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The Story of the Seer of Patmos - Contents
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    CHAPTER XIX. BE YE SEPARATE

    The vileness of a union of the Christian church with the state, is depicted in chapter seventeen. When the church that was once pure, united with the government of Rome, and was known as the papacy, God called her Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, He showed by the angels who hold the vials of His wrath, that, as loathsome disease is the physical penalty paid for the life of a harlot, so the seven last plagues are the natural results of the spiritual fornication of which the church is guilty when the name Babylon is applicable to her.SSP 300.1

    This name carries the mind back to the origin of the expression, in the first century this side of the flood. The earth had been depopulated because of the vileness of its inhabitants, and Noah and his sons alone remained alive. Noah was still living when his descendants gathered in the valley of the Euphrates and founded a city. God told them to scatter over the face of MarginHow is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Isaiah 1:21.
    From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Isaiah 1:6.
    By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
    Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, pershed. 2 Peter 3:5, 6.
    The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.Genesis 7:1.
    Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. Genesis 9:28.
    the earth, but they congregated in one place. They began building the tower with the idea of defeating the God of heaven, should He again attempt to destroy man by a flood. The spirit of self-exaltation, born of Lucifer himself, took possession of the men of the valley of the Euphrates, and they openly defied their Maker.
    SSP 300.2

    Their iniquity reached unto heaven, and God came down to visit them. His coming brought confusion and consternation; and the languages of men were confounded so that they could not understand one another. Then the name Babel was applied, which means confusion.SSP 301.1

    But the devil determined not to be defeated in his purpose of exaltation; and surrounding the site of this ancient monument, which never reached completion, he built, sixteen hundred years later, the city of Babylon, which became the capital of the world. This kingdom is used to illustrate the evil of the state church in the end of time The sins of the ancient city are repeated by the last church, and its overthrow is the object lesson, to the world, of the final destruction of the whole world when Christ comes down, because her iniquity has reached heaven The figure is followed throughout the eighteenth chapter of Revelation; and by comparing scripture with scripture, the grievous sins of modern Babylon stand out in such awful distinctness that they justify the judgments of God as meted out in the plagues. Such a study opens the mind to the meaning of the cry of the mighty angel, referred to in verses one and two.SSP 301.2

    The sins of Babylon are almost beyond number; but some are pointed out with distinctness by the spirit of inspiration. God’s dwelling MarginThey said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Genesis 11:4.
    Genesis 9:1.
    origin of nations.
    Every family formed the nucleus of a nation and had a language of their own. The descendants of Japheth formed ten nations.
    By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. Genesis 10:5.
    The descendants of Ham formed twenty-six nations.
    These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. Genesis 10:20.
    The descendants of Shem formed twenty-three nations.
    These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
    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. Genesis 10:31, 32. Revelation 14:8.
    Isaiah 21:9, 10.
    And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
    And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
    For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. Revelation 18:1-3.
    place is in the humble, contrite heart; “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.” Babylon made the boast, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” God claimed the church as His wife, but she forsook her lawful husband, and played the harlot with the kings of the earth. Then she said boastingly, “I sit a queen.” This was literally true of the city of Babylon, which was known as the queen of the earth. But in the same proportion that she had highly exalted herself, so was her fall, when the Lord withdrew His supporting hand. God never intended that the church should have anything to do with governments. His life on earth is a living example of what His followers should do and be. He reigned over a spiritual kingdom, when physically He had not a place to lay His head; He was clothed with the garments of righteousness, spotless and pure, although physically, He had but a travel stained robe; or was clothed by the mocking priests in a cast-off purple garment, and crowned with a crown of thorns. Union with the kings of earth, made it necessary to put on the apparel of the world; for an earthly queen is supposed to dress as royalty dress; and when supported by all the kings of the earth, the wealth at her command was unbounded. What need had she for the spiritual wealth which comes through Christ?
    SSP 301.3

