Some people view the Hebrew Roots / Messianic / Sabbath Keeping movement as a nice option for people to express their faith if they so choose. However in Rev. 18:4 there is a command to come out of (Babylon) so that we do not receive the plagues that are due to her.
This Babylon is not a physical empire but a spiritual one that is empowered by a religious system. This departure is not optional and will require an exit strategy with a specific destination.
Since Babylon is in Shinar, which is the seat of wickedness, then it’s fair to assume that our spiritual destination must be Jerusalem, the seat of righteousness. Our guide must be the Holy Spirit because human intellect will only lead us to construct another “Babylon” of our own choosing.
I can’t remember hearing any testimonies of people being led by the Holy Spirit to observe Easter or Christmas. On the other hand I have heard many people who feel like they have been led by the Spirit to observe the Sabbath and other Holy Days. Constantine and other government leaders have historically been the ones enforcing things like Sunday worship or Sunday blue laws.
So we have the contrast of the fear of man and the fear of the Almighty. Actually when the children of Israel were told to leave Egypt, their first obligation was to keep a feast (chag) to YHVH. They told Pharaoh in Exodus 5 to let them go, “lest He fall on us with pestilence or the sword”. They were between a rock and a hard place so to speak, because YHVH was commanding them to go and Pharaoh commanded them to stay. Down through the ages believers have found themselves in similar situations, while we wait on our Deliverer to release us from Satan’s bondage.
When they got to Mt. Sinai the Sabbath command was the first introduced to them, as a test of obedience. (Ex. 16)
Don’t forget that the Sabbath was one of the few commandments given that the death penalty could be used for its violation. Many years later in Jeremiah 17, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were told that if they violated the Sabbath their city would be destroyed by fire. Sadly this warning was ignored and Nebuchadnezzar came with his Babylonian army and fulfilled the words of this prophecy taking the whole nation of Judah into captivity.
Does Revelation 18 apply to us today? If not, then why was it written and to whom was it written? Who is this beast that makes war with the saints? Some people take the position that Islam is the “Anti-Christ” and is the Babylon mentioned in Revelation. Obviously Islam is “anti-Christian” and overtly so. But the greatest deceivers are those who operate covertly while bearing the name of the Messiah.
Since we know that the tenets of Islam are diametrically opposed to the Elohim of the scriptures then we can be on the lookout for those who ally themselves with Islam.
Here is an article by Jane M. Agni from the National Review.
On Monday the Bishop Of Rome addressed Catholic followers regarding the dire importance of exhibiting religious tolerance. During his hour-long speech, a smiling Pope Francis was quoted telling the Vatican’s guests that the Koran, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible.
“Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith. Together, we can bring about an unprecedented age of peace, all we need to achieve such a state is respect each others beliefs, for we are all children of God regardless of the name we choose to address him by. We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.” (1)
This statement by Pope Francis is not an isolated incident. Of course there are many Catholics who do not agree with his position, and who find themselves at odds with the Vatican on some issues. They are some of YHVH’s people who need to hear the call to “come out”. On the other hand, people like presidential advisor Kenneth Copeland say that the Reformation is over and that there is no reason for us to call ourselves Protestants.
The rock musician Bono has had a working relationship with the Pope and has acted as a bridge to join people together for humanitarian causes. Many people who call themselves Christians such as Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Chris Tomlin, and have been involved with Bono in his endeavors. (2)
So what can we do? We can warn people not to worship this beast that has thought to change times (divine appointments) and laws and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
(1) http://nationalreport.net/pope-francis-followers-koran-holy-bible/
(2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzoepbW3S2w