The True Church and Babylon — Zac Poonen

Revelation Versus Information

When we think of proclaiming the full purpose of God, I want you to think of a see a verse in Ephesians in chapter 3. You know, there's a word used in the New Testament called mystery. Mystery is a secret That can only be understood.

If God reveals it to you, it's not something you can understand by study. Or by Listening to a message. Reading a book. These are various forms of study, you know, you go to YouTube and listen to a message.

And you can get a lot of information you can get information by study listening to lectures messages. But revelation is an altogether different category. Information for you to understand all you need is some intelligence.

And my guess is that 90 of people who sit in churches They get information from their intelligence. They use their intelligence and they understand a lot of things. But when I look at their lives even many in CFC churches whom I which I have observed through many years in many places.

I Don't see a development in many of them. They are good brothers even many elders. I'll tell you honestly They are good brothers, they're not falling into sin or anything. But I don't see in them a development of the knowledge of God.

Which is eternal life. Paul told Timothy lay hold of eternal life. That means get to know God better and better because Jesus said eternal life is to know God. It's one thing to know the Bible. It's another thing to know God.

It's altogether different. It's through the Bible. We come to know God. But It's one thing to know the Bible. It's quite another thing to know God in Ephesians 3. Paul says in verse 3 There was made known by revelation that was made known to me the mystery.

How did he get to know it by revelation if you read in the Old Testament? The word revelation is not there. It's only understanding knowledge. But not revelation because revelation comes through the Holy Spirit coming into our heart and putting on the light and It's something which you can't see without the Holy Spirit giving you a revelation it's like this.

The Glory of the New Covenant

See what's happened now. I've seen many times how God does something to illustrate what I'm just saying. See now I'm not a magician. I Don't have any button here but You know, it's like if you try to read the Bible in the dark Can't read it revelation is like light coming on and we Suddenly see things which we have never seen before for example The fact that the glory of the new covenant is That we can overcome sin Compared to the glory of the old covenant, which was that our sin could be forgiven.

Okay, that means you'd committed sin is forgiven. That's the glory of the old covenant. That itself was a great thing because people in the world did not have even that. But the Jewish people had that psalm 103 bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgives all your iniquities.

David wrote that 1 ,000 years before Christ. But the glory of the new covenant is you shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. And I remember so clearly Sometime in 1976 or 77, but I Remember the chair I was sitting in and suddenly revelation hit me.

The glory of the new covenant was That I could overcome sin now this is 17 years or so after I'm studying the Bible. I Read that passage in 2nd Corinthians 3 so many times. And the verse I remember the verse also that hit me then 2nd Corinthians 3 where it says.

In verse 8 shall not the ministry of the spirit fail to be with more glory. Verse 9 if the ministry of condemnation has glory. 2nd Corinthians 3 9 and the ministry of righteousness is abounds in glory.

And I remember exactly where I was sitting in my sitting room in my house. Where I saw it. That's revelation, you know. It wasn't that I was particularly studying it or meditating on it. I think it was a result of years of longing.

I really longed to not be defeated anymore and I prayed and I fasted and I Read everything I could read. I didn't get revelation see a lot of people say Watchman these books helped them. I Read a lot of watchman these books very interesting very clever very intellectual and he's a very godly man, but His book normal Christian life never led me to the normal Christian life.

I'll tell you honestly It did not lead me to a life of victory and he's one of the great teachers. I read Andrew Murray on Deeper life it never led led me to victory. But when I got revelation My life was changed.

Why do I say that. Because you know, I see so many people who come to so many conferences heard so many messages. It doesn't seem to be victory in their life. There doesn't seem to be a Twinkle in their eye and a spring in their step and a joy in their heart.

Something is missing. So that's what I want to encourage you all. Don't be satisfied with knowledge. You can hear so many things here so many interesting things that will stimulate you. Ask God for revelation.

Revelation of Christ

Because you don't have to be clever for it. You remember what Jesus told Simon Peter Simon son of Jonah. Your human cleverness has not revealed this to you flesh and blood did not reveal it to you with my father in heaven.

