Preparing the Bride of Christ For His Return By Janet Van Hierdan
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com:
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Babylon is Falling Down, Part 3
May 17, 2013
Della was in Canada last weekend to minister to a sister in the Lord I've written about numerous times throughout the years in these Coffee Breaks! Eileen Finnman is the sister that we worked with for six years at the Calgary Stampede. She had what was called the Country Kitchen. We did breakfasts, coffee (and other beverages) and -- most of all -- Eileen's famous cinnamon buns. During those years we made enough money from the kitchen to send hundreds of kids to summer camp, and the majority of them got to know the Lord as a result.
Eileen has been struggling with physical issues of late -- issues that the doctor hasn't had answers for -- until just a couple of weeks ago when he diagnosed her with a very aggressive form of cancer and gave her a very short time. We refused to accept that prognosis. Della took some vacation time and flew from Anchorage to Calgary. She went with Mary Ellen and Doreen to the hospital. When she got there, she called me; I called George Robinson (who has seen a fabulous series of healings -- more than 10 people healed completely -- in the last 30 days), and we joined together in a prayer of agreement for Eileen's healing. There was a tangible manifestation of healing for Eileen before Della left the hospital room that night, and the healing process continues as I write this Coffee Break.
Meanwhile, the Lord is honoring Della in her labors at Zales Jewelers in Anchorage. The corporation is preparing to honor her (and her store) for bringing that store to the number 3 position in sales across the nation. Considering that the store ranked nowhere among hundreds of stores nationwide before Della took over eight months ago, and now is number 3 is a testimony to the favor of the Lord. Administration has been Della's gift even before I knew her, and we are celebrating 30 years together today!
I frequently tell Della that I thank God with every breath I breathe that He brought her into my life and gave her to be my wife! She is truly a gift from the Lord to me!
Anyway, Good Morning to you! Ready for the day?
Let's pick up where we left off last week. We were talking about the significance of the seven mountains.
Revelation 17:10, 11 states (in illustrating the seven mountains), "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."
One must remember that the whole of the Revelation, which John wrote, was addressed to the seven Ekklesias. I will remind you that the seven letters precisely describe the attributes of the seven nations which inhabited Canaan. The purpose of these letters is to bring the Bride to the place of a total overcoming of those seven spirits which were epitomized in the seven nations. The seven nations, the seven mountains, and the seven spirits are illustrated in the seven kings.
John is told, "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." This is an extremely important picture when considering the seven nations, the seven spirits, the seven kings. "Five are fallen..."
Which five? The Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites, and the Canaanites. "....and one is..." Which nation, or king, was the one described as being in power at the time of John's revelation?
Simple! The Amorites.
If you have heard me share, or read any of the revelation which the Lord has given to us over the last thirty or so years on the seven nations which inhabited Canaan, and their relationship to the seven letters, you will remember (and I have described this background and history in fairly extensive detail in the series, SEVEN NATIONS, SEVEN LETTERS) that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans came straight out of the spirits of the Amorites and the Perizzites.
It was a doctrine divided into two opposite parts with a single objective. (I will not try to cover all of the historical evidence relative to the Nicolaitans in this letter, since it is covered in that Coffee Break series -- and soon to appear in book form.)
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans was the doctrine of humanism: "Man is God." "Man is the final arbiter of himself." That which was drawn from the Amorites, came through the Sadducees when they accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but clung to their Judaistic traditions, legalism, and particularly, hierarchical government. This was the kind of government which established leadership (in the Ekklesias) through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (see note) -- at first -- and finally, through bishops, and other ascending tiers of hierarchy. It traded Ekklesia for "church," and put men in the position of saying how, what, why, when and where God would operate. Intimacy with the Lord was replaced by an accumulation of men in various strata who served as "go-betweens" in interpreting the will and desire of the Lord.
(**Note: This should not in any way be construed as to suggest that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are not valid ministry functions. They absolutely are! It's just that the Lord Jesus Christ never intended for them to become offices and titles which supplanted individual relationship with Him. The words, "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers," simply express facets of the Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry to the Body.
Those sent as "apostles" are simply commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill the role of establishing those purposes to which He sends them. Likewise, those sent as prophets simply become that word and speak forth which they have both seen and heard, by and through His Spirit.
