Babylon is Not the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

I was graced to read Brother Adrian’s “Why I Remain Part of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church“ and “Why I Cling to My Adventist Brethren.” Before I discovered the ministry here at Maranatha Media I was on track to calling the Adventist church Babylon and looking to heed the Scripture that entreats, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing…” (2nd Corinthians 6:17 KJV).

Friends had blessed me by sharing the truth of the Father and Son and in my journey of discovery I became angry and bitter over the errors the church has imbibed. I also began to receive Scripture and Ellen White quotes that were being used to call the church  Babylon. These fed the flames of my fury and I was getting to the point that I wanted out.

Since finding this website, I have had an opportunity to reflect on my attitude and put my thoughts on the subject into perspective. It occurred to me that to call the Adventist church “Babylon” a few verses in Scripture would have to be adapted and reapplied to fit that interpretation.

I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

And the Seventh-Day Adventist church, the glory of churches, the beauty of excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of the Seventh-Day Adventist church, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Flee out of the midst of her, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of Jehovah’s vengeance; He will render unto her a recompence.

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 church be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And there followed another angel, saying, she is fallen, is fallen, that great church, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Well there you have it. Isn’t that what the Scripture intended to say all along? Not if you believe the Father raised up the Adventist church for such a time as this. I did believe, but that knowledge did not stop me from wanting to identify the Adventist church as Babylon. That’s where I was headed in my thoughts and actions and realize today that I wanted it so because in my heart of hearts I was intent on pointing out the sins of the church in an attempt to justify the sin in myself. That is Babylon. It is Satan’s kingdom of this world where the lie “Ye shall not surely die” is perpetuated through principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. When I believe the lie of the serpent I blame others for my own actions and become a subject of the kingdom of Babylon.

This is reminiscent of Adam and Eve in the garden after they fell when the blame game was played.  We do the same today and tell the Father that we fell into apostasy because of the church He gave us.  Others cry about being led down the wrong path because of Jesuit infiltration, or the trinity doctrine.  Another points the finger at a brother and sister in the church, the pastor, Sabbath School teacher, Elder, etc.

There is no denying that the Adventist church is in apostasy, but apostasy does not equate to our Father’s chosen being called Babylon. Think about this for a moment. There has always been a channel through which the Father blesses His people. Since the fall of our first parents the channel was muddied. Throughout history the Father has  been calling His people to “come out” of Satan’s kingdom of lies. Specific ones were invited to be a witness and example to show the world who the Father was and how His kingdom operated.

In the antediluvian world “God saw that the wickedness of man was great,…and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” - (Genesis 6:5). The children of disobedience were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage as they proclaimed, “God? There is no God. Nature is supreme, power is Divine, wealth is to be glorified, man is omniscient!” The Father raised up Noah to prepare a way of escape for those who would by faith, enter into the ark of safety.

The children of Israel were part of the heritage promised to Abraham and his seed. They found themselves enslaved and in Egyptian bondage. Egypt was never a title given to the Israelites. It was a literal place they had made their home, and were called to “come out” of under the leadership of Moses. Egypt also represented their spiritual condition. After a forty-year wilderness experience they finally reached the Promised Land. Because of later apostasy they went into literal Babylonian captivity, but notice Scripture never refers to the chosen people as “Babylon.” Babylon was another representation of the spiritual condition of God’s people. As the fulfillment of a time prophecy, those who had patient endurance were given the opportunity to “come out” and return to their homeland.

The literal Son of God came in person to become the living sacrifice for our transgressions, show the way home to His Father, and teach us how to live in His kingdom here and now and His own received Him not.  Israel rejected the Son in the flesh and because of continual renunciation their house was left unto them desolate and another was called. The apostolic church, which became the church in the wilderness, was raised up to be the standard bearers and to preach as did Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” For “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:28; Galatians 2:20).

When it appeared the church in the wilderness was all but obliterated by the enemy our Father raised up a humble group of people to bring back the foundational truths of the His kingdom. Through those believers the Seventh-Day Adventist church was established on the faith once given to the saints. This came about through prayer, and deep study of the Scriptures preserved and handed down by the church in the wilderness. Then as one after another of the pioneers were laid to rest the church gradually began to move off the platform she was founded on. Israel of old rejected the Son of God in the flesh. The Adventist church has rejected the Son of God not only in the flesh, but also in the Spirit.

