Scripture Reading: Jer. 46:2-28; 50:1, 8-16; 51:6-9, 24-25, 28-37, 44-45, 58-64

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 9　DAY 1　»

　　Jer. 46:25 Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, says, I will punish Amon of No and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

　　John 17:14 I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

　　The book of Jeremiah…shows us that God’s elect, Israel, was very much involved with the nations. This is a type of us, God’s New Testament elect, who are very much involved with the world in its many aspects. The nations in chapters 46 through 51 typify nine different aspects of the world. Today the world has even more aspects. Jeremiah presents us such a picture so that we can live a church life that is not polluted by the different aspects of the world. We need to know how to have a clear separation from the world and not be wrapped up or mixed with any of its aspects. God will come in to judge the world in all its aspects and to make a clear distinction between the church as His elect and every aspect of the world.

　　According to Galatians 6:16, we are today’s Israel. Around us are all kinds of aspects of the world. We need to ask ourselves what aspect of the world we are involved with. We may be involved with the desire to help others through humanitarian efforts, or we may be occupied with the enjoyment of worldly amusements. In either case, we are away from God. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 252-253)

　　The sequence in which Jeremiah covered God’s punishment on Israel and His judgment on the nations is very significant. First, Jeremiah spoke concerning Israel’s sin and Jehovah’s punishment on Israel. Then he spoke concerning God’s punishment and judgment upon the nations involved with Israel. In speaking concerning the nations, he mentions Egypt first (Jer. 46:2-28) and Babylon last (chs. 50—51). This indicates that, in God’s view, the world is first Egyptian and then Babylonian.

　　Babel is the origin, the source, of man’s worship of idols, man’s rebellion against God, and human self-exaltation. After these things began, the world became Egyptian, with Egypt signifying the world in the aspect of making a living and having entertainment. At Babel man rebelled against God, worshipped idols, and exalted man’s self, but at Babel there was no way to make a living or to have entertainment. Hence, according to the sequence in Genesis, Babel is mentioned first and then Egypt. During the time of famine, Egypt was nearly the only place that still had food (Gen. 42:1-2). Egypt was the place of security and enjoyment. The book of Jeremiah presents us a picture of God’s coming in to punish and judge the nations. According to this picture, the last nation to be judged is Babylon. When God judges Babylon, His judgment of the nations will be complete. Around the church, typified by the people of Israel, are the Egyptian world and the Philistine world. The Egyptian world attracts those in the church by their making a living and the pursuing of worldly enjoyment. These distract the church people from God’s economy and from God as the fountain of living waters.

　　Jeremiah presents God’s economy to us that we may turn back to our source and origin, the Triune God as the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13). Then we will enjoy Him and will receive His dispensing into us for the accomplishment of His economy. God will then take care to keep the world away from us. Today in our church life there should not be anything Babylonian. We should clear away any rebellion against God, any exalting of ourselves, and any worshipping of idols. Then we will be God’s elect under His dispensing to enjoy Him. Instead of enjoying Egypt as a good place for our living, we will enjoy the Triune God, and the church life will be our living. In such a situation we will be blessed by God. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 251-252, 231, 253-254)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msgs. 34, 36-38; Life-study of Genesis, msg. 24

«　WEEK 9　DAY 2　»

　　John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.

　　Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.

　　The world typified by Egypt usurps the people whom God created and chose for His purpose (Exo. 5:6-9). The children of Israel were enslaved to that aspect of the world which gave them their livelihood and afforded them their enjoyment. Whether they are rich or poor, many today are slaves to money. They work hard to earn a large amount of money, and then in a short time they spend all they have to indulge in the pleasures of the world. Thus many today do not serve God, but mammon….In Egypt [the ancient Israelites] made a good living and they enjoyed the riches of the world. But Egypt kept them from fulfilling the purpose for which God had originally called them. In Egypt the children of Israel became strong [Exo. 1:7] ….In one sense, to become strong is to become rich. Without money, a nation cannot be strong. For example, the United States is a strong nation because of its economy.

　　The children of Israel enjoyed the aspect of the world typified by Egypt….Because they were occupied by the riches and enjoyment of the world, they were kept from fulfilling the purpose for which God had created and chosen them. In the same principle, all the worldly people today have been usurped by Satan. As a result, they do not know God’s purpose. How we need to thank the Lord for delivering us from slavery in the world and for setting us free from the usurping hand of Satan! (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 16-17)

　　Because of their need to maintain their livelihood, the children of Israel fell into Egyptian tyranny (Exo. 1:10-11). The worldly people today are also under tyranny. Even their occupation with worldly amusements is a sign that they are under Satan’s tyranny. Forced to follow a course that holds them under Satan’s tyranny and that keeps them from God’s purpose, they have no freedom and do not make the proper choices.

