Chapter Thirty-One/Jehovah's Works -Great and Wonderful -Conclusion

 Notice the important roles that angels again have in accomplishing God's will. This fact has long been known by Jehovah's servants. Why, under inspiration the ancient psalmist even spoke to such angels urging them: "Bless Jehovah, O you angels, his mighty power carrying out his word"! (Psalm 103:20) Now, in this new scene, angels are assigned to pour out the seven last plagues.

What are these plagues? Like the seven trumpet blasts, they are scathing judgment pronouncements publicizing Jehovah view of various features of the world and warning of the final outcome of these judicial decisions.   (Revelation 8:1-9:21) The pouring out of them points to the execution of those judgments, when the objects of Jehovah's wrath are destroyed in the day of his burning anger. (Isaiah 13:9 13; Revelation 6:16, 17) Thus, by means of them "the anger of God is brought to a finish." But before describing the pouring out of the plagues, John tells us about some human who will not be adversely affected by them. Having refused the mark of the wild beast, these loyal ones sing praises to Jehovah as they proclaim his day of vengeance. -REVELATION 13:15-17. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-One/Jehovah's Works-Great and Wonderful - The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

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Chapter Thirty-One/Jehovah's Works - Great and Wonderful

 A woman giving birth to a male child! A great dragon seeking to devour that child! Those two heavenly signs, so vividly portrayed in Revelation chapter 12, brought home to us that the agelong controversy involving the Seed of God's woman and Satan and his demonic seed is reaching its climax. In highlighting these symbols, John says: "And a great sign was seen in heaven . . . and another sign was seen." (Revelation12:1, 3, 7-12) Now John reports a third sign: "And I saw in heaven another sign, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues. These are the last ones, because by means of them the anger of God is brought to a finish." (Revelation 15:1) This third sign also has vital meaning for Jehovah's servants. 

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Treading the Vine of the Earth -

 This vivid vision has a parallel in the crushing of the kingdoms of the earth by the Kingdom stone described at Daniel 2:34, 44. There will be an extermination. The river of blood from winepress is very deep, up to the bridles of the horses, and it extends for a distance of 16 furlongs. This huge figure, produced by multiplying the square of four by the square of ten (4 x 4x 10 x 10), emphatically conveys the message that evidence of the destruction will be involve al the earth. (Isaiah 66:15, 16) The destruction will be complete and irreversible. Never, no never again, will Satan's vine of the earth take root! - PSALM83:17, 18. 

Living as we do deep in the time of the end, the vision of these two harvests is very meaningful. We have only to look around us to see the fruits of Satan's vine. Abortions, and other forms of murder; homosexuality, adultery, and other forms of immorality; dishonestly and lack of natural affection-all such things make this world vile in Jehovah's eyes. Satan's vine bears "the fruit of a poisonous plant and wormwood." its ruinous. idolatrous course dishonors mankind's Grand Creator. (Deuteronomy29:18; 32:5; Isaiah 42:5, 8) What a privilege it is to be actively associated with the John class in the harvest of wholesome fruitage that Jesus is bringing forth to Jehovah's praise! (Luke 10:2) May all of us be determined that will never be tainted by the vine of this world, and may we thus avoid being trampled with the vine of the earth when Jehovah's adverse judgment is executed. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-One/Jehovah's Works-Great and Wonderful

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Treading the Vine of the Earth - Continue

 The visionary treading done by horses, for the blood trodden out from the vine reaches "the bridles of the horses." Since the term "horses" usually refers to war operations, the must be a time of war. The armies of the heavens that follow Jesus into the final war against Satan's system of things are said to read "the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty." (Revelation 19:11-16) These are clearly the ones that do the treading of the vine of the vine of the earth. The "winepress is "trodden outside the city," that is, outside heavenly Zion. Indeed, it is fitting that the vine of the earth should be trodden on earth. But it will also be "trodden outside the city" in that no harm will come to the remaining ones of the woman's seed, who can represent the heavenly Zion on earth. These together with the great crowd will be safely hidden within Jehovah's earthly organizational arrangement. - ISAIAH 26:20, 21. 

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" -Treading the Vine of the Earth - Continue

 But what is "the vine of the earth"? In the Hebrew Scriptures the Jewish nation was spoken of as Jehovah's vine. (Isaiah 5:7; Jeremiah 2:21) Similarly, Jesus Christ and those who will serve him in God's Kingdom are spoken of as a vine. (John 15:1-8) In this setting, the significant characteristic of a vine is that it produces fruit, and the true Christian vine has produced abundant fruit to Jehovah's praise. (Matthew 21:43) "The vine of the earth," therefore, must be, not this genuine vine, but Satan's imitation of it, his corrupt visible system of government over mankind, with its various "clusters" of demonic fruitage produced over the centuries. Babylon the Great, in which apostate Christianity is so prominent, has exercised great influence over this poisonous vine. - Compare DEUTERONOMY 32:32-35. 

