1. “The…question is whether I believe in devils. I do…It seems to me to explain a good many facts.” - C.S. Lewis

2.  A level amphitheater  Saturday morning: 10:30-11:30

3.  “Then this message came to me from the LORD: ‘Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, that mighty gateway to the sea, the trading center of the world. Give Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: ‘You boasted, O Tyre, 'My beauty is perfect!' Your home is the sea.’” (Ezekiel 27:1-3)

4.  You did business in Spain… (vs. 12)  You did business in Greece, Tubal and Meschech and traded your goods for slaves and for articles of bronze. You sold your goods for workhorses and war-horses… (vs. 12-14)  The people of Rhodes traded with you… (vs. 15)  The people of Syria bought your merchandise… (vs. 16)  Judah and Israel paid for your goods… (vs. 17)  The people of Damascus bought your merchandise… (vs. 18)

5.  The people of Dedan traded… (vs. 20)  The Arabians and the rulers of Kedar paid for your merchandise… (vs. 21)  For your goods the merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded… (vs. 22)  The cities of Haran, Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, the cities of Asshur and Chilmad---they all traded with you… (vs. 23)

6.  “Your merchandise was carried in fleets of the largest cargo ships. You were like a ship at sea loaded with heavy cargo. When your oarsmen brought you out to sea, An east wind wrecked you far from land. All your wealth of merchandise, all the sailors in your crew, your ship's carpenters and your merchants, every soldier on board the ship--- All, all were lost at sea when your ship was wrecked. The shouts of the drowning sailors echoed on the shore.” (Ezekiel 27:25-28)

7.  “Every ship is now deserted, And every sailor has gone ashore. They all mourn bitterly for you, throwing dust on their heads and rolling in ashes. They shave their heads for you and dress themselves in sackcloth. Their hearts are bitter as they weep. They chant a funeral song for you: 'Who can be compared to Tyre, to Tyre now silent in the sea?” (Ezekiel 27:29-32)

8.  “When your merchandise went overseas, You filled the needs of every nation. Kings were made rich by the wealth of your goods. Now you are wrecked in the sea; You have sunk to the ocean depths. Your goods and all who worked for you have vanished with you in the sea. Everyone who lives along the coast is shocked at your fate. Even their kings are terrified, and fear is written on their faces. You are gone, gone forever, and merchants all over the world are terrified, afraid that they will share your fate.” (Ezekiel 27:33-36)

9.  “Then the LORD will be king over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name…When that time comes, there will no longer be any merchant in the Temple of the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 14:9,21)

10.  “My people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales—they love to cheat. Israel boasts, ‘I am rich! I've made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!’” (Hosea 12:7-8)

11.  “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant…Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child…And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God...” (Revelation 12:1-6)

12.  “But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left.” (Revelation 12:12)

13.  “Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea…The dragon gave the beast his own power…It opened its mouth in slander against God, misrepresenting his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:1-6) 1. Blasphemy - claiming equality with God. 2. Blasphemy - misrepresenting the character of God.

14.  “Come with me…and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality…I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing…A mysterious name was written on her forehead: "Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World." I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.” {When I saw her, I was appalled} (Revelation 17:1-6)

16. 1. Prostitution is an image of unfaithfulness, of falling away. 2. In the Old Testament, the woman charged with prostitution is Israel. 3. In Revelation, the prostitute is best understood as the fallen church.

17.  WOMAN: RELIGION (CHURCH)  BEAST: STATE (POLITICS)

18.  “Then the angel said to me, ‘The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language.’” (Revelation 17:15)  “After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven…He gave a mighty shout: ‘Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.’” (Revelation 18:1-3)

19.  “home of demons”  ‘fornication/immorality’  ‘trade ’  medium for the demonic  unfaithfulness  predation and exploitation

20.  “In her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,’” (Revelation 18:7,8)

