Is the Seventh-day Adventist Church Babylon?

There are professed believers in the three angels messages who look at the deplorable spiritual condition of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and come to the faulty conclusion that this makes the church Babylon so therefore it is past time to separate from her fellowship. The S.D.A. Reform Church and some groups from the “home church” movement are particularly bold in making these unwarranted charges. They have active groups on Facebook (e.g., Sabbath Remnant Church) that promote their erroneous beliefs despite any efforts to convince them otherwise. On the other side of the coin there are those members of the S.D.A. church who falsely charge that the Shepherd’s Rod message calls the mother church Babylon. Both extremes have has been refuted from the writings of the original Rod message as detailed in a youtube video. Below we want to look at some Biblical record which identifies who is antitypical Babylon with unmistakable symbols and historical evidences for all who will listen before firing for or against. The following question and reply come from a publication called the Symbolic Codes, Vol. 1, No. 4 originally published October 15, 1934.

DOES THE BEAST OF REVELATION 17 MAKE THE BEAST OF REVELATION 13 BABYLON?

Please explain: If the beast of Revelation 13:1 represents the papacy (Great Controversy 439:1), and if the woman of Revelation 17 is Babylon, then is not the beast of Revelation 13:1 also Babylon, and thus the S.D.A. church?

Turn to the illustration on p. 84 of Vol. 2 of “The Shepherd’s Rod” and concentrate on the symbols as set forth therein. Note how perfectly each symbol defines itself. For an example, the Word of God explains that the horns on the non-descript beast are “ten kings that shall arise. (Dan. 7:24.) That is, the horns did not have their sovereign power as yet. Therefore, they were crownless, but the horns on the leopard-like beast are crowned, showing that it represents the period when those kings (horns) received their kingdoms.

The non-descript beast in its first stage is a representation of the world during the reign of imperial Rome, and in its second stage depicts the papal despotism. Though this beast by “the little horn” represented the papacy, he also prophetically represented the nations of today. Hence the beast, as a whole, is not the papacy, but the world with its civil and religious systems. This same condition exists with the leopard-like beast, for it also has 10 horns (the civil governments), and seven heads (the religious systems) — the world.

The papal phase of the non-descript beast is represented by a symbol composed of two elements — horn and head. The horn part depicts a civil power and the head part, a religious system, — the papacy. This fact is again proven by the symbolism of the leopard-like beast. The papacy is here described only by the head which was wounded, showing that the ten crowned horns and the remaining six heads, which had not been wounded, are not the papacy. Consequently, neither one of the beasts in their entirety are the papacy, for the papacy is only a part of them.

To prove who anti-typical Babylon is, and who is not, we shall draw an illustration by ancient Israel — the church of God. They were called apart from the world, though in the world. This separation made two great divisions; namely, the church and the world.

Though ancient Israel was carried into Babylon they were, as a people, still Israelites. So it was with the early Christian church when she fell into the hands of the papacy — anti-typical Babylon. The church herself was not Babylon, but was under the subjection of Babylon, — the pope as head of baptized paganism.

The same is true with the Protestant churches. They in reality are not Babylon and thus far only to a degree have they subjected themselves to Babylon. Says the “Great Controversy”: “Not until…the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Rev. 14:8 is yet future.” (Great Controversy, p. 390.)

Therefore, a confederation of the Christian churches, united with civil governments (Great Controversy, p. 442) will form a likeness of the papacy; namely, church and state (horn-head). To construct such a combination is nothing less than to bring to life the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the papacy before receiving “the wound.” (Rev. 13:3.) Thus the papal broken rock being cemented together by the two-horned beast (Rev. 13:14) is the formation of the image to the leopard-like beast in the period when prevailing against the saints of the Most High for 42 months (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:5), to which the Great Controversy, p. 445 is calling our attention. All who allow themselves to be put in subjection to this forth-coming religio-political power, which is nothing less than Babylon the third; that is, ancient Babylon to whom God’s people were placed in subjection for 70 years was the first, the wearing out of the saints by the papacy for “a times, and times, and the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:25) was the second; and the Image of the beast” above mentioned is the third, of which the scarlet colored beast of Rev. 17 is symbolical. This is the only beast in the Revelation that is called Babylon, of which the S.D.A. church cannot be a part. (Testimonies to Ministers, 58, 59.) When Babylon the third comes into power, she is again to fall as predicted in the Revelation 18:2-24.

