God’s judgments are true
This week my tech’s son had failed again to do some assigned task. His punishment: a haircut. Not knowing how it went I texted her a few days after that event. You know what she said? “I think he’s actually enjoying it.” Hmm. “Mama’s right again!” That was my thought and what I replied to her.
You know what else? God is right all the time. When the multitude in heaven says that God’s judgments are true that is pretty much what they are meaning. If they had been troubled over doubt when they walked the earth that has been dispelled for them.
Are there any collisions between what you want and what you know God has said? Those people in heaven said God’s way of looking at it turned out to be true. That’s their words, not God’s words, not even Jesus’ words. People said it and the context in which they said it was one of worship. They were satisfied, pleased, exultant even that God’s ways worked out.
Can you and I be exultant before they work out? That is faith, by the way. Those beyond faith said it was good. What do we think about that? Where will we carry those lifestyles?
God’s judgments are just
Here is a truism for you: Hitler was a bad man. Most people figure that he is in hell. That is probably a second truism. Having stated the obvious let me plant among the obvious a new question. How could Hitler’s experience of punishment be just? Even the non-Christian will look out across the spectrum of people they read about in the news and presume a bunch go to hell. Does a man who is shot dead after driving a bus into a crowd of people go to hell? A bunch presume so. Or what about a man who rains deadly bullets into an outdoor concert in Las Vegas and then commits suicide? Does he go to hell? A bunch of those who lived through that event and a bunch of families of those whose loved ones died at that event figure that he did.
Does murder-by-truck or murder-at-concert in any manner approximate what Hitler did? Step next into Revelation and place Babylon’s treachery in the vein of Hitler. Don’t stop there, but recall what has been taught in this book. Babylon’s treachery was broader than Hitler’s. The prophecy of Revelation suggests that Hitler’s failed aim of world domination was achieved by Babylon.
You might ask of me, why are you raising all of these issues? I raise them because it is hard for me to imagine that Hitler or another treacherous man of his prowess could personally suffer enough for justice to be effected. That being said, what did this singers exult in? Justice. They, with the end in sight, sang with passion, with energy, with a loud voice declaring God’s justice. Seeing clearly they worshiped powerfully.
Can I and you be exultant before we have the “Aha! I see it now” moment? Repeating myself let me write, that is faith, by the way. Those beyond faith said God’s ways were just. Can I accept that right now?
God does the condemning, the damning if you will
These worshipers did not stop at truth and justice. A second pillar of their praise related to this crowd’s experience. I spoke of haircuts and Hitler to pull points from praise. Those were things taken from our world. This pillar of praise proceeds from the things this crowd witnessed. Look at more of verse two:
“2…for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality,…” (Revelation 19:2–ESV)
These worshipers saw the behavior of Babylon as God did. From the vantage point of God’s holiness they say Babylon’s wickedness. Things done in secret were exposed. Evil done in broad daylight was remembered. These black things were felt as evil, but their understanding of the scope of it as evil was far too narrow. Now in heaven it is plainer than ever and when they label Babylon as a great prostitute and one who corrupted the world they are speaking from a new grasp. The grasp they have in this worship service is much more aligned with God’s grasp. God’s truth is now known clearly to them. That she was a prostitute and that she was a world corrupter was more clearer than ever.
From that truth take they concurred that she was a prostitute. From that concurrence judgment made all the more sense. It was just. See how part one of their worship service accords with part two? Part one was God’s character. Part two was God’s action.
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