　　The children of Israel were under the enslavement of Pharaoh (1:8-11, 13-14), who typifies Satan, the ruler of the world (John 12:31; Eph. 2:2). Because Pharaoh is the embodiment of Satan, he is a picture of Satan in Exodus, a book of pictures.

　　Exodus 1:13 says, “And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness.” …Harshness indicates that the children of Israel had no liberty, no rights, and no rest. No matter what their circumstances were, they had to labor as slaves. They had to do what Pharaoh demanded. Verse 14 continues, “And they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and in brick and in all kinds of labor in the field; all their labor with which they made them serve was with harshness.” Pharaoh made the lives of the Israelites bitter with hard labor. Today, in the eyes of God, all the people are laboring in the “field.” You may work in a hospital, factory, or office, but actually you are laboring in the “field” making “bricks” and cementing them with “mortar.”

　　As slaves in Egypt, the children of Israel “built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses” (v. 11). Pithom means “mouth of integrity,” and Raamses means “thunder of the standard.” These names indicate that Pharaoh’s treasure cities were built for pride and boastful display, just as the pyramids were. I believe that, under Pharaoh, the Egyptians had these treasure cities built in order to boast of their integrity, honesty, and goodness and also to propagate their cultural standard….Every race and nation boasts of its goodness. Furthermore, every country, developed or undeveloped, is proud of its standard of attainment. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 17-18)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1971, vol. 3, pp. 332-335

«　WEEK 9　DAY 3　»

　　1 John 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

　　James 4:4 Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever determines to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God.

　　I am concerned that even Christians may devote so much time to their house that they have very little, if any, time for prayer. However, the more we are delivered from the fall, the simpler we will become in the matter of housing. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He could say of Himself, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have roosts, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20).

　　The more we are delivered from the fall, the simpler we become regarding what we need for our existence….Worldly people are occupied with clothing and spend much time and money on their adornment. A saved person, however, should simply care to have clothing that is proper, neat, and clean….If we look at the life of the Lord Jesus, we will see how simple He was regarding the necessities of human existence. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision,” pp. 200-201)

　　The earthly things which are necessary for human existence have been corrupted by Satan with his systematic scheme….He has taken the earthly things and has utilized them to make a system. This system includes not only all things but also all people. This means that we have been captured by this system and have become occupied with the things in this system.

　　We can become so occupied with these things that there is no ground in us for God. In our human life, there is no time for God. All of our human capacity is preoccupied with and occupied by the things of the world, so no capacity remains in us for God….The earthly things have been corrupted by Satan’s systematic scheme and have become the world. The world is now a satanic system….We all need to have a clear vision of the world. To us the things which we need for our existence may simply be earthly things, or they may become a world, a system of Satan. When you are preoccupied with eating, eating becomes an item of the world to you. When you are preoccupied with marriage, marriage becomes an item of the world to you. When you become preoccupied with clothing, housing, and transportation, these also become items of the world to you.

　　In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” To be fashioned according to this age is to be conformed to the present course of the world. Instead of being conformed to the present age, we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The more we are transformed, the more we are delivered from the flesh, the self, and the world.

　　Anything can become an item of the world to us, if that thing occupies us and preoccupies us. You need to be fully emancipated from every occupying and preoccupying thing. The time must come when you are able to say, “Lord, I praise You that I have been liberated….On this earth there is nothing occupying me or preoccupying me.” When this is your situation, you will have nothing to do with the world, yet you will still be living on the earth. You will continue to need food, marriage, clothing, housing, and transportation, but none of these things will occupy or preoccupy you.

　　If we see the vision of the world, we will realize that we should not love anything worldly. We should not love any occupying or preoccupying thing. Rather, we should give our love fully, wholly, and absolutely to the Lord. All our capacity is for Him. All the ground, all the room, in us is for Him. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision,” pp. 201-202, 204-205)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision,” ch. 5; Life-study of John, msg. 26; CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, “The Experience of Life,” ch. 5

«　WEEK 9　DAY 4　»

　　Rev. 18:4 …Come out of her, My people, that you do not participate in her sins and that you do not receive her plagues.

　　19:2-3 For true and righteous are His judgments; for He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He avenged the blood of His slaves at her hand….They said, Hallelujah! And her smoke goes up forever and ever.

