Mystery Babylon the Great Revealed

style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Verdana; '>"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH"(Revelation 17:5).

Part 1: The Purpose and History of Babylon the Great

Any attempt to describe the final destruction of Babylon the Great, "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5), demands an identification of that system, its purpose, history, as well as present and prophetic future. Because the spiritual warfare of the Saints involves wrestling not with simply flesh and blood, but "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12); it becomes increasingly apparent as the end draws near, that the identity of Babylon the Great has been plainly written "upon her forehead" (Revelation 17:5) by our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Understanding the true nature of Babylon the Great is as simple as knowing whether a child is good or bad, for "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right" (Proverbs 20:11). It only remains for God's people to "judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24) concerning Babylon the Great. To act consistently with that understanding, will require coming out of her that "ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). Also, to reach out to those still enslaved by Babylon the Great, is consistent with Christian love. Jude 23 "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh".

Purpose of Babylon the Great: To Seduce the World to Worship Antichrist

            Eve was seduced by Satan; "And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:13). And, through Adam's transgression "death passed upon all men" (Romans 5:12), because Adam sought to please his wife more than God. Satan seduced Eve, the "weaker vessel" (1Peter 3:7), to get at Adam, both to whom were given "dominion" over the Earth (Genesis 1:28). In so doing, Satan usurped dominion of the planet from our original parents, becoming the "god of this world" (2Corinthians 4:4).

        And so, "death reigned" (Romans 5:17), because the Seducer caused Eve to question the "goodness of God" when he said; "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1) and contradicted the truthfulness of God in His statement, "Ye shall not surely die" (3:4). Thus, the Seducer, who "is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44), seeks not just dominion over God's creation; but, Beelzebub seeks the worship that the Almighty reserves for Himself. Isaiah 14:13-14 "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High".

The purpose of Babylon the Great is to direct the world in worshipping the Antichrist, the Man of Sin; so "that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2Thessalonians 2:4). In somewhat the same fashion that the Father, Son, and Spirit "are one"; even so, Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet are one. At least for a time, the False Prophet will direct the world to worship the Antichrist. Accordingly, worship of the Antichrist "in the temple of God" will be the same as worshipping the "Adversary the Devil", whose heart's desire is to "exalt [his] throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:13). And, Babylon the Great, the "servants of corruption" (2Peter 2:19), is the vehicle to accomplish that worship.

            Subtilty, deception, and seduction are the necessary modes of operation for those who descend to so low a level as to serve Babylon the Great. 2Timothy 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived". Notice that the servants of Babylon the Great are not just guilty of "deceiving" but also of "being deceived" (3:13). Any time man submits to obey sin and the Devil, he becomes the "servant of sin" (John 8:34). The Tempter thus enlists his followers through a voluntary servitude. The success of Babylon the Great will finally be so great that all but the Elect, the "Called, and Chosen, and Faithful" (Revelation 17:14), will be seduced. Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the Elect".

History of Babylon the Great: Beginning of Babylon and the Tower of Babel

            Nimrod, whose name means "rebellion", was the great-grandson of Noah, through the lineage of Ham. He was a "mighty one in the Earth" (Genesis 10:8), a "mighty hunter before the LORD" (10:9). Nimrod's might and skill in the hunt easily lent itself to the exercise of human government; for God intended the force of arms to be used in human government's punishment of evil doers. The cunning employed to hunt an animal can be as easily applied to snare the "souls of men".

            Babel; also translated as "Babylon", was the city that was the "beginning of his [Nimrod's] kingdom" (Genesis 10:10). It was situated "in the land of Shinar" or modern Iraq. In that location, we are told by Scripture, a significant event occurred "in the Earth after the flood" (Genesis 10:32), the building of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Though Scripture does not use the expression Tower of Babel, nor does it pointedly declare that Nimrod built the infamous Tower of Babel, we are informed that the people purposed to build "a city and a tower" (11:4), implying that Nimrod built both the city of Babylon and the Tower of Babel. It providentially connects the location of Nimrod's city to the location of the site of the Tower, a "plain in the land of Shinar" (11:2). The very name Babel means "confusion", just as we presently describe one whose speech we cannot understand as "babbling". Genesis 11:9; "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the Earth".

            What is the significance of the Tower of Babel to Babylon the Great? The opening statement of Genesis 11 gives us the setting for the construction of the fabled Tower. Genesis 11:1; "And the whole Earth was of one language, and of one speech". Following the Almighty's destruction of the planet by the Flood, the Earth had yet to be overspread by the migration of man. Genesis 11:4 "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto Heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole Earth". Man's unity is a blessing from God. However, it is an insolent and disgusting thing for man to unite against the LORD God. Proverbs 16:5 "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished". Ultimately, all attempts at unifying man without God, and especially against God, will fail; for the LORD Jesus Christ will "rule all nations with a rod of iron" (Revelation 12:5) and shall "dash [all rebels] in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psalm 2:9).

            Just as the Creator evicted Adam (and Eve) from the Garden of Eden "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree Of Life, and eat, and live for ever" (Genesis 3:22), and as Jehovah destroyed the Earth by the Flood because "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (6:5); even so, our “only wise God” (1Timothy 1:17) scattered man from building the Tower of Babel, lest "nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" (Genesis 11:6). Therefore, the God of Love and Peace (2Corinthians 13:11) has continued to restrain man from the purpose of the Tower of Babel, which was the exaltation of the name of man in the face of God.

            The Mystery of Iniquity (2Thessalonians 2:7) will finally be unleashed and unrestrained, to allow for the exaltation of the Antichrist, the Son of Perdition (2:3), as the final affront against the Blessed and Only Potentate, the King of Kings, and LORD of Lords (1Timothy 6:15). But, this affront is doomed, because we have it on God's own Word that (prophetically) "Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen" (Revelation 18:2).         

History of Babylon the Great: Baal Worship Plagues the People of God

            Israel's reoccurring plague had to be its constant confrontation with the worship of Baal, the sun-god whose name meant "lord". The wicked prophet Balaam, who counselled Balak against Moses and the children of Israel, was responsible for introducing this offence and stumbling to Israel. Balaam told Balak that Israel could be defeated by encouraging the Israelites to intermarry with the Canaanites, who would teach Israel to worship Baal; and then, Israel's God would be forced against His own people. Numbers 25:1-3 "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel".

            We have a limited idea of the nature of Baal worship, limited to the Word of God. However, Scripture does describe the degradation of Baal worship, in that:

1.           (1) Israel gave their children over as a sacrifice to Baal, they murdered their own children. "They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind" (Jeremiah 19:5).

2.           (2) Israel worshipped before the image of Baal, they paid homage to the god that the image represented. "For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim" (2Chronicles 28:2).

3.           (3) Israel kissed the image of Baal, they gave submission and affection to an inanimate "thing". "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1Kings 19:18).

4.           (4) Israel burned savour and incense to Baal, they attempted to cultivate the favour of their god. "Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols" (Ezekiel 6:13).

5.           (5) Israel promoted abuse of themselves with mankind,  they descended to the level of Sodom and Gomorrha. "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites [homosexuals], that were by the house of the LORD [where Baal was being worshipped], where the women wove hangings for the grove" (2Kings 23:7).

History of Babylon the Great: Elijah Confronts the Prophets of Baal

            About 300 years before the Babylonian Captivity, Israel's contest with Baal worship reached a climax when the prophet Elijah confronted the 450 prophets of Baal atop Mount Carmel. 1Kings 18:17-20 "And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the Commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel".

            Put simply, Elijah challenged the people to serve God. 1Kings 18:21 "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word". Elijah conspired with God to humiliate Baal in front of the nation of Israel. 1Kings 18:22-24 "Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the Name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken".

            The prophet Elijah gave the prophets of Baal the opportunity to transact their Baal worship in a familiar environment, "upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains" (Ezekiel 6:13). 1Kings 18:25-26 "And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made". Even as Jehovah "will mock when [their] fear cometh" (Proverbs 1:26); likewise, Elijah mocked these prophets of Baal. 1Kings 18:25-29 "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded".

            Elijah was not simply attempting to rebuild the LORD's altar, but to call the people back to obedience to the Living God, Who acknowledges that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1Samuel 15:22). 1Kings 18:30-32 "And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the Word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the Name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed".

            As the Great God has condescended to teach man "precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:1). 1Kings 18:33-35 "And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water".

