[A very special thanks goes to a dear friend and brother who worked very hard to compile these scriptures and provide thoughts and comments on them. This piece would not in any way be possible without his work. He has asked to remain anonymous, so I offer him my gratitude as such.]

The great difference [between the US, itself and the world-wide system it has established] is that the US is a self-professing Christian nation. It's president claims to be a Christian, its elected representatives at the local, state, and federal level all claim the same as well. Its people overwhelmingly claim to be servants of Christ. The Church, as a social body and as an institution is intimately involved in the affairs of the State. As a matter of fact it is the Church that is behind the right wing, militaristic direction of the US over the past 24 years.

No other country on earth, be it England, Canada, Germany, etc. is even marginally Christian on a societal level... much less as zealously Christian (in an apostate way) as the US is. The Bible describes the relationship between the Church and the US state as a Woman (the Church) riding the Beast (Babylon the Great/America). The significance of fallen Christianity as the driving force behind this empire is what separates the US from all other nations and it is in this role that it is identified for the "special" destruction laid out in the book of Revelation chapter 18.

To continue on that thought... it is America's false Christianity that makes it so terribly evil. It is the fact that all it does is done in God's name... and with the consent of the majority of its "Christian" citizens. The system is terrible as well, but in and of itself it does not lead people into worshipping another Christ... especially in nations, which have not embraced an apostate, societal form of Christianity that sanctions, murder, poverty, destruction, torture, etc, etc. as being a necessary part of serving God's Kingdom. It is the mixture of Christ's name and His Church to the corruption of the World that is anathema to God… and it is this mixture, which is the force behind what is driving the US to fulfill the Bible’s predictions concerning Babylon the Great, the Beast, the Antichrist, etc. etc…

As to "coming out" of Babylon (as mentioned in Rev. 18:4)... we have dealt with both the first and second part of this verse extensively in our writings over the past year or so. One point we have stressed repeatedly is that fear of physical danger should not be the motivating force because Christ has plainly told us in His words that as His true followers we are to be subject to such things... and that our fear should instead be directed towards the Lord:

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The relevance of this to Revelation 18: 4 is that this destruction takes place at the beginning of God's execution of judgment upon the earth... i.e. the Day of the Lord... i.e. the Wrath of God... i.e. the time at the end of the age spoken of in Daniel when the Stone Cut Without Hands (Christ) strikes down and topples to utter destruction that final gentile world empire (Daniel 2). At this point, all who receive of this judgment are receiving God's judgment and are therefore "appointed" to receive of His wrath. It is this wrath... and the spiritual implications of being counted among those who receive it… which leads us to write what we write.

The physicality attached to the commandment to flee Babylon is because those who remain will be changed. They will by remaining, become partakers in Babylon's sins... therefore God will be justified to count them among those who receive of her plagues (judgments). The Bible says that a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. Those who physically remain in Babylon will both physically and SPIRITUALLY partake of the leaven and will in the end be a part of the "leavened lump" unworthy to God. This will happen due to the fact that the spiritual and the physical, insofar as Babylon the Great is concerned have become so intertwined that God characterizes it as a picture of a Woman (the Church) riding a Beast (the Antichrist Nation, i.e. Babylon the Great).

One cannot come out of the one without coming out of the other. Whether the corrupting process of the leaven will take place by coercion, intimidation, delusion, or the loving of family, friends, and the things of this world over Christ... I do not know (on an individual basis). It will be different for each person who remains... Yet, what is clear is that ALL who remain behind will become "partakers in her sins" and will receive of her plagues... once again plague that bear a spiritual price for eternity... in that we know God will not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous... when executing His wrath.

Our writings are no doubt direct and very much “to the point” on this matter. Yet our tone or use of adjectives does not negate or alter the commandments of God’s Word. In our correspondence and communication with those who refuse to leave in spite of what the scriptures say… it is almost always out of their fear to confront or stand up to a spouse or loved-one that has no desire to receive the plain truth of God’s Word on this matter. Yet that will not be good enough for Christ ON THAT DAY… as He plainly says:

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

On top of all this… it is for sure that those who harden their hearts to fleeing, or even towards the concept of fleeing will be negatively transformed. They will be changed, so to speak, and given over to believing a lie as opposed to believing the truth. The Bible says that only a little leaven is necessary to leaven the whole lump… which means that clinging to one falsehood will eventually lead to the whole of one’s beliefs being false before the Savior.

Those who claim they will be out in the streets of Babylon testifying against it at a later date while enjoying its pleasures now; will most probably have become so transformed by that point that they will never speak out in testimony against it… especially when the price to be paid is real and will be charged upon them by men able to take away all their possessions and even their lives, not just by a wife or husband who loves what Babylon has become and has no desire to leave.

Who (or What) is Babylon?

There are two Babylons, the first is the false Christian religious entity which the Bible also describes as the Harlot and the Woman. The other Babylon is the Kingdom… or nation of Babylon. This Babylon is the greatest superpower nation to ever exist. Also known as the Beast, this nation eventually corrupts, plunders, pollutes and destroys the whole world.

Jer 51: 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, therefore the nations went mad.