　　When Israel came out of Babylon at the time of Ezra, they came out of political Babylon but not out of religious Babylon, for at that time there was no religious Babylon. Israel’s captivity in Babylon typifies the captivity of today’s Christians in the Babylonian religion….In the Babylonian religion, the most striking thing is the worship of idols. This is especially true in Catholicism. Today, for us to be God’s people, we need to come out of Babylon in its two aspects. (Life-study of Isaiah, p. 166)

　　In the Old Testament, Babylon was mainly political, but this political Babylon also interfered with the worship of God. When Babylon invaded Jerusalem, it destroyed the temple of God and carried away to Babylon the vessels of the temple (Dan. 1:1-2), which typify the ways and means for God’s people to enjoy Christ. These vessels continued to exist, but they were marred. Furthermore, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, captured the people of high rank in Israel, including the royal family, and forced them to worship his god in Babylon. Hence, the worship of God was damaged and marred by Babylon. This shows that Babylonian politics went together with Babylonian religion. In the New Testament, Babylon is mentioned in a strong way in the book of Revelation. The religious aspect is mentioned first (Rev. 17), then the political aspect (Rev. 18). The religious Babylon is revealed as “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth” (17:5). In Revelation 2:20 she is signified by Jezebel. In contrast to political Babylon, religious Babylon, the apostate Roman Catholic Church, is very mysterious. It has God, Christ, and Satan within it. It has a name that it proclaims God and preaches Christ as the Savior. But when its members believe its preaching, they are brought into the secrets, mysteries, and deep things of Satan (v. 24) to worship idols. The apostate Roman Church preaches God but worships idols. This is hypocrisy.

　　Political Babylon is somewhat in a state of repose, whereas religious Babylon is flourishing. For example, Christmas, which is celebrated throughout the world, is altogether from Babylon. Participating in Christmas may seem to be a small thing, but anything that is part of Babylon is abominable in the eyes of God. The system in the church meetings of one man speaking and all the rest listening is also a part of Babylon. This Babylonian element must not be allowed to remain among us.

　　God commanded His Old Testament elect, Israel, to depart from Babylon and to separate themselves absolutely from Babylon (Isa. 52:11). In the New Testament, God also charges His elect, the church, to come out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4). We all need to ask ourselves whether or not we have made a thorough clearance with today’s Babylon. We are here following our Christ, who is the Servant of Jehovah, and He requires us to depart from Babylon and to have a thorough clearance with Babylon.

　　In Joshua 6 the children of Israel gained the victory over Jericho, but in fighting against Ai they were defeated. Because Achan kept a Babylonian garment (7:21), God’s people suffered a defeat. Anything that is Babylonian gives Satan the ground to defeat the people of God. Therefore, we must forsake everything Babylonian. If we would serve God as His pure people, we first need to have a thorough clearance of all Babylonian things. (Life-study of Isaiah, pp. 179-180)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Isaiah, msgs. 6-8, 24-26; Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 51-53; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 71

«　WEEK 9　DAY 5　»

　　Gen. 11:4 And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the surface of the whole earth.

　　Jer. 51:9 We tried to heal Babylon, but she is not healed; forsake her, and let each one of us go to his own land; for her judgment has reached to heaven…

　　The name Babylon originates from “Babel.”…The principle of the tower of Babel involves the attempt to build up something from earth to reach unto heaven. When men built this tower, they used bricks….Stone is made by God;…bricks are a human invention….The meaning of Babylon relates to man’s own efforts to build a tower to reach unto heaven. Babylon represents man’s ability. It represents a false Christianity, a Christianity which does not allow the Holy Spirit to have authority. It does not seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance; it does all things by human effort….Those who are according to this principle do not see that they are limited; rather, they attempt to do the Lord’s work by their own natural ability. They do not stand in a position where they are truly able to say, “Lord, if You do not give us grace, we cannot do anything.” They think that man’s ability can suffice for spiritual things. Their intention is to establish something upon the earth that will reach to heaven. (CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” p. 101)

　　One man has some talent and thinks that he can preach after he has studied a little theology. What is this? Bricks! Another man who is very clever receives some help and possesses some knowledge and then becomes a Christian worker. Again, what is this? Bricks! A certain man is capable of doing things, so he is asked to come and manage the affairs of the church. What is this? Bricks! All of these things are man’s endeavors to build something from earth to heaven by human ability, by bricks. Again we must emphasize that there is no place for man in the church. Heavenly things can only come from heaven; the things of this earth can never go to heaven. Man’s difficulty is that he does not see that he is under judgment, nor does he see that he is just dust and clay. Man may build high, but heaven is higher than man’s highest height. No matter how high men may build their tower, they still cannot touch heaven. Heaven is always above man. Though man may climb and build and though he may not fall, he still will not be able to touch heaven. God destroyed man’s plan to build the tower of Babel in order to show man that he is useless in spiritual matters. Man cannot do anything.

