Babylon, Balaam, the beast

 Christ’s words in Revelation 2:12-17, is addressed to the locally assembled church in the geographic place called Pergamum: a place of Satan’s seat. There we have heard Christ’s words, which contain a warning about idolatry, Satan’s plan of false worship.

From those early days after Creation, when Adam sinned and all of mankind to follow also fell into sin, God made a way for mankind to come back. The way back was to worship Him by a substitutionary, sacrificial, blood-sprinkled way.

The key to understanding all of world history since the Fall of Humanity into sin comes from God’s Word. Always remember that the only absolutely trustworthy and accurate account of the earliest days of both the Universe and the human race is found in the inspired words from God in Genesis.

As we turn back to Genesis 4 we are seeing the very first description of the deadliest evil humanity has ever faced. It is called Religion.

Religion is mankind offering any kind of worship to God, other than what God’s Word has commanded.  Religion is the self-styled offering of a humanly designed worship, rather than the Spirit-prompted offering of strict obedience to God’s Word.

That means that there are only two choices in the Universe, for offering true and acceptable worship: God’s revelation of what He wants in His Word, and everything else. Here is point number one:

Satan Always Counterfeits God’s Plan

When Satan as the Serpent in the Garden tempted Eve, he made her question whether God’s plan was best. Satan always offers his own plan, a counterfeit that is meant to derail humans from what has been revealed in the Word of God.

In the account of Cain & Abel we find the first appearance of Satan’s plan to destroy the true worship of God after the Fall. It is so clearly seen in the contrast between Cain’s response to God’s command for worship and Abel’s response. Satan started a plan to counter God’s true worship, and Cain was his first convert.

Genesis 4:8 is what we could call the start of religion: Mankind trying to make his own way to worship God by self-effort. Cain decided to give God what Cain felt like offering, not what God wanted. In fact the inspired commentary from God about Cain’s life says:

1 John 3:12 (NKJV) not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Also the next book after John’s Epistles, called Jude, also has similar warnings:

Jude 1:11 (NKJV) Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Cain’s life is forever tied to one of the most dramatic moments in sacred history. Genesis 4:1-8:

Genesis 4:1-8 (NKJV) Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Cain and Abel portray the eternal truth that there are:

Only Two Choices, Only Two Destinations

Two lines run through the history of mankind: the line of Christ and the line of Antichrist, the line of the Woman’s seed and that of the serpent.

So, there are only two groups of people always on Earth, and they are heading to very different destinies:

1. The Way of God-Followers: like Abel’s example, they kneel before a substitutionary, blood sacrifice pointing at Golgotha, and justified by faith, they go to Heaven.
2. The Way of Satan-Followers: like Cain, they kneel at the altar of their good works pointing at Babel, and condemned by their own sins, they go to the Lake of Fire.

There are only two families that everyone is a part of: (God’s or Satan’s); there are only two destinies that are ahead of every human that has every lived: (Heaven or Hell); and life is really reduced to only one or the two choices: (repent or reject). Each of us today belongs to one family or the other. You are choosing your own future.

Here in Genesis 4 we see that Cain and Abel are not only two actual people who lived and walked on earth a few thousand years ago. They also represent the two roads that head out from the Garden of Eden. Everyone who has ever lived has chosen one of those two paths. Each of us are on one path or the other.

Watch the choices made by Cain and Abel. Both were born outside of Eden. Both were sinners and fallen. Both were lost and guilty of each sin they had committed. Neither were innocent, but only Abel would confess that! That is what:

Genesis 4 Contrasts: Satan’s Followers (Cain) vs. God’s Followers (Abel)

To help us understand the magnitude of this doctrinal lesson that Cain and Abel portray, we need to look at their lives, and the lessons from those lives, one at a time.

First we can see:

Satan’s religion: The Wicked Way of Cain

• Cain neglected God’s example of a bloody substitute for covering sinners, and got angry when God corrects him.
• Cain portrays a salvation based on human merits-the natural, self-righteous, self-sufficient and lost person; the formal, external-only professors, who are trusting their works.
• Cain was rejected and cursed by God; denied his lost ruined condition, refused the Divine remedy, and became a merely religious, but lost person.
• Cain looked for help from within himself to please God; he makes an un-bloody offering, and ignores the curse removing, substitutionary, blood sacrifice offered by Abel.
• Cain was the father of all those who seek earthly security and those that God calls “Earth-Dwellers”.
• Cain turned from the true altar of worship to God, ignored the message and founded the first earthly city (Genesis 4:17).

