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Date: February 12, 1972
Scripture Reading: Rev. 17:4-5; Gen. 11:9; Deut. 12:5-7; Ezra 1:1-6; Acts 2:14; 1 Cor. 1:10-12; Rev. 21:2, 18, 21
In the preceding chapters we saw that the revelation in the Bible is altogether related to the Spirit of God and the human spirit. After God accomplished creation and man fell, God was manifested in the flesh in order to accomplish redemption through His death on the cross, and in resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit. When man opens to the Lord, the Spirit, as the all-inclusive Spirit, enters into man’s spirit to be one with him. When the Holy Spirit and our human spirit become one spirit, we are mingled as one spirit with Him. In our living today, we need to exercise to live by our spirit and serve by our spirit. I believe that all the saints are clear about this truth.
I would like to fellowship about another crucial matter in this chapter, laying a basic truth before you concerning the way that you should take in your service to the Lord for your whole life. If you know this basic truth, it will become a compass to guide you and guard you on your life’s journey.
There are two names in the Bible that represent two principles and two ways: Jerusalem and Babylon. Each of these names is symbolized by women. Revelation 17 and 18 speak of Babylon as a harlot (17:5; 18:2-3), and chapters 19 and 21 speak of Jerusalem as a wife and bride (19:7; 21:2). Babylon is represented by a woman in a negative sense as a harlot. Being a harlot is even more negative than being an adulteress. An adulteress is a woman who has unlawful contact with a man other than her husband, whereas a harlot is a woman who contacts men loosely and does not even have a husband. Verse 5 of chapter 17 says, “On her forehead there was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” She is the mother of the harlots and the abominations of the earth. Babylon is not only a harlot; she is the mother of harlots, having given birth to many daughters, each one of whom also is a harlot. Thus, she is called “the mother of the harlots.”
Although Babylon is a harlot, Jerusalem is a bride, a chaste wife. This may not seem to be an exciting doctrine, but like a compass, it points us in the right direction. The sixty-six books of the Bible speak of many things and contain many revelations. In the end, however, there are two women. The conclusion of the Bible, the last chapters of the book of Revelation, is a story of Babylon and Jerusalem — two cities and two women. We need to have a clear understanding of the principles represented by these two women so that we may serve the Lord in a proper way. This is exceedingly crucial.
In a sense, the whole Bible is a story of Babylon and Jerusalem. One may say that the Bible is the history of the struggle between Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Babel, which is mentioned in Genesis 11:9, and it means “confusion.” Hence, Babylon means confusion, and confusion means to be without regulation or governing principles. For example, the chairs in this meeting are aligned in straight rows, and this method of alignment is a governing principle. If the chairs were unevenly aligned, crookedly placed next to each other, or even overturned, it would indicate that the chairs are in a confused and unprincipled situation, a situation that reflects the principle of Babylon.
God created one man in the beginning, and out from this man came many men. At Babel these men formed an alliance among themselves to build a tower in rebellion and in opposition to God. Hence, God confounded their language, producing many languages. The people on the earth became divided at this point, and once there was division, there was confusion. Division is included in confusion; without division there is no confusion, and without confusion there is no division. Man spoke the same language originally and was not divided or confused until the time of Babel. Babylon represents division and confusion. In the church there are many brothers and sisters, but we are not divided or in confusion; hence, the church is not Babylon. If, however, some sisters quarrel with other sisters, and some brothers fight with other brothers to the point that they decide to no longer meet with the saints and instead set up another place of meeting, the resulting division is in the principle of Babylon. Babylon represents division and confusion.
After the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, man was divided and confused on the earth. God, however, came to Ur of the Chaldeans, the location of Babylon, and in the midst of a divided and confused situation, He called out Abraham and brought him to the land of Canaan and gave him the land (12:1-5). Although Abraham’s descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel, subsequently failed because of famine and left the land of Canaan to go down into Egypt, God redeemed them and brought them out of Egypt, back to the land of Canaan. Even though there were twelve tribes in the land of Israel, God did not allow His people to be in a situation of division and confusion. Rather, God maintained the oneness of His people by establishing a unique center of worship on a unique ground. In Deuteronomy God repeatedly exhorted and charged the children of Israel not to casually worship and offer up sacrifices in any place. Instead, He charged them to worship at the unique place that He had chosen to put His name (12:5-7; 14:22-23; 15:20; 16:2, 5-7, 15-16). This unique ground, center, and place of worship maintained and preserved the oneness among God’s people. This place was Jerusalem.
