Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, man has been in opposition to God. It is beyond any doubt that the two repented of their sin, but the damage had been done. A few years later, when Cain and Abel were old enough to sacrifice to God on their own, we read that Cain became jealous of Abel because God looked favourably on Abel’s sacrifice, Genesis 4,4. Cain killed his brother. He had to move from his family, Genesis 4,14, but God showed Cain grace and marked him with his mark, Genesis 4,15, so that no one would avenge Abel and kill him.
It is implicit in the story that Adam and Eve had more children than Cain and Abel at the time Abel was killed, because Cain lived with his wife, as it says in Genesis 4,17. Cain had a son he named Enoch, and Cain built the first city in history that he named after his son. One of Cain’s descendants in fifth generation, Lamech, was the first to have two wives, Genesis 4,19. We see then that already six generations after Adam and Eve fell into sin, the part of the people who had left the congregation of God had broken all the commandments and rules that God had given the people when He created them.
Chapter 6 of Genesis tells us that the wickedness of mankind was great on earth. This was the legacy of Cain. There were now two groups of people on earth, those who were obedient to God, who I call the line of Seth, and those who rebelled against God who I call the line of Cain. When God sent the great flood over the earth, only Noah and his family went into the ark and were saved. Now, after the flood, all physical traces of sin had been washed away, but the memories of the world which were destroyed by the flood they brought with them. This was also passed on to the new generations after the flood, something that comes for a day after a short time. This was not something that happened by itself. There is one who is behind all misery, and that is Satan. Ever since he lost the battle against Jesus and was cast out of heaven, he has tried to lead man away from his Creator. And it has been extremely successful. We must remember this when we start looking at Babel / Babylon.
The historic Babylon.
Genesis 10,8 tells us that Cush, the son of Kam, and the grandson of Noah, had the son Nimrod, who was the first to be a mighty one in the earth. Furthermore, verse 9 says that he, Nimrod, Noah’s great-grandson, was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Wherefore it is said: Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. Verse 10 tells us where he had his kingdom: His kingdom began in Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh in the land of Shinar.
Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh were four cities on the plain called the land of Shinar. It was Nimrod who founded all these four cities, for as the text of verse 10 says, And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. In verse 11 it is said that Nimrod went to Asshur and founded the city of Nineveh, and it is assumed that this city eventually grew together with the other three cities mentioned in conjunction with Nineveh in verses 11 and 12; Rehobot, Calah and Resen, and the city eventually got the name a great city. Asshur was located where Mosul is in present-day Iraq, quite far to the north by the river Tigris. Babel / Babylon was where Baghdad lies, midway between Mosul and the Persian Gulf on the Euphrates River.
If we see what Jonah says about Nineveh, we can well understand that it was called the great city: So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey, Jonah 3,3.
A mighty hunter before the Lord must be understood in an evil sense, first because he was a mighty hunter and secondly because Nimrod defied God by building the first city after the great flood, and later at least four more cities.
When God created man, He said to them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, that is, do not dwell in clusters or cities, but spread out over the entire earth (see Genesis 1,27-28). This was passed down from generation to generation, and we can assume that when Noah went out of the ark and the people again began to become many, this was passed on to the first generations after the great flood. But it was as we know a person who opposed this, and it was the hunter Nimrod. A hunter in this context is not an ordinary hunter who hunts animals for food, but a warrior or warrior chief. The fact that Nimrod was the first mighty man on earth tells us one thing. When people become powerful, something happens to them. They become ambitious and power-hungry, and power corrupts. When Nimrod founded the first cities, we can assume that he was also the first king of the earth, and this is how we might understand that he became a mighty hunter before the Lord. Instead of allowing humans to spread across the earth, Nimrod opposed God’s plan for humans. He gathered them together in cities, and set himself over them
What God’s plan was, we find here in Genesis 1,28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Here in chapters 10 and 11 we see once again what the structure of the Bible is like. The first time we find this structure is in Genesis and the creation account in chapters 1 and 2. First we get the creation schematically in chapter 1, then we get a supplementary explanation in chapter 2. Here in chapter 10 in Genesis we first learn about the cities on the plain of Shinar and who was the founder of these cities. Then we get a complementary story that begins with the whole earth having the same language. Before chapter 10 verse 32 concludes by telling us the following: These [are] the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood … … and then complement the narrative in chapter 11 verses 1 and 2 by saying: And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
Babylon in opposition to God.
