A "Grain Of Wheat" Ministries publication

Written by David W. Dyer

INDEX

Chapter 1: THE PROSTITUTE (Current Chapter)

Chapter 2: BABYLON

Chapter 3: THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS

Chapter 4: TODAY’S BABYLON

Chapter 5: THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON

Chapter 6: COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE

Chapter 7: THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

PREFACE

How easy it is to criticize others but to think well of ourselves! It comes to us so naturally to perceive the deficiencies of others but not be aware of our own errors and failings. It is actually quite common for us to think of ourselves as not really being as bad, as erroneous or as misled as “those others.”

But, as you already know, those who think this way are just exposing their own hearts, revealing the pride and self-centeredness which is within them. They are failing to understand the true nature of their own soul.

The truth is that at the bottom of our hearts, no one is better than anyone else. All of us are sinners of the worst kind.

This little discussion has everything to do with our present subject. For example, never in my entire life, have I heard someone declare, “I am taking part in Babylon, “ or, “I am involved in spiritual adultery.” Instead, it is always “the others” who are wrong and never “me” or “us.”

It’s not hard in these days to find someone insisting that, “that church is part of Babylon” or, “that religious system is Babylon.” Those who make these declarations often do so to make themselves feel better or superior, since they are letting those listening to them know that they are not nearly so wrong as, and therefore much better than, those they are judging to be in error.

However, I imagine that God would like to change this practice. He would like to bring an end to this all-too-human habit. God’s objective is not, and never has been, to expose the sins of others to us so that we can feel better about ourselves.

Instead, He is always working to expose the true condition of our own hearts so that we can repent and, as a result, experience ever more of the salvation which He purchased for us.

With all this in mind, I would like to ask all readers a favor. Could you please, at least for a few moments, lay aside all preconceived ideas about this subject. Run a little risk by opening your heart and mind to something which might be different from what you already believed.

Open your hearts to God, asking that His light could shine in a way that you could receive a new understanding, a new revelation which would transform your lives.

The biblical revelation of Babylon – the prostitute of these last days – is extremely important for every child of God to understand.

My prayer is that this little book would be used by God to enlighten and bless every reader, preparing them for the imminent, second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

“Because [the prophets] have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace...” (Ezek 13:10).

“Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, “You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.‘

And the Lord said to me,
‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name.
I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their [own] heart’” (Jer 14:13,14).

“They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace” (Jer 6:14).

Chapter 1: THE PROSTITUTE

God is infinite, eternal and all-powerful. He is the creator of all things. There is nothing He needs. Consequently, we human beings have very little to offer Him. He does not need our intelligence. He does not covet our money. He does not need our efforts on His behalf. This even includes “Christian” efforts. Simply put, He is able to do His work without our help – without our particular ministries, gifts and abilities. If necessary, He can simply raise up “sons to Abraham” from the stones along the road (Lk 3:8).

However, there is one thing which God does want from us. He desires our heart. This is the one thing which we can give to God which pleases Him. If and when our heart is entirely His, then the rest of His work can be done in us and through us with power, speed and efficiency.

Any lack on our part of intelligence, gifts and/or ability can be supplied by His power and grace. When our heart is thoroughly and completely His, then all the outward things, involving our personal needs and our work for Him, can be taken care of with great ease. When our heart is His, then there are no obstacles too great for us because our loving Master is in control.

Of course you remember the first commandment which our Lord gave to us. It reads: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mt 22:37). Obviously, since this is the first and greatest commandment, God is telling us something very essential about what our relationship with Him should be.

Again He says in Proverbs: “My son, give me your heart...” (Pr 23:26). This verse is the summation of all that God really wants or needs from His children. He wants our hearts. He yearns for the complete yielding and surrender of our inner man to Him. His desire is that we would give ourselves totally and fully to Him. This is an essential and fundamental truth of which all His children should be aware.

THE DEVIL’S WORK

Yet God has an enemy, the devil. This enemy is no fool. He understands what it is that God wants from man, perhaps much better than we do. So, the devil works to distract the hearts of men from our Lord. He labors intensely to keep men and women from entering into and/or from maintaining such an intimacy with their God.

Please pay careful attention to this. One of the main works and purpose of Satan is to turn the hearts of men away from their Creator and fix them on other things. If and when he succeeds in doing this, they then become impotent and useless in the Kingdom of God and in furthering His purposes on the earth. Once their hearts are captured by other things – once their love and affection is given to something else – then the work of God in them and through them is blocked.

The devil is the “ruler (or prince) of this world” (Jn 14:30). When tempting Jesus, he claimed that all the kingdoms of the world and their “glory” were his and that he could give them to others as he pleased.

