There are just two general classes of professors of Christianity. One class is small in number, WALKING IN ALL THE LIGHT THEY HAVE, AND READY FOR MORE LIGHT WHEN IT COMES. The other class is large in number, many of whom never had the “born again” experience; others had it, but lost it because they refused to walk in the light they had. The large number of the “fearful” that turned back never had anything to lose, but those that did have salvation, lost it WHEN THEY TURNED BACK. Those that fail in the test will fail in the judgment. The FEW that stand true are, symbolically, said to be in the “Camp of the saints.” Not many Will qualify for a soldier in this great battle of Armageddon. The Babylonian forces to face are overwhelming in number. Gideon’s 300 men defeated the 135,000 Midianites.
With many the price is too great to pay. They have relatives, friends, and boosters in Babylon with whom they will not break. Many leaders, whom John the Revelator calls “kings and captains,” who hold offices and places of honor and salaries in Babylon, will not give them up. They teach deceit and many of the lower rank “would have it so.” The outcome of this battle is determined by the quality and not the quantiy of men.
This gospel differentiating between THE DIVINE CHURCH OF GOD and Babylon must be preached to all the world. Those who profess Christ will be forced to take their stand on one side or the other. If they go against light, they will backslide—if they had anything to backslide from. At the present time there are not many saved people left in Babylon.
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” Revelation 18:3-4. Dear saint, who wants to stay with this kind of people? “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Verse 4. That other voice is the Holy Spirit speaking. He will speak to SAINTS and SAINTS can understand His message. When the Word is preached and He says come out, and then you refuse, you cease to be SAINTS. To fail to obey this voice of the Holy Spirit means to cease to be a child of God. Many refuse to obey God and are zealous promoters of Babylon. Kings and captains spend much time in making up programs, organizing forces, raising budgets, and sending their own type of missionaries WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF GOD UPON THEM. They “know not that they are wretched, miserable, naked, blind, and destitute.” Revelation 3:17.
In Revelation 18:5 we are told the reasons why we should come out of Babylon: “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” In the “dark and cloudy day” God is remembering her sins and dealing out His judgments against them. “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled fill unto her double.” Verse 6. In the sixth seal God gave Babylon her FIRST cup of his judgments, and a tenth of the city fell. In the sounding of the seventh trumpet she is getting her second cup, and Babylon goes down to rise no more.
Now let us read the rest of this 18th chapter.
This seventh verse tells us how the people in Babylon praise, esteem, and honor this harlot woman as a queen. They say she is no widow. She claims Christ as her living husband. She did not realize that the judgments or plagues of God would bring sorrow to her people. Verse 8, “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”
We are told that the judgments of God against Babylon would come in a day. This is symbolic language, and the DAY covers the “Evening light” period of 100 years, through which God is burning Babylon with His judgment fires of truth. Those who desire to stay in Babylon after they hear God’s message of truth will die spiritually. There will be a famine and people will mourn about it. Those who have made merchandise of their religion certainly will not want to see it destroyed. They will flee from the judgment fire of truth that destroys them, “When they shall see the smoke of their burning, standing afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgments come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.” (Revelation 18:10-11).
According to this scripture, the hour is coming when the judgments sent on Babylon will be so horrible that no man will want to buy their cheap, shoddy religion.
According to the 11th chapter of Daniel, in the last days “The King of the south,” which is the power of Babylon the Great, “shall be strong, and one of his princes; . . And in the end of years they shall join themselves together (Council of Churches); for the king’s daughter (Protestantism) of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.” Daniel 11:5-6.
In this scripture the king of the south is used to rep-resent all beast religions. They have become strong and are joining themselves together in the Council of Churches. The harlot daughters of Babylon the Great are making a league with the cold, icy, atheistic, Communistic powers of the north, filling their schools, seminaries ,and literature with faith-killing doctrines and theories. And through this, she is losing the power of her arm. Those signs that Jesus said would follow them that believe have disappeared.
By reading the rest of the 11th and 12th chapters of Daniel, you will see there is a battle being fought between the king of the south and the king of the north. The world is divided into two great forces today. One is trying to annihilate all religions; the other is trying to sustain all religions. These two forces meet face to face around the table of the United Nations “And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper, for yet the end shall be at the appointed time.” Daniel 11:27. From now on to the end of time these two powers or kings shall be in battle against each other. The king of the south gathers her princes into Egypt’s bondage to her gods of religions, while the king of the north gathers his forces to destroy and bring a complete annihilation of all religions.
