Thursday: The Wait is Over
Many years ago, English author Charles Dickens wrote a book called A Tale of Two Cities.Those two cities were London and Paris. In a sense, it could be said that the Bible is also a tale of two cities. In this case, the two cities are Babylon and Jerusalem.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
In Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 18:1-24, the apostle John describes Babylon. She has been the home of demons and the haunt of evil spirits. She has caused every nation to commit spiritual adultery. Her doom has been pronounced, and she has been declared “fallen.” This city, a symbol of evil and apostasy and rebellion against God, will one day be defeated and destroyed.
Read Revelation 21:1-4. How does the New Jerusalem contrast with Babylon?
The second city is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21:1-27 and Rev. 22:1-21. This city houses those who have chosen the Bridegroom and rejected the selfishness and spiritual adulteries of Satan and his followers. By God’s grace, the redeemed have obeyed His commandments and reflected the faith of Jesus (Rev. 14:12). Their patient endurance and their eagerness to embrace the ministry of Jesus provided a taste of the kingdom of heaven while on earth. They have been saved through faith in Jesus; His righteousness alone made them worthy of heaven. Their care for “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40) has been the outward manifestation of that saving faith.
By the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 5:1-14) the church’s role in compassionate restoration has changed to jubilant celebration (see Rev. 5:13-14). In that happy and Holy City, “ ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’ ” (Rev. 21:4, NKJV). True peace has been restored. The full restoration of the image of God, mentally, spiritually, and physically, has taken place. The great controversy is over and from “the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.” – Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 678.
Read Revelation 22:21. In what way does that verse, the last one in the Bible, capture the essence of all that we believe?
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Most of us Seventh Day Adventist don't believe we are in Babylon. But we are in Babylon that is why we need revival and reformation. We are in apostasy some where because without apostasy there is no Reformation needed. Salvation is not in the name of the Church we attend but only found in Jesus Christ.
Do we remember the parable of the lost coin? It got lost inside the house. That is we the SDA. We need true revival and reformation and we shall received the Holy Spirit, we shall proclaim these three angels messages aggressively as we wait for Christ's second coming.
May God bless us all.
It is indeed popular in some circles to refer to our own church as Babylon, but quite frankly, I do not think that is what is meant by the Bible references to Babylon. While I agree that the church is not perfect by any stretch of our imagination, it is still evident that God loves his people and calls us by name. The "Babylon" metaphors refers to those who exploit Christianity for their own selfish gain, not to those who seek God's guidance.
We will always be in need of revival, but that is not some emotional ecstatic experience. It is a call for us to understand the real meaning and experience of Christianity - and that may mean we need to change the way we interact with our unchurched friends.m
If I understand you correctly, Jason, you were not saying that the Adventist Church *is* Babylon, but that we are *in* Babylon, and we need reformation to get out of Babylon. Or maybe we could say that Babylon may also be in the church?
Insofar as we partake of the spirit of focusing on self rather than on Christ and His work on this planet, we are indeed "in" Babylon, or Babylon is in us. As you rightly say, we are not saved b the name of the church we attend, but only through Jesus.
I appreciate your reference to the coins lost *in* the house, making the point that it is possible to be lost *in* the church. Thanks for your thoughts. 🙂
The journey is almost over. Let us by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and the power of the Holy Spirit continue to live the overcomers life.
I am so happy - I will see Jesus coming in the clouds in my life time, or a split second* after I die when He wakes me up in the resurrection.
*Although it might be actually longer, to me it will feel like a twinkling of an eye.
May God help us so that when the wait comes to the end we shall be able to stand.
As we come to the end of this quarters lesson study, I pray we will be serious ambassadors for Christ. We must live the gospel in words and deeds. May God help us to more loving and kind to the outcast of society. Let's mingle more with men as we follow Jesus' method of soul winning, then bade them to follow Him
The first lesson started with us (we are created in His Image Gen. 1:27) and the last lesson ended with us. (let them who are unjust let him...) Rev. 22:11. The middle lessons reminds us that we live on a "planet in rebellion" that needs restoration. They also remind us that all people need mercy, justice, love, sympathy, and compassion. They taught us and reminded us how to "seek" and to bid them "follow Jesus" by mingling with and within the community, listening to them, then supply their physical and spiritual needs. These lessons remind us how we benefit from doing ."good works" James 2:14-26, then Jesus gave us His methods of soul winning.
