Carrying Out God's Thought

How does Jehovah execute his judgment? This may be illustrated by Jehovah's action against his apostate people in ancient times, concerning whom he said: "In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrible things, committing adultery and walking in falsehood, and they have strengthened the hands of evildoers in order that they should not return, each one from his own badness. To me all of them have become like Sodom and the inhabitants of her like Gomorrah (Jeremiah 23:14) In 607 B.C.E., Jehovah used Nebuchadnezzar to 'strip' off the garments, take away the beautiful articles and leave naked and nude' that spiritually adulterous city. (Ezekiel 23:4, 26, 29) Jerusalem of that time was a pattern of Christendom today, and as John saw in earlier visions, Jehovah will administer to Christendom and the rest of false religion a similar punishment. The desolated, uninhabited condition of Jerusalem after 607 B.C.E. shows what religious Christendom will look like after being stripped of her wealth and shamefully exposed. And the rest of Babylon the Great will fare not better.

Again Jehovah uses human rulers in executing judgment: "For God put it into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished." ( Revelation 17:17) What is God's thought'/ To arrange for the executioners of Babylon the Great to band together, in order to destroy her completely of course, the rulers' motive in attacking her will be to carry out their own "one thought." They will feel that it is in their nationalistic interests to turn upon the great harlot. They may come to view the continued existence or organized religion within their boundaries as a threat to their sovereignty. But Jehovah will actually be maneuvering matters; they will carry out his thought by destroying his age old adulterous enemy at one stroke! -Compare Jeremiah 7:8-11, 34.

Yes, the nations will use the scarlet-colored will beast, the United Nations, in destroying Babylon the Great. They do not act on their own initiative, for Jehovah puts it into their hearts "even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast." When the time comes, the nations will evidently see the need to strengthen the Untied Nations. They will give it teeth, as it were, lending it whatever authority and power they possess so that it can turn upon false religion and fight successfully against her "until the words of God will have been accomplished. " Thus, the ancient harlot will come to her complete end. And good riddance to her!

As if to emphasize the certainty of Jehovah's execution of judgment on the world empire of false religion, the angel concludes his testimony by saying: " And the woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18) Like Babylon of Belshazzar's time, Babylon the Great has "been weighed in the balance and found wanting." (Daniel 5:27, The New English Bible) He execution will be swift and final. And how do Jehovah's Witnesses respond to unraveling of the mystery of the great harlot and of the scarlet-colored wild beast? They show zeal in proclaiming Jehovah's day of judgment, while answering "with r graciousness" sincere searcher for truth. (Colossians 4:5, 6; Revelation 17:3, 7) As out next chapter will show, all who are desirous of surviving when the great harlot is executed must act, and act quickly!

Next time: The Great City Devastated.