The battle is raging with each side surging for victory. In Daniel 11:9-11, we read that the king of the south, which is Babylon the Great, sets forth a great multitude, only for them to be given into the hands of the king of the north. In verse 12, we see how the king of the north is lifted up by his victory and casts down many ten thousands. In verse 13 we see how in a few years the king of the north comes with greater multitudes and carries away great riches. Verse 15, “So the king of the north shall come and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the armies of the south shall not withstand.” Verse 16, “But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he (king of the north) shall stand in the glorious land, (the true people of God) which by his hand shall be consumed.” Verse 17, “He shall set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him: thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughters of women, (Babylon) corrupting her, but she shall not stand on his side.” Verse 18, “After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince (Jesus) for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him (King of the north) to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.” Verse 19, “Then he (king of the north) shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: and he shall stumble and fall and not be found.”
We see according to the above scriptures that the king of the north is, as he nears the end of time, making an all-out move to destroy all religions, even to destroy the true people of God. Jesus referred to this great tribulation in Matthew 24:21-22, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” He surely means that unless God shortens the days of the great slaughter, there will be no Christians left in the flesh when Jesus comes at the end. He declares that for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. At this time the king of the north will think he is winning a great victory, “but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.” It will certainly be no reproach to Jesus Christ to stop this great battle and slaughter at his second coming.
I do not have space for all of this from the book of Daniel, but the rest which I did not read will harmonize with the thoughts I have given. You may study it for yourself. To show you that the devil will not be satisfied to stop with the destruction of the forces of the king of the south, which is Babylon, let us read Daniel 11:45, “And he (king of the north) shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” This once more brings us to the end of time.
Daniel 12:1 once more tells us of the conditions at the end of time. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince (Jesus), which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel uses the same words as Jesus when he says such a time of trouble “never was.” This brings us to the end of time, for the next verse says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake . . .”
I am giving you the sketches of the battle between the king of the north, perhaps Communism and its satellite forces, and the king of the south, which is “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” The final outcome is that Babylon the Great, king of the south, goes down to rise no more at all. The devil is the author of Babylon for the purpose of deceiving people, but now is ready to destroy his own work in order to destroy all religions. This is nothing new, for in many places in the Old Bible God permits the devil and his forces to bring judgments on Israel because of her sins.
Some may say that this kind of an ending seems to be victory for the devil, when God must shorten time in order to have any saints left on the earth when Jesus comes. The gospel will have been preached to all the world. Multitudes, multitudes will have been in the valley of decision. Babylon will have been judged and is fallen, and is without scriptural foundation. All those that want to obey God’s call will have come out. God lets the devil strike the final blow at his own work. Then the devil turns on God’s elect. He brings a halt to it all, with the greatest victory that ever came. The greatest battle will bring the greatest victory. There never has been a greater victory than will be at the second coming of Christ, when all the teeming millions that sleep in the dust shall rise in immortality. If that is the greatest tribulation that ever has been, then the saints will SHINE the brightest of all ages, with the greatest victory.
Now let us do a little summing up: the king of the south is Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, the eighth beast. She is operated and run by three unclean spirits like frogs. “And is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” The king of the north represents the spirit of the devil working with his cold, icy hand to destroy all religions, even the “holy people.” All of these Satantic powers are in opposition to the truth of God’s Word. They are surrounding the camp of the saints in the great battle of ARMAGEDDON.
We are told in Revelation 18:8, in speaking of Babylon, that “her plagues shall come in one day,” meaning 100 years of “evening light” pouring out the judgments of God against her. The angel that sounded this trumpet said, “Babylon is FALLEN”—SPIRITUALLY, SHE HAS LOST EVERYTHING. But she is still here in existence carrying on in a fallen condition spiritually. In verse 9 we read, “For in one hour is thy judgment come.” This hour shows her final destruction. Verse 17, “For in one hour is so great riches come to naught.” This one hour brings the complete annihilation of BABYLON THE GREAT through the forces of the king of the north. The sounding of the seventh trumpet (God’s message of truth) brings her spiritual fall and the opposing dragon powers of the king of the north brings her physical and final destruction in a short period of time called “an hour.” This hour of great tribulation is about seven years and Jesus said for the “elects’ “ sake it shall be shortened. This tells us that this great tribulation will not last a full hour but will be cut short for the elects’ sake.