The same is true for each of the five ministry facets of Jesus. He never intended for them to become hierarchical offices from which power and authority would be exerted over those people coming into a place of relationship with Him. Those fulfilling each of the five facets of His ministry were expected to work themselves out of a job by sharing that life which He transmitted by His Spirit. The recipients would grow into the same place of relationship, and the five ministry functions would continue in others until intimate relationship ("that which was perfect") for the body of Christ was achieved. In the place of intimacy with Him, there is no need for apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc., because He is all of those things in one.)
The opposite side of Nicolaitanism came out of the Perizzites through the ex-(?)Pharisees. Like the ex-(?)Sadducees, they clung to many of their Judaistic tenets, the legalism and traditions of the past and, especially, democracy! This was the system which gave people the right to choose their leaders through a system of voting. They voted on their elders, their deacons, their pastors, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam. The concept of being called, appointed, and anointed by the Lord -- with, or without the approval of other brethren and sisters -- was absolutely missing.
The primary criterion in the determination was fear: The Fear of Man. If people feared power being vested in "a man," they chose a "democratic" system. If they feared that truth and genuine authority would be weakened and watered down in the multitudes, they chose hierarchical systems. In either case, the determining factor was "man" in power.
Now, you say, What does that have to do with "....and one is...., and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."
Again, the answer is staring us in the face.
When John was receiving the Revelation, the spirit of the Amorites (the "king," or presiding spirit of the Amorites) was just coming into full bloom. It manifested itself through the Nicolaitan doctrine of hierarchy, and reached the apex of its power and influence when the Roman emperor, Theodosius, declared Christianity to be "the religion of the state" in 378 A.D. He thereupon declared himself to be "The Bishop of Rome."
The hierarchical government, which was the backbone of what we have referred to as “Roman Catholicism,” became the pattern structure for virtually all churches for approximately 1,400 years. Even when Martin Luther broke away, "Lutheran" church government (and its successors) remained the same. Yes, they disposed of "popery," and "cardinals," and much of the upper-upper echelons, but the presiding spirit remained the same. Not until "congregational" government was introduced did the spirit of the Perizzites begin to emerge as a force and power in the life of corporate churchdom.
Allow me to insert a parenthetical note here for a minute. I realize that the things I'm sharing in this discussion probably run counter to what many of you have been taught and have considered "gospel" all of your lives. This IS a break with a lot of eschatological doctrine and teaching many have heard. If you have difficulty with what I'm sharing, please put it on the shelf for the moment. Don't just throw it all out. Give Holy Spirit time to bring revelation to you.
The spirit of the Perizzites is still very much alive in a substantial part of the so-called "charismatic" church-world, although some of the tenets and aspects of the Amorites' spirit and operation are a very active force in various organizations. The spirit of the Perizzites, which we know better as "democracy," is a force at work in the world today.
This is the "king" which John saw, that was "....the other.." which was "not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."
It is a mistake to assume that the sixth king, or spirit -- the spirit of the Amorites/Sadducees/Nicolaitans -- would be driven from power when the seventh king, or spirit -- the spirit of the Perizzites/Pharisees/Nicolaitans -- came into power. Both spirits have the same goal. Both kings are subservient to, and take their orders from the King of Babylon. Both kings have humanism at the very core of their purpose and function. Both kings have a principal objective is to get "man" to make the final decision -- and to ace the Lord Jesus Christ right out of the picture. Thus, both kings coexist today, and function cooperatively.
We see it daily in the workings of democracy and hierarchy. (We even have a trite saying in America which is accepted as gospel, “Democracy may not be the best way of governing, but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place.” No it isn't! And America was not founded as a democracy: it was founded as a Republic following Biblical patterns established with and by Moses.)
In order to properly understand the "King" of Babylon to whom Isaiah prophesied, the "woman," which John is shown in his Revelation by the angel of the Lord, and the picture given us by Ezekiel as he prophesies against the King of Tyre and Sidon, with the relationship of these prophetic illustrations to one another, we need to back up in time and review certain historical items and happenings. In order to show you this picture clearly, I will take certain events out of chronological order, and then piece them together.
First, let's consider Ezekiel's prophecy to the King of Tyre, and then to Sidon. He describes this "king" as having been "in Eden, the Garden of God." (see Ezekiel 28:13) Obviously, Ezekiel was not addressing a literal man in this prophecy.
