1 John 4:1
Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
In the preterist views these spirits no longer exist.
To understand Mystery Babylon one should know that there are such spirits, not of God. They are termed by John as anti-Christ spirits:
1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and
this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come;
and even now already is it in the world.
You can stare at old Jerusalem or any other physical point and never see the operations of the anti-Christ spirit.
Preterism renders these types of statements
as currently irrelevant. Their understandings require not only the Words of God in Christ, but the words/teachings of the Apostles to be relegated as done and no longer applicable. Statements such as these from Paul using preterist views
must also be eliminated as currently inapplicable:
Ephesians 6:12
For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against
powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
None of the above will or can be viewed by observing a consortium of buildings such as a city or a county or any given group of people.
The issues were, are and remain internal struggles of the heart with EVIL influences. That is the workings of Mystery Babylon within all mankind. Believers are not an exception. The advice of John 'to believers' was and remains to 'try' or 'test' these spirits as there are spirits NOT OF GOD.
John gave us the exact location of Mystery Babylon, put there in his words for any to read and to locate. It's quite easy to see the location:
Revelation 17:
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of
the great whore that
sitteth upon many waters:
John then pinpoints the exact location, right here:
15 And he saith unto me,
The waters which thou sawest,
where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
There is your location of Mystery Babylon. Right there for any to read and see.
Yet many will continue to point to every location BUT the obvious locations.
The location in short is 'the world.'
Believers who point to everything BUT are in fact being sat upon by that Whore and obscuring the location, which is
IN THEM.
What did John the Apostle know about 'the world' from the Spirit of God?
1 John 5:19
And we know that we are of God, and
the whole world lieth in wickedness.
John did not change his tune one bit in Revelation. He showed this fact in Rev. 17 exactly as he showed this fact in 1 John 5:19.
While many will hold up alternative views, the wickedness of Mystery Babylon does not want you looking closer to home.
Gods people are requested to come out of her.
That command remains. In order to come out of her, to DIVIDE AWAY from spiritual wickedness, one should perceive that they are IN same.
The question then becomes one of 'how' that division or coming out carries forth.
When Israel was taken captive to Babylon, upon their coming out the first priority of businessness was the restoration of the Temple. These are figures.
The temple you are to look to today is your own mind and body. That is in fact where 'the Whore' sitteth. Old testament typology of temples are figurative for the real temple(s) which is YOU.
enjoy!
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