The Abrahamic Covenant, by Dr. George B. Fletcher, Ch. 15, Part 3

    

Chapter XV

    

AND THE REST WERE BLINDED

    

Part 3

    

Mystery Babylon

    
     In this series of articles on the Abrahamic Covenant I have endeavored to show from the Scripture: (1) That the basis of Israel's national relationship to God was the Old Covenant, which covenant is now abolished and has vanished away forever; hence, Israel after the flesh in national capacity is no longer the chosen people of God, or in postponed covenant relationship to God to be re­instituted at some future date. (2) That the Israeli nation in Palestine is not a fulfillment of Bible pro­phecy, but the carnal expectations of apostate unbelieving Jews. In respect to the important subject of the KINGDOM OF GOD twentieth century dispensationalism is practically identical with the .first century RABBINISM. For the cardinal doctrine of the Jewish Rabbis of Christ's day was that, according to the predictions of the prophets of Israel, the purpose and result of the Messiah's mission would be the re-constituting of the Jewish nation; the re-occupation by them of the land of Palestine; the setting up again of the earthly throne of David; and the exaltation of the people of Israel to the place of supremacy in the world. (3) That the "all Israel" that shall be saved, is the total election of grace :from among Jews throughout the centuries. (4) That "the rest were blinded" (Rom. 11:7) involves a conspiracy of world domination. That just AS there was a Satanic leadership within the apostate Jewish nation at the First Advent of their Messiah (Mark 15:1, 9-11) who sought the cruci­fixion of OIRIST PERSONAL (1 Thess. 2:15, 16), SO there is within the reprobate portion of the apostate-nation a hard, radical, revolutionary core of conspirators who aim at the world-wide overthrow of civilization and the destruction of CHRIST MYSTICAL, which is His Church and hence the annihilation of the Christian :faith. (5) That there is an apparent great Jewish conspiracy based on the "dream of Messianic world power" and that Political Zionism which has the Protocols as its plan of conquest and the Talmud as its Bible is the instrument :for its fulfillment. The United Nations Organization is the symbol of its authority and Jewish writers have tradi­tionally claimed the U.N.O. idea as a Jewish invention. Israel's Premier Ben Gurion told a TIME magazine cor­respondent (see TIME, August 16, 1948), "I consider that the United Nations ideal is a Jewish idea."
    
     And now we bring this chapter to a close by a brief exposition of Mystery Babylon as recorded in Rev. 17 and 18. Mystery Babylon is represented under a double symbolism, namely, that of a WOMAN (Rev. 17:1) a counter­feit Church, and a CITY (Rev. 17:18) a Luciferian kingdom of evil. Both of these elements must be borne in mind, for while there is ONENESS yet there is also DISTINCTION, for the WOMAN (religious phase of Mystery Babylon) is destroyed by ten kings under the Anti-Christ (Rev. 17: 16, 17), and the CITY (political phase of Mystery Babylon) is destroyed by God (Rev. 18:20). Inasmuch as Christ has a Bride the Church, and a Kingdom, so also will the Anti­-Christ have a counterfeit church and kingdom. The Old Testament background for this vision of Mystery Babylon given to the apostle John is Ezekiel 16:8-22. The Jews under the Old Covenant were the chosen nation in covenant relationship to God (Psa. 147:19, 20), but from the very beginning it was manifest there were within the nation two seeds, namely, "the children of the flesh," and "the children of God" (Rom. 9:6-8). The nation is portrayed as a harlot in Ezekiel 23, but God did not utterly break off his promises, nor take away the inheritance of the true children of Abraham within the nation who were a remnant according to the election of grace (Gal. 3:6-9; Rom. 11:5). Nevertheless the apostate portion killed the Lord ·Jesus (1 Thess. 2:15; Matt. 21:33-46) and were the descendants of those who had killed the prophets (Matt. 23:34-46; Acts 7:52; Rev. 18:24). With the resurrection of our Lord .from the dead, the Old Covenant was terminated forever (Heb. 8:13), the kingdom given to another nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, the Church ( 1 Peter 2:9), and the gospel preached among ALL nations and no longer to just one nation, the Jewish.
    
     As it was with the ONE nation under the Old Covenant, so has it been with the Church among ALL nations under the New Covenant: there are two seeds -- "the children of the flesh," and "the children of the Spirit11 (Gal. 4:29). Just AS the spiritual seed within the ONE NATION under the Old Covenant and the spiritual seed among ALL NATIONS under the New Covenant are ONE AND THE SAME, namely, the true Bride of Christ (John 10:16; Eph. 1:10), SO the children of the flesh within the ONE NATION under the Old Covenant are ONE AND THE SAME with the children of the flesh among ALL NATIONS who profess faith but are the paramour of the Anti-Christ (Titus 1:16). Therefore this WOMAN of Rev. 17 is called "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Rev. 17:5), and in its ultimate and final mani­festation will be the fulfillment of' the FIRST HALF of the apostle Paul's prophecy in 2 Thess. 2:3 -- " ... a falling away first." This final apostasy within the professing Church among all nations in the end time is the RELIGIOUS side of Mystery Babylon portrayed as the Mother of harlots. The Mother is corrupt and apostate Judaism, and her harlots the apostate churches and anti­christian faiths within Christendom gathered together in one great Ecumenical Brotherhood movement. It will outwardly look like a Church, but is revealed as a "great harlot" (Rev . 17:1), and the paramour of the Anti-Christ. In the final days of fulfillment preceding the Second Advent of Christ the WOMAN (symbol of universal and total anti-Christian religious seduction - Prov. 7:4-27) is seen riding on the Beast (symbol of universal and total anti-Christian political world power - Rev. 17:3). Thus corrupt world government and universal false religion will join hands as at the First Advent under Pilate and Caiaphas (Acts 4:27, 28; Prov. 11:21).
    
