Isaiah 5: 20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
For purposes of this Bible study, the name Babylon represents the antichrist system of governance and worship, that was introduced since the beginning of time, but has now morphed into a conglomerate by which the laws of God are steadily being eroded and overturned, in favor of man’s institutions and laws.
The title also includes ancient Babylon, and every nation under heaven that has sought to implement the dictates of the dragon, for back of all opposition to God, in any way shape or form, and throughout any age or era, is that single mastermind who began the war in heaven.
When Cain sowed the seeds of alternative worship, and rebellion against God, he introduced that trend which would be developed over the centuries, into what it is today. Cain went on to build a city, and its governing principles were basically the same which we see in modern day Babylon.
Throughout history, there have always been forces antagonistic to God, and righteousness, which are led on by man’s invisible foe.
Therefore, when the book of Revelation is closely studied, it is clearly revealed that there are really only two types of worship and governance, one, in harmony with God, the other in opposition to God. Everything else in between falls, more or less into one of those two categories.
The conscience of any nation is its legislature, and whatsoever the judicial branch of that government approves into law, becomes what the nation stands for. Thus, if the spiritual temperature of the nation is to be taken, its laws must be investigated, especially as it pertains to their correlation, or their opposition to the laws of God.
The Lord would have us to understand that over the centuries, Babylon has developed its judicial branch, by which laws that are antagonistic to God are made and enforced. The basic concept in a nutshell is this:
Forces which are opposed to God do make the right thing be wrong, and make the wrong thing be right, and thus, open the door for the prosecution of any persons who may beg to differ.
Back of all this are the dark forces of evil spirits who are determined to outlaw all righteousness, working through the world’s legislatures and thus paving the way for true Christians who conscientiously choose to obey God, to face the ire of the law.
It is a movie which we have all seen before and it is taken from an old playbook, in which the strategies have taken shape in embryo form, and have almost been perfected over the years.
But now, we have to take a closer second look, since we’re on the cusp of the final conflict between good and evil by which wrong will be legalized, instead of right, and persons who, in obedience to God, refuse to acquiesce, will be subjected to prosecution.
Isaiah warns individuals and nations against this evil in our first passages, for when he declares “Woe to them” he is warning of adverse consequences which will certainly accrue, wherever there is the practice of inverting the laws of God in favor of any opposing man-made statutes that render right wrong and vice versa.
In fact, the prophet speaks of this tendency as one of the signs of the last days, that will go on to trigger catastrophic natural disasters across the globe, since spiritual laws retain jurisdiction over all physical and natural law, and thus, he confirms that the problem we face is not so much global warming, but is global sinning.
For clarity, when we speak of spiritual law retaining jurisdiction over physical law, we mean that when a person or nation violates the former deliberately, it could affect the latter adversely. For instance, when the storm threatened the lives of Jonah and fellow passengers, it wasn’t global warming.
Someone on that ship had decided to walk contrary to God’s revealed will, and hence the efforts to calm the storm must include going to the very root of the problem, which was disobedience. After identifying the real cause, they threw Jonah overboard and the sea immediately ceased from its raging.
Therefore, when Isaiah makes the same connection in his prophecies, we are to understand that laws do play a critical role in the well-being or otherwise the downfall of any people, depending on whether they are in harmony with God’s law, or directly opposed to His revealed will. Let’s read:
Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goes therein shall not know peace.
14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
15 Yea, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Isaiah 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Thus, the perversion, and inversion of God’s law are the keys that ultimately unlock the doors of disaster for the most part. On a national level it is something which can only be accomplished in legal framework by the judicial branch of government. And according to prophecy, and the characteristics of history, we’re just about there.
On an individual level persons can pervert their own judgement, by banishing the right in favor of wrong, but they cannot make their perversions the law of the land. Only the legislature can do this, hence the reason why it has become necessary for us to study closely what the legislative branch of Babylon does.
We’ll give several examples of what is being spoken of, and then we will transition to the here and now, so that everyone could see plainly why there’s cause for concern. We begin in the land of Babylon, where Daniel has just been promoted as chief over princes and presidents.
His promotion sparked feelings of envy and jealousy in the hearts of those under his jurisdiction, and as is so often the case, their feelings of bitterness give rise to commensurate thoughts and actions, as they huddle together to brainstorm a diabolic strategy to bring Daniel down.
It is worthy of note that in this episode, they do not complain to the King about Daniel’s prayer life. They instead seek to employ the legislative framework of government in an effort to make praying to The God of heaven wrong, and thus, the way would be paved for the prosecution of Daniel to the fullest extent of the law.
Back in those days, the highest judicial authority in any nation was the king, and therefore, we will need to remember as we read, that their sole purpose is to get rid of Daniel, and thus, rather than get into a back and forth with him they will turn to the judicial branch of Babylon’s government to accomplish their ends. Let’s read:
Daniel 6:3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
5 Then said these men we will not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
In the next verses we must pay very close attention to how the proposed law in question would then be structured, for it would be made to surgically target, the laws and instructions given by God to all those who choose to obey Him.
In other words, they are going to make it illegal to pray to God, and if anyone dares to do so, they will be rendered into a criminal designation, and thus, the legislative branch of Babylon will now be making it a crime to do that which is right thereby laying the legal framework for prosecution of dissenters. Let’s read:
Daniel 6:6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever.
7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which changes not.
9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
And now, armed with the power of the law behind them, they go looking for Daniel, for, because of his consistency in praying, they are certain to find him violating what has now become the law of the land and because of this the next legal step will obviously be prosecution. Let’s read:
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and he prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, the thing is true, according tothe law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regards not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but made his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree nor statute which the king established might be changed.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom you serve continually, he will deliver thee.
