A Bible study based on Revelation 18:1-5, 21 and Revelation 14:6-20.

What is Babylon? It is Antichrist—all who reject Christ, to whom He will say, "Those mine enemies who would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me." It is all that belongs to the earth, which at His appearing will be reaped and cast into the great winepress of God's wrath.

What is Antichrist? 1 John 4 says "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God: and this is that spirit of the antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world." 2 John 7: "For many deceivers

are entered into the world. who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-Christ."

A spirit which is of God, will confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and will assent and conform to all the objects for which he came. All else is Antichrist.

What then was the end for which Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh? Luke 14:45 says, "Then opened he their understandings that they might

understand the Scriptures, and said unto them. Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

When Peter rebuked Jesus for foretelling such things, Christ turned and rebuked Peter, saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Peter then, was at that time Antichrist, in being opposed to the sufferings of Christ in the flesh. But was the sole purpose of Jesus Christ coming in the flesh to suffer? After Peter received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, he set forth the object of Christ's coming, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath, to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh. He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne: he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ," (Acts 2:29).

Christ came in the flesh to sit on David's throne. He was raised up from the dead with flesh for that purpose; and in that same body ascended to heaven, and angels declared that He would so come again, in like manner as He went into heaven.

And what is David's throne? It is the seat of authority placed in the midst of God's people (2 Samuel

3:10). Who are God's people today? It is all those who surrender by faith to the authority and work of Christ (Galatians 3:6-9). The throne of David, therefore, is the holy place in the heart and mind of all those who profess to follow Christ. It is also physically to be placed on the earth made new (Revelation 21).

At the sounding of the seventh trumpet spoken of in Revelation, there shall be heard great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." The earth which now is, is being

reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, and God has promised a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

In the new earth, Christ will sit personally and eternally on His throne, ruling the world in righteousness, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. If a person is opposed to the object for which Jesus came, he is an Antichrist.

We have therefore only to inquire who is opposed to the personal reign of Christ on His throne in order to ascertain who is the antichrist and thus who is Babylon.

The primitive church believed in the personal reign of Christ, and looked and longed for the physical realisation of it through His appearing. However, when the Roman Catholic papacy came into power, the Pope undertook to rule for Christ, claiming to prosperity through human endeavors. They are not willing to have Christ come in person or to destroy this world to establish a new earth under His reign and authority.

The Roman Catholic church is willing that Christ should reign spiritually, provided the Pope can be his acknowledged agent, and thus bring the world to bow down wholly to their theology. They are willing to admit that Jesus has come to suffer, but they will not award Him His crown, and consent to becoming entirely subservient to Christ. Hence they are Antichrist. When the Israelites of old departed from the true God, and made other powers or idols their dependence, God charged them with the sin of whoredom toward Himself.

The Roman Catholic church, while claiming to be the church of God, has, wherever possible, sought the support of secular power, instead of trusting God. Hence God accuses them of committing fornication with the kings of the earth. However, is the Roman Catholic church only that which pertains to Babylon?

What shall we say of Protestant Christendom? Paul wrote, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3). This is at present true of Protestantism.

Many 'embrace' a spiritual reign of Christ, whilst simultaneously planning for a temporal millennium, in which they seek peace and prosperity through human endeavors. They are not willing to have Christ come in person or to destroy this world to establish a new earth under His reign and authority.

Who lives entirely by Christ's laws outlined in His word, the Bible? Many call it extreme or legalistic to think of doing so. Christ said, by their fruits ye shall know them; and the fruit which He expected His true disciples to bear was, obedience to His precepts. "If ye love me, keep my commandments" and "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth." By such fruits they were to be known.

The practical motto in this day is, by their denominational affiliation ye shall know them. If a man subscribes to a denominational creed, he may join himself to the world and yet be regarded as a good Christian. He may join with the dark, antichrist powers of the world for the sake of prosperity and peace, and pass as a follower of Him who has said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Tell professed Christians that Jesus Christ personal return is imminent; tell them that He will carry out the principles of His own religion for ever; make mention that He requires His followers to start living under His full authority now, and they are ready to fight against it with all their might. We are living in the very state of things predicted by our Savior, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

The love of this present world abounds in the hearts of those who say they are Christ's. Nothing is so unwelcome than to call them to give full allegiance to Christ. The apostle John writes as follows: "Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world; and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17).

Babylon or the antichrist is everything that rises in opposition to the personal and absolute reign of Christ on David's throne. Here we find the professed Christian world, Catholic and Protestant, on the side of Antichrist. They all say, let us take the kingdom, but let Christ remain where He is.

Adapted from C. Fitch's Sermon entitled "Come out of her, My People" (1843) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/2006.2