Chapter Twenty-One - Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom

"THE four winds" have been held back until the 144,000 of Spiritual Israel are sealed and the great crowd is approved for survival. (Revelation 7:1-4, 9) However, before that tempestuous storm breaks over the earth, Jehovah's adverse judgments against Satan's world must also be made known!  As the Lamb proceeds to open the seventh and final seal, John must be watching keenly to see what will unfold. Now he shares his experience with us:  "And when he [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, a silence occurred in heaven for about a half and hour.  And I saw the seven angels that stand before God, and seven trumpets were given them." -Revelation 8:1, 2. 

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 golden 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 Go." -Revelation 8:3, 4. 

This reminds us of that under the Jewish system of things, incense was burned daily at the tabernacle and, in later years, and the temple in Jerusalem.  (Exodus 30:1-8) During such incense burning, the nonpriestly 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 version, 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 Watchtower 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  int eh May 1, 1919, issue of The Watchtower.  It reflected this state of uncertainty and encouraged the faithful to continued 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 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: Chapter Twenty-One -Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - Hurling Fire to the Earth

From the book of Revelation