The King
(REVELATION, CHAPTER 6)
JEHOVAH spoke through his prophet: "I have installed my king on Zion my holy mountain, let him tell my decree!" (Ps. 2: 6, Roth.) The period of waiting ended with 1914 and there Jehovah installed his King upon his throne and directed him to begin action. (Ps. 110:1, 2) Chapter six of Revelation is a tableau in which Christ Jesus is the chief actor. When on earth Jesus gave his great prophecy concerning his second coming and the end of the world. (Matt., 24th chap.) Chapter six of Revelation parallels that prophecy. Read the Bible record now.
It is Christ Jesus who opens the seven seals, thus proving that no man can open the prophecies; but God permits his men to understand the prophecies after the seals are opened. It does not even follow that a man would understand the prophecies as soon as the seals are open. It can now be seen that the events pictured in the first five seals were fulfilled from 1914 to 1918, but the meaning thereof man could not understand until after the coming of the Lord to his temple, in 1918. Prior thereto the church had been applying the prophecy of Matthew twenty-four to the events that came to pass from 1874 to 1914. Not until after 1918 was it understood by the church that these events apply after 1914; and hence the seals were not open to or discerned by the John class, that is to say, the remnant, until after 1918, and, in fact, very little until after 1922.
John says the Lord opened one of the seals and he heard a thunderous announcement and one of the four beasts invited him to "come and see". The invitation, "Come and see," came through one of the four living creatures, thus showing that Jehovah's invitation to his own to come and receive an understanding of his Word comes through his organization, of which Christ Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, is the chief. God has not chosen many ways and means of disclosing his truths to his people. He does so through his organization, and with thunderous tones as of a lion God's announcer bids those of the temple to behold what is coming to pass, and with eagerness they wait and inquire.
The first seal discloses the glorified Christ Jesus seated upon a white horse, equipped for war and going forth "conquering, and to conquer". The Scriptures use the horse as a symbol for war activities. (Gen. 47:17; Ex. 14:9) "The horse is prepared against the day of battle." (Prov. 21:31; Jer. 8:6; Hab. 3:8) The whiteness of the horse pictures truth, meekness and righteousness. Of Jesus it was written: "And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things." — Ps. 45:4; see also Rev. 19:11.
The period of waiting for the Lord Jesus had come to an end and Jehovah sent forth his King and Judge, and he goes into action. The Watch Tower of March 1, 1925, commenting on Revelation twelve, and the issue of September 15, 1925, commenting on Psalm 110, called attention to the beginning of the kingdom and the action of the King. The mighty One on the white horse wore a crown, denoting his author-
ity and that he 'whose right it is to rule' had come. (See Ezekiel 21:27.) The King is present. War between Christ and Satan was fought following 1914, to 1918, and Satan and his hosts were defeated and east out of heaven. Thus Christ Jesus conquered, and he goes on to conquer at Armageddon.
WORLD WAR
The second seal is opened and the second living beast, like unto an ox, the creature regularly slain in the service by the Israelites, invites John to "come and see". The John class look and, behold, a great bloody sacrifice of human creatures took place between 1914 and 1918, and that sacrifice was not acceptable unto God even though the clergy told the people that the fallen ones were a part of the vicarious atonement. The red horse appears, and to the one riding thereon was given the power to "take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another". It is Satan's organization, particularly the financial, military, political and ecclesiastical elements, consorting together to take peace from the earth, which they did. That occurred from 1914 to 1918, and in that great and terrible slaughter the hypocritical clergy yielded quickly to Satan, and accepted their blood money from the financial element, and joined hands with the politicians to induce the people to enter the World War, using their church edifices as places of recruiting. The conscription law followed, compelling men to kill one another, and upon the law-boards that enforced it were many clergymen, and the blood of the innocents is found upon their skirts. (Jer. 2: 34) The "great sword" (Vs. 4) pictures the great World War which Jesus had fore-
told would come to pass at the end of the world. (Matt. 24:7, 8) The World War involved Christendom, so called, almost exclusively and claimed a terrible toll and drenched the earth with human blood unrighteously shed.
PROFITEER
With the opening of the third seal (Vs. 5) the third beast says, "Come and see." The third beast or living creature "had a face as a man", and therefore denotes love and invites attention of God's people to what is coming to pass. The message of the picture speaking seems to say: 'See how unmanly, unloving, extremely selfish and inhuman is that which is now going on! It is a woeful and mournful sight.' Looking, John states that he saw a black horse with the rider carrying "a pair of balances". That was the profiteers, or commercial element of the Devil's organization, with false scales or balances, manipulating the prices of food by the connivance and consent of the politicians and the clergy of so-called "Christendom". A "balance", in the Scriptures, symbolizes scarcity or anything but a good measure filled and shaken down. (Luke 6:38) "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment." (Ezek. 4:16) "Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?" — Mic. 6: 10, 11.