The last two lessons 12/13 reminds us that Jesus' coming is near and how we should be waiting. They showed us, as well, what the cities and/or rural ares are like today and how we are to reach out to them. Lastly the wait is over and if we have been faithful that there is a place that boggles the mind where we will spend eternity with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. A time when can see our loves ones who fell asleep in Jesus.A place where there will be no more crying, sickness, worrying, pain, no more bills or rent to pay. A place of eternal rest. Oh my brothers atnd sisters I can hardly wait.
I have enjoyed reading the comments for these lessons and I wait anxiously when I can meet you all face-to- face. I can hardly wait for the "better day after while" and for the new heaven and the new earth. As we wait for Jesus' return, we still live on the sinful planet, we still have a work to do. But I can/ we can go about this work with smiles on our faces and joy in in our hearts. I know if you have lived on this planet sometimes life has been hard, but there is a song written by Elenor Wright which says "I
wouldn't have it any other way" and that's my testimony. May God continue to bless you all. Pray for me and I will be praying for you.
Let us hold fast to the journey that is set before us! Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe, sin had left a stain but our God has washed it by His own sacrifice and we are saved by His loving grace!
The message for calling people out of Babylon is to be given by SDA believers I believe so but what is Babylon?
A Comment on "Babylon", and what it represents. A little history and principle.
Describing the ancient city of Babylon, the historian Herodotus wrote that "the city of Babylon is foursquare, and the measure of each side is one hundred and twenty furlongs." (Herodotus, Histories p.85)
The city of Babylon also had a great river running through it, and the river [the Euphrates] was regarded as a "river of life".
Babylon is also described as a "mother".
New Jerusalem is likewise called a "mother" -- she is "the mother of us all" -- the mother of all Christians. (Gal 4:26.) New Jerusalem is also “foursquare”, and the city has the true River of Life issuing from it.
I suggest that Babylon was physically established as a copy, a counterfeit, of the City of God, the New Jerusalem in heaven.
The actual city of Babylon was established soon after the flood, in the days of "Nimrod". Even in Nimrod's own life-time, his name, and his chief city, became proverbial for aggression and apostacy. "He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, ... THE mighty hunter before the Lord." (Gen 10:9.)
And that mighty hunter was not only a hunter of animals, he was primarily a hunter of people, and I believe that Nimrod's greatest hunting exploits/pursuits were directed against God's people. The repeated phrase, "before the Lord", implies in this case, defiance -- knowing defiance of God.
When we find Babylon referred to in the Book of Revelation, we may reasonably equate it with the counterfeit, the copy, of the true. Babylon was designed [as far as possible] to look the same as the true, but it was established to counter the true, and to bring the true "into captivity". With Babylon there is a deep heritage of persecution and bloodshed.
But now, if Babylon is a counterfeit of the holy city in physical terms, then it will be no surprise to find that Babylon also represents a counterfeit in spiritual terms. Babylon clings to the “form” [or “semblance”] of godliness, when all the while it is against God.
Babylon represents a form, a semblance, of Christianity, but it denies the power of Christianity. (It acts as a decoy to draw people into a snare.)
Babylon is the symbol of the apostate church. (GC p.381; COL p.179) It does not represent the world's culture, learning, or spirit, but rather, false religion, and false Christianity in particular.
How does Laodicea compare, when you consider the way Christ described the church?
The close of this earth's history is soon to end with a great blessing to those who choose Christ Jesus as their personal Saviour. The Lord says, "Behold, I come quickly!" His coming will usher a new age, a new experience and a new life without end. There will be no night there, the darkness of this earth will be forever expunged; we shall see "the tree of life" to which Adam and Eve were denied access after they sinned; we will see the river of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb; the throne will be in the city and most importantly we will see God and reign with Him for ever and ever. Seeing the tree of life will be a clear and unambiguous sign of the restoration of all perfect creation. I am bold over by the thought that I will be granted audience with God Almighty regularly. Lord, help me to keep the hope of your return edged in my life; rejuvenate my life that I may move with much zeal to tell others of this glorious event and persuade them to submit to Your will and purpose.
Maybe these older SSNET articles could throw some new light on the subject of Babylon,and how the attitude of Babylon can be found anywhere you find legalism.
https://ssnet.org/blog/the-three-angels-messages-and-the-triumph-of-the-gospel-over-legalism/
https://ssnet.org/blog/three-angels-messages-the-triumph-of-the-gospel-over-legalism-part-2/
Indeed it's time to wake up. Soon the history of this planet will be closed. Let our lives reflect His as we wait for His soon coming.