You know, Jesus looked like a very ordinary man. There was absolutely no way That he could be distinguished from any other man. And that is why they needed even though they had seen Jesus for three years in the temple.

The high priest needed someone like Judas Iscariot to point him out in the darkness. They said in the darkness He looks like any other man. I can't he can't identify him. So they paid Judas Iscariot to identify him get so many.

Which is one of the clearest proofs that he looked just like anybody else. And that's why the Pharisees could say such Terrible things to him saying you're the prince of devils and in the midst of all that this unlearned Simon Peter says no, you're the Christ the son of the Living God and Jesus says you got revelation.

See that's where he used the word revelation. For a human being it's almost the first time my father in heaven has revealed this to you. So Paul speaks in Ephesians 3 about By revelation this mystery was revealed to me.

And what is this mystery? And you can understand my insight Ephesians 3 verse 4 the mystery of Christ and when you read it, it looks very simple. Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men.

So here is a mystery That in so many generations Was not revealed to people. But it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in in the spirit and What is this? That the Gentiles Are fellow heirs that means the non-jews are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers the promise in Christ through the gospel.

You may say I know that You know it in your head. But when you get revelation on it You will become an active Participant in building the body of Christ. When you get revelation till then you understand it.

See a lot of people have written books on the body of Christ and all that. But I go to some of their churches. There's no body there. It's a club of all People who are of the same community or the same Doctrine or something like that.

It's not a body and He goes on to say here This mystery verse 9 was hidden in God and now This manifold the word manifold verse 10 is like many-sided or Multi-colored like I told you the rainbow has got many colors.

Manifold is a word like that many colored wisdom of God. I told you how People can just say there's seven sections in a Circle people's color up to some of those circles and leave some of those sections and leave the other section out and I feel that when we get revelation we say hey We have to color those others parts of the circle to to complete the full purpose of God and we must proclaim the full purpose of God we must Show the whole thing.

Otherwise, it's not it doesn't look real. For example, I look at it like this I think of teaching in the New Testament. Let's use an illustration like a Big jigsaw puzzle, you know what a jigsaw puzzle is many pieces put together children play with it jigsaw puzzle of the face of Jesus Christ.

Supposing the J face of Jesus Christ is cut into small small pieces and you make a jigsaw puzzle out of it. And when I see a lot of preaching in Christianity. Yeah, they put the hair they put the shoulders maybe the chin and little beard.

But the main part of the face is missing. You don't know who it is. Yeah, it is the hair of Christ and it is the chin and all that but the main parts are missing in this jigsaw puzzle. So that's how I've seen.

Sorry my own calling. I Say hey, there are pieces here in the Bible. And which I can take those pieces and put it in and get the full picture of Christ. It's changed my life To see the full picture of Jesus.

But I don't know whether all of you who have heard me and heard so many messages see it. I Doubt very much because if you do see it, it'll radically change your life. Because he goes on to say This many colored wisdom of God verse 10 Has to be made known to whom?

The Church as a Witness to Satan

We think our witnesses primarily to Jerusalem Judea Samaria the outermost parts of the earth or we can say Bangalore India Surrounding nations and to other parts of the world or wherever you are located from there in Concentric circles we got to be a witness but here it is not talking about that.

He's not talking about the outermost parts of the earth. He says this testimony through the church Must be made known to the evil rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Have you ever thought of being a witness to Satan?

Here it speaks about the church being a witness to Satan. You see the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Throughout the book of Revelation refers to the evil rulers and authorities in Ephesians chapter 6.

It says we wrestle against these evil rulers and authorities. Now many people haven't seen that. That the church is to be a witness to Satan. Just like Job Was a witness to Satan, you know, God could say to Satan look at my servant Job.

Nobody like him in the whole earth. And if you have heard me before you heard me say that Job is the first book of the Bible. It was written 500 years before Genesis which was written by Moses. It's very interesting to recognize that Job is the first book of the Bible which God wrote.

There are many evidences of it, I'll just give you one. In the days of Moses wealth was counted in terms of silver and gold 500 years before Moses in the days of Abraham wealth was counted in terms of cattle and animals.

