A Time For Fervent Prayer

A Significant silence this! Half an hour can seem a long time when you are waiting for something to happen. Now, even the constant heavenly chorus of praise is not longer heard. (Revelation 4:8) Why? John sees the reason in vision: "And another angel arrived and stood at the altar, having a golden incense vessel; and a large quantity of incense was given him to offer it with the prayers of all the holy ones upon the altar that was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense ascended from the hand of the angel with the prayers of the holy ones before God." -Revelation 8:3,4.

This reminds us that under the Jewish system of things, incense was burned daily at the tabernacle and, in later years, at the temple in Jerusalem. (Exodus 30:1-8) During such incense burning, the non priestly Israelites waited outside the sacred area, praying-no doubt silently in their hearts-to the One to whom the incense smoke was ascending. (Luke 1:10) John now sees something similar happening in heaven. The incense offered by the angel is associated with "the prayers of the holy ones." In fact, in an earlier vision, incense is said to represent such prayers. (Revelation 5:8; Psalm 141:1, 2) Evidently, then, the symbolic silence in heaven is to allow the prayers of the holy ones on earth to be heard.

Can we determine when this happened? Yes, we can, by examining the context, together with historical developments early in the Lord's day. (Revelation 1:10) During 1918 and 1919, events on earth harmonized remarkably with the scenario described at Revelation 8:1-4. For 40 years before 1914, the Bible Students-as Jehovah's Witnesses were then called-had been announcing boldly that the times of the Gentiles would end in that year. The distressful events of 1914 proved them correct. (Luke 21:24, King James Version; Matthew 24:3, 7, 8) But many of them also believed that in 1914 they would be taken from this earth to their heavenly inheritance. That did not happen. Instead, during the first world war, they endured a time of severe persecution. On October 31, 1916 the first president of the Watch Tower Society, Charles T. Russell, died. Then, on July 14, 1918, the new president, Joseph F. Rutherford, and seven other representatives of the Society were transported to the Atlanta Georgia, penitentiary, wrongly sentenced to long years in prison.

The sincere Christians of the John class were perplexed. What did God want them to do next? when would they be taken up to heaven? An article entitled "The Harvest Ended-What Shall Follow?" appeared in the May 1, 1919, issue of the Watch Tower. It reflected this state of uncertainty and encouraged the faithful to continues endurance, adding: "We believe it is now a true saying that the harvest of the kingdom class is an accomplished fact, that all such are duly sealed and that the door is closed." During this difficult period, the fervent prayers of the John class were ascending as though in the smoke of a large quantity of Incense. And their prayers were being heard!

Next time: Hurling Fire To The Earth