Baptism and the Last Day of The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Before Jesus Christ's ministry began, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness about repentance from sin and baptism. In Matthew 3:11, he speaks of three different types of baptism: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (emphasis ours). All four gospels mention baptism by water and the Holy Spirit, but only Matthew and Luke mention baptism by fire.

Water rituals like baptism were common in antiquity. God instructed the Levitical priests to use water in many of the purification rituals, for instance, in the cleansing of a leper (Leviticus 14:8-9). For Christians, baptism by full immersion in water is a public expression of repentance of sins and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior (see Acts 2:38). Coming up out of his or her watery grave (see Romans 6:3-11), a new Christian, forgiven of sin, is clean and ready to receive God's Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17).

Do we ever think about our baptism? Do we remember the date we were baptized or who baptized us? Was anyone baptized with us? Do we recall how excited or nervous we were? Do we remember anything about the minister's prayer over us? It is possibly the most important day of our lives, and some of us rarely give it any thought.

On the last day of Unleavened Bread, God symbolically baptized the children of Israel as they went down into the Red Sea during the night and stepped out of their watery grave the next morning (Exodus 14:21-31). As they looked behind them in the dawn, hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and horses lay dead along the shore, and many others floated in the waves.

They could literally see that God had destroyed those who had oppressed them for hundreds of years. The Egyptians would never again be able to afflict them in any way, as God had washed away and destroyed what had enslaved them. They were clean and free! Seeing this, the Israelites feared God and broke into a song of praise to the Lord (Exodus 14:30-31; 15:1-21). Do we ever praise God for counting us worthy to be baptized into His church?

We tend to think of baptism as a New Testament thing, but it can be found early in the Old Testament. Even this baptism of the Israelites in the Red Sea was not the first baptism recorded in Scripture, although the earlier event is mentioned as a baptism only in the New Testament:

. . . once the Divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. (I Peter 3:20-22)

The apostle Peter mentions Noah and his family being "saved through water" and Christian baptism being its antitype. In the Flood story is an example of baptism by water, when the world of that time was cleansed of sin by the destruction of all humanity but for eight people. The entire earth was plunged into a watery grave, and only Noah's family rose out of it to new life.

Have we ever considered that there might have been an even earlier baptism—when the earth was covered with water at Creation? Did God "baptize" the earth to cleanse it of the sins of "the angels who did not keep their proper domain" (Jude 6; see II Peter 2:4)? Genesis 1:2 informs us that the earth was covered in water, and on the third day, God gathered the waters into seas to let the dry land appear (Genesis 1:9-10). Earth rose out of the water cleansed and prepared for new life.

How important is baptism to God? From these examples, He seems to begin every instance of new life—new creation—with a baptism, a cleansing in water for the remission of sins, making baptism an essential and vital early step in God's creative work with humanity.

Returning to Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist mentions a second baptism, saying, "He who is coming after me . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." After rising up out of the watery grave of baptism, a Christian has hands laid on him or her to receive the Holy Spirit, placing him or her into the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, the church. Notice I Corinthians 12:13: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a Christian is regenerated (Titus 3:5), becoming a son or daughter of God the Father.

Matthew 3:11 mentions a third baptism, the baptism of fire. Contrary to the belief of some Pentecostals, the baptism of fire is not connected to the baptism of the Holy Spirit or speaking in tongues, although they try to connect it with the tongues of fire seen over the disciples when the Holy Spirit filled them on the Day of Pentecost in AD 31 (Acts 2:1-4).

John defines the baptism of fire in the next verse: "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). The baptism of fire is synonymous with what Jesus called Gehenna, often mistranslated as "hell." It is the punishing fire of God's eternal judgment, a baptism no Christian would ever want! Revelation 20:15 speaks of it using another term: "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

The children of Israel were indeed baptized in the sea (I Corinthians 10:1-2), and God swept their slavery away. They came up from the Red Sea singing for joy at the victory God gave them. But they could never see past their physical needs and fleshly desires. Almost none of them ever received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and so, without genuine faith in God, they all died in the wilderness, never entering the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:16-19).

Revelation 14:1-5 prophesies of another people who will sing for joy at their redemption from the sins and slavery of this world. These 144,000 "first fruits to God and to the Lamb," unlike the unfaithful Israelites, "follow the Lamb wherever He goes." These Christians, whose foreheads bear the Father's name, took their baptisms seriously, ridding themselves of faults to please their Redeemer. Their reward is to live eternally as the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-9).