God’s revelation: The Righteous Faith of Abel

• Abel followed God’s example and offered a bloody substitute as an offering for sinners; he humbly gave God what He asked for.
• Abel portrays a salvation only by Divine grace-the Spiritual Person, who is broken-spirited, taking God’s side against themselves; the saved, genuine believer and possessor of faith in Christ’s finished work alone.
• Abel was accepted and blessed by God; he acknowledged his personal sins; he believed God’s testimony, placing faith in the substitute and was accounted righteous, and was a genuinely saved person.
• Abel looks for help from outside himself to please God; he makes a bloody offering, and trusts the curse removing, substitutionary blood sacrifice he offered.
• Abel was the father of all those who seek God as their refuge, and those that God calls Citizens of Heaven.
• Abel came to the true altar of worship to God, heeded God’s message, and founded a grave stained with blood on his way to the heavenly city.

The ways of Cain and the faith of Abel go on until the time of the Global Flood of Noah.

But notice that there is no mention of any idolatry in these early chapters of human history, until after the Flood. Sin was so bad, humanity was so corrupted, and the demons had made such complete inroads in humanity, God said, that’s it.

Turn in your Bible past those days recorded in Genesis 5-8, where God wipes out everyone but the eight in Noah’s family. But as we do so, remember:

God Destroyed the Whole Earth in the Flood
Genesis 7:21-23

In Genesis 7:21-23, note that God’s Word says that every human and air-breathing animal not on the Ark was killed in the Flood. That was not a local flood as some try to make it. You may want to mark some of these words in your Bibles as you follow along.

Genesis 7:21-23 (NKJV) And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

Moving on, God gives mankind a fresh start in learning how to seek Him correctly in Genesis 8:20. There God is worshipped in the true and proper way by the substitutionary, blood sacrifice upon an altar. Note the re-affirmation with the family that would restart humanity upon the Earth. God says to Noah:

Worship God First, Worship His Way
Genesis 8:18-22

The very first thing as soon as they landed, the ground dried and the ark was emptied: was a bloody, substitutionary sacrifice on an altar, the way God asked for it to be done. Follow along with the words God gives us:

Genesis 8:18-22 (NKJV) So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

 22 “While the earth remains,
      Seedtime and harvest,
      Cold and heat,
      Winter and summer,
      And day and night
      Shall not cease.”

Just a side note: The Ark pictures salvation in many ways: God invited them in; only one door; those inside were saved by an atoning covering of pitch on the outside of the wooden ark (kaphar = atone); and all inside made it safely to the end.

The Ark Portrays Eternal Security
Genesis 7:16 & 8:19

Look at Genesis 7:15-17.

Genesis 7:15-17 (NKJV) And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. 17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.

Now look again what we just read in Genesis 8:18-19

Genesis 8:18-22 (NKJV) So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

The Ark is a picture that all who come Christ’s way of salvation (the one door) are kept safely to the end, and arrive safely home!

But skip over chapter 9, the rules for humanity (end of vegetarianism, start of capital punishment by government); and the covenant in the rainbow as a sign of God’s mercy. Go with me to:

Genesis 10: The Mighty Nimrod, Founder of Babel

Genesis 10:8-12 introduces us to one of the most influential figures in the new world after the Flood of Noah.

Genesis 10:8-12 (NKJV) Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

Satan had already begun in Genesis 10 to counterfeit what God would do. What we can see as we study this passage is that Nimrod was the human mind behind the first system of false religion.  Nimrod founded a city called Babel/Babylon and it was the home of the beginnings of idolatry.

Nimrod was a grandson of Ham, which makes him a great grandson of Noah.  He was the apostate of the patriarchal age. Idolatry began in Babel, according to God’s Word. Mankind built the first object to be worshipped in place of God, which was the Tower of Babel. He established false worship.

The following details are what you can read in the commentaries of the following great Bible teachers: James Boice of 10th Presbyterian of Philadelphia; Harry Ironsides of Moody Church; John MacArthur of Grace Church; Harold Wilmington of Liberty University; John Wesley, founder of Methodism; and J. Dwight Pentecost of Dallas Seminary to name just a few.

