Let us think a little bit about that these questions: Is there an economic, political crisis coming down the line? Is Babylon going to be shaken? Will the world system fall apart or will it come together? What happens then?
In the Bible, there’s a passage in Hebrews where it says,
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Hebrews 12.25-27
And what, after this shaking, will remain is the Kingdom of God. God is going to shake the present world system and cause it to fall apart. And He is going to put it together again in the Messianic Kingdom which will be set up when Jesus returns to take control of this planet.
Now, the Bible tells us that, in the last days, the present world system which is given the code name ‘Babylon’ is going to fall at some point in the future.
So, you got Babylon the great is fallen in Revelation 18,
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” Revelation 18.2-3
God, apparently, has a controversy with the world system which he characterizes here as ‘Babylon’. The nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. He tells us that Babylon is going to fall at some time.
That happens right at the end of the Tribulation period, but if you look at the present world system, you have to ask: Are the seeds being sown for the fall of Babylon? Are there things which are happening in the world right now that are pushing us towards that time?
And, if you think that then, you have to get yourself inside the Kingdom of God because all that’s going to remain after the fall of Babylon is the Kingdom of God, that is, whatever is based upon God and Jesus Christ: the things that have a foundation in God who created us, the God who is, even now, holding back the day of trouble so that you and I can find the way to be saved from the coming disaster.
I believe there is a disaster coming. Now, I have given a talk on Jeremiah chapter 1. We talked about the the the coming disaster which Jeremiah sees is upon his own country, and he speaks about time coming and about a boiling pot facing away from the north. Jeremiah sees it coming in the form of judgment coming upon the nation, and he tells them this is going to happen because of the way that the people have been behaving.
13 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?”
And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”
14 Then the Lord said to me:
“Out of the north calamity shall break forth
On all the inhabitants of the land.
15 For behold, I am calling
All the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord;
“They shall come and each one set his throne
At the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem,
Against all its walls all around,
And against all the cities of Judah.
16 I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken Me,
Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands. Jeremiah 1.13-16
So, Jeremiah sees a judgment coming and that’s coming because the nation has gone away from God, has been worshiping other gods and the works of their own hands.
Look at the present world system, it too is worshiping all kinds of gods, it’s worshiping the god of Mammon, it’s full of evil, it’s full of deception and trickery, and all kinds of things which are bringing trouble upon the world.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6.23-25
And the question is: how are you going to be safe from it? Well, stick with me to the end of the talk and I’ll tell you how you’re going to be saved from it.