Babylon

TODAY’S BABYLON

Ch. 10

OBEYING GOD

The best answer to the questions about what to do regarding all that we have been saying is to obey God. We should hear His voice and escape Babylon before it is too late. We should make some logical, sound preparations for the future so that when the time comes, we and our loved ones can be spared much suffering.
This scenario makes me think of my good friend, Fred Malir. He was born in Bratislava, Slovakia about eighty years ago. His father fought in World War I and survived. Although he was not a believer in Christ, his father did have some wisdom. Surveying the scene in Europe he saw that there was more trouble coming. So he took his family and moved to Uruguay, South America. He fled and because he did so, his family was spared much suffering. They missed World War II with all of its horrors and destruction. They avoided forty years of Communist occupation and oppression. Wow, what a good move that was! Today, Fred is alive and ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ, in part because his father was given some wisdom and took action on what he understood.
It is not being suggested here that God’s judgment is coming on Babylon today – in the year 2004. As has been stated, it seems that her iniquity is “not yet complete” (Gen 15:16) and also, we are not yet seeing the killing of Christians. (This too you will want to avoid by fleeing before it begins.)
Also, we know that Babylon is destroyed by the Antichrist and his ten nations (Rev 17:16,17). These pieces of the puzzle are not yet in place as this book is being written. We do not yet see the Antichrist revealed or his ten nations brought together under his control. So we can understand that there is still a little time left, but we don’t know how much “a little” is.
We cannot guess when things are going to get really bad or when God’s judgment will come. In order for Babylonian society to decay to the point we see in the Bible could take ten to fifteen years or even more. All we do know is that the moral situation is deteriorating visibly and that the slide toward sin is accelerating.
So when shall we flee? What is the correct time to take action? Without a doubt, the time to begin preparation is now, today! Don’t wait any longer. It is probable that taking the steps suggested here will take several years. Almost everyone has a job. Their time and money is limited. The process of searching for and establishing a place to which to flee will take a lot of both time and money. Learning a new language does not take place overnight.
Therefore, all of Babylon’s Christian residents should begin to act right now. The better prepared you are, the easier your transition from Babylon will be. Who knows, you just might even find that God could use your gifts and ministries in other places even more effectively than in Babylon.
I suspect that one of the first signs of serious trouble for the Christians in Babylon will be persecution. The beginnings of this could come from several directions, but two specific possibilities spring to mind. First, believers might soon begin to face legal challenges because of their stand against various kinds of sin, including homosexuality. They could be charged with “hate crimes.” They may lose their jobs. Prison terms might easily be the result.
Second, the children of committed Christians may soon face psychological testing in schools and other places. Any child who believes in sin or does not approve of various deviant sexual practices may be diagnosed as “mentally ill.” Next, they could be forced to take medication or removed from the home. These things are very real possibilities in today’s world. Please be aware of them.
Eventually, Christians might face physical attacks and even, in the course of time, be condemned to death for their stand against sin. This could follow what has been described in this writing as a great flood of filth and a rapid degradation of the morals of society.
So when you begin to see public nudity, not just at the beaches, but in everyday life you should already be ready. When nudity is no longer illegal, when public sex acts are protected by law under some kind of “freedom of expression” nonsense, your preparations should already be made. When you see parades of perverts on television, when you witness homosexual acts on the screen, when sin of every kind is glorified instead of condemned, it is time to take action. Judgment cannot be far behind.
There is a possibility that as the day of judgment approaches, it may become harder and harder for Christians to leave Babylon. It may also become increasingly difficult to transfer your money out of the country. Even today, more and more restrictions are being placed upon who can travel abroad and on the movement of money. It is impossible to predict what these restrictions might be or when they might come, but the trend is certainly clear. Therefore, the sooner you begin your preparations, the easier things will be for you.

WHEN SHOULD WE LEAVE?

It is impossible from our present-day perspective to identify an exact moment when a believer should leave Babylon once and for all. But no doubt, the Holy Spirit will be speaking to those who are open and ready to hear Him. Those who have ears to hear will know when it is time and those who have prepared will have a much, much easier time obeying.
Meanwhile, it is prudent for all Babylonian residents to have taken the steps of preparation already mentioned here. Further, it is undoubtedly time to stop all spending on worldly frivolities, and begin saving money. Those who are wise will begin to get together some resources and place them where they can be reached in time of need. There are many possibilities to even earn some income on your investments while you are preparing. God will guide you in this.
In the subsequent parts of this series about the end of the age, we will be investigating some of the other signs of the times. We will speak about the Antichrist and his ten nations, who are the ones God uses to destroy Babylon (Rev 17:16). Since he is God’s instrument to execute His judgment on the harlot, this information too will be of help to you in deciding what to do and when to do it. With the help of God, these writings will be made available soon.
My dear friends. I do not wish to tell you what to do. I am not selling anything, promoting anything or trying to begin any kind of religious movement. My only desire is that you would hear the voice of the Lord Jesus and obey Him. In so doing you will spare yourself and your family much misery.

