In the previous post we saw the scarlet women that John saw in Revelation 17 who is given the name Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. Her unfaithfulness to the Spirit of the Lord is what distinguishes her as a harlot. We saw the significance of her name ‘Babylon’ which means ‘confusion by mixture’ and that she represents the religious church systems of man that is characterized by inconsistency, confusion, idolatry, and spiritual drunkenness.
Drunk by Babylon’s Wine
“Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and were made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Rev. 17:1-2).
The spiritual condition of many in the religious church system (the inhabitants of the earth) is here described as being in a state of drunkenness. Indeed for those who are sober in this Day, it is not difficult to see the intoxication of religious men who have been made drunk by the wine of Babylon’s fornication. Drunkenness is the spiritual state of those who pay homage to the Babylonish system of religion. Those who are in this state live in the realm of partial illumination and darkness. Drinking often takes place in the night. Thus, it is uncommon to see a drunken person during the day. With the day comes one’s sobering and awakening. “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thes. 5:7). The night is a dimension of life where light is absent, for “if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him” (John 11:10).
On the contrary, sons of light are sons of the Day and they are neither of the night nor of darkness (1 Thes 5:5). Sons of the Day are those experiencing within their inner being the dawning of the Day of the Lord and the Bright and Morning Star rising in their hearts. Indeed in them there shall be no night, nor slumber or drunkenness. But those of the night stagger in spiritual drunkenness until the Day (Christ) dawns in their night in a greater measure.
As we continue to look at Mystery Babylon, we read of the condition of the inhabitants of the earth who day after day, week after week and year after year drink from her golden cup which is full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. This condition of drunkenness is ever apparent as you meet many in the contemporary church system who have grown indifferent to spiritual things, they have become dazed and hard of hearing, unresponsive to the truth and uninterested to listen, understand and press into deeper revelations of God, His Kingdom and His plan for the ages. A teaching that does not appease their current circumstances or their daily life and that does not fit their predefined doctrines is suspended as insignificant religious debate or mere heresy. Many have become satisfied with being saved and have no desire in progressing in the Lord. In their spiritual drunken state they crucify again for themselves the Son of God.
The religion that holds men in this state of intoxication has caused many to be passive to spiritual truths to which Jesus says: “hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of the people have grown dull.” (Mat. 13:14-15). Are these not the symptoms of one who is intoxicated with drink; hearing but not understanding, seeing but not perceiving? Yet, many of our fellow brothers congregate today in Babylon’s pews to drink of her wine continually feeding their drunken disorder. Rest assured drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10).
Bear with me in considering the following thoughts as it has spiritual relevance to what I share here. As we all may know, alcohol intoxication or drunkenness is a physiological condition that produces various external symptoms. Drunkenness is the result of alcohol entering and contaminating the bloodstream. Blood alcohol concentration levels represent the percent of a person’s blood that is concentrated with alcohol. As the level increases, the person’s judgment is impaired, deficiency of muscle coordination, balance and movement follow, and eventually if levels are high enough loss of consciousness and death can occur.
Similar are the effects of Babylon’s wine on the spiritual life (blood) of the saints. Babylon’s wine intoxicates the saints until their spiritual judgment becomes impaired, their ability to stand on the Lord (without their programs and pastor) and to move forward in the things of God is deterred, their speech, attention and memory regarding divine truths weakens and ultimately in those with an extreme case they are spiritually unconscious – completely unable to hear and comprehend spiritual truths. Accordingly, those under the Babylonish system are intoxicated to varying degrees.
We have seen this drunken condition among many saints. They are oblivious and their speech and words are slurred and incoherent. They read the Word of God and tell us it means the exact opposite thing because their denominational doctrines blind them from perceiving the truth. They read “all” and say it means “some”. They elevate man’s will above God’s will and think that they are actually bringing glory to God. They paint countless images… of a Jesus to come one day, of a heaven with gold streets, of a literal antichrist, of a literal mark of the beast on the forehead, of a literal rapture, of a physical Armageddon and countless others. What delusion! Is this not the fruit of Babylon’s confusion and the wine of her fornication? Those in our generation who pledge their loyalty to the religious church system have drunk deep of the harlot’s wine and share in her intoxication.
