| Mystery, Babylon The Great One of the great mysteries in the Bible is found in Chapter 17 of the Book of Revelation. This mystery revolves around a vision given to Apostle John concerning a last days Babylon. John describes this Babylon as a woman riding a scarlet beast that has seven heads and ten horns. Babylon appears frequently in scripture but never like this: | |
| Revelation 17:1-6 1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, | |
| This stunning prophecy has sparked curiosity and fueled imaginations for almost two thousand years. The ancient city of Babylon is nothing more than a pile of ruins today. So what is the connection between Babylon and this women? Why does this woman have "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH," written on her forehead? What does "Mother of Harlots" mean? How can "Babylon" be drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus? And what do we make of the scarlet beast with multiple heads and horns? The following is a six-part study that answers those questions and more:
Mystery Babylon is an important prophecy in the Word of God. If you want to fully understand Mystery Babylon you must read the Book of Revelation. Here are a few key points to keep in mind before we get into the prophetic interpretation and significance of Mystery Babylon. Key Point 1 - Revelation is the only book in the Bible personally sent by God in Heaven to the church on earth. I shake my head every time I hear Pastors say, "new Christians should not read Revelation because it is the last book of the Bible." These self appointed shepherds feed themselves while the flock goes hungry. God wants you to read Revelation. That is why He told Apostle John to write what he saw in a book and send it to the seven churches. | |
| Revelation 1:10-11 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, | |
| "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." Revelation 1:19 Key Point 2 - The purpose of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is to "show" His servants things which must shortly take place. When God shows you something you should not ignore it or set it aside for another time. God wants you to read Revelation now. | |
| Revelation 1:1-2 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-- things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, | |
| Key Point 3 - The Message of Revelation is not hard to understand. Revelation emphatically declares Jesus Christ as the promised Savior from the lineage of King David. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." Revelation 22:16 Key Point 4 - Revelation is the only book in the Bible that offers a blessing to readers of this prophecy. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:3 Your Pastor says Revelation is too hard for most people to understand. God promises you a blessing if your read it. Who do you follow, God or men? Key Point 5 - Prophecy Is Important I have heard many people say they don't care about prophecy. I take that to mean they are too busy playing church to bother with the testimony of Jesus. God says, "Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10 Nearly two thousand years ago Apostle John recorded these words spoken to by an angel: And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. Revelation 22:10 Now that we have established the fact that prophecy and the Book of Revelation are important let's turn our attention to Mystery Babylon. Believe it or not this mystery begins all the way back in the Garden of Eden. | |
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| In The Beginning The Book of Genesis reveals the origin of mankind. "God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." God created the first man Adam from the dust of the ground. God then created the first woman Eve from one of Adam's ribs. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28 Within our cells we carry a marker that testifies to the truthfulness of this story of creation in the Bible. Mitochondrion DNA is maternally passed down from one generation to the next. Every person alive today carries Mitochondrion DNA that can be traced back some 6,000 years ago to its original source, Adam's wife Eve. Ten generations down from Adam and Eve the gene pool was cut down by the great Flood. Therefore, we all carry mitochondrion DNA that can be traced back to 2300 B.C. to one of just four women, Noah's wife and his three son's wives. Eve is the mother of all living. But scripture points out that Eve came from Adam. Therefore, Adam is the true head and source of the human race. There is no need to wonder where it all began. Adam was created by God, and Adam's DNA serves as the master blueprint for all mankind. There is no benefit to NASA spending billions of dollars searching the far reaches of space for signs of life. They are wasting their time and our money. God prepared this little blue orb called Earth as the only dwelling place for temporal life in the universe. Where we find life there is also death and sin. That is why God came down to our planet to put an end to these things once and for all. This was a one-time sacrifice that will not be repeated ever again, on Earth or anywhere else in the universe. A Life Less Ordinary Adam and Eve shared a life experience that was unique and different from us in