The Harlot Church System - Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr. - www.charlesnewbold.org
Chapter 18 - Who Shall Ascend? fn {25}
I called upon the name of the Lord, "Who, Lord, shall ascend to the high mountain of our God and King?" He answered, "He who has a broken and contrite heart. He who humbles himself in My presence. He is the one who shall ascend unto My holy hill." And I called again and I asked, "Lord, how does one humble himself? Man is so full of pride."
And He said, "He who humbles himself is he who recognizes his pride and breaks before Me. I will see him. I will come to him. I will break his heart. He will weep and mourn for he will know that he is a man of unclean lips. I will see him and I will lift him up. But if he lifts himself up, I will let him fall again."
I asked again, "Lord, where do we go from here?"
And He answered, "Where do you want to go? Whatever is in your heart, that is where you will go. If it is in your heart to follow after Me, then we will walk together and abide in deeper and richer things. We will go from glory to glory, from faith to faith. Yes, we will ascend and ascend, every round going higher and higher. This, My son, is a place in Me. I am Mount Zion. I am My holy hill. When I say come unto Me, I am calling you up to My high hill.
"If, on the other hand, it is in your heart to go down to Babylon or back to Egypt, then you shall go there. The rewards of Babylon will be there and the jewels of Egypt will be yours. Only do not trust in them for they cannot save you, and in that hour when I come in all My glory, do not try to ransom your soul with them. They are vile to Me. I shall cast them away from you. I shall strip you naked and leave you in your shame.
"There is glory in Babylon and there are riches in Egypt, but they will go down to the pit. For from the pit have they ascended. They are flesh and appeal to the flesh. Do not touch them. Do not go after them, for surely they shall be yours if you like."
"Lord," I inquired, "this is a great deception isn't it--Babylon and Egypt?"
"There has never been a greater deception than this," He answered.
I shuddered at the thought of this.
"So great is this deception," He explained, "that men go down to Babylon, adorn themselves in religion and piety, and truly believe that they have come unto Me. They are shaken to anger at the suggestion that this, their Babylon, is not of Me, that I am not there.
"And Egypt, what can I say of My son, Egypt? He, too, is beautiful and rich and dwells in houses and owns land and buys and trades and sells in the marketplace. The prosperity abounds and so does the deception. For in their riches they live and move and have their being. But where will their riches get them, and what will it buy them when I come? I will look the poor man in the eye and see from whence came his hunger. I will look the rich man in the eye and ask from whence came his satisfaction, and he will be lifted up in his heart, and he will show Me all the things in his barns and say, 'My Lord, from all that is mine.' I will turn again to the poor man, and I will ask from whence came your poverty, and he will point to the rich man's barn and say, 'My Lord, from all that is his.' From whence comes your satisfaction? The poor man will bow and say, 'Ah, my Lord, from You; from You, my Lord, from You.'"
I said, "Lord, speak plainly to us. What is Babylon and what is Egypt?"
He answered, "Babylon is all that the carnal mind devises. It is the pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of man who exalts his own knowledge above the knowledge of God.
"As for Egypt, this is the flesh and all the lust thereof.
"Can you not see, My son, how the carnal mind has devised his own plan with all its traditions and labeled it church? For generations men thought this was of Me and for Me, but it is not so. This is the harlot, the woman who sits on many waters, who pretends allegiance to Me, but she is widowed. She is not My bride. Her deception is great. She has attained for herself the riches of this world. She has lavished herself with fine buildings and calls them temples and cathedrals and synagogues and churches. She has dressed herself in royal robes which she wove by her own hands. The linen I give is righteousness which has been purchased by My blood. She has accrued great riches with bank accounts and investments and have men bound to her by these things. She has purchased these things by the blood of martyrs.
My commentary (in red):
Makes sense right here. That is why different churches have different traditions and the way they do things. If every church was doing things God’s way, there would be just one way, not hundreds of different ways and hundreds of different traditions. The devil has deceived men into conjuring up these traditions to think that they are of God, but in truth, they are of the devil in disguise. How tragic.
