SABBATH THOUGHT 2024-04-13—COME OUT MY PEOPLE
May God bless you on His Sabbath day!
Revelation chapter 17 describes The Harlot and The Beast inthe last days. The Harlot, who rules over The Beast for a time, is that “great city” called Babylon (v. 18) and her name is “Mystery [Secret] Babylon the Great, the Mother ofHarlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” (Rev. 17:5). I assumethat most accept that Babylon is a symbol for any belief system that is againstGod and, specifically, an icon of the Roman Catholic Church. Her name isinteresting because she is not only the mother, or progenitor, of “harlots,” whichare religious offshoots, but she is the “mother” or source of all ABOMINATIONSof the earth. Because of this, there will be a worldwide warning against Babylon in the last days:
REVELATION 18:1-3 After these things I saw another angelcoming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminatedwith his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prisonfor every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 “For allthe nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, thekings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants ofthe earth have become rich through the abundance [miraculous power] ofher luxury.”
The angel who proclaims the warning is one who has GREATauthority and whose glory is so brilliant that he lights up the entire earth.This being of the heavenly host is obviously very powerful. His message beginsby describing the fall of Babylon and, not just some, but ALL nations whoengage in her evil ways. The Greek does not exclude ANY nation. Every nationupon this earth—both gentile and Israelite—will commit fornication with TheHarlot and become rich by drinking the “wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Nowthat is a rather puzzling phrase. It is repeated in Revelation 14:8 and againwith very similar wording in 17:2. What does it mean exactly? Perhaps Jeremiahprovides the answer:
JEREMIAH 51:7 Babylon was agolden cup in the LORD’s hand, That made all the earth drunk.The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are mad [deranged].
Babylon is a likened to a cup of wine, which causes all theearth to be drunk; that is, mad or deranged. So, the phrase “wine of the wrath [madness,derangement] of her fornication” describes a world that will be enticedby the wealth and luxury of Babylon so much so that it is a madness orderangement that is like an addiction. I think Paul also prophesied of thisstate of the world:
2 TIMOTHY 3:1 But know this, that in the last days periloustimes will come:
Perilous in the Greek means dangerous but alsoimplies furious. The root means ‘reducing the strength’. Paul isreferring to times when people will be addicted by—not have the strength toresist—the evil of the world and they will pursue wealth and luxury with a lustfulfury. He describes these people as:
2 TIMOTHY 3:2-7 For men will be lovers of themselves,lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control,brutal [savage], despisers of good, 4 traitors [betrayers],headstrong, haughty [conceited], lovers of pleasure rather thanlovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And fromsuch people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into householdsand make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by variouslusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
People will LOVE themselves and money. They will be BOASTFUL,PROUD, and BLASPHEMERS (abusive, defamatory, irreverent). They will have NO LOVE,be UNFORGIVING, and lack SELF-CONTROL. They will be SAVAGE, BETRAY one another,and be CONCEITED. I think Paul is describing a world that follows after the abominationsof The Harlot and becomes addicted to pleasures, wealth, and self-gratification.Simply put, they are drunk on the “wine of the [madness, derangement] of [The Harlot’s] fornication[abominations].”
These few verses portray a world that is hard to imagine butimpossible to deny since there is a madness that has already come upon many andevery aspect of life is promoted as and motivated by pleasure and wealth. Butare these unconverted people? Read the next verse:
2 TIMOTHY 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, sodo these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved [rejected]concerning the faith;
Believe it or not, Paul is talking about those who KNOW the Truthbut RESIST it! They UNDERSTAND the Faith but REJECT it! Paul, infact, told Timothy to rebuke those who are supposed to be teachers inthe previous chapter. He told Timothy to remind them not to “subvert” the ekklesia(v14), not to “increaseto more ungodliness” (v16), and not to “overthrow the faith of some” (v18).Really? Will ministers be so corrupt and ungodly? Here is another of hisrebukes:
1 TIMOTHY 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwiseand does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our LordJesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed withdisputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife,reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corruptminds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is ameans of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
Notice that there will be teachers/ministers who use GODLINESSas a means for PERSONAL GAIN. They are PROUD and OBSESSED! Outwardly they appearas servants of God but they only do it to satisfy their personal lusts. It isbad enough that the nations of the earth will be that corrupted but is itpossible that this applies to some ministers? Sadly, there is more. After theangel ended his warning to Babylon, John heard another voice from heaven, whichsaid:
REVELATION 18:4-5 And I heard another voice from heavensaying, “Come out of her [Babylon], My [God’s] people,lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 “For hersins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
While the mighty angel’s message will be to the entireworld, the voice from heaven will be a warning for God’s people to come out of Babylon. Who are God’s people? Does it refer to physical Israel and Judah, to the ekklesia, or both? Take note that Revelation 18:4 repeats some OTscriptures:
ISAIAH 52:11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch nounclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You whobear the vessels of the LORD.