Eden had long since been hidden, and entrance to Eden had been blocked by an angel with a flaming sword. With the great deluge and Flood which inundated the earth, geographic features changed. Noah and his family would have been the only living beings on the face of the earth to have even the remotest approximation of an idea where Eden once lay.
The prophecy was directed, therefore, to the only other individual who could have been in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and the Lord: Satan himself -- the former archangel known as "Lucifer" -- the King of Babylon -- the King of Tyre -- the King of Sidon. They are all one and the same.
The question then arises, "Why refer to the same being, Satan, as the King of Babylon, or the King of Tyre, or the King of Sidon?"
The answer is quite simple. Satan is the master, the controller, the force behind these thrones. When Ezekiel takes up his prophecy against Tyre, he begins by addressing the Prince of Tyre, as opposed to the King of Tyre. The differentiation, in this case, is due to the fact that this Prince is under the rulership and control of the King.
The Prince is the administrator, so to speak, the one who carries out the commands of the King. The Prince would be defined using the same Greek terminology which Paul used in Ephesians 6, Kosmokrator: a world-ruler of darkness; a lord of this world; a prince of this age; in other words, a prince among demons.
So why identify with Tyre or Sidon? It is absolutely crucial to our understanding that we see why the Lord has given us this picture.
It's obvious that we're not going to have the time to finish this part of that discussion today, so this is where we will resume next week.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Babylon is Falling Down, Part 2
May 11, 2013
Greetings and solutions to you!
Just a quick word and we'll resume where we left off last week. Because of continual issues with ISP's treating these Coffee Breaks like spam and rejecting the IP address they've been sent from during the past five years or so, we've been moving to an entirely different server. For the past few months you've been seeing changes as we've moved to the new site -- http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. We still have some hiccups to deal with as we migrate our database to the new site. The past two weeks as we've sent out Coffee Breaks from new server, they've all gone out in text form only with much of the HTML formatting turned into gobbledy-gook. Bear with us during this transition. We will get things fixed.
Coffee's on. Got a couple of carafes filled and sitting on the counter. Pour yourself a cup and pull up a chair.
John says that he "saw a woman sitting on a beast, full of blasphemous names...." (We will come to the seven heads and ten horns momentarily.)
Who is this woman? O.K., let's look at her identifying characteristics. We are told, first of all, that she is full of blasphemous onomas (names).
We discussed this in the previous Coffee Break series on A NEW ONOMA, but, for the sake of quick review, we are told by J.H. Thayer in his Greek-English Lexicon that the Greek word, onoma, "is used for everything which the name covers: every thought or feeling which is roused in the mind by the mentioning of the name." It is used to define: one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, deeds, character, title, purpose: in other words, the essence of one's being, their makeup, their whole existence.
Once more, we are told that the woman is full of blasphemous onomas. The word, "blasphemous," comes from the Greek, blasphemia, and its companion word, blasphemos. The use of these words extend well beyond the conventional usage in which we think of blasphemy -- that is, as cursing the name of the Lord, or cursing Him, or speaking evil of Him. Blasphemia literally means: to hurt the reputation or smite with (evil) reports or words; to speak evil of, to rail upon; it denotes the worst type of slander: bearing false witness against one who is a brother or sister.
Remember, this woman is full of the character, the nature, the very essence of speaking evil against "the saints," and smiting "the witnesses of Jesus" with evil reports or words, and false accusations. Revelation 18:24 tells us that "in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all (the implication of this word, "all," refers to all those of God's people) that were slain upon the earth."
The vision which John saw further states that the woman had "seven heads and ten horns..." As I have noted in previous open letters, the "seven heads" are a picture of the seven ruling spirits which make up the onoma of the Beast. How do we know this? Verse 9 of chapter 17 clearly identifies the seven heads as "seven mountains."
Mountains have always been metaphors in middle eastern cultures and languages for "ruling spirits." In Isaiah 14:13, we are told that Lucifer's boast is, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation...," thus identifying himself as being in the place of rulership over God's people.
In Matthew 21:21, Jesus makes the statement, "if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it shall happen." (NASB)
O.K! Question! To which mountain was Jesus referring? A mountain of rock or some grassy slope with trees? Some mountain in the vicinity of Bethany? Not likely. Jesus says, "if you have faith, and do not doubt..." Where does doubt get its force of negative power? In unbelief. In the following statement, Jesus says, “And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” This particular mountain, therefore, is a spirit of unbelief.