The sounding of the seventh trumpet and the opening of the seventh seal cover the same period of time, for it is the sounding of the trumpet that opens the mysteries of the seal. “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven (the church) about the space of an half hour.” Revelation 8:1. As long as the trumpet was sounding, there would not be silence. When the trumpet, God’s message of truth, stops sounding, THAT BRINGS SILENCE in heaven, the church. The king of the north will have not only succeeded in destroying Babylon, but also “planted his tabernacle in the glory land,” the true church. When the king of the north, which is the dragon powers, gets the throttle of the world in his hands, all religion stops, including the true religion. This brings silence in heaven, the church. John, the Revelator, says this silence is for “about an half hour” This corresponds with the shortening of time for the elects’ sake.
Bear this in mind that the true saints of God will not stop their worship and service to God. They will not hesitate to break the commandments of the king of the north. This will bring persecution and slaughter, which will call for a shortening of time for the elects’ sake. But the gospel to the unsaved world will practically cease. In Matthew 24:20 Jesus says, “Pray that your flight (out of Babylon) be not in the winter time.” This period of about an half hour of silence is winter time brought about by the king of the north. Those that hear that other voice saying, “Come out of her, my people,” had better heed before winter time comes. When persecution becomes so strong that such a time never has been, it will be a difficult time to obey the voice of the Lord and come out of Babylon.
Babylon is carrying on in a great way and will continue in the sale of her merchandise of false religions through the entire age of the seventh seal. The seventh trumpet message of truth is dealing out the judgments of God, burning her with Holy Spirit fire, yet she is going on with her work of abomination, selling her merchandise in a greater way than ever before. The Council of Churches is reaching many nations today and gathering multitudes into its abominable deceptions. In the realm of BABYLON THE GREAT we still hear occasionally the voice of the Bridegroom. There are some that still preach some of the Bible. We can still hear this voice occasionally in some of the so-called holiness movements. We still hear occasionally the voice of a saint over in Babylon who has not found his way out, but the time is coming. when people will no longer buy their religious wares that do not satisfy the soul. “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.” Revelation 18:11. The next few verses tell us what has happened to Babylon the Great and when it came.
“The merchandise of gold, and of silver, and of precious stones, and of pearl, and of fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyme wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, AND THOU SHALT FIND THEM NO MORE AT ALL.” Revelation 18:12-14. After the above mentioned things are all departed from Babylon, it seems certain that no one will want to buy what is left. Let us read verse 15. “The merchants of THESE THINGS (above mentioned), which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the FEAR OF HER TORMENT, weeping and wailing. And saying, Alas, alas, that great city (Babylon), that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!” Verse 17, “FOR IN ONE HOUR so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off.” This verse 17 tells us when this will all take place. Remember we are dealing with symbols, and the Holy Spirit must help us to interpret their meaning. This is that short period of time when the king of the north sets his hand to make the final destruction of the king of the south with all religions. People of Babylon will have to recant, give up their religions or march to the concentration camp or before the firing squad. Men will not give their head for a religion that does not go beneath the collar bone. This will test the consecration of the most consecrated. Perhaps some of the saints will undertake to save their lives and lose them. Some are looking for a great revival. How do we know but what this will bring it. It is said that the morning church THRIVED ON THE BLOOD OF ITS MARTYRS. I am persuaded that when this time comes we will see the power of God manifested in a wonderful way, and signs and wonders wrought as we have not seen them. This will win people to God who can’t be reached any other way. Only the true saints of God will stand for truth in the face of death.
At this time the true people of God will all have had the truth preached to them and will have seen the wickedness of Babylon—that she is the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every hateful and unclean bird, and will flee to Mt. Sion, into the camp of the saints. The coveteous, crafty kings and captains of Babylon will cry and bewail themselves when they see their merchandise of churchanity being destroyed. “Saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in ONE HOUR is she made desolate.” Revelation 18:19.