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Rev 17:3 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.

Rev 17 :4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;(With which she has made the nations drunk as we find in Rev 14:8)

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

The two Babylons, in their relationship of co-existence are described in the Bible as a woman sitting upon a beast. What is significant in examining these passages and in examining the actual relationship between Babylon the Great (the US) and the Harlot (Apostate Christianity) is how difficult it is to see where the one ends and the other begins. The two have become so enmeshed, so intertwined, that the function of the one is the service of the other… and vice versa.

The Coming Judgment of Babylon and the Pronouncement of Judgment and Doom on Babylon and a Call from God to Flee the Destruction…Will (this) be both spiritual and physical?

Judgment Pronounced on Babylon:

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Rev 18: 6 Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.

Rev18:7 As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, `A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,'

Rev18:8 so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning;

Compare those passages with the following from Jeremiah and 1 Thessalonians:

Jer 51: 8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed.

1 Thess 5:3 When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape.

But, since we find in the OT, (that) Babylon cannot be mended… God tells people to abandon her.

The Call to Abandon Babylon and Flee Out of Her

Jer 51:9 We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country; for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.

Rev 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;

(The same thing is being echoed in Revelation as in Jeremiah, also consider the following two verses)

Jer 50:8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

Jer 51:45 "Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every man save his life from the fierce anger of the LORD!

(The goats are to show the way for the sheep to follow and the call for God's people, i.e. the flocks, is to "Go out of the midst of her.")

Stones, Foundation Stones, and Corner Stones at the Time of Harverst… Will any be taken from Babylon the Great? How Does This Effect Christians Remaining Within It?

(Understanding) Symbolism in the Bible (is) crucial. We should be familiar with the terms, Corner Stone, Spiritual Stones, Foundation Stones and how they relate to Jesus Christ, Believers and the Prophets.

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

1Pe 2:5 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Pe 2:6 For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."

Now consider (this) warning in Jeremiah in connection to Babylon (Read the whole chapter of Jeremiah 50 and 51 to verify the context.)

Jer 51:26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation but you shall be a perpetual waste says the LORD.

This appears to mean that corner stones, foundation stones, and stones (period) are to be taken from rest of the world but not from Babylon. This fits with the statement in Revelation 18: 4, which infers that those who remain within Babylon will become “partakers” of her sins and will hence receive of her judgments. Therefore, if all residing within Babylon when its time for judgment comes are "fit for judgment, then the logical deduction is that none will be included in the "harvest."

Let’s go back to Jeremiah 50 and 51 to continue with more scriptures:

Jer 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

(This looks to mean that at a certain point there will be no more preaching of God’s Word in Babylon and no more witnessing in Babylon.)

Jer 51:1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind.

Once again... examining these passages looks to show that the desolation, both spiritual and literal, of Babylon the Great is to be so terrible that no stone shall be taken from there for a corner or for a foundation. It appears that when speaking of stones Jeremiah is not just be speaking of literal "building blocks" such as bricks, granite, etc; but that he appears to also be speaking of those "living stones" which are those who make up the Church. In other words he is speaking of those, "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord."

If this is the case, then Jeremiah's statement that no stone shall be taken (for use in building that holy temple, i.e. the Body of Christ) from Babylon, bears very grave ramifications for those Christians choosing to remain behind. Additionally what looks to be the case is that by the time of the Harvest (the Rapture) all who had remained in Babylon and stayed alive to that point will not be counted as redeemable in the eyes of Christ. Therefore, those who had formerly professed to be Christians will have been eternally compromised through their partaking in Babylon’s sins.

These passages do not appear to say that believers who die before the Harvest will lose their place. However, the spiritual danger inherent with remaining inside Babylon made known in the above passages cannot be ignored. As S.R. Shearer points out in his November 2004 article, PLAYING "END TIME" GAMES: LOOKING BACK TO BABYLON, AND MORPHING INTO A PILLAR OF SALT, the great majority who decide to remain in Babylon are not doing so because they are led to be martyrs. They are instead making the choice Lot’s wife did, in not wanting to leave her life and possessions in Sodom behind, even when the Lord commands otherwise.

Once again consider:

Jer 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

(Those currently standing as shepherds for America's church are no doubt causing them to go astray.)

Jer 50:7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD , the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

This is relevant because it places an emphasis on the point that false shepherds are going to be held accountable for not just leading the sheep astray (counseling them to stay within Babylon) but for making them the prey of their adversaries, who "devour them."

Jer 50:8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

Rather than be in the flock, which is led astray or be counted among the "false shepherds" God instead says, "Get out of Babylon, the land of Chaledeans". He also calls on His shepherds to be good leaders... and to be as the "he goats" and lead the flock out.

As God's people follow His Word on this there will come a point where true prophets, shepherds, believers, etc. will no longer found in Babylon. All indications from the Scriptures point to the conclusion that believers will not be found or be taken from Babylon. The reason there are none to be found is because those who have heeded God’s Word have fled and those who have remained within have been corrupted, lead astray, gone after strong delusion, etc.

What exactly is it about the judgment of Babylon, which leads God’s people to flee? In this day and age Christians are just as resistant as the average person when it comes to uprooting their lives and essentially making themselves, “strangers in a strange land.” The imperative to obey God and flee Babylon is based upon an understanding that in their staying they will be changed and will therefore fall prey to the judgment and destruction to befall Babylon.

Judgement of Babylon & the Nature of Destruction
What God does to Babylon & Why?

Jer 51: 24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

Jer 51: 25 "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the LORD, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.”

Jer 51:26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, says the LORD.

Also consider the following verses recounting God’s coming destruction of Babylon with the thought in mind that there is no previous destruction of ancient Babylon that in anyway compares to that which is to come. Note that the timing of this destruction is at the end of the age.

Jer 50: 26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

Rev16: 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Rev16: 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath

Rev16: 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished (Daniel’s 70 Year Timeline?), that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Jer 50:13 Because of the wrath of the LORD she shall not be inhabited, but shall be an utter desolation; every one who passes by Babylon shall be appalled, and hiss because of all her wounds.

Jer 50:40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbouring towns," declares the LORD, "so no-one will live there; no man will dwell in it.

The Idenity of the Hammer of God:
The Body of Christ or Babylon the Great?

Recently we have seen the Religious Right put forth the idea that the United States is the Hammer of God in justification of the current US war against terrorism. Dominionism in general also operates from a system of belief that makes it the role of America to be the Hammer of God within their doctrinally incorrect context. In their belief they will act as God’s hammer in order to subdue the nations for Christ and the Church. Ironically, what they are doing is essence is offering a sort of unconscious mea culpa as to the identity of the US as Babylon the Great. Because it is Babylon the Great, which is to be used as God’s “battle axe” or “hammer” and not God’s people:

Jer 51: 20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

Jer 51: 21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;

Jer 51: 22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

Jer 51: 23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

God does not use His people as a hammer or as an axe to execute judgment upon the world. It is Babylon that He uses for such a purpose. Just as Pharaoh was raised up to fulfill his role in God’s history, so to is Babylon the Great. While it will ultimately be judged much more severely than any nation or peoples who fall at the hands of Babylonian violence and oppression, Babylon the Great itself will be used of God to mete out his punishment against nations, kingdoms, men of war, young and old, rich and powerful, and even false shepherds and their flocks.

Through their power, the people of Babylon will think themselves able to stand against any attack, eventually even that of the Most High. Yet God Himself will ensure that judgment comes at the appointed time:

Jer 50: 23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

Jer 50: 24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.

Jer 50: 25 The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

Jer 50: 26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

Jer 51:1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind

Jer 51:44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.

Another reason for Christians to flee from Babylon (There are so many) is due to the fact that Babylon will also be judged specifically for her persecution of God’s people, Israel. Prophetic scripture clearly spells out that the antichrist and his kingdom will make war against both the saints and Israel. God will hold Babylon in judgment for this. Jeremiah 50: 33-40 deals specifically with this judgment.

Jer. 50:33 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.

Jer. 50:34 Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

Jer. 50:35 "A sword against the Babylonians!" declares the LORD — "against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!

Jer. 50:36 A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.

Jer. 50:37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

Jer. 50:38 A drought on [Or A sword against] her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.

As has been the case since we began speaking about the identity of the US as Babylon and the necessity to flee from it, there will be many who will say the above verses pertain to ancient Babylon and are not applicable today. God clears that matter up for Himself when He concludes His statement of judgment against Babylon:

Jer. 50:39 "So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.

Jer. 50:40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbouring towns," declares the LORD, "so no-one will live there; no man will dwell in it.”

Verses 39 and 40 make it apparent God is speaking of Babylon the Great (not the ancient empire) and that this destruction is its total destruction at the end of the age.

When Called Out of Babylon, What Are God’s People to Do?

They are to go out into all the world and preach the message of redemption found in God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt.

Isa 48:20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Isa 48: 21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

This message is important for the Church fleeing Babylon to remember. Just as God was faithful to deliver His children from bondage and afflictionin Egypt, so to is He faithful to heed the call of His children coming out of Babylon the Great. So many people have built up such a case against fleeing Babylon in their own hearts and minds. Those doing such would do well to remember both the good and bad from the story of Israel’s Exodus. The good is that He provided a way for them, even when no earthly way was to be found. The bad was that when they doubted His ability to deliver them He judged them swiftly and surely.

What else is the Church to declare in their leaving of Babylon? The Gospel of the Kingdom!

Jer 50:2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

Isa 14: 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

Isa 14: 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

Isa 14: 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers

Compare those passages with Christ’s prophecy concerning our testimony at the end of the age and not the similarity.

Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

A testimony against them... This is the testimony, which we are to have. This testimony is the Gospel of the Kingdom. This gospel declares that the kingdom of Babylon the Great and its FALSE Christian religion have nothing to do with the Kingdom of Christ. It also declares that Babylon the Great will be destroyed and Christ’s Kingdom established on earth. When people ask, what can be done to get into that Kingdom, we are then offered the opportunity to present them with the Gospel of Salvation in Christ.

Sean Mayfield
Antipas Ministries
Sean@endtimesnetwork.com

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