            Elijah gave what modern, evangelical Christians might term an "altar call", like Joshua before him. Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD". 1Kings 18:36-37 "And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy Word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the LORD God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again".

            Elijah knew that the LORD's "secret is with the righteous" (Proverbs 3:32), and he was "bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1), when he stood in front of the people waiting for God's answer to his prayer. 1Kings 18:38 "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench". The people responded immediately. 1Kings 18:39 "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God". But, since  "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), Elijah demanded the people to act, and to slay the prophets of Baal. 1Kings 18:40 "And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there".

Conclusion

            Since Satan, who is the "prince of this world" (John 12:31), has been so successful in promoting the rebellion against our LORD Jesus Christ, it would be a mistake to assume that God's people do not have good reason to rejoice, because:

1.           (1) The Almighty is sovereignly controlling all of the present circumstances, concerning Babylon the Great.

2.           (2) The Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) is allowing the cup of Babylon the Great's iniquity to be filled until it is ready for her slaughter. Psalm 75:8 "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and He poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the Earth shall wring them out, and drink them".

3.           (3) The LORD of the Harvest (Luke 10:2) is allowing more time to bring the unredeemed to Christ, (Psalm 126:6).

4.           And, (4) Our Hope, which is the LORD Jesus Christ (1Timothy 1:1), is even more preparing His people for the Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13) as Babylon the Great's wickedness increases. Luke 21:28 "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your Redemption draweth nigh".

Part 2: The Reformation and the Church of Rome

Preface

In the Apocalypse-- the Book of Revelation-- the Apostle John was directed to align Nimrod's Babylon with the finally destroyed Babylon of Daniel's 70th Week (Daniel 9:27), which indicates a clear line of succession for Babylon the Great. It has always been, is, and will always be right for those who name "the Name of Christ [to] depart from iniquity" (2Timothy 2:19) by separating themselves from Babylon the Great.

            Pastor Charles Chiniquy (1809-1899)-- a former Roman Catholic priest, who for 25 years zealously promoted Catholicism in Canada and the United States of America-- offered us this clue to the identity of Babylon the Great in the Dedication of his book, "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome" (1886): "Rome is the great danger ahead for the Church of Christ, and you do not understand it enough... The atmosphere of light, honesty, truth, and holiness in which you are born, and which you have breathed since your infancy, makes it almost impossible for you to realize the dark mysteries of idolatry, immorality, degrading slavery, hatred of the Word of God, concealed behind the walls of that Modern Babylon. It is that ignorance which paves the way to the triumph of Rome, in a near future, if there is not a complete change in your views on that subject... It is that ignorance which paralyses the arm of the Church of Christ, and makes the glorious word "Protestant" senseless, almost a dead and ridiculous word. For who does really protest against Rome today? where are those who sound the trumpet of alarm?... modern Protestants have not only forgotten what Rome was, what she is, and what she will for ever be; the most irreconcilable and powerful enemy of the Gospel of Christ; but they consider her almost as a branch of the church whose corner stone is Christ."

[Read in Chiniquy's substantial work, "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome", his firsthand insights into the workings of the Church of Rome, and see if indeed the "leopard [has changed] his spots".]

History of Babylon the Great: Baal Worship Confronts the Early Church

After the Jews returned from their Babylonian Captivity, Baal worship was not one of the sins with which their rebuffed Messiah would later condemn them. Instead, the LORD Jesus Christ cried out against the hypocrisy of a superficially righteous nation. Matthew 23:14 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation". But, with Israel's rejection of the Messiaship of the LORD Jesus, the attention of the Church was turned to the conversion of the Gentiles. The Apostle Paul stated well the sentiment. Acts 28:27-28 "For the heart of this people [Israel] is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it".

            However, the First Century Church was already dwelling in the midst of a superstitious and idolatrous environment, which also traced much of their religious practices back to Babylon. For example, the Church at Pergamos in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) had a conflict with some adhering to the "doctrine of Balaam" (Revelation 2:14), remember that Balaam introduced Baal worship to Israel. Revelation 2:13 "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast My Name, and hast not denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth".

            The Church was never intended by the LORD Jesus Christ, to coexist with the world's religions as simply part of the scenery of a pagan Mars Hill. Jesus affirmed, (John 14:6) "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me". The Great Commission is to convert the world to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by moral persuasion through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19-20 "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. Amen".

            Either the Church would convert the world, or the world would convert the Church. It was obvious that the LORD Jesus Christ was intended from antiquity to be the Victor. If the Church would not rely upon the saving and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, then the battle must necessarily be decided in favor of the enemy, which would still be, Babylon the Great.

James A. Wylie's "History of Protestantism" (1878) observed how the Church began to neglect the "Light unto [their] path" (Psalm 119:105) and slip into the corruption of Babylon the Great. "From the fourth century the corruptions of the Christian Church continued to make marked and rapid progress. The Bible began to be hidden from the people. And in proportion as the light, which is the surest guarantee of liberty, was withdrawn, the clergy usurped authority over the members of the Church" (Volume 1, Book 1, Chapter 2, p. 16). The Apostle John recorded in the Revelation that the Church at Pergamos, which was infected by the pro-Baal worship policies of Balaam, had those who were also tolerating the "doctrine of the Nicolaitans" (Revelation 2:15). "Nicolaitans" comes from two Greek words, nikao (to conquer) and laos (the people), which denote "conquering the people", through a system of priestcraft, which elevated the "clergy" above the "laity".

            The human builders of the Living Body of the Church, which is the "flock of God" (1Peter 5:2), were inevitably tempted into the old, pagan ways of Babylon the Great. "While the, 'living oracles' [Scripture] were neglected, the zeal of the clergy began to spend itself upon rites and ceremonies borrowed from the pagans. These were multiplied to such a degree, that [even] Augustine complained that they were 'less tolerable than the yoke of the Jews under the law.'" (Wylie, "History of Protestantism", Volume 1, Book 1, Chapter 2, p. 18). Though the "cords of the wicked" (Psalm 129:4), pagan rites and ceremonies, may be inviting; like "whoredom and wine" (Hosea 4:11), "whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).

            As the Roman Empire declined, the power of the Bishop of Rome increased. "The [Roman] emperor saluted him as Father; foreign Churches sustained him as judge in their disputes... till at last the presbyter of Rome... raised his seat above his equals, mounted the throne of the patriarch, and exercised lordship over the heritage of Christ" (Wylie, "History of Protestantism"Volume 1, Book 1, Chapter 2, p. 18).

History of Babylon the Great: John Wycliffe Prepares the Reformation

John Wycliffe (1324-1384) was called by James A. Wylie, the "Forerunner of all the Reformers, and the Father of all the Reformations of Christendom" ("History of Protestantism", Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 15, p. 206). Those who are familiar with the name of Wycliffe, associate him with the translation of the Scriptures into the English tongue. In a time in which the Church of Rome, dictated dogma and interpretation of the Word of God, the common man had no access to the Scriptures but what the priests of Rome allowed. It was as in 2Chronicles 15:3; "Now for a long season Israel hath been without the True God, and without a teaching priest, and without Law".

Though Wycliffe's name is associated with the return to the Scriptures that characterized the Reformation, John Wycliffe's initial renown was as a skilled debater and a philosopher of scholasticism-- the medieval method of thought that applied pagan Aristotelian ideas to the Church of Rome's doctrine. In 1348, God providentially reorganized the affairs of Europe, England, and Wycliffe through the onslaught of the Black Death-- the bubonic plague that arose out of Asia, swept over Europe, killing as much as half the population by 1350. "Bradwardine [mathematician and astronomer, who had embraced the study of the Word of God, and Its doctrines of free grace] had already brought him [Wycliffe] to the Bible, the plague brought him to it a second time; and now, doubtless, he searched its page more earnestly than ever. He came to it, not as the theologian, seeking in it a deeper wisdom than any mystery which the scholastic philosophy could open to him; nor as the scholar, to refine his taste by its pure models, and enrich his understanding by the sublimity of its doctrines; nor even as the polemic, in search of weapons wherewith, to assail the dominant superstitions; he now came to the Bible as a lost sinner, seeking how he might be saved. Nearer every day came the messenger of the Almighty. The shadow that messenger cast before him was hourly deepening; and we can hear the young student, who doubtless in that hour felt the barrenness and insufficiency of the philosophy of the schools, lifting up with increasing vehemency the cry, 'Who shall deliver me from the wrath to come?'" (Wylie, "History of Protestantism", Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 1, p. 104).

