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The Destruction Of Mystic Babylon
"Declare ye among the nations, and publish; set up a standard; say, Babylon
is taken."—Jer 50:2.
While our message for today is
"meat in due season" to the Household of Faith, and in every way
important to be understood, it is, nevertheless, a subject difficult to treat
without giving offense, without seeming harsh. Bear with me, then, while
expressing what I believe to be the Divine Message in as kindly a manner as I
know how.
The Scriptures which I may quote in support of my presentation seem harsh
almost to cruelty; but I assure you, my hearers, that I am not responsible for
the language of the Bible. My responsibility is to speak the Word of the Lord.
In doing this I shall endeavor to present the message in as kindly a manner as
I am able, and as far as possible explain some of the harsher expressions; but
I must not shun to declare the whole counsel of God—and as fully as I believe
He would now have His people understand it.—Jer 23:28; Ac 20:26,27.
In the days of Jesus and His Apostles there was no Mystic Babylon. Therefore
the expressions in the Revelation of St. John bearing upon Mystic Babylon were
prophetic of the systems and conditions which have since risen in the Church.
The word Babylon has a double significance.
It is derived from the word Babel, and reminds us of the time when the sons of
Noah lost faith in the Divine providential care and in the rainbow of promise,
and endeavored to erect a structure for their own preservation—the Tower of Babel.
This attempt led to the confusion of tongues.—Ge 11:1-9.
Similarly, following the days of the Apostles and of the persecution of the
early Church, an attempt was made to erect a great religious system for the
protection of the
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Church, not waiting for the fulfilment of the Divine promise that in due time
Messiah would come and establish His Kingdom for the blessing of the world.
The religious "Tower of Babel" was, primarily, Papacy. So far as it
went, it was a wonderful structure, but it never accomplished the designs of
its founders. It never mastered and established the Church far above the power
and influence of the civil governments and earthly monarchs.
It was when the Tower of Babel rose to a considerable height in dignity and
grandeur that the Lord manifested His Power amongst the workmen and confounded
their speech. Disconcerted, the people ceased the further building of the
Tower, and each set up for himself. This corresponds well with the Protestant
Reformation Movement and the various denominations into which those once
Catholic became divided.
BABYLON AND ITS WALL
Another thought connected with our subject is that the literal city of Babylon
was a prototype, a prophetic figure of Mystic Babylon. The name Babylon
signifies "The Gate of God"—the gateway by which access to God is to
be attained. This in effect was the claim made by Papacy, and the claim which
she still makes—that she is a great City, a great kingdom; that she has a great
wall of Divine salvation and protection round about her—a great wall built of
superstition and ignorance, say her enemies.
In the Revelation Jesus prophetically pictures the greatness of this City, this
spiritual Empire. It is essentially religious, although it includes the great
kingdoms of earth, which unitedly are styled Christendom. This great
"city," Babylon, is represented as being divided into ten different
wards, each of which represents one of the kingdoms of Christendom, and which
corresponds to the ten horns of the symbolic "beast." Compare Re
11:13; 13:1; Da 2:41; 7:7.
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As this great "city," or spiritual kingdom, thus includes the chief
monarchies of Europe, so under another figure Babylon, Papacy, is represented
as a woman, in whose forehead is found the name, "Babylon the Great, the
Mother of Harlots." Thus is shown in some manner the various Protestant
systems of Christendom which separated from the "Mother Church" of Rome,
but which are still her daughters, still related to her, partakers of her
character, traits and disposition. Thus Babylon with her ten wards includes
practically all of Europe; and Mother and Daughters of this same family name
include nearly all of the Protestant denominations as well as the Catholic
Mother Church.
WHAT IS MEANT BY HARLOTRY?
It should be remembered in discussing this subject that the Scriptural language
is figurative—that it does not signify that either the Church of Rome or her
Protestant Daughters are immoral. The correct thought is this: Primarily the Church
of Christ was a "virgin" company of persons, called out, separated
from the world, its aims and its ambitions—called to be saints and joint-heirs
with Christ in His Kingdom. To whatever extent systems rose amongst the
followers of Jesus and became affiliated with any of the kingdoms of this
world—to that extent, Scripturally, figuratively, they committed harlotry; for
they were espoused to the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and were to wait
for Him, that at His Second Coming they might become His Bride and His
Associate in His Throne.
