King for a Day

"And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all." Mark 10:44

Someone posted a comment the other day asking what was wrong with the coronation ceremony recently performed on Eddie Long at New Birth Church, which has become a viral video on the Internet.  The issue however has very little to do with Eddie Long (who is just one of many).  It is merely an example of the sideshows that go on in Babylon. 

One of the main attributes of Babylon is SELF.  It promotes self-seeking and is filled with those who are self-seekers.  And I am not talking about a "building", but the hidden man of the heart.   If we still desire to be the center of attention, to be exalted before men, to be lifted up by man's praises, to be "king" over others...then Babylon is still in our hearts.

The essence of understanding what is from Christ is not about the external things we see, but the motivations of our heart.  Those whom God has called to minister to His people will have a heart after God's, a heart of selflessness; which is love (Jeremiah 3:15, 23:4; John 21:15-17; I Corinthians 13:5; I Peter 5:1-3).

The following article is from Sleepers Awakened: Waking up The Fighting Men and addresses differences between Babylon and true Christianity.  I am hoping that it will shed some light for those who cannot see past the religious facade behind the spirit of these things going on in the churchworld.

Babylon the Mother of Harlots – Come out of Her!!!

Spiritual Babylon…what is it, who is it? Where did she come from? How do I know if I am in her and how do I come out from her?

She is the false/corrupt church spoke of in the last days, but she actually arose to prominence in the 4th century in Rome, which is why the traditional protestant interpretation of Revelations is that Babylon the Great, the mother of Harlots is the catholic church.

But most do not know that she is also referred to as a mother…who has offspring!!! So dear reader, you may be in a protestant church, evangelical, penticostal, charismatic, house church…doesn’t matter…Babylons daughters are everywhere! This is because it is a spiritual issue, that goes back to the beginning of mankind. And as a spiritual conditional, all men are prone to being lead astray. If by the grace of God you “wake up” and come out of her, you may still have the odious task of getting Babylon out of you, which may take years, but the detoxing will be worth it.

The Old Testament type for this is ancient Babylon. God allowed His people (Israel) to be exiled in Babylon because of their disobedience and hard-heartedness. However, this was only to be for a set time, 70 years. He then called them back out of Babylon so that they would rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. Most unfortunately remained in Babylon and only a remnant returned to Jerusalem.

Today the same thing is happening, God is calling His remnant out of spiritual Babylon, the corrupt church to return and be a part of the building of the True Church, Spiritual Jerusalem…”I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” (Rev 18:4)
I am but an infant in understanding these matters, so let me hand the mike over to a great teacher, Zac Poonen. The following is an excerpt taken from his book, “The Final Triumph: A verse by verse study of the book of Revelation”.

Grab a coffee, sit back and get ready to take the red pill…

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

V.1: And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.’

If a betrothed bride goes around with another man she could be called a harlot. The Bible says that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father cannot be in him. Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters”. You cannot have two husbands – and Jesus said that the two possible husbands were God and Mammon (material things) (Lk.16:13)!

And these two cannot mix, like oil and water. You have to keep them totally separate. Oil is necessary for running your vehicle. Water is good for drinking. But when you mix the two, you cannot drink it, and you cannot put it in your vehicle either. It becomes useless.

That is what happens when people try to mix God and Mammon. They end up in Babylon. We have to choose – either to serve God or to live for money. But when people use the Christian religion to make profit for themselves, they build Babylon. And Babylon today is a massive structure! When money given for Christian work is used unrighteously for oneself or wasted carelessly, when reports of Christian work are sent out in order to get money in the name of Christ, there we have the essence of Babylon.

Babylon is called a harlot because she claims to be engaged to Christ, but is actually married to money and the world. She wants greatness in the world as well as in heaven. Heathen people cannot belong to Babylon and become harlots, because they do not even claim to be engaged to Christ. They are married to Mammon and they are loyal to their husband!! Only those who claim to be Christians can make up Babylon.

