A TRUE AND FAITHFUL WITNESS
Are you committed to being a true and faithful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament Gospel?
The Great Harlot as Mystery Babylon
Should people today be concerned about false doctrine or false teachers
and false prophets as both the Old and New Testament so clearly warn?
Are we growing toward a grand and glorious understanding of faith that will
unite the world in devotion to God? Or is there something much more
sinister and deceptive at work in our world? Unfortunately, the book of
Revelation puts forth something quite different than a “universal opening of
our eyes” to God.
We are given a description of “The Great Harlot” in Revelation 17. In the O.
T. both Jerusalem and Israel were spoken of as becoming harlots before
God in their disobedience and unbelief. This woman of Rev. 17 can be
compared to the woman of Rev. 12 in that both are women and are symbols
of faith. The reality is that Rev. 12 speaks of the woman who is the true
people of God and Rev. 17 speaks of the woman that is the false people of
God.
But notice something – the harlot has a name, a mystery, written on her
forehead - Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of
the Earth. The text doesn’t tell us who put the name there upon her
forehead. This is the revelation of God as to her true nature even though
her claim might be different. And the revelation is that her actual religion is
that of “Babylon the Great”. And what is the nature of that religion of ancient
Babylon? Although Babylon had various outward religions and had woven
science, technology, and religion together in their society the Scriptures give
us one main thought about her essential nature. It is seen in the judgments
pronounced against it by God. This essential character is self-exaltation
through self-worship. Notice this from the following Scripture texts:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne
above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of the assembly In the
recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will
make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14 NASB {Please note that
theologically many view this as the fall of Lucifer – which is probably true –
but the actual pronouncement of this passage is against the King of Babylon
as seen in Isaiah 14:4}
"Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in
your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me….You felt secure in your
wickedness and said, ‘No one sees me,’ Your wisdom and your knowledge,
they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is
no one besides me.’ Isaiah 47:8a,10 NASB
This self-exaltation can be seen in the roots of Babylon’s civilization in the
story of the Tower of Babel – Gen. 11:1-9 – where there is an attempt to
become one and build a tower to reach to heaven. It might be understood
that they sought comfort and justification in their deception by being united
in it and it was outwardly manifested in what they did together.
Unfortunately, there is great appeal in being a part of the masses of people.
It looked like one great civilization but it was really one large corporate fist
raised up against the true God. Its’ internal dynamic actually reaches back
to man’s fall in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Satan’s nature can be
seen in the subtle progression of the temptation:
“Has God said, You shall not eat from every tree?” - Satan is questioning
both God’s provision and command by questioning Eve.
Eve tells Satan he has it wrong – they can eat fruit from every tree except
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Eve actually adds to God’s word
by saying He told them to not even touch it.)
Satan questions God’s verdict of judgment in eating the fruit – “You shall not
surely die!” i.e. God is lying to you.
Satan says, “God knows in the day you eat you will be like God.” God is
holding something back from you – divinity. (Amazing statement considering
Adam and Eve are created in the image of God and if they simply remain in
fellowship with Him as obedient creature everything will remain as is.)
“God knows in the day you eat of it your eyes will be open.” Satan says that
inherent in God’s withholding from them the fruit is the fact that they will gain
great wisdom.
“Knowing good and evil” – Until this point God in His love and holiness and
wisdom and fellowship with them was their standard. Now that will not be
reflected to them from God in their relationship to Him but will supposedly be
their possession on their own.
Eve succumbs to the temptation and brings Adam in on the fall.
They immediately understand there was a problem. The full results of the
fall would become apparent to them as God’s judgment regarding death and
suffering unfolded in their lives.