Is baptism a big deal to God? It is amazing to consider how few in all of history have been invited into fellowship with God, given His truth, and baptized into Christ's Body. Is that not worth singing about?

Revelation 2:4, 9-11, 12-15, 19-20, 3:1, 4, 8, 11-12, 15 & 19

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Revelation 2:4

I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."  Revelation 2:9-11

I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.  But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.  Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.  Revelation 2:12-15

I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.  Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  Revelation 2:19-20

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,"These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.  Revelation 3:1

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.  Revelation 3:4

I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.  Revelation 3:8

Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.  Revelation 3:11-12

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  Revelation 3:15

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  Revelation 3:19

Note that each of these congregations—those in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea—was located in a Gentile city, and in all probability, each congregation's membership was primarily Gentile. It is quite likely that in each congregation the Jews were a minority.

Recall that the Romans ravaged Jerusalem in AD 70, and its Christians had to flee to Pella to save their lives. It is highly probable that none of these congregations had any communication with any survivor of the first congregation in Jerusalem. All of the apostles except John were dead, and he had been banished to Patmos. This circumstance was far different from the one in which the church was founded.

Were these Gentile congregations still part of the true church? Were they free of flaws and perfect in their character, attitudes, and doctrines? Would such a negative judgment eliminate them from being a true assembly?

Consider these further factors: Revelation 2:4 commends the congregation in Ephesus for doctrinal vigilance but castigates it for leaving its first love. Revelation 2:9-11 shows Christ commending Smyrna for being spiritually rich, but He also admonishes them to overcome. Despite His commendation, they are not a finished product.

Revelation 2:13-15 praises those in Pergamos for not denying their faith, but its members are doctrinally divided, and they permit heresy to continue. Revelation 2:19-20 presents Thyatira as growing in good works, but its members tolerate heresy and are guilty of sexual immorality.

Revelation 3:1, 4 exposes Sardis as spiritually dead, though it contains a few who remain undefiled, indicating that its members have virtually lost their faith and are capable only of dead works. Revelation 3:8, 11-12 reports that those in Philadelphia are faithfully enduring, but Christ admonishes them to hold fast and overcome. Finally, Revelation 3:15, 19 judges Laodicea as spiritually bankrupt and gives it no commendation at all. The congregation is strongly advised to be zealous and repent.

What does a composite picture of these congregations reveal?

1. All seven of them are admonished to repent, hold fast, or remain faithful.

2. Only two of them, Smyrna and Philadelphia, receive strong commendations and no listing of their sins and other shortcomings.

3. Two of them, Pergamos and Thyatira, receive a lesser commendation and fairly strong rebukes for sexual immorality and allowing deceivers into the congregation.

4. Two of them, Sardis and Laodicea, receive strong rebukes and no commendations.

In terms of a true church in a single corporate body, what do we see? Only sixty years or so following Christ's resurrection, we have a mixed bag as regards overall stability and righteousness.

Even so, is any one of them not a true congregation, an assembly of truly called-out ones? Does Christ in any way say that even one of them was no longer part of His church, His body of people? Not in the least. There are, however, warnings that, if they did not repent, some within their fellowship might not be within the Body of Christ in the future. Two things are sure:

1. Some of these congregations are clearly spiritually better than the others.

2. Some of them are decidedly awful, even though, using carnal judgment, they may outwardly appear good.

Since Revelation is an end-time book, the overview given in Revelation 2 and 3 is especially significant at this time. It is forecasting what things will be like just before Christ returns, and He uses these first-century congregations to illustrate His forecast for our time.

Remember that God is judging us individually within each group. An attitude that we should not allow to grow in us is to think that we are the only ones who retain a true-church identity. The other side of that same concept is that, even if we agree that others are still part of the true church, we are still better than they are—indeed, everybody else is Laodicean by comparison.

This unmistakably holier-than-you attitude is extremely destructive to true brotherhood and proper fellowship and unity. Luke 18:9-14 records this teaching of Christ concerning self-righteousness and its effects on these matters. Those who elevate themselves in their judgment of themselves as compared to their fellow members bring on themselves this condemnation. God does not justify them when they make this kind of judgment.

Luke 13:10-17

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. Luke 13:10-17

In Luke 13:10-17, Christ heals another chronically ill person on the Sabbath. This time, though, He did not wait for anyone to ask Him questions. The episode plainly discloses the redeeming and liberating intention of God's Sabbath. When Jesus says, "You are loosed," the ruler of the synagogue reacts immediately because to him the Sabbath meant rules to obey rather than people to love.