It will not be questioned that Papacy became affiliated with the Roman Empire
and sat down on the throne of Rome; nor that the Church of England, as one of
her "daughters," became affiliated with the British Government and
now sits, representatively, in the House of Lords. It would not be questioned
that the Greek Church experienced a similar betrothal and marriage to the
Russian Government, the Lutheran Church to the German
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Government, etc., etc. It is on this account and in this sense that the Church
of Rome and her Daughters—mother and daughters, organizations of
Protestants—are figuratively called by the family name of Babylon.
BABYLON’S GOLDEN CUP
Under the figure of "a woman clothed in purple and scarlet" the
Mother System of Babylon long centuries ago "made all the nations drunk
with her wine," the doctrines which she had in her Golden Cup. (Re
17:1-6.) The Golden Cup represents the Bible, the Divine Standard, or
authority. It was misused when the wine of false doctrine was put into it—when
the Bible was claimed as authority for various erroneous teachings of the Dark
Ages. The intoxicating "wine" which made the nations drunk, and which
led them to support the "woman" and to call themselves Christian
nations, Papacy still holds in her hand, and still offers to whoever will
receive it. But the nations are gradually sobering up.
It is not necessary to suppose that every doctrine presented by Papacy was
false and intoxicating. The thought is, rather, that a stupefying potion was
put into the wine already in the Cup. As the Golden Cup represents the Word of
God and its Message, the stupefying potion may well be understood to be some of
the doctrines; for instance, that God’s Kingdom has already been set up, that
the papal throne is the Throne of Christ, and that the Pope reigns as Christ’s
Vicegerent, or substitute and representative. Other poisonous elements
threatened the people with purgatorial torture or with eternal torment if they
failed to keep in line with the papal authority—this claimed vicegerent
authority of Christ.
The Protestant denominations were all born under these intoxicating influences
and false theories. While they separated from the Mother system and denounced
her, nevertheless they held doctrinally to many of her intoxicating errors.
Consequently they, too, claim that
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somehow, they know not how, Messiah’s Kingdom has been set up and is reigning.
They, too, join in giving the nations some of the same commingled
"wine" that the Mother gave them, telling the people that these are
Christian nations, even though they have anything but the Christian spirit, and
are building guns and dreadnaughts to blow each other off the face of the
earth.
So strong is the power of this intoxication that the inconsistencies of such
theories are not discerned by those intoxicated. Only the few who are gradually
getting free from the stupefying potion are able, by Divine assistance, to see
some of the mistakes along this line. These see that neither the Church of Rome
nor any of her Daughter systems is the true Church.
Each system professes to be the Bride of Christ, yet each knows that the
marriage of the Lamb is to take place at the Second Coming of Christ. They have
therefore very generally lost sight of the fact that the true virgin Church of Christ,
only a Little Flock (#Lu 12:32), who will be accounted worthy to become the
Bride of Christ, must wait for the Lord from Heaven. (1Th 1:9,10.) She must
keep herself "unspotted from the world," a virgin, that she may be
accounted worthy to enter into the joys of her Lord, become His Queen and
Joint-heir.
BABYLON, THE GREAT CITY
It is not to be expected that either the Mother or the Daughters, who are now
claiming to reign with Christ, who are now claiming that His Kingdom is already
set up, who are now claiming that their union with the kingdoms of this world
is legitimate, can have the Bridegroom’s approval. It is not to be expected
that they realize their true condition—that they are disloyal to the Heavenly
Bridegroom and King.
In the symbolic language of the Book of the Revelation, as already explained,
the name Babylon is applied not only to the typical woman, Papacy, and her
mystical daughters, the Protestant denominations, but also to the
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great City, Mystic Babylon. The symbol woman more particularly represents the
ecclesiastical systems, and the symbol city the governmental features—the sacerdotal,
or religious, authority to govern and control the kingdoms, the nations of the
earth.
We all remember the history of the ancient city of Babylon, with its most
wonderful walls and its hanging gardens. We all remember that it was built
across the River Euphrates, which flowed through its center and was supposed to
protect it fully from the hazard of invasion.
Besides its vast storehouses of food it had the river for its water supply. Babylon
was therefore considered impregnable—a strongly fortified city.