Each one of the beasts contain a special lesson. The non-descript, by the little horn, reveals the rise of the papacy. The leopard-like points to the Reformation by the wound on one of his heads. But in the second place, the leopard-like also discloses the fact, by the blasphemy over his heads, that the churches of today have rejected the Word of God — the messages. The healing of his wound brings in the world a similar religious condition to that before the beast was wounded; that is, treading down the truth as it was between the years of 508 A.D. and 538 A.D.; namely, casting the “truth to the ground” (Dan. 8:12), which fact brought about the establishment of the papacy and the commencement of the 1260 year period. See illustration in “The Shepherd’s Rod,” Vol. 2, p. 128.

As the great apostasy at that time prepared the way for setting up the papacy, so the healing of the wound in 1929 is preparatory for making an image to the beast, — of the papacy. In order to protect the “very elect” — the 144,000 — from falling a prey to the image of the beast, God is now getting ready to cut off the wicked from among the righteous by the fulfillment of Ezekiel Nine. Thus God prevents His church from be coming involved in Babylon.

The two-horned beast represents the power that is to be instrumental in making the image, or likeness of the old papal system as above explained. By the scarlet colored beast is depicted a church union, confederated with the world.

The S.D.A. church is symbolized on the leopard-like beast to the extent that it reveals she, like the rest of the Christian churches, rejected the messages brought to her in 1888 and 1930. Some may attempt to question this interpretation of the symbolism, but they cannot deny the fact that the messages were not accepted. This being true proves the symbolism correct. The name over the heads of the leopard-like is not “Babylon” but “blasphemy” instead. Every message comes by inspiration, for otherwise it would be no message from God, because the Bible says that “holy men of God (messengers) spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Pet. 1:21.) Therefore, to reject such a message is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 12:31.) As all the churches rejected the messages sent directly to them, the name of blasphemy over the heads is a most logical symbol. Hence, there is no ground upon which one can correctly conclude that the symbolism of the leopard-like makes the church “Babylon.”

The leopard-like is a composite beast of all the beasts before it. His mouth of a lion (Babylon), feet of a bear (Medo-Persia), body of a leopard (Grecia), the 10 horns (of the non-descript beast — Rome), the wounded head (Catholicism), the unharmed ones (Protestantism), and the crowns (the kingdoms of today), again prove that the leopard-like beast is a symbol of the whole world. The S.D.A. church (head) being represented on the beast (world) by a symbol of the same likeness (head) as the other six churches (heads) would make the S.D.A. church no more Babylon than it would make her Medo-Persia, or Grecia, or something else. In fact, it would have been illogical if all of the seven churches (candlesticks — Rev, 1:20) were not represented by a symbol of the same likeness as that of the other six churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia) for they (the early Christian and Protestant churches), too, were once God’s chosen churches as the Laodicean is now.

The symbolism is not placing the church in Babylon, but in the world (Egypt), and the evidence is so plain, both by the symbols and by the church’s condition, that it does not require an angel to recognize this fact. Though the “Shepherd’s Rod” plainly says that the church is in “Egypt,” which point the opponents of the Rod are not trying to controvert, and while the Rod contends, through and through, that the church is not Babylon, they accuse it of saying it is! which in comparison means the same as to call black, white, and white, black.

Moreover, as the churches are symbolized in “The Revelation” by seven candlesticks (Rev. 1:20), the symbolism must include the early Christian church, later the Protestants, and at last the Seventh-day Adventists, or the Laodiceans. These churches are not only symbolized by candlesticks of the same likeness, but are also all grouped together as are the seven heads on the leopard-like beast. If the assemblage of the candlesticks does not make the Laodiceans Babylon, why will the heads?” — Vol. 1 Symbolic Code No. 4, pgs. 6, 7

As a concluding footnote below is a brief passage in the Spirit of Prophecy that plainly identifies what constitutes the churches becoming Babylon by the principle doctrines that they teach. Even the most liberal backslidden Seventh-day Adventist Church does not teach Sunday sacredness, the immortality of the soul, eternal burning hell, or denies the preexistence of Christ prior to His virgin birth.

It is our individual duty to walk humbly with God. We are not to seek any strange, new message. We are not to think that the chosen ones of God who are trying to walk in the light compose Babylon. The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, the wine of error. This wine of error is made up of false doctrines, such as the natural immortality of the soul, the eternal torment of the wicked, the denial of the pre-existence of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, and advocating and exalting the first day of the week above God’s holy and sanctified day. These and kindred errors are presented to the world by the various churches, and thus the Scriptures are fulfilled that say, ‘For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ It is a wrath which is created by false doctrines, and when kings and presidents drink this wine of the wrath of her fornication, they are stirred with anger against those who will not come into harmony with the false and satanic heresies which exalt the false sabbath, and lead men to trample underfoot God’s memorial.” — Testimonies to Ministers, p. 61

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