            Romans 6:16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

In 1205, King John I of England became embroiled with the English representatives of the Church of Rome as to the filling of the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Consequently, both disputants appealed to the Roman pontiff, Innocent III, for resolution. Pope Innocent III immediately saw the precedent of a secular king appealing to the Papal See for permission to appoint to an ecclesiastical post, a post viewed second in power to only the throne of England. The result was that Innocent contradicted all, appointed an entirely different man, and incurred King John's defiance. Innocent responded by interdicting John and thus, the whole of England. To a nation already wrapped in the superstition of Rome, this was unbearable. After 2 years, on May 15th 1213, King John of England promised unreserved submission of himself to the Papal See.

The English barons recognized that they were now pledged to be the vassals or slaves of the Pope, and they revolted. On June 15th 1215, they forced King John I to sign the Magna Carta-- which was the constitutional restriction of government, and a roadblock to Papal absolutism-- at Runnymede. Predictably, the Pope anathamatized the rebels and declared the Magna Carta to be null and void. This resistance to the Papacy was marked by a rise in the power and wealth of England.

            More than 100 years after the signing of the Magna Carta, John Wycliffe found himself a teacher and mentor of many of those who walked in the tradition of the English barons who stood against the absolutism of King John I and Pope Innocent III at Runnymede. He was appointed a royal chaplain of King Edward III, and was singled out to reply to the claims of a monk, who defended the claims of Pope Urban V. The monk argued that "as vicar of Christ, the Pope is the feudal superior of monarchs, and the lord paramount of their kingdoms. Thence he deduced the following conclusions: - that all sovereigns owe him obedience and tribute; that vassalage was specially due from the English monarch in consequence of the surrender of the kingdom to the Pope by John" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 3, p. 120). Wycliffe responded: "A third and more of England is in the hands of the Pope. There cannot be two temporal sovereigns in one country; either Edward is king or Urban is king. We make our choice. We accept Edward of England and refuse Urban of Rome" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 3, p. 121). Though Wycliffe's response did not face the nation of England with the sovereign claim of the Almighty over England, "all souls are Mine" (Ezekiel 18:4), as opposed to the claims of the Papacy, it did give Wycliffe the platform to later promote the Reformation. And, the foundation of that Reformation was the giving of the Scriptures to the common man in his own language.

The closing chapters of John Wycliffe's life belong to the translation of the Scriptures into the English tongue. Wycliffe's "On the Truth and Meaning of Scripture" advocated "'the supreme authority of Scripture,' 'the right of private judgment,' and that 'Christ's law sufficeth by itself to rule Christ's Church.' This was to discrown the Pope, and to raze the foundations of his kingdom. Here he drops the first hint of his purpose to translate the Bible into the English vernacular - a work which was to be the crown of his labours" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 2, Chapter 10, p. 174). Today, as the availability of the Scriptures is so common to so much of the world-- and Its value discounted accordingly-- we find it difficult to envision a world without access to the Bible.

        As a good Latin scholar, John Wycliffe set about translating into common English Jerome's Latin Vulgate (c. 400 AD). In four years time, Wycliffe completed his work (1382); but, Johann Gutenberg's printing of the first book-- the Gutenberg Bible (1455)-- was yet to be for 73 years. Enlisting the help of many willing and skilled copyists, Wycliffe's English Bible obtained a wide circulation. Though anathematized as a heretic-- to have broken into the sanctuary of God, stolen the sacred jewels, and given them to be trampled under the feet of swine-- Wycliffe lifted the Banner of Truth, which exalts Him Who Is The Truth; and thus, took away from Rome, its monopoly on the Word of God. This enabled the common man to be his own priest. Thus, John Wycliffe completed his earthly sojourn on December 31st 1384. Only after his death was he condemned by the Council of Constance (1415), and his body was ordered exhumed and burned.

History of Babylon the Great: The Conversion of Martin Luther

Though Martin Luther (1483-1546) came from the household of a simple working man; his father, John Luther-- a German miner by trade-- saw to it that Martin had the opportunity of education. With great diligence on the part of the young Luther, he eventually attained graduation from Erfurt University as a Doctor of Philosophy (1505). Since Luther had taken the opportunity to avail himself of the University's library, he came into his first contact with the Bible-- an all but inaccessible Book to the common man. His attraction and fascination for the Scriptures caused him to be convicted of his own sin. "He was returning to Erfurt, and was now near the city gate, when suddenly black clouds gathered overhead, and it began to thunder and lighten in an awful manner. A bolt fell at his feet. Some accounts say that he was thrown down. The Great Judge, he thought, had descended in this cloud, and he lay momentarily expecting death. In his terror he vowed that should God spare him he would devote his life to His service" (James A. Wylie, "History of Protestantism", Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 2, p. 365).

Martin Luther described his life-- prior to his ordination into the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church (1507)-- as an Augustinian monk (1505-1507), thus: "If ever [a] monk could obtain heaven by his monkish works, I should certainly have been entitled to it" (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 5, Chapter 3, p. 371). James Wylie described Luther's monkish struggle to find peace with God: "He shrank from the sight of his own vileness... he trembled when he thought of the holiness of God. It was not the sweet promise of mercy, but the fiery threatening of the Law, on which he dwelt. (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 5, Chapter 4, p. 374).

John Staupitz, the Vicar-General of the Augustines in Germany, was unique in that he was one who understood God's Simple Plan of Salvation; and providentially, God led him to counsel Luther concerning that "plain path" of salvation. "'I cannot and dare not come to God,' replied Luther, in effect, 'till I am a better man; I have not yet repented sufficiently.' 'A better man!' would the Vicar-General say in effect; 'Christ came to save not good men, but sinners. Love God, and you will have repented; there is no real repentance that does not begin in the love of God and there is no love to God that does not take its rise in all apprehension of that mercy which offers to sinners freedom from sin through the blood of Christ.' 'Faith in the mercies of God!' (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 5, Chapter 4, p. 375). Before Staupitz departed from Luther, he gave him the gift of a Bible. Staupitz said, "Let the study of the Scriptures be your favorite occupation" (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 5, Chapter 4, p. 375).      Wylie continues the account of how Martin Luther came to salvation in "full assurance of faith". "Luther's faith was as yet but as a grain of mustard-seed. After Staupitz had taken leave of him he again turned his eye from the Savior to himself; the clouds of despondency and fear that instant gathered; and his old conflicts, though not with the same violence, were renewed. He fell ill, and in his sore sickness he lay at the gates of death. It pleased God on this bed, and by a very humble instrument, to complete the change which the Vicar-General had commenced. An aged brother-monk who, as Luther afterwards said, was doubtless a true Christian though he wore 'the cowl of damnation,' came to his bedside, and began to recite with much simplicity and earnestness the Apostle's Creed, 'I believe in the forgiveness of sins.' Luther repeated after him in feeble accents, 'I believe in the forgiveness of sins.' 'Nay,' said the monk, 'you are to believe not merely in the forgiveness of David's sins, and of Peter's sins; you must believe in the forgiveness of your own sins.'"

            The decisive Words had been spoken. A ray of Light had penetrated the darkness that encompassed Luther. He saw it all: the whole Gospel in a single phrase, the forgiveness of sins - not the payment, but the forgiveness" (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 4, Chapter 5, p. 375-376). "In this cell at Erfurt died Martin Luther the monk, and in this cell was born Martin Luther the Christian, and the birth of Luther the Christian was the birth of the Reformation in Germany" (Wylie, Vol. 1, Book 4, Chapter 5, p. 376). [The Kingdom of God that flowered from that Reformation in Germany "is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it" (Luke 13:19).]

History of Babylon the Great: Luther vs. the Church of Rome

In 1517, a "Dominican monk, named John Diezel, or Tetzel, the son of a goldsmith of Leipsic" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 8, p. 400) declared: "Indulgences avail not only for the living but for the dead" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 8, p. 402). Pope Boniface VIII had enacted this doctrine two centuries before; but, Pope Leo X was now using it and Tetzel to restore the empty coffers of the Vatican. And, Tetzel went on to make particular application of the dogma of indulgences. "Priest, noble, merchant, wife, youth, maiden, do you not hear your parents and your other friends who are dead, and who cry from the bottom of the abyss: 'We are suffering horrible torments! A trifling alms would deliver us; you can give it, and you will not?'" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 8, p. 402). Tetzel then delivered these chilling words. "At the very instant that the money rattles at the bottom of the chest, the soul escapes from purgatory, and flies liberated to heaven. Now you can ransom so many souls, stiff-necked and thoughtless man; with twelve groats you can deliver your father from purgatory, and you are ungrateful enough not to save him! I shall be justified in the Day of Judgment; but you - you will be punished so much the more severely for having neglected so great salvation. I declare to you, though you have but a single coat, you ought to strip it off and sell it, in order to obtain this grace... The Lord our God no longer reigns, he has resigned all power to the Pope." (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 8, p. 402).