V.2: (Babylon) with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.

This is the marriage of religion and politics. Political rulers and religious rulers work together, because both can benefit thereby. Both seek to rule over people – and working together achieves this end much better. Christian history reveals how much of this there has been in these 2000 years. When the Roman emperor Constantine, became a “Christian” around 300 A.D. he joined hands with “Christian” bishops and became the head of the church. That was the beginning of Babylonian Christianity. And it started in Rome!

Remember that John wrote Revelation at least 200 years before Constantine’s time. And he says in v. 9, “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.”
The harlot was going to have her headquarters in Rome – the city built on seven hills. Verse 18, “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” confirms that this is referring to Rome.

Through the centuries, Christian leaders have worked hand-in-glove with political leaders – mostly from Rome and the result has been spiritual harlotry and the corruption of Christianity. That is Babylon.
The influence of this corrupt Christianity has now spread all over the earth. Therefore the verse says “those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

V.3,4: And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality.

Babylon is the bride of the Antichrist. We shall see the bride of Christ later in Chap. 19. There is a striking contrast between the way the two are dressed. The bride of Christ is clothed in fine linen, bright and clean (19:8)- simple, clean and pure. But Babylon is clothed in gaudy, purple and scarlet colours, with gold, precious stones and pearls. We may say that since God looks at the heart and man looks at the outward appearance, God cannot be interested in what we wear. But our clothes are very often a revelation of the desire of our hearts – and that is what God sees. Babylon desires to deck herself with the glory of this world. The bride of Christ however clothes herself with “a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet.3:4).

The golden cup full of abominations that Babylon holds reminds us of Jesus words in Lk. 16:15, “That which men esteem highly is an abomination in the sight of God”. Everything that man values highly is detestable and an abomination in God’s eyes. Whatever we have that brings us the esteem of ungodly people in the world has no value before God. Our cleverness, educational qualifications, wealth, musical abilities, cultured ways, refinement, family-connections, worldly honour and position – all of these have no value at all in God’s eyes. The fact that people in the world speak highly of us also has no value in the eyes of God. Even the Nobel prize has no value in the eyes of God, for it is a worldly honour. Would you be thrilled if you got some worldly awards or honours like that? A church that places value on any of these things will certainly become Babylonian.

Babylon’s immorality is seen in the fact that she claims to be an ambassador of Christ and yet lives by the principles of the world and seeks to be great in the world. That is how her cup becomes full of abominations.
Here is a test. Ask yourself just one question: Can you honestly say that you do not care one bit for the approval and esteem of any human being – either of worldly people or of the leaders of your church?

V.5: and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH’.

Babylon is a mystery to many people, because she claims to follow Jesus. Thus she fools millions of her devotees across the world.

Babylon is called GREAT eleven times in Revelation. Notice the contrast with Jerusalem, the bride of Christ which is called “the HOLY city” (Rev.21:10).There we see the distinction between the harlot and the bride. The harlot is great whereas the bride is holy. Those who desire to be great in the world (even in the Christian world) will certainly become a part of Babylon. But if our pursuit is after holiness (Heb.12:14), then we shall be a part of Jerusalem. Babylon may be interested in evangelism and social work. But she has no interest in holiness. Her works are done to impress people in the world. There is a lot of Christian work like that.

Statistics are deceptive. The fire on the final day will not test size and greatness but quality (1 Cor.3:13). Anyone who covets a position of leadership in any Christian organization or church, instead of wanting to be a servant like Jesus was, is heading towards Babylon, if he hasn’t already become a part of it!

Babylon is called the mother of harlots, because there are many harlots, not just one. This religious Babylon began on a large scale when Christianity joined hands with the Roman empire in the early fourth century. But from that mother has come forth many denominational and independent churches through the centuries that have also ended up as harlots, and become just like the mother. So Babylon is called the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. Is it only in the larger mainline denominations of Christianity that the leaders seek greatness and worldly honour? No. There are just as many leaders in smaller independent churches who seek for it too! Religious harlotry is widespread in Christendom.