Those who love Babylon will cry and lament over her destruction, but those that have obeyed God’s command to “Come out of her, MY people,” are commanded to “rejoice.” Those who love Babylon can’t do this. People cannot rejoice over the destruction of a thing that they love. “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged (past tense) you on her.” It has already been accomplished spiritually. Babylon has been guilty of spiritual and literal martyrdom of thousands of God’s people in the past. She is a harlot and a murderer. “And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and of the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Revelation 17:6. “And the woman that thou sawest is the great city (Babylon) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:18. IF BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, is this kind of character, we should rejoice at her execution under the ‘righteous judgments of God. “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” If God’s righteous judgment calls f or her ‘ destruction, we should rejoice when it is done. The saints love the souls of men, even though they are down in Babylon. They want to see them blessed of God—that is, why they are making that clarion cry, “BABYLON IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN” and “COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE.”
Let us turn to Revelation 18:21 and read some more about this final destruction of Babylon., . “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” This scripture tells us the manner of the destruction of Babylon. The violent hand of the king of the north, that old atheistic, communistic spirit of the dragon, will complete her destruction, then Michael, the great prince, will cut the time short, and deliver His people by bringing an end to it all.
Let us notice some more of what John says about this shortened hour of destruction. “And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee: and no craftsman of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her (Babylon) was found the blood of prophets, and of saintS, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (Revelation 18:22-24.)
These scriptures are just re-affirming to us the stopping of the preaching of the gospel during this period of “about half an hour” of silence. The voice of harpers, musicians, pipers and trumpeters have reference to kings and captains selling their religious wares of merchandise. The voice of the bridegroom will not be heard. This means there will be no gospel preached any more at all in Babylon. There will be no saved people letting their light shine in Babylon, for she has gone down to rise NO MORE. And once more we have the charges laid to her account: “For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”
Surely there has been enough said that people of average intelligence can see what BABYLON is. We have proven it by the Bible, history and present day happenings. Dear reader, you may not understand it all, but you have gotten points of truth that lay a responsibility on you, and YOU MUST MAKE A DECISION. You must accept it or reject it. With many, their treasure in Babylon is their God. They love its association and merchandise and its wealth which are perishable. Babylon offers much to the satisfying of the flesh and little to satisfying of the soul. It robs God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of their rightful place in our worship service. Well, these things have all been made plain.
Light is come. God’s will is made clear. That “other voice” has said, “Come out of her, my people.” The devil comes at this point of time, and lays before us his last trap in the form of a “delusion.” Perhaps he may first show you some magnified values of Babylon and tell you that “You just can’t afford to give them up.” He will tell you that you can preach some truth and yet stay in Babylon and that will be sufficient. He will tell you just to not preach that truth that exposes Babylon and her deceptions and sins, because that will cause her “kings and captains” to kick you out and you will become an outcast. His argument is to get you to believe that you can get by without OBEYING ALL THE TRUTH OF GOD. Through his magnified flatteries he will cause you to love some things in Babylon more than you love God’s truth. In this way he pulls the trigger of his trap and you become one of those people spoken of in 2nd Thessalonians 2:10-12. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED NOT THE LOVE FOR THE TRUTH, that they might be saved. AND FOR THIS CAUSE GOD shall send them strong delusion, that they might all be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The above described people are not a FEW in number, but many. Many are honest enough to acknowledge the thing they are associated with is not right, yet that love for something it has, keeps them tied and bound in its bondage. Some ministers preach a clean life and holy living but will not preach against the ecclesiastical hierarchy ruling the movement, feeding themselves and not the flock. , It takes courage to tell people that they are in Babylon, and GOD SAID to “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,” and to “Come out of her, my people.” This means a break with the old group. Many preachers can boldly say, “Thou shalt not steal,” but are void of that LOVE FOR TRUTH and are fearful to CRY OUT against the sins of THEIR OWN PEOPLE. The position many take is plain and simple: they LOVE THE UNSCRIPTURAL PRACTICES IN THEIR MOVEMENT MORE THAN THEY LOVE THE WORD OF GOD THAT SAYS, “COME OUT OF IT.” God did not say to REFORM BABYLON and WORK HER OVER, AND I’LL ACCEPT HER. I have heard this expression by many: “If we will stay in there (Babylon), we can reform it.” This is not God’s way. Even a reformed BABYLON will always be a HARLOT. “Let him that is in the field not turn back to get anything out of his house.” Matthew 24:17. Some say that they are working in Babylon, going along trying to get some good to them. In order to do this, you will have to preach a weak, diluted message, condone sin, and support deception with your TIME AND MONEY. Why waste our TIME AND MONEY BUYING RECOGNITION IN BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS?