NOTES:

1. Perhaps this writing may remind some readers of the recent Y2K fiasco. Possibly you or some others that you know spent a lot of time, energy and money preparing for this non-event. There is even a chance that some of you were hoodwinked by some misguided preachers into taking some steps which you now regret. This may put you in a position of great skepticism towards this message.
The only response this writer can give is: Y2K had no scriptural basis. There are no verses in the Bible warning about Y2K. On the other hand God’s warnings about Babylon are very precise and clear. They are both scriptural and biblically sound. Our only need is to clearly identify where and who she is. This can only be accomplished by searching the scriptures while relying on the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
So, don’t be put off by any previous bad leadership or teaching. For example, many people through the centuries have wrongly predicted the second coming of Christ. Thousands of people made a lot of mistakes listening to their teaching. But it is still true that He is coming. So if you have been misled in the past, do not let this hinder you from hearing what the Lord might say to you today.
2. This writer is not the only one in today’s world to try to identify the Great Prostitute. Others have arrived at these very same conclusions. However, among a few there is an idea that very soon this Babylon will suffer a great economic collapse. Not knowing the future, I cannot say what will occur. However, a few thoughts do come to mind. First, if Babylon suffered an economic catastrophe, this would be very good for her. It would probably provoke a revival. It would remove all her luxury and comfort and wake up the inhabitants to their vulnerability and need. It would turn many to God. But this would mean that we are a lot further from her judgment than we seem to be today.
Second, Babylon appears to be judged at the peak of her profligacy. She is “living large” and indulging in all kinds of sensuality and sin. So, if she were to experience a depression, it would take her many years to recover to the point where she is today and so be able to fulfill the scriptural picture concerning her. Therefore, this author tends to think that such economic disaster will not precede, or possibly only shortly precede, Babylon’s destruction. There is no doubt that such a judgment would precipitate economic collapse, not only in Babylon but also on a world-wide scale.
It is possible that some kind of terrorist attack shortly before the final destruction of the prostitute could trigger an economic meltdown. Such an event could make it much more difficult for people to leave the country. Money could become hard to access and airplanes might stop flying, at least for a time.
3. It should also be repeated that we all tend to interpret Bible prophecy in the light of current events and our present geopolitical situation. Our identification of the Prostitute also fits into this category. Although the verses cited will not vary, the entity who seems to fulfill them could change. Therefore, if our Lord should tarry for another 200-300 years, the world picture could shift quite dramatically. Logically then our identification of her would have to change as well.
However, this writer feels that Jesus’ coming is “soon” – that is within this generation. Some Bible prophecies along with current events appear to provide a basis for this. Also, biblical chronology as detailed in chapter 3 of my book, Thy Kingdom Come, seems to point to this conclusion. So my expectation is that we are looking for a “Babylon” who can be seen and identified today.
4. As you are visiting some other countries in your search for a place of refuge, you may encounter some great needs among the population – both spiritual ones and physical ones. While you are there, you may begin to realize that beyond saving yourself and your family, you could be used by God to serve others. It is even possible that the Lord could open your heart to these needs in such a way that you become burdened to do something to help. Perhaps your focus could shift from sacrificing a little to save yourself and your family to: sacrificing to become a servant of those who are poor and needy. It may be that your search for safety will yield for you an even more profitable result than you first imagined.
5. In conclusion, it is essential that all readers do their utmost to hear from God concerning this subject. Do not merely take my word for anything. Diligently seek the Lord for yourselves. You and you alone are responsible for hearing Him and obeying whatever He is saying to you. Do not put your confidence and trust in man but in God. If you hear Him speaking to you through this writing, then you must obey. If not, then please do not do anything.
As for myself and my family, we have taken and are taking the steps outlined herein. Our plan is to continue visiting Babylon only so long as the Lord allows, having our eyes and ears constantly attuned to the moment when we must say our last goodbyes. We will continue to “use this world” (I Cor 7:31) to do the work of God until such time as it becomes clear that the risks outweigh the rewards. By His mercy we and you also will escape the judgments which are coming.