Babylon part 2

In the previous lesson I wrote about the judgment of the Harlot Church, Babylon.  The Harlot Church is not the Lord’s entire body of believers, yet those believers who have taken the mark of the Beast reside in her. She has beguiled those she loved, the worldly, and entered into business with them. She also incorporated the ways of the world into the running of God’s Church, defiling it and usurping the Head, Jesus, from His lordship.

In running the Church as the world would run a business, Babylon has taken talents from Christians to make herself wealthy. She glitters with gold, precious stones and pearls, the materials God entrusts to men to build His kingdom. Because she seeks fame and wealth for herself, she does not use the talents of men to build any kingdom but her own. She does not bear the fruit of a Christian body because the talents and skills of her members are used only for her benefit. She looks like the Bride of Christ, in her fine linen, purple and scarlet. But she seeks after the world and therefore is His in name only.

Those who trade with Babylon cry when she is destroyed. She was their link to the members of the Church. They did not care about her fate; as false lovers, they only cared about meeting their own needs. She excluded and abused God’s true saints, apostles and prophets for her lovers, and in the end, the lovers cannot rescue her. Indeed, God is judging the Harlot Church for her treatment of His true servants and leaving her without any lovers at all.

So sudden and violent will be her destruction that the Harlot Church will never rise again. Those who worship will not be found there, neither any man who was a workman of the trades; no man will build for the kingdom. The sound of the millstone, which prepares grain for baking into bread, will not be heard any more there. This means that the preparation of the Bread of Life to be imparted to others during the worship service will cease. The light of the lamp will not be in her because she has no Light of the Holy Spirit anymore. And sadly, there will be no marriage for she is rejected by her betrothed, Jesus. Yet the remnant of Christians who have not taken the mark of the beast or his number will be His Bride.

The Harlot Church, Babylon the Great, has ridden the Beast that from the beginning has worked against God and His people. This Beast has caused men to be slain for their testimony. Therefore, because the Church had the Light of God’s Spirit and chose to ride the Beast and practice his persecution of God’s people, she is held accountable for all the saints slain on the earth. It is fitting that, after showing us the judgment of Babylon, God then shows us His true Bride. We will read about her in Revelation 19.