It is thy name in all the earth. Thank you, Brother Scott. Turn with me to the book of Revelation,
chapter 18. I'd like to pick up where we
were. It's been now three Sundays. as we were here. Revelation 18. I've entitled
this message this morning, Strong is the Lord. Revelation 18. In our last study, we viewed
the result against the Lord We reviewed the result of Babylon's
rebellion against the Lord God of heaven. And this is the result
found in verse 5, "...for her sins have reached unto heaven,
and God hath remembered her iniquities." Now, that's a fearful thought. I mean to stop and to realize
that her sins reached, and I'm going to tell
you what I believe that Scripture means, reached into heaven and
God hath remembered her iniquities. If you've got any hope this morning,
It's because Almighty God has not remembered your iniquity. If you've got a hope, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. There's folks all over this, well, I could
say this community and be right, this state And who knows, maybe this congregation,
that the Lord remembers them in their iniquity. Her sins are
truly her sins. Jeremiah 51.9 says, for her judgment,
her verdict. Remember I dealt with that, the
judgment of God. We dealt a few Wednesday nights
ago, it says judgment. For the time has come that judgment
must begin at the house of God." The verdict of Almighty God. It doesn't mean a judgment necessarily
against. It means judgment for or against. Judgment. A judge makes a judgment. He listens to all the evidence
and whatever the judge says. That's his judgment. or against. For her judgment, Jeremiah 51,
verse 9 says, her verdict reaches into heaven and is lifted up
even to the skies. It is vain to withstand the judgment
of Almighty God against this great whore, Babylon the Great,
or try to avert it. Try to change it. Her judgment,
the Scripture says, is reached into heaven. Her judgment accompanies
her. Her judgment follows her. Now, the Scripture says in Revelation
14, verse 13, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labors and their work Do follow them. Now, the works of God's
people. What are they? What are the works? Their works follow them. Well, in 1 Thessalonians 1, 3,
it's their work of faith and labor of love, that is, for the
Lord Jesus Christ, for His people, for His gospel, and patience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father. There's some hope right there. There's the works. Now, let me
ask you this. And the Scripture says examine
yourself to see if you be found in the faith. Examine yourself. I'm not here to examine anybody.
I'm telling you, This is what the Scripture sets forth, shall
be the evidence of a believer. They believe God. They believe
God's gospel. They believe God's Christ. They
rest in hope and patience of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture
says concerning Babylon the Great, God has remembered her iniquities. He's been mindful of them, made
mention of them. remembered her evil in judgment. But for the Lord's people, Hebrews
8, 12 says this. What a blessed thought. It says,
their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. And that word right there, no
more, it means this. It's a double negative. It means
not at all, not at all. I'm just not going to remember.
Why? Why will God not remember their sins? I'll tell you why. Because He remembered them in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He remembered them in their substitute. Their sin charged to Him. And He was made sin. He was made sin. What they are,
Bob, against Almighty God. Now, this is justice. Now, here's
justice right here. He said, I'm a just God. If He
was not made sin, why did God kill Him? The soul that sinneth,
it shall die. Now, let me tell you something.
The Scripture says, He hath made His soul an offering for sin,
His being made a curse You look up that word made, and let me
tell you what that word made means. He hath made him a curse. That word made means made what
it was not before. I'm telling you, why does God
not remember the iniquities of His people? Because He remembered
the Lord Jesus Christ in wrath. I will not at all remember their
sins and their lawless deeds." That's what he's saying. Not
that the Lord is unaware of anything. It's not that. But He's never
born in mind. Now listen well to what I'm about
to say because I mean this. I mean it exactly the way it
comes out. The Lord God of heaven has never
born in mine to punish the sheep apart from a substitute." The
Lord has never, has never, has never, has never, He has never
born in mine punishment to the sheep apart from a substitute. If He has, if there was a time
that He bore in mind to punish the sheep, then God changed. He changed. There was a time
that He thought that, and there was a time that He didn't. And
if God has changed, then He's not the God of this Bible, because
He said, I change not. I never change. Never change
in what? Never change. Never changing
thought, never changing intent, never changes in deed. He never,
never changes. Never. That's the most blessed
thought that I could possibly think. If Almighty God looks
upon His people right now in no condemnation, has He ever
changed, Neal? Never. Never. He doesn't change. But listen, if he's ever looked
upon a man or a woman in wrath, he never changes. He never changes. This is the God of this Bible.