Abraham had so many animals lot had so many animals that was their wealth and Job's wealth was counted in animals you read in chapter 1 not in silver and gold. That's one of the clearest proofs that Job lived in the time of Abraham around that period and There are other proofs also people did not live as long after the time of Abraham.

So Job's is the first book of the Bible. And think of it that when God wants to write a book for man The first thing he writes is about a man being a witness to Satan not to the rest of the world. This is in God's heart.

He wasn't thinking of Job being a witness to the world Job. I want you to be a witness to Satan to show him That I have a man on earth Who will stand up for me no matter what happens to him? Let him lose his property.

Let him lose his children. Let him lose everything. Let his wife turn against him. Let him get boils in his body. He will be true to me Satan. I've got a man like that. I remember when I studied that I Had such a longing in my heart.

I said Lord. I want to be a man like that. I don't know whether you feel like that. I Hope you do and Then I realized to be a witness to Satan is more difficult Than to be a witness to man because men see me only 10 of the time.

Or they know only 10 of my life. All of you don't know How I speak to my wife at home. You don't know what I lay down and think when I'm in bed. You don't know how I handle my accounts. You don't know anything.

You can think I'm a very holy man and you can trust me, but I don't know you. I know. Less than 10 of your life. Even all your closest friends in your church. You know less than 10 of their life. You can think they are holy.

You're not. We hear so many cases of churches in America and even in India of pastors. Suddenly after many many years when they are 50 years old 20 30 years a pastor suddenly It is discovered not that they fell into adultery, but they're living in adultery with women in that church for years.

How's that? All the Thousands of people in the church never knew about it. But such a pastor was not a witness to Satan. Satan because looked at him all the time and was laughing at him and was pointing him out to God and saying look at that Pastor God, is that your servant there?

I want to ask you Is God is the devil pointing at you and saying God is that your child? He even claims to be part of CFC. We supposed to be a Holy Church. Is this guy that girl? Look at the way she behaves in college or the way she dresses.

Is that yours Lord? She's your representative. God look at the way she dresses just like anybody else in the world. What's God gonna say? He's not gonna support unrighteousness. He will not say like your parents may say no.

No, no. No, she's not worldly. That's how parents are. They will always defend their daughters. Even if they go and murder somebody they'll defend them. God is not like that. He loves you too much. He loves you more than your parents, that's why he will not defend you.

He will show you what's wrong. I Thank God for a father like that who will not support me in my unrighteousness. But tell me what's wrong with me. If you've got a father like that, you're lucky. If you've got a mother like that, you're lucky then who just blindly supports you no matter what you do.

Because there are parents like that who destroy their children by supporting them no matter what they do but think of this to be a testimony to Satan and Such a man is opposed by all the preachers oppose him and find fault with him and criticize him.

That's the book of Job. But finally you see how the man comes through and God approves of him so. Think of that when you read this verse that God wants to show his wisdom to those Satanic beings through the church and that was verse 11 his eternal purpose.

That means way back in eternity before Genesis 1 verse 1 before the world was created. That's eternal purpose means what way back when there were no angels. There was only God Father Son and Holy Spirit and he had a purpose.

The purpose was one day. I'm gonna make man and woman and they will sin and Jesus will come Die and save them. Not just take them to heaven. He will make them one body on this earth. And that body will be called the church and that church Will be a testimony to this devil, you know, the devil was one of the angels who fell away.

So once I see that eternal purpose and a lot of Christians haven't seen it. Paul says I saw it by a mystery and that's why Wherever Paul went He wanted to build a church. He didn't want to save souls today.

People say are you saving souls? How many souls have you been have you saved? I never asked that question to anybody. I'm not interested in saving souls to tell you honestly, I don't find it in the Bible.

You try and look through the New Testament and see him any place where it says about saving souls that is a Religious expression like child baptism. You don't accept child baptism. That's not in the Bible, but you had you do accept saving souls.

Which is also not in the Bible because you don't know the Bible. But we accept it because it's commonly used. It's like Christmas. It's not in the Bible, but people accept it. So I've come to see that God's eternal purpose was to build the church not save souls.

