ZION AND BABYLON. NO. 6.
By I. E. Kimball
The final work reveals Babylon in a threefold division. We have found two of them: Paganism and the new paganism of the fifth century,—Romanism. The pagan world for a time seemed no longer to exist. The dragon gave to the beast “his power and his seat and great authority.” A threefold division of the great city Babylon is seen in the time of her judgment. The beast once ridden by the woman, the apostatical “mother” of the Revelation, is understood to represent the kingdoms as ruled over by the popes, the fifth head of the Satanic beast, but the Babylon which asserts herself over these kingdoms, we understand to be the religion which governs them. Thus paganism and Catholicism, as embraced in the Roman and Greek persuasions, must be two of the divisions spoken of. But what is the third? Another beast was seen coming up apart from the soil of the first beast, and, necessarily then, in this hemisphere, and at the time of the collapse of the papal power, which was in 1798. See Rev. 13:10, 11. A Protestant nation and a republic; for they are not worshipers of the beast, and are democrat in the making of their laws—such a nation was to arise and to transform herself finally into an image of the papal kingdom. Henceforth this power is mentioned as the false prophet, who by his signs and wonders deceives the people, and enforces laws repugnant to true Christianity—compelling disobedience to God, and obedience to the Papacy. Hence, here is union of religion and state. Now it will be readily apprehended that the United States of America has fulfilled, or is fulfilling, every specification of this prophecy, and that an evolution is in progress here. Church and state principles that are now recognized; purely religious laws are formulated and enjoined by godless politicians. What the result will be is forecast in the prophecy. The final issue comes in the showing of miracles and mighty wonders, which wholly deceive the people. Rev. 13:13, 14. I have before shown that the spirits of demons wrought in the elder world and deceived the people utterly, hence they were called pagans. I have also shown that when the church of the fifth century had so far departed from God that the hard-heartedness and selfishness of the world was fully seen in her, then God allowed these selfsame demons to come in and utterly deceive the church also, in the exact way they had deceived former apostates from God; hence the church was swallowed up in the same delusions, and became a part of Babylon; and now “the spirits of demons working miracles” are allowed to deceive this nation, immersed in selfishness and sin, and it becomes henceforth a “false prophet.” It is needless to say that here, too, the Babylonish scepter is stretched out, and Babylonism rules through her potent ruler—Satan.6 The papal beast, which seemed to receive a deadly wound, is to reappear (Rev. 13:3; 17:11), and the nations of Europe once again come under her hand, yea, “the whole world wonders after the beast.” Protestant America is no longer protesting against Babylon, as the true Protestant must do, and the final climax of her separation from God is at hand, when religion and the state become married, one and indivisible; for then she will be cast off by the Jehovah of hosts forever. For since first God’s people were dispersed to Babylon, they have from henceforth been a remnant among all nations of earth. So, as corn is sifted in a sieve, have they been sifted among all the nations, lights amid the darkness; but in a general way the world has lain in wickedness. Now when apostasy so far comes into the church, and her standard is so lowered, that the nation as a whole comes under the visible authority of the church, and the church is the nation and the national church, we may well know that a terrible misconception and deception is upon the minds of the people. Further: Satan has not been content to merely deceive the people, but he has fixed his deception upon them by statute law. Babylon has even been connected with the state, and exercised a godlike authority through her pontiffs. So in Babylon witness Nebuchadnezzar’s claim to spiritual authority, as also amongst the Medes and Persians and the Grecians, and we know full well how Rome set up the gods for the people to worship. Whosoever worshiped a god not recognized by the state was a son of death. Such divine authority has been claimed by the pope. Satan would fix his votaries by laws with all the authority of God, but, that he may hide himself, he must needs set up human authority as divine. Satan has ever wedded his religion to the state, and delivered over offenders to the sword of the state, but when man thus assumes to teach concerning God, and enforce his teachings with the sword, it must needs be antichristian; for Christ says, “Judge not,” “Condemn not.” God alone is to judge and execute. When we see church and state fully united, we may well know that Satan has control of affairs; for it is for the express purpose of enforcing dogmas upon the consciences of men, and implies divine authority, putting man or government in the place of God. Well, this the United States will do when Protestantism has sunk to the common level of the world in morals, as she has now nearly done. Spirits of devils also deceive the people, and then by one spirit they are all baptized into one body with heathenism—spiritual Babel. This work is so far under way that human knowledge apart from revelation would reveal all this for the future here. The churches have been arraigned for their desperate condition, filled up with the covetous, boasters, proud, high-minded, lovers of pleasure, praise, and authority. Such unclean men are fast filling the churches with unclean spirits—the spirits of devils. Spiritual manifestations purporting to be from God through departed saints are now witnessed commonly. Trances in churches by laymen and pastors, tell of a time soon to come when the multitudes will be deceived. Signs of miraculous powers are on every hand. They are not the spirits of the dead, but “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.” Rev. 15:14. Protestantism is surely going the way of Catholicism, the enemy of the church of Christ before the Reformation. Even now covetous, worldly, unprincipled men are freely allowed in her communion. The days of mourning over sin seem to have passed. God will surely allow Satan’s deceptions to come, as in past ages of the world, and Satan will here work with “all power and signs and lying wonders,” whereby strong delusion will be fully believed by those who have not received the love of the truth. This is even now being fulfilled. And he who knows the history of the church in the past can but forecast the final result. In Revelation 18 a work, manifestly unprecedented in the history of the church, is brought to view. A mighty messenger warns the world in no uncertain way. He lightens the world with God’s glory, and cries “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. 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 note that when kings become pontiffs, when the church falls into the hand of the state, it is spiritual adultery; the church is wedded to another than Christ], and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. . . . Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” This last voice seems to echo out of the clouds from God himself. This time is at hand, and the plagues of God’s wrath will soon be manifest. In his sight the defection of the church of our times is very great. There is about as much sin committed in the church as outside of it, and as much of all evil is seen in this professedly enlightened land as in heathen countries. The day hasteth greatly for the final separation, and this is the supreme hour when the marriage of the Lamb will come, and his bride make herself ready. Zion is taken to God in a covenant of everlasting mercies. Rev. 18; 19:1-7. All nations and classes of religionists must hear their cry; for paganism, Catholicism, and Protestantism, fallen to the low standard of Catholicism and heathenism, I have shown to be the three divisions of Babylon against which this warning is given.