Some have said, “If we do not support missionaries, how can the world be saved?” Friend, remember this, Babylon cannot save the world with its diluted and weakened message She sends her OWN kind of missionaries, who preach her OWN doctrines, bringing her adherents into bondage to her own ecclesiastical hierarchy BABYLON does not have the message that it takes to save the world. IT TAKES A FULL MESSAGE TO BRING FULL SALVATION. God’s way is, COME OUT OF BABYLONIAN BONDAGE AND BE FREE, AND TAKE THE WHOLE TRUTH TO THE WHOLE WORLD. God has said in plain language that “BABYLON IS FALLEN,” yet many support her budgets regularly. Her kings and captains are still wanting to accumulate riches. Why support and stay in a thing that is FALLEN? That is foolish and extremely unwise, but the devil says to do it, because there is good there yet. Anyone who has any intelligence at all would leave a building that was falling down. Yet the devil has many under his FREE-LOVE delusion, so blinded that they cannot see their BABYLONIAN structure is “FALLEN.” This is spiritual FREE-LOVE. No man wants his bride to place her affections on some one else. Neither does Jesus want His bride, the church, to ‘place her love and affections on any movement in Babylon. Instead He wants them to RETAIN A LOVE for Him and His truth.
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The devil calms some people’s spiritual nerves by telling them to be calm, and don’t say anything bad about the religion of others. If they are religious, just love them and call them brother; tell them to be faithful in whatever they believe. Jesus did not do this. He called black, black and white, white. He said, “Woe unto you, Pharisees, hypocrites,” while many today would say, “God bless you, BROTHER, just keep on professing.” Jesus had the kind of LOVE we should have. The FREE-LOVER will love anything that comes along. The kind of love God gives, causes us to LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS, and hate SIN and deception like God hates it. If we love our neighbor as ourselves we will want him to have the same kind of love we have, and will WARN HIM against a substitute suggested by the devil. If we have the pure love of God in our hearts, we will not be glad that people are in sin and deception, but we will love to tell its follies and the BETTER WAY. God’s love makes us LOVE AND ENJOY PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO ALL OF THE WORLD. We will never win people to the truth by COMPROMISING AND SUPPORTING THEIR DECEPTIONS.
When I was a small boy I got saved. They told me that I should join the church. I did what they told me to do, not knowing the Bible was against such things. I went to reading my Bible in search of truth. I soon saw that their doctrines were twisted and warped. They told me that I could not lose it. If I lost it, I never had it, and if I kept it, I could not live it. I was just a small school boy, but I knew this was not right. I was bold in telling my convictions. They said they did not want any boy in their church that believed in holiness, and turned me out. They said that they sinned every day. After I was out, and began to look the thing over, I decided they had told the truth. Well, thank God, I soon found the glorious Church of God. I saw a church divine in its origin, organization and operation, one whose articles of faith, by-laws, and code of operation is the WORD OF GOD. I saw a church divinely organized, equipped with the gifts of the Spirit, with authority and power to carry out the GREAT COMMISSION. “And God set the members in the body (the church) as it pleased him.” 1st Corinthians 12:18. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; THAT IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE.” Colossians 1:18. These scriptures tell us the BODY is the CHURCH, and Christ is the HEAD of the body. The head should rule the body, and not some organized group of its members. Christ is only head of that group who willingly seeks and follows his direction. The, only headquarters the Church of God has, or needs, is in heaven where Christ, the head of the church, is seated. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me.” “Behold, I send you . . .” “Go ye therefore . . .“Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name I will do it - - .“ “I give you power. . .“ “Ye shall tread on serpents . . .” “Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” Mark 16:15-18. “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20. This commission is perfect, complete, economical and efficient. Man can add nothing to its perfection. Anything that man would tie on would become a dead weight, an overhead expense. Surely, if we will get close enough to God for Him to open our spiritual eyes, that we may see this glorious divinely organized group of people, there will be no place for man’s organizations and churches.