    The city of Babylon was called the golden MarginIsaiah 47:7-9.
    Zephaniah 2:15.
    Hosea 2:19, 20.
    And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
    For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
    Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: In the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
    How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
    Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
    And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
    Standing afar off for the fear
    city, “The beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,” “the exactress of gold.” She ruled over all the nations. “Wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowl of the heavens hath He given into thine hands.” The commerce of the world was controlled by this one power; and the wealth of the East and the West was laid at her feet. She sent ships to the islands for their spices and to the land of Ophir for its gold. The elephants of India and Ceylon yielded their ivory for her palaces and the ships of Tyre brought metals from the mines of Spain and the shores of the Mediterranean. Her lofty structures were built by slaves from captive nations. Her kings, like all Oriental monarchs, were absolute in their authority, and the bodies and souls of men were in bondage to great Babylon.
    SSP 302.1

    Her treatment of the Jewish race, who for seventy years were held as slaves, was rewarded by the complete downfall of the kingdom. First, it fell into the hands of a stronger power; but the prophecies concerning her downfall depicted complete ruin, and travellers to-day corroborate the words of Isaiah, “Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie here; and their houses shall be full of, dolefull creatures; and owls shall dwell there and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate Marginof her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. Revelation 18:4-10.
    The devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Luke 4:6.
    That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! Isaiah 14:4.
    And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
    The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner uessels of ivory, and all manner uessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
    And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
    And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
    The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
    And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
    For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
    And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying. What city is like unto this great city! Revelation 18:11-18.
    houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.”
    SSP 303.1

    This was literally fulfilled in the earthly kingdom, Babylon; and it is placed on record in the inspired Word, that men may there read the result of such principles as were brought into practice in Babylon the Great.SSP 304.1

    Moreover, to Jeremiah was given a message from God for Babylon, which he wrote out, and sent by the hand of the chief chamberlain of the captive king of Jerusalem as he went into Babylon. This, the chamberlain was bidden to read in a public place; and having read it, he was to tie a stone about the book, and cast it into the river Euphrates, saying, “Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her.” Since these things are repeated in the divine description of the woman on the scarlet colored beast, it is evident that every detail preserved in the record of ancient Babylon and its destruction, is to be fulfilled a second time in, and for, modern Babylon, the church that became a whore. So much for the city whose history is so vividly portrayed in the Word.SSP 304.2

    There is another source of information which MarginHer cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
    And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
    Jeremiah 51:43, 44.
    Jeremiah 50:39.
    Jeremiah 51:49, 58.
    And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 51:59-64.
    As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord: so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. Jeremiah 50:40.
    shows the repetition of the sins of the city Babylon, as the church entered the Middle Ages. The Roman See gained power gradually. It was at first a simple church the same as all others, which arose as the result of the preaching of the early apostles. Constantinople was for some time a rival of the rising queen; she, too, was seated upon seven hills; but finally, the rise of Mohammedanism in the East so occupied the eastern division of the empire that Rome was quite unmolested in her ambitious designs. The invasion of the West by the barbarians of the North, extended the power, and increased the wealth and influence of Rome.
    SSP 304.3

    There, barbarians, “after being satiated with blood and plunder, lowered their reeking swords before the intellectual power that met them face to face; recently converted to Christianity, ignorant of the spiritual character of the church, and feeling the want of a certain external pomp in religion, they prostrated themselves, half savage and half heathen as they were, at the feet of the high priest of Rome.” One by one, the barbarians, ancestors of all the nations of modern Europe, bowed the knee to Rome, and crowned her queen of the earth. From each nation, throughout the period of her supreme rule, she gathered her stores of wealth.SSP 305.1

    For years England, as a government, paid to Rome a tribute of a thousand marks. Likewise from each country, Rome drew the money which was needed for national defense. The poor were robbed by the payment of penance and the buying of indulgences. During the time of the Crusades, nations arose as a whole people, at MarginTo all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
    First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Romans 1:7, 8.
    Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked. Amos 2:4.
    Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
    Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. Isaiah 59:6, 7.
    Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
    Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together. Isaiah 65:6, 7.
    Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. Isaiah 59:15.
    The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Revelation 17:18.
    As troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness. Hosea 6:9.
    the bidding of Rome. Relics, the bones of saints and martyrs, bits of the cross, the nails,-all such things were exchanged for gold.
    SSP 305.2

