Publication date
4/15/02
Volume
23
Number
8
The WatchTower
Great Voices in Heaven
/../literature/watchtower/1902/8/1902-8-1.html
 
 
(115-116) 
2.iON'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
AI,LEGHENY, 
FA 
:30 
p. 
m., 
in 
Bible 
House 
Chapel. 
Friends 
will 
be 
cordially 
welcomed; 
but 
we 
advise 
that 
on 
such 
occasions 
each 
should 
so 
far 
as 
pos8.ible 
avoid 
absence 
from 
his 
usual 
meeting. 
If 
unfermented 
wine 
eannot 
be 
procured, 
"fruit 
of 
the 
vine" 
can 
be 
made 
by 
stewing 
raisins. 
If 
regular 
unleavened 
bread 
can- 
not 
be 
secured 
from 
some 
Jewish 
baker 
or 
family, 
biscuit 
would 
be 
the 
best 
substitute. 
We 
hope 
that 
each 
little 
gathering 
will 
appoint 
one 
of 
its 
members 
to 
send 
us 
postal 
card 
report 
of 
the 
number 
attend­ 
ing 
and 
the 
interest 
manifested. 
YOLo 
XXIII 
ALLEGHENY, 
PA., 
APRIL 
15,1902 
GREAT 
VOICES 
IN 
HEAVEN 
No.8 
"And 
the 
seventh 
angel 
sounded 
and 
there 
were 
great 
voices 
in 
heaven, 
saying, 
The 
kingdom 
of 
this 
world 
is 
become 
tM 
kIngdom 
of 
our 
Lord 
and 
of 
his 
Christ 
and 
he 
shall 
reIgn 
for 
ever 
and 
ever."-Rev. 
11: 
15. 
R, 
V. 
We 
are 
not 
surprised 
that 
it 
is 
difficult 
for 
the 
Lord's 
people, 
and 
imposslbie 
for 
the 
world, 
to 
recoglllze 
clearly 
and 
distinctly 
the 
fulfilment 
of 
prophecy 
at 
the 
time 
of 
its 
ful­ 
filment. 
It 
has 
ever 
been 
thus. 
Looking 
back 
to 
the 
first 
advent 
of 
our 
Lord, 
where 
many 
prophecies 
converged 
and 
met 
fulfilment, 
we 
notice 
with 
what 
dIfficulty 
even 
the 
"Israel­ 
Ites 
inueeu" 
were 
then 
enabled 
to 
grasp 
the 
reality 
of 
their 
fulfilment. 
We 
remember 
how 
the 
Lord's 
brethren 
and 
his 
disciples, 
although 
in 
close 
contact 
with 
the 
Master, 
hearing 
hun 
who 
"spake 
as 
never 
man 
spake," 
and 
seeing 
miracles 
PCI 
formed 
~lJ('h 
ati 
had 
never 
been 
performed 
betore, 
WEre, 
IH'verthelesti, 
"slow 
to 
believe 
all 
the 
thingR 
written 
[pon­ 
eernmg 
the 
Messiah] 
in 
the 
law 
and 
the 
prophets"-slow 
to 
re,dize 
thl' 
fulfilment 
of 
the~e 
preuletiom,. 
Even 
John 
the 
Baptist, 
who 
realized 
that 
he 
had 
been 
specially 
commiSSIOned 
of 
God 
to 
UO 
the 
work 
of 
forerunner, 
to 
Introduce 
Messiah, 
and 
who 
had 
been 
given 
the 
token 
that 
the 
one 
upon 
whom 
he 
should 
see 
the 
dove 
descend, 
he 
might 
know 
to 
be 
the 
real 
Messiah,-after 
he 
had 
borne 
this 
witness 
to 
Jesus, 
saying, 
"Behold 
the 
Lamb 
of 
God 
which 
taketh 
away 
the 
sin 
of 
the 
world"-after 
all 
this, 
was 
not 
thoroughly 
convinced 
of 
the 
fulfilment 
of 
either 
his 
own 
prophecies 
or 
the 
propheCIes 
of 
others; 
and 
while 
languish­ 
Ing 
in 
prison 
sent 
messengers 
to 
our 
Lord 
inquiring, 
"Art 
thou 
he 
that 
should 
come, 
or 
look 
we 
for 
another~" 
Jesus 
offered 
him 
no 
new 
demonstration, 
but 
merely 
pointed 
out 
that 
the 
Scriptures 
were 
being 
fulfilled 
by 
him 
day 
by 
day,­ 
<lemonstratmg 
that 
he 
was 
the 
very 
Christ. 
