In the teaching titled “Who’s Your Mama”, I began showing that much of the church world has been deceived by false ministers of Christ and are subsequently separated from Jesus through doctrines that literally keep people under a written letter of law. It would be helpful to read that teaching before you dig into this one.

The New Testament is made to be a letter of law when fleshly methods of fulfilling the written word are prescribed and received as the means to reach an end. It was clearly shown, from the 4th chapter of Galatians, that there are presently two Jerusalems (the heavenly and the worldly), representing two spiritual mothers, who give birth to two types of children; those under grace, and those who are illegitimate and under written law. These spiritual entities represent two churches — the true church and the harlot church. The purpose of this teaching is to expose the harlot and her deception so those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness may have understanding and heed God’s warning to come out of her – “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

The word translated “church” in the Bible is defined as – “a calling out”. Many have been called by God to come out of the world and into His kingdom. In making reference to the true church and the harlot, I am not speaking of particular denominations, non-denominations, local fellowships, Protestants, or Catholics. I am rather speaking of the total embodiment of one spiritual entity which is the true church and the total embodiment of another spiritual entity, the harlot church — both of which profess Jesus and claim to be the people of God. It is very important to clarify this because Protestants who read to this point are likely to immediately excuse themselves under an assumption the Catholic church is the harlot. Catholics are likely to do the same as well as denominational and non-denominational members. However, the deception God has me now revealing is so far-reaching that, not a few, but multitudes of professing Christians now have a false gospel engraved upon their souls. Though not bowing to physical statues, they are influenced by the spirit of anti-christ to follow another Jesus, a substitute for the true, who, having been branded upon the forefront of their minds, has come to be the graven image they worship. Those I am referring to have been brought, or born, into their form of godliness by the harlot and are idol worshippers. The harlot is their spiritual mother and the embodiment of which they are members. These individuals are still in sin, under written law, and abiding in a state of death, separated from Jesus with a false sense of salvation. Man’s pride causes him to assume God’s truth is always convicting someone else and to thereby excuse himself. Don’t allow that to happen!!! I strongly urge you to take the time and make the effort to consider what the Holy Spirit is saying and examine yourself — not by what you think, but by what God says. Deceived people are fully persuaded in their error, and the only power capable of tearing down the stronghold of deception is the ministry of the Holy Spirit by the Word of God —“For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Before I begin exposing the harlot, it seems most necessary to mention a few facts that have apparently escaped much of the professing church world. First, in 2 Corinthians 4:18 the apostle Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”. Children of God do not have their primary focus upon the “seen” or physical realm. Though we now dwell in physical bodies, and in a physical environment, our gaze is fixed upon the unseen God and His unseen kingdom. Our thoughts, reasoning, words, and deeds are influenced by the unseen kingdom of heaven. As an example, look at a testimony about Moses in Hebrews 11 saying, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible” (vs. 27). Carnal man, on the other hand, is enslaved to having his day-to-day life dictated by the carnal nature and those things his natural senses can comprehend. He is therefore moved only by what he can see, feel, and reason in his natural, darkened state. One great blessing of regeneration is that we receive divine ability to see and grasp the spiritual mysteries that are hidden within the written words of holy scripture. We must look upon the unseen to recognize the harlot and the need to heed God’s warning to flee from her.

Another matter that is apparently unknown to much of the church world is that the Bible CAN NOT be interpreted by man’s own ability and is not left to any person’s own interpretation – “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). The Bible interprets itself and one can only see the true meaning of scripture by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. There is so much confusion about the scriptures because those who lack the Holy Spirit have attempted to interpret them by carnal reason and intellect. It can not be done! –“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). People enslaved to processing information by carnal ability, and who presume that scripture can be properly discerned by human intellect, will not and can not grasp the Truth. They can only have their own incorrect interpretations which are the product of physical, selfish, and prideful perspectives. Their eyes are open to the physical but blinded to the spiritual. Many verses will be interpreted by other scripture as I go about revealing the harlot and God’s warning about her.

