Chapter Nineteen/Sealing the Israel of God

 "Who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17) Yes, who indeed? When the great day of divine wrath devastates Satan's system, rulers and peoples of the world may well ask that question. To them it will appear that the impending cataclysm will snuff out all human life. But will it? Happily, God's prophet assures us: "Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe." (Joel 2:32) The apostles Peter and Paul confirm that fact. (Acts 2:19-21; Romans 10:13) Yes, those who call on the name of Jehovah will be survivors. Who are these ones? As the next vision unfolds, we shall see.

It is remarkable that anyone should come through Jehovah's day of judgment alive, for another of God's prophets describes it in these words: "Look! a windstorm of Jehovah's rage itself has gone forth, an onward-sweeping tempest. Upon the head of the wicked ones it will whirl. The burning anger of Jehovah will not turn back until he will have executed and until he will have carried out the ideas of his heart." (Jeremiah 30:23, 24) It is urgent that we take steps to weather that storm! - PROVERBS 2:22; ISAIAH55:6,6; ZEPHANIAH2:2, 3.

Next time: Chapter Nineteen/Sealing the Israel of God - The Four Winds

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us" - Conclusion

 Those who have refused to recognize the authority of the victorious Rider of the white horse will be forced to admit their error. Humans who have willingly been part of the seed of the Serpent will be faced with destruction when Satan's world passes away. (Genesis 3:15; 1 John 2:17) The world situation at that time will be such that many will in effect, ask: "Who is able to stand? They will apparently assume that no one at all can stand approved before Jehovah in that day of his judgment. But they will be wrong, as the book of Revelation goes on to show.

Next time: Chapter Nineteen/Sealing the Israel of God

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us" - Continue

 Now the opening of the sixth seal has shown that something similar will happen during the coming day of Jehovah' wrath. At the final shaking of this earthly system of things, those committed to supporting it will desperately seed for a hiding place, but they will not find one. False religion, Babylon the Great, has already failed them miserably. Neither caves in the literal mountains nor symbolic mountainlike political and commercial organizations will provide financial security or any other kind of help. Nothing will shelter them from Jehovah's wrath. Their terror is well described by Jesus: "Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." - MATTHEW 24:30. 

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us- Conclusion

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us" - Continue

 Similarly, when Jesus was being led to his death by the Roman soldiers, he addressed the women of Jerusalem and said: "Days are coming in which people will say, 'Happy are the barren women, and the wombs that did not give birth and the breasts that did not nurse!'  Then they will start to say to the mountains, 'Fall over us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us over!' " (Luke 23:29, 30) The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E. is well documented, and it is evident that Jesus' words had an import similar to that of Hosea's. There was no hiding place then for the Jews, who remained in Judea. Wherever they tried to hide in Jerusalem, or even when they fled to the moutaintop citadel of Masada, they were unable to escape the violent expression of Jehovah's judgment.

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us - Continue

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day- "Fall Over Us and Hide Us - Continue

 When Hosea was pronouncing Jehovah's judgment on Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. he said: "The high places of Beth-aven, the sin of Israel, will actually be annihilated. Thorns and thistles themselves will come up upon their altars and people will in fact say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall over us!" (Hosea 10:8) How were these words fulfilled? Well, when Samaria fell to the cruel Assyrians in 740 B.C.E., there was nowhere for the Israelites to run. The words of Hosea express the feeling of helplessness, abject terror, and abandonment that conquered people felt. Neither the literal hill nor the mountainlike institutions of Samaria could protect them, even though they had seemed so permanent in the past. 

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day- "Fall Over Us and Hide Us" - Continue

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day -"Fall Over and Hide Us"

 John's words continue: And the kings of the earth and the top-ranking ones and the military commanders and the rich and the strong ones and every slave and every free person hid themselves in the caves and in the rock-masses of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to rock-masses: 'Fall over us and hide us from the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able stand?' " - REVELATION   6:15-17.

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "The Heaven" Departs" - Conclusion

     Therefore, "every mountain and every island" as referred  to at the opening of the sixth seal would logically be political governments and dependent organizations of this world that have seemed so stable to many of mankind. They will be rocked right out of place, to the consternation and horror of those who have previously trusted in them. As the prophecy goes on to relate, there will be no question that the great day of the wrath of Jehovah and his son-the final quaking that removes all of Satan's organization-has come with a vengeance! 

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "Fall Over Us and Hide Us"

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "The Heaven" Departs - Continue

 Thus, "the heaven" that is to depart is to 'depart as a scroll' refers to the anti-God governments that rule over this earth. They will be removed with finality by the all-conquering Rider of the white horse.  (Revelation 19:11-16, 19-21) This is confirmed by what the apostle Peter said when he looked forward to the events signified by the opening of the sixth: "The heavens and the earth that are now stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7) But what about the expression "every mountain and every island were removed from their places"?

 In Bible prophecy, mountains and islands are said to rock or be otherwise stabilized at times of great political upheaval. For example, when foretelling Jehovah's judgments against Nineveh, the prophet Nahum wrote: "Mountains themselves have rocked because of him, and the very hills found themselves melting. And the earth will be upheaved because of his face." (Nahum1:5) There is no record of any breaking up of literal mountains when Nineveh actually fell in 632 B.C.E. But a world power that previously had seemed mountainlike in its strength suddenly collapsed. - Jeremiah 4:24. 

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "The Heaven" Departs

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "The Heavens" -Departs

 John's vision continues: "And the heaven departed as a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and every island were removed from their places." (Revelation 6:14) Clearly, these are not the literal heavens or the literal mountains and islands. But what do they symbolize?

 Regarding "the heavens," we are helped in our understanding by similar prophecy that tells of Jehovah's rage against all the nations.  "And all of those of the army of the heavens must rot away.  And the heavens must be rolled up, like a book scroll." (Isaiah34:4) Edom in particular must suffer. How? She was overrun by the Babylonians soon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. At that time, there were no outstanding events recorded as happening in the literal heavens. But there were catastrophic events in Edom's "heavens." Her human governmental powers were abased from their elevated heavenlike position. (Isaiah 34:5) They were "rolled up" and put aside, as it were, like an old scroll that was no longer of any use to anyone.

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "They Heavens" Departs - Continue

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Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - A Time of Darkness - Conclusion

 In a similar way, when the great earthquake strikes this entire world system will be engulfed in the despair of total darkness. The bright shining luminaries of Satan's earthly system will send forth no ray of hope. Already today, this earth's political leaders, especially in Christendom are notorious for their corruption, lying, and immoral lifestyle. (Isaiah 28:14-19) No longer can they be trusted. Their flickering light will go into total eclipse when Jehovah executes judgment. Their moonlike influence on earth's affairs will be exposed as bloodied, death-dealing. Their worldly superstars will be extinguished like plunging meterorites and scattered like unripe figs in a howling windstorm. Our entire globe will quake under a "great tribulation such as had not occurred since the world's beginning until now, no nor will occur again." (Matthew 24:21) What a fearful prospect! 

Next time: Chapter Eighteen/Earthquakes in the Lord's Day - "The Heaven" Departs

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