Secular history and tradition tell us that Nimrod married a woman who was as evil and demonic as he was.  Her name was Semiramis.  Knowing God’s promise of a future Savior (Gen. 3:15), Semiramis brazenly claimed that Tammuz, her first son, fulfilled this prophecy[1].

Building on the primeval promise of the woman’s Seed who was to come, Semiramis bore a son whom she declared was miraculously conceived, and when she presented him to the people, he was hailed as the promised deliverer.  This son was Tammuz, whose worship centuries later, Ezekiel protested against in the 6th Century BC days of the captivity.

Thus was introduced the mystery of the mother and the child, a form of idolatry that is older than any other known to man.  The rites of this worship were secret.  Only the initiated were permitted to know its mysteries.

It was Satan’s effort to delude mankind with an imitation so like the truth of God that they would not know the true Seed of the woman when He came in the fullness of time.  To this scholars as early as the 2nd Century Justin Martyr bear definite witness. [2]

Move on to the next chapter where we find:

Genesis 11: Babel’s Tower, Babylon’s Mysteries & Organized Religion

Satan’s plan began to be exported globally at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 which was the advent of what we would call Organized Religion. This was over 24 centuries before Christ, and nearly 4,500 years ago.

The Tower was the first idol and it became the object of men’s worship, the point of their pride.  It spawned a complex of weird, strange, mysterious religions that are still going on in our world today.

Genesis 11:1-9 (NKJV) Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Remember that Satan want to counterfeit, confuse and mess up God’s plan. So the one-world plans Satan had at Babel, God confounds, but Satan just sends out the great invasion of false worship, mystery religions and idolatry from Babel to the ends of the earth.

Pagan Religions Originate from Babylon

The Gospel of Satan is religion, and he has made sure that it has gotten to every corner of the Earth. At the Tower of Babel’s worship ziggurat, the Babylonian Mystery Religions fill the pages of ancient history.  They’re all over everywhere and they’re still with us today all in different forms. [3]

There, on the fertile plain of Shinar, probably not far from the original Garden of Eden, the first spade of dirt was turned for the purpose of organizing humans into Creator-rejection and Devil-worship.

Alexander Hislop[4], the great 19thcentury Scottish theologian and historian traced the concept of false religions under the idea of Babylonianism. After God destroyed the tower, He scattered mankind into multiplied language groups. Semiramis was worshiped as a goddess under many different names.

She became Ishtar of Syria, Ashtaroth of Phoenicia, Isis of Egypt, Aphrodite of Greece, and Venus of Rome-in each case the deity of sexual love and fertility.  According to the cult of Ishtar, Tammuz was conceived by a sunbeam, a counterfeit version of Jesus’ virgin birth.

Tammuz corresponded to Baal in Phoenicia, Horus in Egypt, Eros in Greece, and Cupid in Rome. In every case, the worship of those gods and goddesses was associated with sexual immorality. The celebration of Lent has no basis in Scripture, but rather developed from the pagan celebration of Semiramis’ mourning for forty days over the death of Tammuz (cf. Ezek. 8:14) before his alleged resurrection-another of Satan’s mythical counterfeits.

Now, that means that Babel, became the fountainhead of all false religion.  That’s why when false religion reaches its climax in the end times, God’s Word calls false religion by the name of Babylon again in Revelation 17-18.

[1] Adapted from Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible, in loc.

[2] Henry Allen “Harry” Ironside (October 14, 1876-January 15, 1951) was a Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor, and author. Found also on Lambert Dolphin’s site at:http://ldolphin.org/semir.html This article copied from:http://www.biblelineministries.org/articles/basearch.php3?action=full&mainkey=BABYLONIAN+RELIGION+%28By+Harry+A.+Ironside%29

[3] John MacArthur preached this in a Mother’s Day message on 5/14/72

[4] Adapted from Two Babylons quoted by MacArthur in Acts and I Corinthians. (For a discussion of the relationship of the pagan mother-child cults to Roman Catholic teachings abou
t Mary, see Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons [Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux, 1959].)

It is interesting to note that Babylon, the first superpower of the ancient world, was also built with a similar mindset to glorify and honour man, instead of the Creator God. From Daniel 4:30, we read the following words of king Nebuchadnezzar: "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" Friends, because the kingdom of ancient Babylon was built to glorify the creature instead of the Creator, it soon became a haven for several satanic practices. And as God interrupted the building of the tower of Babel, He once again ensured that this ancient satanic kingdom became desolate, never to be rebuilt or inhabited (Jeremiah 50:13).

