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Mystery
Babylon
Somebody said, I didn’t
know Babylon had any truths. Yes, the Word of God said she
did. You read the 18th chapter of Revelation, the 12th
verse, dealing with sect Babylon. “The merchandise of
gold, silver, precious stones, and of pearls.” Gold,
silver, precious stones and pearls, are all symbols of
truths. Babylon dealt in truths, my friend, but the bad
part, come right on down through, and with that gold,
silver, precious stones and pearls; again, they’re all
symbols, not natural pearls---we’re talking, symbolic
language! With those precious truths, she came right on
down and put cinnamon and many, if you please, literal
things, and ended up with the souls of men. What did she
do? She took the truth of God’s Word and the souls of
men and put them right on the level with material things.
Sure Babylon had truths, and many of God’s people are
running around in the various shops of Babylon seeking for
some greater truth than they have. God’s people are
always willing to give up something they have got in order
to get something better. That is why I never worry about
God’s people not coming to truth. Thank God, we have got
something better than Babylon ever had, or ever will have.
That’s why I like to preach it---and God’s people are
wise in spiritual things.
When they see someone has
got something better than they have, they are ready to
trade right there. Like one brother that has been raised
in the _______ Church, never had any experience, even down
to “death’s door”, still hanging on to it and trying
to reach him with the truth, he said, “Well, it hasn’t
done much for me, but don’t think I ought to switch
horses in the middle of the stream.” Well, I’d trade
anywhere; in the middle of the stream or anywhere else, if
the one I had died. Any horse is better than a dead one.
The very Spirit of God, within God’s people, would want
the best there is. It will make us want everything that
God has for His people. That’s what the Spirit of God
within us will do.
We turn to the 17th
chapter of the Revelation and see mystery Babylon there,
the mother of harlots; that which John called the great
whore, and the Scripture said she was decked with gold and
silver and precious stones and pearls. Well, we learned
already that Rome did not have the truth. She decked
herself with truth to deceive people. There’s a vast
difference between being clothed in the Word of God, and
decked with a few Scriptures. She was clothed in scarlet
and purple. You know what that signifies. I’m not
preaching on her, I’m trying to bring out God’s Word
here. She was clothed---there was her foundation; she was
clothed in scarlet and purple; it was the devils work from
the very beginning. She decked her robes with a few bits
of truths here and there to deceive men. Even John
marveled at her a little bit. Talk about the Apostle John
and his wisdom and his spirit; when he saw that old woman
decked in that thing it stirred him a little. He said he
almost was ready to admire her. He said, I marveled at her
with admiration, but God spoke to him and said, John,
don’t be deceived. I will tell you the truth about her.
The people of God have
been put in the same shape John was in. They have spoken
these things and decked themselves with certain
Scriptures, until many of God’s people would begin to
admire that thing and the work they do, but God has an
angel (messenger) that will tell you the truth about her.
Sure they deck themselves with truth. We want you to see,
you can’t leave that 17th chapter back here in the
morning time. The sixth seal ministry put it back there,
God bless them; they were true to their message and
possessed the Spirit of God and did a great work before
our eyes, but they put that 17th chapter beast back here
in the morning time and you cannot do it. The Scripture
said---see, mystery Babylon, she was not a mother back
here. She was not a mother until she brought forth her
daughters here. So that 17th chapter had to be left on
this side.
Old Rome was symbolized
in other ways in the morning time, but the message of that
eight beast is for the day and age in which we live. My
friend, it is not made up of “this, that and the
other”, but the Word of God said that eighth beast is
made up of the seven. What is he talking about? Every
false religion through the seven ages are uniting and
coming together in this very generation to fight against
the people of God! Sure they had truth; sure they were
decked with truths---there would be no deception if they
didn’t. If she would do nothing but go about in her
purple and scarlet robe and expose her true foundation, my
friend, nobody would be deceived. But that which she decks
herself with, she uses those truths to glitter before the
eyes even as a lewd woman decks herself with that which
attracts men’s attention. Even so the old false system
sticks out a few truths here and there to catch honest
hearts and catch the gaze of their eyes, if you please,
and then bring them in. It’s just like a lewd woman.
It’s not very long after she catches your attention,
that she has you drinking out of her cup. And once you
drink out of her cup; you’re done! That’s why I spare
no time crying out to the very church today. Worldly
wisdom has a ministry that would be God’s ministry; they
feel they can go down and meet Babylon on her ground. Let
me tell you, there is no man, can meet her in the power of
manhood and intellectual power. She will give you a sip of
her cup, and the next thing you know, you’ll make an
alliance with her.
Go back to Ezekiel and
Jeremiah, when they talked about her and said Babylon
“was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand.” What was he
talking about? God used Babylon; God worked through here,
when they preached the truth and stood by God’s Word,
but she emptied that cup of truth, if you please, and
filled it, my friend, with the filthiness of her
fornication. They are more interested today, in getting
people to join their organization, than they are getting
them married to Christ. She sits as a queen, where old
Ezekiel said, “come on down.” God said to Babylon,
come on down and sit in the dust. Why, there’s no throne
for you. The good old truth of God’s Word tells us: this
is not reigning! It’s just deceiving people and making
them think it’s got power to reign, but it’s nothing
but an earthly and devilish organization backed by the
powers of hell. There’s no God in it. What did he say on
down through? Come on down and sit in the dust, there’s
not throne for you. Why, they don’t believe in living
overcoming lives and only overcomers get to sit on a
throne. The Word of God says so. Come on down!
What made Babylon begin
to fall? God’s eternal truth will bring her down where
she belongs. She has exalted herself long enough. We
can’t meet her as a man. That thing is deceptive; it
well get the wisest man that ever lived, but thank God,
we’re not meeting her as a man. We must meet her just
like David met Goliath. He came in his own name, but David
came in the name of the God of Israel, that lives forever
and ever. The thing that gave David confidence to kill
Goliath; the thing he built his faith and confidence on,
when he was able to kill Goliath bare handed; he had
already killed the bear and the lion. We must get victory
over the bear and the lion or we will never fight “this
Goliath” that is standing today. But, if you get victory
over the beast and his image, thank God, we will be ready
to go into the valley and take Goliath “on for a
round”. I feel just exactly like David---you think you
can handle it? Yes, Sir! What makes you think you can kill
Goliath? I already “killed a bear and a lion”. God
came on me, and I killed them. If we can have past victory
to look back on, it will give us the courage we need to go
ahead for God. He stands ready to do something for us if
we will meet his condition.
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