Jehovah's Plagues on Christendom - Hurling Fire to the Earth

John tells us:"But right away the angel took the incense vessel, and he filled it with  some of the fire of the altar and  hurled it to the earth.  And thunders occurred and voices  and lightnings and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:5) After the silence that is sudden dramatic activity!  This is evidently in response  to the prayers of the holy ones, since it is triggered by fire taken from the incense altar.  Back in  1513 B.C.E., at Mount Sinai, thunders and lightnings, a loud noise, fire and a quaking of the mountain signaled Jehovah's turning his attention to his people.  (Exodus 19:16-20)  The similar manifestations reported by John likewise indicate Jehovah's giving attention to his servants on earth. But John observes is presented in signs.  (Revelation 1:1)  So how are the symbolic  fire,  thuders, voices and lightnings, and earthquake to be intrepreted  today?

On one occasion, Jesus told his disciples:  "I came to start a fire on the earth." (Luke 12:49) Truly, he did ignite a fire.  by his zealous preaching, Jesus made God's Kingdom the parmount  issue before the Jewish people and this sparked heated controversy throughout that nation.  (Matthew 4:17, 25; 10:5-7, 17, 18)  In 1919 Jesus' spiritual brothers  on earth the small band of anointed Christians who survived the trialsome  days of Word War I, set light to a similar fie in Christendom.  In September of that year, Jehovah's spirit was remarkably in evdence as his loyal Witnesses assembled from near and far at Cedar Point, Ohio,  U.S.A. Joseph F. Rutherford, recently released from prison and soon to see all charges against him dropped, boldly addressed that convention, saying:  "Obedient to the command of our Master, and recognizing our privilege and duty to make war   against the strongholds of error which have so long held the people in bondage, our vocation was and is to announce the incoming glorious Kingdom of the Messiah." That is  the primary issue- God's Kingdom! 

Referring to the recent hard experiences of God's people, the speaker said:  "So pitiless was sthe onslaught of the enemy that  many of the Lord's dear flock were stunned and stood still in momentary discouragement, there was a burning  desire to proclaim the message of the kingdom." See  the September  15,1919, issue of the Watch Tower, page 280.

In 1919 that desire was satisfied.  This small but active group  of Christians were set on fire, spiritually speaking, to begin a worldwide peaching campaign.  (Compare 1 Thessalonians 5:19.) Fire was hurled to the earth in that God's Kingdom was made the burning issue, and so it continues to be!  Strong voices replaced silence, sounding out the Kingdom message with clarity.  Thunderous storm warnings from the Bible pealed forth. Like flashes of lighning, brilliant beams of truth shone from Jehovah's prophetic Word, and, as if  by a mighty earthquake, the religious realm  was shaken to its foundations.  The John class  saw that there was  work to be done.  And to this day, that work contineus to expand gloriously throughout the entire inhabited earth! - ROMANS 10:18. 

Next time: Jehovah's Plagues of Christendom - Preparing for the Blasts of the Trumpets

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