Jesus replies in verses 15-16 by emphasizing the Sabbath principle:

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"

Christ makes a play on words here. He uses the same verb, "loose," to describe the ox and donkey as He does the woman being "loosed" from Satan through healing.

Jesus acts against the tradition of the Pharisees, but no where challenges the binding obligation of keeping the Sabbath. Rather, His example shows that we should make merciful evaluations to help others cast off their heavy burdens. He argues for living the true values.

Revelation 1:1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,  Revelation 1:1 

The margin says shortly means "quickly" or "swiftly." This must be understood in terms of what the book of Revelation was designed to reveal. Verse 10 tells us that the book was designed for the Day of the Lord. "Shortly" has to be seen in light of verse 10.

When was the apostle John on the island of Patmos? All indications are that he received this vision somewhere in the AD 90s—somewhere between AD 90 and 100. The Temple in Jerusalem had already been destroyed by the Romans under Titus.

Think about this word "shortly" in reference to the time in which the prophecy was given. Did Jesus Christ mean shortly after He gave it? What happened historically quickly or shortly after Christ gave this prophecy to the apostle John? Nothing. Nothing happened. By and large, almost 20 centuries later, very little in Revelation has yet happened.

What does this say about the design of the book of Revelation? It says that its primary intent is for the time we are living in right now! When Christ said that these things must shortly come to pass, what He meant was that once the things in Revelation begin to occur, they will happen very quickly in historical terms. They will begin unfolding so fast, it will take our breath away!

To whom was this book written? Verse 11 says that it was written to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. If the book was written to the end-time people, then we have to conclude that the message as delivered to the actual churches in Asia Minor was only secondary. The attitudes, the conduct, the events occuring in those seven congregations were only models of what was going to happen later.

However, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea are somewhere extant on earth today. Not just in the form of attitudes, but maybe also in the form of true-church organizations. All seven churches must be in existence at the end. This only makes sense because the book is concerned primarily with the end-time.

Does it not seem reasonable and logical that, if Christ wanted to get a message to each of the churches, and He only had a moment to spend with each one, He would be extremely selective in what He had to say? He would carefully design His message to contain the nucleus of what He wanted to get across. It would be quick, concise, and hit the nail right on the head. What He said would be of the utmost importance to them in regard to their responsibilities at the end time.

If His church were to be in existence at the end—and surely it is because He says that the gates of the grave would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18)—then He would give His church what it needed most of all to survive and endure that period of time. He would not waste His opportunity speaking on trivial matters!

He would get to things that are essential to His people to get them through the trouble and into the Kingdom with as much growth as possible! This is the essence of those seven messages. It is the reason why they were written.

Mark 15:42-46

Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mark 15:42-46

Several points stand out in this passage:

» Evening was beginning—at best Joseph had only about three hours before sunset, when the Sabbath would begin. The task of preparing and applying the spices for burial required work, which is expressly forbidden on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-10). Additionally, Deuteronomy 21:22-23 demands that an executed criminal be buried before nightfall, and the Jewish law of the time required all dead bodies to be buried before a Sabbath or a feast day (John 19:31).

» Before he could take the body down, Joseph had to go before Pilate and receive permission. At first Pilate did not believe Jesus had died so quickly, so he called the centurion of the crucifixion detail to verify it (Mark 15:44-45). This delay must have taken at least a half hour.

» After being granted the body, Joseph went to a local shop and bought several yards of fine linen in which to wrap Jesus. With the help of Nicodemus, he then took the body down, wrapped it in the linen—along with about a hundred pounds of spices—and placed it in the tomb (John 19:39-41).

With all this activity and work between the various locations, Joseph and Nicodemus must have had very little daylight left when they finally rolled the stone over the entrance to the tomb. On this point all the accounts again concur; sunset was very near (Matthew 27:57; Luke 23:54; John 19:31).

No one disputes that Jesus was laid "in the heart of the earth" at sunset. If, as we have shown, He was buried for exactly 72 hours, He was also resurrected at sunset—not at dawn!

John 13:6-10

Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."  John 13:6-10

Kenneth N. Taylor, in his Living Gospels: The Paraphrased Gospels, puts it this way: "Master, You shouldn't be washing our feet like this!" Christ responds, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this" (verse 7).

