would understand, I think, why Canadians would be firing rockets on to American soil. They would be using armed resistance and they would be legally allowed to do so under international law. (Oh, and by the way, there are no rockets being fired by Palestinians in the West Bank, where all 650 checkpoints are into Israel.) Moreover, armed resistance in Palestine has only in recent years had become Islamic. Over the course of Palestinian resistance for the last few decades it has been predominantly secular, and oftentimes Communist. The rise of Hamas after the first intifada had a lot to do with the state of Israel itself bolstering Hamas as a way to weaken the then-stronger Fatah movement. This should come as no surprise as colonial regimes have always relied upon the tactic of divide and rule. The latest phase of this meddling in Hamas-Fatah politics, including U.S. involvement, was revealed in an article in Vanity Fair last year.

A third point the student brings up is about Antisemitism. S/he compares creating a scene about Israeli checkpoints in Palestine to blood libel. First, blood libel is certainly anti-Semitic; it involves a mythology about Jews using the blood of children for their matzah during their holiday Passover. The mythology is just that. Anti-Semitism actually refers to prejudice directed at any of the three peoples who speak or spoke one of the three Semitic languages: Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic. But over the course of the last century--and more specifically, since World War II--Jews have worked to dislodge the original meaning of the word to only mean anti-Jewish. But even if we take this Zionist definition of the word at face value, through this student's logic being anti-Jewish is the same as being anti-Israeli or anti-Zionist. These are three distinct categories. I think the first is self explanatory. The second, being anti-Israel, means critiquing the state of Israel and its policies. It is no different than critiquing the U.S. for its policies. But because the state of Israel is a Jewish state by definition (legally speaking there is no Israeli nationality; on Israeli Jews' identity cards it reads "Jewish" and some Israelis have tried to change this in court without success) some people choose to conflate the two. Importantly, there are many Palestinians who also live inside what is now Israel, all of whom are subjected to a set of laws that resemble Jim Crow segregation in the U.S. One must be Jewish to have equal rights in the state of Israel. The third term, Zionism, is an ideology. People who believe in Zionism believe that Jews have a right to conquer and settle a land even though that land, Palestine, belongs to an indigenous population, the Palestinians. This ideology began as a secular one, though there are of course religious Zionists today, many living in illegal settlements in the West Bank. One of the primary tactics used to silence people who wish to speak about the reality here in Palestine is to call them anti-Semitic in order to get them to shut up. It is worth noting that this tactic is especially used by the Israel lobby (organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [AIPAC] as well as the Anti-Defamation League [ADL] this student refers to in her/his letter) to force politicians to submit to unconditional support of Israel. Barack Obama is a perfect example of this as before he ran for office he had strong personal and political relationships with Palestinian Americans in Illinois. In any case, those of us who are committed to justice and human rights for Palestinians and all oppressed people around the world, the issue is not bashing a state. Rather, it is asking that state to comply with international law and uphold human rights; when a state violates these codes it deserves to be critiqued and challenged at the very least. The organizations this student is working with in the threats directed at you are Zionist organizations of the worst order. The ADL and Stand With Us disguise work that they do as upholding human rights. In fact, these organizations are stealth. In Congress and on American university campuses alike they work on a number of levels to ensure that nothing negative is ever said about the state of Israel. They work to silence student activism on the subject and by equal measure they work to fire or make sure faculty are not tenured if they conduct research on Palestine or are critical of Israel. Just following the ADL's campaign against Jimmy Carter for writing Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid, which was in many ways very tame and did not go far enough to explain the horrors that Israel unleashes on Palestinians every day and you may get a sense of what I mean. These organizations try to work with people of color in the U.S. united under some kind of "we're all oppressed" banner; but the reality is that most Jews in the U.S. are white folks like me. They have white privilege and use it to their advantage. I'll give you an example. The "Tunnel of Oppression" originated at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. I went there a few years ago thinking that it would be a museum highlighting the oppression of all peoples. I was horrified to see that in fact 90% of it was about a history of anti-Jewish persecution and the remaining 10% about African Americans and Native Americans; this is especially appalling when you measure the number of indigenous people who suffered genocide under the hands of brutal European colonialism. No other genocide in history can quite match this. For me what this is all about is a kind of Jewish supremacy (I use this term with a nod to white supremacy). What I mean by this is that such organizations like the ADL which feign interest in the suffering of other people always do so with an eye towards making sure that no one ever compares their suffering to what happened to Jews during World War II. Take a look, too, at the Washington DC Holocaust Museum. They have a genocide watch page which tracks more recent genocide around the world. But they are very clear that the world holocaust can never be used again to describe the suffering of any other people. And it is worth asking the question: why is it that we have a museum about something that happened in Europe in Washington DC? This museum was erected before the Native American museum was built and we still have no such museum about slavery or the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. But you don't have to go that far to see how this works. The Idaho Human Rights Education Center chose to build an Anne Frank memorial. Why is that exactly? The land on which Boise as a city, or the monument more specifically, is land that once belonged to tribes who were forcibly removed, ethnically cleansed, massacred, and who now live on reservations in Idaho. Why is it that we are not looking at those human rights violations? And on the adjacent memorial wall, why are there no quotes by any Arabs or Muslims?