many ways. Adam and Eve did not come into this world in the normal fashion. It appears that Adam and Eve were created directly by God as mature adults. They did not experience physical birth and child development as we do today. It is evident from their discussions with God that they had fully developed intellects. Adam and Eve also enjoyed perfect health. They were created free of sickness and disease. Their bodies likely did not age prior to the curse of sin. Adam lived 930 years, which is still a very long time. Few people realize that Adam died only 126 years prior to the birth of Noah. Noah's father Lamech was alive for the last 56 years of Adam's life. Lamech was the ninth generation on earth yet he had the opportunity to learn first hand about God and creation from Adam. Lamech passed the knowledge of creation down to Noah. And Noah passed it down to his sons. This is how knowledge of God and His creation passed through the flood. During the first part of their lives in the Garden Adam and Eve had "no worries" as the Australians say. Adam and Eve tended God's Garden. And God provided everything they needed to live a healthy and wonderful existence. They did not have the stress in their lives that we do today. They knew nothing about taxes, war, crime, sickness, sorrow, or sin. They did not go to work, toil to make a buck, or sweat tilling the ground. Adam and Eve lived in a different environment. The earth was like a giant greenhouse six thousand years ago. This created a mild climate across the face of the earth. Adam and Eve did not wear cloths until after they sinned. Extreme weather conditions and exposure to harsh natural elements was not an issue prior to the flood. This allowed Adam and Eve to enjoy a comfortable outdoor existence. The sky was their roof and the ground their bed. Food was plentiful, just a tree away. Clean fresh water flowed everywhere. Adam and Eve were blessed to have God's garden as their home. Walking With God The major difference between the lives of Adam and Eve and people today is that they enjoyed a special relationship with God. In the beginning Adam and Eve communed with God in paradise on Earth free from the curse of sin. The Garden of Eden is not a mythical place. It was real. Scripture says the LORD God walked in the Garden in the cool of the day. The Garden served as a meeting place between God and his creation. God is Holy. If you want to walk with God you must walk His way. You must be holy. In the beginning Adam and Eve had open access to God because they were free from the condemnation of sin. But once sin entered the world things had to change. A Holy God must judge sin. It is sin that separates us from God. It is sin that separated Adam and Eve from God's Garden. But this was a temporary separation. God in His mercy provided a way to reconcile us back to Him. It is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that paid the price for us to regain that special relationship with God. What is it all about? Life is about finding Jesus Christ, and walking once again with God knowing that you are free from the condemnation and judgement of sin! Life is about getting back to the Garden, which is to say, receiving a new life and the promise of an eternal inheritance. But we will not be spending eternity in a garden. God has prepared something else to serve as our eternal dwelling, a city, New Jerusalem. God's Greenhouse As previously mentioned the earth was a vastly different place 6,000 years ago when Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden. It may interest some to go into a bit more detail into these mysteries. Prior to the great Flood the hydrologic cycle was different because in antediluvian times there was no rainfall on earth. "For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground." In lieu of rain a tropical mist rose up from the ground. And vast amounts of water beneath the surface formed a network of interconnected subterranean reservoirs. This underground network provided a continuous supply of water from deep-seated sources in or below the earth's crust to springs and fountains at the earth's surface. These springs then provided a continuous source of fresh water for the earth's rivers. Today we get our fresh water from a hydrological cycle that starts with solar evaporation of ocean water. Then through atmospheric circulation, condensation, and precipitation water is brought to the continents in the form of rain and snow. Rainfall provides natural irrigation for our crops. Snow accumulates in the mountains during the cold winter months and slowly melts during warmer months feeding the rivers with fresh water to get us through the dry season. The current hydrological cycle came into existence with the Great Flood. And along with rain and snow came global and continental air mass movements, and annual and seasonal temperature changes. In antediluvians, however, enjoyed a constant temperature and stable climate because planet Earth was enveloped in a vaporous canopy at that time. Sounds far out but Plato wrote of this vaporous canopy and even drew pictures of it. Scripture reveals this mystery in Genesis: | |
| Genesis 1:6-8 6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." | |