But our Lord is not like any of them. He came riding on a donkey. He did not come with gold and silver decorations on His body. How can this Lord be united to a bride that is decked in purple and scarlet with gold and silver and precious stones. The very concept is ridiculous!

V.6: And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.

Through the centuries, many so-called “Christians” of all groups have persecuted the true saints of God. Millions of true saints of God have been persecuted and killed by religious “Christians” of all denominations. Even today, many saints are being slain by their “fellow-Christians” – by their tongues and their writings – for preaching the whole counsel of God. Babylon and her daughters are indeed drunk with the blood of the true witnesses of Jesus.

But God has kept a record of everything and will repay everyone appropriately on the final day. No-one will escape, for God has promised to take vengeance and He always keeps His Word (Rom.12:19)

V.7,8: And the angel said to me, ‘Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast which you saw was and is not, and is about to come out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that has been, and is not, and will come.’

The beast came from the abyss. Human beings are not sent to the bottomless pit (abyss), when they die. If they are unconverted, they go to hell, as Jesus said in Lk. 16:23. The bottomless pit is where imprisoned demons dwell. So if someone comes out of the bottomless pit, it must be a demon. This will be an evil spirit who will control the Antichrist, just like there are evil spirits controlling world-rulers today. The phrase “He was and is not” could mean that the same demon was in the past in charge of one of the world’s great empires. That demon was in the bottomless pit in John’s time, but would be permitted by God to come out in the last days to control the Antichrist.

V.9-11: Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. And the beast which was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

In 96 AD, when Revelation was written, five world-kingdoms had fallen – Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. Rome still ruled. One was yet to come. We don’t know which the other one is. But it must be referring to some world superpower that existed during the past 1900 years. That empire would remain for a little while. In the last days, the Antichrist will arise. Finally he too will be destroyed.

V.12-14: And the horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. They have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.

Ten horns are ten nations. The “one hour” mentioned here is the hour of judgment when God is going to judge the world. The ten nations will give all their power and authority to the Antichrist.

We read in Dan. 7:24,25, “As for the ten horns…ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings”. The Antichrist will subdue three of the ten nations totally and rule the other seven.

The Antichrist will then wage war against the Lamb. It won’t be a long war. In just a few moments, the Lord will destroy the armies with the word of His mouth. His bride, the 144,000 – the called, chosen and faithful – will be with Him in this battle. Many are called, but few are chosen, and fewer still are faithful. Are we faithful? Our faithfulness is tested not in big things as much as in little things. Blessed are those who seek to be faithful to the smallest commandments of Jesus.

V.15-18: And he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 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. 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 should be fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.’

The harlot has spread her influence around the whole world. But finally the ten-nation kingdom will hate the harlot. The political powers will use the “Christian” religious system for its own ends. Once the rulers have accomplished their ends, they will have nothing more to do with Babylon.

During the elections for the U.S. President, some years ago, both candidates realised that there was a large chunk of the American population that claimed to be born again. So both candidates claimed to be born again Christians - because they could thus get the votes of the born-again people!!

In India, it has become a common practice now for “Christian” preachers to have non-Christian political leaders sitting with them on the platform and addressing the crowd. Thus the message of the gospel is totally compromised. One cannot imagine Jesus inviting Herod or Pilate to sit with him on a platform when He spoke to the multitudes. But today’s “Christian” preachers follow another Jesus. Yet multitudes of Christians are unable to see through this deception!

When the political powers have made use of Babylonian Christianity for their own ends, they will hate her and burn her up with fire. God will thus allow judgment to come upon false, apostate Christianity by the very same political powers they once held hands with.

In this chapter, we have seen the essence of false Christianity – it is religion, money-making and political power all mixed together.

