The Church…The Body of Christ or Religion…Babylon, the Harlot Church!

Some characteristics I see between the True Church, in which Jesus is the all-in-all, and Religious Babylon (the harlot), where the carnal mind of Self exalts itself.

The Church refers to the true body of Christ, the bride, the ekklesia; The harlot church, Babylon refers to the false church system of man-made doctrines, man-made-ideologies, man-made-traditions of the many varied religions. 

How do we distinguish between the two?

The Church is a people…the redeemed community of God; Babylon is a Thing…the institutionalized church and its systems.

The Church is a living organism; Babylon is characterized by organizations, institutions, and religious systems.

The church is a people who are identified with Jesus and His Gospel; Babylon is a people who are called by many different names that represent divisions within this Babylonian church system: Baptist, Catholic, Charismatic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and the myriad of others.

The Church consists of people who have been born into it; Babylon consists of people who have joined by the signing of membership cards and have been voted into it.

The Church is Jesus-centered and giving; Babylon is man-centered and selfish.

The Church is living by the Spirit; Babylon is living after the flesh.

The Church is heavenly; Babylon is earthly. 

The Church is grace; Babylon is law.

The Church is life; Babylon is death.

The Church is being; Babylon is doing.

The Church is rest; Babylon is works.

The Church is light; Babylon is darkness.

The church is humility; Babylon is full of pride, arrogance, and haughtiness.

The Church is liberty in Christ; Babylon is bondage to the flesh.

The Church is the Kingdom of God; Babylon is the kingdoms of men.

The Church has Jesus Christ as her Head; Babylon has elected or appointed men as their heads.

The Church is a Spirit-led people; Babylon is led by man and the rules and regulations invented by man.

The Church is Spirit-sensitive and Spirit-pleasing; Babylon is man-sensitive and man-pleasing.

The Church is busy working with Christ; Babylon is busy doing church work.

The Church accomplishes things in Holy Spirit power. Babylon tries to accomplish things through self-righteousness and self-strength.

The Church has its authority from Jesus the Word of God; Babylon gets its authority from the book about God based on man’s interpretation.

The Church is one body in Christ Jesus with Him as Lord; Babylon is sectarian and divisive, consisting of many divisions of people with the hierarchy as lord.

The Church worships God in spirit and in truth; Babylon worships God with programs and religious rituals.

The Church preaches and lives Christ and Him crucified; Babylon preaches denominationalism, doctrines, heritage, traditions, creeds, personal views and opinions.

The Church is the priesthood of all believers; Babylon is the clergy system and laity structure. The clergy are those who want to make a difference between themselves and others.

The Church answers to God as the highest authority; Babylon answers to men who are their hierarchical institutional man-appointed leaders as the authority.

The Church depends on the revelation of Christ; Babylon depends upon the revelations of man’s imagination.

The Church through the power of Jesus transforms people into the image of Jesus; Babylon conforms people into its own image, the image of man.

The Church decreases that Christ may increase; Babylon increases itself in power, position, riches, and domination that it itself may increase.

The Church counts the cost; Babylon counts the money.

The Church lays down its life for people; Babylon preserves and protects itself at the expense of people.

The Church waits upon God to raise up what God wants in His timing; Babylon schemes, organizes, and promotes to execute its own plan in its own way.

The Church seeks the Lord with a whole heart to be possessed by Him; Babylon seeks after things and people and is possessed by them.

The Church longs to be gathered into Jesus; Babylon passionately longs for people to be gathered in it to posses them.

What side of the fence does the church you go to sit? The Church side or the Babylonian side? Answer just to yourself, but please be honest with yourself and God.