It's a lot of difference between saving souls and building the church. Very very important to understand that. The church is called in Ephesians here like a building. Ephesians 2 verse 20. You're built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.

Christ Jesus being the cornerstone in whom the whole building is. Fitted together grows to be a holy temple in the Lord. The church is called a building and you can see in a building the difference between saving souls and building the church.

Building the Local Church

Think of the church like a building and each person is a brick and You know how even when this building was built or any other building is built first one truck will come and download. Put down there say 10 ,000 or 20 ,000 bricks and Then those are individual people those bricks.

They have to be put together. Cemented then it becomes a church. Otherwise, it's the bricks are lying on the road and you know the wonderful miracle that happens in India when you have bricks lying on the road.

Every day it becomes a little less. It's amazing. You get up next morning. That's a little less. Another morning. It's still less. It happens only in India. It's a special miracle here. Because two streets down somebody else is building his house.

So this is what happens to individual believers. Who are not built together into a church. One day the devil picks them up. And they're out there somebody falls away, but think of a brick in this building it can't fall away.

No, nobody can take it out, you know, sometimes people say Brothers, thank you stole somebody from my church. I stole somebody from first of all, is it your church? Tell me. Is it the Lord's Church or your church?

Somebody stole it's like my complaining to the police that somebody stole a brick from that wall. They laugh at me, how did somebody steal a brick from that wall? If they've stole a brick, it must have been a pile of bricks lying on the ground outside that happens all the time.

So there are churches which are like piles of bricks. We call them a congregation not a church. That's a congregation the biggest congregation that I can think of is the congregation Moses had Two million twenty lakh people in a church.

But they're all loose bricks. They were not built together. The New Testament Church is not like that. It's built together. If you are not built together with other people in your locality. You haven't understood the church.

See if you go to some of the great Evangelists today and there are many great evangelists many many countries who are world famous. And who made a lot of money and got a lot of honor and very famous known around the world many many of them.

And I suppose who feel a sense of satisfaction that they have done something for the Lord. Okay. You go to any one of these evangelists and say hey brother. I heard that you brought thousands of people in different continents to Christ.

Where are they? Where are the ones you brought to Christ in India or in some country in Africa? You know, what do you say? Any one of these evangelists? I don't know. I Hope they're in some church. Every one of them will say that.

But you go to Paul and say hey Paul. I heard that you brought some people to Christ in Philippi. Where are they here? Come with me. He'll take you to Philippi take you to the church and say these are all the people I brought to Christ.

Every one of them. They're all here and Paul. I heard that you brought some people to Christ in Thessalonica also. Come I'll take you. I'll show you every one of them. Here's the church in Thessalonica here.

They are here. They are. Paul did not believe in saving souls. He had seen the eternal purpose. He believed in building the church. Paul says it came by revelation. I don't blame other people who have not seen it.

I mean these evangelists were saving souls. God bless them, but they obviously haven't seen this mystery. But people speak about the worldwide church. Yeah, there is a worldwide church. But most of that worldwide church is already in heaven.

Paul and Peter are part of that church, but they're not here. What did Jesus say all men will know you're my disciples when you love one another. How can I love Paul and Peter? There's no way for me to show my love.

How will the world know that I love Paul or Peter? Do you love all the brothers and sisters in China tell me. Of course, is it a difficulty for you to love people in China? No. Your difficulty is to love the people in your church, right?

They are the difficult ones people in China and all of wonderful brothers and sisters you love them without any problem. Argentina and all beautiful brothers sisters. Problem is the brother in your church.

Who's a nuisance or that sister? Who's a gossip? So you tell me honestly, isn't that true? Many of you have had difficulties with whom not the brothers and sisters in China and Argentina. With the brothers and sisters in your church.

Where are we to show that we love one another by sending blankets to some Flood Hit place in some places that always show my love. I Don't even know who they are. There are many people who's from Western countries who sent blankets and things for the Flood hit nations and oricide never reached those people.

Some other people on the way took it and started selling it in the roadside. And those poor people who sent those blankets don't know that. This is not the way this is all. The money changes and the sellers of doves have come back into the temple into the house of God.