There is much sin and deception covered up in money raising schemes in Babylon. Gospel giving is a Bible doctrine and has its place in the church. We are agreed that missionaries have needs we can supply, but it is the wrong way of raising money, and the use that is made of it, that I want to speak of. The Bible tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but covetous people would much rather have it the other way. Real saints will not shut up their bowels of compassion against their brother when they see him in need. God works on the inside, but man has devised ways to work on the outside. God’s way of supporting His people is through faith and trust in Him. Prayer, faith, and trust for financial and physical needs are a wonderful asset to spiritual success. Man’s systems of raising money and supporting the church robs men of the use of faith in God; then God is robbed of the glory in answering the prayer of faith. There is very little unnecessary overhead expense to get help from God through the prayer of faith. God’s way eliminates the unnecessary expense of transportation by the covetous man.
In man’s quest to raise money, he will use most any system that will get it. The Bible strongly supports the FREE-WILL OFFERING PLAN, but many times it is HIGH-PRESSURED. The free-will offerings of those void of salvation in their hearts are small.
Man has devised a multiplicity of organized systems to support the church. Any human organization brings bondage, and all must adopt it whether they like it or not. They show a lack of understanding of God’s way or faith to carry it out. Organization calls for an executive force which must first be paid out of the funds they succeed in getting. Church Extension, Home and Foreign Missionary Boards hestitate to tell the overhead expense of SALARIES and OFFICE UPKEEP. Amount of salary paid for certain offices seems to be somewhat a secret. This leaves people wondering.
Church boards and committees are, like man-made churches, soon filled with unsaved people. The covetous and selfish man soon begins to lay plans and schemes to fill his own coffers. It is not an uncommon thing to hear of money scandals; however, they usually try to cover them up. We are not trying to say that all these men are rascals, or even unsaved, but the saved who are there must work with just that kind of people.
The organization of such boards and committees soon develop into a headquarters of power and authority. Certain plans and policies develop which call for the extension of the executive force whose salaries and expenses must be paid. These methods are unscriptural. They cause excessive expense and open the door for unsaved people to hold offices and operate in the work of the church. This is not Biblical and belongs to Babylon. God does not give unsaved men high offices in His church. God does not authorize the creation of such offices because He knew the kings and captains would become corrupt and oppress’ the people.. God’s plan is holy, and he calls for holy men to carry it out. He does not set the unholy in “the body, the Church.” The unholy are not endowed with the gifts of the Spirit and the power to carry out the commission with signs following. God does not call and send the unholy to carry out the great commission, for they would be faithless, powerless and fruitless. If any real good is accomplished, it will not be their faith that does it. Only the saved and holy have any place in God’s Church. There are many who do not see the mode of membership and plan of operation in the Church that Jesus built. There are many saved people who do not have a VISION of the Bible Church of God. As a result, they fall in line with Babylon. When people fall in line with man-made by-laws, and the formulating of organizations to carry out their own ritualistic beliefs, they have set up something that the unsaved can operate in. Then the holy must be tolerant toward the UNHOLY and call them BROTHER. Light ‘has no fellowship with darkness. To KNOWINGLY mix it, will put out the light. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a man to set up ANY KIND of a church organization AND KEEP IT CLEAN. If God could have His way, the unsaved would have no part in the spiritual work of the church. If the saved people will follow the WORD AND SPIRIT and refuse to recognize the profession of the unsaved and unholy, God will have a HOLY CHURCH. But when the majority of a congregation is unsaved, the minority will have carnal wranglings and Babylonian rules and practices. The changing and reforming power is in the hands of those who will not reform. It is a hopeless case, but God has a way for His people to get out of such unholy bondage. “Come out of her, my people,” Revelation 18:4. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with (Babylon) idols? for ye are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you; and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2nd Corinthians 6:13-18.