So the checkpoints. From the letter I gather that you all chose to do a scene this year about the checkpoints here in Palestine. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) released a report this week updating the number of checkpoints in the West Bank. As of this week there are 630 such military checkpoints. These checkpoints take various forms. One is a permanent structure that is like a land border crossing as if you are crossing an international border. Right now, as far as I know, these only exist if you are going to Jerusalem, but Jerusalem is part of Palestine (however the Annexation Wall has annexed Jerusalem in such a way that if you want to go there you must cross through one of these checkpoints. If you are on foot, you walk through a maze of steel turnstiles, each one locking you inside the next space (there are several such spaces you must walk through in order to pass). The first one checks your ID card (Palestinians have several kinds of IDs: 1) if you live in 1948 or what is now known as Israel; 2) if you live in Jerusalem; 3) if you live in the West Bank; 4) if you live in Gaza. Depending on your ID you may or may not be allowed to cross. And even if you have proper papers, you still may not be allowed to pass (sometimes even if you have legitimate papers from an embassy or from a hospital in Israel the soldiers will most often turn you away). After the double ID check you are locked into an area where it resembles an airport as you are required to walk through a metal detector and then put your bag on a metal detection machine. Only here in some of these checkpoints there are armed soldiers pointing guns at you from planks above as you do this. Then there is yet another hoop at the end where you must put your hand on a computer-generated hand print machine before you may pass. And even then, you still may not be able to pass. Everything is at the whim of the soldiers. There are not any laws here; even Israeli laws do not apply to the West Bank. The law is basically the whim of a soldier on a particular day.

A couple of examples. A few years ago I was taking a friend to the American consulate in Jerusalem because she was going to study in the U.S. We had all the proper papers and an appointment at the consulate. She was 19 years old at the time. We went to the checkpoint, but they refused to let us go through to Jerusalem from Bethlehem. Another example, from a couple of years ago: I was with a couple of girlfriends in a rented car driving from Ramallah to Bethlehem. We drove through a checkpoint, known as the Container Checkpoint, which is in a neighborhood of Jerusalem called Abu Dies. We were told we could not pass because I there was a foreigner in the car with Palestinians. On that night--it was around 9 PM--we were told that it's illegal for foreigners and Palestinians to be in the same car. Another example: a few weeks ago a student invited me home for iftar (breaking the fast during Ramadan). The checkpoint near Nablus (the city I live in) is called Huwarra. By all accounts it is the worst (meaning the soldiers are the most lethal and violent with the people and are least likely to allow you to pass in either direction) checkpoint in the West Bank. This checkpoint is outdoors like the old ones used to be when you would go to Jerusalem. You just stand in line and wait for hours, especially if you are a Palestinian man, and this waiting is entirely a form of harassment. Most of the time we stand and watch the soldiers laughing, talking on the phone, eating, hanging out, even playing cards, rather than allow us to cross. This checkpoint, by the way, is deep inside the West Bank. It is nowhere near the Green Line or the Israeli-imposed border. Crossing Huwarra means crossing from one Palestinian area to another--which is the case for at least 80% of these checkpoints. On this day the soldiers were standing on the railing above us, threatening to shoot us. One of the women in line asked me to go speak to the soldier. I did, though I lost my cool, and called him a name he didn't like. He told me that my choices were either to go to prison or home.

There is another kinds of checkpoint, too. This is called a "flying checkpoint." These are checkpoints that move from place to place every day and you never know where they will be. They are always in a different location. If you would like to have more of a context for checkpoints in general, there are reports on the Israeli human rights organization B'tselem's website.

Why do the checkpoints exist? The student who wrote to you would have it that they exist for "security" reasons. But for whose security? United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, written at the end of the 1967 war in which Israel conquered and annexed Gaza and the West Bank, it was made clear that:

Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every State in the area can live in security,

UN Resolution 242 has been the main document used in all negotiations between the state of Israel and Palestinians. However, since 1967 the state of Israel has been in direct violation of this UN Resolution, as well as a host of others (most importantly UN Resolution 194, which states that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to their homes, and which UN Resolution 242 upholds later in the document). One of the ways it has violated this resolution is by building illegal settlements. These settlements, or colonies, are illegal because they violate UN Resolution 242. It is also illegal because it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention which states:

The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

The real reason for these checkpoints, which also prevent Palestinians from driving on Jewish-only roads, is to protect their illegal settlements. These settlements help to create facts on the ground; what this means is by continuing to build them and offer tremendous savings to Israelis who wish to live there (most who live in them do so because they can purchase houses for half the price of those inside the Green Line; the other population living in these settlements are religious Zionists who believe that it is their God-given right to occupy and control all of historic Palestine by force). There are also what is known as illegal "outposts" which are basically a group of mobile home units. Israelis come into the West Bank, plop them down, and presto, you have the beginning of an illegal settlement in the making. To give you a sense of what these facts on the ground mean in terms of checkpoints and the related military infrastructure here is a description of what Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions calls the "Matrix of Control":

A second set of controls derives from Israel's policy of "creating facts on the ground" - virtually all of them in violation of international law (including the Fourt