"Everywhere you look, you can see the harlot. She is everywhere in men's hearts. Men go after her, and she loves it so. She is not married, but has taken unto herself many lovers. She is defiled and those who sleep with her are defiled.
"Mercy and peace are with those who have eyes to see and ears to hear when the trumpets sound and the call goes forth, 'Come out of her, My people, come out!'
It is hard for man to come out of the churches because the church has become his idol. The church is his god, not God.
"The road to Zion is paved with humility."
"Lord," I cried, "it's so hard to say. Why is it so hard for me to say it plainly? Why is it so hard for you to say it plainly?"
He answered, "Because the deception is so great.
"Christianity is a religion, and religious men are caught in its web. Who can hear Me," said the Lord, "or who can hear My prophets when it is said of Christianity that it, as a religious system, is a false religion? Who can understand when I declare that all religion is false? The greatest deception of all is for men to come to it in My name, thinking they have come to Me. I am not an "it." I am not a religion. I am the living and true God. I require that men come unto Me and renounce all religion, but who can hear?
Therefore, I am not a Christian because I do not have a religion. I have a relationship with Jesus. I, too, have been deceived into thinking that I was a Christian for so many years. . Christianity is a religion. And any religion is man-made and not of God. This has been the ultimate deception for centuries and this deception is still alive and well TODAY.
"Religion has boundaries. I am boundless. It has its laws and rules and regulations. I offer grace and love and peace. Religion binds men; I free them. Religion suppresses men; I call them to ascend into the heavenlies. Religion restrains and controls; I release. Religion requires obedience to it; I require obedience to Me. Yes, obedience is far better than sacrifices. I loathe religion and religious men. They are dangerous and spread the deception to innocent hearts."
Here are the striking differences between religion and God. One is limited. The other is without limits. Religion binds men. God frees them. It is at its polar opposites.
"Lord, you have spoken plainly. So where shall they go who come out of Babylon?"
And He answered simply, "To Jesus."
"Ascend, My holy ones, ascend into the heavenlies. Sit at My right hand and at My left. I will show you mysteries. I will show you great and glorious things.
"You are My witnesses--My two witnesses--one on My left and the other on My right. On My left is grace and mercy and peace. And on My right is righteousness, justice, and wrath. I am a two-edged sword. My sword goes forth out of My mouth. It divides the righteous from the unrighteous. It is sharp and quick and sure.
"Behold, I am dividing right from wrong. I am making straight the path. I am exalting valleys. I am moving mountains. The high will be made low, and the low will be made high.
"If he cannot understand this (the man of sin), let him go down into his house, shut his door and weep and mourn, for surely pity shall come upon his house."
"How shall they come out of Babylon?" I asked the Lord.
"They shall come out by coming unto Me. Simply leave. The door is opened. The way is made clear. The prophets have gone before. Do not look back. Do not go back. Simply leave.
"And when they criticize you and call you blasphemous names, let your head be as flint; be silent; be at peace; love them; turn the other cheek, for they so persecuted your fathers before you.
"Do not look back. Do not do anything. Do not say anything. Simply leave. Say in your heart, 'I have left Babylon and have ascended the high hill of my God. I have come to Mount Zion, to Jesus, the author and finisher of My faith.'
"You cannot take Zion down to Babylon. You have to come out of her. You cannot sing Zion's songs in Babylon. They can only be sung in Zion.
"Zion is a place in the Spirit where Jesus is the only thing there is."
"Lord," my questions seemed endless, "this kind of freedom, this independence, this liberty--will it not be a great threat to those who lead in Babylon?"
"Oh yes, My son, they will take great offense at My holy ones. They will say you are deceived. They will slander, accuse, and defame you. They would plot to kill you if they could. For you, My holy ones, have become what they cannot, because they cannot let go of what they have. Yet, it shall all very soon be taken from them anyway."
"Tell me, Lord, in view of all of this, have we really heard the gospel yet? What is the gospel? Speak plainly to us."
"The gospel has been twisted and perverted to fit the molds of traditions and religions--so uniquely so, that men confuse the Christ with their systems and join converts to them rather than to Him.