We read: “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish’” (Lk 4:5,6). Jesus did not dispute this assertion.

Now the devil in his earthly kingdom has a lot to offer which appeals to the natural man. His arsenal of temptations is vast and attractive. He has riches to give. He has a great variety of pleasures to offer. These include but are not limited to: sex, drugs, entertainments, foods of many kinds, fame, money, leisure, and sports.

If you enjoy intellectual stimulation, he can offer education, research or even puzzles or trivia game shows. If you like travel, his world is full of different destinations with their sights, sounds, and entertainments. If you prefer fame and popularity, he will help you pursue it – even within the church. If you want power over others, this too is available in the realm of business, politics, religion, etc. How about status or success? Does this draw your heart? Will you be glad when others look at you with envy because of your house, car, bank account or the amount of things you own?

The devil has an enormous array of enjoyments and earthly pursuits with which he works to attract and then capture the hearts of men and women. The above list is by no means exhaustive. It is merely meant to be a kind of basis from which the reader can begin to understand the power and attraction of the devil’s kingdom.

Not only does the devil work to distract the common man from God, he especially works on Christians to capture their heart with his offerings of fulfillment, excitement, and pleasure. When and if believers allow themselves to be seduced by these worldly attractions and enjoyments, God calls this “adultery.”

In James 4:4 we read: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” When we give our heart over to the attractions and pleasures of this world, we commit adultery against our Lord.

When our hearts love something other than Him, we betray Him in the same way an adulteress betrays her allegiance to her husband. In this way, we find ourselves being an enemy of God.

The book of Proverbs is full of warnings against being seduced to commit adultery. Chapter 7 is particularly potent and up-to-date in its instructions and warnings.

While these verses certainly can apply to physical adultery, its admonitions undoubtedly also apply to us in our walk with Jesus. I think that it might be important for all readers to review this chapter here. Clearly this prostitute of proverbs is not single. She has a “man” in her life (vs 19). Yet she is seducing the unwary among God’s people.

“My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin, that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words.

For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.

And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him; with an impudent face she said to him: ‘I have peace offerings with me; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you.

I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the appointed day.’

With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life.

Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not stray into her paths; for she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death” (Ps 7:1-27).

In the same way, the devil too has his “woman,” his prostitute. She is extremely beautiful and attractive. She is seductive in the extreme. She is called: “the world” and “all the things which are in the world.” With these things, she draws the hearts of men away from God and entangles them in a web of earthly pleasures and pursuits, thereby committing spiritual adultery against God.

THE DEVIL’S WOMAN

Please do not miss this truth. The prostitute of the devil, his “woman” so to speak, is no ugly hag. Instead, she is astoundingly beautiful. The things which she offers men and women, to distract and capture their hearts, are the most attractive and alluring things available on this earth.

Although there is certainly a deception here since none of these things ultimately satisfy the human heart, their appearance is that of the most desirable and appealing things and pleasures possible.

Now the devil is very generous with his woman, his prostitute. He will gladly share her and all her pleasures with anyone who is the slightest bit interested. He generously offered to Jesus all the kingdoms of this world and their glory (Lk 4:5,6). So today, he is willing to share the “delights” of his kingdom to all who will open their hearts to them.

Let us be clear that many of the devil’s offerings are not in themselves sinful. Making money is not sinful. Buying things is not sinful. Having some entertainment or leisure time is not sinful.

Yet, if we are not careful, these and many other things which this world has to offer begin to capture our hearts. They begin to seduce us, taking our time, attention, and affections. They begin to occupy a place in our hearts which should be reserved for God alone.

We read: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I Jn 2:15).

Our God is a jealous God. He is jealous for our affections. He wants to be the One who fills our hearts. He is the One after whom we should long and He should be the focus of all our desires. This is not only what He seeks, but it is also the one and only thing which will truly satisfy the human heart.

We were created to be in this kind of love relationship with our Creator. Therefore, it is only when we yield ourselves to Him in complete surrender, that we find satisfaction. It is only then that we find ourselves complete and contented. The delights, pursuits and goals which the world offers as a substitute for this are always elusive.

Even if we manage to attain them, they never really “hit the spot.” When we pursue the devil’s offerings of earthly pleasure and/or attainment we will never be at peace and never truly find the satisfaction which we are seeking. We were made by God and for God. Therefore, it is only when we find our all in Him that we will also be content and at peace. 

End of Chapter 1

Read other chapters online:

Chapter 1: THE PROSTITUTE (Current Chapter)

Chapter 2: BABYLON

Chapter 3: THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS

Chapter 4: TODAY’S BABYLON

Chapter 5: THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON

Chapter 6: COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE

Chapter 7: THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH