In contrasting Babylon (Satan's kingdom) with God's kingdom I keep seeing more and more Biblical examples - God is good. For instance, the story of the rich, young ruler's encounter with Jesus. What it teaches us is so important God includes it in three of the four gospels. In the story, the rich, young ruler runs to Jesus and kneels before Him and asks "what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Seemingly a good question but unfortunately he's been around religion all his life which has taught him he can do something to be saved. He believes that by keeping the Law to the best of HIS ABILITY, a set of do's and don'ts, he can be saved. Nevertheless, Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, knowing full well he cannot, knowing that trying to keep the Law cannot make a man good enough to gain entrance to Heaven. Indeed, the young man calls Jesus "Good master" and Jesus tells him "none is good", but Jesus tells him some commandments to keep and he replies "all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?"
Now Jesus strikes at the heart of Babylon, for Babylon is all about self, pride in ones self, ones accomplishments, self possessions. Jesus wanted the young man's heart. He wanted him to lay down his life by picking up his cross and following Jesus. Worldly wealth and riches usually keep us from following Christ because they end up taking the preeminence in our hearts - they become our heart's desire and focus. They aren't bad in and of themselves unless they prevent us from obeying and following Christ, but they aren't the problem, our lustful, corrupt hearts are.
The young man "heard that saying" to sell all he had and give it to the poor, and "he went away sorrowful for he had great POSSESSIONS". Now contrast his response with the new believers in the book of Acts who were full of the Holy Spirit (whom the young man caught in religion did not know), who when the kingdom of God displaced Babylon in their hearts "sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need". This is how a follower of Jesus lives - he does not hoard money and possessions, he sees needs and meets them, for love can do no less. Self is no longer served, other's are served instead. They not only sold their possessions and goods but "neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the Apostle's feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."
The needs of the few were met by the largess of the many. No one who had a need was neglected. They were the opposite of the rich, young ruler who "went away sad", refusing to follow Jesus if it meant giving up possessions and pleasures in this life to gain them in the next. Rather than leaving Jesus the believers in Acts left all their worldly possessions and wealth - yet so many pastors today teach and practice the opposite, get as much as you can, build bigger and bigger churches and homes for this is God's will. It is a god's will, just not our God's. Lusting after money or worldly wealth is so dangerous to us and so anti- kingdom of God that when Ananias and Sapphira withheld some of the money they got from the sale of their possession, lying to Peter and the people about it, God struck them both dead. Less than thirty years after these passages in Acts took place, history shows us the Romans came in and took or destroyed the very lands and homes the believers sold. If we are truly living as citizens of heaven and not earth, nothing of this earth will matter to us, except souls.
When my wife and I were told by God to go to the mission field He chose for us, He told us to sell our land and home and we did without hesitation. We've given away cars. I've given the shirt off my back and countless ties because I believe Matthew 5:42 should be our lifestyle. "Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not you away" (and when you give to someone who borrows from you, expect nothing in return).
Living in America, the heart of Babylon, where everyone is obsessed with money and possessions, where even the churches have become "dens of thieves" and "houses of merchandise" "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves" - they were profiting from God's people! They were making their living off them. And Jesus "said unto them, it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves". In America, unbelievers see these grand churches, worth millions, and the pastors living in million dollar mansions and they associate God's house with money and greed, not prayer. They see no difference between the hearts of God's people and their own hearts. If our churches had Jesus in them we would find him healing the blind and the lame, and caring for the poor, the orphans and the widows.
The religious hate Jesus. When they saw "the wonderful things that He did....they were sore displeased." No, those whose hearts are set on things below do not want Jesus' presence in their midst. They only want to use His name and His words to gain wealth and power and fame. They want to make a name for themselves, not glorify His name. "There shall be false teachers among you" "and many shall follow their pernicious (deadly, fatal) ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." As I said, the world mocks Christianity because of the pastors and televangelists who focus on money, making merchandise of God's people. "and through covetousness (wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions) shall they with feigned (fake) words make merchandise of you" - they'll lie to you to get your money, they'll twist scriptures to suit their purpose, they'll abuse and misuse the concept of tithing to get people to give their money to them - all in the name of Jesus. I wish Jesus would rid His house of them today as He did then, and I believe He will, even through this epistle I am now writing.
My heart's desire and my prayer is that God will raise up and release Bezaleels and Aholiabs into the Body of Christ today to help modern day Nehemiah's build the Bride of Christ - The New Jerusalem, properly. She's been "ruined by religion" but will be rebuilt in His image and likeness. "Bezaleel" means "in the shadow of God", depicting someone who remains close to, intimate with God. "Aholiab" means "Father's tent" - we desperately need wise hearted  people who remain in and have been raised in our Father's tent (house). We truly need "every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord has put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him to come unto the work to do it". This word, this message The Lord has been pouring into me and now out of me these last two months here in Korea - I'm thrilled to see it repeated by other's, a few others. I'm confident this word will get out to all "who have ears to hear" and I'm believing a remnant will rise up and shake themselves free of all that is of man that they may become bound with all that is of God. LOVERS OF TRUTH COME FORTH!!!