The harlot church is described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away”. It is quite apparent that the persons described lead an ungodly, worldly life. Let me focus your attention on the verse declaring that those mentioned have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. This points to people who have an outward appearance of Christianity, but in reality deny the power of the gospel. So, what is the power of the gospel? It is the supernatural, divine power of God to truly free our souls from their union with the spirit of Satan and to unite our souls with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-10). This divine work regenerates men into righteous, holy beings by the influence of the Holy Spirit upon our souls. Religious people who are unwilling to give themselves wholly to God, and will not believe the gospel is the power to accomplish this work in them, are still in sin and the carnal, worldly state of being. Such people are members of the harlot and the text tells us to turn away from them. In these few verses from Timothy, you see the ungodly nature of the harlot church and the reason it is so. She denies the power of God to resist temptation, live above sin, and manifest holiness (1 John 3:1-10). As a result of unwillingness and unbelief, members of the harlot are void of the Holy Spirit. They can have no correct comprehension of God’s Word or of His will. They are left to the imagination of their own hearts and to following the doctrines of their false ministers. All their religious practices are works of law that have been adopted by making the scripture into a letter of law. Her members love sin. Nevertheless, they deceive themselves into believing God accepts their religious works as justification and that He does not hold them accountable. Thus, they always seek to justify themselves while avoiding the pursuit of holiness – “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Hebrews 11:14). By denying the power of God to be freed from the selfish, prideful nature and to regenerate them with the selfless nature of Jesus, members of the harlot are in the midst of confusion on a broad path to destruction – always seeking rest and peace but never finding it.

The worldly Jerusalem, the harlot church, and Babylon from the book of Revelation, are all the same entity. I will share a number of scriptures that bear witness to this throughout the rest of this teaching. The first nine verses in the 11th chapter of Genesis give the account of the Tower of Babel. These people wanted to build a city and a tower reaching to heaven in order to make a name for themselves. It is evident that pride was their motive. The brick they used was, of course, made of clay or earth, which represents flesh or the flesh nature – man was made from dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). The people used their hands and ability to make the brick. The spiritual message is that man, in pride and desiring to make a name for himself, labors by his own works (works of law) believing they will provide his way to heaven. This activity took place on “a plain”, representing a smooth, easy place. Religious lovers of sin attempt to reach heaven by self-justification through religious works in the midst of smooth doctrines. This is not something new! Speaking of God’s people, Isaiah 30:8-11 says, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: get you out of the way, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us”. Members of the harlot want to hear smooth things and their false ministers oblige them – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). In Genesis, God confounded their language, the people separated, and the place was called “Babel”. This is the root word of Babylon and means “confusion”. Now picture this: Today, there is a different church group on most every corner, here in America and around the world. Each is speaking a different message concerning the things of God, and each has adopted their own forms of religious works by making the New Testament into a letter of law and are following the precepts of men. I hope God is giving you eyes to see that they are all speaking a different language, separated from one another, doing fleshly works, attempting to make a name for themselves, and all think they are going to end up in heaven. Yet Jesus says, “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). If you can see the picture that has just been drawn by the Holy Spirit with the Word of God, you can see the worldly Jerusalem – the harlot that dwells in Babylon, a state of confusion. The “gates of hell shall not prevail against” the true church, but the demons of hell are bringing destruction upon the harlot.

The intent of this series is not to be critical or disdainful of individuals, but rather to share revelations God has given me in hope that it will help others, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, find what they are seeking. I can not over-stress how essential it is to have read “Who’s Your Mama” before going on. It’s very unlikely that anyone, without a personal revelation from God, could comprehend this portion without having read and, to some degree understood, what has already been disclosed about the harlot in the “Who’s Your Mama” teaching.

God, through the gospel, has made it possible for man to be delivered from confusion and brought back into unity with his Creator and his fellow man through the sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The true church is in unity, on one path, and moving in the same direction. Her members offer their bodies a living sacrifice. They are dying daily so the life of Jesus has place to get its birth and growth in their mortal flesh (Matthew 7:13-14, Luke 9:23-27, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11). She, the true church, is turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, loving her enemies, doing good to those who hate her, and praying for those who persecute her (Matthew 5:38-48). She is not making a name for herself but is exalting Jesus by serving Him in selfless love with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength while loving her neighbor just as she loves herself. She is proclaiming the selfless love of God in word and deed. Her actions speak in ways that overcome language barriers and, when the need arises, God will still cause words uttered by influence of the Holy Spirit to supercede physical barriers of language and unveil the plan of salvation. It was because of pride that division and language barriers came to pass in Genesis 11 and so it is today. By not submitting themselves to God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness (Romans 10:3-4), the harlot church is an embodiment of divided people who are speaking different languages concerning the things of God. Each conflicting doctrine constitutes a different language and her paths are as numerous as her various doctrines. Yet, all believe they are going to end up in heaven. This is the woman spoken of in Revelation 17:5 saying, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABONIMATIONS OF THE EARTH”.