So the seven heads -- or seven mountains -- of the woman are her makeup, the essence of her existence: her onoma. Apart from the fact that this is blasphemy against the chosen of the Lord, the fact that there are seven mountains -- or seven spirits -- is also uniquely significant.
In Revelation 1:4, we are told that John is instructed to write the seven letters as coming from the Seven Spirits of God. Verse 20 plainly identifies the seven golden candlesticks, or lamp stands, as the seven Ekklesias. These seven Ekklesias represent and make up the totality of the Bride. Revelation 13:2 identifies the Beast on which the woman sits on as also having seven heads and ten horns.
The fact that the woman has seven spirits, identifies her as a counterfeit bride. The seven spirits which make up the onoma of the Beast are, likewise, the counterfeit for the Lord.
Consider the fact that Israel, under Moses' and Joshua's leadership, was commanded to drive out seven nations. Many of you have heard me share on these seven nations before, but for the sake of review, these nations are: the Hittites, the Hivites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, and the Canaanites. Each of these nations has a spiritual identity -- a characteristic, or set of characteristics which is a part of the onoma of the Beast.
The combination of these seven nations, or seven presiding spirits in the land of Canaan, usurped and counterfeited everything of the Lord. These spirits sought continually to keep Israel from obtaining its inheritance; they sought to keep Israel from the promise of the Lord; they placed themselves in the place of worship by counterfeiting and usurping the worship of the Lord, substituting instead the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth -- both of which originated in Babylon; and, ultimately, led Israel into captivity and servitude in Babylon.
[Let me insert a quick comment in the middle of this narrative to note that the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth is at the core of Islam. The animosity between Baal and its worshipers and the worshipers of Jehovah God is exactly the same animosity and intense hatred we see by the worshipers of Allah towards those who worship Father God (and the Lord Jesus Christ). Allah is none other than a modern incarnation of Baal. This is a god that wants to take the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and dominate them, force them into subservience, and -- if they fail to capitulate -- destroy them by whatever means necessary.]
These spirits had, as one concentrated motivation, the central purpose of keeping Israel from a relationship with the Lord God. They sought to create substitutes for virtually every gift of the Lord, (I will illustrate some of these things, shortly) and counterfeited His operations in their midst. They created enticements to trap God's people, and deceive them into accepting substitutes instead of the promises of God. Once snared, God's people were beset by treachery and fear to keep them from accepting the promises and gifts which the Lord had for them.
Isaiah identifies the onoma of these seven spirits first, as the king of Babylon (in Isaiah 14:4), and then, (in verse 12) as Lucifer, himself. Ezekiel refers to him (in Ezekiel 28:2) as the king of Tyre, which we would call a "first," or capital city of the Amorites. Ezekiel then turns and addresses Sidon, which was also referred to as being among the "first" cities of the Amorites.
Before we consider Tyre and Sidon, and their significance, let's review -- one more time -- the picture of the seven spirits.
First, we have the Lord described by John as "the Seven Spirits of God." His onoma, therefore, consists of seven very identifiable spirits with distinct characteristics of their own. Since we know that Satan is not, and never has been, a creator (he, instead, attempts to counterfeit the character and nature of God as a ruse to deceive and subjugate mankind under himself), it is clear that a major part of his counterfeiting would include seven spirits, whose character, nature, and operation substitute something false for the real operation or function of the Seven Spirits of God.
We therefore have a substitute, and counterfeit, bridegroom who sits in the place of "calling" a bride to himself. As Isaiah noted in his prophecy, Lucifer bragged, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation." This is usage of a common Hebrew metaphor which essentially means, "I will sit in the authoritative place of the Bridegroom. I will be a party to the calling of His Bride."
The Hebrew, in this verse, is rendered, "I will sit in mowadah." The word, mowadah, means: the calling and assembling together of the betrothed by the Bridegroom. The implications of his demonic braggadocio are clear. Lucifer's boast is that he will twist the Lord's calling of His Bride for his own purposes.
O.K., then. If Lucifer is the counterfeit bridegroom, where, or what is the counterfeit bride?
Since the Bride's love-relationship to the Bridegroom has also been represented by sevens throughout Scripture (in Moses' Tabernacle with the golden candlestick and its seven branches, the seven golden candlesticks in John's Revelation, and the seven Ekklesias to whom he wrote), the counterfeit bride is also represented by sevens.
