called
upon the name of the Lord, "Who, Lord, shall ascend to the high mountain of our God
and King?"
He answered, "He who has a broken and contrite heart. He who
humbles himself in My presence. He is the one who shall ascend unto My holy hill."
And I called again and I asked, "Lord, how does one humble himself? Man is so full of
pride."
And He said, "He who humbles himself is he who recognizes his
pride and breaks before Me. I will see him. I will come to him. I will break his heart. He
will weep and mourn for he will know that he is a man of unclean lips. I will see him and
I will lift him up. But if he lifts himself up, I will let him fall again."
I asked again, "Lord, where do we go from here?"
And He answered, "Where do you want to go? Whatever is in your
heart, that is where you will go. If it is in your heart to follow after Me, then we will
walk together and abide in deeper and richer things. We will go from glory to glory, from
faith to faith. Yes, we will ascend and ascend, every round going higher and higher. This,
My son, is a place in Me. I am Mount Zion. I am My holy hill. When I say come unto Me, I
am calling you up to My high hill.
"If, on the other hand, it is in your heart to go down to Babylon
or back to Egypt, then you shall go there. The rewards of Babylon will be there and the
jewels of Egypt will be yours. Only do not trust in them for they cannot save you, and in
that hour when I come in all My glory, do not try to ransom your soul with them. They are
vile to Me. I shall cast them away from you. I shall strip you naked and leave you in your
shame.
"There is glory in Babylon and there are riches in Egypt, but they
will go down to the pit. For from the pit have they ascended. They are flesh and appeal to
the flesh. Do not touch them. Do not go after them, for surely they shall be yours if you
like."
"Lord," I inquired, "this is a great deception isn't
it--Babylon and Egypt?"
"There has never been a greater deception than this," He
answered.
I shuddered at the thought of this.
"So great is this deception," He explained, "that men go
down to Babylon, adorn themselves in religion and piety, and truly believe that they have
come unto Me. They are shaken to anger at the suggestion that this, their Babylon, is not
of Me, that I am not there.
"And Egypt, what can I say of My son, Egypt? He, too, is beautiful
and rich and dwells in houses and owns land and buys and trades and sells in the
marketplace. The prosperity abounds and so does the deception. For in their riches they
live and move and have their being. But where will their riches get them, and what will it
buy them when I come? I will look the poor man in the eye and see from whence came his
hunger. I will look the rich man in the eye and ask from whence came his satisfaction, and
he will be lifted up in his heart, and he will show Me all the things in his barns and
say, 'My Lord, from all that is mine.' I will turn again to the poor man, and I will ask
from whence came your poverty, and he will point to the rich man's barn and say, 'My Lord,
from all that is his.' From whence comes your satisfaction? The poor man will bow and say,
'Ah, my Lord, from You; from You, my Lord, from You.'"
I said, "Lord, speak plainly to us. What is Babylon and what is
Egypt?"
He answered, "Babylon is all that the carnal mind devises. It is
the pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of man who exalts his own knowledge above the
knowledge of God.
"As for Egypt, this is the flesh and all the lust thereof.
"Can you not see, My son, how the carnal mind has devised his own
plan with all its traditions and labeled it church? For generations men thought
this was of Me and for Me, but it is not so. This is the harlot, the woman who sits on
many waters, who pretends allegiance to Me, but she is widowed. She is not My bride. Her
deception is great. She has attained for herself the riches of this world. She has
lavished herself with fine buildings and calls them temples and cathedrals and synagogues
and churches. She has dressed herself in royal robes which she wove by her own hands. The
linen I give is righteousness which has been purchased by My blood. She has accrued great
riches with bank accounts and investments and have men bound to her by these things. She
has purchased these things by the blood of martyrs.
"Everywhere you look, you can see the harlot. She is everywhere in
men's hearts. Men go after her, and she loves it so. She is not married, but has taken
unto herself many lovers. She is defiled and those who sleep with her are defiled.
"Mercy and peace are with those who have eyes to see and ears to
hear when the trumpets sound and the call goes forth, 'Come out of her, My people, come
out!'
"The road to Zion is paved with humility."
"Lord," I cried, "it's so hard to say. Why is it so hard
for me to say it plainly? Why is it so hard for you to say it plainly?"
He answered, "Because the deception is so great.
"Christianity is a religion, and religious men are caught in its
web. Who can hear Me," said the Lord, "or who can hear My prophets when it is
said of Christianity that it, as a religious system, is a false religion? Who can
understand when I declare that all religion is false? The greatest deception of all is for
men to come to it in My name, thinking they have come to Me. I am not an "it." I
am not a religion. I am the living and true God. I require that men come unto Me and
renounce all religion, but who can hear?