This is the God Almighty that we worship. Her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her, Revelation
18, verse 6. 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." Now, I'll tell you this, there's a mouthful just reading
that Scripture. It just sounds, there's so many
words that are repeated in there. "...with her sins having reached
into heaven." There's only one thing that a just God can do. There's just one. If God has
remembered her iniquities, if God has remembered your iniquities,
there's only one thing that a just God can do. And that's put you
in hell. That's all. That's the only thing
that I've heard people say, well, I just feel that God, since He's
a loving God, and He is, He said, I just feel as though that God
will remember to show compassion even if maybe I haven't been
as good as I should have been. I know He's a loving God, and
therefore, I think that somehow God is going to No, that's not
the God of this Bible. God is a just God. I'm a just
God and I'm a Savior. Almighty God must be just. He's just. He's fair. Give her. Reward her. Even as she rewarded,
you give back what she gave. Give her back. Galatians 6, 7 and 8, let me
just read this to you if you want to make a note of it. You
can go back and read it later for the sake of time because
there are quite a few Scriptures I can tell you this that we are
going to turn to this morning. Galatians 6, 7 and 8 says, Be
not deceived. God is not mocked. God is not ridiculed. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. But he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. He that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The reward,
the payment is not within the hand of any but Almighty God. Reward her. Give her what she's
given. Give her back. Romans 12 and
19 says, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. but rather give
place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance, that is, punishment,
retribution, is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Boy,
I'll tell you, there's been some times that I've had to just stop
for just a minute and just say, you know, man, I'd like to take
care of that. If I thought I could get away
with it. Have you ever thought that? Yeah, you have. Sure you
have. Everybody has. I mean, if I thought
I could get away with it and nobody would find out, I'd get
you. If I thought I could get away
with it, I would. I would. Vengeance is mine. And double
unto her double according to her works. Now, that word double
right there is a word that is interpreted twofold. That's the
interpretation of it. Twofold. But it still doesn't
give you the exact meaning of what is actually being said. Number one, I know this, that
the law turned to Exodus 22. Exodus 22, verses 4 to 9. Now,
the law demanded it. You know, let's just read, and
I want you to look at the Word, and then I'll tell you as best
as I know. Exodus 22, 4, if the theft be
certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be an ox or an ass
or sheep, he shall restore double. If a man shall cause a field
or vineyard to be eaten shall put in his beast, and shall feed
in another man's field of the best of his own field, and of
the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. If
fire break out and catch in thorns, so the stacks of corn, of the
standing corn of the field, be consumed therewith, he that kindled
the fire shall surely make restitution. If a man shall deliver unto his
neighbor money or stuff, to keep and to be stolen out of the man's
house if the thief be found, let him pay double." Now, here's
the thing. That word double comes up over
and over and over. The word double would best be
understood if I would say this, large and abundant. Large and
abundant. That's the best interpretation
that I can give. It doesn't mean receiving necessarily
twice as much as was deserved. It does mean large and abundant. It means twofold. It doesn't
mean more than what was deserved, but it means to reward exactly,
abundantly what God says is to be given. Somebody says, well,
it was a twofold, You gave back more than was deserved. No. God
said that's what was deserved. You see what I'm saying? It's
not twofold or twice as much as was deserved. Give her back
what she gave. Turn to Isaiah 40 verse 2. Isaiah, this is a real familiar
passage of Scripture. I'll read verse 1 and then we'll
get into verse 2. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 1, Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Now listen, here's
the verse 2. Speak ye comfortably, speak to the heart, to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double. for her sins." Now, here again,
it is not that Almighty God has given twice as much as was deserved. If something is twice as much
as was deserved, Pat, that's not just. You see what I'm saying? If it's
twice as much as was deserved, God said the two-fold is what
is deserved. Turn to Jeremiah 16, verses 17
and 18. Jeremiah 16. And we'll just hold your finger
there because there's one other passage in Jeremiah 17 that I want to
read. Jeremiah chapter 16, verse 17. For mine eyes are upon all
their ways, They are not hid from My face, neither is their
iniquity hid from My eyes. At first, I will recompense their
iniquity and their sin double, because they defiled My land,
they filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable
and abominable things." Look at Jeremiah 17, verse 18. Jeremiah
17, 18, "...let them be confounded, persecute Me, but let not Me
be confounded. Let them be dismayed, but let
not Me be dismayed. Bring upon them the day of evil,
and destroy them with double destruction." Now you just think,
wait a minute, double destruction. Well, if it's destroyed, it's
destroyed. How do you double destroy? It doesn't mean twice as much
as was deserved, it means that which was deserved according
to Almighty God. So give back in Revelation chapter
18. Give back to her even as she's
given. Reward abundantly. What? Like she's rewarded abundantly
in the exact proportion of her rebellion to cause the nations
of the earth that have drank of the wine of her fornication.