When God created man, he asked them to fill the whole earth, (Genesis 1,27-28). They were not supposed to settle in cities in the first place. After the fall when sin had developed and infected almost all of humanity, God sends a great flood over the earth. After the flood had receded, God said to Noah: And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. Genesis 9,11
The token of this covenant was the rainbow: And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations; I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that [is] upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth. Genesis 9,12-17
When Nimrod had built Babylon, he said to the people: Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens … (Genesis 11,4). The reason for this is twofold;
1) they wanted to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth, and …
2) they would have a way of escaping God’s wrath if He were to flood the earth again with a devastating flood of water.
It is these two points that are the reason why Babel / Babylon has been chosen as the symbol of sin, opposition to God and the destruction of God’s people. These people were disobedient to God and rebelled against Him through their actions.
God said; spread all over the earth, but Nimrod and his people said they should create themselves a name so they should not be spread all over the earth.
God said; never again will a flood destroy the earth, but Nimrod and his people said they would save themselves from a new flood by building a tower that reached all the way to the heavens.
What is the Lord doing then? Genesis 11,5 tells us that the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men builded. After the Lord came down to earth to see what was going on in Babylon, He says in verse 6: … Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Verse 7 tells us that God confused their language. Before the Lord came down all men had only one language, but now they could not understand each other, and finally God spread them over the whole surface of the earth
If we read verses 5, 6 and 7 together, what can we see in these verses? I think we can see an investigative judgement in this section. God came down to investigate what they were doing in Babel. An investigative judgment is what God implements every time something occurs that He has not initiated. After the fall, the Lord came through the garden and called unto Adam: Where art thou? It was not because God did not know where Adam and Eve were that he asked where Adam was. This was the first investigative judgement in history. God held an investigative judgment, because God wanted to investigate whether Adam and Eve were aware of their situation. The same is found in Genesis 18,21 when the Lord tells Abraham that he will go down (Sodom and Gomorrah). and see what they have done, and the same thing happened in Babel when God descended to see what happened there. In all three cases, we see an investigation before a possible verdict: an investigative judgement.
When God had investigated the matter in Babylon, the people were found guilty, and God passed judgment on the inhabitants and He spread them over the whole surface of the earth, contrary to what the people themselves wanted. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth, Genesis 11,9. Babel thus became synonymous with confusion, and it is so to this day.
How Babylon causes God’s people to fall, in ancient times and in our time:
After God scattered the people over the earth, there were still some who lived in the City of Babylon. These ensured that Babylon remained the hotbed of opposition to God, and they influenced the outside world with their wicked way of life. Babylon has been a cancerous tumour since the city was founded and until it was laid waste 2,500 years later. In our day we are talking about the spiritual Babylon, and this spiritual Babylon is no less a cancerous tumour than what the physical city was in its time. I would say that spiritual Babylon is far more dangerous than the physical city ever was, because now there are more subtle seductions coming from unexpected places.
The power of seduction; the desire for what is pleasing to the eye.
When we come to the time after Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, it appears from the texts of the Bible that Babylon already had a great influence on the outside world. In Joshua 7,21 we read about Akan who sinned against God’s commandments: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they [are] hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
A Hebrew shekel was 11.4 grams. 200 shekels of silver will then be 2280 grams, and 50 shekels of gold is equal to 570 grams.
Why was this so dangerous, and how can Babylon have anything to do with it?
Before we get that far in history, we need to look at what God is saying to Israel: And the city shall be accursed, [even] it, and all that [are] therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that [are] with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, lest ye make [yourselves] accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, [are] consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD, Joshua 6,17-19.
In this lies a blessing as well as a curse. God will always bless all those who gladly follow His commandments and laws and who do His will. When Israel besieged and conquered Jericho, the following happened: And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword, Joshua 6,21. Furthermore, it appears that gold, silver, bronze and iron were to be brought into the treasury of the house of the Lord. And they burnt the city with fire, and all that [was] therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. Joshua 6,24.
A little later we come to Ai. There Israel loses a battle, Joshua 7,2-5, and from the text we see that it was a direct consequence of the disobedience that one single person showed by letting the desire for beauty and for riches overcome the obedience to God’s word. We read in Joshua 7 verses 1 and 11 the following: But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel … // … Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff.
