God's people are already in. That's intimated in the passage. In the last days, God will finally call his people out of Mystery Babylon because they've spent too much time in it. He won't force them out. He will just urge them. God never forces us against our will when it comes to him or sin.
“‘Come out of her, my people,'
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;" [Rev.18]
Photo by 13on on Unsplash.
There are lots of ideas about what Mystery Babylon is or who the woman is which Revelation calls the "great prostitute sitting by many waters," with the name: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth." Imagine God's people having been part of that, in fact since Jeremiah's time [51.45].
What I see is that the great prostitute is man's religious systems and Babylon the great is worldliness and its system. The prostitute is also a "city" that sits on many waters, "waters" being multitudes, peoples, nations, and languages [17.15]. The kings of the earth went to bed with her (she controls world leaders by seduction, meaning she has tremendous political clout), and the "inhabitants of the earth" (ordinary folks at home in this world, including the worldly church) were drunk with her adulteries. The traders, bankers, and financiers were all subject to her, and they liked it that way. They were all thumbs up for her and her ways.
The real deadly thing about her was her violent repugnance and animosity against genuine servants of God who never compromised to her adulteries.
In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” [18.24]
In some measure, God's people (we) were part of all that. Imagine.
Here's Her Trap
The thing here is, if God's people use even a tiny bit of worldliness or the world system and mix that with anything of God, they're caught in her adulteries. Spiritual adultery is being unfaithful to God, his Word and ways. It's so "abominable" to God that he considers it adultery. God wants us to use nothing but his ways alone when dealing with his sacred things. Church should be careful to stick to God's ways alone in everything it does. As it is, church is caught in the ways or systems of the world, so God urges it to "come out of her" for the last time in these last days. Get out of the trap before Jesus comes.
God is a jealous God.
Even Jesus was careful not to do just anything when doing the Father's will. It has to be the Father's ways alone, God's supernatural ways. Nothing of this world or man must tarnish the things of God. Thus, the Godly and supernatural nature of his ministry.
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [John 5.19]
Even with worship, God does not want us worshiping him the way the world does. The world does everything as it sees fit, everything in its rigid formulas, programs, routines and order. Church has what it calls "order of worship," meaning man has decided (restricted and limited) everything that happens there. But God warns in his Word:
You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. 5 But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; [Deut.12]
Seek what the Lord our God chooses. In all things, be led by his Spirit. That's true worship--in Spirit and in Truth. Such is what the Father seeks. Anything of man and of this world--in any degree--is an abomination, the mark of Mystery Babylon's adulteries.
No One Made Any Program
After Cornelius was told to fetch Peter from Joppa in a vision, he sent men for the task. Peter meanwhile also got a vision from God which hinted about Cornelius' invitation. Look at what these men told Peter:
“We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” [Acts 10]
Peter never knew he was about to give a message that day to Cornelius and company. He didn't have time to prepare a sermon outline (which pastors religiously do for at least a week, not doing so is mortal sin to them). He didn't plan anything or made a worship program. He was simply led. And Cornelius told him something similar.
So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” [10.33]
None of this was planned or programmed. This was God's way. It had nothing of man or the world. Peter was not assigned a topic or theme. He just opened his mouth and declared God's Word. The result? The Holy Spirit decided to act supernaturally even before Peter finished his talk. No program of man made anything happen.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
It was the same when the Day of Pentecost came and the believers spoke in various tongues to declare Jesus Christ. They were Spirit-led from start to finish. Nothing was planned by man. Every move of God in the bible had nothing of man or of the world. It was unstained by the adulteries of the great prostitute.
How Jesus Trained His Apostles
Jesus made sure that his apostolic training did not use any world system. He used his unique, close-in discipleship system that was all supernatural. He relied on the Holy Spirit and the Father to make his disciples understand. "The Holy Spirit will teach you all things," he assured them, and explained how “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them," [Jn 6.44]. He also revealed that understanding his Word really originated supernaturally from the Father.
It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God. [Jn 6.45]
Bible schools and seminaries do very differently, however. They use the educational system of the world--grades, exams, professors, classroom environment, curriculum, fees, enrollment, thesis, cum laude (cum this and cum that), titles, degrees, etc. Nothing supernatural. Jesus never used any of them. How can church end up a glorious church without spot or wrinkle with all this world systems? What is born of flesh is flesh. Period.
Even interpreting Scripture has nothing of the Spirit. They use man's resources and intellect. Man's theology, hermeneutics, Greek and Hebrew, bible history and contextualization are all good. I use them when God tells me to. But church has lost spiritual sensitivities to the Holy Spirit's voice and leading. Moreover, Jesus mentioned nothing about man's theology or hermeneutics or whatever. He said the Holy Spirit will teach you ALL THINGS. How? Exactly how the Spirit taught believers in the New Testament--supernaturally.
We have been soaked deep and long enough in the wine of her adulteries that we do not realize our intoxication. We think being drunk is the norm, or even spiritual. Even supposedly respected and "anointed" ministers are intoxicated with the size of their achievements and mega ministries that still hold to the vestiges of Roman Catholicism, its traditions and hierarchical system--and even looks. Evangelical pastors are dying to look like Catholic bishops, wearing religious robes, religious accessories and whatnot. Jesus never bothered with them.
And why is it that "successful" pastors tend to build and hang on to their "growing" mega churches instead of giving them all up? Jesus introduced a small ragtag group of disciples which grew only to 120 and which multiplied into house churches, not mega churches. That's the kingdom model--house church--which will perfectly serve God's plans for all time. We need not "improve" on God's plans in the bible. God's models are the most advanced.
House churches will demolish a feeling of superiority and pride among ministers with big churches and big incomes who think that these things give them the right to church leadership among smaller churches. It will also check greediness and corruption in church. Among God's end-time moves is demolish man's churches and establish his glorious church, without spot or wrinkle.
Thus, he urges his people to "Come out of her!"