2Peter 2:3 "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not".

These indulgences were sold by Tetzel in the form of a letter: "May our Lord Jesus Christ have pity on thee, N. N., and absolve thee by the merits of his most holy passion. And I, by virtue of the apostolic power which has been confided to me, do absolve thee from all ecclesiastical censures, judgments, and penalties which thou mayest have merited, and from all excesses, sins, and crimes which thou mayest have committed, however great or enormous they may be, and for whatsoever cause, even though they had been reserved to our most Holy Father the Pope and the Apostolic See. I efface all attainders of unfitness and all marks of infamy thou mayest have drawn on thee on this occasion; I remit the punishment thou shouldest have had to endure in purgatory; I make thee anew a participator in the Sacraments of the Church; I incorporate thee afresh in the communion of the saints; and I reinstate thee in the innocence and purity in which thou wast at the hour of thy baptism; so that, at the hour of thy death, the gate through which is the entrance to the place of torments and punishments shall be closed against thee, and that which leads to the Paradise of joy shall be open. And shouldest thou be spared long, this grace shall remain immutable to the time of thy last end. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen... Brother John Tetzel, Commissioner, has signed it with his own hand." (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 8, pp. 403-404).

At that time, Luther was a university professor, preacher, and confessor; since, he still ignorantly held allegiance to the Church of Rome. "One day, as he sat in the confessional, some citizens of Wittemberg came before him, and confessed having committed thefts, adulteries, and other heinous sins. 'You must abandon your evil courses,' said Luther, 'otherwise I cannot absolve you.' To his surprise and grief, they replied that they had no thought of leaving off their sins; that this was not in the least necessary, inasmuch as these sins were already pardoned, and they themselves secured against the punishment of them. The deluded people would thereupon pull out the indulgence papers of Tetzel, and show them in testimony of their innocence. Luther could only tell them that these papers were worthless, that they must repent, and be forgiven of God, otherwise they should perish everlastingly" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 9, p. 408). In effect, Luther differed more widely with the Church of Rome than he was aware of.

            On October 31st 1517, the day before the Festival of All Saints, at noon Luther strode to the castle-church with the throngs of people, and nailed a document to the church's door-- the celebrated 95 Theses on the doctrine of indulgences. [Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force".] Luther was beginning to contend with the whole Papal system. Briefly,

1.      Article 6 stated: "The Pope cannot remit any condemnation, but can only declare and confirm the remission that God himself has given". [Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine Own sake, and will not remember thy sins".]

2.      Article 8 declared: "The laws of ecclesiastical penance can be imposed only on the living, and in no wise respect the dead".

3.      Article 37 announced: "Every true Christian, dead or living, is a partaker of all the blessings of Christ, or of the Church, by the gift of God, and without any letter of indulgence". [Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God".]

4.      Article 51 stated: "We should teach Christians that the Pope (as it is his duty) would distribute his own money to the poor, whom the indulgence-sellers are now stripping of their last farthing, even were he compelled to sell the Mother Church of St. Peter". [2Corinthians 12:15 "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you".]

5.      Article 52 remonstrated: "To hope to be saved by indulgences is a lying and an empty hope, although even the commissary of indulgences - nay, further, the Pope himself - should pledge their souls to guarantee it". [1Peter 1:18 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers".]

On the night before the very day that Martin Luther affixed his 95 Theses to the church door of Wittenburg, the Elector Frederick of Saxony-- where Luther abode-- had a dream, which he related the next morning to his brother, Duke John. Wylie relates that the dream was "recorded by all the chroniclers of the time" (Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 9, p. 413). "Brother, I must tell you a dream which I had last night, and the meaning of which I should like much to know. It is so deeply impressed on my mind, that I will never forget it, were I to live a thousand years. For I dreamed it thrice, and each time with new circumstances... Having gone to bed last night, fatigued and out of spirits, I fell asleep shortly after my prayer, and slept calmly for about two hours and a half; I then awoke, and continued awake to midnight, all sorts of thoughts passing through my mind. Among other things, I thought how I was to observe the Feast of All Saints. I prayed for the poor souls in purgatory; and supplicated God to guide me, my counsels, and my people according to truth."

            "I again fell asleep, and then dreamed that Almighty God sent me a monk, who was a true son of the Apostle Paul. All the saints accompanied him by order of God, in order to bear testimony before me, and to declare that he did not come to contrive any plot, but that all that he did was according to the will of God. They asked me to have the goodness graciously to permit him to write something on the door of the church of the Castle of Wittemberg. This I granted through my chancellor. Thereupon the monk went to the church, and began to write in such large characters that I could read the writing at Schweinitz. The pen which he used was so large that its end reached as far as Rome, where it pierced the ears of a lion that was crouching there, and caused the triple crown upon the head of the Pope to shake. All the cardinals and princes, running hastily up, tried to prevent it from falling. You and I, brother, wished also to assist, and I stretched out my arm; - but at this moment I awoke, with my arm in the air, quite amazed, and very much enraged at the monk for not managing his pen better. I recollected myself a little; it was only a dream."

            "I was still half asleep, and once more closed my eyes. The dream returned. The lion, still annoyed by the pen, began to roar with all his might, so much so that the whole city of Rome, and all the States of the Holy Empire, ran to see what the matter was. The Pope requested them to oppose this monk, and applied particularly to me, on account of his being in my country. I again awoke, repeated the Lord's prayer, entreated God to preserve his Holiness, and once more fell asleep. Then I dreamed that all the princes of the Empire, and we among them, hastened to Rome, and strove, one after another, to break the pen; but the more we tried the stiffer it became, sounding as if it had been made of iron. We at length desisted. I then asked the monk (for I was sometimes at Rome, and sometimes at Wittemberg) where he got this pen, and why it was so strong. 'The pen,' replied he, 'belonged to an old goose of Bohemia, a hundred years old. I got it from one of my old schoolmasters. As to its strength, it is owing to the impossibility of depriving it of its pith or marrow; and I am quite astonished at it myself.' Suddenly I heard a loud noise - a large number of other pens had sprung out of the long pen of the monk. I awoke a third time: it was daylight" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 5, Chapter 9, pp. 413-415). Wylie then added, "The elector has hardly made an end of telling his dream when the monk comes with his hammer to interpret it" (p. 415).

            Luther the Reformer began to develop doctrinally as he carefully considered the Word of God. As many of Luther's old friends began to melt away, new acquaintances came to his aid. When told that Luther's life was in danger, powerful German barons, Sylvester of Schaumburg, Francis of Sickingen, and Ulrich of Hutten, offered Luther their sword of protection-- as well as opposition to Papal tyranny. Ulrich even proposed to crush the fury of the devil by the force of arms-- to which Luther recoiled. Luther said, "I will not have recourse to arms and bloodshed in defense of the Gospel. It was by the Word that the Church was founded, and by the Word also it shall be re-established" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 1, p. 474).

            On June 15th 1520, a papal bull of excommunication was issued against Martin Luther. Within the space of 60 days, any town where Luther resided would be interdicted. Luther was to be banished by all princes and magistrates, or sent to Rome. Pope Leo X sent a letter to the Elector Frederick of Saxony, hoping to gain his support against Luther; but Frederick had now rejected Romanism and determined to protect Luther.

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will".

While waiting for the papal bull to reach him, Luther published "The Babylonish Captivity of the Church" on October 6th 1520. Luther wrote, "I denied that the Papacy was of Divine origin, but I granted that it was of human right. Now, after reading all the subtleties on which these gentry have set up their idol, I know that the Papacy is none other than the kingdom of Babylon, and the violence of Nimrod the mighty hunter. I therefore beseech all my friends and all the booksellers to burn the books that I have written on this subject, and to substitute this one proposition in their place: The Papacy is a general chase led by the Roman bishop to catch and destroy souls" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 2, p. 489). Luther understood that Romanism is identified with Babylon the Great.