    The treatment of Columbus by the Spanish government, one of the daughters of Rome, is an illustration of the tyranny exercised over body and mind. Gallileo, who introduced the truth of astronomical discoveries into Italy, incurred the displeasure of Rome, and was pursued by the Inquisition. Later, after the supremacy of Rome was broken, and the queen sat a widow, her children carried out the same principles. England had not lost the spirit when she taxed her colonies, and impressed their seamen. France has never fully recovered; for she still bears arbitrary rule over her possessions. Italy, once a wealthy kingdom, was drained of its wealth by the papacy. Examples might be multiplied without number. It is enough to say that nations have been oppressed. The pagan Roman Empire was lordly and dictatorial; but oppression before the days of the papacy, sank into insignificance, when compared with the tyranny of the woman clad in purple and scarlet, seated upon the scarlet colored beast. Claiming to be the vicegerent of God on earth, Rome held souls in her grasp, and assigned them at will, to heaven or hell, or demanded the payment of any price for their release from purgatory.SSP 306.1

    The messages sent to Babylon, the city, concerning its overthrow, were repeated to Rome in the person of the martyrs. Wycliffe, Huss, Jerome, Luther, Melanchthon,-these, and hundreds of others, God used as a mouthpiece to proclaim the impending fall of Rome. But so MarginWoe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. Habakkuk 2:19.
    How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.
    The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
    Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
    The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
    They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
    For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. Lamentations 4:1-6.
    My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 1 Kings 12:14.
    prophecy of huss.
    John Huss did more: prophetic words resounded from the depths of his dungeon. He foresaw that a real reformation of the Church was at hand. When driven from Prague, and compelled to wander in the fields of Bohemia, where he was followed by an immense crowd eager to catch his words, he exclaimed: “The wicked have begun by laying treacherous snares for the goose. (The word Huss in Bohemian signifying goose.) But if even the goose, which is only a domestic fowl, a tame creature, and unable to rise high in the air, has
    self-confident was the queen that she said, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground.... Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance.... Thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.”
    SSP 306.2

    The wounding of the head of the beast in 1798, the beginning of the time of the end, dethroned the woman for a time, but she was the mother of harlots, and the education, as well as the hereditary tendencies of her children, has enabled them, although in many ways restricted, to continue the practices of the mother. To each of the kingdoms of Europe, the Reformation came as a light and deliverance; but to-day, without exception, those nations are returning their allegiance to the dethroned queen, who only waits the opportune moment to resume her seat and her crown.SSP 307.1

    The hatred which Europe once manifested toward the central ecclesiastical power is fast disappearing; and before the outpouring of the plagues, there will be general agreement to exalt Rome. Rome to-day stands as the arbiter of nations. She is regaining her crown by the Marginyet broken their snares, other birds, whose flight carries them boldly toward heaven, will break them with much more power. Instead of a feeble goose, the truth will send forth eagles and keen-eyed falcons.” The reformers fulfilled this prediction.-Daubigne’s History.
    He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Revelation 13:10.
    We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. Jeremiah 51:9.
    Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
    Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
    Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. Jeremiah 50:11-13.
    same method by which she at first received it. One nation after another bows before her throne, and recognizes the woman’s right to ride the beast. The wealth of all nations is about to be given into her hands.
    SSP 307.2

    In the United States, the formation of the image to the beast, will place the unbounded resources of this country in the hands of the same power. Protestantism repudiates its fundamental principles, the complete separation of church and state, and performs the works of the beast. Society, once democratic throughout, is gradually revolutionized in the formation of the image; as it was done in the growth of the beast. The distinction between the rich and the poor, becomes more marked; the corporations and trusts control the money, the produce, and the laboring classes. Democracy gives way to a king,-the coal king, the oil king, or the money king. A few men dictate to the masses. The independence once gained by war, is lost in America, as in Europe, through false methods of education.SSP 308.1

