The Great Nations of To-day

CHAPTER XIV. THE THREEFOLD MESSAGE: WHAT IS IT AS TO BABYLON THE DAUGHTERS?

GOD would have healed Babylon, but she would not be healed. In the Reformation He sent a balm for her, if so be that she might be healed; but she would not receive it, and, therefore, the Lord was obliged to leave her to her own ways. GNT 146.1

In the Reformation the Lord sent His gospel anew, and with power, to all people. At that time all the people, except the scattered few of the “Church in the wilderness,” were in Babylon, because all nations were under the dominion of Rome. Multitudes received the gospel, and walked in the light as it was then revealed. But as that was the first step out of darkness, there were other steps to be taken, to reach the fullness of the gospel: there was advance light in which to walk. GNT 146.2

And here again history began to repeat itself: Many of those who had come out of darkness, and had taken the first steps into the light of the gospel, stopped there, being satisfied with that: they counted themselves sufficiently rich, and increased with goods, and therefore in need of nothing. And, as the consequence, they grew proud of what they had, exalted themselves upon what they had, and became exclusive. Then, as the gospel must go on, as the light must increase more and more unto the perfect day, it followed that all those who would walk in the advancing light, all who would receive more truth,—the fuller gospel,—were excluded from the company of those who were self-satisfied, and were obliged to go forward as had the others at the first. GNT 146.3

Then, in turn, these became satisfied with what they had, grew proud of it, exalted themselves upon it, and became exclusive. But as the gospel must still advance; as the light must shine yet more fully; and as those who would walk in the advancing light, and would receive more truth, could not do so and be recognized as of the company of those who had taken the former steps, they must, in turn, inevitably go on in a separate company. GNT 147.1

On this subject Mosheim says:— GNT 147.2

“The doctrine of the Lutheran Church remained entire during this [seventeenth] century; its fundamental principles received no alteration, nor could any doctor of that Church, who should have presumed to renounce or invalidate any of those theological points which are contained in the symbolical books of the Lutherans, have met with toleration and indulgence.” GNT 147.3

And again:— GNT 147.4

“The method ... observed by Calvin ... was followed, out of respect for his example, by almost all the divines of his communion, who looked upon him as their model and their guide.” Instead of continuing to be reformers, they became respectively Lutherans, Calvinists, etc. GNT 147.5

Thus each phase of advancing truth developed a separate denomination. And this is the whole philosophy of the principal divisions manifest in the different denominations of Protestantism. Primarily, of course, it should not have been so; yet, under the circumstances as they developed, secondarily it became essential that it should be so. If those who started in the Reformation had continued to walk in the light as it shone more fully, if they had received advanced truth as they grew in the knowledge of the gospel, it is plain enough that there never could have been any new denomination; they would all have been reformers in one continuous and progressive reformation. GNT 148.1

And that is as it should have been. But when, instead of that, those who had received light and truth refused to receive more, when they held that they had all the light and all the truth; and grew proud, self-exalted, and exclusive because of it; and when they excluded from their company those who would receive increased light and advanced truth,—then, in the nature of things, there was nothing else for these to do but to associate together in the fellowship of the light and truth that they had received, and in the spirit of the gospel to spread it to all people. GNT 148.2

Then, history further repeated itself. These successive denominations, each in turn refusing to go further, and so rejecting truth, were turned from originally the “Gate of God” to “confusion.” Each one, in turn, as the mother at the first, joined herself to another man: they accepted kings of the earth as their head, in place of Christ, the true Head, and thus entered into illicit connection with the kings of the earth. GNT 148.3

The Emperor of Germany to-day, as king of Prussia, is the head, the supreme pontiff, of the Lutheran Church in Prussia. In the Scandinavian countries also the Lutheran is the State Church, and there the head of the State is the head of that Church. In England the sovereign is head of the Church of England; and in Scotland the same sovereign is head of the Church (Presbyterian) of Scotland. And so, because the same person is sovereign of both countries, the same person is head of one Church in England and of another in Scotland: is an Episcopalian when in England, and a Presbyterian when in Scotland. The Independents, or Congregationalists, who had not joined themselves to the State in Europe, did so in the New England colonies; while the Church of England was the established church in all the Southern colonies. Thus it came to pass that in the “New World,” Church and State were united in every colony, except only Rhode Island, and the whole influence of these churches and of the colonial governments was enlisted in sustaining the illicit union of professed Protestantism and the State, after the very example of “Babylon the Great, the mother.” GNT 149.1

But in Virginia, immediately after the Declaration of Independence, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, and the Quakers took the lead in a movement that became universal and even national on this side of sea. That movement was the total separation of religion and the State, bringing the churches back to the original “principles on which the gospel was first propagated and the Reformation from popery carried on.” After a contest of nearly ten years, this splendid task was accomplished for the State of Virginia, “with the hope that it would endure forever.” GNT 150.1

