CITY OF THE LOST RIVER

MF Blume
Sunday, June 8, 1997 pm

Lamentations 1:1-2 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

Revelation 17:1-5 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

The book of Lamentations speaks about a CITY which lost all of its people. Such a great loss was comparable to a woman losing her husband. A widow.

The aspect of a great loss is what is connoted by the description of the city as a widow.
Revelation shows another city which exclaimed she was not a widow, and a city which glorified herself.
She uttered that she was a Queen.
Comparing this with Lamentations, we see that this City in Revelation truly suffered a great loss, but would not admit it
This City spiritually called Babylon uttered that she not only was anything but a widow but also that she was a Queen.
This indicates that her loss was her husband.
She lost her husband, but insisted she was not a widow in such a loss but rather a Queen.
Such a proud self-glorifying spirit in this entity called a city, while proclaiming she is a Queen, indicates that she sought to rule by herself without her "Husband"
She is called BABYLON the GREAT.

THIS PICTURE OF A CITY is a symbol of humanity who once, as the church now is, were espoused to Christ, but who lost that relationship with Him. Mankind lost something which mankind originally had with God.

I. GOD'S INITIAL PLAN

Genesis 2:15-17 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Let us note here that the same words used to describe Adam's role in the Garden - KEEP THE GARDEN - are used to describe our role as believers.
Instead of a Garden, we are told to KEEP OUR HEARTS.
THIS is what the Garden symbolized.
The human heart or spirit of mankind united with the Spirit of God.

1Corinthians 6:16-17 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

God compares His intended relationship with the human spirit as the relationship of a man and woman in the flesh. Mankind was meant to unite with God in the sanctuary of the Garden. But things did not go that way.

God placed mankind in the Garden

God instructed Adam to eat of the fruit of Life.
if you eat of these fruit, you will live forever!
Eternal Life was an everlasting union of God with mankind, and this is what was originally intended.
But another Tree stood in the Garden vying for man's attention, also.
Like a competitor, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil let out its appeal to mankind.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This story is a parallel of something Paul the Apostle was conveying in his epistle to the Corinthians.

1Corinthians 12:31-2 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Paul was urging believers to watch out for the same tactic used by Satan in the Garden.
Spend not your time in the miraculous - concentrate on the tree of LIFE - LOVE.
We have TWO TREES to pick from in this garden.
Adam was told to KEEP THE GARDEN.
The men who confronted Jesus at the door of the Kingdom depended upon their operation of the gifts of the Spirit to take them into the Kingdom.
Jesus was not looking for such.
The gifts of the Spirit accomplished towards others are the most extreme example of good deeds done for man, but good deeds will not buy our way to glory.
The tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is indeed a tree of the Knowledge of GOOD.
Not just EVIL.
These "Lord" criers had unintentionally looked to the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil rather than the Tree of LIFE.
They had many good deeds, but were nothing.
A stress on good deeds without a relationship with Christ is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus did not KNOW them.
If KNOWING these people would mean their entrance into the Eternal Kingdom, then the Tree of Eternal Life involves this LOVE for God.

This passage in 1 Corinthians is given AFTER Paul lists the gifts of the Spirit in Chapter Twelve.

The gifts of tongues, prophecy, knowledge, wisdom and faith from Chapter 12 are all listed in the first few verses of Chapter 13, and are said to do nothing for our relationship with Christ if we possess them without love.
The people at Jesus' coming list all the miracles they did and all the wonderful works in Jesus' name.
Jesus said, I never knew you.
they had the gifts, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12, but they lacked the love of God.
Paul said we are NOTHING if we have all gifts and no love.
These people had all gifts of Spirit, miracles and such, but they did not KNOW JESUS.

1Corinthians 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Though they had all gifts, coming behind in NONE, they did not realize they were nothing.
They were waiting for the coming of Jesus.
But the coming of Jesus would disappoint them, for Jesus will say, "I never knew you."
They had been to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
All they had was knowledge of good and evil.
The thoughts of doing good without the thoughts of Knowing Jesus.

1Corinthians 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

They had all knowledge, but Paul later said...

1Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Having all knowledge was not good enough.
God's love was not in them.

1Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

These people did many good things, but that is from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
They KNEW what to do in the way of good things.
But you can do a good thing without God's love.
Anybody can show you good versus evil, but loving God and doing His WILL gives eternal LIFE.

What is more GOOD than seeing God do a miracle for a person?
People are in need of money and food, and to give them such things is good, but to give a person a miracle from GOD is even greater good.
But this is not what saves us.
KNOWING JESUS SAVES US.
LIFE.
These miracles workers did not have eternal life since they were not able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
To do God's will is to LIVE IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
Operate the gifts, but do them in LOVE.
That makes the difference.
Nobody can get eternal life unless they are filled with God's love.
The tree of life is linked with the love of God.
Gifts of God cannot save us, for they are only temporary.