The first verse says to be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. If you are yoked at all, it is an unequal yoke. The thing Paul describes will always be found among the unsaved wherever they are found playing church. The saints of God do not have fellowship with such things. If they are forced to try, they will get spiritually sick, and if something is not done about it, they will die. Babylon today is so overwhelmingly run by unsaved people, and is so filled with spiritual cholera, that saints must change climates, and MOVE OUT ON HIGH, HEALTHY, SUNNY MOUNT SION, or be numbered with the DEAD. If we are the temple of God and God dwells in us, walks in us, and we are His people, and He is our God, will He withhold any good thing from him that walketh uprightly? Can we not, as His ministry and Church, get DIVINE directions on ALL THINGS? The distance to travel is shorter because He dwells in our hearts. His decisions are safer because He is the source of ALL WISDOM. We are directly connected to Christ, the head of the body, the Church, and it is natural and normal for the members to be directed by the head. In verses 17 and 18, which we just read, God has made a promise that takes care of everything we need. He said, “I will receive you,” and “I will be a FATHER unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.” If ye “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will RECEIVE YOU.” People who do this, DO NOT HAVE to go to BABYLON for its unsafe advice or bogus religious wares. Some saints in the past, in spite of Babylonian bondage and its lords, have trusted God and received answer to prayer. After we see the plain commands of God and refuse to obey, our faith will be gone and we can no longer touch the hem of His garment. When one decides to fail God, they go under a “delusion”; then it will not be hard to fall in line with Babylon’s dead, lifeless, formalities and call them Brother.
Now when God said for us to “Come out of her, my .people,” He did not mean for us to stay in it. He means for us to separate ourselves from it—be separate. This means to get out and stay away. If this woman is the kind of character she is described to be in Revelation 17, we had better flee from her spiritual fornications. We know it is not safe to habitually hang around people of a bad character. No one is out of Babylon who loves her success, and supports any phase of her operations. God’s people LOVE to see lost souls saved, but have a sad feeling of regret when they see them yoking up in Babylonian bondage.
You just cannot stay in Babylon very long and preach ALL THE WORD OF GOD. It does not fit in their program, and it will condemn much of their operation and way of living. If you do not willingly depart “out of their coasts,” the synagogues will soon be closed. In the minds of those who love Babylon you will be considered an “OUTCAST.” This means to be despised, hated, persecuted, frowned upon, and many times lied upon; yes, “despisers of those that are good.”
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the OUTCASTS in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain of Israel.” Isaiah 27:13. This is a prophecy to be fulfilled in the last part of the gospel day. The great trumpet is the seventh and last trumpet, which is sounding at this present time. It is during the sounding of this great trumpet that the people perishing in Assyria, the country where Babylon is located, may return and worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. Egypt means bondage of Babylon, and those in this bondage who are willing to become “OUTCASTS” shall worship God in His holy mountain in “the heavenly Jerusalem.” It is the OUTCASTS that God can lead into His holy mountain. Those who are not willing to become OUTCASTS for the sake of the TRUTH will not be led out of this Egyptian bondage of Babylon into God’s glorious Mount Sion Church.
Some people fight HOLINESS, others fight FAITH AND MIRACLES, while others fight a DIVINE CHURCH AND DIVINE GOVERNMENT in the church, either by word or practice. They make OUTCASTS, or cast those out who do not go along with them. “And he shall set up an ensign (a standard) for the nations, and shall assemble the OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, and gather together the dispersed (scattered) of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 11:12.
In the sounding of the seventh and great trumpet, God is setting up an “ensign,” meaning a standard for the nations to go by. And through the preaching of the FULL standard of His truth, He is ASSEMBLING those who are OUTCASTS of Babylon. It is only a remnant that will be ASSEMBLED in the great Mount Sion Church of God. This “gathering together” is not geographical, as some teach, but it is gathering to God’s Mount Sion of Holiness and TRUTH of a DIVINE CHURCH.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” Isaiah 11:11. This scripture is telling us that God will set His hand “AGAIN THE SECOND TIME” to gather a “REMNANT” of His people. He set his hand the FIRST TIME in the sixth seal. He gathered a great number symbolized by “an hundred and forty and four thousand.” Revelation 14:1. That same movement that came out of Babylon, clear and clean, and were the Mt. Sion Church in the sixth seal, have gone back to practicing the VERY THING they came out of. This movement became a part of Babylon. And now God is “setting His hand again the SECOND TIME” to recover a REMNANT of His people. It is just a remnant, just those who are willing to become “outcasts,” will hear “that other voice,” to “Come out,” and let God do the assembling or setting in the Body, the Church, as it pleases Him. This kind of an OUTCAST has a pure, holy, sincere, devoted spirit of love, faith, and zeal for God and His TRUTH. Surely God CAN LEAD this kind of people. “The Lord doeth BUILD UP JERUSALEM: he gathereth together the OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL; he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalms 147:2-3.