            About this same time (October 1520), Luther wrote a letter to Pope Leo X. The following are excerpts of that letter: "It is true that I have attacked the court of Rome; but neither yourself nor any man living can deny that there is greater corruption in it than was in Sodom and Gomorrah, and that the impiety that prevails makes cure hopeless. Yes, I have been horrified in seeing how, under your name, the poor followers of Christ were deceived… You know it. Rome has for many years been inundating the world with whatever could destroy both soul and body. The Church of Rome, formerly the first in holiness, has become a den of robbers, a place of prostitution, a kingdom of death and hell; so that Antichrist himself, were he to appear, would be unable to increase the amount of wickedness. All this is as clear as day... You should perish by poison even before you could try any remedy. It is all over with the court of Rome. The wrath of God has overtaken and will consume it. It hates counsel-it fears reform-it will not moderate the fury of its ungodliness; and hence it may be justly said of it as of its mother: We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed-forsake her [Jeremiah 51:9]" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 2, pp. 491-492).

            Girolamo Aleander, a special envoy of the Papal See, was delegated the task of looking after the affair of Luther. Aleander asked for and received an audience from Frederick of Saxony. Quickly, Aleander pointed out the necessity of the Elector punishing Luther. To this Frederick pointed out that no one had yet refuted Luther, and it would be scandalous to punish a man uncondemned. The stage was set for Luther to appear before the Diet of Worms.

            Luther was summoned on March 6th 1521 to appear within 21 days before the Diet of Worms, the assemblage that had the power to burn him at the stake. On his journey to Worms, he passed through Erfurt, the place of his conversion at the Augustinian monastery. To give you an idea of how mature this former monk had become, hear an excerpt of a sermon from John 20:19- "Peace be unto you." He states: "Philosophers, doctors, and writers have endeavored to teach men the way to obtain everlasting life, and they have not succeeded. I will now tell it to you. There are two kinds of works-works not of ourselves, and these are good: our own works, they are of little worth. One man builds a church; another goes on a pilgrimage to St. Iago of Compostella, or St. Peter's; a third fasts, takes the cowl, and goes bare-foot; another does something else. All these works are nothingness, and will come to naught, for our own works have no virtue in them. But I am now going to tell you what is the true work. God has raised one Man from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, that he might destroy death, expiate sin, and shut the gates of hell. This is the work of salvation. Christ, has vanquished! This is the joyful news! and we are saved by his work, and not by our own... Our Lord Jesus Christ said, 'Peace be unto you! behold my hands'-that is to say, Behold, O man! it is I, I alone, who have taken away thy sins, and ransomed thee; and now thou hast peace, saith the Lord." (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 5, pp. 519-520). [Amen, and Amen!]

Luther entered Worms on the 16th of April, 1521. Some say he sang a hymn as he approached the city, a hymn which he composed two days earlier-- "'A strong Tower is our God' ['A Mighty Fortress Is Our God']" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 5, p. 521). The next day, Luther was summoned to appear before the Diet. Upon entering the crowded assembly of dignitaries of the states of the Holy Roman Empire, Luther was implored to acknowledge his authorship of some 20 books and retract his opinions. Luther respectfully admitted authorship, but he asked for another day to consider his reply. His opponents felt he was ready to recant, but Luther was desirous of circumstances that would make his reply all the more weighty and irrevocable.

            On the April 18th 1521, Luther made his final reply to the Diet of Worms. He began by admitting again to the authorship of his books on faith and morals, on the exposure of papal usurpations and degeneracy, and against the defenders of error. He invited all to point him to Scripture that would or could correct him. Luther then turned the tables on his judges. "In conclusion, he warned this assembly of monarchs of a judgment to come: a judgment not beyond the grave only, but on this side of it: a judgment in time. They were on their trial. They, their kingdoms, their crowns, their dynasties, stood at a great Bar. It was to them the day of visitation; it was now to be determined whether they were to be planted in the earth, whether their thrones should be stable, and their power should continue to flourish, or whether their houses should be razed, and their thrones swept away in a deluge of wrath, in a flood of present evils, and of eternal desolation" (Wylie, Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 6, p. 534). [Again, like the Apostle Paul, Luther pricked the conscience of his judges. Acts 26:26 "For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner".]

            To this, the impatient question returned, Would he, or would he not retract? Luther responded: "'Since your most Serene Majesty, and your High Mightiness, require from me a direct and precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this. I cannot submit my faith either to the Pope or to the Councils, because it is clear as day they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless, therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or on plain and clear grounds of reason, so that conscience shall bind me to make acknowledgment of error, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything contrary to conscience.' And then, looking round on the assembly, he said-and the words are among the sublimest in history- 'HERE I STAND. I CAN DO NO OTHER. MAY GOD HELP ME. AMEN'" (James A. Wylie, "History of Protestantism", Volume 1, Book 6, Chapter 6, pp. 535-536).

Conclusion

Historical proofs such as Alexander Hislop's "The Two Babylons: Or, The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife" (1853) demonstrate to the willing mind the certain connection of Ancient Babylon to the final form of the One World Religion ruled by the False Prophet, who "causeth the Earth and them which dwell therein to worship" (Revelation 13:12) the Antichrist. Hislop's classic work focuses on "Rome [the Roman Catholic Church] as the Apocalyptic Babylon". He concludes, "Let every Christian henceforth and for ever treat it as an outcast from the pale of Christianity. Instead of speaking of it as a Christian Church, let it be recognised and regarded as the Mystery of Iniquity, yea, as the very Synagogue of Satan."

However, though Hislop accurately followed the evolution of Babylon the Great through the history of the Roman Catholic Church, his perspective from the mid-1800's did not forsee the modern development of a one world religion in its final form-- the United Religions, a type of spiritual United Nations, whose charter was signed in June 2000.

            To those who can be warned of the coming judgment and destruction of Babylon the Great: Nahum 3:4-5 "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of Hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame". Your professed love for the LORD Jesus Christ should plead for immediate separation from Babylon the Great. 1Corinthians 6:15-16 "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith He, shall be one flesh".

Part 3: The Ecumenical Movement and the Church of Rome

Preface

            The New Birth is as those who awake out of the Sleep of Sin, only to find themselves "as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3) in the midst of a "perverse and crooked generation" (Deuteronomy 32:5). With the Holy Spirit as Guide, Comfort, and Teacher, the Believer seizes upon the Scriptures, and devours "every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Invariably, that knowledge imparted by the Spirit of Christ places the Saints in direct opposition to the "spirit of Antichrist" (1John 4:3) and the multifaceted Babylon the Great.

            Just as Christian-- from John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress"-- battled Apollyon in the Valley of Humiliation with his Two-Edged Sword; likewise, while defending ourselves with the "Shield of Faith" (Ephesians 6:16), we draw our "Sword of the Spirit" (6:17) to put the Enemy to flight. Thus, we find ourselves regrouping and ministered unto by our LORD's angels, who are "sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation" (Hebrews 1:14).

            And, just what does the Awakened Saint understand that causes him to form the battle line against Babylon the Great? Perhaps it is that Babylon is so ancient a foe of our LORD and King. Possibly it is that Mystery Babylon has troubled the nations, robbing them of the tranquility bestowed upon those who are called by the Name of the LORD. And maybe it is that the Mother of Harlots has counterfeited the "pure religion and undefiled" (James 1:27) causing the eternal destruction of untold numbers of those deceived by her.