Hence, John sees the counterfeit bride as a woman with seven heads (we will get to the ten horns, shortly). He is told by the angel of the Lord that these heads are symbolic of seven mountains.
Since mountains are metaphors in eastern thought for presiding spirits (Paul uses the descriptive word, kosmokrator, in the Greek text of Ephesians 6), the angel of the Lord is telling John that the counterfeit bride is likewise manifested through seven spirits, whose collective existence is the totality of her onoma. Her onoma, like that of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, is reflective of, and identified with, the counterfeit bridegroom, Lucifer.
The word, "horn," in the Greek text is: keras. This word (with only one exception in the N.T.) always occurs in its metaphorical sense as: a symbol of strength and courage; a means of defense; a means of deliverance.
(Before I continue, let me pause momentarily to say that the first part of this picture which I am sharing may appear to be contradictory with verses 10 - 13 of Revelation 17. These verses do not contradict in any way, the overall picture, so please bear with me until I can share the whole concept.)
To repeat myself, the woman (in Revelation) is described as having seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are the totality of her onoma -- her makeup, her character, her identity. The ten horns are the means by which she defends herself (and we will get into this at a later time), the symbols of her strength, the avenues by which she escapes detection -- the means of her deliverance.
The significance, however, is not just on the horns, nor on the heads, but on the collective total of these two: the number, 17. The heads and the horns are linked together to demonstrate -- as John is being shown this vision -- the fact that this is the counterfeit bride. The real Bride also has the number, 17, throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. The real Bride is illustrated as the counterpart of the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of the fact that Jesus' number is 8, the number of the Paraklete -- who is doing the work of processing, preparation and thlipsis in her life -- is 9. The prepared and readied Bride, therefore, is the collective total of the Bridegroom, 8, (whose character and makeup are now part and parcel of the Bride) and the preparation process of the Paraklete, 9, making her number, 17!
The counterfeit bride must appear as the real bride to an onlooking world. She, therefore, also has the number 17. It is important to remember Jesus’ admonition that “if it were possible, the very elect could be deceived.” (Mark 13:22) The striking difference is in how this counterfeit bride achieves a façade of the real Bride.
The real Bride is called by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose number is 8. Through tribulation, through testing, through a process of overcoming to which she is subjected by the Paraklete, she receives His number -- the number of the Holy Spirit, which is 9. She is transformed into a ready and worthy counterpart of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus becomes the complete number, 17.
The counterfeit bride, on the other hand, begins with the seven spirits of the one to whom she has given her allegiance and owes her very existence. The counterfeit bride is not a bride in the midst of a preparation process. She is not a yielded and pliable bride. She cannot be conformed to the image of the real Bridegroom since He is not her betrothed, nor is He her husband. In order to survive, therefore, and achieve the ends of her true husband, she must be forceful, pushy, domineering, continuously striving to get her way, manipulating through witchcraft and sorceries, using enticements and enchantments to gain control, and repeatedly luring others into adultery with her -- using the ten horns which are her means of defense.
Are you beginning to get the picture?
The true Bride of Christ, therefore, can easily discern the difference between those who are truly allied with the Lord, and those who have the “form of Godliness.” The true Bride gains her intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through suffering the same trials and afflictions that He suffered. The counterfeit bride – while giving all the outward appearance of being a part of the true Bride – avoids thlipsis like the plague, and promotes the doctrines of “gettin’ outta here.” The counterfeit bride often says all the right things, but when confronted with her need for being conformed NOW to the image of Christ, does a tap dance to avoid any real dealings.
Do you understand, yet, who this "Mystery Babylon" really is?
Time to stop for today. We will pick this up next week and continue laying out the pattern throughout the Word to help you see and understand message of Holy Spirit.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Babylon is Falling Down, Part 1
May 4, 2013
Back in the mid-1990's, we were gathered together at Trails' End in Post Falls, Idaho for a series of spontaneous worship gatherings. Trails' End was the ranch belonging to Earle and Marcia Treend, and it served as a principal gathering place for these spontaneous worship gatherings for roughly five years. For this particular gathering, we probably had somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of dozen worshipers, most of whom were musicians.
A little word, first of all, about the nature of these gatherings. Folks would gather from various places around the northwest and Canada. These were not large gatherings -- generally ranging from two dozen people to perhaps four dozen at most, and frequently consisted of somewhere between 12 - 18. What made them differ from most was the fact that everyone assembled for one purpose: to minister to the Lord.
