Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts -The 20th Century Plague - Continue

 The account continues: "And he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun was darkened, also the air, by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke locusts came forth upon the earth; and authority was given them, the same authority as the scorpions of the earth have." (Revelation9:2, 3) Scripturally, "the abyss" is a place of inactivity, even of death. (Compare Romans 10:7; Revelation17:8; 20:1, 3) The small band of Jesus' brothers spent inactivity in such an "abyss" of relative inactivity at the end of the first world war (1918-1919) But when Jehovah poured out His spirit upon his repentant servants in 1919, they swarmed forth to meet the challenge of the work that lay ahead. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe-Locusts - The 20th Century Plague - Continue

Revelation, written some 26 years after Jerusalem's destruction, also describes that plague. What does it add to Joel's description? Let us take up the record, as reported by John: "And the fifth angel blew his trumpet. And I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key of the pit of the abyss was given him." (Revelation 9:1) This "star" is different from that at Revelation 8:10 that John saw in the act of falling. He sees "a star that has fallen from heaven" and that now has an assignment with respect to this earth. Is this a spirit or a fleshly person? The holder of this "key of the pit of the abyss" is later described as hurling Satan into "the abyss." (Revelation 20:1-3) So he must be a might spirit person. At Revelation 9:11, John tells us that the locusts have "a king, the angel of the abyss." Both verses must refer to the same individual, since the angel holding the key of the abyss would logically be the angel of the abyss. And the star must symbolize Jehovah's anointed King, since anointed Christians acknowledge only the one angelic King Jesus Christ. - COLOSSIANS 1:13; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:25. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe -Locusts - The 20th-Century Plague

 Reasonably, we could expect Joel's prophecy to have a final fulfillment in the time of the end. How true this has proved to be! At the Bible Students convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A. September 1-8m 1919, a notable outpouring of Jehovah's spirit activated his people to organize a global campaign of preaching. Of all professed Christians, they alone, recognizing that Jesus had been enthroned as heavenly King, spared no effort in publishing abroad that good news. Their relentless witnessing, in fulfillment of prophecy became as a tormenting plague to apostate Christendom. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe - Locusts - A First Century Plague - Conclusion

 Was there a figurative plague during those days? Yes, indeed! It came as a result of the relentless preaching of the newly anointed Christians. Through, them, Jehovah invited those Jews who would listen to repent and enjoy blessings from him. (Acts 2:38-40; 3:19) The individuals who responded received his favor to a remarkable degree. But to the ones who refused the invitation, the first-century Christians became like a devastating swarm of locusts. Starting in Jerusalem, they spread through all Judea and Samaria. Soon they were everywhere, tormenting the unbelieving Jews by publicly proclaiming Jesus' resurrection with al that this implied. (Acts1:8; 4:18-20; 5:17-21, 28, 29, 40-42; 17:5, 6, 21:27-30) That plaguing continued until the "fear-inspiring day," in 70 C.E., when Jehovah brought the Roman armies against Jerusalem to destroy it. Only those Christians who in faith called on the name Jehovah were saved. - JOEL2:32; ACTS 2:20, 21; PROVERBS 18:10. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe -Locusts -A First Century Plague

 There was a fulfillment of Joel chapter 2 in the first century. It was then, at Pentecost 33 C.E., that holy spirit was poured out, anointing the first Christians and empowering them to speak the "magnificent things of God" in many tongues. As a result, a large crowd assembled. The apostle Peter addressed those astonished onlookers, quoting Joel 2:28, 29 and explaining that they were witnessing its fulfillment. (Acts 2:1-21) But there is no record of a literal insect plague at that time, causing discomfort to some and leading others to repentance. 

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Chapter Twenty-Two/The First Woe - Locusts

 The fifth angel prepares to blow his trumpet. Four heavenly trumpets have already sounded, and four plagues have directed to the third of the earth that Jehovah regards as most reprehensible-Christendom.  Her deathly sick condition has been uncovered. While angels sound the trumpet blasts, human heralds follow through on earth. Now the fifth angelic trumpet is about to announce the first woe, more fearsome even than what has gone before. It is related to a terrifying locust plague. First, though, let us examine other scriptures that will help us to understand the plague better.

The Bible book of Joel, written during the ninth century B.C. E., describes a plague of insects, including locusts, that is similar to the one that John sees. (Joel 2:1-11, 25) It was to cause much discomfort for apostate Israel but would also result in individual Jews' repenting and returning to Jehovah's favor. (Joel 2:6, 12-14) When that time arrived, Jehovah would pour out his spirit on "every sort of flesh," while fearful signs and alarming portents would precede "the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah." - JOEL 2:11, 28-32. 

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Chapter Twenty-One/Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - A Flying Eagle - Conclusion

 An eagle flies high into the sky, so that people in a wide area can see it. It has exceptionally keen sight and can see a long wa7y ahead of itself. (Job 39:29) One of the cherubic living creatures around God's throne was pictured a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:6, 7) Whether it this cherub or another farsighted servant of God, it loudly proclaims a dynamic message: "Woe, woe, woe"! Let earth's inhabitants take note, as the three remaining blasts are heard, each of them linked to one of these woes.

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Chapter Twenty-One/Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - A Flying Eagle

 These first four trumpet blasts truly resulted in uncovering the desolate and death-dealing condition of Christendom. Her part of "the earth" was exposed as deserving of Jehovah's judgment. Revolutionary governments springing up in her hands and elsewhere were shown to be inimical to spiritual life. The fallen condition of her clergy was laid bare, and the general darkness   of her spiritual condition was exposed for all to see. Christendom is the most reprehensible part of Satan's system of things. 

What more is there to reveal? Before we find the answer to this question, there is a brief pause in the series of trumpet blasts. John describes what he sees next: "And I saw, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven say with a loud voice: 'Woe, woe, woe to those dwelling on the earth because of the rest of the trumpet blasts of the three angels who about to blow their trumpets!' " - REVELATION  8:13. 

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Chapter Twenty-One/Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - Darkness! - Conclusion

 In line with the heavenly proclamation, a capacity crowd of God's people assembled in convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A., on August 29, 1925, and adopted for publication a forthright resolution entitled "Message of Hope." Again, some 50 million copies were distributed in a number of languages. It described the false light held out by the combine of commercial profiteers, political leaders, and the religious clergy, as a result of which "the peoples had fallen into darkness." And it pointed to God's Kingdom as the real hope for receiving "the blessings of peace, prosperity, health, life, liberty, and eternal happiness." It took courage for the small band of anointed Christians to proclaim such messages against the giant organization of Christendom. But consistently, from the early 1920's until now, they have done so. In more recent time, in 1955, a further expose' of the clergy class was made by a worldwide distribution in many languages entitled Christendom or Christianity-Which one is "the Light of the World"?  Today, Christendom's hypocrisy has become so evident that many in the world can see it for themselves. But Jehovah's people have not let up in exposing her for what she is a kingdom of darkness.  

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Chapter Twenty-One/Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - Darkness! - Continue

 Jesus said that Christians would be recognized by their fruits and that many claiming to be his followers would "workers of lawlessness." (Matthew 7:15-23) No one looking at the fruits  of the third of the world occupied by Christendom can deny that she is groping in spiritual darkness. (2 Corinthians 4:4) She is most blameworthy, for she claims to be Christian. Hence, it is only proper that the fourth angel should trumpet the fact that Christendom's "light" is, in fact, darkness, and her sources of  "light" are Babylonish-non-Christian. - MARK 13:22, 23; 2 TIMOTHY 4:3, 4. 

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