"The Peculiar 'Falling Away' of Babylon the Great."

THE CHURCH: HIS BODY, THE FULNESS
OF HIM THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL

The church, then, is the vehicle through which God has chosen to "make known" His glory and wisdom in the universe. Think about that! That's heavy! That's very heavy! In fact, it's way beyond the understanding of the church that most people have - and so much so that it's best for us to let the Bible speak for itself here: The Bible calls the church "... His [Christ's] body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all ..." and it goes on to say that -

"...we [as individual Christians] are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones ..." (Eph. 5:30)

It calls this "a great mystery." (Eph. 5:32).

Peter puts it another way. He compares the church to a building (a "spiritual house") in which we are the stones (i.e., "living stones") that comprise that building - Christ Jesus being the chief corner stone (Eph. 2:20):

"Ye also, as lively [i.e., "living"] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 2:5)

CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH
& GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR IT

God's purpose, then, in saving us (Mat. 20:28) is to "build us up [as] a spiritual house," and by doing so to establish the church - Christ's body "... which is the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." (Eph. 1:23) How unimaginably significant, therefore, is the church in God's eyes. Everything is for the church! - even Christ:

"Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself up for it." (Eph. 5:25) [This does not mean, of course, that the church supercedes Christ; it does not! But it does mean that Christ so loved the church that He gave Himself up for it much as a man would give himself up for his wife.]

Indeed, it's for this very reason that Christ even rose from the dead, and is now far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and has become the "head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22).

The fact is, the entire work of the Holy Spirit during these last two thousand years has been to establish the church. God saves sinners and gives them victory in their personal lives not necessarily to perfect them as individual stones but to "mold and shape" them so that they can at last be "fitted" into the building; and it's for this purpose of "building up" the church (i.e., of "molding and shaping" - "perfecting" - the individual saints) that He bestows apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as "gifts" to the church. (1 Cor. 12:28)

It's to this end - the end of "building up" the church - that God is "calling out" for Himself a peculiar (i.e., "special") people from all the families, nations, and tongues (languages) of this world - to mold them into "fitted" stones for His building (i.e., the church). The Bible says,

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light ..." (1 Pet. 2:9)

So now we begin to understand the importance of the church to us as Christians - and not only to us as Christians, but to Christ, ESPECIALLY INSOFAR AS CHRIST'S TESTIMONY IN THE WORLD IS CONCERNED.

THE HARLOT CHURCH

It is here - it is precisely here - that we run into the problem with the church (so-called) in the United States. The Bible calls this church a "HARLOT" Church - a WHORE. (Revelation 17:1, 15, 16 and 19:2). [Please see Chapter XIII in the New Antipas Papers, "The Woman of Revelation 17."]

"Harlot?" - That's an interesting appellation for the woman of Revelation 17.  A harlot is a prostitute; specifically, a woman who sells her self for money. AND ISN'T THAT EXACTLY WHAT THE AMERICAN CHURCH HAS DONE? Of course it is!

And there is something more that should be noted here: Specifically, how the Bible envisions a whore; it is much more than what we commonly think of today. A whore in the Bible - more often than not - is a woman who has left her husband and has prostituted herself out for money; adultery and harlotry are seen as being one in the same thing.

So not only do we have the matter of prostitution in view here, but also the matter of infidelity to one's husband - AND NOT MERELY BECAUSE THE WOMAN IN QUESTION HAS "FALLEN OUT OF LOVE" WITH HER HUSBAND, AND HAS NOW FOUND SOMEONE NEW WITH WHOM SHE WANTS TO SPEND HER LIFE, BUT IT'S MONEY RATHER THAN A NEW LOVER THAT SHE IS AFTER.

It's not without reason that the Bible says:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

What's Matthew 6:24 saying here? It's saying that when one chooses money over Christ, it will INEVITABLY lead one to an underlying HATRED for Christ in one's life (at least the Christ of the Bible and not a Christ that has been "manufactured" in one's mind) - or how else is it possible to understand the words, "... for either he will HATE the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and DESPISE the other."

THE SO-CALLED CHURCH OF REVELATION
17 IS AN ABOMINATION TO GOD

It's for this reason that the Bible calls the whore of Revelation 17 an "ABOMINATION" (Revelation 17:5) - a "detestation" and a "horror" to God. And the Bible is very clear about such abominations:

"And there shall in no wise enter into it [i.e., the New Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh [or maketh] an abomination ..." (Revelation 21:27)

What's that say, then, about someone who has united himself to the WHORE of Revelation 17? It says that surely that person has "FALLEN AWAY."

That's what apostasy means: To "FALL AWAY." And the implications of such a "FALLING AWAY" are very grave - and you need to pay very close attention here as to how serious a matter it is; the Bible says:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

"And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

"If they shall FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)

THE PECULIAR "FALLING AWAY" THAT IS
CONNECTED TO "BABYLON THE GREAT"

And now we return to the matter of the great WHORE of Revelation 17 - that is, after all, the subject that brought us to the matter of apostasy in the first place.  The Bible says:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [again, the day  of the rapture and the resurrection] shall not come, except there come a FALLING AWAY [or apostasy] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition ..." (2 Thess. 2:3)

What's the Bible saying here? What's it talking about? Obviously, the Bible is talking about a peculiar "FALLING AWAY" that will occur in the "end of days;" in other words, one that is unique to the "last days;" one that will usher in "the SON OF PERDITION;" and ONE THAT IS VERY SPECIFICALLY CONNECTED TO "BABYLON THE GREAT."