From the beginning of the human race, we find two types of religions – one in Cain and the other in Abel. Cain was not an atheist, but a deeply religious man. He was no idolater. He believed in bringing offerings to the true God. He had a form of godliness. Abel also brought offerings to the same God. Whereas Abel came with the blood of a lamb, Cain brought vegetables from the ground. The Lord accepted Abel’s offering – perhaps by supernatural fire coming down from heaven and consuming it. When Cain saw that, he was jealous, for no such fire came down on his offering. And so he killed Abel. The first murder in the world was a religious murder – committed in jealousy. This was the beginning of what we read in Rev. 17:6, “The woman was drunk with the blood of the saints”. Cain was the first person to shed the blood of a saint. In Cain, we see the beginning of the Babylonian religion, just as in Abel we see the beginning of the true faith.

Then God wiped out all the descendants of Cain through a flood in Noah’s time, and started all over again. Noah was a descendant of Seth, not of Cain. There is no descendant of Cain in the world today. But a division soon came among the sons of Noah. He had a godly son called Shem, and an ungodly one called Ham. Ham was cursed, and Shem was blessed. Through Shem came Abraham, and the Jewish race and Christ.

Ham was cursed because he did not respect his father (Gen.9:22-27). It is interesting to see that the curse on Ham’s descendants came because he did not respect authority. Disrespect for Divinely-appointed authority is an essential part of Babylon. If children are not taught to respect their parents, they are being bred for Babylon. Ham had a son named Cush, who had a son named Nimrod who established the first kingdom of Babylon (Babel). (Gen.10:6-10). Then we read how they built the tower of Babel as an act of rebellion against God (Gen.11).

Secular history tells us that Nimrod was a great hunter who killed many wild beasts and thus became famous and a world-leader – a type of the Antichrist. Shem, the son of Noah, was prophesying in those days, as a servant of God. He is a type of the true church standing against the abominations of the Antichrist. Finally Nimrod was slain – possibly supernaturally by Shem. But by that time, Nimrod was almost worshipped by people. History tells us that Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis, sensing that she was now in danger of losing her power over the people, did something very clever. Being an immoral woman, she had a child through someone. When the child was born, she told people that it was Nimrod re-incarnated (come back to life again). Thus began the worship of the “mother and son”, which in later centuries, became the worship of “Mary and the infant Jesus”. There were images of “the mother and son”, around the world, hundreds of years before Christ was born. These were the images of Semiramis and her son.

The Israelites also were corrupted by this Babylonian religion. In Jeremiah’s time, we read that they used to burn sacrifices to “the queen of heaven” (Jer. 14:15-18). They were worshipping the queen of heaven 600 years before Mary was even born. In Ezekiel 8:14, we read of the Israelites weeping for the son, Tammuz – which was another name for Nimrod who was supposed to have been reincarnated as Semiramis’s son. (That was Satan’s counterfeit of the resurrection of Christ.) The “mother and child” were “Semiramis and Tammuz” in those days.

Secular history also tells us that the Babylonian religion included the worship of the sun. And so the idolaters used to eat a round wafer symbolising the sun. Around the heads of their Babylonian deities they would paint a picture of the sun – which we today call “a halo”. There would be halos behind Semiramis’s head and Tammuz’s head. It was this Babylonian idea that finally influenced the pictures drawn of Jesus and Mary with halos.

Idolatry leads to immorality too. History books record the immoral lives led by the heads of “Christian” denominations in the Middle Ages. But immorality is not restricted to the middle ages alone. Many “Christian” preachers and pastors in the recent past have also been found to be living immoral lives. The daughters also have the harlotry of the mother.

For a detailed, fully-documented study of this subject, you could read the book “THE TWO BABYLONS” by Alexander Hislop. There you will see how many rituals and customs that are practiced by many churches today actually began in the ancient Babylonian religion.
 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

V.1,2: After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.’

Whereas Chapter 17 showed Babylon as a religious system, Chapter 18 shows Babylon as a commercial system. The two are interlinked.

