Will we see Babylon rebuilt? A study on Babylon. Chapter 3

 What do I know thus far?

That Babylon, in "the Revelation," is primarily symbolic.

Rev_14:8, "she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality." (During the time of Nimrod there was only one language and "nation." Therefore this statement is a projection to a future time. That future time is upon us.)

Rev_16:19, "The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell." (I used the term symbolic because it is still a future event; and, Jerusalem is also called "that great city.")

Rev_17:5, "on her forehead a name was written, a mystery." (Mystery is the word musterion - according to Thayer, "religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals." In general, the church is initiated as we are no longer mere mortals. Still, the terms forehead and mystery are highly indicative of symbolism.)  

Rev_18:2, The CEV states "it is the den of every filthy spirit and of all unclean birds, and every dirty and hated animal." (So we are looking both to the future and the present to see this.)

Rev_18:10, quoting from the NASB we see this, " the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come." (We have seen that Jerusalem is also called the great city. The practical side of this is the question, how do you destroy such a great city in a day? And, why would the destruction of Jerusalem cause the world's wealthy to mourn? Unless we have not been told everything.)

Rev_18:21, "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer." (These same words were used of Babylon, and yet, to a degree, it is inhabited. Does this make God a liar? No, but there is certainly some verbal painting with a broad brush, and that must be taken into consideration. So we might be looking for a nuclear attack.)

Simply said, we are seeing references to things such as the mother of harlots and the abominations. While most can understand the depth of perversion that is associated with Babel, but the Bible does not spell that information out for us. Since we are biblically based, then we need to lean toward sound doctrine when it comes to interpretation, and that is the Bible points to Jerusalem.

That Jerusalem, which is referred to as Babylon, will be split into three parts by a horrendous earthquake.

Revelation 16:19 NASB The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.

Since everything in the Revelation is based upon some statement within the Old Testament, what do we have as a witness to a massive earthquake? 

One of the most dominant, outside of Revelation, comes from the Psalms.

Psalms 114:3-8 CEV  When the sea looked at God, it ran away, and the Jordan River flowed upstream.  (4)  The mountains and the hills skipped around like goats.  (5)  Ask the sea why it ran away or ask the Jordan why it flowed upstream.  (6)  Ask the mountains and the hills why they skipped like goats!  (7)  Earth, you will tremble, when the Lord God of Jacob comes near,  (8)  because he turns solid rock into flowing streams and pools of water.

I chose the CEV as it describes several events that could easily be associated with a life-changing earthquake, such as the Jordan suddenly flowing upstream, and the mountains and hills skipping around. Note this effect as He turns solid rock into flowing streams. It is easy to associate this with a thermal event like a volcano erupting.

Jeremiah 4:24 might also be one of those references. 

Jeremiah 4:24-27 NASB I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro. (25) I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. (26) I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger. (27) For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

At one time, I used this verse in Jeremiah to make a point about how or why the earth came to a place of destruction. While to most this seems irrelevant, but scripture tells us that the earth was perfect in the day He made it, and yet at some point, the earth became void and without form. Now try to explain that. 

The Harlot that rides the beast is the same harlot/whore that we find in the basket.

Zechariah 5:5-11 tells us of the “woman” in the basket, covered by a lid of lead. She is lifted from the basket and shown to Zechariah, and told, this is wickedness. That woman personifies wickedness.

The Apostle Paul wrote how Israel took pleasure in the wickedness.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 NASB (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (9) that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (10) and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (11) For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, (12) in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.

Isaiah tells how Jerusalem became a harlot.

Isaiah 1:21a NASB How the faithful city has become a harlot,

The prophet Ezekiel said, you played the harlot.

Ezekiel 16:14-15 NASB "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD. (15) "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame, and you poured out your harlotries on every passer-by who might be willing.

Revelation 17 tells us that the great harlot sits on many waters; it goes on to explain what the waters are.

Revelation 17:15-17 NASB (15) And he *said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. (16) "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. (17) "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.

There is no doubt in my mind that the passages above are speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem/Israel, but not completely.

In Zechariah chapter five, the woman in the basket is wickedness, and she is being taken to Shinar, the place where Babylon began.

What then is Babylon?