Here is the same thing happening again, when king Nebuchadnezzar determines that he would force his brand of worship on the people under his rule. He is not going to merely ask them to agree with him, but rather he reaches for the force of the judicial branch of which the highest authority is himself.
Thus, he puts bitter for sweet and evil instead of the good, as he makes it a crime to refuse to bow down, and therefore, anyone who may beg to differ would consequently be in violation, and thereby, will open themselves up to prosecution, under the laws of the land. Let’s read:
Daniel 3: 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Thus, by default, the three Hebrew worthies were found to be in violation of the laws of the land and therefore, they could be prosecuted as criminals. As we have stated earlier, it is a movie which we have seen before beginning in its embryonic stages a long time ago, but now, the last sequel is just upon us, no doubt.
Down through the ages, the demonic forces of evil have diligently sought access to judicial branches of government to make the wrong seem right and vice-versa, so as to have the legal framework by which all dissenters could be prosecuted.
It is the same strategy that was used in the days of Christ, as they sought to condemn Him. They resort to the law of the land, so as to have a legal basis for condemning Christ as a criminal, and they searched and they searched and they searched, twisting the law to its limits, and finally, they seem to find what they were looking for.
Note well that they first turn to the legislative arm of their government, so as to establish their legal framework for Christ’s condemnation as a criminal. And as they prepare to take the matter to trial in the court of Pilate, they must come with the law behind them, or else, Christ’s conviction could be thrown out as invalid. Let’s read:
Matthew 26:57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him you have said: nevertheless, I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
[The Desire of Ages pp 703] When the council had assembled in the judgment hall, Caiaphas took his seat as presiding officer. On either side were the judges, and those specially interested in the trial.
John 19:5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate said unto them, Behold the man!
6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.
Here is the same strategy being employed again, as the judicial branch is sought out to prosecute and to stop the apostles from preaching.
The everlasting gospel has been mandated by God to be carried to the ends of the earth, but now, the legislative branch makes it a crime to preach truth, and thus, all who do so, could be legally branded as law breakers, and could be fined or imprisoned, and in some cases, even stoned. Let’s read:
Acts 4:1 And as they spoke unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council they conferred among themselves
16 Saying, what shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Here it is again as Paul is arrested for doing the right thing by preaching Christ. The law is again invoked against him, for, according to the legislative branch, he is found to be in violation. Thus, doing right has been designated a crime, and offenders would be liable to prosecution. Let’s read:
Acts 24: 5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
Acts 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, saying, the prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.
34 Then stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come to nought.
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and had beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
We would have been very delighted if the previous verses constituted the final episode, in the sequel, but lo and behold, in our day currently, we see the same strategy is being employed.
Remember that Isaiah warns of the tendency to put bitter for sweet, darkness for light, error for truth, and evil for good. Isaiah specifically refers to earth’s legislatures that trend in this direction.
So, let’s do a deep dive to see if what Isaiah is saying applies to us in the here and now, and if so, where it will lead us to. When legislative branches across the world legalize same-sex marriage, the law of God is inverted and perverted.
And just like in days of old, persons who differ could potentially face prosecution, where there is conflict of conviction and practice. This is what took place with the Kentucky clerk who chose not to issue any marriage licenses to gay couples.
Like Paul, she spent time in jail for doing so. Again, one’s conscientious objection to the inverted law of God is what took place with the baker in Colorado, who refused to bake the wedding cake for the gay couple. The Colorado state court found that the baker was in violation of the couple’s rights, and he could have been prosecuted, were it not for the intervention of the Supreme court.
In that instance they did well, but there’s a prospect before us, that with the interference of God’s law on marriage, more inversions of God’s law will follow in the not-too-distant future.
We are not here to pass judgement on any state, or legislative bodies. All we are doing is making factual observations that we are headed in the direction of ancient Babylon, by interfering with God’s law. Here it is again, that same habit of putting darkness for light, by legalizing wrong.
On July 15 the governor of California signed into law a statute that makes it illegal for schools to inform parents if their kids requested to be addressed by names or pronouns which are different to their birth gender. The law also makes null, and void existing parental notification policies, and in some instances enforces secrecy in some schools, requiring the school staff to withhold certain information from parents about their minor children.
This is what the prophet Isaiah predicts specifically as he paints a picture of the legislature gone wild, in our first passages, as legislative bodies lay the legal framework for evil to be installed as good, and vice versa. And this is what the prophet John predicts as a false system of worship will be established as the law of the land, and thus, dissenters will consequently be prosecuted. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
The Christian in our day who decides to follow that which is written in the Bible will begin to experience headwinds of no ordinary character. And let no one be deceived into thinking that it will stop at mere economic boycotts. It won’t, for it is predicted in the Scriptures to deteriorate into a full-blown life, and death matter.
Therefore, the you and me in the here and now will have to be prepared to face fines and prosecution as the heat of the furnace is turned up several notches. If God says it in His word, that should settle it in our minds permanently, and we must let the chips fall where they may. This will call for unswerving faithfulness, integrity, and most of all, a knowledge of the truth so that we would not be carried away by every philosophy and doctrine that is structured to stymie God’s revealed will.
God will grant us grace, and strength to meet every emerging threat to our God-given freedoms, but we must ask for the presence, and power of God’s Holy Spirit, for it’s not by human might and power, but by The Sprit of God alone, that present truths for this generation will be lived and preached. Therefore, we will end with a quote from the pen of inspiration that we’ll do well to ponder, because the time is now and the place is here. Let’s read:
[Signs of the times May 4 1882] The greatest want of this age is the want of men, men who will not be bought or sold; men who are true and honest in their inmost souls. Men who will not fear to call sin by its right name, and to condemn it, in themselves or in others; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right, though the heavens fall.
God Bless!