JEREMIAH 51:6, 45 Flee from the midst of Babylon, And everyone save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is thetime of the LORD’s vengeance; He shall recompense her. … 45 “My people,go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierceanger of the LORD.
Reading these verses in context, they certainly refer to physical Israel and Judah in the last days; however, Paul used them when speaking to convertedCorinthians:
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked togetherwith unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? Andwhat communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ withBelial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreementhas the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the livingGod. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I willbe their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Comeout from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what isunclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, And youshall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
Clearly, “Mypeople” also refers to those of the ekklesia. This is a warningfor God’s people to come out of Babylon in the last days to both physical Israel and Judah as well as the true ekklesia!
Putting it all together, there will be those of the ekklesia,including teachers and ministers, that become drunk on the “wine of the wrath [madness,derangement] of [The Harlot’s] fornication.” Here is more proof:
EZEKIEL 34:2, 4, 7-8, 10 “Son of man, prophesy againstthe shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldnot the shepherds feed the flocks? … 4 “The weak you have notstrengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken,nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost;but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. … 7 ‘Therefore,you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 “As I live,” says the LordGOD, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for everybeast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherdssearch for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed Myflock”– … 10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I amagainst the shepherds, …
None of the leaders or kings of Israel were ever given thetitle or had the role of shepherd (David was a shepherd but his title was king).Moreover, Ezekiel lived during the time when Judah was exiled to Babylon and they never had another king from that point onward. So, who are the shepherdsEzekiel prophesied against? Elders and ministers in the Body of Christ! In thelast days, they will rule over God’s children “with force and cruelty.” And it isapparent even now. How many brethren have been “driven away” because they fellowship withbrethren of a different church organization, disagreed on a point of prophecy,or did not get ‘approval’ for marriage or other personal matters? How many havefelt “forced”to pay tithes to church organizations at the expense of their family? Is it not“cruel”when church organizations spend millions of dollars in donations on buildings, cars,salaries, and pensions while brethren live in poverty? I could go on and on,but Ezekiel 34:1-10 (and Jeremiah 23) is a condemnation of shepherds who “feed” themselvesinstead of the flock. Now notice his warning to the sheep:
EZEKIEL 34:17-21 ‘And as for you, O My flock,thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep,between rams and goats. 18 “Is it too little for you to have eaten upthe good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of yourpasture–and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residuewith your feet? 19 “And as for My flock, they eat what you havetrampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouledwith your feet.” 20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, IMyself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 “Because youhave pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns,and scattered them abroad,
Judging between “sheep and sheep” is referring to judgment of fatsheep who live luxuriously but do not help the lean sheep. How many brethren havethe finest houses, cars, clothes, etc. and withhold from helping brethren inserious need? Doing nothing proves their faith (and prayers) are DEAD (Jas.2:16-17). How many wealthy go to exotic foreign festival sites but ignore the indigenousbrethren or later brag about all the fun they had and things they bought tothose who could not afford to even attend locally? Like with the shepherds who onlyfeed themselves, I could list many more examples of fat sheep.
The point of all this is that there is a serious judgment ofGod coming against shepherds who do not feed God’s flock and against the fatsheep who have abundance but leave the poor sheep in leanness. Babylon is “the Mother of [both]Harlots and Abominations.” The cry of the voice from heaven to “Come out of her, Mypeople” is to physical Israel AND those of the ekklesia who willbecome drunk on the “wineof the [madness] of [Babylon’s] fornication”. It is a warning and pleafrom God to return to the way of agape love and serve the brethren:
ROMANS 12:9-13 Let love bewithout hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Bekindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor givingpreference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent inspirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of thesaints, given to hospitality.
May God’s grace and peace be upon you!
Steven Greene
https://sabbathreflections.org
sabbathreflections@gmail.com