Give back to her exactly, as Almighty God says, is the proportion
that she is deserving. Reward her. And back in Revelation
18 it says, reward her even as she rewarded you. And double
or give exactly what she deserved unto her double exactly what
she said you deserved according to her works, and do it in the
cup which she hath filled to her double." The cup that is
being spoken of right here is actually over in Revelation 16,
19. Just look back to that. It says, was divided into three
parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon
came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the
wine of the fierceness of His wrath." When it says the cup,
it means the lot. The Lord says, if this lot can
pass from Me, whatever someone, anyone, goes through, no matter what
it is. That's their lot. That's the
lot. I remember one of my children
coming up to me one day. I was sitting in the house there
in Franklin, and one of my kids walked in the door and said,
Dad, I've got something to tell you. She told me what it was,
and I just sat there for a second, and I said, well, this is our
lot. This is the lot. All these things,
the Scripture says, work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to His purpose. This is the cup. Well, this great whore right
here, this woman that has raised herself up in rebellion against
Almighty God, there's a cup for her. And it's the cup, the Scripture
says, of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Look at Revelation
17, verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious
stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations
and filthiness of her fornication. This is the cup. This is the
lot. This is what she holds in her
hand. And the cup of God's fierceness, of His wrath, is toward her because
she's got a cup that she's holding of rebellion. And so verse 6
of Revelation 17 says this, give her, reward her, even as she
rewarded you, and give her exactly what God Almighty says that she
deserves because of what she said. those that she hated, deserved. And in the cup which she has
filled, this is the cup she has filled, the cup of God's wrath,
she filled it. Because of the cup that she held
in her hand, which she rebelled against Almighty God, you fill
to her double. That is to say, pour out her
abundant reward, God's wrath and judgment. Verse 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. Here is the just reason for the
reward of God's wrath. How much she hath glorified herself. Nebuchadnezzar, that Babylonian
king, was proud and boastful and arrogant in ancient Babylon. And spiritual Babylon, the mother
of harlots, has esteemed and honored and magnified herself. Psalm 57 verse 5 says, Thou exalted, O God above the
heaven, let Thy glory be above all the earth." Every time I
see that word glory, it has been such a revelation to me, that
word, the base word of glory being opinion or think. Think! Lord, let Your thoughts,
Lord, let Your thinking, let Your glory Let your honor, let
your opinion, is what's being said, let your opinion be above
all the earth." A believer, this is the mark of a believer. They
bow to the glory of Almighty God. Somebody would say, well,
if they don't understand what that word glory means, they'd
say, well, I bow to the glory of God, but this is what it's
saying. What God says is so. concerning
His sovereignty, His will, His purpose, His honor, His glory,
His choice. Jim, somebody say, I bow to that. That takes a new heart, a new
heart, a new mind. 1 Corinthians, we looked at this
last week or two weeks ago, 1 Corinthians 10.31. It talks about the Lord's
glory, the Lord's honor, whether thou forthou eat or drink or
whatsoever ye do, do it all to the glory. of God, the opinion
of Almighty God. This is peace. Now, this is comfort
right here when a man or a woman is brought by the power of God
to bow to God's honor. This woman has glorified herself
and she has lived deliciously, luxuriously is what that word
means. The ten horns that we looked
at a few weeks ago of this world's goods. The cares that choke the
word from a nominal professor. And that's what it is. That's all in the world it is.
It's the cares of this world. And as I said before, without
going into the ten horns, there was two or three messages right
there in themselves, but those ten horns, That was the most
fearful beast that Daniel saw because it's the most subtle.
It's the one that men are not looking at. They don't think
the cares of this world. But, buddy, if you think that
the cares of this world is not a beast, that will consume a
man. And while he thinks that everything's
fine, he's looking out here for the real problems, you know,
beast and all these kind of things that people are saying they are,
the cares of this world just kind of devour him. And before
you know it, he's gone. What difference does it make?
