THE TWO GREAT CITIES OF SCRIPTURE This is a message preached at the monthly meeting of The Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony in London, January 1992. I believe God has an eternal purpose. Of course, such a doctrine is not new amongst those who support the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony. The Westminster Confession of Faith states in chapter 3, paragraph 1, "God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His Own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass." The decree of God embraces all things that shall ever come to pass. Nothing ever happens that is outside His decreed will. God has revealed to us in His Word those aspects of His eternal will that He would have us know. When we look at prophecy, let us see it as that which God has ordained to come to pass. It cannot be frustrated by men or by devils. In coming to God's Word, ought ever to bear in mind the absolute need we have of submitting to Scripture, and causing our conclusions ever to be in keeping with all of God's Word. We make fools of ourselves if we do not. Let us, by keeping to the principle of understanding God's Word by God's Word, thus avoid making fools of ourselves and bringing dishonour upon the Lord Jesus Christ. As I come to this subject of the two great cities of Scripture, I am convinced that these cities, Jerusalem and Babylon, figure largely in God's eternal decree and furthermore, that the history of these two cities demonstrates that. It is not my purpose to deal with the history of the cities, but rather, what God has to say concerning them in the future.