Historic Ecumenism

            The word "ecumenical" comes from the Greek word "oikoumene", meaning the whole inhabited Earth. "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world [Greek, oikoumene; Strong's # 3625] for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14). By itself, "ecumenicity" can easily be applied to the Gospel outreach of the New Testament Church; however, the historic and modern context of the word has caused thoughtful Believers to utterly abhor it.  Church History records twenty-one Ecumenical Councils from 325 AD to October 11,1962:

1.      (1) Nicaea (325 AD)- condemned Arianism, which denied the full deity of the preexistent Son of God,

2.      (2) Constantinople (381 AD)- called to settle Apollinarianism,

3.      (3) Ephesus (431 AD)- called to settle the Nestorian controversy,

4.      (4) Chalcedon (451 AD)- called to settle the Eutychian controversy,

5.      (5) Constantinople (553 AD)- to settle the Monophysites controversy,

6.      (6) Constantinople (680 AD)- doctrine of two wills in Christ,

7.      (7) Nicaea (787 AD)- sanctioned image worship-- which is idolatry,

8.      (8) Constantinople (869 AD)- final schism between East (Constantinople) and West (Rome),

9.      (9) Lateran (1123 AD)- Rome decided bishops to be appointed by the Pope,

10.  (10) Lateran (1139 AD)- Rome's effort to heal schism between East and West,

11.  (11) Lateran (1179 AD)- Rome enforced ecclesiastical discipline,

12.  (12) Lateran (1215 AD)- Rome did the bidding of Pope Innocent III

13.  (13) Lyons (1245 AD)- to settle quarrel between Pope and Emperor,

14.  (14) Lyons (1274 AD)- Rome's new effort for union of East and West,

15.  (15) Vienne (1311 AD)- Rome suppressed the Knights Templar,

16.  (16) Constance (1414-1418 AD)- attempted to heal Papal Schism and burned John Huss,

17.  (17) Basel and Ferrara-Florence (1431-1439 AD)- attempted to reform the Catholic Church,

18.  (18) Lateran (1512-1518 AD)- another attempt to reform the Church of Rome,

19.  (19) Trent (1545)- Rome's attempt to counteract the Reformation,

20.  (20) Vatican (1869 AD)- declared dogma of Papal Infallibility, and

21.  (21) Vatican [Vatican 2] (October 11,1962)- announced Rome's effort to bring all Christendom into one Church-- back to Rome.

[Dates, places, and events were taken essentially from "Halley's Bible Handbook" on the "Ecumenical Councils", p. 765.]

            Since the Church was not born in a vacuum, each generation of Believers must determine "what saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3), then "earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints" (Jude 3). And, understanding that the Christian is "not of the world" (John 15:19), he must place supreme value upon the Scripture of Truth (Daniel 10:21) over the "tradition of men" (Colossians 2:8) or "science falsely so called" (1Timothy 6:20). In this, the Ecumenical Councils were not to be blamed for their condemnation of anti-Scriptural heresies, Arianism; but, they were to be blamed for the use of their ecumenical power against those who stood for the Scriptures, John Huss, who was condemned and burned by the Council of Constance (1415 AD).

            The very concept of a Christian Church evokes to the average person a picture of structure and organization epitomized by a church building; but, our LORD viewed the Church in a much more primitive form. He said; "For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). The true Church has nothing to do with buildings and that which makes for denominations, but has to do with the hearts and faith of those who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is within us and not something outward to be seen as a building (Luke 17:21). True Christian unity is to be highly prized by the Saints-- "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)-- but not at the expense of the Truth of God’s Word, which alone is truth (John 17:17). We have freedom as moral agents to choose to believe or do wrong, but that does not constitute a license to sin, as promulgating the anti-Christian theology of the Infallibility of the Pope (Vatican Council of 1869), or the ungodly ecumenical movement or anything else that is contrary to the truth.

"Ichabod": The Early Church Degenerates into Babylon the Great

            The Old Testament Scriptures teach us that the name "Ichabod" was given to the child born to Eli's daughter-in-law, when the Ark of the LORD was captured by the Philistines, and both Eli and her husband died. "And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the Ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband" (1Samuel 4:21). This calamity illustrated how the Living God departed from those who departed from Him. This reciprocal relationship is affirmed in the New Testament. James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you". In fact, the LORD God expounded to the prophet Ezekiel the exact nature of how He views the falling away of the formerly righteous. Ezekiel 3:17,20 "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me... Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand".

            The Early Church walked with the LORD Jesus Christ during His Earthly Ministry and could be compared to the Church of Ephesus of which God said they had borne and had; "patience, and for My Name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted" (Revelation 2:3). However, toward the end of the First Century, when the Apostle John wrote the Revelation, the Church of Ephesus had backslid, and God said of it; "thou hast left thy First Love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (Revelation 2:4).

            But, how did the Primitive Church become "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5)? Babylonianism was the offspring of Nimrod the Great, who "was a mighty hunter before the LORD" (Genesis 10:9). It was foisted upon Israel in the form of Baal worship by the evil prophet Baalam, "who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication" (Revelation 2:14). Though Israel forsook idol worship after her Babylonian Captivity, the Gentile world was sufficiently pagan, that Pergamos, the third Church of Revelation chapters 2 & 3 (immediately preceding Thyatira), had already succumbed to the "doctrine of Balaam" (2:14), Babylonianism's Baal worship. The stage was set for the Bishop of Rome to claim supremacy over all the other bishops. Leo the First claimed for himself the title of Primate of All Bishops (445 AD) with the imperial recognition of Emperor Valentinian III, while Attila the Hun (452 AD) and Genseric the Vandal (455 AD) were breaking up the Roman Empire-- and, both finally consented to spare Rome.

            Leo the First, considered by some non-Catholic historians to be the First Pope, "proclaimed himself Lord of the Whole Church; advocated Exclusive Universal Papacy; said that Resistance to his authority was a Sure Way to Hell; advocated the Death Penalty for heresy" ("Halley's Bible Handbook", p.770). Thus, the reign of the Church of Rome as Babylon the Great began about the time of the Fall of the Roman Empire (476 AD).

Catholicity and Ecumenicity

            "The word 'catholic' means 'universal,' in the sense of 'according to the totality' or 'in keeping with the whole'" (from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" [1992], paragraph 830). The dictionary definition of the term "universal" means that which extends to or affects the entire world. Hence, even Rome's name makes no qualms about its claim to a monopoly of the religion of the world.

            Though the Church of Rome's term of "catholicity" has the sound of Scripturalness, it is only a usurpation of the true concept of the dominion that the LORD Jesus Christ intended for the spread of His Gospel, that it be universal or worldwide. And, that dominion is also granted to the smallest of Saints, without regard to human ecclesiastical affiliation, so long as fellowship and faith are maintained with Christ Jesus, the "Head of the Church" (Ephesians 5:23). Matthew 18:19-20 "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them".

            Though the Papacy claims to possess the "keys of the kingdom" (Catechism, 553) of God they say was passed down from Christ to Peter in Matthew 16:19 and then from him to each succeeding pope, those keys in actuality belong to Jesus Christ, the LORD of Glory. Jesus said, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have The Keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18). Furthermore, what was said to the Apostle Peter about his authority to bind and loose; "And I will give unto thee The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven" (Matthew 16:19), had nothing to do with setting up an ecclesiastical order of which Peter was the head. First of all the false assumption of the meaning of this scripture begins from misunderstanding the pervious verse, Matthew 16:18. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  The meaning of this verse is twisted so that the verse following about the keys of the kingdom could be made a personal thing to Peter alone, which cannot be, for Christ alone is the “head of the church”. To understand the passage and see the mistake of the Catholic Church, we only have to start back at verse 15. Matthew 16:15-17 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Then Jesus made the declaration to Peter in verse 18; “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The rock upon which the Church would be built is not Peter, but the revelation that the Father had given him of who Christ was. The name Peter means rock, but as a small rock, whereas the ‘rock’ that Jesus would build the church upon means a mass of rock, a hugh unmovable rock. It is comparable to the difference between a pebble and the rock of Gibraltar. Jesus is the true Rock. When Paul was writing about the Israelites in the wilderness and the rock out of which the water flowed in the desert, he said there was also a spiritual Rock and that Rock was Christ (1Corinthians 10:4). There in Saudia Arabia is the physical rock from where the water gushed out for the Israelites, but the source was Jesus, who is the source of life and all things. Now, to also show that the statement of the keys of the kingdom was not just for Peter and one man who would be the leader or pope of the whole body of Christ on the earth, we can look at another verse and see that it was also spoken to the other disciples of Christ. Matthew 18:18-19 "Verily I say unto you (disciples), Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you [not just Simon Peter] shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven".

            The word "ecumenical" denotes that which is worldwide in range or applicability; hence, universal. It is not without surprise that Roman Catholicism claims to be more than merely one of many Christian Churches, but the Mother Church of us all, e.g., "the Church, further, which is called 'that Jerusalem which is above' and 'our mother' [Galatians 4:26]" (from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" [1992], paragraph 757). The Apostle Paul used the expression "mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26) in allegorical reference to Jerusalem as the symbol of our freedom from the bondage of the Law. And, it is not that the "Jerusalem which is above" (4:26) cannot be construed as representative of the Church of the Gospel; but, it just does not represent Rome, for the Church of Rome traces its lineage through Hagar back to Babylon and not to Jerusalem. Instead, our union is with the LORD Jesus Christ Himself.