Time for the blame game, right? Time to remove ourselves from the church and start over somewhere else?

Have recently started the book, “The Battle of the Bibles” by H.H. Myers, and this quote jumped out at me when I applied it to those who want to leave the Adventist church and call it Babylon, “The practice of resigning as a form of objection is fatally flawed. All too often error has been allowed to prosper simply because good men vacate the floor to make way for the bad.”

Another quote from a different book is also applicable, “Many Old Testament examples speak of coming out of “dependency on a system” and entering into a relationship with the only One that can bring meaning to life.” (Charlene Fortsch, “Daniel, Understanding the Dreams and Visions”, p. 134)

How do we enter into this relationship? I believe our call for such a time as this begins with the word “Remember.”

“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” - (Malachi 4:4-6)

Before quoting those same verses in the Southern Watchman, Ellen White made the statement, “The closing words of Malachi are a prophecy regarding the work that should be done preparatory to the first and the second advent of Christ. This prophecy is introduced with the admonition, "Remember…” {The Southern Watchman, March 21, 1905 par. 1}

A recent devotional gave another affirmation that there is not a call to come out of the church our heavenly Father established.

“…Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: - (Jeremiah 3:12-14)

Notice what Yahovah our Father promises if we will return to the faith once delivered to the saints, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” - (Jeremiah 3:15) What a precious promise!

Yes, we in the church our Father established are going through our own wilderness and captivity experiences, but we are not alone because Jesus, the Bridegroom has promised “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Though I have returned to My Father to prepare a place for you and receive the kingdom I will not leave you as comfortless orphans. I will come to you not by might or power, but by My Spirit. That way no matter where you are in the world you will be given grace, the divine influence and presence of My life, to abide in your heart and soul until I return.”

Through another spirit Satan is working his powers to deceive. Babylon, through the system of Rome, continues her attempt to destroy the bride today through mysticism, philosophy, metaphor, spiritualism, metaphysics, and ultimately, identity theft.

“We deplore the fact that men idolize their own opinions, that they are willing to be governed by their own preconceived ideas rather than by a plain "Thus saith the Lord." It is the most difficult thing in the world to convince men who do not want to be convinced. Satan beclouds the perceptions, and hardens the heart so that men will not give up their own ways that they may work for the salvation of a backslidden church, and point sinners to the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Instead of engaging heartily in this work, they hold back, and almost hope and pray that those upon whom the Lord has laid the burden, will not succeed: for if success crowns the efforts of the burden-bearers, it will prove these doubters to be in the wrong."  {Ellen G. White, 1888 materials, page 427 par. 2}

Though the church will appear as about to fall it will not because she will have removed her cloak of self-righteousness and put on the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness. “The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy” {Ellen G. White, Selected Messages Bk 2, p. 380}

Part of our work now is to expose Satan’s lies and as stated previously, I am convinced that our Father specifically raised up the Adventist church to be His witness on the earth for these times and because He did so I have no right to call the church Babylon, or even blame her for leading me astray.  What I do know is that the chosen people of God have again gone into captivity.  It is my choice to become part of the kingdom built on a lie, or follow the example of Daniel and his three friends and not bow down to the beast or his image.

Turn your heart to the Father and come out of the confusion associated with the lie “ye shalt not surely die.” And yes, you may find that lie in the Adventist church, but be another living example of those who had not bowed the knee to Baal as in the days of Elijah. Sigh and cry for the abominations done in the church and pray the prayer of Daniel while he was in Babylonian captivity and our Father in heaven will take care of His church just like He promised.

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). This is true revival and reformation for only then will Jesus bless us with a greater outpouring of His indwelling Spirit.

The Seventh-Day Adventist church is our Father's church and I’m staying right here! Looking at my Saviour and no other I need to stop justifying myself, take responsibility for my own actions, quit playing the blame game, turn from the Babylon that is in me, and repent for my own sins.

Thank you Father for giving us this church and most of all Your Son.  May we stand worthy of your calling, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” - (Titus 2:11-14)