Spiritual Gifts part 333. What exactly is Babylon?

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Spiritual Gifts Part 333:

What, exactly, is Babylon?

The Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts

Point 4.
Developing the capacity you need to function effectively in your spiritual gift.

When you have doctrine in your soul that has been tested, you can discern evil trends in Christianity.

Apostasy means teachings and practices that are contrary to the Word of God yet seduce and deceive both professing Christians and true believers.

The Bible tells us that an apostasy or a major falling away will occur in the time period immediately preceding the Rapture and the Tribulation period.

The complete apostasy metastasizes after the Rapture of the church. However, the apostasy will begin its development in the last days of the church age.

Dispensations

A dispensation is an administration established by God by progressive revelation to provide for the manner of living for believers.

The present church age dispensation is definitely related to new revelation which God gave to the apostles and New Testament prophets, EPH 3:1-10; COL 1:24-27.

Understanding dispensations is the vehicle by which believers living at a specific time can orient to God’s will, plan, and purpose for their post-salvation lives.

The major distinction that is presented in the Bible is between Israel and the Church, ROM 7:4-5; JOH 1:17; ROM 8:2-4 .

Salvation is appropriated in only one way throughout human history - by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ ( GEN 15:6; ACT 16:31; ROM 3:22,30; GAL 3:6-9; EPH 2:8-9).

When there is a change of priesthood, there is a change of dispensation.

There will be a total rejection of biblical Christianity, and it will be replaced by the worldwide ecumenical religious system of the Tribulation called Babylon the great, the mother of harlots.

The Book of Revelation is the textbook of world history from the time of John A.D. 96 to the end of time.

In Rev 2 and 3, we have letters written for the dispensation of the Church-age. The Church-age is located between the two greatest prophecies in history, the first and second Advents of Christ.

From Pentecost until the resurrection of the church we have the dispensation of the church, which is the dispensation of historical trends.

Then comes the rapture of the church, the next eschatological event to be fulfilled.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, we have historical trends.

In Revelation 4 and 5 we see the church in heaven.

In Revelation chapter 6 through 18 we have three views of the Tribulation.

Revelation chapter 19 deals with the Second-Advent of Christ.

Then in Revelation chapter 20 we have the millennium.

And Rev 21-22 are about the eternal state.

Apostate Christianity in the last days of the church age will morph into the worldwide ecumenical religious system of the Tribulation called Babylon the great, the mother of harlots in Rev 17.

The following material is taken from J. Dwight Pentecost’s excellent book on eschatology called “Things to Come” as well as Hampton Keathley III “Studies in Revelation”.

Revelation chapters 17 and 18 deal with the subject of Babylon and describe the destruction of Babylon.

Chapter 17 describes Babylon in its mystery form, as a religious system or spirit of false worship.

Chapter 18 describes Babylon as a political and commercial system embodied in a city, the city of Babylon in the future.

So there are
two Babylons: religious Babylon and political Babylon.