John,
I often have wondered how to understand these two statements correctly, assuming what I think they are saying is true.
1. The Spirit is saying, “Come out of Christianity!”
2. The fire that will destroy Babylon (Christianity) will start inside Babylon.
Wendell
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Hi Wendell.
Yes, Ezekiel did say that a fire would be ignited within Babylon [Christianity] that will destroy her, and yes, God said through Jeremiah and John that He wants his people to come out of Babylon. Those two events need not be associated directly if the fire that starts within Christianity is not the fire of the holy Spirit, as we have often thought. It could be a case of a fiery rebellion of carnal men within the Christianity who do not belong to Christ. Also, we know that the Beast and his ten kings will be the ones who actually destroy Christianity; therefore, the fire that starts within Babylon doesn’t have to be the “holy ghost and fire”.
Still, the prophecy in Ezekiel about the fire in Babylon strikes me as referring to the “holy ghost and fire”, and if that fire that is within God’s people ever gets ignited again, they will see the truth about Church religion and follow the lamb out of it. In doing so, they will be removing from Christianity the only thing preventing God from destroying it. After all, Paul did say that God is ready to avenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled. So, if the Spirit wakes up God’s people and they hear the voice calling them to “Come out of her, my people!”, that exodus of out Christianity by God’s people could be the spark that will lead to Christianity’s eventual destruction by the Beast.
Thanks for the question.
jdc