21.  “…in one day she will be struck with plagues--- disease, grief, and famine…The kings of the earth who took part in her immorality and lust will cry and weep over the city when they see the smoke from the flames that consume her. They stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They say, ‘How terrible! How awful! This great and mighty city Babylon! In just one hour you have been punished!’ The merchants of the earth also cry and mourn for her, because no one buys their goods any longer; no one buys their gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; their goods of linen, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth; all kinds of rare woods and all kinds of objects made of ivory and of expensive wood, of bronze, iron, and marble…slaves, even human life.” (Revelation 18:8- 13)

22.  “The merchants, who became rich from doing business in that city, will stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They will cry and mourn… And in one hour she has lost all this wealth! All the ships' captains and passengers, the sailors and all others who earn their living on the sea, stood a long way off, and cried out as they saw the smoke from the flames that consumed her: ‘There never has been another city like this great city!’” (Revelation 18:15-18)

23.  Ezek. 27:31 They will shave their heads because of you and will put on sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and with bitter mourning.  Rev 18:19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

24.  Ezek 26:13: I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more.  Rev 18:22: The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again.

25.  Ezek 26:16-18: Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you. Then they will take up a lament concerning you…  Rev 18:9-10: When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her…

26.  Ezek 27:3: "'You say, O Tyre, "I am perfect in beauty."  Ezek 28:2: "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.  Rev 18:7: ”In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’”

27.  The beasts and the woman fade away; only Satan is left on the stage:  “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent-- -that is, the Devil, or Satan---and chained him up for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:2)  “After the thousand years are over, Satan will be set loose from his prison, and he will go out to deceive the nations...”(Revelation 20:7-9)

28.  “The LORD spoke to me. ‘Mortal man,’ he said, ‘tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.’” (Ezekiel 28:1-2)

30.  “The LORD sent another message to Ahaz: ‘Ask the LORD your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.’ Ahaz answered, ‘I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the LORD to the test.’ So Isaiah told him, ‘Listen to this, government of David. It’s bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people---do you have to wear out God’s patience too? Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.’ By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.’” (Isaiah 7:10-16)

31.  “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel (which means, ‘God is with us’).” (Matthew 1:23)

32.  Young woman or virgin?  Almah – can mean either virgin or young woman (the opposite meaning as “young man”; has to do with age more than sexual experience)  Betulah – can only mean virgin  “The LORD said, ‘Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letters the name, MAHER- SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. I will have Uriah the priest and Zechariah…serve as witnesses to this.’ Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the LORD said, ‘Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Because before he can say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy', the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria.’” (Isaiah 8:1-4)

33.  “A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Eternal Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace…’” (Isaiah 9:1-7)

34.  “The LORD spoke to me. ‘Mortal man,’ he said, ‘tell the ruler of Tyre what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying to him: Puffed up with pride, you claim to be a god. You say that like a god you sit on a throne, surrounded by the seas. You may pretend to be a god, but, no, you are mortal, not divine.’” (Ezekiel 28:1-2)  With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth—gold and silver for your treasuries. Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud.” (Ezekiel 28:4-5)

35.  “Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone—red carnelian…all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:12-14)

36.  “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.” (Ezekiel 28:15-18)

37.  1. How we got here in the first place  “War broke out in heaven… The huge dragon was thrown out---that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

38.  2. Sending the “bill” for human suffering to the right address (theodicy)

39.  “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!..Everyone there will stare at you and ask, 'Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:16-17)

40.  "the prince of this world." (John 12:31, 14:30)  "the god of this age", and "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2).  "the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19)  “Keep us safe from the Evil One.” (Matthew 5:37)

41.  3. What is he up to?  “It opened its mouth in slander against God, misrepresenting his name…”  “Did God really tell you not to eat any fruit in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1)  “That’s not true; you will not die.” (3:4)  “God said that because…” (3:4)

42.  4. The mission of Jesus/atonement theology?  “The Son of God appeared for this very reason, to destroy what the Devil had done” (1 John 3:8). “Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil…” (Hebrews 2:4).  “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself” (John 12:31,32).

43.  5. Eschatology  Infiltration of the church  “Everyone worshiped the dragon” (Rev. 13:4)  “It forced the earth and all who live on it to worship…it deceived all the people… (Rev. 13:12-14)