Peter, still not convinced, flatly states, "You shall never wash my feet" (verse 8). Christ's next words, however, finally cause him to give in: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Jesus' response—whatever His tone of voice—struck the disciple squarely between the eyes: Peter's eternal life was on the line! This time, his response is quite different: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (verse 9). This sounds a little like Psalm 51:2, where David prays, "Wash me thoroughly. . . ."

Our Savior's answer to this request is not what some would expect: "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean" (John 13:10). The New International Version's translation of this verse makes His thought clear: "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." Obviously, the disciples had bathed before coming to eat the Passover meal. But having to walk along dusty roads in sandals, they collected a small amount of dirt on their feet. Thus, Christ explains that to be perfectly clean again, all He needed to do was to wash their feet.

Upon repentance, baptism, and receiving God's Holy Spirit, we are at that point perfectly clean in God's eyes. The blood of Jesus Christ has symbolically washed away all our past sins, and we stand before Him completely sinless. We have been buried in the waters of baptism and resurrected to a new life. However, as we all know, our human nature has certainly not departed from us, and it is not very long until the fact that we have sinned again stares us in the face. The old self has not really gone away; our lives are much as they were—with some important exceptions: We now have the Holy Spirit and have been given God's grace.

Having been regenerated by God through His Spirit that He has given us, we have entered a unique relationship with God the Father. The veil that once separated us from having access to Him has been torn away by the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 6:19-20; 10:19-22). Through Him, we can communicate with the Father to seek mercy and forgiveness for our sins and weaknesses. Upon repentance, God applies again the sacrifice of Christ to us and forgives us by His grace.

Now we can see that, even though we were once washed completely clean at baptism, we will occasionally sin as we walk through this life. We will spiritually get our feet dirty, and we will need Christ to wash our feet to make us completely clean again. Thus, He tells Peter, if He did not wash his feet, he would have no part with Him. None of us can carry unforgiven sins and still remain part of the body of Christ. This points out why it is so imperative that we seek His mercy and help to repent each day. When we do this, He can symbolically wash our feet and make us clean again. Each year at the Passover service, we reenact this to remind us how important it is.

Psalm 16:11

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

Do you realize that through prayer, through Bible study, and through attending Sabbath services, we are in the presence of God? In His presence is joy evermore—not discouragement, not despair, not despondency, not guilt—joy!

He is such a powerful Personality that, when we are in His presence, it is very difficult, if not impossible, not to be affected by what He is. This is why we need to pray—it is an absolute necessity! We need to take advantage of this invitation to fellowship with Him, in study and prayer, because this great Personality wants to infuse us with what He is. It becomes part of us because we are around Him.

We have a proclivity to adapt to the environment in which we find ourselves. When we have grown up in this world, our character is set in such a way that it is against God. Only by being in His presence can this anti-God attitude be counteracted. This invitation to fellowship with Him is our salvation.

And there is not just joy in His presence but love, peace, goodness, gentleness, kindness, mercy, self-control, and every other attribute of the Spirit of God. In His presence is "where it's at."

Can we see the story that is being worked out from Adam and Eve on? Through the sins of mankind, he became separated from God. But now, through Christ, the ability to return to His presence, into fellowship Him—into the very Garden of Eden, as it were—has been opened to us again. It is only in His presence that all of the good attributes of His Spirit are available to us.

This highlights the importance of Passover. It is not just the death of Christ but the effect of His death: reestablishment of communion with God, of fellowship with Him.

Having access to His presence does not mean that the Christian will never experience depression or despair, but we will never experience it for very long if we continue to fellowship with God. It will motivate us to refocus on the reality of what God is working and doing in us. In other words, our knowledge that we are keeping the commands of God and that we love our brethren and that we believe in the name (that is, the nature and all of the characteristics) of Jesus Christ will pull us out of our doldrums. We know what we have experienced with God in the past and realize that our present dilemma is not the end of the world.

The Spirit of Babylon (Part Three)

In Parts One and Two, using the writings of Enheduanna, an ancient Babylonian priestess of the goddess Inanna, we have seen that today's progressive thought mirrors its ancient counterpart remarkably well. From throwing off all restraints to transgenderism, the modern progressive world is just Babylon reborn. This similarity can be traced back to the influence of Satan the Devil, the source of immoral and anti-God beliefs in all the ages of humanity.

In the previous essay, we noted that this pernicious Babylonian influence had even infiltrated the camp of the children of Israel as they began their conquest of Canaan. During the battle of Jericho, Achan coveted and took for himself silver, gold, and "a beautiful Babylonian garment" (Joshua 7:21), the last of which God had dedicated to destruction (Joshua 6:17-19). The temptations produced by Babylon induced him to defy God's clear instructions on the disposal of Jericho's plunder.