Friends, from the book of Revelation, we encounter another satanic power that the beloved apostle also refers to as Babylon, even Babylon the Great. The apostle John describes this power in Revelation 17:1-6, with the following graphic words: "1 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: 2 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. 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. 4 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: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" ( Revelation 17:1-6).But friends, who is this power that the apostle John describes with such fierce gruelling words? Who is this woman who sits on the scarlet coloured beast? Who is this Babylon the Great? Friends, before I answer these questions, it is pertinent for us to know that the Bible uses the symbol of a pure woman to represent God’s true church (Revelation 19:7-8; Jeremiah 6:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2). On the contrary, when God's people forsake the clear teachings of Scripture to follow after the traditions of men, the Bible describes them with the term whore or prostitute (Hosea 4:15-18). Thus, this woman who rides the beast in Revelation 17 with descriptions such as great whore and mother of harlots is a fitting symbol of an apostate religious system. Beloved, this apostate woman, as we have already noted through careful study in several of our previous studies is none other power than the religious system of Roman Catholicism.

Friends, the Papacy represents modern day Babylon. In fact, the apostle John refers to this fallen church as Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth (Revelation 17:5). Beloved, what the apostle John is basically revealing to us in this text is that the Church of Rome will have similar satanic characteristics as the former ancient kingdom of Babylon. And friends, this fact has been proven by Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylon’s. In this book, Hislop brought out in detail some of the common practices that exist between the religion of the ancient kingdom of Babylon and the religious system of Roman Catholicism. We read from the pages 2 and 3 of this book the following: "That the paganism which Rome has baptized is, in all it's essential features, the very paganism which prevailed in the ancient Babylon... the essential character of her system, the grand objects of her worship, her doctrine and discipline, her rites and ceremonies, her priesthood and their orders, have all been derived from ancient Babylon." Beloved, some of the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church that can be traced directly from the religious system of ancient Babylon include the following: Direct Sun Worship, Sunday Worship instead of the Bible Sabbath, Penance, Indulgences, Infant Sprinkling, the Confessional, Immortality of the Soul, Praying to the dead, Holy Water, The Mass, Monks, Rosary Beads, The Tonsure, The Miters, The Cross, Nuns, Pontiff, Candles, Purgatory, Limbo, and the Wafer. Friends, these false doctrines which Papal Rome inherited from paganism are what the Scripture refer to as the wine of her fornication (Revelation 17:2). Beloved, it was because of these false doctrines in the Catholic Church that led to the birth of the reformation in the 16th century. During a period of about 150 years, God raised several great men and women to restore the truth that the Church of Rome had trampled underfoot (Daniel 8:9-12 ). For instance, John Wycliffe was inspired by the Holy Spirit to translate the Bible from the Latin Vulgate Version to the English language. The work of Wycliffe made the Word of God accessible to the common people; bringing into their hearts and minds rays of light that will forever free them from the darkness and shackles of popery. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church found the work of Wycliffe so offensive that in 1428, nearly 44 years after his death, they ordered his bones to be exhumed publicly burned. Martin Luther, who was also a faithful Catholic priest, had to abandon his office when he discovered from Scripture that many of the doctrines of his church contradicted the plain teachings of Scripture. Friends, Martin Luther upheld the Scripture as the sole authority for Christian belief and practice. He preached righteousness by faith alone and denounced publicly the Catholic teaching of Indulgences. Another reformer, John Smith, after reading his Bible also had something different to present to the world in regard to the falsehood embedded in Roman Catholicism. Smith taught that biblical baptism should not be by sprinkling but rather through immersion. John Calvin also pointed out to the world from Scripture that we do not have to go to human priests to confess our sins but rather there is one Mediator between God and man; the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). Likewise, through a small group of believers who had come together to study their Bibles in search of answers after the Great Millerite Disappointment in 1844, God revealed to the world the importance of His eternal law with a particular focus on the Sabbath Commandment.

Friends, one after another, God through the reformers pulled down the unbiblical doctrines of Roman Catholicism. These reformers came to hold dear the plain teachings of Scripture and realized that they couldn’t change or reform the Church of Rome. They realized sadly that if they wanted to follow the Scripture then the only option that was available to them was to leave the church they had come to cherish. For many of these reformers came to understand that the Roman Catholic System as the antichrist of Bible Prophecy and as such wanted to have nothing to do with this church.