| The "waters which were above the firmament" kept the earth like a beautiful greenhouse, preventing cold temperatures, strong winds, and rainstorms. In a vaporous state the canopy was invisible and fully transparent, but nevertheless it contained tremendous amounts of water extending far out into space. Where was Eden? No one knows the exact location of the Garden of Eden. According to reference points given in scripture it was somewhere in the Middle East. My guess would be the Garden was on the exact location were modern day Jerusalem now sits. A river went out of Eden to water God's garden and from there parted to form four riverheads, Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel, and the Euphrates. To what extent these names can be applied to rivers today is not certain. The antediluvian configuration of continents and oceans was changed by the collapse of the vapor canopy and eruption of the subterranean reservoirs that caused the Flood in the days of Noah. Therefore it is impossible to fix the location of Eden by the four rivers cited in Genesis. But what we do know about the garden is that is was a paradise on Earth created by God. "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food." Not only was the garden pleasing to the eye but it was functional, containing every good food producing tree. I would imagine that a garden planted by God would be wonderful beyond comprehension. How Long Where Adam And Eve In The Garden? We can't say how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden because we can't measure the days of creation as we do today. Creation days represented a specific division of time but not literal solar days. How can you have solar days when the sun was not even created until the forth creation day? Those that believe the days of creation were literal 24-hour days say all creation lasted only 144 hours. They compound this error by saying that Adam and Eve spent less than 24 hours in the Garden before God kicked them out. That is pure nonsense and it has no basis in the Bible. Genesis addresses a creation week. But the fact is when it comes to scripture the term "week" is frequently used to represent a time period much longer than 168 hours. In chapter nine of the Book of Daniel we find "seventy-weeks" which are to be interpreted as "seventy weeks of years." In this prophecy each week is comprised of seven years giving a total of 490 years in all. Genesis speaks of six days of creation followed by a day of rest. But once again a "day" typically does not mean 24 hours. The "Day of the Lord" is an example were the term "day" is used to represent much more than 24 hours. Apostle Peter made a point to warn people not to apply our constraints to the omnipresent and omnipotent God. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter 3:8-10 The numbering of the creation days is important because this reveals the true sequence of events during creation. And it is important that "evening" is always mentioned before "morning," such as, "So the evening and the morning were the first day." Creation starts with earth in darkness and ends with a new heaven and earth and the never-ending light of God. This is a revelation that we are born in darkness and reborn in light through Jesus Christ. So how long did Adam and Eve spend in the Garden? We can't say. How long was the sixth day of creation? Apostle Peter spoke face to face with Jesus the Creator. Peter clearly dispelled the notion that God is bound to our measurement of time. He knew what he was talking about. Here are the events of the sixth day which are discussed in scripture:
I wish I could get that much done in a day! About the only thing we can say for sure is that Adam was 130 when Eve gave birth to their third son Seth. And Adam lived a total of 930. Anymore than that is pure speculation. One Commandment Too Many Adam and Eve had free run of the Garden. But God did, however, lay down one commandment. | |
| Genesis 2:16-17 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; | |
| The Garden contained every tree that is good for food. Adam and Eve had plenty to eat. Their home was a virtual living farmer's market. God did not take away any necessity. God placed a single tree off limits out of the whole Garden. That is not asking too much and that is the point. God gave Adam and Eve free will and the ability to make their own choices. This one little restriction placed on human behavior was a test of their submission and loyalty to His will. God was very straightforward. Choose to eat the fruit and you will die. Adam and Eve had been properly warned. God spelled out the consequences for wrong behavior in black and white. To break God's one commandment Adam and Eve would have to make a deliberate and conscious choice to seek out that tree and sin against God. And that is exactly what they did. Sound familiar? It should! That same sinful nature has been passed on to all of us. We are born sinners. Talking With Snakes Adam and Eve were not alone in the Garden. The Garden was full of beasts. One in particular was up to no good. Scripture says, "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made." I find it very appalling to watch a cunning predator craftily carry out an attack against an unsuspecting and innocent victim. Naturalists think this is normal. But this is not the way God intended it to be. In the beginning God gave man and animals fruit and herbs for food. | |