     The WOMAN phase of Mystery Babylon will be destroyed by ten kings under the Anti-Christ (Rev. 17:15), who will in this but fulfill the will of God (Rev. 17: 17}. When this is accomplished in the progressive fulfillment of end time events, the WOMAN phase (religious) will merge into the CITY phase (political) of Mystery Babylon and thus fulfill the SECOND HALF of Paul's prophecy in 2 Thess. 2:3 -- "and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, SHEWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD." The total, .final, and universal Luciferian kingdom will be established, continue a short space, and go into perdition at the Second Advent of Christ (2 Thess. 2:8). An illustration of this from history is seen in the fact that the harlot city of Jerusalem, whose holy temple had been made a place of merchandise and a den of thieves (Matt. 21:13; John 2: 15), was carried for approximately 100 years by Rome, but at last was hated and destroyed by the very kings with whom she had maintained her heathenish traffice, namely, Titus in 70 A.D. As the WOMAN phase (religious) of Mystery Babylon gives way to the C1TY phase (political), so the same is revealed in connection with the true Church of Jesus Christ. John is shown the Bride, the Lamb's wife, and turning to see sees that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven .from God (Rev. 21: 9, 10). The mystery character of Babylon concealed behind that of a WOMAN will ultimately be revealed as a CITY, -- the Luciferian kingdom of Anti-Christ, which has as its one great purpose now in progress the re­construction of the world and the universal worship of Satan. The entire human race will at last worship Satan (Psa. 2:l-3f Rev. 13:2-4), except those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 13:8).
    
     The historical development of the Beast is seen in its SEVEN HEADS. (Rev. 17:9-11). The one great world power existing at the time of the apostle John's writing was Rome, the sixth of the seven heads. Five had fallen. Counting back these would be Greece, Media-Persia, Babylon, Egypt, and Babel. The seventh in John's day had not yet come and when it did would continue but a short space. This is the Communist hammer and sickle government which has as its aim the domination of the world. Khrushchev is reported to have said, "Life is short, and I want to see in my lifetime the red flag fly over the entire world ..." Or again by Khrushchev, "Those who expect us to abandon communism will have to wait until a shrimp learns to whistle"; and, "whatever you Western diplomats like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you." Lenin said, "We have to use any ruse, dodges, tricks, cunning, unlawful methods, concealment and veiling of the truth." Thus it works lawlessness and confusion to accomplish its end. Rev. 13:3 tells that one of the seven heads of the Beast was wounded to death, but was healed and all the world wondered after the Beast. This was the first head of the Beast in its historical dev­elopment, namely, Babel (Gen. 10:8-10; 11:1-9). Mankind in disobedience to the Divine command to scatter abroad (Gen. 11:4) tad gathered together to one place and the whole earth was of one language and of one speech (Gen. 11 :·1). The Lord wounded this first head by confusing their language (Gen. 11:7-9), because He would have the gospel preached among all nations unto the calling out of His elect people before the wound would be healed. In the eighth and last form of the Beast in historic develop­ment the wound will be healed and all the earth dwellers will be gathered together in a total, universal, "all out" Luciferian kingdom of darkness. There will be a final ONE WORLD government of Satanic tyranny. This last and final phase of the beast is said to be the eighth and is of the seven (that is, will embody all the hostile, persecuting powers of the seven preceding world power kingdoms), and is seen in its final form under TEN HORNS or kingdoms which shall give their power unto the Beast, or Anti-Christ (Rev. 17: 12-14). Destroying the WOMAN phase (religious) of Mystery Babylon, this last ONE WORLD Lucif'erian kingdom will reign under the CITY phase (political) claiming Godhood and worship (Rev. 13: 4,8; 2 Thess. 2:4), and will be destroyed by Christ at His Second Advent (2 Thess. 1:5-10; Rev. lC:20-24). This reveals a period of great suffering to the people of God (Rev. 17:16), but the saints are assured of final victory (Rev. 17:8, 11). All will be the fulfillment of the will of God (Rev. 17:16). Meanwhile, as this comes to pass God commands a spiritual separation from Babylon (Rev. 13:4), but at the last will effect a literal, bodily, physical separation by the taking out of this world his people, as illustrated in Lot's deliverance before the Lord rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom
and Gomorrah.
    
     In conclusion, Esias crieth concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, A REMNANT SHALL BE SAVED" (Rom. 9:27). If in the future the mercy of God should embrace a great host of this people blinded by the god of this world, and graft them in again to the good olive tree, the true people of God will rejoice in great praise and much thanksgiving. Meanwhile it is our solemn res­ponsibility to pray for this people, and to preach the gospel to them that the election of grace among them may be called out by the foolishness of preaching to faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Saviour of the world, and the second Person of the glorious Trinity, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the true people of God and all the elect angels and saints in heaven will give glory to God in the overthrow of MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT: "For he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand" (Rev. 19: 1-6). In this chapter we have declared what we believe the prophetic scriptures reveal concerning "the rest that are blinded" (Rom. 11:7) and their part in current and future history in fulfilling the counsels of God with regard to THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY, or LAWLESSNESS (2 Thess. 2:7-12).