There was no real scarcity of food during the World War, in America in particular, and yet many were denied a proper portion. The ruling factors and their agents had plenty, but the common people were made to suffer while the ultraselfish men of commerce reaped great profits from fruits upon which they had bestowed not one ounce of labor.
Then John says: "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts." That must have been the voice of the past from Jesus when he foretold the famines or food-shortages that would come at and during the World War and foretold the methods of dealing at that time. Only Jesus is described as 'in the midst of the four living creatures', thus showing that it was his voice that spoke saying, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." The wages for a day's labor was a penny (Matt. 20:2) "A measure" (Greek, choenix) represented the amount of corn for a day's food, hence a day's food for a day's labor indicated that the profiteers would get all except what was barely necessary to feed "the common herd" so that they could fight. The oil and wine dealers must have their share of the spoils, hence the price of such must be kept in proportion to the bread.
Russia stopped the use of intoxicating liquors during the war. The United States permitted the traffic to go on, and stopped it at the end of the war by the Eighteenth Amendment. But neither the foreign dealers nor the bootleggers have been hurt by that law, and in the government of the United States one of its high officials is engaged in extensive manufacture of intoxicating liquor, by permission, of course.
The heavy hand of the profiteers and their associates in the Devil's organisation continues to press down upon the common people more ten years after the war than even during the war.
PESTILENCE
The fourth seal is opened and the John class is invited by the fourth living creature, likened unto an eagle, to "come and see". A scene is disclosed that would attract birds that would feed upon carrion or slain carcasses. Such was the condition resulting from the folly or lack of wisdom of the so-called "civilized" nations of the world. And this folly was foreseen by a few far-sighted men of the world who gave warning of what that terrible war would bring. The far-sighted ones in and out of the truth could see this. "A pale horse" appears with its rider, which literally means a horse of pallid hue or sickness, representing pestilence and death; and the name of the rider is Death. Thus was pictured the death-dealing agencies that came with and immediately followed the World War, to wit, plagues, disease and pestilence, which Jesus foretold. It is authoritatively reported that millions more people died from the pestilence of "the flu" than were killed in the four years of the World War. Millions went into premature graves. The undertakers had a big business.
The name of the rider was Death and he was given power over "a fourth part of the earth", which manifestly means to the four corners of the earth. This power was to kill with the sword and hunger and with the beasts of the earth. The sword pictures the division amongst the people and the death that resulted from revolution, as well as wars which followed
the World War. It is written: "I came not to send peace, but a sword. ... To set a man at variance against his father." (Matt. 10:34, 35) The World War was followed by great famine in many parts of the earth, while pestilence, particularly the flu, spread to every quarter of the earth, and millions died.
Power to kill by "the beasts of the earth" seems clearly to refer to the beastly governments composing Satan's visible organization with its visible rulers having power to oppress; and they did oppress the common people, causing many to fill untimely graves. . God had caused his prophet to write foretelling these conditions and saying: "Ye scornful men, that rule this people. . . . Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." (Isa. 28:14, 15) Jesus told his disciples that these things would come to pass at "the end of the world", and they did.
FAITHFUL MARTYRS
The opening of the fifth seal discloses the faithful witnesses or martyrs of the Lord. (Rev. 6:9-11) From Pentecost forward some witnesses for the Lord died in faith and faithful unto God. In June, 1927, The Watch Tower published the proof from the Scriptures that those who thus died faithful were asleep in death until the coming of the Lord to his temple in 1918. John beheld these under the altar, meaning that those faithful ones had died under God's sacrificial arrangement in Christ and were counted in as
a part of his sacrifice. Such is God's approved altar. "We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle." (Heb. 13:10) Those faithful ones were buried with Christ in death, and therefore died in a hallowed place. "Souls of them" represents the value of their life-blood poured out and which was pictured in the tabernacle service by the pouring of blood at the base of the altar. Although actually dead they lived to God, and in God's estimation, because their right to live persisted. (Luke 20: 38) They died as faithful witnesses of God, therefore slain for the testimony of God which they held. As the blood of Abel cried out from the ground, so the blood of the faithful ones cries out against them that dwell on the earth as Satan's representatives. The cry is: "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Otherwise stated: 'How long will you be long-suffering toward those who have defamed your holy name?' God has promised to avenge the blood of his faithful witnesses, and in his due time he will do so. (2 Ki. 9: 7; Matt. 23: 35; Luke 18:7, 8; 1 Thess. 4:4-6; Deut. 32:43) The living saints thought God would avenge the blood of his faithful martyrs or witnesses promptly with the coming of 1914; but that time came and passed and they saw that God's wrath did not begin until after that date and that their blood would be fully avenged in the battle of Armageddon.
