Babylon’s Doom continued

“The horrible decrees of Papacy–the reproach and reward of which Protestantism also is incurring by her present compromising association with her–for the burning, butchering, banishing, imprisoning and torturing of the saints in every conceivable way, executed with such fiendish cruelty in the days of her power by the arm of the State (the dragon), whose power she demanded and received, await the full measure of just retribution; for she is to receive “double for all her sins.” And the nations (of Christendom) which have participated in her crimes and guilt must drink with her to the dregs that bitter cup.

“And I will punish Bel in Babylon [the god of Babylon– the Pope]; and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up [He shall repudiate in his extremity the “great swelling words” and blasphemous titles which he has long appropriated to himself–that he is the infallible vicar, “vice-gerent of Christ,” “another God on earth,” etc.], and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him. Yea, the wall of Babylon [the civil power that once defended it, and that in a measure does so still] shall fall…Thus saith the Lord of hosts: the broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire [shall be destroyed]; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire [to prop and save the walls of Babylon], and they shall be weary.” (Jer. 51:44,58)

This shows the blindness of the people, and the hold Babylon has on them, that they will labor to uphold her against their own best interests; but notwithstanding her desperate struggle for life and to conserve her prestige and influence, like a great millstone cast into the sea, Babylon shall go down, never again to rise; “for strong is the Lord God that judges her.” Only then will the people realize their wonderful deliverance, and that her overthrow was by the hand of God. Rev. 19:1,2

Such is the doom of Babylon, Christendom, which Isaiah and other prophets foresaw and foretold. And it is in view of the fact that within her borders are many of his own dear people that the Lord, through his prophet (Isa. 13:1,2), commands his sanctified ones, saying, “Lift ye up a standard [the standard of the blessed gospel of truth, divested of the traditional errors that have long beclouded it] upon the high mountain [among those who constitute the true embryo Kingdom of God]; raise high your voice unto them [earnestly and widely proclaim this truth unto the bewildered sheep of the Lord’s flock who are still in Babylon]; motion with the hand [let them see the power of the truth exemplified, as well as hear its proclamation], that they [the willing and obedient, the true sheep] may go into the gates of the nobles [that they may realize the blessings of the truly consecrated and heirs of the heavenly Kingdom].”

So, the warning voice goes forth to “him that hath an ear to hear.” We are in the time of the last or Laodicean stage of the great nominal gospel church of wheat and tares. (Rev. 3:14-22) She is upbraided for her lukewarmness, pride, spiritual poverty, blindness and nakedness, and counseled to forsake quickly her evil ways before it is too late. But the Lord knew that only a few would hearken to the warning and call; and so, the promise of reward is given, not to the whole mass of those addressed (all who profess Christ), but to the few who still have an ear for the truth, and who overcome the general disposition and spirit of Babylon—

“To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne. He that hath an ear [a disposition to hearken to and heed the word of the Lord], let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” But upon those who have no ear, no disposition to hear, the Lord will pour his indignation.

That, with few individual exceptions, the attitude of all Christendom is that of pride, self-righteousness and self-complacency is manifest to the most casual observer. She still saith in her heart, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” She still glorifies herself and lives deliciously. She says, “I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing,” and does not realize that she is “wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Nor does she heed the counsel of the Lord to buy of him (at cost of self-sacrifice) gold tried in the fire (the true riches, the heavenly riches, “the divine nature“), and white raiment (the robe of Christ’s imputed righteousness, which so many are now discarding, to appear before God in their own unrighteousness), and to anoint her eyes with eye salve (complete consecration and submission to the divine will as expressed in the Scriptures), that she might see and be healed. Rev. 3:18

The spirit of the world has so fully taken possession of the ecclesiastical powers of Christendom, that reformation of the systems is impossible; and individuals can escape their fate only by a prompt and timely withdrawal from them. The hour of judgment is come, and even now upon her walls the warning hand of divine providence is tracing the mysterious words, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin“—GOD HATH NUMBERED THY KINGDOM AND FINISHED IT! THOU ART WEIGHED IN THE BALANCES AND FOUND WANTING!

And the Prophet (Isaiah 47) now speaks, saying—

“Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon [said in derision of her claim to purity]; sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate… Thy nakedness shall be uncovered; yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man…Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms…Thou said, I shall be a lady forever, so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.” (D39-42)

We will continue with what Isaiah has to say here in our next post.