The power of seduction; infidelity:
In Proverbs 6,20-7,27 we read about how the whore lures the young man, a young man who lacked understanding. This sequence contains a clear warning that tells do not commit adultery, then follows a prayer and exhortation to this young man who is without understanding, in the end we see that the foolish man still follows the whore.
Proverbs 6,20-7,27 thus uses a man and a woman to portray infidelity to God in a figurative way. Babylon has thousands of years of experience in being unfaithful to God, and Babylon’s history dates back to Babel, which was founded by Nimrod before 2270 BC. Nimrod was born shortly after the great flood, approx. year 2320-2310 BC. Babel / Babylon is mentioned as early as around 2270 BC. on a potsherd found near Akkad.
Let’s look at what King Solomon has to say about this problem, infidelity.
This sequence is interesting in relation to our time. The verses from chapters 6,20 and to 7,5 are good advice from a father to his son, and are called, as I said, do not commit adultery. The other verses, 6 to 27, deal with the ways the whore attract to young men. This part is called do not follow the whore. And as usual, we are dealing with two groups of people, and they are those who follow God’s counsel and those who do not. The sequence is thus a warning to everyone not to follow the whore. We should read this passage in the light of the cosmic conflict, and the struggle between good and evil. Let’s look at how it is expressed in Solomon’s words:
The warning: Do not commite adultery.
Chapter 6:
Verse 20 My son keep thy father’s commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother: Commandment and law are here in the sense of God’s commandments and true doctrine.
Verse 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck. The first two verses tell us that we should never deviate from God’s commandments, laws, and regulations. They also refer to Deuteronomy 11,18 which urges the children of Israel to bind the commandments as a sign on the hand and as a memorial between the eyes.
Verse 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. It point back to thy father’s commandments and thy mother’s law, and if we follow the counsel in verses 20 and 21, the word of God will preserve us and help us through every situation in life.
Verse 23 For the commandment [is] a lamp; and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way of life: If we keep the word of God, God will give us light so that we can follow the right path.
Verse 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Again it points back to the commandments and the law. If we keep these, we will also be able to recognize false teachings.
Verse 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. With the help of God’s word we will not be seduced by the superficial glory, pomp and splendour of false churches.
Verse 26 For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. This means that false churches will lead us to fall.
Verses 27-28 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? These two verses tell the same thing. The allegory is quite clear here. Picking up fire in the bosom or go upon hot coals is likened to doing something that violates God’s commandments. If we break God’s commandments, these verses tell us that we must bear the consequences of our actions. What God wants to convey to us through this is that if we deviate from God’s commandments, laws and regulations and enter into fellowship with fallen denominations, we will assimilate their teachings. Furthermore, both of these verses point to the following verses: Exodus 20,14; Proverbs 2,18; 5,4; 5,8; 24,30; 1 Corinthians 6,18.
Verse 29 So he that goeth into his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. To go into his neighbour’s wife means to commit adultery. I think we need to interpret this in a figurative sense. Fornication is infidelity in both the literal and figurative sense, and here in the figurative sense it means to be unfaithful to God. No one who is unfaithful to God remains without guilt.
Verses 30-33 [Men] do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But [if] he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. [But] whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. The thief must replace what he has stolen, it says, so a judgement awaits. The judgement also awaits those who commit adultery. It does not help if it is done in the best sense, such as the thief who steals to satiate himself. The same goes for him that goes into his neighbour’s wife. Whatever the motive for entering into an ecumenical collaboration, the one who does this will be guilty.
We must read all these four verses together to be able to see the totality in this, and then we will see the contradictions listed in these four verses (30-33). If we look at the content of these four verses, then he who steals food to survive, and who is found, that is, caught red-handed, will be punished, but he will not bear the same disgrace as one who is unfaithful, in this case, against God. The hungry thief who steals to survive will not be despised for his act, while the unfaithful will, in addition to being punished, also be despised, regardless of whether he is unfaithful to his spouse or to God. Verse 33 states that dishonour shall he get. If we are unfaithful to God by going into another woman = a fallen church, we will destroy our soul, which can be said to be the same as losing salvation and eternal life.