But Babylonian fashion was not the only thing that had penetrated into Canaan. Almost immediately after the death of Joshua, the Israelites began to worship Ashtoreth (Judges 2:13)—the Babylonian goddess Inanna under a different name. Solomon's wives caused him to go after Ashtoreth as well, allowing goddess worship to attain official, royal sanction (I Kings 11:5). King Asa's grandmother, Maachah, had an Asherah image, an especially crude part of that worship (I Kings 15:13). Jeremiah refers several times to the people worshiping the "queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25), another of Inanna's titles. Ezekiel 8:14 refers to women weeping for Tammuz (Dumuzi), the husband of Ishtar/Easter—the same false goddess.

From the time the Israelites entered the land at Jericho—and likely before—they were influenced by this ancient demonic spirit. It is fitting that Israel and Judah were both taken captive into the land of Mesopotamia, as that land's gods—especially its goddess—had already enslaved the peoples' hearts. In one sense, all God did was to move their bodies to where their hearts already resided.

As we know, Genesis shows the spirit of Babylon present in Eden, and in prophecies foretelling the end of the age, God depicts Babylon as a brazen, defiant, blasphemous woman:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication." . . . The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (Revelation 17:1-2, 4-6)

Just as there is a remarkable similarity between the Serpent's words in Eden and the spirit of Inanna, so, too, John's description of the harlot in Revelation 17 and 18 matches Inanna with remarkable accuracy. Inanna was the patroness of prostitutes, just as Babylon is the mother of harlots. The goddess is depicted as wearing a prostitute's necklace of pearls, just as Babylon does in verse 4. Even as her devoted worshiper, Jezebel, slaughtered God's prophets (compare I Kings 18:4, 13, 19), so this woman becomes drunk on the blood of saints. Finally, just as the spirit of Inanna spread over all the earth, so end-time Babylon sits on multitudes of peoples, nations, and languages.

In Revelation 18:2, an angel identifies Babylon as being "fallen, fallen," which need not refer to structural integrity. "Fallen" can also imply a diminished moral state, such as "fallen angels" or a "fallen woman"—a phrase rarely used anymore for fear of being "judgmental." Verse 7 provides a further description: "In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'"

Babylon's self-glorification falls in line with Inanna's attitude and that of those influenced by that spirit. Her words—"I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow"—not only echo Inanna (the "queen of heaven"), but they also allude to God's depiction of the daughter of Babylon: "Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children'" (Isaiah 47:8). These words appear within her boast of self-sufficiency. Like Inanna, the daughter of Babylon claims the prerogatives of the Most High God, even to appropriating His title, "I AM": "For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, ‘No one sees me'; your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me'" (Isaiah 47:10; compare 45:5).

Regardless of the exact identity of this end-time city called "Babylon the Great," we must recognize that this world is completely given over to the spirit of Babylon; it permeates wherever one lives. It first appeared in Eden, and in these prophecies, we see in ungodly humanity the effects of 6,000 years under that spirit. This spirit is antagonistic toward every institution of God, even toward something as basic as a person's God-given gender. It is a spirit of deliberate androgyny—of gender-questioning, gender-bending, and gender-destroying—influencing humans to desire to be in the image of fallen angels, which do not marry (see Matthew 22:30). At its core, though, it is a spirit of self-determination and independence that rebels at the idea of submitting to anything but its own desires.

In Revelation 18:4, a voice comes from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues." We have read it many times, but we must continue to think about it because the spirit of Babylon will never retreat. Until God Himself silences it at the end of this age, it will only strengthen as more people receive and re-broadcast it. The rampantly increasing sexual perversions may not sway us, but because of human nature that remains in us, we all desire self-determination and independence. To some degree, due to our exposure to the spirit of Babylon, we still hold God at arm's length.

As Passover approaches, we need to look around—and within—and consider to what extent the spirit of Babylon is still influential in our lives.

The Spirit of Babylon (Part Two)

As we saw in Part One, what seems to be modern and progressive now is simply another iteration of something that began long ago. Even before the time of Abraham, the Babylonian priestess Enheduanna taught that individuals, to overcome the constraints of Eden and to mature in their personality, can do anything they want, even to the point of taking on prerogatives of God Himself! Enheduanna also ascribes to her goddess, Inanna, the ability to turn men into women and vice versa, anciently reflecting what the transgender movement advocates today.