Indeed, 
we 
see 
clearly 
that 
all 
prophecies 
were 
written 
with 
the 
diVIne 
intention 
that 
they 
should 
be 
so 
obscured 
as 
to 
be 
unintelligible 
except 
to 
particular 
class 
for 
whom 
their 
informatIOn 
was 
Intenneti; 
anti 
to 
be 
made 
known 
to 
these 
only 
through 
the 
gui<lance 
and 
interpretation 
of 
the 
holy 
::)ymit. 
It 
is 
in 
perfect 
accord 
with 
this 
that 
we 
find 
that 
our 
Lor<l's 
teachIngs 
at 
his 
first 
advent 
were 
spoken 
In 
parables 
and 
dark 
sayings; 
that 
hearing. 
IllS 
hearers 
might 
not 
under­ 
stand-except 
the 
few, 
the 
"Israelites 
indeed," 
the 
chosen, 
t11e 
eleet. 
'1'0 
these 
onr 
Lord 
so 
explainen 
his 
course; 
saying, 
HI; 
nto 
you 
It 
IS 
givpn 
to 
know 
the 
mystery 
of 
the 
kingdom 
of 
God; 
bnt 
lJlltO 
them 
that 
are 
WIthout 
[to 
ontsiners] 
all 
thes,' 
tlllngs 
are 
done 
in 
parables 
[and 
nark 
sayIngs]; 
that 
hearlIlg 
they 
may 
hear 
and 
not 
nnderstanrl." 
(Mark 
4:11, 
1:2) 
And 
these 
rho<;en 
"Tsraelitps 
in<1ceti" 
neede<1 
spf'ri~l 
111­ 
-trndIOn 
el-en 
after 
IIls 
resurrection; 
for 
we 
read 
that 
he 
P'\l'lalIll'd 
unto 
them 
the 
Senpturrs; 
saying, 
"Thus 
it 
is 
writ­ 
It'll 
and 
thus 
It 
behooved 
the 
~on 
of 
Man 
to 
suffer 
an<1 
to 
,ntl:r 
into 
IllS 
glory." 
~llIlIlarly 
It 
wa<; 
with 
uIfficulty, 
and 
onl!- 
undl'r 
the 
gllIdance 
of 
the 
~pprlally 
in<;truete(l 
apoRtles, 
If 
the 
prinlltiv<' 
church 
learned 
of 
the 
partial 
fulfilment 
of 
<,,'1's 
prophet' 
l!l 
the 
Pf'Jltel'ostal 
blesslllg; 
amI, 
later 
Oil, 
\It'l'e 
taught 
respectJn~ 
the 
fulfilment 
of 
other 
prophecies 
III 
oll~h 
the 
wIdl'nIll~ 
of 
the 
message 
of 
reconcIhatlon 
and 
IOlllt 
Ill'irshJp 
in 
the 
kIng-nom, 
so 
as 
to 
include 
such 
Gentiles 
as 
woul'l 
('ome 
unto 
the 
Lonl 
through 
faIth 
and 
obedience. 
'1'hesp 
things 
l.eing 
ObVIOusly 
true, 
we 
are 
not 
to 
wonder 
that 
th,' 
fulfilment 
of 
prophecies 
now, 
in 
the 
end 
of 
the 
(iospel 
al!:e, 
in 
its 
harvest 
time, 
should 
be 
similarly 
obscure, 
and 
leqUIre 
elucidatIOn, 
anti 
then 
he 
comprehensIble 
only 
to 
the 
true 
spiritual 
Israelites, 
now 
keenly 
awake, 
and 
seeking 
to 
know 
amI 
to 
til) 
the 
Lord's 
good 
pleasure. 
In 
the 
Mtllen­ 
tal 
Dal~n 
series, 
we 
have 
callen 
attf'ntlon 
to 
many 
of 
these 
pl'ophptic 
fulfllmmts 
now 
transpiring 
i-to 
the 
end 
of 
the 
H,OOO 
years 
of 
the 
reign 
of 
evil, 
and 
to 
the 
opening 
of 
the 
~eventh 
thommnd, 
or 
perIOn 
of 
rest 
and 
blessing 
i-to 
the 
great 
antItypical 
Jubilpe, 
thousann 
years 
long, 
in 
whose 
begin­ 
mng 
we 
are 
now 
living, 
and 
whose 
trumpets 
of 
Juhilee 
announcement 
are 
now 
antitypieally 
being 
blown 
in 
the 
pro('!umation 
of 
the 
restitution 
of 
all 
thIngs 
which 
Go<1 
hath 
spoken 
hy 
the 
mouths 
of 
all 
thf' 
holy 
prophets 
(Acts 
:21) 
to 
the 
"Times 
of 
the 
Gentiles" 
whose 
full 
enn 
WIll 
be 
with 
i!reat 
time- 
of 
trouble. 
political. 
('('('le~iastical, 
social, 
witness­ 
ing 
the 
full 
establishment 
of 
Christ's 
kingdom 
upon 
tho 
ruins 
of 
present 
institutions 
;-to 
the 
close 
of 
the 
2,300 
days 
of 
Daniel's 
prophecy, 
and 
the 
cleansing 
of 
God's 
antltypical 
temple, 
the 
true 
church, 
from 
the 
defilement 
of 
the 
dark 
ages, 
as 
now 
being 
due 
;-to 
the 
end 
of 
the 
1,335 
days 
of 
Darnel's 
prophecy 
which 
were 
to 
bring 
in 
the 
present 
"harvest" 
time, 
whIch, 
as 
foretold, 
has 
brought, 
and 
is 
bringing 
to 
God's 
peo­ 
ple 
great 
joy 
and 
blessmgs 
through 
an 
expanded 
view 
of 
the 
divine 
plan 
of 
salvation, 
enabling 
them 
to 
appreciate 
better 
the 
heights 
and 
depths 
and 
lengths 
and 
breadths 
of 
the 
love 
of 
God, 
whIch 
manifests 
itself 
in 
the 
divine 
plan 
;-to 
the 
completion 
of 
the 
parallels 
between 
fleshly 
Israel, 
the 
type, 
and 
spiritual 
Israel, 
the 
anti 
type, 
by 
which 
we 
see 
that 
we 
are 
now 
in 
the 
"harvest" 
of 
the 
present 
age, 
and 
can 
know 
what 
to 
expect 
in 
its 
remaining 
years 
if 
we 
look 
back 
at 
the 
closing 
years 
of 
the 
Jewish 
harvest, 
the 
type. 
As 
our 
Lord 
Jesus 
said 
to 
some 
of 
his 
faithful 
ones 
when 
explaining 
the 
prophecies 
,lue 
at 
the 
first 
advent, 
so, 
also, 
might 
now 
be 
applied, 
to 
some 
of 
God's 
people, 
the 
Master's 
words,-"Oh, 
slow 
of 
heart 
to 
beheve 
all 
that 
the 
prophets 
have 
spoken." 
Our 
text 
is 
another 
prophecy 
which 
we 
believe 
applies 
in 
this 
harvest 
time, 
ann 
which, 
consequently, 
has 
be­ 
ginning 
of 
its 
fulfilment 
now. 
As 
already 
pointed 
out 
in 
these 
columns, 
we, 
in 
common 
with 
almost 
all 
expositors, 
recognize 
that 
the 
seven 
trumpets 
of 
Revelation 
are 
symbolical 
and 
not 
lIteral-indeed 
that 
this 
entire 
book 
is 
book 
of 
symhols, 
and 
that 
so 
far 
it 
has 
been 
symbolically 
fulfilled. 
Christian 
people 
in 
general 
understand 
that 
five 
of 
these 
trumpets 
have 
already 
"sounded" 
and 
are 
in 
the 
past 
i-we 
would 
say 
six. 
It 
is 
admitted 
that 
those 
that 
have 
already 
"sounded" 
have 
not 
been 
literal 
blasts 
of 
bugle 
on 
the 
air, 
but 
dIvine 
decrees 
and 
their 
fulfilments; 
and 
we 
esteem 
that 
it 
is 
reasonable 
to 
expect 
that 
the 
seventh 
trumpet 
will 
be 
similar 
in 
this 
respect 
to 
the 
preceding 
six. 
But 
literal 
thmgs 
are 
so 
much 
more 
easily 
received 
by 
the 
natural 
man 
that, 
eyen 
though 
absurd, 
they 
commend 
themselves 
as 
instead 
of 
the 
truth,-until 
our 
minds 
are 
guided 
of 
the 
holy 
splTit 
mto 
the 
proper 
channel 
by 
"comparing 
spiritual 
things 
with 
spiritual"-by 
comparing 
the 
seventh 
trumpet 
with 
the 
pre­ 
('(',Eng 
six 
trumpets, 
ano 
not 
with 
natural 
hlast 
upon 
the 
au. 
80 
firmly 
entrenchen 
is 
the 
error 
that 
many 
advanc,><l 
(,hri~tians, 
BIble 
students 
and 
mimsters 
arc 
really 
expecting 
-om!' 
day 
to 
IlPar 
what 
I~ 
someftml'" 
dpno!nlllatp,! 