The cry mentioned indicates the close proximity of the time when Jehovah would come forth out of his place to punish the enemy organization, when the earth would "disclose her blood". (Isa. 26:21) "When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remem-
bereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble." (Ps. 9:12) The cry is therefore not one of fault-finding or impatience, but calls attention to the forbearance and long-suffering of Jehovah. It might also be properly said that "their brethren" would make such inquiry when 1914 passed and the church had not been glorified. Then the vision discloses (Vs. 11) that these martyrs or faithful witnesses are given white robes, which would show that these have received God's approval and have the right to live, therefore they are represented as crying out; but God's will is that they should sleep on and rest for a little season. That little season ended with the coming of the Lord to his temple, because that marks the time when the saints, those who had died as faithful witnesses for the Lord, should be rewarded. (Rev. 11:18) The record is: 'Until their fellowservants shall be killed [sacrificially].'
Jesus told his disciples that at the end of the world his faithful ones would be delivered up and afflicted and that 'they shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake'. (Matt. 24: 9) He said furthermore: 'In that day wherein Antipas my faithful martyr was slain among you.' (Rev. 2:13) It was in 1918 that the Elijah work, represented as Antipas and pictured by Elijah, was 'killed' and ended, and it was then that the resurrection of the sleeping saints took place. Therefore they must wait until the coming of the Lord to his temple, which marked the end of the Elijah work.
THE EARTHQUAKE
It does not follow that the seals are opened in order as to time, as named in the scripture, nor does it
follow that they would be understood in chronological order. The events coming to pass in fulfilment of one part of the prophecy may take place at the same time as the events fulfilling another part of the prophecy. The seals being opened merely picture different parts of the prophecy in course of fulfilment and fulfilled. "When the sixth seal was opened there was a great earthquake. That occurred after the Lord came to his temple. The word earthquake does not always mean a great destructive explosion. The word earthquake here used is from the Greek seismos, and literally means shock, agitation, commotion or shaking. The same word is translated "tempest" in Matthew 8:24. Accompanying and following the World War has been a time of great agitation, commotion and shaking. This was foretold by Jesus as a time of "distress . . . with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth". (Luke 21:25, 26) The nations of the earth have been terribly shaken; the maps of Europe today do not appear as they did prior to the World War, and there has been a great change in conditions generally.
At the same time the sun is darkened and the moon is colored like blood. "The sun" means the kingdom truth, as disclosed in God's due time, and this has become as black as a death mask to representatives of Satan on earth which have claimed to be God's representatives. The ecclesiastical element of Satan's organization in particular have cast aside the Word of God concerning the kingdom and have adopted a Devil-made substitute. At the same time the commandment of the Lord to 'preach this gospel of the
kingdom' begins to be obeyed and carried out, and those who love God and his kingdom proceed to this work, and his truth to them becomes sevenfold brighter and the indignation of the Lord is expressed against the enemy. (Isa. 30:26) The message of the kingdom contains nothing of comfort for the rulers of this wicked world. God's law, symbolized by the moon, to them is detestable. They think that for them to accept God's King and to be subject to him and his commandments is a loathsome thing, and so loathsome to all the ruling factors of the world that it is as congealed blood found upon a dead carcass.
They hear the words of God's vengeance, as expressed in this day, and they attempt to hide themselves from hearing it by rushing into the supposed place of security in the governments. Those "kings of the earth", the great men, and the rich, and the chief captains, and the mighty profiteers, and those who are joined to them, attempt to hide themselves in the governments of the world by calling upon these for protection. It is a time of darkness, and the clergymen, instead of turning to God's Word, call upon the president of the nation as the chief executive officer and say to him: 'We are ready to follow your lead and obey your commandments. Let us know what you want us to do, that we might be saved in this day of wrath.' Although the remnant of the Lord, who are obeying his commandments and giving testimony by radio message, by millions of printed books, and by other means, point the rulers to the gates of the kingdom, and to the highway that God is causing to be cast up for mankind, they shun it and seek protection in Satan's organization alone.
"And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth." Satan was cast out of heaven, he and his "stars" or angels with him, at the end of the world; which fact was made known to the remnant after the Lord came to his temple. (Rev. 12:9) This falling of the stars took place about the time of the beginning of the great shaking of the earthly or visible part of Satan's organization; and now these wicked stars are confining their operations with the Devil to the earth, even as the Lord foretold. (Rev. 12:12) At the same time the clergymen of the church denominations, claiming to be representatives of the Lord, have fallen entirely away. Also many of the leaders formerly of the real church, who had been in present truth, fell away and went back into the earth, or Satan's organization, 'hiding themselves in the rocks.'
"The day of the Lord" is here and the time of his wrath is come, and the nations shall not be able to stand, and none will stand who do not render themselves in obedience to the great Jehovah and his King and Judge. His mighty official representative, Christ the King, is now carrying out and executing the righteous orders of Jehovah. Millions of the common people who are of honest heart and of good will, seeing the standard of the Lord lifted up, will go to it and will survive God's wrath and receive blessings and live on.