Whereas Babylon signifies division and confusion, Jerusalem signifies oneness without confusion. This is a matter of biblical history. Babylon represents division and confusion among men, and Jerusalem represents the oneness of God’s people without confusion. Even though the children of Israel were made up of twelve tribes, their normal condition did not involve division and confusion. Furthermore, even though the Jews have been scattered throughout the nations, there never has been more than one holy temple on the earth. The site for the holy temple is in Jerusalem. All Jews are clear concerning God’s charge in chapters 12, 14, 15, and 16; consequently, no one has dared to build a temple in any other place. Today all the Jews are awaiting the rebuilding of the holy temple on the temple site, which is the high peak of Zion in Jerusalem. Only this place is the center and unique ground of their oneness. Jerusalem represents the oneness of God’s people without confusion, and Babylon represents division and confusion.
At the time of 2 Kings 25, the children of Israel were in desolation. Consequently, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came with his whole army, breached the walls of Jerusalem, destroyed the holy temple, and took the captured Israelites to Babylon. Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon. When Babylon overcame Jerusalem, God’s people were scattered everywhere, and they lost their oneness. After seventy years, God enabled the scattered captives, particularly the Israelites in Babylon, to rise up and return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-6). Leaving Jerusalem is a matter of scattering and confusion, but returning to Jerusalem is a matter of recovering the oneness without confusion. The book of Ezra shows that only a small number of the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the testimony of Jerusalem was recovered. This recovery lasted until the first coming of the Lord Jesus.
The Old Testament speaks of things that have historical, physical, and symbolic significance. With the coming of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament, the spiritual significance of these things becomes apparent. For example, when the church was formed on the day of Pentecost, the situation of division that was brought in at Babel was reversed by the spiritual reality of the formation of the church. At Babel everyone spoke different languages or dialects, and no one could understand each other. But on the day of Pentecost, when people who spoke different languages from various nations were gathered in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, and they spoke in tongues so that these people could understand. At Babel there were division and confusion; at Pentecost in Jerusalem there was oneness without confusion. According to the record of Acts 2:14, when Peter stood with the eleven and spoke, everyone heard his word, and “they were pricked in their heart” (v. 37). Thus, the division and confusion brought in by Babel were terminated, and there was oneness in Jerusalem.
The church is the genuine Jerusalem, and it is based on the principle of oneness without confusion. This is the spiritual reality of Jerusalem. The spiritual reality of Jerusalem is the church, and the church is one and without confusion. Today in the church we can worship God in oneness and without confusion. Both God’s name and God’s habitation are with the church. Acts 2 records the oneness and the absence of confusion in the church on the day of Pentecost; this is Jerusalem. However, Satan still has subtle schemes. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul said to the Corinthians, “Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.” Paul’s exhortation to speak the same thing indicates that there were divisions among the Corinthians: one said that he was of Paul, another said that he was of Cephas, and yet another said that he was of Christ (v. 12). At Pentecost there was oneness without confusion, but in Corinth there were division and confusion, and even the reappearance of a spiritual aspect of Babylon. The spiritual aspect of Jerusalem was manifested on the day of Pentecost, but the spiritual aspect of Babylon was later manifested in Corinth. Gradually, this confusion developed into Roman Catholicism.
Bible readers recognize that Babylon the Great, the mysterious Babylon, mentioned in Revelation 17, refers to Roman Catholicism. By studying history, it is easy to see that Roman Catholicism is associated with Babylon the Great because it is full of divisions and confusion. When some ask, “Are there no children of God in Catholicism?” we should acknowledge that there are, but they are in a situation of mixture. Verse 4 says, “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls.” Those who have a little understanding of Roman Catholicism know that red is the most distinctive and vivid color in the Vatican.
In Revelation 21 the New Jerusalem is the bride (v. 2), the city is of pure gold (v. 18), the foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every precious stone (v. 19), and each of the gates is, respectively, of one pearl (v. 21). Catholicism, however, uses gold, precious stones, and pearls only in the way of gilding, which refers to outward adornment by layering gold, precious stones, and pearls on something that is not of the same material. In Roman Catholicism there truly have been some lovers of the Lord. Madame Guyon can be likened to a pearl, and Brother Lawrence can be likened to a precious stone. However, these exceptions do not represent the true nature of Catholicism. They speak only of an aspect of adornment in Catholicism.
Verse 4 of chapter 17 says, “Having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations.” In typology gold signifies the divine nature. Therefore, the golden cup shows that on the surface Roman Catholicism does indeed have some things related to God. She preaches the unique God and declares the name of Jesus Christ, but her “golden cup” is “full of abominations.” This is Roman Catholicism today. Although there are some genuine children of God, some gold and precious stones and pearls within her, they are mixed in among evil and unclean things.