Further, despite the myth of Inanna holding that she was married to a god named Dumuzi, she still took lovers whenever she wished—she would not be constrained by the divine order of marriage. The worship of Ashtoreth, one of Inanna's iterations, used Asherah poles or images (Judges 3:7; I Kings 15:13; 18:19; II Kings 21:7; 23:4; II Chronicles 15:16), and these images—abominable in God's sight—were phallic symbols. They mocked what God established in Eden. A still-later version of Inanna is found in the goddess Venus, from whose name we get the term "venereal disease." Inanna/Venus was the goddess of sex without any boundaries.

Another element of the divine order from Eden is that the husband/father is the head of the family, that is, the practice of patriarchy. However, "patriarchal" is among the very worst of epithets today. This visceral reaction to the man being the head of the family occurs because an ancient, anti-God spirit is still motivating humanity to rebel against what He instituted.

Enheduanna's poem of praise to Inanna continues: "To sneer at an answer, false or true; to say wicked words, are yours, Inanna. To joke, inflame a quarrel, provoke laughter; to defile, to esteem, are yours, Inanna." Betty De Shong Meador summarizes this quotation in her book, Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart, "Inanna feeds the creative spirit that stretches the imagination beyond social confines. She is a goddess unbound by social order." The same author notes:

God unfolds himself in the world in the form of syzygies (paired opposites), such as heaven/earth, day/night, male/female . . . Unlike the pair An and Ki, (heaven and earth, male and female), Inanna is a single deity in whose being the opposing pairs of creation are gathered. . . . Inanna exhibits both benevolent light and threatening dark. . . . She could reflect not only the best in human nature, but she could also exhibit what is abhorrent, unpleasant, dirty, sinful, terrifying, abnormal, perverse, obsessive, murderous, mad, and violent. . . . She is the element of chaos that hangs over every situation, the reminder that cultures and rules and traditions and order are constructs of humanity.

Within the events of Genesis 3, the essence of the Serpent's words is identical to what Enheduanna praises Inanna for. The Serpent promised that Eve could know—determine—good and evil for herself and experience everything in between through the exercise of her will. All she had to do was reject God and the Tree of Life. Then, she would be free to follow her destiny rather than be constrained by God. Because of the demonic spirit in Eden, humanity has been ensnared by an attitude of self-determination that vehemently resists being dependent on God or subject to Him (Romans 8:7). The motivating spirit behind the Serpent is the same one Enheduanna praised in Inanna, one who is active and stirring people to this day.

This attitude shows up in the very first person born. Jude 11 refers to "the way of Cain," loosely defined as "religion or worship on one's own terms." Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to God, but only Abel's was "by faith" (Hebrews 11:4). Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so Abel acted according to what he had heard from God. Cain would have heard the same instructions regarding sacrifices, yet he chose to bring an offering according to what he thought would honor God rather than what God specified. As the Serpent predicted, he determined for himself what was good and evil, though God had already given the standard.

This spirit again shows up again in Nimrod, the founder of Babel (Babylon) and the progenitor of many ancient religious traditions that continue to today. His name even means "rebellion" or "let us revolt." A rebel or revolutionary is one who seeks to overthrow the present order in favor of his or her own—a perennial theme of Inanna, as well as the original rebel, Satan. Genesis 10:9 says twice that Nimrod was a "mighty hunter before the LORD," but "before" also has the connotation of "against," that is, against God! In addition, the context does not specify that he hunted animals. He may have been hunting people, determining for himself who lived and died.

When God called Abraham out of ancient Ur of the Chaldees, He directed him to travel some 500 miles to the west. The actual journey would have been twice that distance because the route moves in a great arc. God purposefully moved Abraham far from this environment of self-determination and opposition to God. When we fast-forward to the story of Abraham's descendants at the battle of Jericho, an interesting detail pops up in the sin of Achan:

And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it." (Joshua 7:20-21)

Just as language is a function of a culture, so also is clothing. Even at this great distance, Babylonian culture had found its way into Canaan. However, there is more to consider here: Achan had been walking in the wilderness for forty years and probably had not read GQ or Men's Journal in quite some time. Yet, he somehow knew that the garment was Babylonian! The pervasive trappings of Babylonian culture had impressed themselves on at least one—and undoubtedly more—of the wandering Israelites, and the cultural accouterments were enticing enough to persuade Achan to defy God's clear instructions to possess this beautiful garment.