1Corinthians 13:8-11 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Prophecies will end one day.
When?
When we, like the people Jesus rejected in Matthew 7, confront the door to the Kingdom after this "stage-setting" is over.
The gifts of the Spirit these people had will not save them because past this point of time is nothing that will require gifts.
No healings will be needed in eternity.
If our salvation is based upon being able to pray for miracles, we will never make heaven because miracles stop at the door to heaven.
Three things will take us past that door.
FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY - and the greatest is CHARITY.
Faith, hope and charity remain after this life is over.

II. THE RELATIONSHIP ILLUSTRATION

Genesis2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

In that Garden was the tree of life and A RIVER OF LIFE flowed or issued out from it.
WE MUST KEEP OUR HEARTS, FOR OUT OF THEM ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE.
The river of Life.
We see a main reason Adam was put in the Garden was to protect it due to the fact that the River of Life flowed from Eden into it to go to all the world.
Our hearts must be kept, for the River of Life flows through the Believer's heart to the world.
Our hearts can be set upon two things.

Eat the fruit of life - LOVE - INWARD THING.
Or eat the knowledge of good and evil - OUTWARD THING.

The garden of Eden is like God's HEART and MAN'S HEART UNITED.
God and Adam walked together.
To remain in that union would be to maintain the flow of the River.
Adam was to go to the tree of life and refrain from the knowledge of good and evil.
He had to forget about being GOOD without the life.
This world wants to be good but they do not want God's life.
The river of life will flow from a heart that stays united to God.

Genesis2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

This River is all important even today!
We are not to put good and evil foremost in our minds.
We can think we are God and think to do good to people, and tell them what and what not is good, and FORGET GOD IS GOD, and look to His life FIRST, and THEN do good.
A serpent crept in and ever so slyly made eve forget about God and think about good.
GOOD WITHOUT GOD WILL CAUSE US TO DRY UP.

1Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

A pure heart is one not contaminated.
We can only see the River of Life flow - God's Love - if we have a pure heart which has been kept as Adam was to keep the Garden.
As Adam failed, we, too, can fail.
The RIVER OF LIFE and the TREE OF LIFE are linked.
If we devour the fruit of LIFE, and remain filled with God's LIFE in knowing Him, we will see that the RIVER OF LIFE continues to flow through our "Gardens" uninhibited.
Law (Knowledge of good and evil) was judgmental.
Unfeigned love is doing good for people - gifts - with real love.
And unfeigned love can only be accomplished THROUGH THE SPIRIT.
The RIVER of LIFE must flow.
Our duty is to PROTECT our hearts so that nothing creeps in and defiles our intentions with another desire for SELF.
When WE do the good without a relationship with God, the RIVER FLOW STOPS.

Feigned love is doing good without charity in the heart and without the RIVER.
LAW is knowledge of good and evil without God's love.
LAW CONDEMNS.
Law sentences.
CHRISTIANS CAN DWELL IN LAW - FIGHTING PREVAILS - JEALOUSIES RULE - DIVISIONS - CARNALITY - as in the case of the Corinthians.

1John 3:15-16 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

ETERNAL LOVE IS NOT IN ONE WHO HATES HIS BROTHER.
THEY MAY HAVE MANY GOOD DEEDS, BUT THEY ARE DRY.
THEY MAY HAVE MIRACLES, LIKE CORINTHIANS, BUT NO LOVE.
"NOT MY WILL BE DONE, BUT THY WILL".
LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
WHEN JESUS PRAYED THIS, HE WAS THINKING ABOUT DYING FOR THE WORLD.
TO DO GOD'S WILL WAS TO LOVE THE WORLD.
LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS.
SO, DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS LOVING THE WORLD.
LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE.
TO BE ANGRY AND HATE SOMEONE FOR WHAT THEY DID IS NOT LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE.
DOING GOOD DEEDS WITH NO LOVE IS A GARDEN WITH NO RIVER.
IT DRIES UP.
BUT DOING GOD'S WILL IS A RIVER OF LIFE.
GOD'S LOVE IS :--" GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE..."
THIS LOVE IN US WILL DO THE SAME....
BLOOD POURED FROM HIS PORES AS HE PRAYED THIS - A RIVER OF LIFE.
Blood is the life of the flesh. And a river of LIFE poured from Jesus.
WATER AND BLOOD CAME FROM HIS SIDE on the cross - A RIVER OF LIFE.
BLOOD IS LIFE OF THE FLESH, AND WATER WITH BLOOD IN IT IS LIVING WATER.
A HEART UNITED TO GOD IS A GARDEN OF EDEN.
JESUS IS IN THE GARDEN, and we need to join Him there.