"But the truth of the gospel is this: that I, the Lord God of Israel, came in human flesh, fulfilled the Law and Prophets, shed My blood of righteousness, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven where I now sit at the right hand of God the Father, where I intercede on behalf of the saints, and through faith am gathering unto Myself My assembly of holy ones. They are gathered into Me. They are My general assembly of the first-born. I have birthed them by My Spirit. I have filled them with My Spirit. I lead them by My Spirit. They are one in faith, hope, spirit, and love. They are everywhere and worship Me in spirit and truth. In obedience they serve Me where they are, out of who they are in Me. And none of this has anything to do with that Thing men call church. They are My body, My temple, My holy ones, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. They are above institutionalism--beyond doctrines, creeds, and rituals. They are not religious. They are sanctified.
He is talking about the universal church, the body of Christ here. He is talking about us because we have not sworn allegiance to any churches. We are everywhere and we are serving the Lord in obedience to HIm. And we have nothing to do with that thing that men call “church.”
"This is the good news: that Jesus Christ is Lord. And whosoever shall call upon His name shall be saved."
"Lord, I know of young pastors, Spirit-filled, who love you and want to go on with you. What shall they do once they see these things?"
"No man having put his hands to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven."
"Again, I plead with you, my Lord, speak plainly."
And He said, "He who sees these things and obeys My word will simply come out. He will leave home and family and friends and come out. It is a hard word, who can hear?
"These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Rev. 14:4.
"Lord, what shall I do with this word?"
"Shout it from the housetops. Proclaim it to the nations. What has been revealed to you in secret, proclaim it in the open. Be bold! Be forthright! Be strong! Speak it boldly. Shock the nations. Rattle their doors. Shake their foundations. If they cannot stand, they are not of Me. If it can be shut down and closed up, it is not of Me. If it can be tossed by the wind, it is not of Me. If it produces anger and violence and malicious gossip and slanderings and lies from those who hear it, they are not of Me, for such things do not come out of Me.
This is why the local church needs to hear about this. The “church” as we know it is an idol. This sin of idolatry has even blinded the pastors. This is a serious sin that has invaded the church. The Harlot church needs to know their wretched spiritual condition.
"Behold, I have laid My foundation. I have built My walls. And now I am dropping My plumb line. My word of truth goes forth. That which does not align with My word will be torn down and cast into the sea. I am sending My prophets again. They go out in the spirit of Elijah, preaching the kingdom of God and calling men everywhere to repent and be immersed into Jesus. They are My "John the Baptists." They go forth to prepare the way of the Lord.
"Shall I return to wed a harlot? Oh, how repulsive that is to Me. Nor shall I take unto Myself those who are joined to her. Search your hearts, My people. Babylon is in the heart. Come out of her and she will come out of you. Zion, likewise, is in the heart. Come unto Me and I will become your only love.
"Arise. Shine. Come unto Me."
"Lord," I prayed, "forgive me for the fear and the intimidation I feel when I think about speaking these things out."
"You shall know the harlot by this as well, that she has such a powerful control over the hearts and minds of men that they are laden with fear to dare come out of her, let alone speak against her. She is the epitome of idolatry and full of idolatry, and all those joined to her are idolaters. Now you must realize, My son, that a thing is an idol when men have put their trust and love in it. And idolaters do not want their idols touched. It is a dangerous thing to touch another man's idol. As you speak these things, you will be pulling down strongholds and shattering idols--and you will be hated by many for My name's sake.
So an idol is something that men have put their trust and love in. It could be a person, a thing, a place, or an idea. When I speak of this sin of idolatry or any sin that man has embraced as truth, I will be pulling down strongholds and shattering idols-- and I will be HATED by many for Jesus name sake.
"Now the harlot, the mother of harlots, is the spirit of Satan himself. He has hidden behind her skirt and deceived the nations. He is last of all willing for her to be exposed. He is, indeed, the great dragon and will try to consume My bond-servants, those I am sending forth in My name to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to expose the harlot and her counterfeits.