In Part Three, we will see yet more Babylonian influence, which the Bible prophesies will continue to hold sway over the minds of men until the return of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Babylon (Part One)

Genesis is the book of beginnings. In a well-known passage early within its pages, we find the beginning, not only of humanity, but also the source of humankind's separation from its benevolent Creator:

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5)

The words of the Serpent in verse 5—from the mouth of a being who had already rebelled against God—contain a motivating spirit of defiance. As the story unfolds, a promise of being just like God, able to choose for herself what is good and what is evil, sways the woman. The phrase "good and evil" is a merism, meaning that it includes everything in between those extremes. The Serpent was promising Eve that she could choose and then experience for herself anythingthat she wanted.

This biblical story is the true account of Eden, but it is not the only account. Another ancient description is penned by a Babylonian poet named Enheduanna. In her carnal depiction, we can glimpse an influential spirit that has endured the millennia to ensnare the present Western world. By contrasting the Babylonian version of Eden with the truth of God, we can better recognize the spirit of Babylon and why God tells us to "come out of her" (Revelation 18:4).

Some literary and historical scholars regard Enheduanna, a high priestess and daughter of a king, as the earliest known author and poet. Best known for producing a collection of temple hymns used throughout Mesopotamia, she exerted considerable influence in the religion of the ancient world. She lived in the city-state of Ur, from whence God called Abraham. Despite the dates being uncertain, Abraham and Enheduanna likely lived in Ur at roughly the same time, with Enheduanna slightly pre-dating Abraham. God called Abraham out of the very city and culture in which Enheduanna was a significant figure.

Apart from the hymns, Enheduanna is also known for her devotional writings to the goddess Inanna. Not a commonly recognized false deity, Inanna, the goddess of both war and erotic love, is better known by the names Ishtar (Easter), Astarte, Ashtoreth, Isis, and much later, Venus. She embodied wild abandon and willfulness. We can readily see the spirit of Inanna in the music videos of any number of pop tarts of the recent past: Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Brittney Spears, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna. (The name Rihanna even means "great queen" or "goddess.") These women and their ilk are essentially channeling the spirit of Inanna.

In her poems, Enheduanna wrote about a place called Ebih, the Babylonian version of Eden. She describes Ebih as a remote paradise—remote from Babylon—a place of harmony where animals live together in peace amid lush trees and abundant fruit. Unlike the perspective of Genesis, the Babylonians did not regard this paradise as desirable but as inferior, a place to reject and even defeat! Babylonians viewed this place of peaceful abundance as something a person should overcome as part of the process of personal growth. They thought that Ebih, with all its bounty, represented dependence—particularly on the Creator—which is contrary to personal freedom and self-determination.

The Babylonians placed an extremely high value on civilization. In the idyllic Garden, however, the individual was dependent on the cycles of nature and natural law. The Babylonians considered civilization to be a way that a person could escape dependence and determine his or her destiny apart from the natural order. They also believed that the Supreme Deity held a grudge against them because of their civilization's accomplishments. They saw Him as oppressive, believing that He worked to limit human potential and prohibit humanity from determining its own destiny through the advancements of civilization, a possible reference to His intervention in both the Flood and at the Tower of Babel.

At this point, the goddess Inanna returns to the story. Enheduanna describes how Inanna overcomes Ebih—how she defeats the Garden of God!—through asserting her independence and her absolute right to self-determination. Enheduanna expresses this point by demonstrating Inanna's freedom from any constraint. She can be good or bad, but above all, she can do anything she wants. Whereas Ebih represents yielding to divine control, Inanna conquers this by appropriating to herself the right to complete freedom to determine her own conduct.

In one of Enheduanna's poems, she praises Inanna with these words: "To destroy, to build, to lift up, to put down, are yours, Inanna." She asserts that Inanna already possesses these rights innately, whereas, in reality, they belong only to the Most High God. He at times gives such authority to His servants. For example, He tells Jeremiah, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant" (Jeremiah 1:9-10). According to the poet, though, the goddess Inanna possesses this authority without any reference to God.

The poem continues, proving that there is nothing new under the sun: "To turn man into woman [and] woman into man are yours, Inanna." This poem is 4,300 years old, yet it is describing something that is all the rage today. The media herald transgenderism as new and progressive, but the spirit behind this perversion of the natural order is very, very old. That spirit is now gaining influence and wreaking havoc on a new civilization—one that has the knowledge and technology to do gender-reassignment surgeries and hormone therapies.