Judgment must be executed: "And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and he hurled it into the great winepress of the anger of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high up as the bridles of the horses, for distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs." (Revelation 14:19, 20) Jehovah's indignation against this vine has long since been announced. (Zephaniah 3:8) A prophecy in the book of Isaiah leaves no doubt that the whole nations will be destroyed when the winepress is trampled. (Isaiah 63:3-6) Joel too prophesied that huge "crowds," whole nations, would be trampled to destruction in the "winepress," In the low plain of the decision." (Joel 3:12-14) Truly, a stupendous harvest the like of which will never again occur! According to John's vision, not only are the grapes harvested but the whole symbolic vine is cut down and thrown into the winepress to be trampled. So the vine of the earth will be stamped out and will never be able to grow again.

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" -Treading of the Vine of the Earth

 With the harvest of salvation completed, it is time for another harvest. John reports: "And still another angel [the fifth] emerged from the temple sanctuary that is in heaven, he, too, having a sharp sickle. And still angel [the sixth] emerged from the altar and he had authority over the fire. And he called out with a loud voice to the one that had the sickle, saying: 'Put your sharp sickle n and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, because its grapes have become ripe.' " (Revelation 14:17, 18) The angelic hosts are entrusted with much harvesting during the Lord's day separating the good from the bad! 

The fifth angel comes from Jehovah's presence in the temple sanctuary; hence, the final harvest also take place according to Jehovah's will. The angel is commanded to begin his work by a message relayed through another angel that "emerged from the altar." This fact is most significant, since faithful souls underneath the altar asked: "Until when, Sovereign Lord holy and true, ae refraining from judging and avenging our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:9, 10) With the harvesting of the vine of the earth, this cry vengeance will be satisfied. 

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Harvest of the Earth - Conclusion

 Although he is a King and a Judge, Jesus waits for word from Jehovah his God before beginning to reap. That word comes from "the temple sanctuary" by means of an angel. Immediate, Jesus obeys. First, from 1919 on, he  has his angels complete the harvesting of the 144,000. (Matthew 13:39, 43) Next, the harvest ingathering of the great crowd takes place. (Matthew 25:31-33; John 10:16; Revelation 7:9) History shows that between 1931 and 1935 a goodly number of these other sheep began to appear in 1935 Jehovah opened to the understanding of the John class the real identity of the great crowd. By the year 1988, its number has far exceeded the three million mark, and it is still increasing. Surely, the one like the Son of man has reaped a bountiful joyous harvest during the time of the end.  - Compare EXODUS 23:16; 34:22. 

Next time: Chapter Thiry/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Treading the Vine of the Earth

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen" - Harvest of the Earth

 Others are also to benefit in this day of judgment, as John goes on to tell us: "And I saw, and, look! a white cloud, and upon the white cloud some seated like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head and sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel [the fourth] emerged from the temple sanctuary, crying with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: 'Put your sickle in and reap, because the hour has come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is thoroughly ripe.' And the one seated on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped." -REVELATION 14:14-16.

The identity of the one seated on the white cloud is not in doubt. Seated on a white cloud, resembling son of man and with a golden crown, his is clearly Jesus, the Messianic King that Daniel saw in his vision. (Daniel 7:13, 14; Mark 14:61, 62) But what is the harvest prophesied? While on earth, Jesus likened the discipling work to the harvesting of the world field of humanity. (Matthew 9:37, 38; John 4:35, 36) The climax of this harvesting comes into the Lord's day, when Jesus is crowned as King and executes judgment on behalf of his Father. Thus, his time of ruling, since 1914, is also the joyful time for bringing in the harvest. - Compare DEUTERONOMY 16:13-15. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Harvest of the Earth - Conclusion 

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Endurance for the Holy Ones - Conclusion

 This promise harmonizes well with Paul's prophecy concerning Jesus' presence: "Those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. Afterward we the living who are surviving [those of the anointed ones who survive into the Lord's day] will, together with together, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) After Satan's ouster from heaven, those who were dead in union with Christ rose first. (Compare Revelation 6:9-11.) Afterward, those of the anointed ones who die during the Lord's day are promised a special privilege. Their resurrection to spirit life in heaven is instantaneous, "in the twinkling of an eye." (1 Corinthians 15:52) How marvelous this is! And their works of righteousness continue right on in the heaven realm. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Harvest of the Earth

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Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Endurance For the Holy Ones - Continue

 Who deliver the tormenting message today? Remember, the symbolic locusts have authority to torment the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation 9:5) Evidently, these ones under angelic direction are the tormentors. Such is the persistence of the symbolic locusts that "day and night they have no rest, those who worship the wild beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." And finally, after their destruction of Jehovah's sovereignty, "the smoke of their torment," will ascend forever and ever. May the John class endure until that vindication: "Here is where it means endurance for the holy ones, those who observe the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." - REVELATION 14:12.

Yes, "endurance for the holy ones" means their worshiping Jehovah in exclusive devotion through Jesus Christ. Their message is not popular. It leads to opposition, persecution, even martyrdom. But they are strengthened by what John next reports: "And I heard a voice out of heaven say:' Write Happy are the dead who die in union with the Lord from this time onward. Yes, says the spirit, let them rest from their labors, for the things they did go right with them.' " - REVELATION 14:13.

Next time: Chapter Thirty/"Babylon the Great Has Fallen!" - Endurance for the Holy Ones - Conclusion

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