To make money in the name of God and if Jesus were here, you'd drive them out all over again but It's in your local church. That people see here is a group of people who are so different from each other.

One is a Tamilian the other is a Telugu and others of Anglo Indian. Others are Malayali and the others are Hindi speaking people person and there are such different cultures. One is a old Hindus, they were upper caste lower caste and so many other and.

And they've become one quite amazing. They love one another there are such different levels it's not communism where we all say all the rich people give you money and all the poor people take the rich people's money that encourages laziness.

The lazy poor person will sit back and enjoy the hard work. Hard-earned money of some rich person. That's communism. That's not Christianity. Christianity is where you can have a filament who is a master and Onesimus is a slave and They are brothers in Christ.

But Onesimus remains a slave. In the meeting he is brother Onesimus and brother Filamon. Once the meeting is over Onesimus is to call Filamon Sir. He's a master. That is Christianity. Where we are in different social levels different educational levels.

But we love one another care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ this is The church where we love one another and where we can manifest to the Demons in heaven our cultural and language and all different doesn't make any difference at all now.

Jerusalem as the Unified Bride

This is what the Bible calls Jerusalem. If you turn with me to Revelation you read Revelation and chapter 21 The Lord showed John a picture of future where he saw a new heaven and a new earth and He saw this holy city.

New Jerusalem. Revelation 21 verse 2 Coming down from heaven like a bride Adorned for her husband. The bride is the church is the bride of Jesus Christ and this There's some interesting things mentioned about Jerusalem that I just want to show you one thing.

That it's got the light of God in it. First of all, it's got a great high wall verse 12 can't easily get into it and There's a it's full of the light of God. It doesn't have any need for any External light because the lamb is the light but then in this light it says here There are many different kinds of stones verse 19.

It's picture language Jasper sapphire chalcedony emerald sardonyx Etc. Etc. The point is All these stones have got different colors. Blue some precious stones are blue red green, but it's the same light Shining through and what I learned from that is that in the church.

There are people with different personalities and Different backgrounds was the life of Jesus shines through them one green one red one blue, but it's the same light. See God hasn't made us all alike.

He's made us different even a husband and wife Different from each other, but it's the same life the same light shining through. That's how Jerusalem is pictured but I Want to show you the contrast to Jerusalem in Revelation and that is Babylon.

Babylon and the Harlot Church

See the New test the Bible begins with a tree of knowledge of good and evil and a tree of life. One picturing those who live by the life of Jesus and the other picturing those who just live by. What their conscience tells them is good and evil.

The Bible ends with Babylon and Jerusalem. You got to see the connection there. It begins with the knowledge tree of forbidden tree. We have life ends with Babylon and Jerusalem. Those who live by the life of Jesus end up in Jerusalem and those who live According to their own whims and fancies end up in Babylon, but they can call themselves the church.

Babylon is a picture of a church That is not following Jesus Christ, it's called a harlot. Verse Revelation 17 and verse 5 Babylon the great the mother of harlots. Prostitutes. Now who can be a prostitute only one who is engaged To someone is the bride.

How does a bride become a prostitute? It's either the bride or the prostitute that means she claims to be engaged to this person. But fools around with somebody else. That is the harlot. So here is a person claims to be devoted to Jesus Christ but is actually living for money.

That's one of the alternate people try to draw away the bride of Christ or pleasure or the honor of men these are the Substitute men who try to draw away this bride from being devoted to Christ. That's how she becomes a harlot but if she refuses the pull of money and Sinful pleasure and the honor of men then she remains a faithful Bride of Jesus Christ.

So all of you can decide whether you are faithful in your private life or You're becoming a harlot a prostitute. Now I want you to see here in Revelation chapter 17. The bride is pictured like a woman.

Notice how this woman is dressed verse 4 Revelation 17 for the woman is clothed in purple. Scarlet means red adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls and Having a golden cup in her hand. This is Babylon in contrast you have the bride in chapter 19 and verse 8.

The bride is clothed in fine linen bright and clean which is the righteous acts of the Saints. It's quite a contrast. Here's this very stylishly dressed woman and here's a very simply dressed bride. This is from the book of Revelation.

