Discerning Between the Holy and the Unholy # 5

Discerning Between the Holy and the Unholy # 5

Many Bible commentators note her connection with Rome because of the seven mountains on which she sits (Rome was famous for its location upon seven hills), as well as her dominance at the time of John's revelation (Rev. 17:9, 18). However, this false religious system, although manifested in the Roman Catholic Church, is not limited to that system. The great harlot is called "Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth." (Rev. 17:5). This harlot is the mother of all false and idolatrous religion. Portrayed in Revelation 17 in her consummate form at the end of this age, she includes outward Christendom.

This great harlot has fornication with the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:2). The Roman emperor Constantine the Great united his worldly empire with the emerging Romans Catholic Church. He presided over the first ecumenical council at Nicea in 325 A. D. This illicit union (the fornication" with the kings) continued later under the Holy Roman Empire, which began when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor in 800 A. D. The mixing of the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church with the affairs of the Holy Roman Empire continued for centuries. The fornication of this harlot is simply her communion with the world, its rulers and its ways. This harlot as a religious system is not a chaste virgin for Christ, as the church in its reality is (2 Cor. 11:2), but she is a harlot in union with this world system.

The product of the harlot's illicit union with the world is "the wine of her fornication." This wine is the intoxicating influence of the mixture of this religious system. The mixed system does not try to sort out the things of God from those not of God. It mixes them all together into one confusing mass. This mixture influences all people on the earth in the realm of religion. All people, including genuine Christians, are put into a stupor, being unable to discern the pure truth concerning knowing, serving and following God. They are influenced by the teachings, and the natural and worldly philosophies, ways and practises of this religious system, Babylon. As a result, people cannot distinguish between the holy and the unholy.

Significantly, Jesus prophesied this very mixture within Christendom: "And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." (Luke 13:20-21). Jesus was here describing that aspect of the kingdom of God which would be the outward appearance of God's kingdom, not the kingdom viewed in its spiritual reality. Leaven always represents  some evil in the Bible. In Matt. 16:11-12 it speaks of false doctrines. In Luke 12:1 Jesus said plainly that the leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy. Paul pointed out that the leaven of sin in the Corinthians assembly would contaminate the whole assembly if tolerated (1 Cor.5:1-8). He also warned that legalistic doctrines were leaven (Gal. 5:9). So, in this prophetic parable in Luke 13 Jesus was indicating that various evils would be so mixed with the meal (representing the purity of Christ; Lev. 2:1-3), that the whole system would be corrupted by the mixture. Note that a woman is said to have caused this mixture. This figure of an evil woman corrupting God's church is seen twice in Revelation (Rev. 2:20; 17:1-6).

Christendom today contains much mixture of the holy and the unholy. Consider some of the mixtures: believers are mixed with unbelievers; man made traditions are mixed with the word of God; truth is mixed with error; entertainment is mixed with worship and church activities; worldly promotion is mixed with evangelism and service; business is mixed with ministry; human organization is mixed with the body life; psychology is mixed with preaching and counseling. Of course, the most basic problem is that the energy of man's flesh is mixed with the Spirit of God. Most appallingly, the great majority of believers and "leaders" do not sense the mixture at all. They are drunk with the wine of Babylon. They have no discernment between the holy and the unholy.

The Call to the Genuine Priesthood

God desires believers to be New Testament priests,serving Him in His house, the church, and building up the body of Christ (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Cor. 14:12, 26). Yet, He surely wants us to discern the difference between the holy things and the unholy things in our work of building up.

"According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it... How if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. (1 Cor. 3:10-13).

God desires us, His people and His servants, to affirm and embrace the holy things in our worship and service to Him. He most certainly wants us to reject the unholy things - all the ways, practises, traditions, doctrines and philosophies that come from men or this world system.

God is indeed calling His people to come out of this mixture. "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her (Babylon), my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." (Rev. 18:4-5)

For us to fulfill this priestly calling necessitates that we be spiritually sober, as well as willing to pay the price of discipleship. We need to acknowledge the influence that the great harlot, Mystery Babylon, can have over believers, even us, with her stupefying mixture. Then, we must be willing to repent of any unholy thing that we have allowed in our Christian practice. We must seek the Lord's light and test everything we do by the word of God. The word of God must become supreme for us. We must submit to it and be willing to cast aside any tradition that contradicts it. If we do this, God will use us to build His church in spiritual reality, not in the appearance of outward glamour, numbers, fame and success. Your path may be lonely at times, for few will travel the narrow way of strict obedience (Matt. 7:13-14). Be assured that when you follow the Lord in building this way you will be misunderstood and perhaps rejected by those who practice the way of mixture. This is to be expected as a disciple of Jesus. "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12). Rejection and persecution may even come from our brothers in Christ.

A key verse concerning our effectiveness in building up God's house is found in Isaiah:

"Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build for Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand was made, and all those things exist," says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My Word." (Isaiah 66:1-2).

To be poor means that we realize we are destitute of resources within ourselves to do anything for God. One who is "poor" is inwardly reaching out to God for His supply of grace for every step and every task. To be contrite means that we are sorrowful over anything that might offend a holy God.

God will look upon us, and God will use us to build His house, if we humble ourselves before Him with a contrite spirit and honor His word in obedience. Recall that the holy things of tabernacle were holy because of two factors: 1. they were in God's tabernacle for service because He had so ordered them by His word; and (2) they were anointed with oil, symbolizing the presence of God's Spirit. We can be holy priests unto God, discerning and choosing only the holy things, by these same two factors. First, we ourselves need God's Spirit, His anointing, to be holy. His anointing Spirit comes to us when we are inwardly poor and have a contrite spirit before Him. Take note of the following beautiful verse in the Amplified version:

"For thus says the high and lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent - bruised with sorrow for sin. (Isaiah 57:15)

Then, secondly, we need the greatest reverence for the word of God in our ministry unto Him. We need an ear to hear what the word says and how it applies to our situation. Then, we need to faithfully follow His word, regardless of how different our actions are from those of others.

Finally, let us be always mindful that Christ will evaluate how we build the church on that coming day when we appear before Him at His Judgment Seat (1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). Therefore, let us reject service unto Him in the way of mixture as this way profanes the Lord and dishonors Him. Let us pursue building up the church only in the way of holiness, so that He will be glorified in our midst. If we serve the Lord Jesus in this way, then we will be rewarded on that day with His commendation: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matt. 25:21).

~Tom Finley~

(The End)
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As a reminder: things that are unholy:
Idolatry, blasphemy, taking the name of God in vain, profanity, false preaching, murder, homosexual relations, adultery, deceit, lying, anger, theft, hatred, strife, drunkenness, pride, evil thoughts, ultimate rejection of Christ Jesus.