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BABYLON the GREAT
Or, The Coming Destruction of the One World Religion
"And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). -study
New Window Part 1
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Tom Stewart
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2-7-99
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(Part 1) The Purpose
and History of Babylon the Great -------New
Window
Any attempt to describe the final destruction of Babylon the Great-- "THE MOTHER
OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH"-- demands an identification of that
system, i.e., its purpose, history, as well as present and prophetic future.
(Part
2) The Reformation and the Church of
Rome -------New
Window
By Divine Authority, the Apostle John was directed
to align Nimrod's Babylon with the finally destroyed Babylon of Daniel's 70th Week
(Daniel 9:27),
which indicates a clear line of succession for Babylon the Great.
Other servants of this Divine Authority Of The WORD Of God which follow this example
are--
 Charles Chiniquy (1809-1899): "Rome is... that Modern Babylon" -Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, (1886).
John Wycliffe (1324-1384): "the supreme authority of Scripture... Christ's
law sufficeth by itself to rule Christ's Church."
-On the Truth and Meaning of Scripture, (c.1380).
Martin Luther wrote, "I know that the Papacy is none other than
the kingdom of Babylon, and the violence of Nimrod the mighty hunter" -The Babylonish Captivity of the Church, (October 6th 1520).
Alexander Hislop: "Rome as the Apocalyptic Babylon... Let every
Christian henceforth and for ever treat it as an outcast from the pale of Christianity.
Instead of speaking of it as a Christian Church, let it be recognised and regarded
as the Mystery of Iniquity, yea, as the very Synagogue of Satan." -The Two Babylons: Or, The Papal Worship Proved to be
the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife, (1853)
James A. Wylie (1808-1890): "From the fourth century... the Bible began to be
hidden from the people... the clergy usurped authority over the members of the Church...
While the, 'living oracles' [Scripture] were neglected, the zeal of the clergy began
to spend itself upon rites and ceremonies borrowed from the pagans. These were multiplied
to such a degree, that [even] Augustine complained that they were 'less tolerable
than the yoke of the Jews under the law.'"
-History of Protestantism, vol. 1, pgs. 16,18, (1878).
It has always been, is, and will always be right for those who name "the Name
of Christ [to] depart from iniquity" (2Timothy
2:19) by separating themselves from Babylon
the Great. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2Corinthians 6:17).
(Part 3) The Ecumenical Movement and the Church of Rome
-------New Window
It has been an historic dogma of the Catholic
Church that "outside the [Catholic] Church there is no salvation". "They
could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary
by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it" (from
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church" [1992], paragraph 846). This was
intended by the Papacy to place the world in universal need of coming to Rome to
receive the benefits of their ecumenical salvation...
"An important affirmation made in the early phase of collaboration between the
Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches was that the two share in
'one and the same ecumenical movement'... The oneness of the ecumenical movement
refers fundamentally to its orientation towards a 'common calling'" (from the
WCC's "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches",
paragraph 2.10)... The Harlot Church of Rome is an implacable enemy of Jehovah Jesus,
for she is the Great Whore... and the World Council of Churches' "common calling"
collaboration with the Church of Rome is spiritual adultery. "Can two walk together,
except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). Rome's doctrine damns her faithful, and
her history betrays her origin-- Babylon. "Flee out of the midst of Babylon,
and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time
of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence" (Jeremiah 51:6)...
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is not a member of the World Council of Churches
(WCC); and, it has never applied for membership. Rome saith, "I sit a queen,
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow" (Revelation 18:7). "The RCC's
self-understanding has been one reason why it has not joined" (from an FAQ at
the WCC's website [1999], which asks if the Roman Catholic Church is a member of
the World Council of Churches). Rome understands that the Road of Ecumenism does
not lead to Geneva-- the WCC's headquarters-- but it leads back to Rome...
One of the "principal concerns" of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)
was the "restoration of unity among all Christians" (from the Second Vatican
Council, "Decree on Ecumenism- Unitatis Redintegratio", paragraph 1)...