Remember, Inanna's actions are part of overcoming Eden. There, God created humanity "male and female" (Genesis 1:27) and established the institution of marriage (Genesis 2:22-24). But to overcome Eden, Inanna must oppose all aspects of the divine order, so she takes to herself the right not to be constrained even by gender. Wikipedia points out that, not only was temple prostitution a major part of her worship—and may have originated with her—but also that persons of asexual or hermaphroditic bodies and effeminate men were particularly involved in her worship. Inanna was the champion of overturning the social order.

In Part Two, we will discover more modern worldviews through the eyes of this ancient Babylonian priestess, revealing the pervasive spirit of Babylon to be alive and well today.

Luke 2:11-14

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
" Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  Luke 2:11-14

The title "Christ the Lord" would probably have been said as "Messiah Adonai" in the Aramaic that these shepherds spoke. This is a not-so-subtle intimation that this newborn child was not only the promised Messiah, but also the One known as "the Lord" in the Old Testament. The angel is not merely announcing the birth of a special baby in Bethlehem but that God had been born as a human being (Matthew 1:23; John 1:14)!

In verses 13-14, Luke writes: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'" Here appears another BOOM! in the evangelist's narrative. 

Suddenly, there was not just one angel in the glory of the Lord, but a whole host of them all around the quivering shepherds. Not only were they visible, they were singing as only angels can, praising God. Their presence heightens the importance of the announcement.

The angels are obviously overjoyed that this greatly anticipated event in God's plan had finally taken place. Another huge step in God's purpose had been accomplished. Note, too, that this was not just a small, heavenly choir but the heavenly host that appeared in full force. God's vast army came to add their voices to the announcement that their great Captain had just been born!

The hymn they sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" requires some explanation. Glory is the Greek word dóxa, which means "praise, recognition, honor, worship"—the height of reverence and adulation that we could give or say to God. "In the highest" is a somewhat controversial phrase in that, as a superlative, it could modify either "glory" or "God." Thus, it could refer to the highest glory or the highest God (or even God in the highest heaven). There is a possibility that in the Aramaic, the words the angels sang may have been "Glory to the Most High God," since that is a common title of God in the Old Testament.

They also sing of peace on earth. One of Christ's titles is "The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), and He who had just been born would eventually bring peace on earth. He would do it first through His sacrifice, making peace between God and sinful man (Romans 5:1), and later He would return in glory, bringing peace to the earth with the sword (Revelation 19:11-21). He will have to impose peace at His second coming, but once He does, the earth will have real peace. Only through the birth of God's Son in Bethlehem could the process of bringing true peace to the earth begin.

The final words in the angels' song are "goodwill toward men," a long-disputed phrase. However, most modern experts in Greek agree that the whole clause should be translated, "Peace on earth among men of His good pleasure." This implies that God was bringing peace and joy especially and specifically to those to whom He had granted favor or extended grace.

During the Passover sermon Jesus gave His disciples, He says, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you" (John 14:27). His disciples, numbering a mere 120 (Acts 1:15), were the only ones who could really experience peace because they comprised the extent of those with whom God had found favor. Yet, within days, thousands more had been converted, and God's peace began to expand. Real peace, a fruit of God's Spirit (Galatians 5:22), can only be produced in those in whom God's Spirit dwells (Romans 8:14). Right now, members of God's church are the only people on earth who can really have godly peace on earth because "unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6).

We are the "men of His good pleasure." Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 12:32: "Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." We are the ones who have this favor from God. The angels' song is a declaration to us that God is with us, just as He was with Mary when He overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). As spiritual Israel and spiritual Zion, we are the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:9-10; Zechariah 2:7-8), and He will do all He can to bring us to salvation and into His Kingdom.

These passages mean so much more than what we usually see in a Christmas pageant, a nativity scene out on the town common, or hear in a catchy jingle. What we see in these announcements are elements of the way God works, and they should strengthen our faith in Him and what He is doing. They should solidify our hope in the resurrection because, not only did the Father bring His Son into the world just as prophesied, but He also guided Jesus through a perfect human lifetime to His sacrificial death for us all, resurrecting Him from the grave exactly three days and three nights later, as Jesus had said was the only sign of His Messiahship (John 2:18-22).

That glorious Holy One ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of God as our High Priest. He is the Head of the church and our soon-coming King. He promises us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5), as well as, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3). He now awaits the word from His Father to return to this earth to set up His Kingdom. What great confidence we can have that all this will happen as planned, and we will be part of it!

As the angels sang to the shepherds in the field, "Glory to the Most High God and peace on earth among those He favors!"