    The Protestant churches, once simple in habits and customs, now bid for the most popular minister, pay high prices for pews, listen to paid singers, who know nothing of the power of soul music; and the sermons to which the wealthy listen, are such as will please the ear, but do not convert the heart.SSP 308.2

    God has sent message after message to save the world. Such are the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14:6-12. The first one was rejected; and the second angel proclaimed the fall of Babylon. The spirit of discernment is lost, and that which came from God, is passed MarginThey say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22:21.
    Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! Isaiah 5:8.
    They covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Micah 2:2.
    Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20.
    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
    And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
    Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
    Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Isaiah 30:10, 11.
    Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Jeremiah 7:25.
    by unheeded. Babylon, devoid of the Spirit which controlled and kept vice in check, becomes as the house which was empty, swept, and garnished. It becomes “the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird,” and the condition of Babylon in the last days is worse than in former times.
    SSP 308.3

    Saul, when he could receive no word from the Lord, because he had hitherto rejected divine counsel, sought out a witch, and consulted the spirit of devils. The end of Saul was death by suicide. The churches that reject the message of the judgment and the Saviour’s second coming, reject the Spirit of God, and are given over to the control of evil spirits, a miracle working power, which binds men by supernatural manifestations until they are prepared to receive Satan himself, who comes in the name of the Lord.SSP 309.1

    As Babylon the city, became the home of the bittern and the owl, birds of prey, so Babylon the church, takes the spirit of the carrion birds, and watches to destroy souls. What Rome of the Middle Ages accomplished under the cover of darkness, modern Babylon will repeat in the full blaze of intellectual life. The third angel’s message offers life to those who are bound by the fetters of false doctrines, and warns them against the beast and his image.SSP 309.2

    God’s judgment waits until the last end of time,-until there is no longer any who will repent. Before the close of probation, an angel is seen to come down from heaven, and join the third angel. Together, their glory enlightens the world. This is the loud cry. Men acknowledge MarginWhen the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
    Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
    Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. Matthew 12:43-45.
    Jeremiah 51:37.
    So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it. 1 Chronicles 10:13.
    Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 1 Timothy 4:1.
    Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. Jeremiah 50:39.
    The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9.
    Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Jeremiah 51:6.
    Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. Jeremiah 16:16.
    the sins of Babylon, and some even of the kings of the earth repent. The loud cry will reach the corners of the earth; thousands will be converted in a day, as they were in the days of Pentecost. As the oppressions of Babylon become more galling, most fervent prayers will be offered for release. The Jews in ancient Babylon near the close of the seventy years’ captivity, symbolized the people of God in modern Babylon as the time of the plagues draws near. As Daniel prayed with fasting and heart searching, that he might know the time of deliverance, and that no sins might be left on the books against Israel, so the people of God will plead in these last days. The prayers that Daniel offered, will be answered more fully in the end of time than it was possible for them to be answered in the days of his natural life. The prayer which Moses offered when Israel sinned, and he, their leader, pleaded for their forgiveness, was partially answered then. The Lord said, “I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” Moses waits over three thousand years for the answer to that prayer. From his dwelling place in heaven, he will see the answer in the loud cry of the third angel’s message. Other prayers long delayed will then be answered. These requests have been bottled in heaven and when Satan manifests his greatest power, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached with a spirit which enlightens the world. Time is about to close, and the vials of sweet odors held by the four living creatures about the throne, will be emptied before the sanctuary work closes. MarginIt shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17.
    Isaiah 24:14-16.
    In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
    And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel 9:2, 3.
    Revelation 8:3, 4.
    Numbers 14:20, 21.
    Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven. 2 Chronicles 30:27.
    Jude 9.
    Revelation 14:9.
    Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? Psalm 56:8.
    Revelation 5:8.
    Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
    But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. Philippians 4:17, 18.
    Revelation 18:4.
    SSP 309.3

