Before I answer your two questions, I would offer a brief word on Mystery Babylon. This expression is only spoken of once in the Bible. In Revelation 17:4-6 we read, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and abomination and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” This is a “religious system” which claimed to be the true church (the Bride of Christ) which was known for its persecution of Christians throughout the Church Age. After the Rapture of the true Church, she will still claim to be the true church, yet she will betray her true character by continuing to lust after power and will seduce the nations, making her guilty of “spiritual fornication.” In Chapter 18:2-3, 8-9 we read of her destruction: “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every soul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hated bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committee fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury…Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that GREAT CITY BABYLON, THAT MIGHTY CITY! For in one hour your judgment has come.” We see in this chapter that the GREAT HARLOT will have its headquarters in a GREAT CITY which is known around the world for its commerce and wealth, which many nations have been dependent upon for their own commerce and wealth. This will take place in the middle of the coming seven-year Tribulation Period. Many (including this writer) believe this “religious and commercial system” is the Roman Catholic church who shed the blood of many Christians prior to the Rapture and in the Tribulation will be very powerful until God judges her with complete destruction in one day.

Regarding Christians today and whether we should all leave our various jobs to follow Jesus as the apostles did when Jesus was here, it is clear from Scripture that God does NOT call all believers to leave their jobs to serve the Lord in full-time evangelism or Bible teaching. When He was here, He only called 12 men to become His apostles (see Matthew 4:18-22; 10:1-4) and later He sent out 70 men to preach the gospel and perform miracles (Luke 10:1-24). After Christ’s resurrection He called Saul of Tarsus to be an Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-20; Romans 11:13; Galatians 2:2, 7-8; Ephesians 3:8), but Saul (now called Paul) also continued to work as a tentmaker to provide for himself and others (Acts 18:1-3; 20:34-35; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). There have been many others who have been given public gifts to be used in full-time service for the Lord (Ephesians 4:7-12) and they too have left their secular employment and are supported by other believers to meet their temporal needs (1 Corinthians 9:1-14 and 3 John 5-8). Other earnest believers have an occupation but are still serving the Lord (Romans 16:1-2)

If you believe the Lord is calling you into full-time service and you have the FAITH to believe He will meet your needs (temporal and spiritual), then I trust you will heed that call and launch out by FAITH. You will then have the same FAITH and DEPENDENCE on the Lord as the Apostle Paul who said to the saints at Philippi, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). If you are not being called into full-time service, YOU ARE STILL SERVING THE LORD, for all believers are SERVANTS of God (see Romans 6:11-22; 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).  (DO)  (695.3)