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Organization Is Babylon
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May 13  Organization Is Babylon

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And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Rev. 17:5.

Unlike the Connexionists, most Millerite Adventists had no been anti-organizational in their attitudes during the early years of their movement. On the other hand, they had no desire to form their own church sturucture. After all, the Lord was coming soon, and there was no need for it. Thus the Millerite believers had sought to remain in their various denominations while they witnessed to their Advent faith and waited for Christ's coming.

That worked well until the summer of 1843, when many congregations began to disfellowship them because of their constant and increasing agitation about the approaching Advent. That aggressive action, as we saw earlier, led Charles Fitch to proclaim the fall of Babylon and the need for believers to come out of the various denominations. The conflict and persecution resulting from the rejection of the Advent message led many to conclude that the churches were indeed acting the part of Babylon-the Old Testament oppressor of God's people.

One Millerite preacher who felt especially impressed to proclaim the message to leave the denomintions was George Storrs. He wrote that Babylon "is the old mother and all her children [the Protestant denominations] . . . are known by the family likeness, a domineering, lordly spirit; a spirit to suppress a free search after truth, and a free expression of our conviction of what is truth." Individuals needed to abandon the denominations because "we have no right to let any man, or body of men, thus lord it over us. And to remain in such an organized body. . .is to remain in Babylon."

To Storrs the history of organized religion (both Catholic and Protestant) was one of bigotry and persecution. He eventually concluded that "no church can be organized by man's invention but what it becomes Babylon the movement is organized."

That message, along with the bleivers' painful experiences at the hands of various churches, left an impression on most Millerites that was so strong that all Millerite groups of found it next to impossible to organize in the late 1840s and early 1850s.

Such was the case with the Sabbatarians. But they would soon discover that "Babylon" had more than one biblical meaning.

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Help us, Lord, to see clearly, even in confusing times.
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