The Judgment of Babylon

The Judgment of Babylon

Zac Poonen

In Rev 19:1-7, we read, “After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her’. And a second time they said, ‘Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever’. And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God Who sits on the throne saying, ‘Amen, Hallelujah!’ And a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Give praise to our God, all you His bondservants, you who fear Him, the small and the great’. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready’.

“Hallelujah”?is a wonderful word that means?“Praise the Lord”.?It occurs only?FOUR?times in the New Testament - all four here in?Rev.19:1-6.!! It is interesting to note that the first time that the word?“Hallelujah”?occurs in the New Testament is when Babylon the harlot has been judged. We too should be shouting?“Hallelujah”?for that! But?charismatics?who are still sitting in Babylon may not be able to say?“Hallelujah”?to that - because the magic spell of the sorcery of Babylon has deceived them!!???One translation of this verse says that Babylon was?“the one who poisoned the earth with her immorality”.?Only a few drops of poison are needed to make a glass of milk deadly. That’s how Babylon has corrupted the Christian faith - by mixing the poison of man’s traditions with truth. God now avenges the blood of His bondservants on her.

They shout?“Hallelujah”?a second time for the same reason. There is such terrific joy in heaven when the harlot is judged!

“There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents” (Lk.15:10).?We can understand that.

“There is joy in heaven when a believer overcomes Satan” (Rev.12:11, 12).?We can understand that too.

But what about when the Word says,?“Rejoice, O heaven and you saints, because God has pronounced judgment on Babylon the harlot” (Rev.18:20).?Can we understand that? If we cannot, it is because we have not understood God’s ways.

Satan has hidden God’s judgment over Babylon from most people. But we must see clearly that there is joy in heaven when Babylon is exposed, when her sorcery and her deception are made manifest for all to see, and when she is finally judged once and for all.

We must anticipate that joy even today and say,?“Hallelujah! Praise the Lord that one day this corrupt system will be judged - this system that deceives people and?dishonours?the Name of Christ, that has no interest in following in the footsteps of Jesus or in taking up the cross, but is only interested in having a good time in this world, or in becoming great, or in making money in the name of Christianity. Praise the Lord that all this nonsense that goes on in Your Name - fancy dresses and golden crosses and crowns and feasts and festivals - is going to be destroyed soon. Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever.”?This is the spirit of heaven - and we need to get something of that into us even now. If you are one in spirit with God and the inhabitants of heaven, you will share in their joy over the destruction of Babylon!!

The third?“Hallelujah”?is again for the same reason! Three?“Hallelujahs”?just because the harlot is judged! It is like shouting, “Three cheers that Babylon has been destroyed”!!

The fourth time they say?“Hallelujah”?and rejoice in heaven is when the bride of Christ has made herself ready for her marriage!! Because the Lord God Almighty reigns, He made all the persecution and opposition that the bride faced on earth to work for her good and to prepare her for her wedding-day!!

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