Verses 34-35 For jealousy [is] the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. On the judgement day, the husband, who is here a picture of God, will judge all who have been unfaithful to him. The day we face judgment and have not asked for forgiveness for all our sins, then it is too late. Only genuine repentance and prayers for forgiveness, before the door of mercy closes, can save those who have been unfaithful. On the Day of Judgment, the husband, who is here a picture of God, will judge all who have been unfaithful to him. Without remorse and prayer for forgiveness will all those who have been unfaithful in one way or another be helpless lost on the judgement day.
A prayer and a call to a restless son.
Chapter 7:
Verses 1-4 My son keep my words and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman: In these four verses, the exhortations from the preceding verses are repeated that we should keep God’s commandments and honour God’s law as the apple of our eye. We will remember them and live by them and pray to receive the gift of wisdom from God so that we can live according to His word, commandments, laws and regulations.
Verse 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words. If we follow these calls, God will help us stay away from foreign women and the flattery these women use to catch us.
Do not follow the whore.
Verse 6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, In my house means in my church, and it is the whore who tells us that she looks out of her window.
Verse 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding. Young man here in the sense of a simple denomination or a single member. Now it is the woman who is the image of God’s people, the church or the congregation, but in this sequence where two extremes are set out, it will be too diffuse to use a woman about both the fallen church and the pure church. Void of understanding means that this young man does not have the Holy Spirit.
Verse 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, Her house is still the house of the whore, he is the young man that lack understanding.
Verse 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: We should think about the fact that only those who oppose God, and who go on the devil’s errands, work in the middle of the darkest night.
Verse 10 And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. Are there more than me who see a woman dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones with a golden cup in her hand? This is a clear parallel to Revelation 17,4-5: And the woman was 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: 5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Verses 11-12 (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:) (Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) In the expression her feet abide not in her house, it is implicit that she, the fallen church, has a great task to complete, and for that reason she is to be found everywhere. She is busy seducing young men, and controls everything. When she lieth in wait at every corner means that she uses all means in her struggle to lead people away from God, and nothing will be untried. This means that we who do not want to be seduced by this whore must be on guard all the time.
Verses 13-15 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him, [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. These three verses make me think of a rather current event, the signing of The Joint Declaration. If we look at how the catholic church has changed tactics against the Protestants, they have kissed them by calling them separated brothers, and the peace offerings she has is precisely this Joint Declaration, which is a work of the Catholic Church. In other words, the whore has payed her vows, the promises she has given herself, by not her feet abide not in her house until she has got them back in her fold, and by getting the Protestants to put an end to the Reformation. Therefore came I forth to meet thee describes the work the Catholic Church has done in secret to get the Protestant Church to approach the catholic church, because it has been exactly as verse 11 says: her feet abide not in her house! The description given is so precise, so precise. That the whore has found the young man is solely due to the fact that the young man went on wild paths, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Verses 16-17 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Egypt has never been a good token in the Bible, not even here. Fine linen of Egypt is a sign that the harlot has put a blanket or veil over her bed, which here describes infidelity or false teaching. Myrrh, aloe and cinnamon are spices, and with this the young men are intoxicated by the harlot. All this together means that the young men do not understand the scope of what this prostitute is doing.
Verse 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. This refers to church rituals, such as sacred music and a lot of pomp and splendour that dulls the human mind to the same degree that extravagant life does.
Verses 19-20 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. 20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon. (NIV 1984) The husband here is Jesus, and he is not in the house where the harlot lives. Be home till full moon is to arrive at the appointed time. The moral of the harlot is that it is still a long time before the husband arrives so they can just continue their infidelity for a little while longer.
Verses 21-23 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life. The picture drawn here is very illustrative of how it goes. The young man does not discover what is about to happen until it is too late, and then there is no going back. At least since the Second Vatican Council, the effort to unite the Lutheran-Protestant denominations with the Catholic Church has really gained momentum, and the catholic church decided to open up a more ecumenical attitude towards other Christian denominations. The recent story tells us the result.
This triggered a three-step reversal of the Reformation.
1) On October 31, 1999, the Lutheran World Assembly took a long first step towards annulling the Reformation when they, together with the Catholic Church, chose to sign what is entitled: The Joint Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification, better known as The Joint Declaration. This document has been prepared in its entirety by the Catholic Church.
