December 5: THE HOPE OF GLORY
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Revelation 17:5
On her forehead… A longstanding symbol of mindset, this location points directly to that section of the brain where reasoning and decision-making are accomplished.
A name… This is the consistent symbol for character! A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1 (KJV)
Was written… This passive form of a character being written—or engraved—upon the unfaithful woman is a reference to the default mode of brain pathways that are not yielded to God. Bad habits, weak character, and general ungodliness develop deep ruts or well-worn paths of neuron travel in the brain. Along with godless “groupthink”, today’s passive forms of character development are especially fraught with danger and could be nicknamed “couch potato” or “iPad zombie”. The weak and easily influenced or manipulated character that results is behind the epidemic of “snowflakes” in today’s younger generations. Any sort of confrontation is literally “unthinkable”!
Sin’s gravitational pull requires strength of character to overcome, yet Jesus has laid out His expectation for us to do just that (see John 5:14; 8:11; Revelation 2&3). Be confronted! The heeding of God’s word can truly and verifiably create new, godly pathways in the human brain. Philippians 4:8 is a good place to start.
We may not grasp all mysteries, yet it is God’s will to make known the most important one, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). This is the gospel’s great news! Paul also pointed out that, even in the days of the infant church, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The lengthy title in all caps above is an all-encompassing description of what the counterfeit church is about. She works feverishly to unite people under her banner of disobedience to God. The theme, “Let us make a name for ourselves”, that was called Babel (Genesis 11:4,9) echoes Lucifer’s mindset after he made an idol of himself: “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of the congregation … above the heights of the clouds … like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13,14). The counterfeit church parades herself as God’s representative on the earth while defying His authority. Many sincere worshipers of God have recognized—from within the false church—the antichristian nature that permeates her unbiblical doctrines. We know these men today as Reformers, and owe them a great debt of gratitude. Their enlightened understanding and sharing of God’s word paved the “exit road” out of Babylon. This work needed to continue, but Satan halted much of it by leading men to exalt newly discovered truths above the humble continuance of seeking the whole truth (see Christ’s letter to Sardis*). Yet, the work did continue (see Christ’s letter to Philadelphia*). The key difference between the two is a willingness to accept and obey truth as it is discovered in the Bible. Protestants who refuse to continue on the exit road from Babylon are mere daughters of the MOTHER OF HARLOTS. “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4
*Revelation 3