What beast Almighty God leaves a man to, to take him to hell? The man's already in hell. You
see what I'm saying? The cares of this world! The
lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life
that left to themselves, men will say. I want that. A man left to himself will sell
his soul. Well, I say that. His soul is
already gone. But he will give himself over
to this world. If there's a place that you've
got to go, if you've got a place you've got to move, let this
be the number one thing right here. Is there a place to worship? Is there a place to worship?
If it's not, you'd better think long and hard. I'm right on that,
brother Scott. Man, listen, let me tell you
something. There is nothing that replaces
the hearing of the gospel for a believer. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I need bigger barns. I need more stuff. She has glorified
herself and lived deliciously. Philippians 4, 11 and 12 says
this, This is what Paul the Apostle said. This man was a Pharisee
of Pharisees. He was raised with some of the
greatest teachers that the world knew at that time. And he says,
I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased
and I know how to abound. I thought about that. I thought
about that statement. You know, it's not hard for me
to see how a person can learn to be abased. That's not hard
for me to figure out. If you don't have it, you don't
have it. See what I'm saying? If you just don't have it, you
just don't have it. You're abased. You're brought down. Paul says,
I've learned how to be abased and I've learned how to abound.
Now, there is where you will find out something of God's grace. If a man or a woman learns how
to abound, if they learn how to abound, to have some of this
world's goods and to know how to abound is a miracle of God's
grace because I am telling you the truth. If we are not careful,
the abundance of this stuff. And I understand. I mean, you
know, believe me, nobody knows that you've got to pay your bills
more than I do. I understand that. Man, if you've
got kids, and if they're even close to college age, you know,
you know something of this. Just stuff. But to learn how
to abound. And God would teach. Paul says,
I know how to be abased. I know how to abound. And in
all things, he said, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need. The Scripture says that
this woman has glorified herself back in verse 7, lived deliciously. So much torment and sorrow. Give her. Let her punishment
correspond with her sin. What do you think the Lord Jesus
Christ suffered for His people? I'll tell you what He suffered.
Exactly what they deserved. He suffered exactly what they
deserved. What God's sheep, what God's
elect, what God's people deserved for their rebellion, the Lord
Jesus Christ suffered for them. Why? God is a just God. He's just. What His people deserved,
Christ bore. Give her so much torment and
sorrow. Give her. Think what the Lord
in His mercy and His grace has delivered. Turn to Psalm 137.
Psalm 137. Boy, David. I read these Psalms so often
as Brother Scott reads through the book of Psalms. I think about
this. Here was a man that Almighty God moved upon and ordered his
steps, Freddie, and brought him through all these things. David.
The things that this man suffered in this life and what Almighty
God taught him through the sufferings, what He taught him in the deliverance,
and we glean from it. Psalm 137, verse 7, Remember,
O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who
said, Raise it, raise it even to the foundation thereof, O
daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall
he be. Listen to these words because
I can tell you right now Number one, more than likely you've
never thought that these words were in scriptures. Thy little ones against the stones." They said, raise it, raise it. The God of recompenses will deal
out justice without any impartiality. Remember, the psalmist says,
O Lord, the children of Edom. Now, Edom was the kinsmen of
Israel. Remember the children of Edom. Now, that's very significant
why he called them the kinsmen. Remember the children of Edom.
They were kin, but they weren't together. Remember the children
of Edom, the kinsmen of Israel in the day of Jerusalem. Here
is mystery Babylon. The tares among the wheat, her
recompense of reward, let me say it like that, is going to
be justly doled out. Edom's hatred. For Israel was
a picture of the natural mind's hatred for whosoever is God's
elect and the object of God's favor. The destroyer shall be
destroyed and the avenger shall fulfill an honorable and just
sentence. Now, you understand that so far.
