Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My Children"

 How, though, do God's people get out of Babylon the Great? In the case of ancient Babylon, the Jews had to make a physical journey from the city of Babylon all the way back to the Promised Land. But more was involved than that. Isaiah prophetically told the Israelites: "Turn away, turn away, get out of there, touching nothing unclean; get out from the midst of her, keep yourselves clean, who are carrying the utensils of Jehovah." (Isaiah 52:11) Yes, they had to abandon all unclean practices of Babylonish religion that might tarnish their worship of Jehovah. 

Next time: Chapter Thiry-Six/The Great City Devastated -"Get Out of Her, My Children" 

From the jw.org publications 

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People" - Continue

Strong words, those! So action is required. Jeremiah urged the Israelites in his day to act, saying: "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, . . .  For it is the time of vengeance belonging to Jehovah. There is treatment that he is paying back to her. Get out of the midst of her, O my people, and provide each one his soul with escape from the burning anger of Jehovah." (Jeremiah 51:6, 45) In a similar way, the voice out of heaven warns God's people today to flee from Babylon the Great in order not to receive part of her plagues. Jehovah's plaguelike judgments on this world, including Babylon the Great, are now being proclaimed. (Revelation 8:1-9:21; 16:1-21) God's people need to separate themselves from false religion if they themselves do not want to suffer these plagues and ultimately die with her. Besides, remaining within that organization would them share in her sins. They would be as guilty as she is of spiritual adultery and of shedding the blood " of those who have been slaughtered on the earth." - REVELATION 18:24; Compare EPHESIANS 5:11; 1 TIMOTHY 5:22. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People" - Continue

From the jw.org publications 

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People!"-Continue

 Is it really so urgent to flee out of Babylon the Great, withdrawing from membership in the world's religions and making a complete separation? It is, for we need to take God's view of this old-age religious monstrosity. Babylon the Great. He did not mince words in calling her the great harlot. So now the voice out of heaven informs John further concerning this whore. "For her sins have massed together clear up to heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind. Render to her even as she herself rendered, and do to her twice as much, yes, twice the number of the things she did; in the cup in which she put a mixture put twice as much of the mixture for her. To the extent that she glorified herself and lived in shameless luxury, to that extent giver her torment and mourning. For in her heart she keeps saying, 'I sit as a queen, and I am no widow, and I shall never see mourning.' That is why in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire, because Jehovah God, who judged her, is strong" - REVELATION 18:5-8.

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People!" 

From the jw.org publications 

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People"

 John's next words point to a further fulfillment of the prophetic pattern: "And I heard another voice out of heaven say: 'Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receiver part of her plagues.'" (Revelation 18:4) Prophecies of ancient Babylon's fall in the Hebrew Scriptures also include Jehovah's command to his people: "Take your flight out of the midst of Babylon." (Jeremiah 50:8, 13) Similarly, in view of the coming desolation of Babylon the Great, God's people are now urged to escape. In 637 B.C.E. the opportunity to escape from Babylon caused much rejoicing on their part. (Revelation 11:11, 12) And since that time millions of others have obeyed the order to flee. - Compare MATTHEW 24:15, 16. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People"  - Continue

From the jw.org publications

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - The Traveling Merchants - Conclusion

 As foretold by the glorious angel, religion has been deeply involved in such corrupt business practices. For example, there is the Vatican's involvement in the collapse of Italy's Banco Ambrosiano in 1982. The case has dragged on through the 1980's, until the unanswered question being: Where did the money go? In February 198 Milan magistrates issued arrest warrants for three Vatican clerics, including an American archbishop, on charges that they were accessories to fraudulent, but the Vatican rejected an extradition request in July 1987, amid an uproar of protest, the warrants were nullified by Italy's highest Court of Appeals on the basis of an old treaty between the Vatican and the Italian government. 

Did Jesus have a tie-in with questionable business practices of his day? No. He was not even a property owner, for he had "nowhere to lay his head." A rich young ruler was advised by Jesus: "Sell all the things you have and distribute to poor people, and you will have treasures in the heavens; and come to be my follower." That was fine admonition, for it could have resulted in his getting rid of all anxieties over business matters.  (Luke 9:58; 18:22) In contrast, Babylonish religion often has unsavory links with big business. For example, in 1987 the Albany Times Union reported that the financial administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, Florida, U.S.A., admitted to the church's owning stocks in companies that make nuclear weapons, R-rated movies, and cigarettes. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - "Get Out of Her, My People"

From the jw.org publications 

 

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - The Traveling Merchants - Continue

