Babylon

For years there has been talk about fleeing Babylon, we are not of the world but in the world, etc. And today as there is speculation and talk about the impending coming of the Lord and the building of the New Jerusalem, there is again focus on the idea of fleeing Babylon.  I think, however, that we don’t have a very complete understanding of what Babylon is.  We are under the assumption that if we have property somewhere and grow our own food and raise our own meat that we have left Babylon.  But what about the power we use, the food storage we buy, the furniture we use, the taxes we pay, do we use a phone, or watch tv?  All of that is part of Babylon.  But, there is a much more deeply ingrained aspect to Babylon that we often don’t thing about.

My friend Sarah shared with our Fellowship some things she has been struggling with and pondering on. With her permission, I would like to share with you some of what the Lord had taught her and I think this is a great expose into the depth of Babylon that we must leave behind.

“It is because of the false teachings of Babylon that you are so hard on yourself, and cannot accept the unconditional love that I offer to you. You shrink from me because you have been taught according to the economy of Babylon. Things such as; you have to earn everything that you get, and have to prove yourself; failure is not allowed, and a reason to feel shame -even your perspective on what constitutes success vs. failure and perfection vs. imperfection are not correct. You have been taught that weaknesses and flaws are unacceptable, and make you un-loveable; and that appearances must be kept for everyone else’s pleasure and comfort. You have been taught that you have to be the best, and if you’re not, you are at the bottom; inequality is the normal pattern, and all must compete. In Babylon faith is scorned, and I am viewed as distant, not approachable; full of wrath, anger, and punishment. You have been taught justice must be served, rather than compassion and mercy being extended. You have been taught that repentance is hard, that you deserve to suffer, and a deep sense of inner shame, and that by feeling those things, you somehow redeem yourself.

 

Because of this, you are in a constant barter system with me based upon the economy of Babylon, and you do not understand the economy of God. You have adapted the program of doing, hoping that in the doing, you can earn my love and a place in my kingdom, using an impossible measure of perfection to decide if you are worthy, when what I ask of you is a broken and pure heart, a contrite spirit, and for you to have righteous intentions and desires, even if your actions sometimes fall short. You don’t know how to love yourself, so you decide by default that I don’t love you. It causes the Heavens to weep.

 

The construct of Babylon is so far reaching and so destructive to my ways, it is truly a design of Satan to keep my children from hope and belief in me, and distracted from all things that really matter. It has infiltrated every aspect of your existence, and after generation upon generation of this corruption, it is in your very DNA. You make Satan’s lies your truth, and are miserable like unto himself. I offer freedom from those chains, but you must learn of me and deconstruct Babylon. In so doing, you flee from those cares and longings.”

 

Sarah continues: “Again, those were my own words to try and explain what the Lord has been teaching me, for lack of a better way to express what has come to my mind. And it all makes so much sense! The more I contemplate the structure we have been in and all of the rules of our completely corrupt society, the more I see how foreign the ways of God must truly be to us, and how it is so hard to wrap our brain around how far we are from where God intends. It also makes sense that He would be willing to exercise a great amount of patience knowing that we have a lot of work to do to get away from the traditions of our fathers and become the type of people that could help to establish Zion.”

 

I appreciate Sarah being willing to share with us the very personal things the Lord has been teaching her.  Babylon has infiltrated the very way we think, process information, make choices and decisions, and perceive the world around us. For example, I love sports.  I think there are things that we learn in sports that are much more difficult to learn elsewhere.  In sports we can learn that decisions can have immediate consequences, that if we work hard our skills will improve, and especially in team sports we learn the benefits and joys of team work.  But sports are so tied up in competition.  To be successful you have to win, if you win you are better than those that lost, they are inferior.  Today it has become so commonplace to “trash talk,” in other words you are putting someone down by the words you are saying in order to gain an advantage.  So, it is ok to lie and mock?  We see the same in business and even in casual conversation.

