Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments!

 Yes, those of the great crowd are also numbered among these slaves. Since 1935 these have been coming out of Babylon the Great and have experienced the fulfillment of God's promise: "He will bless those fearing Jehovah, the small one as well as the great ones." (Psalm 115:13) When harlotlike Babylon is desrtroyed, millions of them will join in "praising our God"-along with the John class and all the heavenly host. Later, those resurrected on earth, whether previously prominent or not, will no doubt sing further Hallelujahs on learning that Babylon the Great is gone forever. (Revelation20:12, 15) All praise to Jehovah for all his resounding victory over the old-age harlot!

What an incentive all of this gives us to share fully in God's work for today! May all of Jah's servants devote themselves heart and soul to declaring God's judgments, together with the Grand Kingdom hope, now, before Babylon the Great is unseated and destroyed. - ISAIAH 61:1-3; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58.

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments - 'Hallelujah-Jehovah Is King!' 

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Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for HIs Judgments!

 It was in 1918 that Jehovah began rewarding 'those fearing his him, the small and the great'-the first of these being the anointed Christians who had died faithful, whom he resurrected and stationed in the heavenly ranks of the 24 elders. (Revelation 11:18) Others joined with these in singing the Hallelujahs, for John reports: "Also, a voice issued forth from the throne and said: 'Be praising our God, all you his slaves, who fear him, the small ones and the great.' " (Revelation 19:5) This is the "voice" of Jehovah's Mouthpiece, his own Son, Jesus Christ, who stands "in the midst of the throne." (Revelation 5:6) Not only in heaven but also here on earth, "all you his slaves" share in the singing, with the anointed John class taking the lead on earth. How exultantly these share in obeying the command: "Be praising our God"!

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments

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Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments!

 Babylon the Great has been set afire like 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 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 one forever.  Hallelujah, indeed - Compare ISAIAH3:4, 5, 9, 10. 

In an earlier vision, John saw around the throne four living creatures together with the 24 elders that picture the Kingdom heirs in their glorious heavenly position. (Revelation 4:8-11) Now he sees them again as they thunder forth a third Hallelujah over the destruction of Babylon the Great: "And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God seated upon his throne and said: 'Amen! Hallelujah! ' " (Revelation 19:4) This grand Hallelujah chorus is in addition, then, to the "new song" praise to the Lamb. (Revelation 5:8, 9) They sing now the magnificent victory refrain, ascribing all glory to the Sovereign Lord Jehovah because of his decisive victory over the great harlot, Babylon the Great. These Hallelujahs peal forth far more melodiously than any Hallelujah choruses sung in Christendom's churches, where Jehovah, or Jah, has been dishonored and despised. Such hypocritical singing that reproaches Jehovah's name is now silenced forever!

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments 

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Chapter Thiry-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments

 

To my readers: The first blog I did is supposed to be for the third. today, but I got up earlier and forgot it was the third yet. I am sorry. 

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 35:21, 21) Moreover, under that Mosaic Law both physical and spiritual adultery merited death. (Leviticus20:10; Deuteronomy 13:1-5) For thousands of years Babylon the Great has been bloodguilty, and she is a gross fornicatrix. For example, the policy of the Roman Catholic Church of forbidding her priests to marry has resulted in gross immorality on the part of many of them of these today contracting AIDS. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 1 Timothy4:1-3) 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.

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments

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Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for HIs Judgments!

 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, you people!" (Psalm 150:6) John's hearing the exultant heaven chorus sing "Hallelujah!" twice at this point in Revelation demonstrates the continuity of the divine revelation of truth. The God of the 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 the Great. Ascribe to him all glory for that feat! The power that 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 4:11; 7:10, 12. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments 

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Chapter Thirty-Eight/Prase 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 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. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah for His Judgments! 

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Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt - Conclusion

 What is the second way? From Jehovah's viewpoint the world's religions are bloodguilty because they have not convincingly taught their followers the truth of Jehovah's requirements for his servants. They have not convincingly taught people that God's true worshipers must imitate Jesus Christ and show love toward others regardless of their national origin. (Micah 4:3, 5; John 13:34, 35; Acts 10:34, 35; 1 John 3:10-12) Because the religions making up Babylon the Great have not taught these things, their adherents have drawn into the vortex of international warfare. How evident this was in the two world wars of the first half of this century, both of which started in Christendom and resulted in fellow religionists' slaughtering one another! if all who claimed to be Christians had adhered to Bible principles, those wars could never have taken place. 