"Religion has boundaries. I am boundless. It has its laws and
rules and regulations. I offer grace and love and peace. Religion binds men; I free them.
Religion suppresses men; I call them to ascend into the heavenlies. Religion restrains and
controls; I release. Religion requires obedience to it; I require obedience to Me. Yes,
obedience is far better than sacrifices. I loathe religion and religious men. They are
dangerous and spread the deception to innocent hearts."
"Lord, you have spoken plainly. So where shall they go who come
out of Babylon?"
And He answered simply, "To Jesus."
"Ascend, My holy ones, ascend into the heavenlies. Sit at My right
hand and at My left. I will show you mysteries. I will show you great and glorious things.
"You are My witnesses--My two witnesses--one on My left and the
other on My right. On My left is grace and mercy and peace. And on My right is
righteousness, justice, and wrath. I am a two-edged sword. My sword goes forth out of My
mouth. It divides the righteous from the unrighteous. It is sharp and quick and sure.
"Behold, I am dividing right from wrong. I am making straight the
path. I am exalting valleys. I am moving mountains. The high will be made low, and the low
will be made high.
"If he cannot understand this (the man of sin), let him go down
into his house, shut his door and weep and mourn, for surely pity shall come upon his
house."
"How shall they come out of Babylon?" I asked the Lord.
"They shall come out by coming unto Me. Simply leave. The door is
opened. The way is made clear. The prophets have gone before. Do not look back. Do not go
back. Simply leave.
"And when they criticize you and call you blasphemous names, let
your head be as flint; be silent; be at peace; love them; turn the other cheek, for they
so persecuted your fathers before you.
"Do not look back. Do not do anything. Do not say anything. Simply
leave. Say in your heart, 'I have left Babylon and have ascended the high hill of my God.
I have come to Mount Zion, to Jesus, the author and finisher of My faith.'
"You cannot take Zion down to Babylon. You have to come out of
her. You cannot sing Zion's songs in Babylon. They can only be sung in Zion.
"Zion is a place in the Spirit where Jesus is the only thing there
is."
"Lord," my questions seemed endless, "this kind of
freedom, this independence, this liberty--will it not be a great threat to those who lead
in Babylon?"
"Oh yes, My son, they will take great offense at My holy ones.
They will say you are deceived. They will slander, accuse, and defame you. They would plot
to kill you if they could. For you, My holy ones, have become what they cannot, because
they cannot let go of what they have. Yet, it shall all very soon be taken from them
anyway."
"Tell me, Lord, in view of all of this, have we really heard the
gospel yet? What is the gospel? Speak plainly to us."
"The gospel has been twisted and perverted to fit the molds of
traditions and religions--so uniquely so, that men confuse the Christ with their systems
and join converts to them rather than to Him.
"But the truth of the gospel is this: that I, the Lord God of
Israel, came in human flesh, fulfilled the Law and Prophets, shed My blood of
righteousness, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven where I now sit at the right
hand of God the Father, where I intercede on behalf of the saints, and through faith am
gathering unto Myself My assembly of holy ones. They are gathered into Me. They are My
general assembly of the first-born. I have birthed them by My Spirit. I have filled them
with My Spirit. I lead them by My Spirit. They are one in faith, hope, spirit, and love.
They are everywhere and worship Me in spirit and truth. In obedience they serve Me where
they are, out of who they are in Me. And none of this has anything to do with that Thing
men call church. They are My body, My temple, My holy ones, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation. They are above institutionalism--beyond doctrines, creeds, and rituals. They
are not religious. They are sanctified.
"This is the good news: that Jesus Christ is Lord. And whosoever
shall call upon His name shall be saved."
"Lord, I know of young pastors, Spirit-filled, who love you and
want to go on with you. What shall they do once they see these things?"
"No man having put his hands to the plow and looking back is fit
for the kingdom of heaven."
"Again, I plead with you, my Lord, speak plainly."
And He said, "He who sees these things and obeys My word will
simply come out. He will leave home and family and friends and come out. It is a hard
word, who can hear?
"These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Rev.
14:4.
"Lord, what shall I do with this word?"
"Shout it from the housetops. Proclaim it to the nations. What has
been revealed to you in secret, proclaim it in the open. Be bold! Be forthright! Be
strong! Speak it boldly. Shock the nations. Rattle their doors. Shake their foundations.