The cruelty that is shown to God's people is measured by the
law of God. The cruelty toward God's people
is measured by what God says, that cruelty, I measure it. I think about that passage of
Scripture when the Lord said, if you've done it unto the least
of one of these, my brethren, you've done it unto me. and touch
not mine anointed, do my prophets no harm." Therefore, the sentence of judgment
is going to be according to strict justice. Now we say, well, I
understand that so far. The Scripture says, happy, or
blessed, that's the word, blessed. Shall he be that rewardeth thee
as thou hast served or rewarded us? It's the same word. Now when
it comes to that next verse, that last verse that we read,
happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against
the stones. Now though our minds seem to
shrink from the thought of setting forth such a verse, We must consider
the truth of God's justice that's set forth. Number one, we've
got to ask ourselves, what does that mean? What does that Scripture
mean? I mean, you can't just remove
it and just say, well, I'm not going to believe that. Happy
shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. We've got to understand. I want
to know this. What does the little ones mean? I want to know what
that means. Ancient Babylon was a type of
the oppressive mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots. And ancient
Babylon showed no mercy in its ravaging of men and women and
children. And prophetically, I'll just
tell you this, in Isaiah 13, verse 16, the Lord said, what
you did, to other countries, that's going
to be done to you. That's if you want to read. Isaiah
13.1 and Isaiah 13.16. But spiritually speaking, what
is being said here is this. When it says, happy shall he
be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones,
it's not talking about infants and children. Even though ancient
Babylon in reality had that because of the oppressiveness. But this
Scripture is saying here is this, what is said to Babylon is that
no sin of rebellion, no matter how innocent it appears to be,
is going to be left unpunished. Spiritually speaking, that's
what it's saying. Why? Because back in Revelation
18, verse 7, it's because She saith in her heart, I sit as
a queen, I'm no widow, and I shall not see sorrow." Now the Lord said she said it
in her heart. Now see, I can't see your heart. I don't know
what you're saying. I don't know what you're thinking.
But the Lord does. She said in her heart, here's
the true estimation of what the harlot really thinks in her heart. heart. The Scripture says in
Proverbs 23, 7, for as he thinketh in his heart, or in his pleasure,
is what that word means. As a man thinketh in his pleasure,
so is he. As a man thinketh. In Mark chapter
7, and I'm going to read this and we're going to stop, and
Lord willing, I'll just pick right up here tonight. Mark 7.
Mark 7, 21. Mark 7.21, for from within, out
of the heart or out of the pleasure of men proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from
within. and defile the man. I know that these are the thoughts
of man by nature, evil by nature, because Genesis 6-5 said, And
God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually. This is the way it is. I'll stop
here. This is the way it is. For one
of God's sheep, there is absolutely in themselves,
there is absolutely no difference whatsoever as a man or as a woman
is as being born in Adam. There's no difference. There's
not a bit of difference. All we, like sheep, have gone
astray. All of us turned our own way.
There's no difference. What is the difference, though,
between God's people, God's sheep, God's elect, and those that God
has left to themselves? They all think the same way.
I think just exactly the way the worst man of wars... Take
any man that you can think of that's ever walked this earth.
In myself, that's the way I think. And that's the way you think.
We're all the same. But what's the difference? Here
it is. For all of God's sheep, what they deserve in themselves,
Christ bore and paid their debt for them. Put away their guilt. the price. He bore the judgment
and the wrath of Almighty God. He bore it for them. And now there is one difference. I have said in my heart, God
looked in my heart and saw that every imagination of the thought
of my heart was evil continually. There is no difference. But if
Christ has put away my guilt, and bore my sin. What I deserved,
He bore. And that's all my hope. David
said, this is all my salvation. He made an everlasting covenant
contract. Sure, in all things. And I'll tell you, when a man
makes a contract, a covenant, Go down and you make a contract
or something at the bank or something like that. And let me tell you
something, the only way that contract is going to be fulfilled,
all the stipulations of the contract has got to be paid. The covenant. When the Lord Jesus Christ said
at the Last Supper, He said, this is the covenant. in my blood."
You know what he was saying? This is the payment. This is
the covenant. This is the payment in my blood.
I paid the debt. Therefore, what is left outside
of His blood is wrath. Give her just exactly what she
deserves. She's glorified herself. She's
thought highly of herself. She's lived deliciously, luxuriously. Paul says, I've learned how to
be abased. I've learned in whatever state
I'm in to be content. So much torment and sorrow, give
her. Christ-born, I torment, I sorrow. She said in her heart, I sit
as a queen, and tonight, Lord willing, I'll take up and tell
you what she was really saying when she said, I sit as a queen
and I'm no widow. What was she saying there? And
I shall see no sorrow. She was making a bold statement
there. Thanks be unto God Almighty that
has borne the debt that was due His people. May the Lord be glorified
in His mercy and grace to His elect for the sake of the Lord
Jesus Christ.