But friends, as we fast forward from the time of the reformers to the day in which we live, we see a different picture. I believe you will agree with me that things have changed in regard to how the protestant world now views the Roman Catholic Church. There is extreme unity, cordiality, and respect between the Protestant world today and the Papacy. The friendship between the Holy See and the Protestant world has flourished in recent times to the amazement of the entire world. Now, the million dollar question that I believe many of you will want to find an answer to is this: What happened? How was the deep gulf between Protestantism and Catholicism bridged?

Friends, we cannot say that we are seeing this transition because the reformers were wrong in their convictions in regard to the Catholic Church. This is because the Bible gives them a thumps up for the stand they took. However, I believe from the study that I have done that a well-orchestrated plan had been laid out to bring the Protestant world back under Catholic authority. And friends, this well laid out plan is embodied in the framework of religious ecumenism. Ecumenism, believe it or not was born in the mindset of Roman Catholicism.

You see friends, way back in 1962; the Catholic Church convened a meeting popularly referred to as Vatican II (You can easily Google out facts about Vatican II via the internet). This Vatican Council, chaired by Pope John XXIII had the major aim of merging all Christendom and finally the blending of all religions across the planet. The Council addressed important issues such as the relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Modern World. And one of the main topics discussed was the ecumenical efforts towards dialogue with other religions. The purpose was to undo all that the reformers have done and to bring all Protestants and other religions under the authority of Catholic Leadership. The vehicle for this goal was to use celebration activity, celebration terminology, and the power of music to facilitate the change.

After Vatican II, there have been several moves by the Vatican to put their plan of ecumenism into action by fraternising with Protestants as well as the other religions of the world. And friends, the Catholic Church has been hugely successful in bringing this goal about. Some of the marked achievements of the church in her drive for religious ecumenism are detailed below:

In 1999, the Catholic Church organized an inter-faith meeting in Rome which was participated by over 2000 religious faiths. In the book "Billy Graham and his Friends" by Dr Cathy Burns, 2001; we read the following from page 420: "As reported in the Associated Press, with the Dalai Lama, sitting by his right side, this October (1999) in Rome the pope presided at a special council of some 2000 religious leaders of various faiths, sects, and cults." Some prominent religious leaders present were Buddhists monks, Zoroastrian priests, Catholic cardinals, Hindu gurus, American Indian shamen, Jewish rabbis, as well as various Protestant leaders all promoting the ecumenical agenda. "All present were in accord of two key points: (1) Pope John Paul II was endorsed by consensus as the planet’s chief spiritual guide and overseer; and (2) Religious fundamentalists who refuse to go along with the global ecumenical movement are to be silenced. They must be denounced as ‘dangerous extremists’ full of hate." (True Bible Believers denounced at Papal Conference. Power of Prophecy. (March 2000, Vol. 2000-03, p. 3)

Friends, this inter-faith meeting in 1999 gave great strength to the Catholic ecumenical agenda and sparked its spread into all mainstream Christian churches, as well as the numerous major religions of the world. On April 17, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Centre in Washington, Pope Benedict XIV gathered with some 200 religious leaders for an inter-faith prayer meeting. Some of the major religious groups that were represented at the meeting were Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and representatives of other religions. Besides this inter-faith meeting, Pope Benedict XIV also met with various religious and political leaders all in an effort to push forward the Catholic ecumenical agenda.

Recently, in January of 2014 the current Pope Francis also chalked great success in the Catholic ecumenical agenda as he successfully brought on board the Pentecostal and Evangelical World into the fraternity of religious ecumenism. The pope sent the late Tony Palmer to a charismatic conference hosted by television evangelist Kenneth Copeland. At this conference, Tony Palmer unveiled a video message of unity and love from the pope to the Pentecostal and Evangelical Christian Denominations. Friends, how Kenneth Copeland and the leadership of the Pentecostal and Evangelical movements received the pope’s message, was incredibly prophecy fulfilling. At the moment, among the mainstream protestant churches, there are but few that still protest today; thanks to the Catholic Ecumenical Agenda. At the moment, several Protestant churches have even gone forward to utilize among other things the Catholic Church’s Apostle’s Creed in their worship services. These are the words of the Apostle’s Creed:

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day He rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead: 

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy Catholic Church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

11. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

(Bold Emphasis Added to lines 3, 4 and 9)

Beloved, this creed is widely used by a number of Christian denominations today for both liturgical and catechetical purposes; and as one writer puts it "More than any other Christian creed, it may justly be called an ecumenical symbol of faith". Even though I have serious issues with some of the lines above (that is, numbers 3, 4, and 9) in respect to their consistency with Scripture, the ninth stanza of this creed particularly caught my attention in respect to the goal of the Catholic ecumenical agenda. The ninth stanza above reads: "I believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints".