Mystic Babylon, Christendom of our day, is a most masterly organization. Its
walls are built of ignorance and superstition, whose great foundations were
laid centuries ago. Ancient Babylon’s great gates of brass, which came down to
the level of the Euphrates, represented Mystic Babylon’s worldly wisdom, human
ingenuity and dexterity of organization, to maintain the control of the
symbolic waters and to protect the "city" from a possible approach
from that direction.
THE EUPHRATES TO BE DRIED UP
In the symbolic language of the Scriptures the word water has two distinct
interpretations: (1) Water is a symbol for Truth; (2) Water also symbolizes
revenues from outside peoples and kingdoms. In harmony with this latter thought
we read that the woman with the golden cup sits upon many waters; "and the
waters which thou sawest are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues." (Re 17:1-15.) This "woman" does not reign over one
nation or people alone; her rule is catholic, or general; for all nations were
made more or less "drunk with her false doctrines." The water of the
River Euphrates, flowing through Babylon, might therefore be understood to
symbolize the peoples and nations supporting Mystic Babylon by contributions,
offerings.
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In the Revelation not merely is the name Babylon used long after the ancient
city was so blotted out of existence that for centuries its site was unknown,
but the symbolic description includes also the River Euphrates. Of that great
river we read, "The water thereof was dried up, that the way of the Kings
of the East might be prepared." (Re 16:12.) If we are correct in our
interpretation that the waters of that river signify revenues from all nations,
the drying up of the river implies a cessation of the revenues of Babylon, a
decline in the contributions which heretofore have made her wealthy—millions
coming every year from rich and poor of all nations, for her support.
It is in full accord with this Divine prediction of what is yet to come that we
hear cries of distress rising from all denominations, both Catholic and
Protestant, to the effect that the revenues of the churches are being
"dried up," and this at a time when the world is larger in population
and in wealth than ever before.
History tells us that ancient Babylon was captured by Cyrus the Great and his
army after a siege of considerable length, which was unsuccessful until his
soldiers digged a fresh channel for the river and turned aside its course. Thus
was the River Euphrates dried up; and the Medo-Persian army entered the ancient
city suddenly in the night. While these events were occurring, the princes of Babylon,
corresponding to the notables of Christendom, were holding high carnival,
rejoicing in their security, boasting of the strength of their walls, the
impregnability of their gates and the sureness of their waters. As they were
using the golden vessels of the Lord’s Temple from which to drink their wine,
so now, in the hour of Mystic Babylon’s fall, we may expect something to
correspond to this—a spirit of boastfulness, of pride, of intoxication with
error, apparently drawn from the Divine Word.
At this moment of their exuberance there appeared in Belshazzar’s banquet-hall
a hand, which wrote the words,
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"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin"—the days of your rule have been
numbered by God and are finished; you are weighed in the balances and found
wanting; your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.
(Da 5:25-28.) The strong symbolic language used in respect to Mystic Babylon
corresponds so well to the prophetic language respecting ancient Babylon that
we are warranted in understanding that city to have been a prototype of Mystic
Babylon and her fall a prefigure of Christendom’s fall.
"FLEE OUT OF BABYLON"
When foretelling the disaster upon Babylon, the Prophets of Israel gave to
God’s people the message, "Flee out of Babylon; deliver every man his
soul"—his life—and terrible descriptions, which seem grossly exaggerated
unless we view the matter from the standpoint already suggested—that the
experiences of the ancient city were figurative and prophetic of the much more
serious experiences of Mystic Babylon, then long future. If further evidence were
required to demonstrate that Mystic Babylon represents a great nominal system,
it is found in the Apocalypse, a part of which is, "Come out of her, My
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her
plagues."—Re 18:4.
This call must be heard and heeded before the disaster comes; for it will come
suddenly, as in an hour. Those who do not stand aloof will be involved in the
disaster.
And it is God’s will that they
should be involved if, after seeing the truth respecting Babylon and her
character, they are not enthusiastically opposed to her deceptions and
intoxicating false doctrines. The tribulations upon Babylon will constitute a
part of the great tribulation with which this Age will terminate and the New
Dispensation of Messiah’s Kingdom be ushered in—"a Time of Trouble such as
was not since there was a nation." Let God’s people remember that loyalty
includes action and faithfulness even unto death.—Da 12:1; Mt 24:21.
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