We weren't getting together for fellowship, even though there was plenty of that to go around. We weren't gathering for the teaching of the Word, although Holy Spirit absolutely imparted His Word into us. Our primary objective was that when we were finished, the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ would have been thoroughly satisfied -- that He would have received from us the ministry of our love to and for Him, and that He would have a responsive and obedient people who would go forth from these gatherings to accomplish His heart's desire wherever He sent us.
Our gathering together would begin early in the morning immediately following breakfast when we would pick up our instruments and begin (as I have earlier described in last week's article) to play whatever new music was flowing in our spirits. We would continue in this prophetic vein until sometime around noon and break for lunch. Following lunch, we would head back to our instruments and resume the worship and prophetic declarations both by voice and by the sound that came forth from our instruments functioning in unity. This would continue until 5:00 PM or thereabouts when we would break for a light supper, fellowship around the dinner table and -- perhaps -- prayer over any issues Holy Spirit was bringing before us. By 7:00 PM we would be back at it and continue until anywhere from 11:00 PM to as late as 1:00 AM before quitting and heading for bed.
We repeated this same basic format over and over for the next two or three days until there was a sense that we had accomplished the purpose for what Holy Spirit had called us together. It became a fairly regular occurrence for us to hear angelic voices adding their chorus to the music, and on a number of occasions we heard (and recorded) the sounds of instruments being played in our midst that weren't there (in the natural realm, of course)!
That's a general picture of what took place with each of our gatherings. Each gathering had its own distinct character and flavor. Sometimes the prophetic flow took on the ministry of healing for people hundreds of miles (or more) distant from us, and we watched some pretty extraordinary healings take place while we were worshiping.
Other times the focus was on deliverance for people from demonic attack or oppression of a very severe nature. Then there were the adventurous times when we were picked up as a body corporately into the Heavenlies and allowed to see the hosts of Heaven going forth to do battle on behalf of the Beloved.
The event I'm preparing to describe to you was quite extraordinary and differed significantly from every other gathering we'd ever had. We were not long underway when we began to hear the sounds of angelic instruments signaling that something unique was about to unfold prophetically.
The music took on the character of intense warfare as prophetic pictures of the people of God at war with the enemy graphically unfolded before us in the realm of the spirit. It culminated in battle music that was so intense -- both from a musical perspective, and from a spiritual perspective -- that the ground under the ranch house where we were gathered began to shake and vibrate.
It was so loud and so intense that we put down our instruments and ran outside expecting to see a great earthquake taking place. What we heard instead was the sounds of hundreds, if not thousands, of horses galloping in cadence as warriors on horseback going forth to battle. What you don't realize is that we were nestled among hundreds and thousands of trees. There was no place for anything like what we were hearing to possibly take place in the natural.
From this point forward in our gathering the music began to take on the call to the people of God to come out of Babylon. Babylon had not been part of any discussion with any of us, and the prophetic utterances and singing that followed unfolded a panorama of God's deliverance for His people from the crushing spirit of Babylon that has been at work in the earth for generations.
That one single four-day gathering unlocked an understanding of what Babylon is all about, what it means Scripturally and prophetically to be trapped by the system we call Babylon, and the process by which Holy Spirit is setting people free. The 18th chapter of Revelation unfolded before us in a portrayal I've sought to share ever since. This series of Coffee Breaks is an effort to take you there and to methodically uncover and reveal every deceptive trick Satan has used to ensnare well-meaning but truly ignorant believers with Babylon's vices.
Now that I've shared this preface with you, pause for a minute to pour yourself a good cup of some very dark double-roasted French coffee, pull up a seat and let's get started.
There has been a very great emphasis in the Spirit towards a drawing into the Holy of Holies. This is that place of intimacy -- the place of joining and merging with the Lord Jesus Christ as His counterpart -- His other Self.
Once that joining occurs -- that merging in the realm of the Spirit -- there is a new dimension in the Lord that sets the stage for a timeless future. Still, this is not the end of all that He desires and has purposed. There is a domain to which He is taking us which transcends all that we can possibly imagine in the natural realm. This is a place where mortality puts on immortality, a place where time ceases to have relevance, a place of absolute unity with the Lord such that we possess complete power and authority.