If they cannot stand, they are not of Me. If it can be shut down and closed up, it is not
of Me. If it can be tossed by the wind, it is not of Me. If it produces anger and violence
and malicious gossip and slanderings and lies from those who hear it, they are not of Me,
for such things do not come out of Me.
"Behold, I have laid My foundation. I have built My walls. And now
I am dropping My plumb line. My word of truth goes forth. That which does not align with
My word will be torn down and cast into the sea. I am sending My prophets again. They go
out in the spirit of Elijah, preaching the kingdom of God and calling men everywhere to
repent and be immersed into Jesus. They are My "John the Baptists." They go
forth to prepare the way of the Lord.
"Shall I return to wed a harlot? Oh, how repulsive that is to Me.
Nor shall I take unto Myself those who are joined to her. Search your hearts, My people.
Babylon is in the heart. Come out of her and she will come out of you. Zion, likewise, is
in the heart. Come unto Me and I will become your only love.
"Arise. Shine. Come unto Me."
"Lord," I prayed, "forgive me for the fear and the
intimidation I feel when I think about speaking these things out."
"You shall know the harlot by this as well, that she has such a
powerful control over the hearts and minds of men that they are laden with fear to dare
come out of her, let alone speak against her. She is the epitome of idolatry and full of
idolatry, and all those joined to her are idolaters. Now you must realize, My son, that a
thing is an idol when men have put their trust and love in it. And idolaters do not want
their idols touched. It is a dangerous thing to touch another man's idol. As you speak
these things, you will be pulling down strongholds and shattering idols--and you will be
hated by many for My name's sake.
"Now the harlot, the mother of harlots, is the spirit of Satan
himself. He has hidden behind her skirt and deceived the nations. He is last of all
willing for her to be exposed. He is, indeed, the great dragon and will try to consume My
bond-servants, those I am sending forth in My name to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom
and to expose the harlot and her counterfeits.
"A fierce war has begun in the heavenlies. All hell is loosed to
destroy My bond-servants if they could, but they cannot even so much as touch them because
they are dead and hidden in Me. This is why the fear is so compelling. It is real.
Nevertheless, My bond-servants will, indeed, follow Me wherever I go at all cost to their
own lives."
"Why is it so hard to leave Babylon? Why can't Christian people
just walk away from it?"
"The spirits of Babylon are numerous and very compelling. At the
head of the system is the mother of harlots, Jezebel. She is disguised as the bride and,
thereby, has deceived the best of hearts. Yet, she is an enticing spirit. Her seductive
ways appeal to the flesh of men and their desire for power, position, and riches. Working
under her are all the Ahabs: the kings and rulers in the churches, spirits
operating through prideful men. The Ahabs are the Nicolaitans--the conquerors of the
people. They are the clergy system that elevates itself above the people. Working for them
are such other demons as pride, haughtiness, control, position, authority, power,
possessiveness, domination, ownership, jealousy.
"These spirits rule the churches, the systems, and the
people under them. They rule through spirits of fear and intimidation. Cooperating with
these are spirits of tradition, dogmatism, sectarianism, doctrine, sentimentalism,
denominationalism; the warring spirits are confusion, hatred, division, divisiveness,
bitterness, and the like. These have holds on men and are strongholds in the minds of men.
But at the root of them all are the despicable spirits of religion.
"For men to come out, they must first understand these things.
Then they must repent of them and come unto Me with a pure heart. I will deliver them. I
will separate them and cleanse their defiled hearts. I will dress them in readiness and
prepare them for My banqueting table. I will feed them the good fodder of My word instead
of the indigestible twigs of men's mind. Who can digest the human intellect? Who can
swallow its lies and deceits? The answer is everyone. For man is stupid and devoid of
knowledge. But he who has My Spirit will hunger and thirst after Me, and I will reveal My
nature to him. He will come unto Me, and I will sup with him and he with Me. He is the one
who can come out of the harlot.
"He is the one who will come out of the harlot, for I shall lose
not one whom the Father has given to Me--none, except the son of perdition.
"The harlot is everywhere. She is in the ministry, seeking to
promote herself in power, position, and riches. She is in the ministers--the Ahabs, the
Nicolaitans. She plays politics to promote herself. She lies, cheats, defrauds; she will
do anything to get ahead. She is full of ambition and selfish desires. She is an
abomination to Me, the very opposite of My nature and of the nature of My bride.
