NO PEACE FOR THE FALSE MESSENGERS!

Conclusion of Reasons for 'Weeping Bitterly'

What will be the outcome of all of this? Jehovah's prophetic Word leaves no doubt. In the first place, what lies ahead for the world's false religions that have so often been extremely friendly with the UN? They are the offspring of one idolatrous fountainhead, ancient Babylon. Appropriately, they are described at Revelation 17:5 as "Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth." Jeremiah described the doom of this hypocritical conglomerate. Harlotlike, they have seduced earth's politicians, flattering the UN and forming illicit relations with its member political powers. They have been major participants in the wars of history. One commentator stated with reference to religious warfare in India: "Karl Marx referred to religion as the opium of the masses. But that statement cannot be quite right because opium is a downer, it lulls people into a stupor. No, religion is more like crack cocaine. It unleashes tremendous violence and is a very destructive force." That writer is not quite right either. False religion is both stupefying and destructive.

What, then, should honesthearted people do? God's messenger Jeremiah gives us the answer: "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and provide escape each one for his own soul. . . .For it is the time of vengeance belonging to Jehovah." Happy we are that millions have fled from the confines of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. Are you one of these? Then you can well understand how Babylon the Great has affected the nations of earth: "From her wine the nations have drunk. That is why the nations keep acting crazed." -Jeremiah 51:6, 7.

Shortly, "crazed" members of the UN will be maneuvered by Jehovah to turn on false religion, as described at Revelation 17:16: "These will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshly parts and will completely burn her with fire." This will mark the start of the great tribulation that is referred to at Matthew 24:21 and that will climax at Armageddon, the war of the great day of God the Almighty. Like ancient Babylon, Babylon the Great will meet up with the judgment pronounced at Jeremiah 51:13, 25: " 'O woman residing on abounding waters, abundant in treasures, you end has come, the measure of your profit making. Here I am against you, O ruinous mountain,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'you ruiner of the whole earth; and I will stretch out my hand against you and roll you away from the crags and make you a burnt-out mountain.' " Corrupt, warmongering nations will follow false religion into destruction as Jehovah's day of vengeance catches up with them also.

At Thessalonians 5:3, it is said of the wicked: "Whenever it is that they are saying: 'Peace and security!' then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." "Look! . . .Messengers of peace will weep bitterly." (Isaiah 33:7) Indeed, as we read at Isaiah 48:22) " "there is no peace,,' Jehovah has said, 'for the wicked one.' " But what future awaits the true messengers of godly peace? Our next article will tell.

Next time: MESSENGERS OF GODLY PEACE PRONOUNCED HAPPY

Watchtower, 1997