Friends, some of the mainstream Protestant churches whose members recite this creed every Sunday include Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Christian Reformed Church and even Lutherans. In as much as many of these Christians do not have a basic understanding of what they are reciting every week, the fact is that in reciting the apostle’s creed, they unknowingly affirm their pledge to Catholic authority. Thus, from the lips of millions in Christendom today, the Catholic Church is affirmed superior over all Christian denominations. Beloved, all these churches view the head of the Roman Catholic Church, that is, the pope, as the planet’s chief spiritual leader or overseer. For the sake of doubt, I want us to quickly review some few statements from various religious leaders in relation to how these churches view the head of the Papacy:The Pope is "one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of this century." Billy Graham, The Rock, August 1987 Vol. 43, No. 7.

"In many, many ways, he (the pope) represents the future hope of the church when he speaks clearly on justice and peace." Rev. David W. Perry, deputy for ecumenical relations for the 2.4 million member Episcopal Church.

"Certainly, we honour and respect him (the pope) because he does, in a sense, represent the whole Christian World." Robert C. Morgan, bishop of Louisville, and president of the 8.4 million member United Methodist Church.

"We have deep respect for him as a leader. We are all part of one church… one body of Christ." Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, top official of the 3.6 million Presbyterian Church. Beloved, this is the extent to which the Protestant world has come under the banner of Roman Catholicism through the vehicle of ecumenism. In fact, at the moment, the message contained in Pope Francis' current encyclical titled "Fratelli Tutti" (which literally means "All Brothers") is quickly bringing the whole religious and political world under the umbrella of Papal Rome. From the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement website, we read the following exposition in relation to Pope Francis' "Fratelli Tutti": "Chapter 8 of the encyclical focuses on the contribution of ecumenism and interreligious relations. It represents a certain maturity in dialogue and fraternity that seem to suggest such a natural and easy feeling that Christian confessions and even people of different faiths would join in fraternity and social friendship as described by Pope Francis." -- (Published on October 5, 2020 at www.atonementfriars.org)

At this point, I believe it is justifiable if you are pondering over questions such as this: But is religious ecumenism such a bad idea? Have you considered all the good the world stands to benefit if the children of God could unite under one umbrella? Have you considered the positive influence that this move you paint in such dark colours could bring to bear on our fast morally degenerating world? Beloved, these are valid and wholesome questions. Yes, religious ecumenism has some very positive goals and plans but underneath these goals is the secret agenda of the Church of Rome.

Friends, if religious ecumenism only promoted the idea that all religions should unite to promote the wellbeing of the human race, that wouldn’t have been a bad idea. But religious ecumenism also promotes the concept that members should relegate to the background fundamental or distinctive doctrines that will not help the course of religious unity. Beloved, it is not as if some of us do not support the idea of unity. The problem however is that we cannot unite with other denominations and religions at the expense of clear Bible truths. Some of us believe that truth is more paramount than unity. For Christ once said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6 ). How do we unite with religious groups who do not even believe that Christ is the only way to salvation? How do we unite with other religious denominations and in so doing throw fundamental Bible truths out the window when the Scripture plainly says we are saved by a belief of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:12)? How do we unite with other world religions under the leadership of the Papacy, knowing very well that the Papacy is the antichrist of Bible prophecy? Beloved, despite several of the beautiful aims of ecumenism, the main agenda is to unite all religions under the supreme authority of Roman Catholicism.

And friends, this is the same religious entity that the Bible describes as the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth (Revelation 17:5). It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church has for ages regarded herself as the mother of all Christian denominations. For instance, from "The Dominus Iesus declaration, which was written by a close aide of Pope John Paul II, says that the Roman Catholic church is the "mother" of all Christian denominations and that it is incorrect to refer to the Church of England and other Protestant churches as "sister" organisations on a par with Rome." (Vatican declaration provokes churches. BBC, September 5, 2000.)