• To Israel, under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon became their captor, their punisher, and their protector. You see, God often uses others to carry out His will. When we read about Babylon from the book of Daniel, we see that they too had their fair share of idols. During the time of Daniel's captivity, he tells us that Nebuchadnezzar had a massive statue of himself made, and he forced everyone to bow to it. Israel adopted Babylon's ways.
• Babylon is Jerusalem, "that great city". Since the woman, which equals wickedness is Jerusalem, then "that great city" is also representative of wickedness.
• Babylon is the whore and the harlot, as these terms are synonymous.
• Babylon is symbolic, and we see that as Jerusalem is called Babylon; and, referred to as the whore. If the whore/harlot is wickedness, and Jerusalem, in scripture is described as giving itself over to wickedness, then Jerusalem is wickedness and therefore the whore in the basket.
• She, Jerusalem, made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. What does that mean? That the wrath reserved for Israel will also be poured out upon the world because we too are neck-deep in this money lust.
• Babylon represents the global banking system and the basis for this money lust.
• The two witnesses have finally been killed, after preaching in the streets of Jerusalem for 1,240 days. Revelation 11:8 tells us that their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city for three days. The great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.

The harlot/whore is pure wickedness.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 NASB (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (9) that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (10) and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

Revelation 17:5-6 NASB, describes the harlot, but it does not define who or what she is very well.

At this point, with many clues and explanations, it is easy to see that Babylon, the Great, the Mother of Harlots, is Jerusalem, but we still get hung up looking for a rebuilding of some tower, and that leads us to our last point.

Does the law = sin. Romans 7:7-25

We ended our last study on the premise that, as the NASB put it, we were released from the Law.

Romans 7:6 NLT But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Is that a true statement? Well, yes and No.

Yes, because we were released from the bondage associated with the law. How that works is wrapped up in Jesus' death and resurrection, for through His death and resurrection He paid the price for our redemption and all sins were forgiven humankind. (Easy, now, as there seems to be a bit of catch to this hope of automatic forgiveness. This forgiveness, though very real, is a gift, and like any gift must be received.) The question is, have you received that gift of life in Jesus Christ?


The NO side of this answer comes out of several things.

1. Jesus himself told us that the law would NOT pass away until all had been fulfilled, and only then would we be done with it. [Since some insist on references as proof, then you can look at Matthew 5:18; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17.]

When will the law be fulfilled? You could assume that this would happen when Jesus comes back as the warring Messiah Israel longs for. It is at this point that He will shut the mouth of His enemies, and takes His throne, once again, to reign forever. We see this triumphant return at the end of God's wrath, (the period we love to call – The Great Tribulation,) as we transition into the millennial reign. A large portion of this descriptive is found in Revelation 19 verses 11-21. But there are other examples as well.

Jeremiah 3:17 NASB "At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

Ezekiel 37:25-28 NASB "They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. (26) "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. (27) "My dwelling place also will be with them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. (28) "And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."'"

2. The “law” is now written upon our hearts.
Romans 2:14-16 NASB For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, (15) in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (16) on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

Yes, I am very much aware the these are Gentiles that Paul is speaking of, and, the assumption is that they are godless, because they are NOT of our assemblies, nor have they done the religious things necessary to be acclaimed Christians.

Certainly, you can see that an aspect of the paragraph demonstrates that the “law” bears them witness before God on the day of judgment. Now, if God can write His law upon the hearts of those outside of standardized religion, then He is highly capable of writing His law deliberately upon those He calls His own.

Jeremiah 31:33 KJV But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 3:3-8 NLT "Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. (4) We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. (5) It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. (6) He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. (7) The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. (8) Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?"
There is one other idea I need to mention.

3. For those hoping that this all bypasses the “law” and allows them to do whatever they want. Doing whatever you want here on earth can get you killed, and for many, we have a legal system to deal with those who break the laws of man.

Notwithstanding, the things you do here on earth have little to do with the end result of a life spent with the Father in the future, although there are those that will tell you that you can jeopardize God's love for you. (To think that God would ever turn His back on you is broken human thinking and needs to be thrown out with the trash.)

So, even though we are free from the bondage of the law through Jesus, there is something that maybe even more constraining, and that is that we are considered bondservants to Jesus. You want that in plain English? A bondservant is a polite way of saying, slave.

Ask yourself, what rights do slaves have? In truth, NONE, however, we are voluntary slaves (bondservants) and have the FREE WILL to destroy the body God gave us.

So, this life we live in Christ is one of choice. Do we, as the thief on the cross, choose to turn to the only one who truly loves us, and in a sense, bond ourselves in marriage; or, do we submit as slaves in obedience? For me, the reciprocity of a marital relationship wins out. In human terms, the marriage relationship is not one where we are always lying in fields of clover without a care in the world; no, there are days when the sound of your spouse's voice grates on your last nerve. Is it that way with the Father? Even if He calls me a moron, which He sometimes does, I still know that I am loved because we have a relationship based upon respect. (It is not because I respect Him that He loves me, but I have learned what His character and nature are, and out of that I have learned that He can be trusted.