    There will be a voice heard from heaven saying, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” As the angels took Lot by the hands, and hurried him out of Sodom, bidding him not to look back, so angels will hurry the sincere and true-hearted out of Babylon, for her destruction cometh like the burning of Sodom.SSP 311.1

    This message from God, the Great Shepherd, comes from heaven, and souls respond. To the Jews in Babylon, the same call was given and those who were true to Jehovah, fled to the mountains, that they might not be partakers of her impending destruction. Some had lived so long in the city, that they hesitated about leaving. Lot had sons and daughters who would not leave Sodom; and the family ties were so strong that Lot’s wife, the mother, turned to look back, and destruction overtook her. The loud cry will cause many a heartache; will lead to the severance of many a fond tie. Husbands will have to decide whether they will cling to their families, and remain in spiritual Sodom, or whether they will heed the voice from heaven. Mothers will have the same decision to make. This is the time when Christ says, “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”SSP 311.2

    While the work of separation is going on, the power of the beast and his image, grows more intolerable. The believers are obliged to seek shelter in rocks and caves of the mountains. MarginDepart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. Isaiah 52:11.
    Jeremiah 51:6.
    Genesis 19:16, 17.
    The same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
    Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke 17:29, 30.
    The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
    For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
    And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Genesis 19:12-14.
    Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
    Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Matthew 24:40, 41.
    Luke 17:34-36.
    Matthew 10:37.
    He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Isaiah 33:16.
    The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. Ezekiel 7:15.
    Some will be thrown into prison. Then the plagues begin to fall. “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her.... Therefore shall her plagues come in one day (or one year), death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire.”
    SSP 311.3

    During this time of trouble, many who rejected the messages when they were given remember the call of God, and when it is too late, seek to recall His messengers. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”SSP 312.1

    There is no word of God in Babylon; for she is the one who exalted self above Jehovah, who caused the two witnesses to prophesy in sackcloth for forty and two months, and who thought to change the eternal times and laws of the universe. “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Those who love the Word of God have withdrawn from her midst, and during the time of trouble, are hidden from the wrath of man and the fury of the plagues. As probation has closed, “the light of a candle shall shine no more at all” in Babylon. The voice of joy is turned to mourning; the social gatherings and the marriage feasts no longer offer any attraction; merchants and the great men of earth fail because of the destruction of great Babylon. The earth is literally turned MarginBut they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. Ezekiel 7:16.
    Luke 21:12, 16-18.
    Revelation 18:7, 8.
    And they east dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
    Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
    And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
    And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
    And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by the sorceries were all nations deceived.
    And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Revelation 18:19-24.
    Revelation 18:24.
    Matthew 23:34, 35.
    For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
    They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
    upside down, and it reels to and fro like a drunken man; for great Babylon has come in remembrance before God. Her iniquities have reached unto heaven, and God comes down to reward her double according to her works.
    SSP 312.2

    As the ancient city of Babylon was overthrown because she forsook the way of life, so modern Babylon dies. None need partake of her plagues; for all had an opportunity to separate from her midst. God is to-day making up His spiritual kingdom. His subjects are on the earth, and by the strong magnet of His love He is drawing to Himself all who prefer a spiritual life to one of earth.SSP 313.1

    The story of Babylon the city, and again of Babylon the church, is the picture divinely given of a worldly life under the dominion of the power of the prince of this world. The little church, hidden from trouble during these last days, may seem to have lost much by following the Man of Nazareth; but their love of truth links their hearts with God, and they taste the joys of an endless life. The great controversy still continues; it ends in the overthrow of Babylon, the mother of harlots, and the confusion of Babel is replaced by the divine harmony, which, for six thousand years, has been marred by sin. MarginThey have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
    For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee. Psalm 83:2-5.
    Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. Isaiah 24:1.
    Isaiah 24:17-21.
    Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
    And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18.
    Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3:8.
    SSP 313.2

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