　　[The] principle of Babylon is mixing the things of man with the Word of God, and the things of the flesh with the things of the Spirit. It is pretending that something of man is something of God. It is receiving man’s glory to satisfy man’s lust. Therefore, Babylon is mixed and corrupted Christianity. What should our attitude be toward Babylon? Revelation 18:4 says, “And I heard another voice out of heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you do not participate in her sins and that you do not receive her plagues.” Second Corinthians 6:17-18 also says, “Therefore ‘come out from their midst and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you.’”…According to God’s Word, His children cannot be involved in any matter containing the character of Babylon. God said that we must come out from every situation where man’s power is mixed with God’s power, where man’s ability is mixed with God’s work, and where man’s opinion is mixed with God’s Word. We cannot partake of anything that has the character of Babylon. We have to come out of it. God’s children must learn from the depths of their spirit to separate themselves from Babylon and to judge all her actions. If we do this, we will not be condemned together with Babylon. (CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” pp. 101-102, 104)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” ch. 5; CWWN, vol. 39, “Love Not the World,” ch. 1

«　WEEK 9　DAY 6　»

　　Jer. 51:61-62 …When you come to Babylon,…say, O Jehovah, You have spoken concerning this place, to cut it off,…for it will be an eternal desolation.

　　Rev. 11:15 …The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.

　　21:2 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…

　　In Revelation the restored Roman Empire is called Babylon the Great (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2). Babylon the Great has two aspects—a political aspect (Rev. 18) and a religious aspect (Rev. 17)….The political aspect of Babylon the Great includes many material things and many things related to the international trade and commerce upon the earth (Rev. 18:9-19)….At the end time, the political situation of the world will not be communistic, for international trade, not merely national commerce, will be thriving. (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 248)

　　The world situation is under the influence of Roman politics and Roman religion. Most of the present governments were adopted based on Roman law and Roman administration. In other words, modern government is built upon Roman principles of law and government. Furthermore, the Roman church is prominent in many nations, and the pope has a high political standing. Hence, today, both politically and religiously, the entire earth has been Romanized.

　　Since the whole world has become Roman, under the influence of Roman government and Roman religion, it may seem that God has been defeated. However, the book of Revelation shows us that our God surely has not been defeated.

　　At the end of this age, the Roman Empire will be restored and strengthened to produce its last Caesar, Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (Rev. 17:9-11; 2 Thes. 2:3-4, 8), who will be very powerful. It is he who will destroy the Roman church at the beginning of the great tribulation. Concerning this, Revelation 17:16 says, “The ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and burn her utterly with fire.” That the ten horns and the beast will hate the harlot and make her desolate means that Antichrist and the ten kings of the restored Roman Empire will persecute the Roman church. They will make the Roman church “desolate and naked,” meaning that they will destroy her, rob her of her riches, and expose her; they will “eat her flesh,” meaning that they will kill her members; and they will “burn her utterly with fire,” meaning that they will annihilate her altogether. Then, at the end of the tribulation, Christ will come down from the heavens, with the overcomers as His army, to fight against Antichrist directly and defeat him and cast him alive into the lake of fire (Rev. 19). That will be the last fighting of man against God, a fighting that began at Babel and that will increase and intensify until the war at Armageddon. With Christ’s defeat of Antichrist, the entire Roman Empire will be destroyed and all the Roman things will be removed, cleared away, from the earth….Then what will be prominent on earth will not be Babylon but the New Jerusalem.

　　In the Bible there are two prominent cities—Babylon and Jerusalem. We see these two cities in Jeremiah and in Revelation. In the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, Babylon came to destroy Jerusalem and to make her a ruin, a desolation. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, there are Babylon the Great and the New Jerusalem. Eventually, Babylon the Great will be destroyed, removed from the earth, and cast into the lake of fire, and the New Jerusalem will be brought in to be the prominent center of God’s eternal kingdom in the new heaven and new earth. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 248-250)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, “The Four Men in the Bible,” ch. 9; CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, “The Living and Practical Way to Enjoy Christ,” chs. 7-8