Because of their unfaithfulness to the Law, the old covenant people of the Lord were taken captive by heathen kings, and carried away from their homeland to be settled in distant places (2Kgs. 17). Among these distant places, Babylon is most notable, and came to symbolize them all. In that first covenant time, Babylon was a literal city, literally holding the saints to a physical location on earth. In this new covenant, however, Babylon is used figuratively, to represent a place of spiritual bondage for the children of God. Our text, taken from the last book of the Bible, is an indication of God's concern for His children who find themselves in this spiritual Babylon. As those words from Revelation show, Babylon is in God's sight an abomination, a filthy place, full of unclean spirits. Yet, in the sight of men, Babylon holds a place of great respect and admiration. She is called, "the praise of the whole earth" (Isa. 51:41), the "lady of kingdoms" (Isa. 47:5), the "glory of kingdoms" (Isa. 13:19), and "thou most proud" (Jer. 50:31). This highly-honored place of spiritual wickedness is the house of the religions of men.

Jesus said, "that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Lk. 16:15). And what is it that man holds most dear, but his lofty religious creeds and ceremonies, which omit or relegate to a secondary position the power of the Spirit of God? Men learned long ago that to proclaim a gospel with no real power and truth is the most lucrative business on earth. Men will pay dearly for a gospel which allows them to appear holy without being holy. A gospel which persuades men to claim righteousness rather than exhorting them to repent and pursue it is the single most valuable product in the marketplace of human hearts. And the more eloquently a man expounds upon such a gospel, the more praise and money will be extended to him by a very grateful humanity. "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

This is Babylon. The attractive place, filled with unclean spirits - spirits of unregenerate, deeply religious men. This is Babylon, the enemy of the righteousness and the truth of God. Babylon, the hiding place of sin, which offers a haven to souls who desire the benefits of Christ, but disdain the reproach of his holiness. This is Babylon, where God is worshiped, but not in spirit and truth, where men sing praises to a God they hate, where ministers proclaim "doctrines of devils" concerning a Lord they will not obey, and where those who do love God are slowly, unknowingly, poisoned into confused submission to spiritual death. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Babylon is cursed, and all who partake of (support in any way) her sin will also partake of her reward from God.

Early in the 1970's, when a large pentecostal denomination met in Dallas, Texas, for its world-wide gathering, there was an interpretation of tongues given to the assembly. The Lord addressed his remarks to those "in whom is my Spirit", saying, "Come out of her, my people", and continued then to quote our text from Revelation. The event is recorded in the minute book of that organization, published in 1973. But there was no mass exodus from that denomination by those who had received the holy Ghost. Why not? I can only suppose that it is because the saints are taught that Babylon is the world, and that turning from the sins of the world is "coming out of Babylon." But God spoke to those who already had done that, and in whom His blessed Spirit now dwelt.

This is a definition of false religion which applies to every situation in every place, all the time: false religion is religion without the holy Ghost. It matters not at all what men call their religion, whether Islam, Shintoism, Hinduism, or even Christianity. If the holy Ghost is left out, it is false. What difference does it make as to which label men give to their errors? If worship is not sanctified and led by the Spirit of God, it is in vain. If doctrine is not revealed from heaven, it is heresy. If sins are not washed away by the baptism of the holy Ghost, they are not gone.

Babylon is where God's Spirit-baptized saints worship together with those who cannot worship in the Spirit because they don't have it, or don't want it, or, in some cases, don't even believe in it. Babylon is where the perfect lusts of the devil are performed. When Jesus said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do", he was speaking to men who would have chosen death rather than to commit adultery, murder, or the like. They were pillars of the community, who would have disdained drunkenness and other base behavior. Then what was the lust of the devil that they would do? Jesus told us: "For a pretense make long prayers", "rob widows' houses" (in the name of the Lord), "compass land and sea to make one proselyte", "love the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be [given weighty titles] by men." No, my friend, the adulterers, harlots, thieves, and drunkards of this world are not Satan's successes. They are his failures. Anyone can see their sin. They themselves know they are wrong.

Satan's successes are those whom he has deceived into believing they are right, and are so deceived that they boldly "preach" that deception to others (cp. 2Cor. 11:13-15; 2Tim. 3:13). They promise others the liberty of Christ while "they themselves are the servants of corruption." These are Satan's successes: the highly-regarded, experienced ministers who eloquently persuade people to believe that their sins are washed away by Jesus' blood, even though they have not received the baptism of the holy Ghost, which came by the resurrection of Jesus Christ to purify our sinful conscience (1Pet. 3:21). Satan's successes are they who convince men that eternal life awaits them, and that God is pleased with them, even if their lives are not as holy as they ought to be. "Many shall come [from Satan] in my name," said Jesus, "and shall deceive many."

When the "charismatic renewal" took place in the 1960's and 70's, those who received the baptism of the Spirit were told not to come out of their denominations, and many of them obeyed that foolish commandment. As a result, that movement, which showed such great promise, foundered upon the rocks of confusion and contradiction. Many were born into the family of God, and then were starved into submission to doctrines and deeds they could not love. Babylon is a place of captivity for those who truly love God. For those who have a deep yearning for abundant spiritual life, Babylon can never satisfy.

Child of God, come out from among the dead and dying. Do not be afraid to leave Babylon. Let God be your fear. Let God be your dread. Jesus waits for you, outside the gate of that cursed city. "Let us go therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." If we obey his pleading voice now, we will be forgiven and received by the Father. If we resist the gentle, earnest call of the Spirit, who is our guide, how can we escape the damnation to come? "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2Cor. 6:14,16-17).

Long ago, souls who truly hungered and thirsted for righteousness came out of the "mainline" denominations to meet in homes to pray in earnest for spiritual power and knowledge. Now, as those humble little groups have themselves grown into large pentecostal denominations, the distinction between them and the denominations their fathers left is shrinking dramatically. The very things that separated the old pentecostal saints, the baptism of the holy Ghost, the power of God, the liberty and mighty joy of the Spirit, the boldness and gentleness of Christ, are becoming things which hungry souls must go outside pentecostal congregations to find. And the Spirit of God is pleading more earnestly than ever for all "in whom is My Spirit" to believe God, to have faith, and to dare to come outside the camp, where "you will find rest unto your souls."

Those who, fearing persecution, remain in those highly-esteemed organizations which deny and resist the truth will be turned over to that strong delusion of which the Apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. Those who humble themselves to the call of God for His children will find such peace and light as they have only imagined could be in this life. The love of God, my precious brother, is not a partaker of other men's sins. If we truly love people, we will by example show them the way out of sin and error. If you are "unequally yoked" in worship with those who have not received and are not seeking the holy Ghost, you are missing God's greatest blessings and disobeying His most clearly revealed will. He is jealous over you. He wants you to come out of religions invented by men. He wants you home.