2) Pope Francis visited Lund in Sweden on 31 October 2016 in connection with a joint Catholic-Lutheran ceremony. This was the next step on the road to full gathering under the Catholic umbrella. The following is taken from http://www.katolsk.no/nyheter/2016/09/informasjon-om-pavens-sverige-besok The Pope’s historic visit to Lund and Malmö takes place on the occasion of Catholics and Lutherans jointly marking that has passed 500 years since the Reformation. The Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation (LVF) agree that Lund is a good place to mark the Reformation. LVF was founded in Lund in 1947. Lund Cathedral, where the ecumenical service takes place on October 31, has a thousand-year history shared by Catholics and Lutherans. The Lutheran World Federation and the Vatican invite to the meeting on October 31. The host is the Church of Sweden in close collaboration with the Catholic Church in Sweden and the Christian Council of Sweden. The Catholic Church and LVF have been in dialogue for 50 years. It is this dialogue that has led us to this autumn’s historic meeting in Lund and where we are today. A milestone in the dialogue is the document From Conflict to Community, Common Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation 2017 from 2013 *. Here, Lutherans and Catholics express grief and remorse for the pain we have inflicted on each other, but also gratitude for the theological ideas with which we have fertilized each other. It is in this context and in this spirit that leaders from the Catholic Church and LVF meet in Lund this autumn for the first time ever to mark the Reformation.
3) The approach that took place on the 500th anniversary of Luther’s Reformation on October 31, 2017, when the Lutheran-Protestant churches merged with the Catholic Church in a joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation, is the third and final step on the road to a complete annihilation of the Reformation. Here is a small excerpt from the document From conflict to community. Joint Lutheran-Catholic commemoration of the Reformation 2017 *. Report of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Christian Unity. This document is also written by Catholics and only them, but the Lutheran-Protestant churches have accepted, approved and signed this, together with the Catholic Church. We take as our guide the doctrine of justification, which expresses the gospel message and therefore incessantly serves to direct the whole doctrine and practice of the Church toward Christ (Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification). The true unity of the Church can only be unity in the unity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That the controversy over this truth in the 16th century led to the loss of unity in Western Christianity is one of the dark chapters in church history. In 2017, we must openly confess that we have been guilty before Christ of harming the unity of the Church. The year of remembrance presents us with two challenges: to cleanse and heal the memories, and to restore Christian unity in accordance with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This raises a timely question: How can the event that put an end to the Dark Ages and the tyranny of the Roman Church be a loss?
* Although the document was completed in 2013, it has been used as a basis for the ecumenical meetings in Lund 2016 and in connection with the Lutheran Jubilee in 2017. This clearly means that the Reformation is dead, and it happened on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, October 31, 2017.
See also End time events, part 1.
Verse 24-26 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her. This refers to those who are seduced by the harlot into believing in her dogmas, and thus are killed by her.
Verse 27 Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Clear and pure words for the money.
It is with sadness that I summarize this sequence. Unfortunately, it is a sad fact that SDA has decided that we should be observers in ecumenical cooperation and uses as a justification that we can influence the others. Do they completely forget that we can just as easily be affected by ecumenical cooperation? Despite the fact that we are warned against this time and time again, and that the Bible is full of examples of such forms of cooperation in the long run leading to nothing but a complete fall, SDA entered into this cooperation with opened eyes. In this ecumenical collaboration, our leaders are exposed to the flattery these foreign women use as their snare to capture us. If we are to use Proverbs 7,1-5 as a basis, it is not biblically founded to enter into an observer status in an ecumenical co-operation.
The power of seduction; the idols:
The first to make Babylon a great and powerful kingdom was Hammurabi (1810-1750 BC) which is best known for his law, Hammurabi’s law. The Neo-Babylonian Empire was built by Nabopolassar (658 – 605 BC). After this we are acquainted with the history of Babylon.