And, Folks! I'm not talking about "in the sweet bye and bye" or "when we all get to Heaven!" I'm referring to a current-day reality and practical dimension of life in the Lord Jesus Christ!
More and more in recent days, weeks and months, the Lord has been releasing through such prophetic and apostolic teachers as Chuck Pierce, Paul Keith Davis and others some pretty amazing views of the fall of Babylon. At the same time, a cry is actively going forth from Holy Spirit, "Come out of her, My People!"
In the gathering to which I have just referred, there was birthed in all of our hearts a cry for those people who are still caught up in the structure and system of Babylon. These are those who, while they have not responded to the call of the Bridegroom to come into the place of intimacy, still have a love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Because they have been too sidetracked with issues, doctrines, and a focus on end-time events, their spirits have been desensitized to hear the call to intimacy.
That does not take away from the fact that they have a genuine love for the Lord. It simply means that they have limited their responses to the Lord predicated on the realm of spiritual understanding in which they walk. Thus, there is a call going forth by the Holy Spirit for them to hear and respond to the Lord, and come out of Babylon -- and all that it represents -- for their safety's sake.
Consider the view in Revelation 18 of that which is currently happening, even as this Coffee Break is being written:
"After these things I saw another angel coming down from Heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality’."
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you may not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double, according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit a Queen, and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning" (see also, Isaiah 47).
"For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong........And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What city is like the great city?' And they threw dust on their heads, and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, Woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!' Rejoice over her, Oh Heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." (NASB)
In the midst of that 1990's gathering, and again today with a renewed emphasis among the prophetic voices, the Spirit of the Lord has been trumpeting, "Rejoice over her, my people, for your day of vindication has come."
In order to understand the significance of this, we need to understand exactly what Babylon is, and what Babylon represents in this modern day.
With the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and the Bush administration's efforts to bring democracy into a region that has known little of it historically, the discovery that Saddam was seriously moving forward to restore the ancient city of Babylon has brought renewed attention to its existence. More than a few folks have immediately calculated that the references to Babylon in Revelation (among other prophecies such as Isaiah's) were referring to the physical, geographical, ancient city itself.
Many "end time" preachers have sought to compare Babylon to the Roman Catholic Church. Writers of numerous religious books have simply identified Babylon with the city, Rome, and the political power of the Vatican. This is an analogy which really misses the point. It mis-directs the wrath of the Lord against Roman Catholics, and causes people to completely sidestep a critical issue which the Lord has been addressing for thousands of years.
The issue is not Rome, and it is not the Roman Catholics. Babylon represents a whole system -- a way of life -- a modus operandi. It is a thought process which has become the core of the entire church structure -- no matter by what name, title, denomination, or organization it gets called.
Babylon is a principle. Babylon is a throne -- a ruling spirit or principality which has long prevailed over many of God's people, deceiving them into false allegiances and idolatry. The Lord views this as adultery and fornication. We will identify the presiding spirit of Babylon as we progress in sharing this series.
So how do we know this? Simple! Back up for just a moment from the previous scriptures and take a look at Revelation 17.
Verse 3 begins, "And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations, and of the unclean things of her immorality; and upon her forehead a name was written (an onoma), a mystery (the word, "mystery," in Greek is musterion, which -- as used in the N.T. Greek text – denotes: a previously hidden thing which is clearly explained and revealed, in and by the Spirit), BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus……….." (NASB)
Now...let's go through this again. The truth of this revelation can only be understood "in the Spirit," as John states, since this was the manner in which it was revealed to him. To attempt to understand this truth in the natural realm without the revelation that comes in the presence of the Lord is to simply eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
To attempt to explain this in a political, governmental, or religious sense, is to be likewise sidetracked by the thirst or quest for human knowledge. This is a "knowledge" which takes us away from the place of intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ -- a knowledge which only salves our ego and permits the fulfillment of fleshly desires and needs.
The revelation, therefore, which unfolded before us as an Ekklesia in the midst of worship, is a revelation in, and by the Spirit. I realize that this revelation flows counter to some generally accepted "truths," so if that which is shared troubles you, please bear with me. Put it on the shelf until the Holy Spirit can reveal it. Ask the Lord to open your understanding in and by His Spirit.
Let me stop here, and we will pick this up next week and begin laying out a pattern in history within the Word to help you see and understand this from the realm of Holy Spirit.
Blessings on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7th StreetCAPENER MINISTRIES
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
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A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_
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