Commenting on the term "ecumenical movement", the "Decree on Ecumenism"
stated that "when the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been
gradually overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist,
be gathered into the one and only Church in that unity which Christ bestowed on His
Church from the beginning. We believe that this unity subsists in the Catholic Church
as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until
the end of time" (from the Second Vatican Council, "Decree on Ecumenism-
Unitatis Redintegratio", paragraph 4). And indeed, the "leopard [has not
changed] his spots" (Jeremiah 13:23)!
(Part 4) Come
Out of Her, My People -------New
Window
Or, Love Alone Will Cause Us to Obey the Command to Separate From Babylon the Great
CONTENTS
Love: Christ's Example for Our Obedience
Coming Out of Babylon.
The Humanity of Christ.
Sanctified by Suffering.
A Faith Which Worketh by Love.
God Worketh in Us to Will and to Do.
Love is Perfected in Them That Obey Him.
Following the Example of Christ.
Obedience is a Test of Sonship.
The Secret to a Life of Obedience is to Abide in Christ.
The Inclination to Obey God.
Forgetting Our First Love.
Repentance Restores Obedience.
Separation: Christ's Example for Our Holiness
To Be Separate From Sinners Describes Christ's Holiness.
The Son of Man Chose to Be Holy.
All Honor to the Son of Man for the Magnificent Work He Displayed in His Earthly
Ministry!
Our LORD Jesus Christ Lived His Earthly Life by Faith.
Separation According to the Spirit and Not the Letter of the Law.
The Religion of the Pharisees Was a Hypocritical Contradiction.
True Scriptural Separation is Simply the Practice of Holiness.
If We Refuse to Separate From Sin, Then God Must Separate From Us.
Our Separation From Babylon the Great Will Place Us Outside the Camp Bearing the
Reproach-- With Jesus.
Judgment: Christ's Example for Our Righteousness
The Righteous Judge Demonstrated How We Ought to Righteously Judge.
Hypocritical Judgment is the Unrighteous Judgment That is Forbidden.
Ye Shall Do No Unrighteousness in Judgment.
Meekly Restoring a Fallen Brother is Judging Righteous Judgment.
Standing in Faith is Judging Righteous Judgment.
Opposing the Antichrist During the Tribulation Week is Judging Righteous Judgment.
Refusing the Mark of the Beast During Daniel's 70th Week is Judging Righteous Judgment.
For the Tribulation Saints, Blessing Will Come Upon Those Who Judged Righteous Judgment.
Separating From Babylon the Great is to Stand With Christ in the Judgment.
(Part 5) Billy
Graham: Christianity's Modern Balaam -------New
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"Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore
is wrath upon thee from before the LORD"
(2Chronicles 19:2).
A thoughtful evaluation of the ministry of Billy Graham will reveal that Billy Graham
has been mightily used of Satan to break down the walls of separation between the
Godly and the ungodly. "And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the LORD am holy,
and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine" (Leviticus 20:26).
It will also reveal that Billy Graham's most effective work for Babylon the Great
has been that of masquerading as a Bible believing evangelist-- doing "the work
of the LORD deceitfully" (Jeremiah 48:10)-- seducing unwary Pilgrims into laying
aside the "Sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17) in the name of Christian
Love and Unity. If the Pope had approached the Bible-Believing-Evangelical-Community
with the need for Ecumenical Unity in previous generations, he would have been viewed
with suspicion-- on account of the corruptions of the Medieval Catholic Church, the
terrors of the Inquisition, the wicked absurdity of Papal infallibility, etc. "Ye
shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16).
(Part 6) The
Final Judgment of the Great Whore ---New
Window
"He hath judged the Great Whore, which did corrupt the Earth with her fornication,
and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand"
(Revelation 19:1-2).
We have only focused on the most pervasive and conspicuous manifestation of the Great
Whore in this present Church Age-- the institution of Roman Catholicism. "And
here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which
the woman sitteth" (Revelation 17:9). Rather than viewing Catholicism as merely
one of many manifestations of the LORD Jesus Christ's Church, the Church of Rome's
history demonstrates it to be entirely transformed from the Primitive Church of the
Apostles into the abominable Babylon the Great... As we approach the Tribulation
Week, the pace is quickening as "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived" (2Timothy 3:13). We need to remember that the
Church of Rome has been "Satan's seat" (Revelation 2:13) for more than
a millennium...