            It has been an historic dogma of the Catholic Church that "outside the [Catholic] Church there is no salvation". "They could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it" (from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" [1992], paragraph 846). This was intended by the Papacy to place the world in universal need of coming to Rome to receive the benefits of their ecumenical salvation. But, the Word of God tells us that Salvation is:

1.      (1) universal in that it is addressed to the world, John 3:16 "God so loved the world",

2.      (2) graciously and freely offered, without possible payment,  Ephesians 2:8-9 "it is the Gift of God: Not of works",

3.      (3) common in that it is offered to "whosoever will" (Revelation 22:17),  Jude 3 "I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common Salvation",

4.      (4) accessible solely by faith, 2Timothy 3:15 "from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus",

5.      (5) granted to only those who repent of their opposition to God, Acts 2:38 "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins",

6.      (6) not for those who presume they can or will repent tomorrow, Hebrews 3:7 "as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear His Voice", and

7.      (7) for only those who persevere in faith, Matthew 10:22 "ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved".

So, the LORD Jesus Christ-- and not the Church of Rome-- offers the truly universal ("catholic") Salvation to the entire ("ecumenic") world, for the Only Begotten Son of God alone "hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37).

            The counsel of Scripture is plain concerning the Universal-Catholic-Ecumenical designs of the Church of Rome-- "cast out the bondwoman" (Galatians 4:30). Separate from Rome. But, would it not be more prudent to appear less divisive, and remain in the Catholic Church? Nay, God forbid! This is a sin that we are not merely to avoid-- but to flee! "Flee from idolatry" (1Corinthians 10:14).

Liberalism and the Exaltation of Human Reason

            Man's trouble with the Creator lies in their unwillingness to accept God's testimony about God and themselves. Romans 1:19-20 "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse". Consequently, rebellious man has produced his own philosophies to account for what God has already declared in the Scriptures. Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ".

            Religious Liberalism finds historical roots in the Enlightenment (the Age of Reason), which was centered in Europe during the 1700's. With Sir Isaac Newton's "Principia" (1687), the science of physics established the investigation of nature through mathematical representations; and, human reason strove for earthly dominion. Though Newton was a serious student of Biblical Prophecy later in life, his scientific work was interpreted by his contemporaries as proof of the superiority of human reason over Biblical Revelation. John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" (1690) bulwarked this insistence upon knowledge gained only by human experience, and lent itself to those who emphasized that genuine certainty could only be achieved through the precision of mathematics.

            The flood of Liberal philosophers and theologians that followed, left the Church of Jesus Christ with a "little strength" (Revelation 3:8), but that was still enough for the Christians (from 1700-1900 A.D.) to promote the Gospel worldwide through the "Open Door" held open by the Saviour Himself. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), George Whitefield (1714-1770), John Wesley (1703-1791), Charles Wesley (1707-1788), Charles G. Finney (1792-1875), C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), D. L. Moody (1837-1899), R. A. Torrey (1856-1928), and multitudes of others represent the Church’s response to Religious Liberalism.

            On Liberalism's part, the Scottish empiricist, David Hume (1711-1776) advanced arguments for skepticism. He said absolute knowledge is impossible, in his "Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding" (1748); and therefore, the existence of God could not be proved. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), encouraged by the works of Hume, wrote the "Enquiry into the Proofs for the Existence of God" (1763). He held that it was a mistake for metaphysicians to go beyond sense experience to define concepts like God, freedom, or the immortal soul. Naturally, it would be contemptible to the Religious Liberal's mind to resort to the question, "What saith the Scripture?", for the authorization or limitation of undertaking any given task. After all, he might argue, that which is important is what you perceive to be true, God, to be your duty, moral law, or to be beautiful, is in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, with names such as Friederich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) and G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831), Liberalism stormed the bastions of traditional Biblicism, enthroned human reason, and ridiculed the simplicity of Biblical faith.

Modernism and the Social Gospel

            Religious Modernism began as a "loosely defined movement within the Roman Catholic church aimed at adapting Catholic belief to the intellectual, moral, and social needs of modern times. It developed spontaneously toward the end of the 19th century principally in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, and the United States. Proponents of the movement accepted the findings of modern science and supported the critical view of the Bible, thereby establishing a link with liberal Protestantism" ("Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia", article on "Modernism" by John E. Booty). Like Liberalsim, Modernism questioned the authority of the Scriptures, preferring instead human reason.

            By 1924, Shailer Mathews of Chicago Divinity School-- founded and endowed by John D. Rockefeller (1891), and the largest single institutional educator of faculty members for theological seminaries, departments of theology, and programs in religious studies across America-- had penned "The Faith of Modernism", stressing that Christian doctrines were not timeless truths but merely reflections of the culture. In America, with the economic unrest of 1870-1918-- punctuated by the Nation's encounter with the monopolistic capitalists, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, etc.-- Modernism emerged advancing the Social Gospel, which championed the themes of love and justice in education, society, and political life. With statements of purpose, such as Modernist leader Walter Rauschenbusch's "A Theology for the Social Gospel" (1917), the emphasis was taken away from the Salvation of the immortal soul and given to the economic and social advancement of mankind.

            An older testimony (early 1900's) is offered from a former Modernist, Professor Kanamori of Doshisha College, Japan: "I was brought up in puritanic strictness of doctrine and practice, so when I read those easy-going Modernist books I felt as though I was coming out of a frozen zone into the warmth of the tropics. I enjoyed the reading of those Modernist books so very much that I was completely carried away by their clever arguments... When I embraced this Modernism and Higher Criticism I lost my Christian message entirely, and I became a messageless man... When I lost faith in the absolute divine authority of the Bible, and faith in the deity of Jesus Christ, I lost everything. I could still preach the moral precepts of the Bible, and thought that perhaps I could apply them to some of the social questions of the day. But I could not preach the central fundamental doctrine of Christianity, salvation by the blood of Jesus shed upon the cross" (from "The Scriptures and the Mistakes of the Critics", p. 24).

            Pope Pius XII opened the way for Biblical Criticism in Catholicism, which was the critical view of the Bible promoted by Modernism, through his encyclical "Divino afflante Spiritu" (1943). In effect, Rome was preparing to harness the power of Liberal Protestantism for Babylon the Great. Modernism is felt most by the vacuum it creates through the deemphasis of the authority of the Scriptures, opting instead to blend their Social Gospel with the economic, social, and political agendas of the contemporary culture. The supremacy of the Scriptures fueled the Reformation and angered Babylon the Great, while the present apathy toward Scripture opens the way for the appearance of the Antichrist. It’s a shame, but we are told in Luke 16:8; "The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of Light".

World Council of Churches: Promoting a "Eucharistic Vision"

            In 1983, the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Vancouver Assembly spoke of a "eucharistic vision" which unites two of their "profoundest ecumenical concerns: the unity and renewal of the church and the healing and destiny of the human community" (from the WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches" [September 1997], paragraph 2.4). Surely the Roman Pontiff took great delight in this ecumenical announcement of purpose, with deference given to the more Catholic identification of the LORD's Supper as the Eucharist.

            But, why all these bold words against the World Council of Churches? "An important affirmation made in the early phase of collaboration between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches was that the two share in 'one and the same ecumenical movement'... The oneness of the ecumenical movement refers fundamentally to its orientation towards a 'common calling'" (from the WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches", paragraph 2.10). This affirmation from the World Council of Churches makes simple their own condemnation.

The Harlot Church of Rome is an implacable enemy of Jehovah Jesus, for she is the Great Whore "with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:1-2), and the World Council of Churches' "common calling" collaboration with the Church of Rome is spiritual adultery. Rome's doctrine damns her faithful, and her history betrays her origin; Babylon.        

We are told in 1John 4:1; "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world".

And, just what is the World Council of Churches? "The World Council of Churches [WCC] is a fellowship of churches, now 324, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany" (from the official "WCC COMMENT ON ENCYCLICAL ON ECUMENISM" [June 1,1995]). "It is impossible to speak of the World Council of Churches apart from the ecumenical movement out of which it grew and of which it is a highly visible part... the term 'ecumenical' embraces the quest for Christian unity, common witness in the worldwide task of mission and evangelism, and commitment to diakonia [Greek, service or ministry] and to the promotion of justice and peace" (from the WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches", paragraphs 2.1, 2.2).

            Again, we are told in Matthew 7:15-20; "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every Good tree bringeth forth Good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A Good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth Good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth Good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them".

