Examining Our Faith-3 quotes

"And there followed another angel, saying, 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.

The Greek word for "followed" used in this text is “akoloutheo”, which translates and means "to accompany, to follow" (Strong’s Exhaustive Greek Concordance, word #190). This word means that the 2nd angel accompanies or joins its message with the 1st angel, so that the 2 messages go together - one after another.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27.

“Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations...thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was....As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters”. Ezekiel 16:1-2, 15, 44-45.

There are two different kinds of married women in the Scriptures. A pure unblemished woman would symbolize God’s church, who is married to Christ. An impure woman, who departs from Christ and unites herself with others, would symbolize a harlot church. Babylon is just another name given in the Scriptures for a harlot church.

“I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore (or harlot) that sitteth upon many waters: 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....and I saw a woman...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: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT”. Revelation 17:1-5.

4) The word “Babylon” itself is derived from the word “Babel”. “Babel” is made up of two words: “bab” which means “gate”, and “el” which means “god”. So Babel literally means the “gate of god.”

When Nimrod and his followers chose to rebel against God and built the tower in the city of Babel, as a consequence the one pure language they spoke became changed into a confusion of many different languages, and the name Babel then became synonymous with confusion (Genesis 11). That which originally meant the "gate of god" in a once pure language, became the symbol of "confusion", and all because of rebellion against God which resulted in their pure language becoming mixed up and corrupted. This history has significance for us.

The gate of God would be the entrance way in order to come to God and get to know Him more perfectly. In Christian terms, we know this gate or door to God to be none other than Jesus Christ (John 10:9; 14:6), and before Jesus ascended to heaven He commissioned His church to take this gospel truth to all nations. But if his church chooses to rebel against Christ and to no longer points people to Him as the only entrance way to God, showing that she has departed from Christ and united herself with another thus becoming a harlot, then her once pure language of truth becomes mixed up, confused and corrupted with error, which results in her becoming converted into Babylon. This reveals that a harlot church of Babylon once began as a pure church of Christ, and that any church of God can become converted into fallen Babylon if they choose to depart from Christ and unite themselves with another!

The fall of Babylon mentioned in the 2nd angel’s message does not refer to her destruction, because after she has fallen God's faithful people are called to come out of her (see Revelation 18:1-4). Thus her fall listed in this text must be interpreted to mean her moral fall from God’s favor.

The 2nd angel’s message follows the 1st angel, which reveals that this once pure church had to have rejected the everlasting gospel of the first angel’s message! Which means that the rejection of the 1st angel was the reason why the church fell and became part of Babylon!

The preaching of the 1st Angel's Message tested the personal life among all the professed Protestant followers of the Lord. Those who longed for a higher spiritual walk with Jesus because they truly loved their Saviour, rejoiced to hear that He was coming soon, and they hastened to prepare for His coming. Those who did not really love the Lord, being the vast majority, turned a deaf ear to the message, but remained Christians in name. The love of the world proved greater than their love for Christ, and by 1844 the various Protestant churches closed their doors against the everlasting Gospel; her ministers gave their flocks the wine of fornication - a mixture of truth and error - to drink, and then the 2nd angel pronounced their moral fall as Babylon.

When the ancient city of Babylon fell, God’s followers of Israel went free (see Jeremiah 50:2-8). As modern Babylon is fallen today, then all followers of Jesus Christ are to go free! This means that the message, "Babylon is fallen," is actually a strong loud call for all prisoners held captive within these fallen churches to arise and go forth so that they can stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free (Galatians 5:1).

“For Israel (God’s people) hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land (church) was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. 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 recompense....And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.” Jeremiah 51:5-6, 44-45.

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3.

As all the apostate fallen churches of Babylon have rejected their Bridegroom and Husband Jesus Christ, then, like with ancient Israel, Christ divorced and forever left this unfaithful harlot, and then called and is still calling for all of His followers to join with Him outside of Babylon to become His new bride and wife.

“...backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” Jeremiah 3:8.

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins (those professing faith in Jesus Christ) arose, and trimmed their lamps....the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door (of probation) was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matthew 25:6-12.

The mid-night cry solemnly reveals that only those followers of Christ who love Him enough to willingly forsake their connection with all fallen, apostate harlot churches of Babylon and then join with Him as His new bride and wife, will be saved. While those who choose to remain separated from Christ and connected with Babylon or with the world, showing that they do not have supreme love for Jesus, will have the door of probation close upon them while they are outside of Christ, and will be forever lost!

Those who rejected the 1st angel’s message rejected Jesus Christ and were lost. Now we see that any who reject the 2nd angel’s message also reject Jesus and will be lost! You cannot pick and choose what truth you want or don’t want to follow. It is either follow Jesus Christ all the way, regardless of what you have to give up and separate from in order to be with Him and gain everlasting life, or lose Christ as well as your salvation!