This is indeed the SOUNDING OF A GREAT TRUMPET. It will awake the sleeping nations to see the reality of God’s judgments against Babylon, and truth of His glorious assembled, unified church located ONCE MORE on Mount Sion. Of course, the Babylonian nations will be angry, and make OUTCASTS of those who “Follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” God’s true people are said to be, in symbolic language, “gathered into the camp of the saints.” We are to walk in the light, ascend God’s glorious Mount Sion of truth, pitch our tents in the “camp of the saints,” get hold of this GREAT TRUMPET, blow it until Babylon breaks “to shivers,” and God’s glorious church is shining like the “sun in the kingdom of our God.”
There are some noted theologians today who see this divided and confused condition and acknowledge that it is not scriptural. They say that conditions are getting better as time goes on, that God somehow will bring all movements to the Bible standard, and we will then have unity, all speaking the same thing. Some look for a gradual elimination of error and deception and a restoration of truth until we have reached the full Bible standard again. If this be true, God will have to reform a sinful, corrupt leadership little by little, which is not His plan. Furthermore, such men will not be reformed. In God’s plan the first step is to change man’s heart and then change his head. Such leadership is described in 2nd Timothy 3:1-8. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, coveteous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affections, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, (4) traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; (5) having a FORM OF GODLINESS, but denying the power thereof: from SUCH TURN AWAY. (6) For of THIS sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (7) EVER LEARNING, and NEVER able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (8) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, SO DO THESE ALSO RESIST THE TRUTH: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning faith.” These scriptures certainly apply to the time in which we live, called the “last days.” Then he describes a very sinful, degraded, low class of people in religious circles, for he said: “Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof.” The non-professing world is not carrying on a form of godliness, but this is just what the people of Babylon are doing today. You only have to look around to find all these sins under the cover of religion. The leadership of Babylon has left the source of divine wisdom and knowledge and is streamlining the wisdom of men. In verse 7 we read, “Ever learning, and NEVER able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” According to the above scripture there is NO TIME or PLACE where God can work a reform to bring such people to His standards of truth. These men are reprobate concerning the truth, and will resist it. This great battle of Armageddon, which we are now in, is led by the above described men against God and truth and will not REFORM.
Some tell us that when God said to “come out of Babylon,” it was a call to the unsaved, non-professing world to get saved and come out of their sins. This is just another one of those excuses which the kings and captains use to justify their staying and hiding in “the dens and rocks” of the mountains of Babylon. The old devil, the enemy of all truth, scored a great hit when he succeeded in getting the people of the true Church of God to become lukewarm, spewed out, blinded to the truth that makes clear and sets forth a divine, holy people separate from the sins of Babylonian confusion. Many who have Church of God over their church door are in spirit and practice a part of “Babylon the Great.” Some have no higher standards than Babylon herself. Union is Babylon’s substitute for Bible unity. It is impossible to unite a multitude of corrupt things and make something pure, holy, and good. The spirit of union is the spirit of BABYLON THE GREAT—THE EIGHTH BEAST. The spirit of UNITY, based on the WORD OF GOD, is the’ SPIRIT OF TRUTH WHICH CAME FROM GOD. If reforming could eventually make the Church of God out of Babylon, it COULD NOT HAPPEN UNTIL ALL OF BABYLON WAS ELIMINATED AND LEFT BEHIND. Why suffer such a slow process when God has instant deliverance—just come out.
In the age in which we live, to have a CLEAR vision of Mt. Sion, we must have a vision of Babylon. The moment we see Mt. Sion we are in a position to exchange all our Babylonian traditions for God’s glorious mountain of eternal TRUTH. If we are dead to the allurements of the Babylonian world, it will not be hard to walk out of it. Unless one is dead to the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life” he will feel the price is too great to come out of Babylon, for she offers much to the satisfaction of the flesh.
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