How did Babylon become the dwelling place of demons? How did these evil spirits get a foothold in it? Because purity and holiness were not emphasised. If a church emphasises greatness, honour and prosperity, unclean spirits will very soon build their nests in its midst. If on the other hand, holiness and purity are emphasised, the unclean spirits will be driven away in no time at all. But it is rare to find a church these days that emphasises holiness. If a church begins to emphasise it, they are soon accused of preaching perfectionism – and the leaders of the church soon back off in fear, and stop preaching it. On the other hand, some churches that began with an emphasis on true holiness, have today become full of legalistic Pharisees. And the unclean birds find a haven among them too! So we must watch both extremes of worldliness and legalism.

V.3: ‘For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her; and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.’

One example will be sufficient to show how worldly businessmen have become rich through Babylon. Think of the millions of rupees and dollars that are spent every year around the world, at Christmas-time, on cards and gifts – all in the name of Christ! Celebrating “the birthday of Christ” has become an opportunity for big business everywhere. Even so-called believers hob-nob with Santa Claus at Christmastime!! All this is Babylon, through and through. But what Christendom is actually celebrating on December 25 is the birthday of the sun god. The people of Europe worshipped the sun-god and celebrated his birthday (for many centuries before they converted to Christianity) on that date, because that was the date of the winter solstice, as per their calculations. (We now know that December 22 is the actual date when the sun moves northwards from the Tropic of Capricorn). The days started getting longer once again in the northern hemisphere after that date – and so that date was celebrated as the birthday of the sun-god. When those pagans changed their religion to “Christianity”, they just changed the name of their feast and called it “the birthday of their new god, Christ”!! That has now given businessmen all over the world an opportunity to rake in millions!

V.4,5: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues. For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’

What a grief it must be to God that some of His children too are caught up in this corrupt Babylonian system. So the voice from heaven calls saying, “Come out of her, My people”. Can you see the grief in the heart of God when He says: “You are My people. How can you stay in this corrupt system? Come out of her at once, so that you don’t take part in her sins. If you don’t, then you will also have to share in her punishment.”

The call to every believer is to come out of every system that has religion without purity, and where man’s traditions have replaced the Word of God.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

V.6,7: ‘Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.”’

Then the voice from heaven proclaims judgment.

Here in these verses we can see in a nutshell the essence of Babylon - “She glorified herself”. She sought the honour of men. This is what we need to beware of most of all. Anyone who seeks his own glory will soon become a part of the Babylonian system.

The bride of Christ glorifies Christ. She sings the new song: “Thou alone art worthy, O Lord! We are not worthy”. She does not seek or desire position, greatness, money or honour or anything in this world in the name of religion. She only wants to be a servant and to humble herself constantly.

But Babylon glorifies herself and lives sensuously and luxuriously in the name of Christ – using the money given for God’s work to live in luxury. Babylonian leaders justify their lifestyle saying, “We are serving God. The King’s sons deserve the best!!” Thus these wicked men live off the offerings of poor widows and poor people, without their conscience convicting them one bit. This is the abomination that is taking place everywhere in Christendom today. We read that God will give such people DOUBLE the punishment that He gives others. The one who knew his master’s will and disobeyed it will be beaten with more stripes (Lk.12:47).

Babylon sits as a queen and does not know what it is to mourn for her sins. She only knows how to have grand parties and picnics and to live in style, spending the Lord’s money in the name of Christ.

V.8-10: ‘For this reason, in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire, for the Lord God who judges her is strong. And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.”’

Babylon’s judgment is going to precede the battle of Armageddon. The rulers of the earth will then see her being judged.

V.11-13: ‘And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more; cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives.’

When God’s judgment falls on Babylon, the businessmen who made money in the name of religion, will weep and mourn – because their sales drop to zero.

Make sure that you don’t have the slightest interest in accumulating luxurious articles for the sake of vanity and honour. Slaves and human lives are mentioned at the end of the list – or “the bodies and souls of men”. When people get involved in the pursuit of unnecessary luxuries, finally their bodies and souls also get enslaved to Babylon.