What if the alternative is douleuō/slavery?
A friend of mine, because of abuses, could not handle the thought of slavery; he could accept Paul's words if he could see his role as one of a bondservant, simply because the bondservant, having been treated with respect, longs to stay in the relationship.

“But now we have been released from the law,” but, as C. S. Lewis says, "there is no easy Christianity."

The NASB opens the next section as:

The Law and Sin

Heres a standardized version to start us off.
(Romans 7:7 KJV)  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (8)  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. (9)  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. (10)  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. (11)  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

If the law, as Paul puts it, caused or causes so much grief, then is it bad, or worse yet, is the law SIN? Eugene Peterson put it this way, “then it's no better than sin itself.” But you instinctively know this is not a true assumption because SIN came into the world at a time when there was no law as we understand it.

Now hold up a minute and think about how that sin entered into the world.

Did Adam take a bite of the fruit before or after sin?
Sin was already active and waiting for him. If you want to get legalistic there was a law, in the form of a commandment – do not eat the fruit of that tree. Since sin is merely missing the mark, the mark for Adam was to obey that one commandment, which he chose not to obey. The commandment to obey was, in reality, a law.

When we read this epic story of humanity's insertion into the earth and their fall, we assume the entire transaction took place in five minutes, after all, that's how long it took my Sunday School teacher to tell the story while using the flannel board cutouts. The difficulty is, we don't have any solid scriptural evidence that leads us to that conclusion. Since the Hebrew word eon is contingent upon other words to define its time frame; and, there was NO clock or calendar, then the time frame between the commandment to not eat the fruit of that ONE tree and the damage done could have been a billion years. (Yeah, I know, that gives many of you grief, as you think the entirety of creation until this moment in time is only about 10,000 years. My word to you, your God is too small.)

Let's analyze what Paul said in verse seven.

“on the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law;” NASB

Are you trying to tell me, that Saul the pharisee did not realize that having people, like Stephen, killed by stoning, was missing the mark? Ah, but for Saul, Stephen, a blasphemer according to "the law/Torah," was deserving of stoning.

Alright, then, let's back up in time to a time when the toddler Saul, first told his mommy NO. This is something that every child does, but where does that rebellion come from? It's there, already embedded, thanks to Adam.

Does a toddler understand that an outright refusal, under reasonable conditions, is inappropriate? They may not at first understand, but it is something they soon learn based on, if nothing else, a commandment (a parental law,) with appropriate enforcement. Should the child have functional mental capacity, then in a short course of time, they come to understand that there are repercussions for open, and antagonistic disobedience.

One of my grandsons was born with a cancerous brain tumor and had to have it removed on his third day of life. He is now 16, praise God. But between the ages of three and four, he did not just say no, he would slap you in the face. The common understanding amongst the family was that his brain functions had taken a tremendous beating from the tumor, the surgery, and then the chemotherapy treatments, and he was not thinking clearly, as a healthy child might. Still, the behavior had to be checked, and quickly.

So when Paul says I would not have come to know sin except through the Law, perhaps he is saying, having been taught that there was a law as a young child, I came to understand that going outside the parameters of the Law, was to miss the mark (sin.)

The Phillips translation reads: “sin in me, finding in the commandment an opportunity to express itself, stimulated all my desires.”

The King James Version of Paul's statement reads like this "I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Romans, along with many other translations, seems to focus on the word covetousness. The word covet as used in the NASB version of Romans 7:7 is epithumeō and means to set the heart upon, or, to long for. That can mean to long for anything which is not yours. I, too, have that problem when a really nice car or truck goes by me.

In Romans 7:8, the word applied is coveting. It's a variation from the usage of the word covet that we see in verse seven, but not too much. Coveting is the Greek word epithumia and means a longing, especially for what is forbidden. For some, "lust" is a motivation to steal, while for others, it is to take the sexuality of a woman without her permission.

Can something be prohibited without a commandment or instruction? I would have to say no because God seems to have covered all His bases. This is evidenced in Paul's next assertion, for Paul himself said the law of God is written on some people's hearts. Why then do they take what is not theirs, and what excuse do they use?

