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Chapter 33—The Loud Cry
“I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great
power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen,
is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” “And
I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, my
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not
of her plagues.” [
Revelation 18:1, 2, 4
.]
In this scripture the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as
made by the second angel, [
Revelation 14:8
.] is repeated, with the
additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the
churches since 1844. A terrible condition of the religious world
is here described. With every rejection of truth, the minds of the
people have become darker, their hearts more stubborn, until they
are entrenched in an infidel hardihood. In defiance of the warnings
which God has given, they continue to trample upon one of the
precepts of the decalogue, and they persecute those who hold it
sacred. Christ is set at naught in the contempt placed upon his word
and his people. As the teachings of Spiritualism are accepted by the
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churches, no real restraint is imposed upon the carnal heart, and the
profession of religion becomes a cloak to conceal the basest iniquity.
A belief in spiritual manifestations opens the door to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils. The influence of evil angels is felt in the
churches throughout the land.
Of Babylon at this time it is declared, “Her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” [
Revelation
18:5
.] She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction
is about to fall upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon;
and before the visitation of his judgments, these faithful ones must
be called out, that they “partake not of her sins, and receive not of
her plagues.” Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming
down from Heaven, lightening the earth with his glory, and crying
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