Certainly many today are victims of Babylon’s numerous lies and divisive methods. In the religious system of our day, we see at work the commandments of men being taught as doctrines; we see those who present to God ‘will worship’ (Col. 2:23) – worship in vain out of the soulical realm; we see the world with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life not only being espoused but delicately promoted from the pulpit. Humanism is rife and we notice at large soul development in the church system, a by-product of a self-centered gospel. The harlot entertains the saints with conferences, concerts and talent shows meanwhile diminishing their spiritual attention span. Faith has been hijacked for self-gratification. Religion has not only distorted the plan of God but has also misrepresented the nature of our Father.
The Babylonish system has caused the saints to embrace doctrines that elevate the plan of man over God’s. The harlot unashamedly and adamantly opposes the very agenda of God for creation – the restitution of all things in Christ. A message central to the everlasting gospel of the ages but one few saints know and believe. She has distorted the good news of the Gospel sentencing billions to an unfathomable torment that can only be conjured up in the depth of hell. Cruelty in the name of love. What perversion. Is this not the product of Babylon’s wine? One needs only to turn on so called “Christian television” to see the delusion and spiritual drunkenness many are in. The people are sedated; anesthetized into a state of confusion. None can listen. Indeed they are not in their right mind, they are drunk with wine. To those who read these lines and claim: “surely not me” relieving themselves of any responsibility while paying homage to a manmade denomination and its false doctrines need to reread John’s vision seeking the Spirit’s illumination. The effect of Babylon’s wine is widespread affecting all the inhabitants of the earth.
Yet the corruption of the harlot doesn’t stop there. The woman has not only made the inhabitants of the earth drunk but she is herself drunk. For John “saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6). While the saints are drunk with her wine (her soulish programs, her humanism, her lust for the world, her lies and false doctrines) she is intoxicated with their blood. In a twisted manner the harlot is drunk with the fruit and byproduct of her own delusion and lies. Thus we read from Isaiah that “they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine” (Isa. 49:26). Keep in mind that the drinking of the blood of the saints does not refer to a literal murdering or killing of the saints as some literalists may believe. Blood in the scriptures signifies life. Thus the ‘blood of the saints’ represents the ‘life of the saints’. Their life is their existence, their being, their spiritual vitality, energy, and zeal. Hence Babylon is drunk not by literally drinking the blood of the saints but by their adulterated spiritual life, their diminished spiritual capacity, their confused state of existence and identity.
You see religion has made the saints so dull that they have been side-tracked from understanding and pressing into their high calling in Christ. They have altogether missed the plan of God for the ages. They have lost sight of their higher purpose in Christ. While they claim a desire to glorify God, their very beliefs and way of life contradict their declaration. Jesus affirms that the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect (Mark 7:13). By its traditions and false teachings, Babylon has impaired the spiritual senses of the saints; their spiritual ability to perceive, understand and prioritize the truths of God’s Word, thereby devouring the spiritual life of the saints. Indeed for those of us who have spent many years in Babylon’s house, she has sucked us dry of our spiritual vitality.
The harlot is thus drunk with the intoxicated blood of the saints. The distortion of their spiritual identity and nature intoxicates her. She feeds on their confusion and disorientation. Thus over the centuries, her methods and lies have become more and more perverted. Not surprising then that some of the stories and so called testimonies we hear today are twisted fables that even Hollywood screen writers would be impressed by. In all the ecstasy of the soul the harlot promotes, the spiritual life of the saints remains weak and underdeveloped.
If this message offends you, do ask why. But to those who have ears to hear, the council of our Lord is “come out of her, my people, that you be not partaker of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4). Oh what joy it is to witness our fellow brothers see the harlot system of religion for what she is. It is our prayer that God by the blood of the Lamb would sober the saints that they may be awakened to discern the harlot and her wine. Rest assured the judgment of the harlot has already come in many sons. And we will continue to expose her for all her lies and perversion. But we also pray that the Lord would continue to purge us by the life of His Son until there is no trace of her wine in our bloodstream.
To be continued…
Kingdom Truths 
We can’t go it alone. The scriptures tell us that, The Body of Christ, the Church, the People of God, is essential in our quest for salvation. We can’t lose heart, letting ourselves become discouraged, and expect to make the journey on our own.
The snares of the Prince of Darkness will surely drag us down from the path, i.e.The Way, The Truth, and The Light.
You’re never alone with Him brother. The One who keeps you in the Way, the Truth and the Light is Christ Himself who is all those things in you. Do we need communion & fellowship? Yes. But this cannot be our foundation.