Is it remotely possible that Saul, before he became known as Paul, as a young man, did not know Law and the ramifications? Hardly, he was a pharisee and ran with the best of them. The process of learning who you were and what was expected of you began early. These kids did not go to regular school, as many of us did, they went to synagogue school, or they were taught at home. But know this, the Torah was central to their education. So, it is safe to assume that Saul, much like what we saw in Jesus when at the age of 12, they found Him in the temple discussing the scriptures with the temple elders, would have been adept at scripture at an early age.

Romans 7:8 KJV “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.”

I used the KJV version and it threw us a curveball because it used the word concupiscence - a word that NO ONE uses. It is still the word epithumia and means a longing (especially for what is forbidden).

“But sin took the opportunity provided by this commandment and made me have all kinds of wrong desires. Clearly, without laws sin is dead.” (Romans 7:8 God's Word)

So the law/commandment evoked all kinds of wrong desires. Apparently, most of which centered around fulfilling one's desires, whether it be for something the other person had or the attractiveness of a woman.

Again Paul's words.
For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; (Romans 2:12 NASB)

So Paul can say, “for apart from the Law sin is dead.” Because, without the law, it would seem that there is no judgment, but you know that is not true, as they, the Gentiles outside of Christ, are judged through Jesus Christ. Fortunately, Christ paid for everyone's debt on the cross.

“For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:14-16 NASB)

Romans 7:9 Moffatt NT “I lived at one time without law myself, but when the command came home to me, sin sprang to life and I died;”

The NLT says, “the power of sin came to life.” Maybe that is another of saying, after the Law came, the party was over.

Romans 7:10 MSG “The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up, throwing me headlong.”

Another version: “…The commandment that was intended to bring me life was found to be bringing me death!” (CJB)

So, I should be able to look at what God did to the people Moses brought out of Egypt, as something that was supposed to guide them into life. I cannot imagine the law having any other impact upon them either.

Consider something: without the law, Israel had NO constraints.
Deeming Moses to be dead, they had Aaron make them the Moloch idol upon which they could go back to roasting their children to this “unknown” god. So the law then came to them, and sin sprang to life, and what happened, many of them died as well.

Romans 7:11 MSG “So sin was plenty alive, and I was stone dead.”

"Having one's mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one's mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom." (Romans 8:6 CJB)

• A mind
• Controlled by the old nature
• Is death.
• But somehow changing one's mind to be controlled by the Spirit (This is the pneuma - the breath of God, or, as we know it, the Holy Spirit of God,) is life and peace.

How do you do that? We renew our minds by putting God's Word into our hearts. Isn't that nice, I used a religious phrase on you, "just put God's Word into your heart." Seriously?
Let me explain, as I have been preparing so that I can convey the obscure things Paul has been saying, I, too, have been absorbing these Words. In a sense, I have been putting them into my heart. Just days ago, I walked through these same words I am giving you, with a good friend of mine. We both had to admit that these Words, which are alive, are changing us, and we could both see the changes and identified them.

Romans 7:12 NIV “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”
Nothing conveys a theme better than the Word, so let's look at what the Psalmist wrote.

For the word of the LORD is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. (Psalms 33:4 NASB)

Once again, Paul's apologetic/common sense argument comes into play.
Romans 7:13 CJB “Then did something good become for me the source of death? Heaven forbid! Rather, it was sin working death in me through something good, so that sin might be clearly exposed as sin, so that sin through the commandment might come to be experienced as sinful beyond measure.”

“Then did something good become for me the source of death?” I know, I have talked about this a lot recently, but you need to understand something. These people that God brought out of Egypt were effectively Egyptians, and followed after Egyptian god; Moloch is one of them. They had to be retrained and constrained. I can guarantee you that they cried like babies.

Romans 7:14 CJB For we know that the Torah is of the Spirit; but as for me, I am bound to the old nature, sold to sin as a slave.

By the way, what Paul wrote here is not defeatist, it is an act of aggressiveness, as you now recognize who and what the enemy looks like. No, I am not necessarily the enemy, but it sure is something that lives with me every day. Now, if we could grasp the idea, that we are in Christ, and that our relationship with Him is comparable to being baptized into His death, then we too are dead to sin, just as He is. (There is so much more than this, but I am trying not to lose you.)

In Celebrate Recovery, a spin-off of AA, you introduce yourself as, insert your name here _, a grateful believer in Jesus Christ, recovering from _ insert your problem here_. Mine happened to be rage.
The Apostle Paul can easily be visualized as standing before the crowd and saying,
Good evening. My name is Paul, a grateful believer in Jesus Christ,
and I am a recovering Pharisee, and a slave to sin.

Paul next talks about his own struggle. Romans 7:15 CJB I don't understand my own behavior—I don't do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate!