Jehovah lays blame for all this bloodshed at the feet of Babylon the Great. Had the religious leaders, and particularly those in Christendom, taught their people Bible truth, such massive bloodshed would not have occurred. Truly, then, directly or indirectly, Babylon the Great-the great harlot and world empire of false religion -must answer to Jehovah not only for "the blood of prophets and of holy ones" whom she has persecuted and killed but for the blood "of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth." Babylon the Great does indeed carry an appalling bloodguilt. Good riddance when her final destruction takes place!

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Eight/Praise Jah For His Judgments!

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Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt - Continue

 However, the prophecy says that the blood of "all those who have been slaughtered on the earth" must be charged to Babylon the Great. That has certainly been true in modern times. For example, since Catholic intrigue helped to bring Hitler to power in Germany, the Vatican shares in a terrible bloodguilt with regard to the six million Jews that died in Nazi pogroms. Further, in this 20th century alone, well over a hundred million people have been killed in hundreds of wars. Is false religion to blame in this connection? Yes, in two ways.

One way is that many wars are related to religious differences. For example, the violence in India between Muslims and Hindus in 1946-48 was religiously motivated. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. The conflict between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s is related to sectarian differences, with hundreds of thousands being killed. Violence between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland has taken thousands of lives. The continuing violence in Lebanon is religiously based. Surveying this field, columnist C.L. Sulzberger said in 1976: "It is a dismal truth that probably half or more of the wars now being fought around the world are either openly religious conflicts or involved with religious disputes." Indeed, it has been so throughout the turbulent history of Babylon the Great.

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt - Continue

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Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt

 In conclusion, the strong angel tells why Jehovah judges Babylon the Great so severely. "Yes, says the angel, "in her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth." (Revelation 18:24) When on earth, Jesus told the religious leaders in Jerusalem that they were accountable for "all the righteous blood spilled on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel" onward. Accordingly, that crooked generation was destroyed in 70 C.E. (Matthew 23:35-38) Today, another generation of religionists bears bloodguilt for its persecution of God's servants.

In his book The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany, Guenter Lewy writes: "When Jehovah's Witnesses were suppressed in Bavaria on April 13 [1933] the Church even accepted the assignment given it by the Ministry of Education and Religion of reporting on any member of the sect still practicing the forbidden."  The Catholic Church thus shares a responsibility for consigning thousands of Witnesses to concentration camps; its hands are stained by the lifeblood of hundreds of Witnesses who were executed. When young Witnesses, such a Wilhelm Kusserow, showed that they could die courageously by a firing squad. Hitler decided that the firing squad was too good for conscientious objectors; so Wilhelm's brother Wolfgang, at 20 years of age, died by a guillotine. At the same time, the Catholic Church as encouraging young Catholics to die in the army of the fatherland. The bloodguilt of the church is plain to see!

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt - Continue

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Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End -Hurling a Great Millstone - Conclusion

 In comparable terms, Jeremiah prophesied concerning apostate Jerusalem: "I will destroy out of them the sound exultation and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the hand mill and the light of the lamp. And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment." (Jeremiah 25:10, 11) As the principal part of Babylon the Great, Christendom will become a lifeless ruin, as so vividly depicted by Jerusalem's desolate condition after 607 B.C.E. The Christendom that once rejoiced lightheartedly and bustle with everyday noise will fin herself conquered and abandoned. 

Indeed, as the angel here tells John, all of Babylon the Great will change from a powerful, international empire to an arid desertlike wasteland. Her "traveling merchants," including top-ranking millionaires, have used her religion for personal advantage or as cover-up, and a clergy have found it profitable to share the limelight with them. But those merchants will no longer have Babylon the Great as their accomplice. No more will she be hoodwinking the nations of the earth with mystic religious practices. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Seven/Mourning and Rejoicing at Babylon's End - An Appalling Bloodguilt

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