From whence did the World Council of Churches arise? Prior to the formation of the World Council of Churches, three major ecumenical bodies had been formed among non-Roman Catholics: the International Missionary Council (1910), the Universal Christian Council for Life and Work (1925), and the Faith and Order Conference (1927). Presently, these three bodies are incorporated into the World Council of Churches. "Within the ecumenical movement the WCC has sought to integrate the vision of John 17:21 ('that they may all be one... so that the world may believe') with the vision of Ephesians 1:10 (God's 'plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth'). But the effort to integrate these two biblical visions has been challenged by a continuing tension and sometimes antagonism between those who advocate the primacy of the social dimension of ecumenism and those who advocate the primacy of spiritual or ecclesial ecumenism" (from the WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches", paragraph 2.5).

A Statistical View of Ecumenism and Roman Catholicism in the USA (1998)

World Council of Churches:USA Member Churches With More Than 1,000,000 Members (1998)

United Methodist Church                                8,495,378

National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.      8,200,000

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America       5,180,910

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)                                    3,637,375

National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.           3,500,000

African Methodist Episcopal Church              3,500,000

Episcopal Church                                            2,536,550

Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.         2,500,000

Orthodox Church in America                          2,000,000

American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.       1,503,267

United Church of Christ                                              1,452,565

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church      1,252,369

                                                                        ----------

43,758,414

Roman Catholic Church: USA Membership (1998)  61,207,914

Total Population of USA (1998)        269,816,000

(Source: World Council of Churches, "Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, 1998", and infoplease.com.)

1.      Roughly 16.2% of the total population of the United States of America belongs to a religious body that is a voting member of the World Council of Churches.

2.      Approximately 22.7% of the same United States population are recorded as members of the Roman Catholic Church.

3.      A combined total of 38.9% of America's population is numbered with Babylon the Great. That’s nearly 4 out of every 10 people in a country once regarded as a Christian nation. "How are the mighty fallen!" (2Samuel 1:19).

The Second Vatican Council (1962): Catholicism's Modern Identification With Ecumenism

            The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is not a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC); and, it has never applied for membership. Rome says to herself, "I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow" (Revelation 18:7). "The RCC's self-understanding has been one reason why it has not joined" (from an FAQ at the WCC's website [1999], which asks if the Roman Catholic Church is a member of the World Council of Churches). Rome understands that the Road of Ecumenism does not lead to Geneva (the WCC's headquarters) but it leads back to Rome. Apparently, the WCC's affirmation that the RCC and WCC promote "one and the same ecumenical movement" (from the WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches", paragraph 2.10) demonstrates that at least the leadership of the WCC understands the destination and purpose of ecumenism, to bring what the Catholic Church views as wayward Protestants back to the Mother Church of Rome, towards a "eucharistic vision".

            One of the "principal concerns" of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) was the "restoration of unity among all Christians" (from the Second Vatican Council, "Decree on Ecumenism- Unitatis Redintegratio", paragraph 1). But, beware of the harlotry of Rome, for the "mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein" (Proverbs 22:14). Commenting on the term "ecumenical movement", the "Decree on Ecumenism" stated that "when the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist, be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on His Church from the beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time" (from the Second Vatican Council, "Decree on Ecumenism- Unitatis Redintegratio", paragraph 4). Indeed, the "leopard [has not changed] his spots" (Jeremiah 13:23)!

            As if to make plain that the Church of Rome, and not the World Council of Churches, originated the Ecumenical Movement, the 21st Ecumenical Council of Roman Catholicism, known also as the Second Vatican Council (1962), announced her intentions:

1.      (1) a removal of the "obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion" [translation: "no more opposition to Rome"],

2.      (2) a promoting of a single worship in the "common celebration of the Eucharist" (1962)-- which was unsurprisingly announced by the WCC (1983) as the driving purpose of the Ecumenical Movement, a "eucharistic vision"—and

3.      (3) a regathering or reintegration of "all Christians" back "into the one and only Church" [translation: "Back to Rome or Babylon"].

Conclusion

            Such a stark picture of the ecumenical allies of Babylon the Great cannot but produce a dark foreboding in the earnest Believer. Understanding our God's purpose in the past, present, and future aids in our obedience to His Plan. It would be woefully inappropriate for the reader of this article to simply dwell on the enormity of the ecumenical hordes of Babylon the Great; instead, we need to steel ourselves with the "Exceeding Great And Precious Promises" (2Peter 1:4) that enable us to be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). Our victory is already assured through faith in "Jesus the Author and Finisher of Our Faith" (Hebrews 12:2). 1John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith". Already many of our Brethren are watching us from Heaven as we "finish [our] course" (Acts 20:24). They also sense the excitement of the soon appearing of the KING of Kings, and LORD of Lords, as they cheer us on. Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us". But, when all is said and done, we labor for the Master in obedience to His Plan, because we love Him and what He has done for us.

Part 4: Come Out of Her, My People

Or, Love Alone Will Cause Us to Obey the Command to Separate From Babylon the Great

"Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

Preface

            Love is the very essence of God, for the Scriptures testify that "God is Love" (1John 4:16). And, it encompasses all that is right about our motivation to obey God. 1John 5:3 "For this is the Love of God, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not grievous [literally, burdensome]". What True Saint can wittingly complain to the One Who "Loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (4:10), that He is asking too high a price of us to keep His Commandments? John 15:13 "Greater Love hath no man than this, that a Man lay down His Life for His friends". Can we truly say to Jesus that we are His friends, when we disobey Him? John 15:14 "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you". Is any demand too great or expectation too high that we can rightfully say to the LORD Jesus, "That is too much"? John 14:15 "If ye love Me, keep My Commandments".

            Is God such an unfeeling taskmaster that He would demand from us that which we are incapable of giving? 1Corinthians 10:13 "God is Faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to Escape, that ye may be able to bear it". Does God despise our True Happiness so much that He would load us with unreasonable demands? Yet, a "bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory" (Matthew 12:20). How can we persist in calling ourselves by the name of Christ while stedfastly refusing Him obedience? 1John 2:4 "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him". Dare we maintain our innocence and acceptance with God while maintaining unholy disobedience?

            Should we not, instead, thank our Saviour for the opportunity to fulfill the highest calling of our existence-- to do the will of God from the heart, by obedience to His right and just commands? Ephesians 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart". Is it not our privilege to "spend and be spent" (2Corinthians 12:15) for the "High and Lofty One" (Isaiah 57:15)?

Love: Christ's Example for Our Obedience

            Coming Out of Babylon. Our Lord's example of loving obedience to the Father is seen throughout the New Testament. John 6:38 "For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me". Even as Samson tore the "doors of the gate of the city" of the Philistine city of Gaza off their hinges and carried them away (Judges 16:3), even so the LORD Jesus has stormed Babylon the Great to make our escape possible. If the LORD Jesus Christ had not obeyed the Father, none of us would ever escape Babylon. Thank God for the LORD Jesus' commitment to deliver us!

            The Humanity of Christ. A great puzzle to the human mind is the humanity of the Son of God-- why the Eternal Logos "was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14)? You correctly respond that He was born to die for our sins, "that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2Corinthians 5:21). But, such pain and suffering He had to endure. Couldn't the Father have simplified it with less of each? Evidently not, for "His way is perfect" (2Samuel 22:31). Because the LORD Jesus is both truly God and truly man, His human sufferings served the purpose of perfecting the human character of our Sinless High Priest (Hebrews 4:15). Hebrews 2:10 "For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings".

            Sanctified by Suffering. If this suffering was necessary for the perfecting of the Messiah, a "Lamb without blemish and without spot" (1Peter 1:19), then how much more necessary is our suffering for our sanctification? 1Peter 4:1 "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin". Would this not also explain the timeless question of why God allows the Saints to suffer? Sanctification like justification is acquired by man through faith alone.

            A Faith Which Worketh by Love. Our rebellion at the prospect of our pain causes us to rationalize that our additional suffering is useless because Christ's work on the Cross is a finished work, which it truly is. But, do not the Scriptures teach us, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20)? Truly, it was a necessity for the Reformers to emphasize the primacy of Salvation by faith alone. But, though Romanism perverted the very idea of works, emphasizing self-righteous works, of which are truly said that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), the works of faith are a vital fruit for any who are genuinely planted in the Vine of Christ. John 15:5 "I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing". Rather than making war against works in the name of faith, Antinomianism, should we not simply admit the supremacy of a "faith which worketh by Love" (Galatians 5:6)? James 2:18 "Yea, a man