But it's symbol remember. It's not you don't become the bride just by wearing a white sari. It's a symbol talking about a simple way of life. Where. You don't you know, like you heard earlier on. You don't spend your just because you have money.

You don't just spend it on anything you want. Saying God's given me money. I want to be faithful with it. God has not given me money just to spend it as I like and do what I like with it. I want to be faithful with it.

I want to of course use it for whatever is necessary. But a lot of things are not necessary. They're lawful, but not necessary. So that's the bride. Whereas The harlot is a Christian who says oh, this is all my money my hard-earned money.

I don't have to consult God how I spend it and that's why there's such a teaching on typing, you know in many churches. They say 10 is God's. Don't touch it 90 do what you like with it. That is how the harlot is produced.

The bride says The earth is the Lord's 1 Corinthians 10 26 and everything in it. That means it's not 10 of the earth that belongs to God all of it belongs to God. Every pie in my bank account Belongs to God.

But he has allowed me to use it. So I want to be faithful in the way I use it. Very careful in the way they use money. So that's one of the differences between the bride and the harlot. Anyway. Here it says about Babylon as the mother of harlots and it says here.

She's riding on a beast verse 3 I saw a woman sitting on a red beast and That red beast is a you read from Daniel a political power you know the beasts in Daniel 7 are political powers and The beast is happy To let this woman ride on top of him.

Because he gets some benefit from Religious people, you know pull the politicians in every country. Or in most countries use religion to get votes. You know, they do it in India a Lot of votes that the government would God was through their religion.

In America, it's the same thing people use religion. There are pastors who endorse certain godless people. And the godless people go and butter these pastors who get their votes of the people. So politics and religion are it's here in Revelation 17.

The beast is the political power. The woman is the corrupt church. And they go together but once the beast has got what it wanted which is power and Got the votes From that religious group then it says after that verse 16 the beast will just chapter 17 verse signal hate the harlot and Tear her up because she they were just using that religious connection to get votes so Revelation 17 speaks about a church that is involved with the Politicians.

Babylon, Political Power, and Religious Influence

That means if you see a Christian meeting in India, there have been many Christians like that meetings like that. Where some great man is some Christian preachers conducting big meeting and sitting on the platform will be some political leaders.

Unconverted Hindu political leaders who are sitting there and they will ask them to introduce them and that Hindu political leader is very happy to come to the meeting because There are 30 ,000 people in this Public meeting and he wants their votes that's all he's interested in and This religious leader is also very happy to be connected with the political leader because he can get some benefits from him.

You can get admission for his children somewhere and different different things, you know that you can get from the politicians. And that's why in some churches they invite politicians to come and speak in their churches.

Because both get benefits particularly if it's a large church the politicians very happy it happens in every country. It happens in Australia. It happens in America. It happens in India, too There are some churches that invite Hindu politicians to come in.

It's it's all Babylon. It's happening in India. Believe it or not and there are Christian preachers who Invite some of these people to come and sit there and can you imagine a Supposing you heard when you were living in Israel 2 ,000 years ago and you had heard of a man called Jesus.

You've never seen him, but you heard there's a man called Jesus who's doing miracles and having big meetings and You go to one place to hear this. It's advertised. This Jesus is speaking here and you come there and there's a huge crowd and there's this platform where this person called Jesus is standing up there and sitting on the platform a Herod and Pilate and the bishop Annas and Caiaphas all sitting there and Jesus says now I'm going to invite the Honorable Herod to come and say a few words and Herod comes forward and says is Jesus doing a great work for our community and if you give him some money, I'll give you tax deduction from if you give money to Jesus and then Jesus says now the bishop Ananias right reverend Annas will come and open the meeting in prayer.

Annas and Caiaphas pray and then Judas Iscariot comes forward and Gives the he's the treasurer, you know, he says work like this. Jesus is doing a great work and it needs money so friends Herod has promised that if you give money, he will give you a tax deduction so Be sure to give your name and address and this is doing a wood bridges do Jesus doing a great work for Israel and You listen to all this and say Hey, this doesn't sound like the Jesus I heard of it seems to be another Jesus.