Terrible accidents are happening every day on our highways, which cause much damage. People are hurt and even killed. Often the cause of the accident is due to drunkenness. This is why laws are so strict against drinking and driving, and the punishment so severe. Also in homes and factories, accidents do happen for the same reason. While being intoxicated, people do not have full control of themselves. Murders have been committed while under the influence of alcohol.
But, nowhere are people so intoxicated as in the religious world. “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Revelation 17:1–2
“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.” Revelation 18:3
“There are few to whom you bring truth, who have not been drinking of the wine of Babylon. It is hard for them to comprehend the truth.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 405
Few people in our world are not drunk with this wine. When you speak to the people, often they do not understand. Their minds cannot grasp the truth. This wine leaves permanent damage. People who have drunk of it deeply have always had difficulty understanding the truth clearly. As long as they live, they easily fall into confusion.
Every person who is drunk with this wine will never make it to heaven. We are travelling on the narrow way, and unless our eyesight is clear, and our feet steady, sooner or later we can fall off the road into a deep abyss, into the drunken world.
In our world today there are in reality only two churches. According to the Bible, one is called the synagogue of Satan. “Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Revelation 3:9
In the synagogue of Satan there is a large membership. “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
By mingling truth with false teachings, they have made the synagogue of Satan very great and popular.
On the other side is the true church of God, a little flock like a mustard seed. “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” Revelation 12:1
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15
The church of Satan is divided into many groups and denominations. But the church of God is only one. There is no division in it, not even two. Only one united family of God.
These two opposing churches are at war against each other. Fallen churches can use weapons such as lies, falsehoods, persecution, prison and death. The true church of God has only one weapon, which is the truth. The word of God is as a two-edged sword.
The woman, Babylon in Revelation 17, is sitting upon the beast, and has in her hand a cup, a golden cup, beautiful. What is inside the cup? Abominations and filthiness. And all nations and inhabitants of the earth are drinking of this cup—wine that makes them drunken.
When you try to reason with a drunk person, it is almost hopeless. Because this wine affects their brain and heart, they cannot reason and understand the truth, neither can they love the truth. Their judgment is not correct.
“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:24
The camel was an unclean animal which they swallowed. But the little gnat they carefully strained out.
The Jews condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, and eating without washing His hands, but they saw nothing wrong in hating Christ and condemning Him to death. When they had to choose between Christ and Barabbas, without hesitation their choice was Barabbas.
This is the same today. When we reject the truth, the words of Jesus, we reject Him. When we join with the world, we choose Barabbas.
What is inside this cup that the great Babylon is offering? What caused Ancient Babylon to fall? “And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8
The king had a dream, but he forgot it. The wise men could not tell the king his dream. “And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Daniel 2:11
In their human wisdom, they practiced their religion. The power of the gospel is not in false religion.
“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:1, 6
Even today the churches say, “if you do not worship as we do, you are not our friend but our enemy.” Persecution of nonconformists has continued and will continue during the Sunday law. Today the religious world is the same in its intolerance.
“The king spake, and said, Is this not great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30. He was saying, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.
No matter how many members they have, how many churches and ministers, it is the same pride today as was in Ancient Babylon.
“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.” Daniel 5:1. This type of entertainment is also acceptable in Modern Babylon today.
“Among the most dangerous resorts for pleasure is the theater. Instead of being a school of morality and virtue, as is so often claimed, it is the very hotbed of immorality. Vicious habits and sinful propensities are strengthened and confirmed by these entertainments. Low songs, lewd gestures, expressions, and attitudes, deprave the imagination and debase the morals. Every youth who habitually attends such exhibitions will be corrupted in principle. There is no influence in our land more powerful to poison the imagination, to destroy religious impressions, and to blunt the relish for the tranquil pleasures and sober realities of life than theatrical amusements. The love for these scenes increases with every indulgence, as the desire for intoxicating drinks strengthens with its use. The only safe course is to shun the theater, the circus, and every other questionable place of amusement.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 652
“The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God. He will not be found at the theater, the billiard hall, or the bowling saloon.” –The Adventist Home, p. 515
He will not unite with those who plead for these diversions. We answer, “we cannot indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the hours spent at the theater. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one would wish to be found there when Christ shall come. In heaven there are no theaters, no bowling alleys, no television programs. Here we must prepare to live in heaven.
“The amusement lover, the frequenters of the theater and the ballroom, put eternity out of their reckoning. The whole burden of their life is: what shall we eat? what shall we drink? and wherewithal shall we be clothed? They are not in the procession that is moving heavenward. They are led by the great apostate, and with him will be destroyed.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 407
Jesus was condemned by false witnesses. In modern Babylon, people are condemned and rejected because of their faithfulness and loyalty to God. There is enmity between these two classes—and if there is nothing else to show their hatred, they try to find fault it in the true religion found in the church of God.