My grandparents had all kinds of sayings, one of them was “landsakes.” I honestly don't know what that means. I can speculate to no avail, but what I do know, is that when one of them said it, you knew they were not particularly thrilled with whatever you did. I can just hear Paul talking to himself as he says, “well for landsakes,” I don't understand my own behavior.

If God lives in you, then there is a driving force inside you, called the Holy Spirit, telling you, you don't need to be doing that!

In what seems like a struggle with the law, there comes this. 
Romans 7:16 NLT “But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.”

A general, and safe assumption, is that everything that has been said, has been stated on a previous occurrence. This was not done to bore you, it was done because we forget, and, the most important aspect, all prophecy, to the Jewish mind, is born from patterns. Repetition helps to establish God's prophetic word. Note David's words.

Psalms 119:127-128 NASB (127) Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold. (128) Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way.
So, the law is good.

Romans 7:17 MSG “But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!”

At some point in my readings, I saw this phrase, the law, above anything else, showed us that we need God's grace. In recovery, one of the defining moments is when you realize that you are out of control and that you cannot do this by yourself. Our Christian walk is not so different, and that is why God sent the Holy Spirit. Oh sure, I, and you, need other believers to help us along the way, but of a kindred spirit and a sane mind. Why? Because we are broken, and our only hope of getting through this comes through Jesus Christ. The following is Romans 7:18-24 from Eugene Peterson's Message.

I realize that I don't have what it takes. 

I can will it, but I can't do it. 

I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; 

I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. 

My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. 

Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. 

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. 

The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. 

I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. 

Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 

I've tried everything and nothing helps. 

I'm at the end of my rope. 

Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? 

(Romans 7:18-24 MSG)

I will admit at this point, that I am in tears because I have felt this way. Thank God I know what the next verse says.

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. 

He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. 

(Romans 7:25 MSG)

Enough said.

Released from the law, a fascinating thought. Romans 7:1-4.

The NASB entitles chapter seven:

Released from the Law

The translators opted to put the Bible into chapters; I suppose for the sake of clarity. The reality is, as most of you know, that Paul wrote this letter to the Church in Rome from Corinth. He never made it to Rome until he went in “chains.” (I am well aware that he may not have been in chains, but it makes a point, doesn't it?

The church in Rome was comprised of a group of Jewish followers of Christ, and, an unknown number of Gentile believers within their assembly and anyone with a simple understanding can start at the first chapter of Paul's letter pick up on the idea that this letter is centered around Jewish understanding, tradition, and culture issues.

Assuming that you for some reason decided to start in chapter seven, a chapter that opens with, “Or do you not know?” You, as the reader should be adequately lost, because you have entered mid-thought and have no idea what the conversation was about, nor do you know, who specifically he is talking to.

Or do you not know, brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person as long as he lives?

(Romans 7:1 NET.)

• The phrase, “Or do you not know,” has no explanation without a context.

• There are a variety of translations and the NET version chose to refer to them as “brothers and sisters.” Language such as this is mere "church speak" for fellow believers, and obviously a mix of men and women. In reality, the translation is merely trying to not offend anyone by including women. However, Paul was a devout Jew and women, by tradition and earlier training, would not have been his focus in a conversation. So a version like the NASB, which simply says “brethren” leans more toward the Jewish attitude, and adds to the argument that his focus is on speaking to Jews who are having an attitude problem. (This attitude problem is spelled out in the earlier chapters of this letter. An example of Paul's attempt at addressing their bad attitude can be seen as Paul opens this letter with, “I Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ.” The Jews, on one occasion, screamed back at Jesus with, “we have NEVER been slaves to anyone.” Really? Did you merely throw four hundred years of history out with the trash? What happened there in Egypt? There is also an attempt, on Paul's part, to get these followers of Christ, to lay off the high minded attitude that you are better than the Gentile believers who have joined you.)

• Note how the verse above says, “for I am speaking to those who know the law,” this is further evidence that Paul is addressing a crowd with a Jewish emphasis. Do not think for a moment that this letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome is not meant for us, it is. The letter had both an immediate context and an extended and intended impact on you and I. If you read the previous posts on Romans six, then you would have seen life-changing terminology such as We were joined with Christ; baptized into His death; Raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives; Crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives; We are no longer slaves to sin.

