JehovahTakes Power

Christ enthroned in God's Kingdom-what joy this announcement calls forth! John reports: "And the twenty-four elders who were seated before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshiped God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun ruling as king.' " -Revelation 11:16, 17.

The ones that offer these thanks to Jehovah God are the 24 elders, symbolizing the anointed brothers of Christ in their heavenly positions. From1922 onward a remnant on earth of these 144,000 anointed ones got busy in the work that was set in motion by the trumpet blasts. They came to realize the full import of the sign at Matthew 24:3-25:46. Even earlier in the Lord's day, however, their fellow witnesses who have already 'proved faithful even to death' had been resurrected to take their positions in heaven, so that they could now represent the entire 144,000 in falling upon their faces to render homage to Jehovah. (Revelation 1:10; 2:10) How thankful all these are that their Sovereign Lord has not delayed in bringing his sacred secret to a climatic finish!

On the other hand, the blowing of the seventh trumpet brings no joy to the nations. The time has come for them to experience Jehovah's''s wrath. As John relates: "But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time for the dead to be judged, and to give their reward to your slaves the prophets and to the holy ones and to those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.A" (Revelation 11:18) From 1914 onward the nations of the world have fiercely expressed their wrath against one another, against God's Kingdom, and especially against Jehovah's two witnesses. -Revelation 11:3.

Throughout history the nations have been ruining the earth by their incessant warfare and bad management. Since 1914, however, this ruination has escalated to an alarming degree. Greed and corruption have resulted in expanding deserts and tremendous loss of productive land. Acid rain and radioactive clouds have damaged large areas. Food resources have been polluted. The air we breathe and the water we drink are contaminated. Industrial wastes threaten life on land and in the sea. And the superpowers threaten complete ruination by way of nuclear annihilation of all humankind. Happily, Jehovah will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth;" he will execute judgment on those proud godless humans who are responsible for earth's sorry state. (Deuteronomy 32:5, 6; Psalm 14:1-3) Therefore,Jehovah arranges for the third woe, to bring these wrongdoers to account. -Revelation 11:14.

Next time: Woe To The Ruinous Ones!