| Genesis 1:29-30 19 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. | |
| The serpent was crafty, but it did not scare Eve. It had legs, that much we can deduce. Perhaps it was the dragon of ancient lore, like the "fiery flying serpent" mentioned several times in scripture. Regardless of how the serpent looked in the Garden God changed it into the present form of a snake. According to scripture this serpent talked with Eve. I find it very interesting that Eve did not think it unusual to carry on a conversation with the serpent. Did animals have the ability to talk before God judged sin and placed a curse upon the earth? Perhaps, but you can't overlook the fact that the reference in scripture to the most "cunning beast" in the Garden has a double meaning. It clearly points to a beast God punished for its part in deceiving Eve. But undoubtedly it also is referring to the old red dragon Satan. Satan entered the serpent to deceive Eve. The Bible calls Satan a murderer and the father of lies. He plots and schemes like no other. Why was Satan in the Garden? He was setting a trap for Adam and Eve. Satan had already rebelled in Heaven against God. Now he was trying to get at God by destroying God's most prized creation, mankind. Understand that Adam and Eve were the first humans, and the first humans to sin. They were not the first of God's creatures to sin. Genesis tells us the origin and history of our temporal universe, our planet, and mankind. But God has other creations that are not discussed much in scripture. For instance, we know little about the creation of the angelic hosts. And are told just a few things about the fall of Satan and a third of the angels. When exactly sin was found in Satan is not revealed in scripture. But we know Satan fell before Adam and Eve. Therefore, sin and death already existed in God's creation before Adam sinned. This is a very important point. Adam and Eve brought sin and death to mankind, and a curse upon the world. But Satan had previously brought sin and death to the angelic host that rebelled against God. Scripture reveals that that Serpent, a member of the animal kingdom, sinned before Eve. And God cursed the Serpent for this. Satan used the Serpent, as he did Judas, but God judged both because they worked with Satan against the will of God. Regardless of how long Adam and Eve spent in the Garden it was only a matter of time before they bumped into our adversary. Undoubtedly Satan planned his strategy well. He knew exactly what to say to Eve to get her to disobey God. Lets take a close look at this fateful conversation that changed the course of mankind. Eve found the forbidden tree, perhaps to see what she was missing. Satan had entered the Serpent and was waiting there for her. Satan wasted no time in springing his trap. Satan said to Eve, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" This was a lie twisting God's commandment. The LORD God actually said, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Only a single tree was forbidden. That is insignificant considering every tree that was good for food was in the Garden. But Satan made it sound like God was depriving Eve of a lot. Eve was sharp enough to correct Satan. She said, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Eve was fully away of God's commandment. She recited it correctly back to Satan in detail. Don't eat it and don't even touch it. That is clear as a bell and leaves no room for misinterpreting God's will. Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die." First Satan misrepresented God's commandment, teasing and taunting Eve. Now he comes out and boldly contradicts God. Satan continues, "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This of course was another lie. Sin does not make you like God. Notice how Satan also implied that God was keeping something from Eve. | |
| Genesis 3:6-8 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. | |
| The Consequence Of Sin Adam and Eve broke God's commandment. They ate the forbidden fruit. Instead of becoming wise like God, they simply felt naked. They tried to cover their sin, their nakedness, with fig leaves. And when they heard God walking in the Garden they hid. But you can't hide from God. He sees all and knows all. | |
| Genesis 3:9-24 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" | |
| God gives us freewill. But the choices we make have consequences. As forewarned by God, sin brought judgement to Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were created eternal. Now they were mortal. They began to grow old and die. Although by today's standards Adam's life of 930 years seams like a long time. Eve was given pain in childbirth. Eve was also made subservient to her husband because she led Adam to sin. That is divine and righteous judgement of God and not the result of male chauvinism from which women need to be liberated. Likewise, because Adam listened to his wife instead of God he was given a lifetime of toil in cursed soil. What once came in abundance from the land would now take sweat and hard work to produce. God gave man the responsibility of being the head of the family. This is indeed a heavy toll extracted against mankind. But holy men and women submit themselves to the will of God. The unrighteous