Babylon had many gods, and these were divided into 1) primordial beings or beings who have been from eternity, 2) seven main gods, 3) other important gods, 4) minor gods, 5) semi-gods and heroes, and finally 6) spirits and monsters. These were:
- Abzu and Tiamat, Lahmu and Lahamu, Anshar and Kishar, Mummu
- Anu, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Inanna/Ishtar, Nanna/Sin, Utu/Shamash
- Adad, Dumuzid, Enkimdu, Ereshkigal, Kingu, Geshtinanna, Lahar, Marduk, Nergal, Ninurta
- Anunnaki, Asaruludu, Ashnan, Bel, Enbilulu, Isimud, Lahar, Mami/Nintu, Mamitu, Nabu, Namtar, Nanshe, Nidaba, Ningal, Ninkasi, Ninlil, Ninshubur, Ninsun, Nuska, Sarpanit, Uttu, Yahweh
- Adapa, Enkidu, Enmerkar, Gilgamesh, Lugalbanda, Shamhat, Siduri, Atra-Hasis, Apkallu
- Utukku, Lamassu/Shedu, Asakku, Edimmu, Siris, Anzû, Humbaba, Asag, Hanbi, Kur, Lamashtu, Pazuzu, Rabisu
In addition to these, gods such as Baal, Astarte and Dagon were worshiped in Babylon. What is particularly interesting is that Yahweh is listed under 4) minor Babylonian gods!
If we follow the history from Babylon to the present day, we know that the following kingdoms that conquered their predecessors also brought with them the gods of the occupied kingdom and in this way the pagan gods and the various philosophical systems accumulated as the kingdoms came and went, from Babylon via Medo-Persia and Greece and down to the Roman Empire.
Today we find all the pagan gods that the Roman Empire took up when they conquered Greece, in addition to the fact that new minor gods, semi-gods and heroes in the form of saints are constantly coming. Now there are over 11,600 in this class.
The following is taken from http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/helgener There are so many named saints and Blessed in the Church, that it will be a long time before this overview is nearly complete. Nevertheless (at the end of February 2011) there are just under 7,500 biographies in the overview, for just over 11,600 people and martyr groups. These are sorted alphabetically and by memorial day.
I mention this to show how today’s Babylon continues to seduce God’s people. The Catholic Church has appointed, and continues to appoint, saints for yours and hers. All professions have their patron saint, and St. Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes, archers, crusaders, soldiers and police, doctors, war invalids, ironmongers, potters, tin founders, stonemasons, cloth makers, gardeners, tanners; for weak and sick children and the dying; for wells; against plague and animal diseases; against enemies of religion. This patron saint is celebrated with Holy Pope Fabian. Saint Arnulf of Soissons is one of many patron saints of beer brewers. There are also patron saints for completely trivial matters such as falling in love, and Saint Valentine of Rome is the patron saint of lovers. There is no difference between these saints and the many gods of Babylon. The Babylonian gods were to protect people from various things, just as modern-day Roman Catholic gods, or saints, do. So when we celebrate Valentine’s Day, or Holy Valentine’s Day, we are actually worshiping one of the many saints of the Catholic Church, and with that we are committing adultery and being unfaithful to God.
If you want to have a good harvest, fall in love, brew good beer or whatever it is, just pray to one of the many thousands of lesser gods or semi-gods, the so-called saints you have at your disposal. It certainly sounds tempting for an athlete to pray to Saint Sebastian before a sports competition to achieve a victory … … something we see more and more often in football arenas around the world. When players enter the field, we see that many of them cross themselves, kiss their fingers, touch the grass and look up at the sky and pray a prayer – certainly to Saint Sebastian. But no matter how the battle goes, these people are seduced by the intoxicating wine of modern-day Babylon.
But it is not just these new demigods who are seductive in today’s Babylon. Also the temples of today’s Babylon – the large, huge cathedrals adorned with gold, silver and precious stones, where we find images of saints, statues of Mary, the mother of Jesus – the Catholic Church’s heaven queen, reliquary and shrine, with its sacred music is a seductive power in itself. People who do not have their Christian immune system in order will be infected, seduced and lost if they take over all this pomp and splendour. John express it so well in Revelation 16,13: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
What comes out of one’s mouth has to do with teaching and preaching. In Revelation 16,13, this teaching or preaching is called unclean spirits, and is compared to frogs. That frogs are used as an illustration is probably no coincidence. To put it in its proper context, let’s look at this phenomenon frogs. What are the characteristics of frogs? All frogs are poisonous, some are more poisonous while others are less poisonous. This seems to be related to the appearance of the frog, because the more beautiful it is, the more toxic it is. The most poisonous frog we know is also described as the most beautiful, and is called Phyllobater bicolor, and it is so poisonous that 0.0001 grams is enough to kill a man. Another thing we should also think about is that frogs always catch their prey with their mouths! Interesting, isn´t it, when we know that it all is all about false teaching?