• The NET translation as used above ends with, “the law is lord over a person as long as he lives.” It would appear that we, especially since we are reading this, are quite alive. The obvious fact is that dead people don't have to worry about laws anymore; or do they? Now I have to consider, or understand that the soul is eternal – made in the image of God, (Genesis 1:26) and never dies. But what then is death? Eternal separation from God. The law is primarily a Jewish orientation. Thanks to Jesus and the cross, the law was satisfied, but we are still required to love God and treat people decent. (That is my short version of the law.) The NLT translation says, “those familiar with the law.” Again, that would have been the Jews. Doesn't that imply my exclusion? Sorry, but no, for the law, Paul argues, is written on our hearts.

Romans chapter six ends on this note: a transition, from slavery to sin, where your only reward is some form of death; to a life that is made holy because of, and through Christ.

I used several translations to build the paragraph below.

(Romans 6:20-23 ) In the past, you were slaves to sin, and you did not even think about doing right. (ERV)  Well, what did you gain then by it all? Nothing but what you are now ashamed of! The end of all that is death; (Moffatt ) However, now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you do get the benefit—it consists of being made holy, set apart for God, and its end result is eternal life. (CJB) The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord. (GW)

This new life has no payment, but it does have a gift - eternal life which is found in Christ Jesus. Having found and received this gift of eternal life, Paul poses the next question.

"Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?" (Romans 7:1 NASB)

Why would Paul make such an apparent statement as “the law only has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?” This is what I talked about just moments ago when I asserted, “The obvious fact is that dead people don't have to worry about laws anymore.” But therein lies the problem. There are two kinds of death, but our heads only seem to focus on one of them – the cessation of breath.

To be dead here on earth is nowhere close to spiritual death, and that is what we were without Christ. Oh sure, the benefits of the cross, like forgiveness, were applied to the whole earth, but you still have to receive the gift, and the gift was and still is Jesus Christ.

Paul, knowing full well what the Jewish attitude is about divorce (God hates divorce,) speaks in a manner that Jewish believers would understand.

For example, a married woman is bound by Torah to her husband while he is alive; but if the husband dies, she is released from the part of the Torah that deals with husbands. (Romans 7:2 CJB)

It's not just the law she is bound to, it is the Torah. 

To simply say “the law,” as many translations do, pushes us to look at this statement through Gentile eyes. In the world I understand, you don't need a reason to get divorced anymore. You can simply be annoyed with the way they hold their toothbrush. So in my Gentile world, we are only bound by the law for as long some court document says we are. In the Jewish world, the man could merely abandon the woman. If he did that she would then be stuck between a rock and a hard place, but if he dies, then she is free to possibly remarry. Considering there was no social security or welfare, this was a brutal way to live.

Here is where the law makes the married couples' life complex.

"Therefore, while the husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress if she marries another man; but if the husband dies, she is free from that part of the Torah; so that if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress." (Romans 7:3 Complete Jewish Bible)

Fortunately, the story doesn't end here.

Thus, my brothers, you have been made dead with regard to the Torah through the Messiah's body, so that you may belong to someone else, namely, the one who has been raised from the dead, in order for us to bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4 CJB)

And this statement, “you have been made dead with regard to the Torah through the Messiah's body,” is exactly the focus of Romans chapter six. We don't just get to be forgiven; we get to bear fruit for God. The saddest part of this is that many, learning of this freedom, will simply abuse it.

"For when we lived according to our human nature, the sinful desires stirred up by the Law were at work in our bodies, and all we did ended in death." (Romans 7:5 GNB)

If a Doctor were to look at your genetic chain, they would see a marker at some spot, just as they do in everyone else, and they would declare you, no matter the impact it has on you, to be normal. This concept is a little easier to comprehend if think about Adam's act of eating the fruit, as something that changed him genetically. Is that so impossible anymore? I don't think so, as most of what we eat is genetically modified. Therefore, if a man can do it, then so can God.

So, when Paul says something like, “For when we lived according to our human nature,” he is talking about a permanently broken human nature, that drives us to fulfill our lusts, and a few of Satan's as well. Now, as for that permanently broken aspect. Is that a hopeless cause for us? No, because there is something amazing that will happen to us.

"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52 NASB)

That piece that is broken, will be fixed. I know this because I have an assurance that I am spending eternity with my Father, and that He will let nothing that pollutes into His kingdom.

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed, and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:22-27 NASB)

Can you see why God had to have a plan in place from the very beginning?

But now we have been released from the law because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. (Romans 7:6 NET bible.)

Let's take Romans 7:6 apart backward, sort of.

• “Because we have died to what controlled us.”

