Judging the Infamous Harlot - Conclusion of The Harlot Rides a Beast

In what way is this symbolic wild beast full of blasphemous names?  In that men have set up this multinational idol as a substitute  for God's Kingdom - to accomplish  what God says  his Kingdom alone can accomplish.  (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 12:18, 21)  What is remarkable about John's vision, though, is that Babylon the Great is riding the scarlet-colored wild beast.  True to the prophecy, Babylonish religion, particularly in Christendom, has linked itself with the League of Nations and its successor.  As early as December 18, 1918, the body now known as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in America adopted a declaration that declared in part:  "Such a League is not a mere political  expedient; it is rather the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. . . .The Church can give a spirit of good-will, without which no League of Nations can endure. . . .The League of Nations is rooted in the Gospel.  Like the Gospel, its objective is 'peace on earth, good-will toward men.' "

On January 2, 1919, the San Francisco Chronicle carried the front-page headline "Pope Pleads for Adoption of Wilson's League of Nations."  On October 16, 1919, a petition signed by 14,450 clergymen of leading denominations was presented  to the Paris peace treaty embodying the league of nations covenant."  Though the U.S. Senate failed to ratify the treaty, Christendom clergy continued to campaign  for the League.  And how was the League  inaugurated? A news dispatch from Switzerland, dated November 15, 1920, read:  "Opening of the first assembly of the League of Nations was announced at eleven o'clock this morning by the ringing of all the church bells in Geneva."

Did the John class, the one group on earth that eagerly accepted the incoming Messianic Kingdom, share with Christendom in paying homage to the scarlet-colored wild beast?   Far from it!  On Sunday, September 7, 1919,m the convention of Jehovah's people in Cedar Point, Ohio, featured the public talk  "The Hope for Distressed Humanity."  On the following day, the Sandusky Star-Journal reported that J.F. Rutherford, president of the Watchtower Society, in addressing nearly 7,000 persons, had "asserted that the Lord's displeasure is certain  to be visited upon the League . . .because the clergy -Catholic and Protestant -claiming to be God's representatives, have abandoned his plan and endorsed the League of Nations, hailing it as a political expression of Christ's kingdom on earth."

The dismal failure of the League of Nations should have signaled to the clergy that such man-made organs are no part of a Kingdom of God on earth.  What blasphemy to make such a claim!  It makes it seem as though God was a party to the colossal botch that the League turned out to be.  As for God, "perfect is his activity."  Jehovah's heavenly Kingdom under Christ - and not a combine  of squabbling politicians, many of them atheists - is the means by which he will bring in peace and have his will done on earth as in heaven. -Deuteronomy 32:4;  Matthew  6:10.

What of the League's successor, the United Nations?  From its inception, this body has also had the great harlot riding on its back, visibly associated with it and trying to guide its destiny.  For example, on its 20th anniversary, in June 1965, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, together with Protestants, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims -said to represent two thousand million of earth's population-assembled in San Francisco to celebrate their support  and admiration of the UN. On visiting  the UN October 1965, Pope Paul VI described it as "that greatest of all international organizations" and added"  "The peoples of the earth turned to the United Nations as the last hope of concord and peace."  Another papal visitor, Pope John Paul II, addressing the UN October 1979, said: "I hope the United States will ever remain the supreme  forum of peace and justice."  Significantly, the pope made no mention of Jesus Christ or of God's Kingdom in his speech.  During his visit to the United States in September  1987, as reported  by the  New York Times, "John Paul spoke at length about the positive role of the United Nations in promoting  . . .'new worldwide solidarity.' "

Next time: Judging the Infamous Harlot - A Name, a Mystery

From the Book of Revelation