If we look at what this means, we find a two-part system for seduction. 1) A false doctrine that tells us about an easier way to salvation than the way God has ordained. 2) A visual and audio-visual influence that breaks down the defence mechanisms we have been equipped with, so that we are more easily influenced by and thereby can accept false teachings. There is no doubt that the fallen church’s shortcut to salvation can be both alluring and pleasant to choose. In the fallen church you do not really have to give up your bad habits, habitual sins, sins of omission. It is sufficient to embark on a pilgrimage which by papal decree gives absolution for all sins committed. One can also make a pilgrimage to special places that give certain blessings, and this is governed both by the anniversaries of the Catholic Church, and at the discretion of the individual pope. This is to pay indulgences to the church in one form or another. Making a pilgrimage, and thus receiving forgiveness of sins, is a true copy of the pagan religions that say we can save ourselves through the works we do, and this is in stark contrast to what God’s word teaches us. Salvation is free, but we must give up the old life we lived, and thus salvation costs us everything we have.
The false religion also says that one can confess one’s sins to a sinful man, a priest. But the Bible states that there is only one mediator between the sinner and God, Jesus Christ.
For those who have been inside one of the great Catholic cathedrals, there is one thing that is striking. Many of them are crammed full of exquisite paintings, objects of gold and silver decorated with precious stones and other art, which together with beautiful background music puts visitors in a state that can best be described as euphoric, or heavenly. You risk ending up in a trance-like state that breaks down the defence mechanisms and makes the visitor receptive to what it should be – if you do not have the religious immune system intact.
Much of this is remnants of the pagan religions that accumulated up through Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece into the Roman Empire. From the papacy was established as we know it today and until the Reformation, the Roman Church developed several unbiblical doctrines. During this period, from 538 to 1517, darkness covered the church, and it moved farther and farther away from the Bible.
During these 1000 years, several unbiblical doctrines followed, such as infant baptism in the 6th century, sacrament of penance (so-called tariff penance) in the early 6th century *, the doctrine of the eternal pain in hell 543, the purgatory 593, the Mass in the 7th century, the last oil in the 8th century, holy water 850, canonization of the dead 995, celibacy for priests 1074, relic and image worship (finally determined) in the 11th century, rosary prayer in the 12th century, sale of indulgences in the 12th century , Mary’s Immaculate conception 1140, worship of the host (communion bread) 1217 and the immortality of the soul to name a few. In 1179, the Catholic Church established the Inquisition … and Pope Innocent IV followed up on 15 May 1252 with the papal bull Ad Extirpanda, which defends both the Inquisition and the limited use of torture. The name inquisition is older, and denotes a Roman court procedure, inquisitio. The Inquisition was created for the fight against division, heresy as well as the struggle for the universality of the Church and its dogmas.
Today, the Inquisition is called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. By the way, this is not the first time that the Inquisition has changed its name. In 1908, Pope Pius X changed the name to the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, known in many Catholic countries as the Holy Office, or the Holy Congregation for the Holy Office. The current name was introduced in 1965 by Pope Paul VI. The current scope of the congregation is particularly defined through the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus, promulgated, by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988. Promulgated means the same as an ex cathedra statement by the pope. An ex cathedra statement is said to be protected by the Holy Spirit from all kinds of errors. This means that the Inquisition is alive and well. In addition to this, the Catholic Church introduced a ban on reading the Bible in 1229, a ban that was repeated several times until the Reformation.
* The Catholic Church expects a threefold development of this sacrament – the confession. 1) from the time of the apostles until the early 6th century – the early confession. 2) from the early 6th century(508) to the 12th century – sacrament of penance (tariff penance) 3) from the 12th century onwards – individual confession.
This is just a small excerpt of all the pagan and human doctrines that today’s Babylon spreads as truths.
As we saw above, Akan was seduced by the beauty of the Babylonian garment and by the gold and silver in a way that he did the exact opposite of what God had said. The beauty and riches of the robe deprived Akan of his reason, and he went against the word of God. Akan fell, and it cost him and his entire family their lives, because the family must have been aware of what the head of the family had done. This is a picture of today’s seduction that we see in pagan customs and rituals that have been drawn into the Christian church and given a Christian name. No one should say that it is not worth seeing what the fallen church offers. In the same way that Akan was seduced by beauty and wealth, the people of today are seduced by all the pomp and splendour with which the Roman Church surrounds itself.