By reading Revelation chapters 17, 18, and 19, it’s very evident that the “mother of harlots”, “Babylon”, and “the great whore” are one and the same. In Old Covenant times, God’s chosen people were physically taken by Nebuchadnezzar and held captive in Babylon. This occurred because they had continually committed spiritual adultery by worshipping and serving other gods. God Himself ordained their captivity saying, “Like as ye have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours” (Jeremiah 5:19). The land on which the tribes of Israel served strange gods was the land of Canaan. It was the promised land where God had driven out the former inhabitants for Israel to possess. This was to be holy land consecrated to God’s service. The Old Testament promised land represents the hearts of men in the New Testament (Matthew 13:1-23 & Hebrews 3 & 4). God has now provided for sin to be eradicated from our hearts in order that they may be holy ground – hearts consecrated to God’s service. Our hearts are to be purified through faith, by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:22), whereby we possess our souls in God’s rest – “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Hebrews 4:9-11). Possessing the New Covenant promised land is the soul of a believer that has been brought to dwell in God’s peace and rest (see Luke 21:19). In Old Covenant times, God’s people erected physical idols and temples of worldly gods on the land God had given them. Today, people professing to be Christians have and are currently erecting idols, or graven images, in their hearts. These idols are false images of the true God which are engraved upon the souls of men through false doctrines, precepts of men, and unbelief. Such false images of the true God lead men to serve the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-20). In Jeremiah 3:1-3 we read, “They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to Me, saith the Lord. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been line with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hast a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed”. Then in verses 6-11 of the same chapter, God says, “The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto Me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes where by backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah”. Here, we clearly see God’s people playing the harlot, committing spiritual adultery, and God divorcing them (see Matthew 5:32). It is also shown that Israel had a whore’s forehead which corresponds perfectly with the woman described in Revelation 17:5. At this time, Israel and Judah were divided into two nations. This is yet another prophetic picture of the two covenants, two mothers, children of flesh, and children of promise(Galatians 4:19-31). Israel represents the Old Covenant and children of flesh who are in bondage to sin. Judah represents the New Covenant and children of promise who are to be led by the Holy Spirit. New Covenant believers are spiritually connected to them because Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. From the text we see that even though Judah had witnessed God’s judgments upon Israel, she did not turn to God with her whole heart but “feignedly” or in falsehood. Consequently, God saw Judah as more offensive than her sister, Israel. Today, and for centuries, the church has had God’s written Word to declare who He is along with His will and His judgments. Like Judah, we have witness to His divine judgments, and yet I fear that many professing Christians have not turned to God with their whole heart. Instead, through unwillingness or unbelief or both, they give God only as much of themselves as they’ve been led to believe will secure their eternal happiness. The love of self and the world continues to hold the heart so God has little place, if any, to be the controlling influence in their lives. Yes, they attend church and participate in religious exercises, but the love of the world reigns supreme. Professing believers whose love is captivated by the world are committing spiritual adultery – “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Like Israel and Judah, such souls are those “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). They worship the imaginations of their hearts, and in doing so, defile the land (their souls). As mentioned earlier, much of the contemporary church is still under the law and trying to fulfill God’s will by fleshly works. Those under the law are also still under the curse. Again, New Testament scripture is made to be a letter of law when fleshly methods of fulfilling the written Word are prescribed and received as the means to reach an end. In our text from Jeremiah 3, Israel represents the Jews and Judah represents professing Christians who don’t believe that the gospel is the power of God to live righteous, holy lives. Without surrender and faith, people can not partake of the Holy Spirit, so they are left to their own strength and futile efforts.“Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). In scripture, the early rains represent the ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring us to God. The latter rains represent His ministry in producing our sanctification. You also see from our text that the latter rains were withheld because of spiritual adultery. So it is today!