The long and universal discussion of this great subject in the State of Virginia had drawn the attention of all the other colonies to this great principle; and when, immediately upon the triumph of the principle in Virginia, the convention was called to form the Constitution, and frame a government, for the whole nation, this principle of the total separation of Church and State was established in the National Charter, and was recognized as a fundamental principle of the nation. And from this the influence spread, and caused that “in every other American State oppressive statutes concerning religion fell into disuse, and were gradually repealed.” GNT 150.2

Thus, in the great nation of the United States, Protestantism was placed in its original attitude, as in the beginning of the Reformation,and as the first principles of the Reformation required; and also in the original attitude of Christianity as it was preached by Christ and the apostles, and as the fundamental principles of Christianity require. Thus Protestantism—the Church, even in its different denominations—turning once more to her own true Lord, became clothed with a power that made her once more, and rightly, the “Gate of God.” And the benign influence of this excellent example acted upon all the nations of the Old World, and led them forward in the path of light and liberty, which is the path of true Protestantism, which is the path of true Christianity, which is the path of the total separation of the Church from the State: the path in which the Church walks only with her true Husband, her dependence solely upon God. GNT 150.3

Then, in 1840-44 there came the time when, “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” God would send the message of “the everlasting gospel,” proclaiming to all men: “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7. The Church in this great nation, standing in an attitude the purest and the closest to God of any in the world,—in the nature of things, this Church would be the chosen instrument by which God would spread that message of blessing and of warning to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Also, in the nature of things, this nation would be the place where that Message would rise in its power, and from which it would spread to all nations. GNT 151.1

Here was a wonderful blessing that God had for His Church at that time,—a blessing by which she would have been indeed the “Gate of God” to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” on the earth. Here was a Message from God that opened up to the Church the length and breadth and depth and height of the glory of the everlasting gospel as it had never been seen since the days when the apostles preached it in the fullness of its living power. In this Message was “the mystery of God” revealed in all its fullness,—God manifest in the flesh,—Christ in men “the hope of glory.” And all this blessing and glory was to be proclaimed to all the world in view of the fact that “the hour of His judgment is come;” and in order that men might be fitted to stand holy and without blame before God, ready in all respects to be translated without seeing death, at the coming of the glorious Lord. GNT 152.1

But lo! instead of receiving this wonderful blessing; instead of rejoicing and being glad that God had sent to her a message that would clothe her with such power as would make her the instrument of God’s greatest work for the salvation of the nations; she refused the blessing, rejected the message of God, and would not walk in the light that had come to her and to the world. GNT 152.2

Then history again repeated itself. By thus rejecting the message of God, there was a “falling away” again. from the truth, and she that had been the “Gate of God” became “confusion,” and of her it had to be said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” GNT 152.3

Faith is the strength and salvation of the Church, as of the individual. Faith is the breath of life of the Church, as of the individual; and, like the breath of life, it must be constantly and momentarily used, in order to live by it; because “the just shall live by faith;” and faith comes by hearing the word of God. GNT 153.1

Since, then, faith comes by hearing the word of God, whenever any word of God, any message of the word of God, is rejected, faith itself is rejected; because it is impossible to retain faith while rejecting that by which alone faith comes. Further: when any advance light or additional truth is rejected, in that there is not only a rejection of this advance light and truth, there is also the rejection of whatever light and truth was formerly possessed. A person refusing to breathe, rejects not only renewed life, but loses the life that he already has. GNT 153.2

This is strongly illustrated in the words of Jesus concerning the people of His day on earth, who rejected Him: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.” John 15:22. Before Jesus came, these people were walking in the light of faith as they then had it, and Jesus testifies that they were accepted in it. If those persons had died before Jesus came, they would have been saved, because “they had not had sin.” But when He came with such light and truth and glory; when He spoke to them such words as had never been spoken to them; when He did among them such works as none ever had done; and when they rejected it all and refused Him; in so doing they rejected all true faith; not only the present faith in Him and His message, but also the faith which they had before He came, and which made them accepted before God in their day before He came. Accordingly, Jesus further said: “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.” Verse 24. GNT 153.3

Men can not reject the truth of God, and still retain the truth of God: they can not refuse to walk in the light, and still walk in the light: they can not hate Christ and God, and still be the brethren of Christ and the children of God. GNT 154.1

Consequently, when in 1840-44 God’s wonderful message of the everlasting gospel of light and blessing and of truth, to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, came bringing to them the presence, the power, the righteousness, of God, which would prepare them to stand in the judgment,—when this was rejected, and when God’s messengers whom He sent to give it were hated and persecuted, then she which had been the “Gate of God” in her day, ceased to be the “Gate of God,” and became only “confusion.” GNT 154.2