"when the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical communion have been gradually
overcome, all Christians will at last, in a common celebration of the Eucharist,
be gathered into the one and only Church" (from the Second Vatican Council,
"Decree on Ecumenism- Unitatis Redintegratio", paragraph 4)... Rome's "patience"
in achieving the universal domination that describes her name, i.e., catholic, ought
to be observed by even the Godly... Pope John Paul II tenaciously stated his commitment
to the global union awaiting the Church at the New Millennium, "I myself intend
to promote every suitable initiative aimed at making the witness of the entire Catholic
community understood in its full purity and consistency, especially considering the
engagement which awaits the Church at the threshold of the new Millennium [WStS emphasis
added]... Does the Roman Catholic Church-- Babylon the Great-- endorse or promote
the United Religions Initiative (URI)? If "in her [Babylon the Great] was found
the blood of prophets, and of Saints, and of all that were slain upon the Earth"
(Revelation 18:24), then the UR must eventually become attached to the Pope and the
Church of Rome for the UR to be identified as Babylon the Great... This writer is
persuaded that Babylon the Great, which is essentially Roman Catholicism, must soon
incorporate with the United Religions, if the Pope still desires the headship of
the world's religions, i.e., to be the False Prophet... Accordingly, the Papal celebration
of the "Jubilee of the Year 2000" includes:
- (1) "An Interreligious Encounter": "As
one millennium draws to a close and the next looms near, it has been thought appropriate
to invite a certain number of people belonging to different religious traditions
to come together for a few days reflection. This interreligious encounter, which
is being organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, will take
place in Rome 24-29 October 1999" (from the Vatican website), and
- (2) a "Day of Reflection on lnterreligious
Dialogue": "An invitation to prayer and reflection addressed particularly
to Catholics... fixed for Pentecost Sunday in the year 2000... Pentecost is a sign
that Babel can be overcome, that harmony can be achieved, and this finally is the
goal of interreligious dialogue... for Christians to remember that they are not Christians
just for themselves alone, but that they are called to relate to other believers
and indeed to all members of humanity" (from the Vatican website). But for those
who look for their LORD and a soon Pre-Tribulational Rapture, "God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain Salvation by our LORD Jesus Christ" (1Thessalonians
5:9).
In the Book of Revelation, we find a description
of Babylon the Great (17:1-18), her final destruction (18:1-24), and the rejoicing
in Heaven at the judgment of the Great Whore (19:1-4)... Antichrist turns against
Babylon the Great 8-9 days prior to the End of the Tribulation Week... "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). This most important message of God to
those who would be preserved from Divine Destruction is to COME OUT OF BABYLON NOW.
End of Series.
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Be Not Discouraged In Prayer...
Even For the Impossible! -study
New
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Amanda Collin with excerpt by Dr.
Andrew Murray (1828-1917)
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9-19-2000
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"Discouragement in prayer comes in many forms.
For those of us who have family members who profess Christ and do not bear the fruit
of a Christian life, it is not a hard thing to be discouraged that they will ever
repent of their backslidings. Sometimes, this seems an impossible prayer. 'I am so
helpless,' you think, 'I've said all I know how to say to them. I was even in tears,
pleading with them to see the truth and to repent before it's too late. It's impossible!'
Here's what Andrew Murray had to say on this subject (excerpt from his book, 'State
of the Church'):
'Do we not know that throughout Scripture a chief
element of faith in God is a sense of powerlessness and utter helplessness? I want
to speak here on the place faith must have if we are to obtain that deep, intense,
living vitality which we are longing for. If we are to appropriate the words, 'Fear
not, only believe,' as really spoken by our Lord to ourselves, we must note well
the attitude of the man to whom they were first given..."
Also with a new portrait of Andrew Murray--
"Original" portrait of Dr. Murray courtesy
of Debbie Fortnum, Andrew Murray's Great, Great, Great, Great Granddaughter.
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Holy Bible