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth...And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Sermon Quotes EXAMINING OUR FAITH, part 3 quotes 1) “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5. 2) Pillar #2 - the 2nd Angel's Message "And there followed another angel, saying, 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. What does the word “followed” mean? The Greek word for "followed" used in this text is “akoloutheo”, which translates and means "to accompany, to follow" (Strong’s Exhaustive Greek Concordance, word #190). This word means that the 2nd angel accompanies or joins its message with the 1st angel, so that the 2 messages go together - one after another. 3) Who or what is Babylon? Babylon is referred to as a “she”, which means that Babylon is represented as a woman, and a woman in Bible prophecy symbolizes a church. “I have likened the daughter of Zion (God’s people or church) to a comely and delicate woman.” Jeremiah 6:2. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27. “Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations...thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was....As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters”. Ezekiel 16:1-2, 15, 44-45. There are two different kinds of married women in the Scriptures. A pure unblemished woman would symbolize God’s church, who is married to Christ. An impure woman, who departs from Christ and unites herself with others, would symbolize a harlot church. Babylon is just another name given in the Scriptures for a harlot church. “I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore (or harlot) that sitteth upon many waters: 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....and I saw a woman...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: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT”. Revelation 17:1-5. 4) The word “Babylon” itself is derived from the word “Babel”. “Babel” is made up of two words: “bab” which means “gate”, and “el” which means “god”. So Babel literally means the “gate of god.” When Nimrod and his followers chose to rebel against God and built the tower in the city of Babel, as a consequence the one pure language they spoke became changed into a confusion of many different languages, and the name Babel then became synonymous with confusion (Genesis 11). That which originally meant the "gate of god" in a once pure language, became the symbol of "confusion", and all because of rebellion against God which resulted in their pure language becoming mixed up and corrupted. This history has significance for us. The gate of God would be the entrance way in order to come to God and get to know Him more perfectly. In Christian terms, we know this gate or door to God to be none other than Jesus Christ (John 10:9; 14:6), and before Jesus ascended to heaven He commissioned His church to take this gospel truth to all nations. But if his church chooses to rebel against Christ and to no longer points people to Him as the only entrance way to God, showing that she has departed from Christ and united herself with another thus becoming a harlot, then her once pure language of truth becomes mixed up, confused and corrupted with error, which results in her becoming converted into Babylon. This reveals that a harlot church of Babylon once began as a pure church of Christ, and that any church of God can become converted into fallen Babylon if they choose to depart from Christ and unite themselves with another! 5) What does it mean for Babylon to be fallen? The fall of Babylon mentioned in the 2nd angel’s message does not refer to her destruction, because after she has fallen God's faithful people are called to come out of her (see Revelation 18:1-4). Thus her fall listed in this text must be interpreted to mean her moral fall from God’s favor. What caused her moral fall? “because she made all nations (world) drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”. This passage reveals several things. 1. The once pure church is now in union with the nations of the world, which reveals that she had departed from her first true love and husband Jesus Christ. 2. The once pure church is now fornicating with the world, and thus is committing harlotry and adultery against her husband Jesus Christ. 3. The once pure church is now giving to the world the wine of fornication or of false doctrines to drink, instead of the pure wine of righteousness and truth. 4. The once pure church is now wrathful, angry and warring against Jesus, and thus is no longer loving and desiring to serve only Him, but another. What brought on this great apostasy against Jesus in the first place? The 2nd angel’s message follows the 1st angel, which reveals that this once pure church had to have rejected the everlasting gospel of the first angel’s message! Which means that the rejection of the 1st angel was the reason why the church fell and became part of Babylon! The preaching of the 1st Angel's Message tested the personal life among all the professed Protestant followers of the Lord. Those who longed for a higher spiritual walk with Jesus because they truly loved their Saviour, rejoiced to hear that He was coming soon, and they hastened to prepare for His coming. Those who did not really love the Lord, being the vast majority, turned a deaf ear to the message, but remained Christians in name. The love of the world proved greater than their love for Christ, and by 1844 the various Protestant churches closed their doors against the everlasting Gospel; her ministers gave their flocks the wine of fornication - a mixture of truth and error - to drink, and then the 2nd angel pronounced their moral fall as Babylon. 6) What to do now that Babylon has fallen? When the ancient city of Babylon fell, God’s followers of Israel went free (see Jeremiah 50:2-8). As modern Babylon is fallen today, then all followers of Jesus Christ are to go free! This means that the message, "Babylon is fallen," is actually a strong loud call for all prisoners held captive within these fallen churches to arise and go forth so that they can stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free (Galatians 5:1). “For Israel (God’s people) hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land (church) was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. 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 recompense....And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.” Jeremiah 51:5-6, 44-45. “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3. 7) What consequences are there to remaining within Babylon? As all the apostate fallen churches of Babylon have rejected their Bridegroom and Husband Jesus Christ, then, like with ancient Israel, Christ divorced and forever left this unfaithful harlot, and then called and is still calling for all of His followers to join with Him outside of Babylon to become His new bride and wife. “...backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” Jeremiah 3:8. “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins (those professing faith in Jesus Christ) arose, and trimmed their lamps....the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door (of probation) was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matthew 25:6-12. The mid-night cry solemnly reveals that only those followers of Christ who love Him enough to willingly forsake their connection with all fallen, apostate harlot churches of Babylon and then join with Him as His new bride and wife, will be saved. While those who choose to remain separated from Christ and connected with Babylon or with the world, showing that they do not have supreme love for Jesus, will have the door of probation close upon them while they are outside of Christ, and will be forever lost! Those who rejected the 1st angel’s message rejected Jesus Christ and were lost. Now we see that any who reject the 2nd angel’s message also reject Jesus and will be lost! You cannot pick and choose what truth you want or don’t want to follow. It is either follow Jesus Christ all the way, regardless of what you have to give up and separate from in order to be with Him and gain everlasting life, or lose Christ as well as your salvation! “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth...And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15.