Mystery Babylon

Chapter 6 ~ Two Women

IT'S A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Let's compare and contrast the TWO WOMEN, the TWO CITIES which the book of Revelation sketches. One is a whore (Rev.17 18), while the other is a Bride. (Rev.21:9 27)

Neither city, Mystery Babylon nor Heavenly Jerusalem politically existed as literal cities in the past, …nor in the present. (Take note that Babylon and Jerusalem were both literal cities at one time, but neither is Mystery Babylon nor Heavenly Jerusalem.) Both are spiritual habitations and are called by the names of historical earth cities, which once did literally exist, so that we might understand somewhat of their natures. (Iraq is not Mystery Babylon any more than present Jerusalem, Israel, is Holy unto the Lord!)

THE CITY OF JERUSALEM

Holy Jerusalem (not in Palestine), is the Bride, the Lamb's wife and she is a spiritual city from "above" and "is the mother of us all." (Gal. 4:26) She is not a

natural city. Spiritually she is described with streets of gold, gates of pearl and foundations of precious stones which contain the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. This wife is adorned with glory, as a bride for her husband, as she descends from heavenly places in God. (Rev.21:2,9,10 21)

The adorning of Holy Jerusalem, the Bride, includes a great, high wall which encloses Her. Each of the four walls that surround her, have three definite entrances, which gives Her 12 Gates. Besides walls and gates the Bride has measurable qualities; such as 12,000 furlongs and four square. (Babylon has nothing measurable about her; no walls, no gates, no boundaries, no limits, wide open to any creature who wishes to pass through.)

This holy bride represents those who have been espoused unto Christ (2Cor.11:2), who have made themselves ready to be clothed with the fine linen of the righteousness of saints (Rev.19:7 8) and who have built upon the foundation of the 12 apostles of the Lamb (Rev.21:14). Being espoused to Jesus Christ, ...whose "name is called THE WORD OF GOD" (Rev.19:13), means that the church or bride of Christ is married unto the WORD OF GOD. This does not happen physically. Nor does it happen by scholarship or theology. It is a spiritual relationship.

Being married to Jesus, the Word of God, is to be "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." (Eph.5:30) "He that is joined unto the Lord is ONE Spirit" with him. (1Cor.6:17) Since Christ is the Word he will not join himself or become one with anyone or anything which is not The Word.

Consider this illustration. The Word of God will not marry a Comic Book, …an Encyclopedia, …a Dictionary, nor even a Denominational Articles of Faith Handbook    even though all are filled with words. He will only become joined to that which is like or one with him, ...the Words of God. Thus those believers who become truly married to Jesus Christ in faithfulness and chastity are MARRIED UNTO THE WORD OF GOD. The Bride, Heavenly Jerusalem, clothes herself with His Word. This is a spiritual clothing. Much study does not clothe. It is a spiritual clothing of the heart. This spiritual bride is pure and does not accept any man's or churches' word ABOVE HER HUSBAND'S WORD....the Bible. The Bride of Christ does not accept the Word of Another AS THE BRIDE OF ADAM DID, when "the serpent beguiled (wholly seduced) Eve through his subtlety (shrewdness)". (2Cor.11:3)

She is a WORD BRIDE! She adorns herself in the simple Word of God and will not allow Satan to corrupt her as he did Eve when he changed God's Word by simply adding one word, ..."Ye shall NOT surely die"! (Gen.3:3 4) The Bride of Christ, Heavenly Jerusalem, are the undefiled, who neither work abominations or lies (Rev.21:27), and who have a right to "the tree of Life".

This is not accomplished by scripture memorization, Hebrew & Greek grammar expertise, nor exhausting theological studies of details. His words are spiritually discerned. His word is never learned by the mind or man’s intellect. His “words are Spirit” and “they are Life”. Religion always twists things by focusing upon the letter rather than the Spirit of the author. It is a new birth relationship.