Nebuchadnezzar is a prophetic picture of the god of this world. Satan is a spiritual king and has dominion around the world. In God’s kingdom, there are angels, under the authority of Jesus, who go out by rank in the spiritual realm to accomplish God’s purposes. It is the same in Satan’s kingdom. There are principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, who work spiritual wickedness in the heavens (spirit realm). In Ephesians 6:12 we see that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood”, but against these powers of darkness. It is important to know that the powers of darkness are under the total authority of Jesus Christ and that He, in His divine providence, may allow the powers of darkness to perform certain tasks in order to accomplish His sovereign will, just as He ordained and allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take Israel captive. To confirm this reality, I strongly suggest that you read and meditate upon the following references – Matthew 28:18, Colossians 1:11-18, 2 Peter 2:10-19. Early on in this teaching, I wrote about having a view to the unseen realm (2 Corinthians 4:18). We must realize that New Testament scripture does not always refer to something physical. In the Old Covenant, everything pertained to the flesh, but in the New, all pertains to the Spirit. Currently, and for some time, the hearts of many professing believers have been taken captive by the powers of darkness through the deception of false ministers – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Those being deceived and led captive are not individuals who have come to God with their whole heart in the full assurance of faith. No, they are the multitudes who have turned to Him “feignedly” or in falsehood. These have been led away to be captives in Babylon as a consequence of committing spiritual adultery.

The harlot consists of those souls who profess to believe but have defiled the land (their hearts) by loving the world. Though betrothed to Jesus, their adulterous hearts have a love affair with the world. This is the “falling away” that is spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and has been occurring for quite some time. The words translated as “falling away” are derived from a Greek word that means “to separate as in a divorce”. By professing believers turning away from their first love, Satan has had place to capture and hold their hearts in Babylon – the place of bondage, servitude, and confusion. So, “Like as ye have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours” (Jeremiah 5:19). 

As you continue, consider that the first coming of Jesus occurred just as the prophets had foretold and scripture had revealed. Yet, the religious scholars, the priests, scribes, and rabbis, those leaders of the Jews, did not recognize Him. Why? Because their hearts were enslaved to a love for themselves and the world which rendered them incapable of grasping a proper perspective concerning the things of God. Then, when the love and divine power in Jesus became evident to all, they would still not recognize and honor Him as Lord. Why wouldn’t they? Again, it is the same reason. Love of self and the world would not allow them to submit to the truth. Jealously, pride, love of money and position drove them to want Him crucified. Simultaneously, most of the Jews under the care of these religious leaders also failed to recognize and honor Jesus because the manner in which they had been taught, that of a worldly perspective, had produced a deluded mindset in them about His coming and what He was to accomplish. As a result, the whole nation, with exception of a very few, rejected Jesus and demanded that He be crucified. Now suppose the hearts of many church leaders in recent history were also enslaved to a love of self and the world. Could their teaching and leadership be from a heavenly perspective? Could it be possible that multitudes under their care have been taught in such a manner as to produce a deluded mindset about the gospel, the Christian life, the Day of the Lord, and the second coming of Jesus? Indeed, this is possible and most probable. Jesus and His apostles went to great lengths in warning the church about false ministers and doctrines that would deceive and lead many to destruction. Today, many professing believers have a deluded, worldly mindset about the gospel, the Christian life, and prophecies that speak of the end times. It is very likely a vast majority of church goers and their leaders would no more recognize the second coming of Jesus than did the Jews at His first coming. 

I will now present more evidence to prove that “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” is that whole group of souls who profess to know God but deny Him by their works (Revelation 17:5 & Titus 1:16). Let me make it clear as to how this relates to professing Christians. The “harlot” consists of those souls who profess Jesus but do not believe Him or submit to Him. While professing to believe the gospel, they deny its power to regenerate them into a new creature who walks as Jesus walked, doing what they see the Father do, and speaking what He gives them to say(1 John 2:6, John 5:19, 12:49). As a result, they, like the Jews, are still trying to establish their own righteousness by fleshly, religious deeds while rebelling against God in their hearts. Rebellion in the heart works itself out to rebellion in the life(Proverbs 4:23). Though not practicing Old Covenant works, they practice New Covenant works by making the New Testament into a letter of law. It becomes a letter of law when the written Word, in outward form only, becomes the means to reach an end. The purpose of the gospel is to put God’s Word, or His will, into man’s heart. This is only accomplished by the union of the Holy Sprit with the soul. Those I’ve just described, who deny the power of the gospel, prevent themselves from partaking of the Holy Spirit. Subsequently, they can see God’s will on paper but there is no direct heavenly influence upon their soul to live it out. The written Word is to them only a rule of law that puts too much demand upon them. Thus, they make efforts to appease God with various religious activities and honor Him with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him (Mark 7:6). The spiritual “harlot”, like a physical adulteress, pretends allegiance to her husband. She has pledged herself to Jesus in marriage but seeks out others to satisfy her lusts. She deceptively says and does things to give an appearance of love and submission to Him, but her love is really set upon the world. The spiritual elements of Satan’s domain are selfish pride, lust, envy, and wrath. These burn within the souls of the harlot church, fueling her hot pursuit of the world. A soul can have only one supreme love, and it will always pursue that end. To help you see this even more clearly, consider this — the souls of those who make up the true church also have spiritual elements burning within them. These, however, are heavenly elements which include selfless love, humility, long-suffering, and total resignation to God.

“Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). The fire of God burns within the true church, fueling her life of selfless love. Take special note of this — she does not have any fire to establish a reputation, to store up personal wealth, or to find peace and joy in the world. No, God in the heart produces contentment in the soul.

Sound logic and reason also dictates that the “harlot” must consist of those souls who have departed from God in pursuit of the world. Those who do not profess Jesus or claim to be Christians can in no way be committing spiritual adultery by loving the world. Their souls are one with the spirit of this world and they remain committed to their first love. The “harlot” consists of those souls who entered into the marriage covenant with Jesus but have left their first love. “Babylon” is referred to as “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5). The church is called to influence the world according to the will of God and give birth to children who reflect His image. Instead, Babylon, or the harlot church, with her deceptive and evil practices, influences the world in a manner contrary to God’s will. Likewise, she gives birth to illegitimate children who are not submitted to His discipline. Read Hebrews 12:7-8. Those illegitimate children follow the path of their mother. This harlot is, therefore, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.

More evidence that testifies to what I have been sharing is found in the first 7 chapters of Proverbs. There, we see two women who are in the streets and making appeals to men. One is called “wisdom” and the other is called the “strange woman” with “the attire of an harlot” (1:20-21, 2:16-19, 3:13-18, 6:23-26, and chapter 7). These two women represent the two Jerusalems, the two covenants, the two mothers, and the two types of children to which they give birth (see “Who’s Your Mama). “Wisdom” corresponds to the heavenly Jerusalem who gives birth to children by the Spirit of God. The seed to produce their birth originates from God in heaven. They are legitimate children who fulfill the New Covenant through walking in the Spirit by faith. The “strange woman” corresponds to the worldly Jerusalem. This worldly Jerusalem is represented by the physical city in Israel, but only relates to that physical city in regard to the “generation” of souls who proceed from it. By this statement, I am not referring to people who are Jews by blood or of Hebrew descent. I am making reference to all, like the Jews, who profess to know God but, in reality, deny Him. This woman who is dressed like a harlot gives birth to illegitimate children. The seed that produces them is one that is corruptible and has its origin from the souls of men who attempt to establish their own righteousness according to carnal thoughts and fleshly works. The physical city of Jerusalem represents the origin or birthplace of those who reject God’s righteousness and attempt to justify themselves by works apart from faith. Space does not permit to print every verse I have made reference to in the Proverbs, but I will point out a few that provide most convincing proof to that which has been stated. In Proverbs 2, it is said that when wisdom enters into a person’s heart it will “deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flatters with her words; which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life” (vs. 16-19). The “strange woman” forsakes the guide of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. Can this be speaking of anything other than souls who had given themselves to God and entered into a marriage covenant with Jesus, but had since separated themselves in pursuit of the world? More warning about the harlot is in Proverbs 5. In the midst of this chapter we see that a soul who joins itself to the harlot will come to regret it. Then, in verse 14 we read, “I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly”. Can the congregation and assembly that is full of evil be anything other than the harlot church? Finally, a most convincing proof is found in Proverbs 7. It too, speaks of the harlot, and verses 12-20 reveal her heart — “Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner. So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone on a long journey: he hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed”. The harlot church is under the delusion that God does not see her adulteress ways because the blood of Jesus has provided a peace offering, and she has paid her vows by practicing religious activities. Her attitude is that Jesus is gone on a long journey and she is free to have a love affair with the world. The bag of money represents the ability to live righteously by the Holy Spirit. The harlot perceives that all the power to be holy departed when Jesus ascended to heaven, and is now out of her reach. However, Jesus did not leave us alone to serve by our own ability. He sent the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-16, Acts 1 and 2). Stop now and read Romans 10:5-11. The verses I’ve just quoted from Proverbs 7 are directly related with the words of Jesus in Mark 13 where He warns us to watch and pray. In verse 34 of this chapter He says, “For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch”. Jesus is the “goodman” of Proverbs 7. The true church is submitted to His authority and does the will or the “work” of God while He is on the journey. The harlot church, however, decks herself with “coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt”. This speaks of making herself look good on the outside in the eyes of men, but uses it to seduce them into spiritual adultery with her while Jesus is on the journey. Read Matthew 23:23-39. Now, I will not elaborate upon it, but Proverbs 31:10-31 is a description of the true church who is the faithful bride of Christ and the virtuous woman. God will give you eyes to see and ears to hear as you read the Proverb and consider the other scriptures that have been mentioned IF your heart is submitted to Him in doing it.