So they sought (were tempted) to divinity and wisdom and knowledge apart
from God. Do you see the progression of self-deification in the text? As
such, this mystery we call Babylon is the false and idolatrous identification of
the fallen human image of God in each of us with God Himself. All false
religion, the occult, new age, mind sciences, philosophies, and apostate
Christianity have this worship of self at their core. God’s answer is not that
man can now through knowledge or wisdom understand his own divinity but
rather:
“The righteousness based on faith speaks thus, ‘Do not say in your heart;
‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or “Who will
descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But
what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” –
that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:6-10
That which we can not possibly do – God has done for us. Our need was to
be brought back to the true and living God Himself. Provision had to be
made for this self-idolatrous creature and all of his sins. Man put up a wall
between himself and the true God and every thought, word and deed can
not bring this wall down nor even understand it exists except that God does a
work. He convinces us the wall is there and then He takes it down. That was
done at the cross of Calvary where He who was without sin became our
substitute for sin by shedding His blood as atonement. Do you believe this?
Has He convinced you that the wall exists? Turn to Jesus and trust Him as
your Lord and Savior! If not you will fall for this coming unified expression of
false religion that will actually and most incredibly be under the banner of
Christianity and called The Great Harlot, Mystery Babylon. And God will
judge her in her rebellion.
Copyright 2004, David Sheldon, all rights reserved. Can be photocopied and
distributed for free or price of duplication only but only in its entirety with
copyright information included.
www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com/mysterybabylon.htm
For More Articles Like This Go To: www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com
Should people today be concerned about false doctrine or false teachers
and false prophets as both the Old and New Testament so clearly warn?
Are we growing toward a grand and glorious understanding of faith that will
unite the world in devotion to God? Or is there something much more
sinister and deceptive at work in our world? Unfortunately, the book of
Revelation puts forth something quite different than a “universal opening of
our eyes” to God.
We are given a description of “The Great Harlot” in Revelation 17. In the O.
T. both Jerusalem and Israel were spoken of as becoming harlots before
God in their disobedience and unbelief. This woman of Rev. 17 can be
compared to the woman of Rev. 12 in that both are women and are symbols
of faith. The reality is that Rev. 12 speaks of the woman who is the true
people of God and Rev. 17 speaks of the woman that is the false people of
God.
But notice something – the harlot has a name, a mystery, written on her
forehead - Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of
the Earth. The text doesn’t tell us who put the name there upon her
forehead. This is the revelation of God as to her true nature even though
her claim might be different. And the revelation is that her actual religion is
that of “Babylon the Great”. And what is the nature of that religion of ancient
Babylon? Although Babylon had various outward religions and had woven
science, technology, and religion together in their society the Scriptures give
us one main thought about her essential nature. It is seen in the judgments
pronounced against it by God. This essential character is self-exaltation
through self-worship. Notice this from the following Scripture texts:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne
above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of the assembly In the
recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will
make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14 NASB {Please note that
theologically many view this as the fall of Lucifer – which is probably true –
but the actual pronouncement of this passage is against the King of Babylon
as seen in Isaiah 14:4}
"Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in
your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me….You felt secure in your
wickedness and said, ‘No one sees me,’ Your wisdom and your knowledge,
they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is
no one besides me.’ Isaiah 47:8a,10 NASB
This self-exaltation can be seen in the roots of Babylon’s civilization in the
story of the Tower of Babel – Gen. 11:1-9 – where there is an attempt to
become one and build a tower to reach to heaven. It might be understood
that they sought comfort and justification in their deception by being united
in it and it was outwardly manifested in what they did together.
Unfortunately, there is great appeal in being a part of the masses of people.
It looked like one great civilization but it was really one large corporate fist
raised up against the true God. Its’ internal dynamic actually reaches back
to man’s fall in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Satan’s nature can be
seen in the subtle progression of the temptation:
“Has God said, You shall not eat from every tree?” - Satan is questioning
both God’s provision and command by questioning Eve.
Eve tells Satan he has it wrong – they can eat fruit from every tree except
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Eve actually adds to God’s word
by saying He told them to not even touch it.)
Satan questions God’s verdict of judgment in eating the fruit – “You shall not
surely die!” i.e. God is lying to you.
Satan says, “God knows in the day you eat you will be like God.” God is
holding something back from you – divinity. (Amazing statement considering
Adam and Eve are created in the image of God and if they simply remain in
fellowship with Him as obedient creature everything will remain as is.)