THE CITY OF BABYLON

Mystery Babylon is the other city in Revelation. The Mother of all Whoredoms and Abominations, murders, and lies upon the earth. (Rev.17:5,18:24) She is drunk with the blood of saints and prophets. Her intoxicating wine has made the nation peoples of the earth drunk with her unfaithful, fornicating spirit. She deceived the earth with her sorceries, her religious witchcraft, and sins of rebellion as she took on the hew and scarlet color of the Devil himself,…. that great 7 headed, 10 horned dragon. (Rev.17:2 4,12:3) She became Satan's expression of pride and rebellion, bewitching God's people and merchandising the souls of men away from God.

Yes, she is a royal looking lady (Rev.17:4), garnished with gold, pearls, and precious stones. She has embellishments which are similar to Holy Jerusalem, that other city of Revelation; but, this Harlot has not the glory of God, nor the adorning of a virtuous Bride. She is described as a prostitute, drunk with martyrs blood (Rev.17:6), whose fornication filth is intoxicating to the kings and nations of earth. (Rev.17:2) She is a dwelling place for devils and every foul, ugly spirit and "a cage of every unclean and hateful bird". (Rev.18:2) This is not Satanism, or Witch craft or New Age or the Occult. This is how God describes the unfaithful religious and christian church systems and those who are faithful to these systems at the time of the end! It is not a pretty picture is it.

As an unfaithful woman, her relationships are not bound by vows of covenant, consecration, and separation. She relates with whom she pleases, ....as it pleases and satisfies her. Any man or king can come unto her. She has no walls, ....no standards ....no boundaries.

The Harlot city lies outside the boundaries of Holy Jerusalem. This identifies all those "outside" peoples, nations, and cultures, as people who spiritually live their lives on a spiritual level as "dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolators, and lovers of lies" (Rev.22:14 15).

Of course, we know He is speaking religiously of "church folk" who confess one thing and live another. They said they would be faithful to Christ but their spiritual walk with God is like, ....a dog, which returns to its vomit to eat again that from which it was once delivered and sexual immorality of homosexuality. ....sorcery and witchcraft, which is rebellion against God's divine way (1 Sam. 15:23), ....a whoremonger is a spiritual adulterer and fornicator without faithfulness to God (James 4:4) and who are ....makers and lovers of lies, those who love lies about God and have not the love of the truth. (2 Thess.2:10)

SPIRITUAL FORNICATION

As a fornicator, Mystery Babylon represents, religiously and spiritually, those people who fail to keep their marriage vows with Jesus Christ. They are so unlike the Bride. Of course, by now you should have realized that the nature of this Mystery Babylon Religion is found within the hearts of everyday, up standing church members, deacons, sunday school teachers, singers, missionaries, theologians, ministers, priests, preachers, and all unbelievers who reject Jesus Christ. It is not our place to judge any individual, but to reveal the spirit which is working among those people who call themselves christian.

These fornicating worshipers of the one true God can not be recognized outwardly. But, they can be recognized spiritually by the Holy Ghost. Spiritually, they are as a woman who can't keep herself from the advances of other men, these people can't keep themselves TRUE to Jesus, true to the Word of God. They honor part of God's Word. They see no harm in mixing the Words of traditions, creeds, and doctrines of men into their worship of God. They are like a woman who is sexually immoral with other men, while her husband is at work! What's the harm? Her lusts compel her. They have a mingled, mixtured spirit.

James spoke to some of these very believers in 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

To be married or espoused to Jesus, the WORD OF GOD, is to cleave to the Words of God and to shun all others.

Natural fornication and adultery speak to having physical sexual relations with someone OTHER THAN the one to whom you are married. God is the Word (John 1:1) and his people are to have an ear to hear His Words and keep his Commandments and not make the word of God of NONE EFFECT by esteeming our traditions or words, ...as the Jews did, above His Written Word. (Mrk.7:13)

Spiritual fornication is simply having a relationship with religious words, traditions, and doctrines IN THE NAME OF GOD, which did not COME FROM GOD! IT IS FORNICATION for a child of God to accept, keep, esteem, honor, and OBEY THE DOCTRINES OF MEN above the WORDS OF GOD as revealed, preached, and interpreted by the 12 apostles of the New Testament.

