"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!"

 Endurance for the Holy Ones

Now the third angel speaks: "And another angel, a third followed them, saying in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the wild beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God that is poured out undiluted in the cup of his wrath." (Revelation 14:9, 10a) At Revelation 13:16, 17, It was revealed during the Lord's day those who do not worship the image of the wild beast would suffer-even be killed. Now we learn that Jehovah has determined to bring to judgment, those "having the mark of the wild beast or the number of its name."  They will forced to drink a bitter 'cup of wrath' of Jehovah's anger. What will this mean for them? In 607  B.C.E.., when Jehovah forced Jerusalem to drink "his cup of rage," the city experienced "despoiling and breakdown, and hunger and sword" at the hands of the Babylonians.  (Isaiah 51:17, 19)   Similarly, when idolizers of earth's political powers and their  image, the United Nations, get to drink the cup of Jehovah's wrath, the result will be a calamity for them.  (Jeremiah 25:17, 32, 33) They will be utterly destroyed.

Even before that happens, however, those with the mark of the beast have to undergo the tormenting effects of Jehovah's disapproval.  Speaking of worshipper of the wild beast and its image, the angel informs Joh: "And he shall be tormented with the fire and sulphur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of  of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and day and night they have no rest, those who worship the wild beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." - REVELATION 14:10b, 11.

Some have viewed the mention here of fire and sulfur ("fire and brimstone," King James Version) as a proof of its existence of a hellfire.  But a brief look at a similar prophecy shows the real import of these words in this context. Back in the days of Isaiah, Jehovah warned the nation of Edom that they would be punished because of their enmity toward Israel.  He said: "Her torrents must be changed into pitch, and her dust into sulphur; and her land  must become  as burning pitch, By night or day it will not be extinguished; to time indefinite  its smoke will keep ascending. From generation to generation sge will be parched forever and ever no one will be passing through her." - ISAIAH 34:9, 10.

Was Edom hurled into some mythical hellfire to burn forever?  Of course not.  Rather, the nation completely disappeared from the world scene as if she had been totally consumed with fire and sulfur. The final result of the punishment was, not everlasting torment but "emptiness  . . . wasteness . . . nothing." (Isaiah 34:11, 12)  The smoke 'ascending to time indefinite' vividly illustrates this.  When a house burns down, smoke keep coming up from the ashes for some time after the flames have died down, providing onlookers with evidence that there has been destructive  conflagration. Even today God's people remember the lesson to be learned from the destruction of Edom.  In this way,  'the smoke of her burning' is still ascending in a symbolic way.

Next time: "Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Continued

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