Leaving Babylon …

Leaving Babylon occurred in the 16th-Century when reformers sought to rebuild the Church that produced the Borgias. But leaving spiritual Babylon requires leaving civil governance to the spiritual king of Persia. The followers of Martin Luther used civil government to wage war against the Holy Roman Emperor. The Swiss Reform Movement also used civil government to enforce its reforms, leaving only the Radical Reformers—the Anabaptists—to actually separate themselves from the spiritual prince of Persia, an agent of the king of spiritual Babylon. And the price in blood paid by these Radical Reformers was too great for them to continue their aggressive evangelism: they became “quiet” folk, as the Amish are today. They compare nicely to natural Israelites living Beyond the River, still subjects of the kings of Persia but free to worship God with a little bit of autonomy. Today’s “plain folk” that come from the Radical Reformers are spiritually lifeless shadows of their Anabaptist ancestors. They are apologizing agents for the “enthusiasm” of their ancestors, and of my ancestors—and it was the enthusiasm of the Radical Reformers that nearly turned the world upside down before it was time for Christ Jesus to return. It is now time to return to that enthusiasm, and to quit being spiritually lifeless dolls that the Adversary plays with whenever he is bored.

No Christian leaves spiritual Babylon and the administration of Satan over this world when that Christian participates in civil governance. The preacher who uses his pulpit to preach against civil officials—even against the political corruption of these officials—makes himself an agent of the prince of this world, who reigns over a divided kingdom that is presently embroiled in internal strife.

If Jesus’ kingdom, the kingdom of God [or of heaven], is not of this world or from this world, then His kingdom can only be “other worldly,” meaning that Jesus’ kingdom is not like kingdoms of men, whether secular or theocracies. It is, again, the same kingdom that the prince of this world presently reigns over through being “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at world in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2 – emphasis added). Halfway through the seven endtime years, this prince of the air will be cast from heaven and into time (Rev 12:9-10). Then the One who will rule the kingdom of God will be the life-giving Spirit, Christ Jesus, the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45). And the kingdom of heaven will be a kingdom in heaven, where human beings who have been born of Spirit have life. Thus, even when Christ Jesus returns, His kingdom will not be of this world, or even on this earth. Rather, it will be “over” this earth through reigning over the mental topography from which thoughts of humankind sprout, take root, and grow as weeds or wheat. He will rule over the “inside of the cup,” which when clean makes the whole cup clean. Hence, He will reign not with physical means or through physical force, but by imparting His mind and His nature into human beings just as Satan now imparts his nature and mind into humankind.