The Lord has given us instruction about getting out of Babylon, but it is as much about reintroducing the concept of purity of heart to the world as it is getting rid of Babylon in our hearts and in our behaviors.  “Hearken, O you people of my church, says the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you… prepare yourselves, prepare yourselves, O you my people, sanctify yourselves, gather yourselves together, O you people of my church upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry. Go out from Babylon, be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Call your solemn assemblies and speak often one to another, and let every man call upon the name of the Lord.

Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go out of Babylon, gather yourselves out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other. Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off, unto the islands of the sea. Send forth unto foreign lands, call upon all nations, firstly upon the gentiles and then upon the Jews. And behold and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about. Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom. Behold and lo, the Bridegroom comes, go out to meet him; prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Let them therefore which are among the gentiles flee unto Zion, and let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord’s house. Go out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon. But verily thus says the Lord: Let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goes, let him not look back, lest sudden destruction shall come upon him. (T&C 58:1-2 RE; D&C 133:1-15 LE)

Not only is the Lord inviting us to flee “from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon” , but He is telling us to be Zion and to invite all people to also be Zion.  I know there are many who read the scriptures quoted above and think the Lord is telling us to send missionaries to encourage people to come to the land of America but I think the Lord is inviting all to become a Zion people to be prepared to “meet the Bridegroom”.  A lot has been written about the 10 virgins and what the 5 who were able to go meet the bridegroom had verses the 5 that were left out.  There is much to be internalized in those writings about where we should be spiritually.  We must have a personal connection with the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the answer to the prayer for covenant the Lord instructs us that His “peace” is how we release the bindings of Babylon.  “Now, hear the words of the Lord to those who receive this covenant this day:  All you who have turned from your wicked ways and repented of your evil doings, of lying and deceiving, and of all whoredoms, and of secret abominations, idolatries, murders, priestcrafts, envying, and strife, and from all wickedness and abominations, and have come unto me, and been baptized in my name, and have received a remission of your sins, and received the Holy Ghost, are now numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel… And I, the Lord your God, will be with you and will never forsake you, and I will lead you in the path which will bring peace to you in the troubling season now fast approaching.”  (T&C 158:9-10,12 RE)

Denver talks about a new society: “The Lord is equal to the challenge. He will establish a new civilization. It will be founded on the fullness of His gospel. Lost truths will be restored. The path of righteousness will be returned.  Society is broken. Everywhere we see corrupt cultures based on corrupt laws, corrupt religions, corrupt values, and ultimately corrupt thought. Beginning again requires re-civilizing people. To be free from corruption requires a change in thinking.” (Denver Snuffer “Civilization” talk 2018)

The Lord has given us a recipe for how we should behave toward one another.  “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen, and why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson — that the rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the Powers of Heaven…. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood; only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned, by kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul… your bowels also being full of charity toward all men, and to the household of faith; and virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly. Then shall your confidence wax strong in the presence of God, and the doctrines of the Priesthood shall distill upon your soul as the dews from heaven. The holy ghost shall be your constant companion, and your scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth, and your dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto you for ever and ever.” (T&C 139:5-6 RE; D&C121:34-36, 41-46 LE)  The attributes listed above are the opposite of what Babylon encourages. In fact one would be ridiculed for employing any of them among current society.

I would like to take a moment and share my personal definitions of the above highlighted attributes: persuasion, presenting reasoned and documented thoughts; long-suffering, allowing someone to have their own ideas and live according to their own beliefs; gentleness, being softspoken and cognoscente of another’s feelings; meekness, choosing to have peace rather than needing to be right, not disputing; love unfeigned, your love doesn’t change based on behavior; kindness, being considerate of others; pure knowledge, that knowledge and understanding that only comes directly and personally from the Lord; charity, being able to see someone as the Lord sees them; virtue, doing good for the sake of goodness.

In summary, we come out of Babylon by leaving behind the behaviors, attitudes, world view, and perceptions associated with Babylon and adopt the behaviors and attitudes associated with Zion, namely those listed above and by seeking the gift of peace the Lord is offering. Is this an easy task, no, but this is what the Lord has asked us to do.