And we get our first hint with regard to the cause of this great "falling away" from the parable of the sower in Luke 8:5-13; specifically with that portion of the parable where the "good seed" fell on a rock, and withered away because it lacked moisture (i.e., water). Jesus said:

"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed ...

"Some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture [i.e., water] ...

"And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

"And he said ...

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

"They [i.e., the seed] on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation FALL AWAY." (Luke 8:5-13) [There's that word again, "FALL AWAY!"]

And why is it that they "FALL AWAY?" Because there is no moisture (i.e., no water)!

And so now we turn to Revelation 17, and a description of where the Woman dwells - the "WILDERNESS, a place where there is no water:

"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

"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.

"So he carried me away in the spirit INTO THE WILDERNESS: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:1-5)

The Bible says that the woman (or "HARLOT") of Revelation 17 dwells in the "WILDERNESS" - A PLACE WHERE THERE IS NO WATER. This parallels the condition of those who "FELL AWAY" in Luke 8:5-13 because of a lack of water.

There is no water where the "WHORE" of Revelation 17 dwells, and hence there can be no life. In the words of Jesus, as soon "... as the seed is sprung up, it withers away, because it lacks moisture ..."

According to Jesus, these are they who, "... when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation FALL AWAY." [Again, there's that phrase, "FALL AWAY."]

Brothers and sisters! - listen to me here: There is no life-sustaining water in "BABYLON THE GREAT." That's what the Bible says about the place where the "WHORE" of Revelation 17 lives. No matter how hard you work the land, no matter how much you fertilize it, nothing will grow there! Everything will wither away - even YOU!

ONE'S FEET, NOT ONE'S WORD; THAT'S WHAT COUNTS

This brings us back to the "peculiar" way that the "Gospel of the Kingdom" MUST be preached within the precincts of "Babylon the Great." Words alone will not suffice. That means that those who preach the "Gospel of the Kingdom" in the United States MUST DO SO NOT SO MUCH WITH THEIR WORDS, AS WITH THEIR FEET IN ACCORDANCE TO GOD'S COMMAND IN REVELATION 18:4:

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, 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)

The churches that are established in the United States must be established in accordance with this reality. If they are established on any other ground, they will fail.

TO "FALL AWAY"

Now that's serious! That's very serious! And be clear about whom the Bible is talking - it's talking about believers, OR how else does one understand what the Bible means when it talks about those who "... were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come ..." ? AND how else does one understand the words, "It is impossible ... to renew them again unto repentance ..." ?

Listen to me here, dear brothers and sisters in Christ: When one "falls away," he "falls away" FROM a superior state of affairs to a lower or inferior state of affairs; from a higher plane to a lower plane. For example, if one is standing on the roof of a building, if he "falls away" from there, he MUST of necessity fall away to the ground. He cannot "fall away" back to the roof. That's absurd. And, naturally enough, the reverse is true; one cannot "fall away" from the ground to the ground. One "falls away" from the roof to the ground. Thus, to "fall away" presupposes that one was on the roof at some point.

In the same way, one does not "fall away" from unbelief to belief; that's akin to saying one can "fall away" from the ground to the roof of a building. In the light of all this - how then is it possible to understand those the Bible is referencing in Hebrews 6:4-6 to be unbelievers? Plainly they are (or were) believers - those who "... were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come ..."

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Bible does indeed say that no one is able to snatch a believer from the Father's hand (John 10:29); but that does not mean that one cannot walk away from the Father on his own volition, and by doing so, commit adultery with the world system of man. The fact is, one can walk away from "eternal life;" "eternal life" is connected to the Son, not to you intrinsically. It is not yours intrinsically. You possess "eternal life" only as long as you remain connected to the Son. Jesus said:

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

"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.

"IF A MAN ABIDE NOT IN ME, HE IS CAST FORTH AS A BRANCH, AND IS WITHERED; AND MEN GATHER THEM, AND CAST THEM INTO THE FIRE, AND THEY ARE BURNED." (John 15:4-6)

Now, this does not mean that Christians are "sin-free." That won't occur fully until the Rapture and the Resurrection when our whole being - body, soul and spirit - is redeemed. [Please see Chapter 1 of the New Antipas Papers, "The Nature of Man: Body, Soul and Spirit;" please also see Chapter III of the New Antipas Papers, "God's Grace Contrasted with God's Law."]

But what the Bible is saying is that there is an "unction" in us to "be like Christ." An old and very dear and very saintly pastor once put it to me this way: The difference between an unredeemed sinner and a Christian is this: The difference between a pig and a lamb; when the pig falls into a muddy, foul-smelling pit, he loves it; he rolls around and enjoys himself. But when a lamb falls into such a pit, he struggles with all his might to get out; it's the struggle that differentiates the two."

Plainly, when one walks away from Christ, that "unction" is no longer operable; the struggle to avoid sin and obey Christ is no longer there. Jesus said:

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ..." (John 14:21)

And the Bible goes on to say:

"KNOW YE NOT, THAT TO WHOM YE YIELD YOURSELVES SERVANTS TO OBEY, HIS SERVANTS YE ARE TO WHOM YE OBEY ..." (Romans 6:16).