The 18th chapter of Revelation speaks about the destruction of Babylon and contains more evidence that it, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”(Revelation 17:5), is the harlot church. In the first 2 verses we read, “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird”. Babylon “is become” the habitation of devils, foul spirits, unclean and hateful birds because of spiritual adultery. This must be making reference to those committing spiritual adultery against Jesus, and not to any other segment of the lost population or to a particular geographic location, because the world has been a continual habitation for the powers of darkness ever since Adam’s transgression. This is speaking about the adulteress church – those who have been called to be a habitation of God through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22), but have become a habitation for the powers of darkness by living for the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). The unclean and hateful birds represent evil spirits that gain access to men’s souls through love of self, love of the world, and the deception of false ministers. In the Bible, birds most always represent spiritual beings. A good verse to see this is Ecclesiastes 10:20 saying, “Curse not the king, no not in any thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter”. Another reference to birds is found in the 5th chapter of Jeremiah. As the prophet continued to warn the people concerning their spiritual adultery, he said, “For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich” (vs. 26-27). The “houses” speak of men’s bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19 & 2 Corinthians 5:1-8). These verses are specifically making reference to deceitful spirits that were working within the false prophets and the people of Israel. A few verses later Jeremiah says, “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (vs. 30-31 NKJV). So it is today in the harlot church! Jesus also prophesied about the harlot church being filled with evil, unclean spirits. It is important to note that these verses directly follow the parable He told of the wheat and the tares. Now is not the time to elaborate upon this parable except to say that tares are an undesirable weed that look very much like wheat to an untrained eye. In this parable, the tares are growing among the wheat and have been planted by the devil. In the end, the tares are gathered into bundles and burned. The wheat, having been sown by Jesus, remains and is gathered last. This shows us that the true church and a false church, having an appearance of the true, grow in the same field. Immediately following this parable Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof” (Matthew 13:31-32).Jesus is the vine, and His called ones are the branches (John 15). Those members of the church, who do not abide in Him, wither, are gathered up, and burned (John 15:6). This is the harlot — those branches who provide a lodging place for the “birds of the air”.

Revelation 18:3 goes on to say, “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies”.The nations suffer the wrath of God because they (the world) participate in defiling those who have been called by God but did not continue with Jesus. Babylon, the harlot, is also held accountable for all the souls that are lost because she has not reflected the image of Jesus to the world in order to bring them to God as she was called to do. The phrase “kings of the earth” refers more to spiritual principalities than to humans who are leaders of nations. The scripture testifies to this in Ephesians 6:12 saying,“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. 

