Prais Jah For His Judgments!

Babylon the Great is no more! This is truly joyous news. No wonder John hears happy exclamations of praise in heaven! "After these things I heard what was a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. They said: 'Hallelujah!" The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and righteous. For he has executed judgment upon the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged the blood of his slaves at her hand.' And right away for the second time they said: 'Hallelujah!' And the smoke from her goes on ascending forever and ever." -Revelation 19:1-3.

Hallelujah indeed! The word means "Praise Jah, you people," "Jah" being the shortened form of the divine name, Jehovah. We are here reminded of the exhortation of the psalmist: "Every breathing thing-let it praise Jah. Praise Jah, you people!" (Psalm 150:6) John's hearing the exultant heavenly chorus sing "Hallelujah!" twice at this point in Revelation demonstrates the continuity of Christian Greek Scriptures is the same as the God of the earlier Hebrew Scriptures, and Jehovah is his name. The God that caused the fall of ancient Babylon has now judged and destroyed Babylon the Great. Ascribe to him all glory for that feat! The power maneuvered her downfall belongs to him rather than to the nations that he used as instruments in desolating her. To Jehovah alone we must attribute salvation., -Isaiah 12:2; Revelation 54:11; 7:10, 12.

Why has the great harlot been so deserving of this judgment? According to the law that Jehovah gave to Noah-and through him to all mankind-the wanton shedding of blood calls for the death sentence. This was stated again in God's Law to Israel. (Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:20, 21) Moreover, under that Mosaic Law both physical and spiritual adultery merited death. (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 13:1-5) For thousands of years Babylon the Great has been blood guilty, and she is a gross fornicatrix. For example, the policy of the Roman Catholic Church of forbidding her priests to many has resulted in gross immorality on the part of many of them, not a few of these today contracting AIDS. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 1Timothy 4:1-3) But her major sins, 'massing together clear up to heaven,' are her shocking acts of spiritual fornication-this latter in teaching falsehoods and allying herself with corrupt politicians. (Revelation 18:5) Since her punishment has finally overtaken her,the heavenly multitude now echoes a second Hallelujah.

Babylon the great has been set afire like a conquered city, and the smoke from her "goes on ascending forever and ever." When a literal city is burned by conquering armies, the smoke keeps ascending as long as the ashes are hot. Anyone who tries to rebuild it while it is still smoking will simply get burned by the smoldering ruins. Since the smoke from Babylon the Great will rise "forever and ever" in token of the finality of her judgment, no one will ever be able to restore that iniquitous city. False religion is gone forever. Hallelujah, indeed! -Compare Isaiah 34:5, 9, 10.

Next time: Continue with Praise Jah For His Judgments!

Revelation Its Grand Climax At Hand! Watchtower Bible And Tract Society,1988