“God knows in the day you eat of it your eyes will be open.” Satan says that
inherent in God’s withholding from them the fruit is the fact that they will gain
great wisdom.
“Knowing good and evil” – Until this point God in His love and holiness and
wisdom and fellowship with them was their standard. Now that will not be
reflected to them from God in their relationship to Him but will supposedly be
their possession on their own.
Eve succumbs to the temptation and brings Adam in on the fall.
They immediately understand there was a problem. The full results of the
fall would become apparent to them as God’s judgment regarding death and
suffering unfolded in their lives.
So they sought (were tempted) to divinity and wisdom and knowledge apart
from God. Do you see the progression of self-deification in the text? As
such, this mystery we call Babylon is the false and idolatrous identification of
the fallen human image of God in each of us with God Himself. All false
religion, the occult, new age, mind sciences, philosophies, and apostate
Christianity have this worship of self at their core. God’s answer is not that
man can now through knowledge or wisdom understand his own divinity but
rather:
“The righteousness based on faith speaks thus, ‘Do not say in your heart;
‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or “Who will
descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But
what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” –
that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:6-10
That which we can not possibly do – God has done for us. Our need was to
be brought back to the true and living God Himself. Provision had to be
made for this self-idolatrous creature and all of his sins. Man put up a wall
between himself and the true God and every thought, word and deed can
not bring this wall down nor even understand it exists except that God does a
work. He convinces us the wall is there and then He takes it down. That was
done at the cross of Calvary where He who was without sin became our
substitute for sin by shedding His blood as atonement. Do you believe this?
Has He convinced you that the wall exists? Turn to Jesus and trust Him as
your Lord and Savior! If not you will fall for this coming unified expression of
false religion that will actually and most incredibly be under the banner of
Christianity and called The Great Harlot, Mystery Babylon. And God will
judge her in her rebellion.
Copyright 2004, David Sheldon, all rights reserved. Can be photocopied and
distributed for free or price of duplication only but only in its entirety with
copyright information included.
www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com/mysterybabylon.htm
For More Articles Like This Go To: www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com
HOME
Rick Warren
Forty Days: False Gospel
Forty Days: A Closer Look
Forty Days: Which Jesus?
PDL: God's Wisdom
PDL: Exalting the Fallen Creation
PDL: A Purpose-Shaped
Worldview
Antichrist
Will Antichrist Be Revealed
Before the Tribulation?
The Great Harlot
"Mystery" Babylon
"Emerging" Church
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 1
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 2
Church Growth Movement
Schuller, Hybels & Warren
Review of Schuller's "Self-Esteem"
False Apostles, False
Prophets, False Revival
River of Seducing Spirits
Spiritual Warfare Script
Deception of Spiritual Warfare
Flags & Banners...Spiritual Power
Tools?
Davidic Warfare/Worship?
Jesus of the "Signs" Now the
"Christ" of Apostolic Government
Mystical Christianity?
Tenney's Mystical Deity Chase
Richard Foster: Quaker Mystic?
Willard and "The Way of Jesus"
What Oswald Chambers
Might Have Thought About
Todays "Christianity"
Rick Warren
Forty Days: False Gospel
Forty Days: A Closer Look
Forty Days: Which Jesus?
PDL: God's Wisdom
PDL: Exalting the Fallen Creation
PDL: A Purpose-Shaped
Worldview
Antichrist
Will Antichrist Be Revealed
Before the Tribulation?
The Great Harlot
"Mystery" Babylon
"Emerging" Church
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 1
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 2
Church Growth Movement
Schuller, Hybels & Warren
Review of Schuller's "Self-Esteem"
False Apostles, False
Prophets, False Revival
River of Seducing Spirits
Spiritual Warfare Script
Deception of Spiritual Warfare
Flags & Banners...Spiritual Power
Tools?
Davidic Warfare/Worship?
Jesus of the "Signs" Now the
"Christ" of Apostolic Government
Mystical Christianity?
Tenney's Mystical Deity Chase
Richard Foster: Quaker Mystic?
Willard and "The Way of Jesus"
What Oswald Chambers
Might Have Thought About
Todays "Christianity"