Another is found in Daniel 10 where the prophet had fasted for 21 days in pursuit of divine understanding. An angel appeared to Daniel and said, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand, . . .” (vs. 12-14). This angel had been battling a spiritual principality, or king, who held a position of spiritual dominion over the nation of Persia. Michael, the angel who came to help in the battle, is “one of the chief princes”. These angels were warring with other spiritual beings, not with men. Those who profess Jesus, but give themselves to the influence of unclean spirits, are committing fornication with the “kings of the earth”. This phrase also speaks of the fleshly or carnal Adam nature. “Earth” (ground, dirt, soil) in the Bible represents the soul of man(Matthew 13:1-23). The souls of all who are not one with Jesus are carnal, fleshly, or earthy. The “kings of the earth” are powers of darkness who rule the souls of carnal men. The harlot church has despised the Lordship of Jesus in her heart and sought the world, thereby giving herself to commit fornication with the “kings of the earth”. Revelation 18:3 ends with a statement about the merchants of the earth being made rich through Babylon’s delicacies. Again, “merchants of the earth” speaks more to that which is spiritual. These merchants are false ministers who teach that worldly gain is godliness (1 Timothy 6:1-10) and who make merchandise of men’s souls. By twisting scriptures in a way that appeals to fleshly desires, they draw people to themselves, accumulate personal wealth, and feed the covetousness, lusts, greed, and pride in the hearts of men. Their carnal doctrines and false signs (Matthew 24:24) are the “delicacies” of Babylon that lead people away from God and hold them in bondage. Again, Jeremiah 5:30-31 describes the ministry of false prophets and the hearts of those who profess to be God’s people but have rebelled against Him. Now look at 2 Peter 2:1-3 – “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not”. False teachers deceive people into believing a gospel that does not free them from the power of sin. Read Romans 6, Romans 8:1-4, and 1 John 3:1-10. They present another Jesus in lieu of the Son of God. This other Jesus supposedly saves people without being their Lord, and only asks to dwell in one corner of the heart while self and other idols continue to reign. This leads to the “pernicious” or ungodly ways of professing believers that is mentioned by the apostle Peter. Believing this gospel and putting faith in this Jesus causes people to receive the spirit of anti-christ who is an opposing substitute for the Holy Spirit. This is why the harlot church is made up of a people who “profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Read 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 to see that there is another gospel, another Jesus, and another spirit that are in opposition to the kingdom of God.

Revelation 18:4-5 says, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities”.This teaching is not only an effort to enlighten people and give some understanding of spiritual realities, but is also an appeal to those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness and have been carried away to Babylon through deception. To all those who are still held captive by the harlot church, God is saying, “Come out of her My people”! 

 Keep in mind that Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun”. God’s Word is eternal so a person must not allow himself to be caught up in the physical limitations of time, space, geography, and so on when considering the holy scriptures. The Old Testament was a covenant pertaining to flesh and the New is a covenant pertaining to the Spirit. Most, if not all, of the Old Testament is a physical picture of spiritual realities in the New Testament.

The first 5 verses of Revelation 18 have been covered, and though there is a lot that could be disclosed about the entire chapter, I’ve been led to end this teaching with the last 5 verses where some of the most convincing testimony about the harlot is provided. Revelation 18:20-24 says, “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsmen, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth'”. This text begins by saying that the apostles and prophets are avenged by the destruction of Babylon. Then, at the end we see that the blood of prophets and saints and of all that were slain upon the earth was found in “her” (Babylon). What does this mean but that Babylon is responsible and held accountable for the shed blood of all these people? Now, look at the words of Jesus as He speaks in reference to the scribes, Pharisees, and Jerusalem in Matthew 23 – “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (vs. 33-38). In these verses, we see clearly that the “generation” being referred to will be held accountable for all the righteous blood shed upon the earth and it is Jerusalem who kills the prophets. Finally, we see that this “house” will be left desolate. The Word of God is infallible; it can not be altered, and what Jesus has declared must surely be fulfilled. In Matthew 23, Jerusalem is that which kills the prophets, and in Revelation 18, Babylon is where their blood is found. I sincerely hope God is giving you eyes to see that the group which is responsible and held accountable in Matthew 23 is the same as that of Revelation 18. Let me now refer you back to the teaching titled “Who’s Your Mama?”. Please read and study it before going on if you’ve not done so.

“Jerusalem”, in the Matthew text, does not merely refer to a city in a geographic location or to a group of individuals of a particular nationality who live, or lived, in a specific period of time. It corresponds to the Old Covenant and to Hagar and represents the spiritual mother of all those illegitimate children of God who are born according to flesh and thereby slaves of sin who are under the Law. This “generation” includes present-day people who profess to be Christians but do not believe the gospel is the power of God to put away sin by regenerating man with the divine nature. Through unbelief, or unwillingness, or both, these souls, though having some appearance of godliness, are still slaves of sin and under the Law. Read Romans 8:1-4, 13-14, Galatians 5:18, and 1 Timothy 1:8-11.