Friends, the Catholic Church has always seen the protestant churches that left her fold during the era of the reformation as erring daughters who need to be brought back to her fold. For centuries, she has tried in vain to win the affections of the protestant world. But the Church of Rome does not give up. Through persistent planning and strategizing which had been carried out in various church councils and acted upon, the Catholic Church today is seeing the fruit of her labours as several of the once Protestant denominations flock back to her feet.

Finally, in the final hours of this earth’s history, the mother of harlots has her ‘erring daughters’ back. But by aligning themselves with Rome through ecumenism, these daughters of Babylon are in for the worst religious experience of their lives. As these protestant denominations mingle the pure teachings in the Word of God delivered unto them by their pioneers with the false doctrines of Rome, the result is religious confusion.

Friend, have you noticed the confusion in the religious world today? Have you seen all the various churches with diverse forms of doctrines to the extent that people do not even know what to believe anymore? This is basically because the majority of the churches in the Protestant world have gone back to Rome and are as it were, sipping from her golden cup full of false doctrines ( Revelation 17: 2, 4). And in this state of affairs, where the Word of God has been replaced by fables, the stage is now set for Satan’s grand deception of the masses through miraculous signs and wonders.

Friends, despite the intoxicating influence of the false wine of Roman Catholicism, it is the miracles that will attend her; and her apostate daughters in the final hours of earth’s history that will deceive many to join in her ranks. Strange satanic phenomena such as marian apparitions and their associated messages, weeping statutes and strange sights and signs in the sky will astound many. Moreover, several strange phenomena will abound in the churches. I hope you have not forgotten about the vehicle that was to bring about the plans of the Vatican II Council: Celebration activity, celebration terminology, and the power of music. The elements in this vehicle have been utilized by Rome to such an extent that holiness is now equated to experiencing a good feeling or emotion at church; while spiritual formation is replacing the discipline of personal prayer and Bible study that believers are to exercise so as to grow in Christ. Strange and wild phenomena are now being experienced in the churches. People are now being slain in the spirit, some are laughing in the spirit, others are getting drunk in the spirit, and yet others are babbling in some strange ecstatic utterances that they attribute to the power of the Holy Spirit. Friends, as the end draws near, Satan will ensure that these strange phenomena will become widespread and attended by a power that will fascinate the masses. As I said earlier, it is the miracles and signs that will attend the Catholic ecumenical agenda that will deceive many to join in her ranks. For many people will reason: if God is not here, then why do we see such explicit signs and power of the Holy Ghost. But friends, it wouldn’t be the Holy Spirit that will be working in this apostate church and her daughters, but rather, the false spirit of antichrist.

For we read from Revelation 16:13-14the following words from the apostle John: "13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." The beloved apostle reiterates this same point in Revelation 19:20 as follows: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image…"Friends, in these two texts above, we see how the satanic trinity; that is the dragon (Satan), the beast (Papacy) and the false prophet (Apostate Protestantism) join forces to deceive the entire world to gather themselves together against the government of God. In fact, just prior to the second coming of Christ, the deception that will break upon the inhabitants of the earth through miraculous signs and wonders will be so great to such an extent that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24). But God’s people will not be deceived because of their knowledge of the truth. Despite the miraculous signs and wonders, the people of God will know that they cannot align themselves with Babylon because her doctrines and practices do not conform to the Word of God. For they will be shielded by the words of the second angel in Revelation 14 that says: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8).

Beloved, just like Sodom and Gomorrah of old, the sins of Babylon the Great, have reached unto heaven (Revelation 18:5). The Lord has seen the abominations that are being committed by this apostate mother church and her daughters. The Lord would have speedily consumed this apostate system, but he bids His time because just as righteous Lot (2 Peter 2:7-8) was in Sodom, so are there millions of His faithful children within Babylon the great and her apostate daughters (Revelation 18:4 ; John 10:16). Within Babylon are several of God’s faithful children who are serving Him with all their hearts. Some are faithfully following the teachings of priests and prelates, pastors and bishops, imams and you name it, thinking they are following the very words of God. Oh! If such people had only known earlier that they are following the deceptions of Satan, they would have left these congregations in disgust. But the good news is that all of God’s faithful children in Roman Catholicism and her apostate daughters will not be deceived forever. Just as the Lord sent His angels to bid Lot to come out of Sodom before destroying the city with fire, so is He calling out all His faithful children from Babylon before destroying her with fire.