“Babylon is fallen, ‘because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (Rev. 14:8). What is that wine? Her false doctrines. She has given to the world a false sabbath instead of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and has repeated the falsehood that Satan first told Eve in Eden—the natural immortality of the soul. Many kindred errors she has spread far and wide, ‘teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’” –Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 118
In Matthew 15:9, Jesus said, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Righteousness without commandment-keeping is the most illogical theory. To worship God while believing man’s ideas and doctrines is a worthless religion. There is no joy in such a religion, only misery, wretchedness, soul poverty, and blindness.
What is the outcome of being drunk with the wine of Babylon? “Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand. Thus saith the Lord GOD: Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision; it containeth much. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.” Ezekiel 23:31–33
“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” Jeremiah 51:7
“He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.” Lamentations 3:15. Drunkenness and bitterness cannot be separated.
“For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” Nahum 1:10. Drunkenness brings destruction upon us.
“Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. for the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed.” Isaiah 29:9–11
Their eyes are closed. Seers and prophets are not seen; their visions and words are as a book that is sealed. They cannot understand the truth. Their mind is intoxicated by the wine of Babylon, and they cannot see, hear or understand the truth.
Jesus spoke a parable of two servants. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of. And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: for there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:45–51
One servant is giving the right spiritual food at the right time to the people. He is speaking the truth. The other servant joins with the drunken to eat and drink with them and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and with his mouth he says that the Lord is coming soon, but in his heart he is saying the Lord is not coming yet. I can enjoy the world, its pleasure, fun, and good times, and he turns against the faithful servants.
Jesus said, “the brother will turn against the brother, and deliver him to death.” Matthew 10:21
So blinded, so intoxicated, can Christians become, as to hate their fellow believers. Many times throughout history, and even as late as World War 1, we read of people who were persecuted and betrayed to governing authorities by former brethren in the faith and even family members. Their brethren and family members had given up their faith under pressure of persecution from the government and joined to eat and drink with the drunken and to smite their fellowservants.
So strong is the influence of the wine of Babylon that their eyes will close and their minds can no longer see the difference between right and wrong.
The Roman governor, Pilate, had a better understanding and eyesight than the Jews. He could see that Jesus was innocent. “Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for My flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.” Ezekiel 34:18–19
God had given to the people great truths, and understanding of His laws and statutes and of the prophecies. Unfortunately, some leaders who had drunk of the deep waters have fouled the waters with their feet, and gave polluted water to the flock. God has church today and is calling all who are not satisfied with the wine of Babylon to come to the fountain of the water of life within its borders.
Peter calls us to be sober, because our enemy goes around as a roaring lion, offering wine that would confuse us, and make us lose the saving truth. Paul calls us to teach the sound doctrine, and not pleasing fables. It is dangerous for us to visit churches that teach errors, and to drink at their fountains of polluted water. They may have some truth, but error mixed in it makes it dangerous. The more truth there is and the less error makes it harder to detect and therefore more dangerous. As soon as we come under their intoxicating influence we start seeing things in the same light and become confused. Our spiritual understanding will be confused.
When you associate with people with unclean garments, they will soil your garment of righteousness. When you spend a lot of time with a worldly-minded person, their spirit can easily catch you. The world-loving, pleasure seeker will have a terrible influence over others. By spending too much time with the wrong company you play with fire. You cannot come out clean. No one is able to stay spotless under the wrong influence, when they willfully place themselves there.
Fallen churches, as well as the world with its sin and entertainment, are under the same leadership. Satan controls both. They are his enchanted grounds where they can become hypnotized, and cannot see clearly anymore. Then they will be like the Jewish nation, straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.
Today almost the whole world is in this condition. “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” Isaiah 24:5, 20
The inhabitants of the world and all the nations are drunk from the wine of Babylon, and therefore are ready to fall.
Terrible accidents happen among false Christians; they lose their way, and their eternal life. They become intoxicated by the wine of Babylon and by the wine of the world, and they fall into a complacent condition, seemingly so restful and peaceful, yet so dangerous.
Many Christians who are church goers, sleep a sleep of death, never to awake, until it is too late, forever too late.
God has a church. God has an agency for our salvation, who offers the water of life for the thirsty soul.
If you have been addicted to the wine of Babylon, by prayer and fasting ask the Lord to help you to see the truth clearly, and go only where only the truth is spoken. Go to the fountain of the water of life. Then only can you be safe and make it to heaven in the end. Amen.
Timo Martin