"This, My son, is why I say a woman is to be quiet and gentle and
submissive, for she bears the joy of the bride in her heart. She loves her lover. The
harlot loves herself. The bride gives of herself. The harlot takes unto herself. The bride
hides herself in hiddenness. The harlot exposes herself--even in her doorway. She
advertises herself and entices men to come into her, be joined to her for the pleasures of
the flesh. Self is flesh. Anything for Self is flesh. This is why it is the abomination
that makes desolate My holy place. My holy place is the spirit of men. When that spirit is
defiled by the flesh, that is an abomination to Me.
"The harlot is the flesh nature of man that has taken its rule in
the churches--self-aggrandizement, men seeking to increase themselves in flocks.
They count numbers and glory in them. They own their own sheep and call them Mine. They
lie, for they are not My sheep. They make disciples unto themselves, of themselves, and
for themselves. They fleece their flocks for their own sordid gain. These are not My
ministers. They are hirelings and Nicolaitans.
"The harlot is ugly and hides her ugliness in gaudy garments and
decorates her face in lavishing colors. She hides behind these things. She is ashamed of
her sin. Yet, she will not repent. She cannot repent. She is evil from within."
"What about the harlot, Lord? Who or what is the harlot spirit?
How can we know when she is operating?"
"The harlot spirit, My son, is anything for Self. She is the
abomination that makes desolate My holy place. My bride, My holy bride is robed in
righteousness. She has eyes only for Me. She is given wholly to Me. She is pure and
undefiled and seeks nothing for herself. She is the laid-down life. She denies herself of
Self, takes up her cross, and follows Me daily. My bride is beautiful and shines in the
innocence of her holiness. She is separated unto Me. She is joined to Me. I am her husband
and she is My only true love. I have birthed her. I have given her sup. I have adorned her
in righteousness, beauty, and holiness. My bride is hard to see in the world because she
is quiet, unassuming, gentle, meek--she is hidden in Me.
"But the harlot--she is loud and boisterous. She seeks herself.
She wishes to expand her own bosom with the wealth of the nations. She seeks Self in
everything, and everything she does is for Self. She has painted her face with all manner
of atrocities. She loathes the bride. For she has no husband. She is a harlot. She takes
anyone or anything into her bosom if it brings about an increase to her. She is an
abomination to Me because she is full of boasting. She is deceitful. She is carnal. She is
a harlot. A harlot is untrue. She is the counterfeit.
"Men come to her seeking Self--self-aggrandizement, self-reliance,
self-pity, self-strength, self-anything. Self, Self, Self. This, My son, is how you can
know if the harlot is at work: Ask yourself, 'Is what I am about to do, or is what I am
discerning have to do with Self? Am I seeking Self? Or am I seeking the good of others?'
If it is Self, it is the harlot every time. If it is from Me," says the Lord,
"it will be for others; it will be the laid-down life of agape.
"She is a deceiver. She holds out all sorts of promises. She
promises life and joy and prosperity and peace; and, in return, she charges a price. She
cannot offer these things; for, in fact, those who go into her go down into Sheol--they go
down into death, into poverty, into despair, into bondage and anguish.
"Ah, she cannot offer these things. Only I can offer life and joy
and peace and blessing and happiness. These are found in Me. She says, take unto yourself
what is yours. I say, lay it down. She says to live, drink, and be merry. I say, weep and
mourn. She says, I will give you pleasure and great delight. But I say, I will give you
life everlasting. Ah, she cannot offer you peace. She cannot offer you these things. They
are not hers. She entices her lovers into thinking she holds these things, but she does
not.
"The harlot is Self--anything for Self. You play the harlot when
your heart goes after any substitute for Jesus.
"Remember this, My son, and guard your heart. Empty yourself of
Self. Stay humble, broken, empty before Me. I will fill you up. I will be your joy, your
satisfaction, your everything.
"Beware of the harlot. She is everywhere--in every window, every
door, every street corner. She is in the voice of everyone who speaks. She is boasting,
bragging, enticing, flattering, and seductive. Beware! Beware!
"The harlot is in the bosom of every man. She rises up and says I
want this or that, or I want to do this or that, or I want to be this or that. At all
times and in every way she seeks herself. Can you see her in the church? Can you
see her in the ministry? Can you see her on the boards and committees, in places of high
leadership? Can you see her in the pew? Can you see her in the choir? Everywhere she lifts
her skirt to dance her own dance to the tune she has written in her own invention. And
when she has finished, she takes her bows and receives her accolades, her applause, her
plaques and trophies; she decks her walls with them. She is the harlot, the counterfeit to
My bride who is simply hidden in Me."
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35.
The trumpet call is sounding: "Come out of her, My people!"
"Let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Heb. 13:13.