I am jumping ahead, but only because I have a point to make. Paul had the same problem I am now having, I keep missing the mark (Missing the mark is a derivative from Medieval archery, where an archer would miss the bullseye or mark. Our life is filled with opportunities to hit the mark, the only problem is, that the target, mounted on a bail of hay, could be well over 91.44 meters away. At this point, the mark, or bullseye, may look the size of a very small coin.) 

How then do I come to understand that I have died to what controlled me? 

Since everything we do has to have some faith attached to it, let's start there. Symbolically, our understanding, and or, our act of putting ourselves in water before a crowd of people, demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ. What did He do for us? He died for us so that we might live, and that association is our death along with Him. As I said earlier, dead people don't have desires, and so I have to remind myself occasionally, that I am dead. Keep in mind that we don't merely die, we live as well, but we live together with Him. And He is not bothered with sin in His condition either.

• “But now we have been released from the law.”

You want to know what you were released from? The bondage that the law brought with it. The law brought a fear of death, and, even worse, the law was only a temporary fix. 

Our relationship with Jesus Christ brought us the gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let's focus on the term law for a moment. 

Jesus told us plainly, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” (Matthew 5:17-18 NLT)

So the law, and it's practical side – civility will be with us until Jesus is finally seated on the throne in the New Jerusalem.

Another, possibly more restrictive alternative is already in place. 

When Paul opened his letter to the Romans, he introduced himself as a slave to Christ Jesus. Slaves have no rights and certainly no room or permission to an opinion. I suppose there are always exceptions to every rule, but in general, you do what you are told. So for Paul to make this statement about slavery was powerful, and it surely made a point to the Jewish readers.

In case you don't know, slavery at this point in time was so common, that one in four humans was a slave.

At least, as our twisted minds see it, we had more options under the law for we, supposedly, could ignore the law.

“Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.” (Romans 6:19 NLT)

• “so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.”

Such a pleasant word, serve, unfortunately, it is the Greek word douleuō and means to be a slave, or, to be in bondage. Rewritten, the verse could easily read like this: “so that we may be in bondage to the new life of the Spirit.”

Do you still believe that you are not guided by the law? 

Certainly, we are not oppressed by the bondage and fear associated with the slavery of the law. But here, the law is written upon our hearts; it is a part of who we are now.

 And, we have the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us if we will listen to His voice.

Micah 6:10,11. Houses filled with treasure gain by cheating.

When we ended Micah 6:9 we were left with this ominous declaration, “The armies of destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them.”
But why?

• Because of the rebellion of Israel—yes, the sins of the whole nation. (Micah 1:5a NLT )
• When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance. (Micah 2:2 NLT)

Does anybody see the banking system in this passage from Micah 2:2? I do. Here in America, we had a horrendous collapse of the banking system. One, in particular, stands out, as they were consistently on the nightly news for a time; this bank is one in which I used to do business. The problem, as some see it, is that they got caught; the others, to put it simply, were not found out?

I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones. (Micah 3:1-2 NLT)

Here, we see leaders being the very ones who hate good and love evil. Micah wrote these words almost three thousand years ago, and yet those very words are more legitimatized today. Again, here in America, we have gone through years of televised Senate hearings about subversive actions by our very governmental leaders. My take away as I listened; these people are, on both sides of the witness stand are evil; and, they seem to prefer evil rather than good.

Now we are looking at Micah 6:10.
Micah 6:10 NLT  What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating? What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?

How would we, the “impoverished” who have to work for a living, know what is in the homes of the wealthy? We never would if it wasn't for the books that have been published that show us the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
If Micah's words are meant to get us to look at those who have caused us grief, then how do I separate myself from the judgment associated with the envy that typically develops out of such a look?
What did Jesus tell us about judging?

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NIV)

While Matthew 7:1-5 seems to be saying that we will receive a comparable result to what we dish out, it does not tell us that the judgment will come from God, in the last day, before the great white throne. I have found my judgments slapping me in the face six months after an event that I provoked against another follower of Christ. In religious settings, the teaching on judgment often comes across as though God is storing up some wrath against us; for the believer, this wrath will allegedly be dispensed at the Bema seat of Christ, or, as some portray, we too will stand before the Great White Throne, with its potential of a fiery hell. These teachings are blatantly wrong and contrary to scripture which conveys that ALL wrath was placed on Christ, so that we, as believers, no longer have to experience the wrath that our sin demands.

To try to understand the depth of the passage, based upon one translation, in this case, the NLT is preposterous. I shall show you some others, the entire purpose of which is to demonstrate the need for something other than superficial readings.

