Scripture Reading: Isa. 13:1, 19; 14:4, 12-15; 21:9; 47:1; 48:20
Ⅰ
The one complete revelation in the Bible shows us that God has an economy, a plan with many arrangements, to gain a people who are regenerated, sanctified, renewed, transformed, and conformed to His image to be His corporate expression that He may be glorified forever— 1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 3:9; 1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 6:19; 12:2; 8:29; 12:4-5; Rev. 21:10-11.
Ⅱ
Satan, God's enemy, is always rejecting God, opposing God, and doing whatever he can to frustrate God's economy—Matt. 13:24-25, 38; 1 John 5:19:
A
Satan's opposition to God and to God's economy indicates that a war is raging in the universe between God and Satan—Rev. 12:3-5, 7-12.
B
Satan's way is to use the nations to frustrate God's purpose.
C
In the Bible, the result of Satan's work is Babylon; his opposition to God began with Babylon and will end with Babylon—Gen. 11:1-9; Rev. 17—18.
Ⅲ
In the eyes of God, all the attacks carried out by the nations against His people come from one source—Babylon—Dan. 1:1:
A
The Babylon in the Old Testament was physical, but the Babylon in the New Testament is spiritual—Isa. 13:1; 14:4; Rev. 17:1-6; 18:1-3.
B
In the Old Testament, those who invaded the land of Immanuel (Isa. 8:8) were physical invaders, such as the Babylonians; in the New Testament, the invaders, although still from Babylon, are spiritual invaders.
C
Babylon was the worst nation in offending God, and its king was one with Satan (Isa. 14:4, 11-15); Babylon, therefore, is God's number one enemy, being both the beginning and the conclusion of human government.
D
Babylon will be thoroughly condemned, punished, and judged by God—Isa. 21:9; Jer. 51:8; Rev. 14:8; 18:2.
Ⅳ
The origin of Babylon was Babel—Gen. 11:1-9:
A
The building of Babel by Nimrod was the beginning of Babylon and of human government; Nimrod was the first to oppose God, he was absolutely independent of God, and he built a kingdom for himself—10:8-11.
B
Babel was the origin, the source, of man's worship of idols, man's rebellion against God, and human exaltation:
１
At Babel man followed Satan, exalted himself to oppose God, rejected God's name, denied God's right and authority, and fell into idolatry.
２
Man fell from human government under God's authority to collective rebellion of the whole human race against God under Satan's instigation.
Ⅴ
In the Bible there are two prominent cities—Babylon and Jerusalem:
A
These two cities are related to the two lines in the Bible, which come from the two sources in the universe—God and Satan—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 17:5; 18:2; 21:2:
１
The line of life begins with the tree of life and ends with the New Jerusalem; the line of death begins with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, passes through Babylon, and ends with the lake of fire.
２
Oneness is on the line of life, originates with God, and issues in the New Jerusalem; division is on the line of death, originates with Satan, and issues in Babylon the Great and, ultimately, the lake of fire.
B
After Babylon has been destroyed and cast into the lake of fire, the New Jerusalem will be brought in as the center of God's eternal kingdom in the new heaven and new earth—vv. 1-2.
Ⅵ
Anything that is a part of Babylon is abominable in the sight of God:
A
Anything that is Babylonian gives Satan the ground to defeat the people of God—Josh. 7:1-21.
B
The principle of Babylon is mixing the things of man with the Word of God, pretending that something of man is something of God, and receiving man's glory to satisfy man's lust—Acts 5:1-11; Rev. 17:1-5.
C
The system in the church meetings of one man speaking and all the rest listening is part of Babylon; this Babylonian element must not be allowed to remain among us—1 Cor. 14:29-32; Rev. 2:6, 15.
Ⅶ
We are following our Christ, and He requires us to depart from Babylon and to have a thorough clearance with Babylon—Isa. 48:20; Rev. 18:4.
Ⅷ
When we are in our mind, we are in the principle of Babylon; when we are in our spirit, we are in today's Jerusalem, in which there is the divine oneness—John 4:23-24; Eph. 4:3; Rom. 15:5-6; 1 Cor. 1:10.
Ⅸ
We need to consider the sign of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son—the sign of Christ's incarnation—in relation to Satan's use of Babylon to oppose God and God's economy—Isa. 7—8.
Ⅹ
The warfare between Satan and God will end with the fighting between Christ and His faithful followers and Antichrist and his followers—Rev. 17:12-15:
A
The corporate Christ—Christ with His overcoming bride—will come as a stone to crush the aggregate of human government to bring in God's kingdom—Dan. 2:34-35; Joel 3:11; Rev. 19:11-21.
B
After crushing the totality of human government, the corporate Christ—Christ with His overcomers—will become a great mountain to fill the whole earth, making the whole earth God's kingdom—Dan. 2:35, 44; 7:23, 27; Rev. 11:15.