V.14-20: ‘And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, “What city is like the great city?” And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!” Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.’

God finally brings judgment on a Christianity that lived only for this world and its greatness, honour and wealth.

What do we learn from these two chapters? Chapter 17 warns us to beware of a religion that seeks greatness instead of purity. And Chapter 18 warns us to beware of pursuing after luxurious living – especially if it is in the name of Christianity.

Christianity mixed with money has probably led more people away from God than perhaps anything else. Those who don’t give heed to this warning and who are not careful to avoid these matters will finally become a part of this commercial, religious “Christian” system called Babylon, that will finally be judged by God. The Word of God comes afresh to such people saying, “Come out of her, My people”. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

V.21 And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying ‘Thus will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will not be found any longer’.

In Chapter 2:20,21, we read of “Jezebel” the false prophetess. Some of the things said about her there are very similar to the things said about Babylon. She led God’s bond-servants astray so that they became immoral and idolatrous. God gave her time to repent, but she didn’t. Jezebel brought the spirit of Babylon into a Christian church and the elder of the church did not restrain her. In the Old Testament, Queen Jezebel was finally thrown down and killed (2 Kings 10:33). The same fate awaits Babylon.

The difference between Babylon and Jerusalem is one of repentance. The only way to avoid becoming a part of Babylon is by ensuring that there is a spirit of repentance in our lives constantly.

V.22: ‘And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer,; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer.’

Notice the mention of music here in Babylon. Music can be a good thing if it is kept under the control of the Holy Spirit. But in much of Christendom today, it is under the control of Satan. We even have “Christian rock-music” nowadays – “Christians” have started imitating Satan!! And believers sit back and accept all this as glorifying to God!!

In Gen.4:21, we read that it was the sons of Cain who first invented musical instruments – and they were invented after Cain was driven away by the Lord. Isn’t that significant? Music is not evil. It was created by God, not by Satan. But like many other things that God created, Satan has used music too to lead people to hell. Many young people have committed suicide after going to rock-concerts. Rock musicians have popularised drugs and Satan-worship around the world. And music is found in Babylon too. There is a spirit in all music, and we must discern whether we are worshipping God through music or worshipping the music itself! Many Christians don’t seem to be able to discern between the two.

V.23: ‘and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery’.

The businessmen in Babylon were the great men of the earth. Notice the emphasis again and again on “greatness” in Babylon. If we are the bride of Christ, our calling is to be like our Bridegroom – despised and rejected by men, and certainly not great in the eyes of men.

It says here, that all nations were deceived by her sorcery. The Amplified Bible says that the nations were deceived by “her magic spells”. It is amazing that the spirit of Babylon has deceived Christians in every nation – by teaching them that they can live for the world – for money, pleasure and honour – and still be pleasing to God and go to heaven when they die, just because they “believe in Jesus”. It is exactly as though a spell had been put on them to believe something so contrary to everything that Jesus and the apostles taught and that we read in the entire New Testament. This is the result of the magic spell that Babylon has put upon them, so that they cannot see! It is sorcery!! It is deception!!

Consider just one example: Jesus said, “You cannot love God and money. If you love the one, you will hate the other” (Lk.16:13). Yet there are multitudes of believers who think they can love both. They will discover in the final day, that Babylon had put a spell upon them – that they only imagined that they loved God, whereas they loved only money with all their hearts and actually hated God.

V.24: And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.

Many true servants of God have been slain by this Babylonian system. When a prophet denounces this Babylonian system, he won’t be popular with Christians who are a part of that system. He will be slain or persecuted in one way or the other. Babylon is guilty of the blood of many prophets who through the centuries have stood against her corruption, her immorality and her worldliness. The Lord has nothing to do with this system. So “COME OUT OF HER IMMEDIATELY”- before it is too late!

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