"A fierce war has begun in the heavenlies. All hell is loosed to destroy My bond-servants if they could, but they cannot even so much as touch them because they are dead and hidden in Me. This is why the fear is so compelling. It is real. Nevertheless, My bond-servants will, indeed, follow Me wherever I go at all cost to their own lives."
"Why is it so hard to leave Babylon? Why can't Christian people just walk away from it?"
"The spirits of Babylon are numerous and very compelling. At the head of the system is the mother of harlots, Jezebel. She is disguised as the bride and, thereby, has deceived the best of hearts. Yet, she is an enticing spirit. Her seductive ways appeal to the flesh of men and their desire for power, position, and riches. Working under her are all the Ahabs: the kings and rulers in thechurches, spirits operating through prideful men. The Ahabs are the Nicolaitans--the conquerors of the people. They are the clergy system that elevates itself above the people. Working for them are such other demons as pride, haughtiness, control, position, authority, power, possessiveness, domination, ownership, jealousy.
"These spirits rule the churches, the systems, and the people under them. They rule through spirits of fear and intimidation. Cooperating with these are spirits of tradition, dogmatism, sectarianism, doctrine, sentimentalism, denominationalism; the warring spirits are confusion, hatred, division, divisiveness, bitterness, and the like. These have holds on men and are strongholds in the minds of men. But at the root of them all are the despicable spirits of religion.
"For men to come out, they must first understand these things. Then they must repent of them and come unto Me with a pure heart. I will deliver them. I will separate them and cleanse their defiled hearts. I will dress them in readiness and prepare them for My banqueting table. I will feed them the good fodder of My word instead of the indigestible twigs of men's mind. Who can digest the human intellect? Who can swallow its lies and deceits? The answer is everyone. For man is stupid and devoid of knowledge. But he who has My Spirit will hunger and thirst after Me, and I will reveal My nature to him. He will come unto Me, and I will sup with him and he with Me. He is the one who can come out of the harlot.
"He is the one who will come out of the harlot, for I shall lose not one whom the Father has given to Me--none, except the son of perdition.
"The harlot is everywhere. She is in the ministry, seeking to promote herself in power, position, and riches. She is in the ministers--the Ahabs, the Nicolaitans. She plays politics to promote herself. She lies, cheats, defrauds; she will do anything to get ahead. She is full of ambition and selfish desires. She is an abomination to Me, the very opposite of My nature and of the nature of My bride.
"This, My son, is why I say a woman is to be quiet and gentle and submissive, for she bears the joy of the bride in her heart. She loves her lover. The harlot loves herself. The bride gives of herself. The harlot takes unto herself. The bride hides herself in hiddenness. The harlot exposes herself--even in her doorway. She advertises herself and entices men to come into her, be joined to her for the pleasures of the flesh. Self is flesh. Anything for Self is flesh. This is why it is the abomination that makes desolate My holy place. My holy place is the spirit of men. When that spirit is defiled by the flesh, that is an abomination to Me.
"The harlot is the flesh nature of man that has taken its rule in the churches--self-aggrandizement, men seeking to increase themselves in flocks. They count numbers and glory in them. They own their own sheep and call them Mine. They lie, for they are not My sheep. They make disciples unto themselves, of themselves, and for themselves. They fleece their flocks for their own sordid gain. These are not My ministers. They are hirelings and Nicolaitans.
"The harlot is ugly and hides her ugliness in gaudy garments and decorates her face in lavishing colors. She hides behind these things. She is ashamed of her sin. Yet, she will not repent. She cannot repent. She is evil from within."
"What about the harlot, Lord? Who or what is the harlot spirit? How can we know when she is operating?"
"The harlot spirit, My son, is anything for Self. She is the abomination that makes desolate My holy place. My bride, My holy bride is robed in righteousness. She has eyes only for Me. She is given wholly to Me. She is pure and undefiled and seeks nothing for herself. She is the laid-down life. She denies herself of Self, takes up her cross, and follows Me daily. My bride is beautiful and shines in the innocence of her holiness. She is separated unto Me. She is joined to Me. I am her husband and she is My only true love. I have birthed her. I have given her sup. I have adorned her in righteousness, beauty, and holiness. My bride is hard to see in the world because she is quiet, unassuming, gentle, meek--she is hidden in Me.