Spiritual fornication is to declare the salvation of Jesus Christ using a mixture of God's words with the teachings or words of men.

The Apostles and preachers of the Bible did not allow for many ways or other gospels which were different from theirs. The Holy Spirit instructs us through John, prior to Patmos. "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us." (1 John 4:6) The Spirit of God also stated through Apostle Paul; ....."Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed". (Gal.1:8)

Fornication is spiritual unfaithfulness in some measure to God's Word as preached by the 12 apostles. Israel worshipped Jehovah with a fornicating spirit upon her as the people attempted to have a spiritual religious relationship with Jehovah AND with Baal. They served God a little and Baal a little. If a woman loves her husband a little and other men a little, ...she is a whore. Quibbling whether she receives financial gain from it or not is irrelevant. She does it because she likes it. If a people serve God a little according to HIS WORD and serve God a little according to MEN'S WORDS AND TRADITIONS which the apostles did not preach, they are attempting to worship Jesus from under the influence of a seducing spirit. They are not completely true to their God!

This can not be decided by the eye or the natural mind    for only Jesus Christ knows clearly and truly how much unfaithfulness is within any believer. It is not our place to judge our brother, But, it is our place to "try the spirit" and to judge a system or organization, or denomination by the gospel message of it's ministers. The Lord Jesus is compelling us to proclaim the reality of the existence of this Mystery of Iniquity among Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals and Charismatics. The forewarning of the existence of this present condition provides each HEARING child of God and minister with the opportunity to seek God and become sensitive to the Lord's voice concerning areas of our Christian walk which may have become influenced by this spirit.

The Harlot city is described as, ...(1) the Mother of All Abominations of the Earth (Rev.17:5), ...(2) a reigning queen over the kings of the earth (Rev.17:18), ...(3) she who intoxicated All nations with the wine of her fornications (Rev.18:3), and ...(4) she who deceived All nations with her sorceries (a spirit of rebellion is witchcraft, 1 Sam. 15:23, Rev.18:23).

This language by the Holy Spirit does not describe one church, nor ...one city, nor ...one nation, nor ...one generation, nor ...one culture upon one continent during any one period in history. It describes the immeasurable evil and religious wickedness which originated with Lucifer and was conceived within Her spiritual womb at the tower of Babel. Over time She, a spirit, manifested herself in an ever increasing degree, within each of the seven great civilizations which came upon the earth's political scene. From the days of the tower of Babel, through out the Old and New Testamental periods unto the present time, ...this religious Harlot has increased in religious wisdom, accumulated knowledge, matured, and exerted greater power as the centuries unfolded.

LOOK AT THE BEAST IN OUR DAY.

We've looked at Satan's vehicles from one civilization to another as it was revealed to Daniel. The Lion (Babylon), the Bear (Media Persia), the Leopard (Greece), and the Strong, Diverse, Dreadful and Terrible 4th Beast from Daniel 7.

We've looked at how John saw the Devil channeling his will through a seven headed   ten horned Dragon like Beast (Rev. 13 & 17) which carried the Mother Harlot throughout her journey across the 7 great civilizations of humanity. The 1260 year reign of torture by the 7th head of the Beast, Roman Catholicism, is over. Remember that the Beast was wounded, but did not die    its life blood still flows. The Beast's 7 kingdoms have all had their turn upon the world scene. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media Persia, Greece and Rome are all gone. However, the 7th, Roman Catholicism is still around.

But, where are we now? If each of the seven heads of the beast of Rev. 13:1 8 have all flowered and faded, what are we to look for? Where is the deception now? Deception now lies within Satan's best!

The Devil's most subtle creation of deception! There is one more beast! THE EIGHTH!