Verse 5 says, “On her forehead there was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” This mysterious Great Babylon is the great harlot, the mother of many harlots. This mother is a great harlot who has given birth to many daughters, each one of whom is a harlot. The great harlot is Roman Catholicism, the mysterious Babylon. Revelation is a book of revelation and prophecy. Chapter 17 is a prophecy concerning Roman Catholicism and the various denominations, sects, and groups in Protestantism, which evolved from Roman Catholicism and which are all the harlot daughters of the great harlot. There certainly are things of God and children of God in Protestantism, but they are under the influence of Roman Catholicism, and they are in a situation full of division and confusion.
Today it seems as if God’s children care only for spirituality and have no consideration for the proper ground. In addition to various denominations in Protestantism, there are many small free groups that are apparently quite spiritual. However, in God’s eyes they are divided, confused, without principle, and without regulation because they follow their own preferences. If a married woman is not faithful to her husband, it does not matter how meek and kind she is toward others; she is still in a confused and improper situation. Her meekness and kindness mean nothing. In God’s creation there is a governing principle of one husband and one wife. If a woman does not care for God’s principle but only for her preferences and tastes, God’s principle will be violated. Regrettably, this is the condition in today’s Christianity. All the denominations, sects, and free groups in Christianity have been established according to preferences, which result in the violation of God’s principle.
In contrast, a married sister who sees the principle of one husband and one wife will be preserved from the temptation of following her own preferences and tastes even if her marriage is difficult at times. In Matthew 19:7 the Pharisees disputed with Jesus, saying, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce and divorce her?” Jesus answered them, saying, “Moses, because of your hardness of heart, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so” (v. 8). The Lord told the Pharisees that divorce was not according to God’s principle from the beginning. He recovered the significance of human marriage to correspond with God’s original ordination.
Today various groups in Christianity are like women who act according to their preferences and tastes, but they only produce confusion. This is inappropriate, because initially Christians met according to the principle of oneness without confusion. Oneness is the way that was from the beginning. I would like to inoculate the young people from the temptations that come from speakings like “Such-and-such fellowship is so good; let us go there,” “Such-and-such denomination is so good; let us go there,” or “I know a place where we can listen to many good sermons.” When you hear such things, you need to reply, “Please stay away from me. I cannot go to Babylon. I cannot follow that great harlot Babylon or follow any of her daughters.”
If Christians do not take the matter of the oneness of the church seriously, they will fall into the principle of the harlot and be involved with the many daughters of the harlot, even if they are not involved with the great harlot. Today we should take only the way of Jerusalem; we should not casually follow any Babylonian principle. Babylon represents division and confusion; any division and confusion are of Babylon or of the daughters of Babylon. They are all harlots in God’s eyes. We have no desire to accuse others loosely but rather to proclaim God’s truth and holy Word faithfully.
We have all seen that the great harlot in Revelation 17, Babylon the Great, is Roman Catholicism, and her daughters are divisive Christian groups established at will, based on self-preferences. These groups have taken the way of harlots, falling into the position of a harlot, by not holding fast to God’s governing principle. God’s governing principle is oneness — one city, one church — just as in a household there can be only one husband and one wife. Because there is one Christ, there should also be one church.
God’s ordination is related to Jerusalem, but Jerusalem is troubled by the division and confusion of Babylon. Today division and confusion are prevalent because there are so many denominations, sects, and free groups in Christianity. There is nothing that can be put on their signs that will change the fact that they are in the principle of a harlot because of their division and confusion. Divisions produce harlots; this is an extremely serious matter. In contrast, Jerusalem is oneness without confusion. There is only one church in Taipei even though there are many meeting halls, because the saints in Taipei are one and without confusion. If another “church” were established in Taipei, it would be in the principle of Babylon. We need to be cautious because divisiveness and division are not small matters. Several years ago some brothers did not see the seriousness of this matter, and they went out from among us to set up their own meetings. The result of this has been division upon division and confusion upon confusion.
Those who create division and confusion, no matter the reason, are in the principle of being a small harlot in God’s eyes. Whether or not a Christian group is a small harlot is not dependent upon its spiritual condition but on its position and standing. If some are standing as the church in Taipei, the establishment of another “church” only creates division, and it involves the divisive ones in the principle of Babylon. There is a church in Taipei, and all the saints in Taipei should know that in God’s eyes the establishment of another group involves the principle of Babylon.
We must hold fast to God’s governing principle whether we are in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or Keelung. There cannot be another “church” in a locality where a church is standing on the ground of oneness. If there is, the principle of the harlot is present. We all need this compass, and we need to clearly see that Babylon is related to division and confusion but that Jerusalem is related to oneness without confusion. The church is today’s Jerusalem, and any activity outside the church, no matter the group or the acts, comes from those who are standing in the position of a harlot. Although these words are not pleasant to the ear, I must speak them because a desire for acceptance from man cannot replace the need to speak God’s word truthfully.
