Rejoice
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. (Rev. 18:20 KJV)
We are taken from an earthly lament to a heavenly celebration. All those in heaven including the apostles and prophets rejoice because God has avenged them of Babylon. They rejoice over the destruction of Babylon’s humanistic government and ungodly commerce.
This is the vengeance God had promised to those that were martyred.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Rev. 6:9-11 KJV)
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Rev. 17:6 KJV)
Avenged – 2917 κρίμα krima {kree’-mah}
Meaning: 1) a decree, judgments 2) judgment 2a) condemnation of wrong, the decision (whether severe or mild) which one passes on the faults of others 2b) in a forensic sense 2b1) the sentence of a judge 2b2) the punishment with which one is sentenced 2b3) condemnatory sentence, penal judgment, sentence 3) a matter to be judicially decided, a lawsuit, a case in court
Origin: from 2919; TDNT – 3:942,469; n n
Usage: AV – judgment 13, damnation 7, condemnation 5, be condemned 1, go to law + 2192 1, avenge + 2919 1; 28