 International trading in arms is soaring beyond $1,000,000,ooo,000 each year, while hundreds of millions of humans are deprived of life's necessities. That is bad enough. But armaments appear to be a basic support of the world's economy. On April 11, 1987, an article in London's Spectator reported: "Counting only directly related industries, some 400,000 jobs are involved in the U.S. and 750,000 in Europe. But curiously enough, as the social and economic role of building weapons has grown the actual question of whether the producers are well defended of has slipped into the background." Huge profits are made as bombs and other weaponry are traded all over the earth, even to potential enemies. Some day those bombs may come back in a fiery holocaust to destroy those selling them. What paradox! Add to this the graft that surrounds the arms industry in the United States alone, according to the Spectator, "every year the Pentagon inexplicably loses $900-million worth of arms and equipment. It is no wonder that the merchants of the earth come up unfavorable mention in Revelation!

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - The Traveling Merchants - Continue

From the jw.org publications

Chapter Thirty -Six/The Great City Devastated -The Traveling Merchants

 Who are "the traveling merchants of the earth"? No doubt we would today call them traders, commercial giants, wheeler-dealers of big business. This not to say that it is wrong to engage in legitimate business. The Bible provides wise counsel for business people, warning against dishonesty, greed, and the like. (Proverbs 11:2; Zechariah 7:9, 10; James 5:1-5) The great gain is "godly devotion along with self-sufficiency." (1 Timothy 6:6,17-19) However, Satan's world does not follow righteous principles. Corruption abounds. It is to be found in religion, in politics-and big business. From time to time the new media expose scandals, such as embezzlement by high government officials and illegal trafficking in arms.

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - The Traveling Merchants - Continue

From the jw.org publications 

Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated - Passion-Arousing Wine -Conclusion

 Add to Germany, Italy, and Abyssinia another nation that has fallen victim to the fornication of Babylon the Great-Spain. The Civil War of 1936-1939 in that land was sparked, in part, by the democratic government's taking steps to reduce the huge power of the Roman Catholic Church. As the war got under way, the Catholic Fascist leader of the revolutionary forces, Franco, described himself as "the Christian Generalissimo of the Holy Crusade," a title that he later dropped. Several hundred thousand Spaniards died in the fighting. Apart from this, according to a conservative estimate, Franco's Nationalists had murdered 40,000 Popular front members, while the latter had murdered 8.000 clerics-monks, priest, and nuns, and novices. Such is the horror and tragedy of civil war, illustrating the wisdom of heeding Jesus' words: "Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) How disgusting that Christendom gets involved in such massive bloodshed! Her clergy have indeed failed utterly to "beat their swords into plowshares"! - ISAIAH 2:4. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated- The Traveling Merchants 

From the jw.org publications 

Chapter Thirty-SIx/The Great City Devastated - Passion-Arousing Wine - Continue

 "In this Pastoral letter of the 10th October [1935], the Bishop of Udine [Italy] wrote, 'It is neither timely nor fitting for us to pronounce on the rights and wrongs of the case.  Our duty as Italians, and still more, as Christians is to contribute to the success of our arms.' The Bishop of Padua wrote on the 24th October, the Bishop of Cremona consecrated a number of regimental flags and said" 'The blessing of God be upon these soldiers who, on African soil, will conquer new and fertile lands for the Italian genius, thereby bringing to them Roman and Christian culture. May Italy stand once again as the Christian mentor to the whole world.'

Abyssinia was raped, with the blessing of the Roman Catholic clergy. Could any of these claim, in any sense, that they were like the apostle Paul in being "clean from the blood of all men"? - ACTS 20:26. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated -Passion-Arousing Wine - Conclusion

From the jw.org publications

ChapterThirty-Six/The Great City Devastated -Passion-Arousing Wine Continue

 We have already reviewed the illicit religio-political relationship that catapulted Hitler into power in Nazi Germany. Other nations have also suffered because of religion's meddling in secular affairs. For example: In fascist Italy, on September 11, 1929, the Lateran Treaty was signed by Mussolini and Cardinal Gasparri, making Vatican City a sovereign state. Pope Pius XI claimed that he had "given Italy back to God, and God back to Italy." Was that the truth? Consider what happened six years later. On October 3, 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia, claiming that it was "a barbarous land which still practices slavery. " Who, really, was being barbarous? Did the Catholic Church condemn Mussolini's barbarity? While the Pope issued ambiguous statements, her bishops were quite vocal in blessing the armed forces of their Italian "fatherland." In the book The Vatican in the Age of the Dictator, Anthony Rhodes reports:

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Six/The Great City Devastated -Passion-Arousing Wine - Continue

From the jw.org publications