Micah 6:10 NIV  Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house, and the short ephah, which is accursed?
Micah 6:10 KJV  Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Micah 6:10 ERV  Do the wicked still hide treasures that they have stolen? Do they still cheat people with baskets that are too small? Yes, all of this is still happening!
Micah 6:10 ESV  Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?

As I contrast the various Bible versions, the common theme I see is treasure, improperly acquired, and stored up in the houses of the wicked. Since we have established that the wicked, in this instance, are the leaders, who have become wealthy at the cost of those they have done business with, then I can make the argument that the wealthy of Israel had given themselves to the Babylonian spirits of lust and greed.

While I have associated Micah 6:10 with the banking system, there is another theme present, and that is the Babylon system. I have, on several occasions, been asked what I think Babylon is, I can tell you decisively what it is not. It has nothing to do with the physical location of the city that God said would be uninhabitable.

How the hammer of the whole earth is cut down and broken! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations! I set a snare for you and you were taken O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and caught because you opposed the LORD. The LORD has opened his armory and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Lord GOD of hosts has a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from every quarter; open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction; let nothing be left of her. (Jeremiah 50:23-26 ESV)

and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, the haunt of jackals, a horror and a hissing, without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 51:37 ESV)

For me, the obvious factor is that when Revelation 17:5 and Revelation 18 speak of Babylon. These passages are not talking about a destroyed city; they are talking about a harlot, and since there is no harlot per se, then we have to be talking about idealistic doctrines of greed, lust, and spiritual darkness. Yeah, I know, this last one “spiritual darkness” is vague, but then, so is the spirit world. If you operate on the principle that a vast number of angels, equaling one third, fell to earth with Satan, then you have the entities that are promoting all methods of killing off anything that looks like Christ. At this point, you might say, no one looks like him, and therefore none of us should be harassed. Unfortunately, you would be wrong, for all of us were made in God's image, and that has never changed. In addition to that, we, by acknowledging that Jesus is God's Son who died for the world, become one of His own through adoption.

Now, look at the verse below, for it validates the idea of Babylon having demons as its greatest motivation.

And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. (Revelation 18:2 ESV)

I have been mocked and laughed at enough to know that references to things like “the New World Order” and the “Illuminati” cause people trouble, but if you had been paying attention, then you would know that these are real entities that have grandiose plans to eliminate the consumers of goods and keep the best for themselves. The rich seem to understand that this earth is limited in its resources and that we, the insignificant, consume too many resources. In my mind, this is the basis of the Babylon system that scripture tells us will be destroyed. Think about it: money, banking systems, land possession, inflation, (deadly) pollution, and the dissemination of information; who controls it all? A relatively small group of people, who only get richer every day. Welcome to the world of the harlot, dressed in scarlet, that rides the beast. Spend a few minutes reading Revelation 17; it paints a far-reaching picture of this harlot that drinks the blood of the saints.

Is there anything we, as followers of Christ, can do about it?

Well, yes and no. Yes, we can vote, make our voices heard, and do whatever is necessary without harm. This battle we are in is first and foremost a spiritual battle and should be fought in the realm of the spirit. What does that mean? It means we pray. One of the things I have, once again, become aware of, is that spiritual entities have names, like depression, and poverty; understanding that gives me direct ammunition in prayer and I speak directly to those things. God never asked us to sit and take a beating, and neither would I.

The “No” side of this coin shows its ugly head as you realize that God is fulfilling His plan. Unfortunately, His plan doesn't always coincide with ours.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard of the phrase, a false flag? A false flag is a pre-planned and staged event, invoked by some government entity, where crisis actors are sent to portray victims and aggressors. These events are acted out to: distract us from some other issue, promote fear, raise a level of rage in people, demonstrate a need for more gun controls, to name a few. Sadly, in these scripted events, real people can and do die. As I pointed out in Micah 6:9, the enemies that are coming to destroy Israel, are being sent by God, Do you now understand what I am saying when I say, these events may well be part of God's plan? We are experiencing the birth pains Jesus spoke of in Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 24:3-9 ESV  As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  (4)  And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.  (5)  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  (6)  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  (7)  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  (8)  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.  (9)  “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

In closing this out we will look briefly at Micah 6:11.
Micah 6:11 NASB "Can I justify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights?

Those that abide by God's moral code, can quickly answer, NO. Some, argue the point, as they think there is an appropriate condition in which cheating is good or suitable.

“You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise, and you must use full and honest measures. Yes, always use honest weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 25:13-16 NLT)


 While I don't live under the law, I do live under grace, and cheating is still not acceptable.