"But the harlot--she is loud and boisterous. She seeks herself. She wishes to expand her own bosom with the wealth of the nations. She seeks Self in everything, and everything she does is for Self. She has painted her face with all manner of atrocities. She loathes the bride. For she has no husband. She is a harlot. She takes anyone or anything into her bosom if it brings about an increase to her. She is an abomination to Me because she is full of boasting. She is deceitful. She is carnal. She is a harlot. A harlot is untrue. She is the counterfeit.
"Men come to her seeking Self--self-aggrandizement, self-reliance, self-pity, self-strength, self-anything. Self, Self, Self. This, My son, is how you can know if the harlot is at work: Ask yourself, 'Is what I am about to do, or is what I am discerning have to do with Self? Am I seeking Self? Or am I seeking the good of others?' If it is Self, it is the harlot every time. If it is from Me," says the Lord, "it will be for others; it will be the laid-down life of agape.
"She is a deceiver. She holds out all sorts of promises. She promises life and joy and prosperity and peace; and, in return, she charges a price. She cannot offer these things; for, in fact, those who go into her go down into Sheol--they go down into death, into poverty, into despair, into bondage and anguish.
"Ah, she cannot offer these things. Only I can offer life and joy and peace and blessing and happiness. These are found in Me. She says, take unto yourself what is yours. I say, lay it down. She says to live, drink, and be merry. I say, weep and mourn. She says, I will give you pleasure and great delight. But I say, I will give you life everlasting. Ah, she cannot offer you peace. She cannot offer you these things. They are not hers. She entices her lovers into thinking she holds these things, but she does not.
"The harlot is Self--anything for Self. You play the harlot when your heart goes after any substitute for Jesus.
"Remember this, My son, and guard your heart. Empty yourself of Self. Stay humble, broken, empty before Me. I will fill you up. I will be your joy, your satisfaction, your everything.
"Beware of the harlot. She is everywhere--in every window, every door, every street corner. She is in the voice of everyone who speaks. She is boasting, bragging, enticing, flattering, and seductive. Beware! Beware!
"The harlot is in the bosom of every man. She rises up and says I want this or that, or I want to do this or that, or I want to be this or that. At all times and in every way she seeks herself. Can you see her in the church? Can you see her in the ministry? Can you see her on the boards and committees, in places of high leadership? Can you see her in the pew? Can you see her in the choir? Everywhere she lifts her skirt to dance her own dance to the tune she has written in her own invention. And when she has finished, she takes her bows and receives her accolades, her applause, her plaques and trophies; she decks her walls with them. She is the harlot, the counterfeit to My bride who is simply hidden in Me."
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35.
The trumpet call is sounding: "Come out of her, My people!" "Let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Heb. 13:13.
Dare we face our idols, cleanse the temple, and return to the God of our salvation?
Final conclusion summary:
The “church” as we know it is an idol. All who choose to worship in a church are idolaters. The people in the churches are blind, including the pastors, the clergymen, and the likes. This has been the ultimate deception for centuries and is still in effect today.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The local church is not the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is not a religion. He is the son of God and He wants an intimate relationship with us. He is calling us to come out from her (the church) and to come unto Him.
The local churches and various denominations (the baptist, the presbyterians, the lutherans, the catholics, and many more) are man made. These denominations were established by theology that was derived from scripture. The founder of Christianity created the rules and regulations for these denominations, the dos and don’ts and placed them in the churches. He is none other than the anti-christ.
When we have the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims, are they not each representing the anti-christ? Is Jesus not the head of all churches? Are we not members of the universal church, the body of Christ?
Therefore, those who has ears, let them hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying.
Revelation 2
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,
‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 “I know your works, love, service, faith,[b] and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. 20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow[c] that woman[d] Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce[e] My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.[f] 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their[g] deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
24 “Now to you I say, and[h] to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will[i] put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come. 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
27 ‘ He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’[j]—
as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