Beloved, the fact is that just like Sodom, Babylon is fallen in God’s eyes, and God has determined to destroy her. Just as ancient Babylon was not spared for her wickedness, so the Lord is going to judge Babylon the Great by pouring on her the seven last plagues as described in Revelation 16:1-21. Finally, this satanic system will be consumed in the flames of the lake of fire during God’s executive judgement (Revelation 18:8). Friends, because of the coming judgements on Babylon the Great, the Lord bids His children to come out of her before it is too late (Revelation 18:4). You might probably be thinking I’m making all this up; and so I want us to read what the apostle John saw in vision concerning these matters: "1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 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. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities… 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" (Revelation 18:1-5, 8).Beloved, I am convinced that it is not by accident that you are reading this message today. Maybe you are worshipping God with all your heart but through this study you have come to realize that you are in one way or the other sipping from the golden cup of Babylon. It is possible you may have unknowingly embraced some of the false teachings of Roman Catholicism such as Sunday Worship instead hallowing the Bible Sabbath. Maybe you have come to believe in the false teaching of Babylon that says God’s Ten Commandment Law is no more binding upon His children even though Christ Himself said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets" (Matthew 5:17). Friend, through the influence of ecumenism, it’s possible you may have even come to believe in other man-made traditions such as the adoration and worship of Mary, as well as countless other pagan images, the confession of your sins to priests instead of to Christ, the immortality of the soul, infant baptism instead of baptizing believing teachable adults, baptism by sprinkling instead of immersion, eternal burning in hell, the secret rapture doctrine, the babbling of unintelligible ecstatic utterances commonly referred to as speaking in tongues and the like. It’s possible you have even come to adore the pope as ‘holy father’ without knowing that there is but only one Holy Father in heaven (John 17:11). Friend, if you are in a state like this; if you are in any church or denomination that teaches any of these unbiblical doctrines above, then my brother or sister, you are in Babylon. And beloved, the clear words of Christ to you today is this: "Come out of her" (Revelation 18:4 ) before it is too late.

Friends, from the first book of the Bible, Moses the servant of God narrates the story of how God’s children had to come out of Sodom, a similar satanic system before it was too late. There are several parallels from this story that we will do well to study and learn from. We read the account of this story from Genesis 19:12-17: "12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."Exhortation: Friends, when the angels gave Lot and his family the order to leave Sodom, it was only those who heeded the direct warning of the angels that escaped the devastating judgement of God. Today, God is calling you as an individual out of Babylon. You may have stayed in this system your entire lifetime. You may have your family, friends and loved ones in Babylon. Now what can you do for them? As Lot went to give the dire warning to his sons in law, you can do your best to share this truth with your family and friends so they can also come out of this apostate system before it’s too late. But irrespective of their decision, the call is still the same; "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). God’s children must come out of Babylon before it is too late. Just as the call came to Lot and His family to leave Sodom, so is the call coming to you today. My dear friend, you must heed God’s warning to leave Babylon, lest thou be also consumed in the city. Beloved, you must leave while there is still time. You shouldn’t count friendship and family ties too dear over and above the Master’s call. For it would not be long before all those who neglect this warning message will be made to drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mercy into the cup of His indignation (Revelation 14:10).

At this point, I believe many of you are pondering over the question: so where do I go after leaving Babylon the Great and her daughters? Friends, the good news is that when God calls us out of Babylon, He also calls us into His true church. In this study, we have identified the false church and her daughters. But what is the true church of God? Is there anything like that in Scripture. Beloved, the answers to these questions will form the content of our next study which is captioned: A Great Wonder in Heaven: A Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Moon Under Her Feet. The Bible study reference for this study is found in Revelation 12:1-17. Please do well to go through this study reference before the next study is released.

The remaining topics in our series dubbed: The Final Events of Bible Prophecy are as follows:

1. A Great Wonder in Heaven: a Woman Clothed With the Sun, and the Moon Under her feet.

2. Countdown to Armageddon: Survivors of the War Behind all Wars.

Stay tuned and never miss any of these upcoming series. May the Lord bless you and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!