1John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

JOHN WAS APOSTLE OF LOVE.
AND HE SPOKE ABOUT JESUS IN LIGHT AS IN THE GARDEN.
ONLY THOSE WHO GO TO LIFE/LOVE WILL STAY IN GARDEN.
WATCH WHAT JESUS DID AND DO THE SAME IF YOU WANT HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM.
HE LOVED OTHERS, GAVE HIMSELF, LAID DOWN HIS LIFE.
EVE WAS DIRECTED TO HERSELF BY THE SERPENT.
SHE WOULD BE CAST OUT IF SHE LOST THAT LIFE.

Genesis3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food FOR HER, and that it was pleasant to the eyes OF HERSELF, and a tree to be desired to make one wise MAKE HERSELF WISE, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Tree of law.
Judgmental.
Condemn others and look down at them due to what they are not doing.
Law condemns.
THEY HAVE love for the truth, but no love for brethren.

Jeremiah 2:11-13 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Israel forsook God, THE RIVER, just as Adam and Eve forsook God for self-advancement in the self-production of good as inspired by the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
To dwell upon good and evil alone without God first, is a sly trick of the enemy.
It isolates us from God, and though it APPEARS good, death is what results for one has abandoned LIFE.
Those who dwell on God in love are filled with a SOURCE of LIFE.
A RIVER flows from them - LOVE.

Contrast dry Babylon in the wilderness with the following:

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 22:1-3 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

When throne of God is in your life, MORE THAN GOOD DEEDS, a river flows out.
But doing good deeds without love of God is a dry desert.
We will still do good deeds if we LOVE God and go to the Tree of Life, for the healing of the nations is in her leaves.
But to remain in good deeds alone with the knowledge of GOOD and evil leaves us dead, for we abandoned the FIRST priority - SEEK FIRST GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, not our own (Matthew 6:33).
The harlot is a woman.

Revelation 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

As Jerusalem is a CITY, so is Babylon.
Not a literal City, but what a city to God represents.
Something initially intended to bear His name.
A large group of PEOPLE united towards GOD.

Revelation 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Lamentations 1:1 How doth the city sit solitary, SHE IS NOT A WIFE BUT A WIDOW that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

"TRIBUTARY" -means OF TRIBUTE, ENFORCED PAYMENT, FORCED SERVICE.
It indicates that the woman lost her means of support when she lost her husband.
LOST SOMETHING THAT CAME WITHOUT LABOUR.
She lost all, like a woman loses her husband.
LOST THE RIVER.
A widow was compared to one who lost something.
She says she lost nothing.
Said she is no widow.
She is like a widow - she lost God.
She glorified herself and lost God.
She says she is a well, but she is a cistern.
A cistern looks like a well, but you must put the water in yourself and hold it there.
There is no source to bring it out.
It requires water from outside itself.
Babylon was in the wilderness - Babylon required water from outside itself to be carried in.
Broken cistern - saints who get filled up and leak it all out.
No real love of God.
The river of life flows only from the garden. And the only ones in there are people who are eating fruit of life - GOD'S LOVE.
Do you have a source?

To forsake the Holy Ghost is to resort to human works of goodness to carry on an APPEARANCE of godliness.

John 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

God does want a CITY.
Abraham indeed did look for a CITY, but its maker was GOD, not mankind.
When Adam was placed in the Garden, he was intended to remain there and have his children grow up in there.
It would eventually grow into a large CITY
In Revelation 22 we see THIS CITY.
All will return to as God originally planned.
But until then, it is being RESTORED NOW.
God's people are a CITY.

Hebrews 12:22-23 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

When Adam was thrust out of the Garden, his children were born outside the Garden.
Cain was eventually cast away and built a City.
Mankind built his own city.
Mankind was the maker and Builder of this city.
When Nimrod first built Babel (Babylon) the people cried a self-glorifying cry.

Genesis11:1-4 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Nebuchadnezzar boasted over the City he built.

Daniel 4:30-31 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

Babylon the Great is proud of herself.
She is a Garden without a River.
A City without a River.
A Church without the Holy Ghost.
A tree without fruit of Life.
City of the Lost River.
God is trying to tell us to remain united to Him and ever desire to KNOW HIM above all things, even above doing good in this world.
Babylon is a City whose maker is mankind, and she has no river, and has no fountain, but is a cistern.
God is not concerned about your religious affiliation if you are not affiliated with Him in the Spirit.
Denominationalism can replace spirituality.
It is not good enough to do good.
religion abounds in our world, but in the last days (the days of the entire CHURCH age) a dangerous counterfeit must be recognized and avoided.

2Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come

2Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The power is the RIVER.
The Holy Spirit.
Babylon APPEARS with the FORM of a City of God, with all its good deeds.
But she attempts to rule as a Queen without her King, Jesus.
She abandoned God as Adam abandoned God.
She is the City of the Lost River.