As long as a person walks in the light of God, loves and accepts the truth of God, however that truth may come to him; so long the presence and the power of God will accompany him, and he will have influence with men. When Jacob knew that he had no strength against Esau, who was coming with four hundred armed men, he earnestly sought God all night, until the break of day; and when the angel exclaimed, “Let me go, for the day breaketh,” Jacob said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” “And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Genesis 32:26-28. GNT 155.1

Thus the abiding presence and power of God is the only true source of legitimate power and influence with men. And continuing to walk in advancing light, the receiving of additional truth, is the only true means of having this abiding presence and power of God; because this is the only way of faith: and faith is the only means of God’s dwelling with us, or we with Him. Therefore, in the nature of things, whenever advance light or additional truth is rejected, the power and presence of God are lost; and, in this, the true source of legitimate power and influence with men is lost. And whenever this is so, whether in the case of an individual or of a church, this loss is discerned by that individual or that church: and then resort is invariably had to inventions of their own, to external and worldly means, to secure power and influence with men. GNT 155.2

In all the instances in all this course of history, from the apostles’ days until now, whenever a church has refused to walk in the advancing light, has refused to receive additional truth, she has separated from the presence and power of God, and then has invariably resorted to inventions of her own, and to external and worldly means of securing power and influence with men. And ever since 1840-44 it has been so with this collective Church of Protestantism in the United States. She rejected the message of God; and so separated herself from the presence and power of God, and thus lost power and influence with men. GNT 156.1

But power belongs to the Church of God. That is settled. And power she will have: power she must have, or perish. But it is only the power of God that can keep her alive. By any other power, however great it may be, she will surely perish. The power of God, as manifested in the true gospel of Christ, draws men; for it is written: “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” And, in the nature of things, when the Church has rejected the drawing power of the everlasting gospel of the crucified Christ, she is compelled to resort to other means of drawing men. And when she resorts to other means to draw men, again, in the nature of things, she draws them not unto Christ, but unto herself: there is a “falling away;” she exalts herself, in the place of God, and draws disciples to herself. GNT 156.2

Everybody knows that the Protestant churches in the United States have followed this very course. Beginning with strawberry festivals in summer, and oyster suppers in winter, they have passed through the successive stages of “grab-bags,” “fish-ponds,” “kissing bees,” “auction sales,” “ring-cakes,” “crazy suppers,” lotteries, raffles, etc., etc., etc. All this is too notorious to need any sort of proof. GNT 157.1

And this bad gradation, from the milder to the more intense sort, is all perfectly logical: because when the churches had resorted to such means of drawing the crowd and “influencing the masses,” the milder forms of entertainment soon grew stale. And these having lost their drawing power, other and more novel devices had to be invented. As these, in turn, grew stale and lost their power to draw, still others had to be invented. And at last they were brought to their wits’ end for any such sources. GNT 157.2

But there was one source of power and influence with men that still had not been touched: that was—the State. And true to the logic of the case, and true to the whole course of history, this power of the State was at last not simply invoked, but under threats of political perdition to legislators, and “bull-dozing their congressional representatives,” they actually seized the power of the United States government, and since have boasted that they hold the government of the United States in their hands. And by their own statements and the acknowledgment of the leading statesmen of the nation, the power of the State and the influence of the law are the only power and influence depended upon by the Church to control the masses, even of her own membership. GNT 157.3

And thus these churches have run the whole course, after the example of “Babylon the great, the mother:” and, by rejecting truth, separating from their Lord, and joining themselves to Powers of the earth, they have made themselves true daughters of “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” GNT 158.1

Thus the rejection of the message of the everlasting gospel proclaimed by the first of the three angels of Revelation 14, resulting in the “falling away” from the truth, and the formation of Babylon the daughters. And, therefore, the second message became due to the world, and must be given: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” GNT 158.2

And as the first “falling away,” which resulted in Babylon the mother, ended in the formation of “the Beast,“ so this latter falling away, which results in Babylon the daughters, ends in the formation of “the Image of the Beast.” And this necessitates the third of the three angels’ messages,—the great and mighty Third Angel’s Message,—which follows the first two, “saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the Beast and his Image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.” Revelation 14:9, 10. GNT 158.3

Such is the philosophy, and such the course, of the things that are the cause of the Third Angel’s Message being given to the world. And thus we are brought to the time of the Third Angel’s Message, and to the condition of things which demands that that message shall be given. And, therefore, we are brought to the consideration of the Third Angel’s Message itself, as it has to do with “the Beast and his Image.” GNT 159.1