however, revolt against God and follow their own will. Adam and Eve once walked with God in Paradise. But now their sin separated them from God. They lost their innocence and sinless nature. Their eyes were opened and they knew sin. And that sinful nature is passed on to every generation born into this world. Death and sin is the inheritance Adam and Eve left mankind. Fortunately God has left us another inheritance in Heaven. But first, a Holy God must judge sin. He can't just let it go as if it never happened. Consequently Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden. And the way to the Tree of Life was barred. The way to eternal life was no longer open without reconciliation for sin. The animal kingdom did not escape God's judgement. The serpent was turned into a leg-less reptile for its part in helping Satan deceive Eve. And the fact that Eve did not express amazement that a serpent could speak hints of mysteries in the Garden that we can only speculate on at this time. Satan was the prime culprit in mankind's fall. He tempted Eve and led her to sin. Satan will be held accountable. There is no redemption for fallen angels. This murderer and liar will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and tormented for eternity. But for now it serves God's purpose to let Satan continue for awhile longer. Let us not forget that sin also had a grave consequence for God. He could have wiped the earth clean and started over. But instead God decided to provide a why for us to get back our eternal life. A Holy God must judge sin. Therefore God declared that the sentence for sin is death. But not wishing that all creation should perish God provided a way to redeem us. If sin brings death then the death of a sinless life would bring reconciliation. Only the sacrifice of a spotless lamb would do. One sin disqualifies a potential Messiah. Since all men have sinned only God was up to this task. That is why Jesus Christ left his throne in Heaven, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and then freely gave His innocent life for ours. God paid the price for our redemption with His own blood. The True Gospel in Genesis The first mention of God's plan of redemption for mankind is found in Genesis. God, speaking to Satan, says: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15 God is saying that He will deal with this situation. Good and evil will not peaceably coexist. The seed of Satan is the wicked and lost of this world. The Seed of the woman is a promise to send a Messiah, a Savior to mankind. And that was and is Jesus Christ. This verse prophesies that God Himself will take on human form, be born of a Virgin, and deal a crushing and deadly blow to Satan. Satan may have bruised God by leading God's prized creation (mankind) into sin. But God is going to put an end to Satan, death, and sin. This verse reveals the true gospel. Mankind has sinned and that sin has separated us from God and eternal life. We need God's help because we are unable to save ourselves. Therefore God took on human form to become our kinsman redeemer. Jesus Christ was not just a prophet or a good man. Jesus was the Christ, God in the flesh, the Creator of all things. Jesus is perfect and without sin. He lived, was tempted by Satan, overcame that temptation, and freely and willfully offered up His sinless blood as atonement for our sins. The death of Jesus, the unblemished Lamb, paid the price for sin. The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated His power over all things in the Universe, including death. When Jesus gave up His life on the cross to cover the sins of mankind He dealt a crushing blow to Satan. The way to the tree of life is now open once again. A Christian is one that has faith in this true gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Adam brought sin and death to the world. Jesus brought atonement and a new everlasting life, not to everyone, but to those who believe and have faith. We come into this world under the penalty of sin. You must be born-again into a new life in Jesus to be saved. Don't be deceived. Muslims, Orthodox Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, and all the others that reject Jesus Christ will never see God's kingdom. In other words, God's kingdom is for those who have been reconciled from sin through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian you will not step foot in God's everlasting kingdom. That is the true gospel given by God to mankind so that we may have eternal life. Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves and the work of their own hands. But there is nothing we can do to cover our sins. We don't have what it takes to redeem ourselves. God gave mankind another sign of His plan of redemption: Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 An innocent life was taken. Innocent blood was shed to make an appropriate covering for sinful mankind. I am always shocked to hear people say that living a good life or performing good works lands one in Heaven. God says there is no salvation without atonement for sin. That is the true gospel and only way back to everlasting life. Standing At The Tree of Knowledge What happened in the Garden of Eden forever changed the course of history. Satan told Eve that if she disobeyed God she would not die. Did Eve die? Yes she did. The fact is we all grow old and die. This is validation that we are all born with a sin nature and therefore under the penalty of sin. I find it sad that Eve did not have a companion standing by her side on that fateful day to expose the Serpent for what he was, a mouthpiece for Satan. Instead of being strong and obeying God Adam simply followed his wife into sin. The purpose of this study is to expose Mystery Babylon. Babylon is nothing more than that same old lie told by Satan back in the Garden. It has been recycled and repacked to appeal to the specific weaknesses of every generation, but it is nevertheless the same false doctrine: "You will not surely die...you will be like God." Satan is a powerful and ambitious adversary. He wants to sit on God's thrown but that is not going to happen. So the Devil is now playing the spoiler until God puts him away for good. First the Devil interfered with God's domain in Heaven. Satan led a revolt and managed to deceive a third of the angles into siding with him. Then he set his sights on God's Garden on Earth. Satan craftily engineered the fall of Adam and Eve. Mankind is God's prized creation. God loves us so much that He put on flesh and blood and died for us on the cross. And it is this special relationship with God that makes us Satan's primary target. Satan wants to get at God by turning mankind against Him just as Satan did with the fallen angels. Having brought physical death to all humanity by instigating the original sin in the Garden Satan has turned his efforts to bringing mankind down spiritually and eternally. This is what scripture calls the second death. Never forget that you have a Snake biting at your heals. Now here is the situation facing us today. Every person on earth must confront that same Dragon that deceived Eve. We are no longer in God's Garden but we are still standing in front of our own tree of knowledge of good and evil. And we will make a decision with eternal consequences. Are we going to obey God or be deceived by Satan? The decision we make will determine how we spend eternity. Mystery Babylon is Satan's false religious system intended to keep man from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan's catechism is built upon a false belief that sinning is good, not bad. This Satanic doctrine says we should indulge in everything our hearts desire. Experimentation brings enlightenment and wisdom. Disobeying the Word of God does not bring death. Knowledge of sin is a good and desirable thing. Satan wants us to believe that God is trying to keep us from something. Satan's doctrine encourages people to sin, because "You will not surely die...you will be like God." Don't get me wrong. The purpose of Mystery Babylon is not just to get people to sin against God. We have all sinned. A single sin brings judgement. But the blood of Jesus Christ covers all sins for those who believe. So the purpose of Mystery Babylon is to separate people from God's gift of salvation. Satan wants you to commit the unpardonable sin. This is a rejection of Jesus Christ. If you die in the flesh without Christ then your sins are not covered. Mankind Fell Down Before we move on to the second part of this study I would like to correct a few false doctrines. Many pagan religions and misguided Christians believe mankind fell upward. They teach that the fall in the Garden was God's plan to perfect us and make us like Him. This is of course an evil doctrine associated with Mystery Babylon. God knows good and evil in the sense that He knows everything. He is after all God, omnipresent and omnipotent. But our Lord has never sinned. God made provision for our redemption because He knew given free will it was only a matter of time before man sinned. God however says, "be holy even as I am holy." When Adam and Eve sinned they fell down. When we sin we fall down. The point is sin is not some divine plan to make us like God. Sin brings you down to the pit, and without Jesus Christ, you can not standup before God. Another false doctrine peddled by some ministers is that Adam's sin was some sacrificial act taken in an effort to save Eve and mankind. This is of course false. Adam's sin was no different than any other. He chose to follow his own will instead of the will of God. The comments of M.R. DeHaan are typical of those from Christians that unknowingly help spread the doctrines of Mystery Babylon. Did Adam sin to save his wife? In his book, "Portraits of Christ in Genesis," M.R. DeHaan M.D. says on page 42, "Adam's transgression was different from any other. We sin because we are sinners. Adam became a sinner because he deliberately chose to share in the sin of Eve" to save her. Why did Adam sin according to M.R. DeHaan? So that he could save his wife from her sin and God's judgement. On pages 40 and 41 DeHaan says, "Since Adam could not lift Eve to his level without the Redeemer seed, he must lower himself to her level, assume her guilt, become partaker of her sin and condemnation, and then, the separation between them being removed, he could become the father of her seed." The idea that Adam had some higher purpose for his sin, such as saving his wife, is pure nonsense. Adam did not have any foreknowledge of God's plan of redemption through Eve's seed. The promise of a Savior was not revealed until after Adam and Eve sinned. Look at how Adam reacted when God confronted him. Adam did not tell God, "I ate of the fruit to save my wife that I love." Like most men he did not accept any of the blame. Instead Adam pointed the finger at Eve and also put some of the blame back on God! Adam said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." Are those the words of a man that was willing to die for his wife? DeHaan and others also put forth another false doctrine that "Eve never heard God's word about the forbidden tree. She had only received it "second-hand" through Adam, for remember, Eve was not yet created when God gave the prohibition. This may be one reason why Satan came to the woman instead of the man." Once again this is false doctrine. Eve knew God's commandment so well that she correctly recited it back to the Serpent. Eve knew it was forbidden to even touch the fruit. Satan deceived Eve because he knew he could get to Adam through her. I understand that DeHaan and others try to draw an analogy between God's great mystery of Jesus and His Church with Adam and his bride Eve. But in doing so they unknowingly introduced Satan's Mystery Babylon under the cover of Christian literature. Comparing the sinful act of Adam with the perfect work of Christ is exactly what pagan religions do. This illustrates the importance of Christians being able to recognize and avoid the secret doctrine of Mystery Religions. Lets not water down the fall of mankind in the Garden. Adam and Eve both knowingly disobeyed God. Eve "saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate." "She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Adam was "with her." Does this mean Adam was in the Garden with Eve, or Adam was with Eve by the Tree of Knowledge? Did Adam silently stand in the background as Eve spoke with the Serpent? Who knows? What matters is that Adam and Eve made a conscious decision to break God's commandment. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." Genesis 3:7 Adam and Eve did not view themselves the same anymore. They felt naked. Sin changes everything. And that is the key point of this study. Mankind has fallen down. Summary In the first part of this study on Mystery Babylon we learned that the Book of Genesis is the key to understanding creation and the true origin of mankind. Genesis also reveals the fall of mankind and God's promise of redemption and salvation. Therefore, if you want to understand Mystery Babylon you must first review the true events that took place six thousand years ago in the Garden. The Devil's primary goal today is to keep people from accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Jesus Is God's only way to redemption and everlasting life. Mystery Babylon is a religious system that attacks everything associated with the Truth. It puts a satanic spin on the fall of Adam and Eve to draw people away from God. Much was lost when sin entered the world. There was a time when the first man and woman walked with God in the Garden. They were innocent, sinless, and eternal. Now the ground has been cursed. The animal kingdom has also been cursed. Our bodies grow old and die. There is nothing "natural" about this. But God has a grand recycling plan. God promised to send a Savior. Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. And God also promised to send the Messiah back to establish His kingdom on earth for a thousand years. After six days (six thousand years) of toil all of God's creation will enjoy the rest of this Millennial Sabbath. Jesus Christ will come with His Saints to fight for His people and deal with Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. God will set up His thrown on the Temple Mount in Israel. From Jerusalem God will rule every nation. After the thousand years of Christ's reign will come the Great White Throne Judgement. We will all stand before God to be judged. At that time the Lord our God will determine if you should spend eternity in His kingdom or in the Lake of Fire. If you come before God with the proper covering for your sins, the blood of Jesus Christ, then your name will be found in the Book of Life. If you stand there covered with the works of your own hands, as Adam and Eve tried to do with an apron of fig leaves, then you will be cast out. The Millennial reign on earth will be followed by the world's Jubilee. God will create a new heaven and a new earth. All things will return to their original owner. We will go back to God our Creator, Lord and Savor. Death, Sin, and all the curse that came from the tragic events in the Garden will be put away for good. Our eternal dwelling place will be a city made by God, New Jerusalem. What is life about? Life is about standing up and finding the path back to God, back to the Tree of Life. God in His mercy has provided one way and one way only to cover our sins. You must be born again in the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. God paid the price for sin with His blood. Now we must believe and have faith. God does not lie. This is His Word. In Part Two of this study, "Mother of Harlots," we will take a close look at how Satan developed Mystery Babylon from the original lie he told Eve in the Garden. | |
Friday, June 4, 2010
Mystery, Babylon The Great
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