Again, speaking of the woman who sits upon a scarlet colored beast, Revelation 17:5 says, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. The mystery concerning Babylon is what the Holy Spirit has purposed to reveal through the things I am sharing. Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations, is the “generation”, or total embodiment of souls, who deny the power of the gospel to free man from sin and regenerate him with the divine nature which, in turn, causes him to reflect the image of Jesus in his day-to-day life (Ezekiel 36:24-27, Romans 8:28-29, 1 Corinthians 15:34, Hebrews 8:6-11, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 1 John 2:6, 1 John 3:1-10, 1 John 5:3-4). This is the generation of souls, past and present, who profess to know God but deny Him by their works (Titus 1:16) and who have a form of godliness but deny the power in it (2 Timothy 3:5). She is the generation of the worldly Jerusalem and corresponds perfectly with the “strange woman” mentioned earlier. The worldly Jerusalem, strange woman, Babylon, and what I, in this teaching, have called the “harlot church”, are all one in the same. This is the generation of souls who are being destroyed and made desolate for shedding the blood of the apostles and prophets and all the righteous blood shed upon the earth. You may ask why individuals who are not personally involved in the deaths of the righteous are considered guilty in the eyes of God. It is because illegitimate children of God have the same murderous heart as that of their forefathers and are therefore just as guilty (Matthew 23:30-33, Galatians 4:29, 1 John 3:11-15).

Going back to the text from Revelation 18, we see in verse 21 –“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, ‘Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all'”. Jesus made a very similar statement in Luke 17:1-2 saying, “It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him through whom they come! It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble” (ASV). The Holy Spirit wants you to see that Babylon, the illegitimate children of God, the harlot church, is a ministry of Satan to produce stumbling blocks in the path of those who might otherwise be saved. The true father of this generation is Satan who is the father of lies (John 8:44). Is it any wonder the harlot church is using deception as its primary tactic in causing many to stumble and fall? In the Bible, the sea represents carnal humanity or the world. Read Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Revelation 17:15. The meaning of Babylon’s violent destruction being like that of a great millstone cast into the sea is that the generation of illegitimate children will be swallowed up by the world and its destruction, and there will be no way of escape.

Speaking of the time we are living in and the spirit that works in false ministers, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”. Does this not describe an inescapable submersion into the world and its destruction? Do you not think this coincides with the destruction of Babylon because of the deception she propagates?

A brief look at one last verse from Revelation 18 should help you grasp the reality of a harlot church that has been led away to a state of confusion and enslaved to Satan, the prince of this world. Verse 23 says, “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived”.The light of a candle represents the light of God, the bridegroom is Jesus, and the bride is the true church. Now, let me ask you – Where is the light of God, the voice of Jesus and His bride supposed to be found? Would one expect to find these things in some worldly organization? No, such things are found in the church! Since the ministry of the apostles, God’s light, the voice of Jesus, and His bride have been present in church assemblies, BUT so have the lies, deception, and children of Satan. God is removing His light, the voice of Jesus, and the voice of His church from the midst of the harlot assemblies. All that will remain is darkness, deception, and desolation.

I’ve shown that the “merchants” are false ministers who make merchandise of men’s souls. They are mentioned again in verse 23 to reveal how the harlot assemblies put false ministers on a platform, exalting and preferring them over God’s light, the voice of Jesus, and His bride. The harlot church has provided a tremendous platform to false ministers who are a voice for Satan to manipulate and deceive the nations.

Finally, in one of Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning the captivity in Babylon he says, “Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle” (Jeremiah 25:10). This prophetic word that was relevant then, corresponds perfectly with Revelation 18:23 and is relevant now. The apostasy or “falling away” of 2 Thessalonians 2 has been occurring for quite some time and God has been allowing professing Christians who are unwilling and unbelieving to be taken captive and led away to the present-day Babylon just as He did in the days of Jeremiah. Then, it was a physical place, and today it is a spiritual condition. The assemblies of the harlot church are in a state of confusion, slavery to sin, and servitude under the powers of darkness. There are, however, some souls within the assemblies of the harlot who are in the same place I was in time past. They may have turned their heart toward God, be fervently following the guidance of their ministers, praying, reading their Bibles, attending services regularly, and so on, BUT they do not experience righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) and they know something is missing or defective with their faith. These are souls who have been called by God to come out of the world and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:12-18), but have been led down the wrong path by the “strange woman”. A voice is now coming from heaven. Can you hear it? It is saying, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Just as God provided for Nehemiah to leave Babylon and rebuild the walls of the physical Jerusalem, He is now raising up ministers to rebuild and restore the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem. The souls of a holy remnant are the stones that make up the walls of this heavenly city (Galatians 4:21-31, Ephesians 2:19-22, Revelation 21:9-23). Will you receive the love of the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to place you within these walls?