"(:ahI'Il'l 
horn." 
shrIll 
enough 
and 
loud 
enough 
to 
awakpn 
the 
rle:uL 
It 
J:'I 
hoth 
proper 
and 
Ill'ce~~ary 
hat 
Wl' 
eXf'rpi~p 
g'l'ea 
1':\­ 
tJ('T!<'l' 
With 
ChrIstIan 
hrethIen, 
who 
thus 
dIsplay 
then 
1Il­ 
fantile 
<1l'wloIJIIlent 
of 
knowlpdge 
in 
r~'sl'ert 
to 
spJntual 
thinl!:s, 
v..-hJle 
we 
point 
out 
to 
them 
that 
this 
seventh 
trUlnpet-'''rlll' 
La"t 
Trumpet"-"The 
Trump 
of 
God," 
is 
as 
much 
symboljl~ 
.1 
w('re 
its 
l'n'd!'<'('shor" 
and 
mal 
k~ 
lllw'll 
!arl!:cr 
and 
nlll)" 
1J111'0liant 
Ju!lIlnlt'lIt 
than 
,1Il~- 
'Jf 
them. 
Ii" 
fulfilment 
extPII<[h 
thllHlgh 
period 
of 
1,000 
years; 
ItS 
events 
mark 
an<l 
coin"j(le 
WIth 
all 
the 
yanous 
features 
of 
the 
Mlllf'nmal 
r('Ign 
of 
Chnst, 
heQ'IllllIng, 
we 
ull<lerstand, 
was 
in 
1&78_. 
ann 
its 
ternuna­ 
tion 
WIll 
he 
thonsan<1 
years 
future 
from 
that 
<late. 
It 
WIll 
be 
"sounning" 
for 
all 
that 
time-dnring 
which 
its 
events 
will 
be 
III 
process 
of 
accomplishment. 
What 
the 
events 
represented 
by 
this 
Seventh 
Trumpet 
are, 
is 
hriefly 
explainen 
in 
the 
verses 
following 
our 
tpxt 
(17, 
18). 
The 
first 
feature 
of 
this 
Trumpet 
is 
the 
announce­ 
mAut 
of 
Christ's 
kingdom 
in 
the 
earth-the 
assumption 
of 
his 
great 
office, 
the 
beginning 
of 
his 
reign. 
This, 
as 
we 
have 
already 
shown 
from 
other 
Scriptures, 
was 
chronologically 
due 
to 
begin 
in 
1878. 
The 
results 
of 
this 
assumption 
of 
au­ 
thorIty 
by 
Messiah 
follow 
in 
due 
course 
as 
narrated. 
(1) 
"The 
nations 
were 
angry 
and 
thy 
wrath 
is 
come." 
The 
lay­ 
ing 
of 
judgment 
to 
the 
line 
and 
justice 
to 
the 
plummet, 
and 
the 
sweeping 
away 
of 
the 
refuge 
of 
lies, 
an 
early 
feature 
in 
Ollr 
Lord's 
reign, 
as 
described 
in 
the 
prophecy 
of 
Isaiah 
(IRa. 
28: 
17), 
will 
necessarily 
result 
in 
great 
commotion 
in 
the 
af­ 
fairs 
of 
the 
"present 
evil 
world;" 
bf'cause 
its 
social, 
fin:mcin 
I. 
political 
and 
religiouR 
conditions 
and 
arrangemf'nts 
will 
not 
sfjuure 
with 
the 
Lord's 
line 
ann 
plummet 
of 
rightf'onsnf'ss. 
t2992] 
(115-116) 7:30 p. m., in Bible House Chapel. Friends will be cordially welcomed; but we advise that on such occasions each should so far as possible avoid absence from his usual meeting. If unfermented wine eannot be procured, “fruit of the vine” can be made by stewing raisins. If regular unleavened bread can ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGIEENY, Pa not be secured from some Jewish baker or family, biscuit would be the best substitute. We hope that each little gathering will appoint one of its members to send us a postal card report of the number attending and the interest manifested. Vou. XXII ALLEGHENY, PA., APRIL 15, 1902 No. 8 GREAT VOICES IN HEAVEN “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of this world ig become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”—Rev. 11:15. We are not surprised that it is difficult for the Lord’s people, and impossibie for the world, to recognize clearly and distinctly the fulfilment of prophecy at the time of its fulfilment. It has ever been thus. Looking back to the first advent of our Lord, where many prophecies converged and met fulfilment, we notice with what difficulty even the “Israelites indeed” were then enabled to grasp the reality of their fulfilment. We remember how the Lord’s brethren and his disciples, although in close contact with the Master, hearing him who “spake as never man spake,” and seeing miracles performed such as had never been performed betore, were, nevertheless, “slow to believe all the things written [concerning the Messiah] in the law and the prophets”--slow to realize the fulfilment of these predictions. Tiven John the Baptist, who realized that he had been specially commissioned of God to do the work of a forerunner, to introduce Messiah, and who had been given the token that the one upon whom he should see the dove descend, he might know to be the real Messiah,—after he had borne this witness to Jesus, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world”—after all this, was not thoroughly convinced of the fulfilment of either his own prophecies or the prophecies of others; and while languishing in prison sent messengers to our Lord inquiring, “Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?” Jesus offered him no new demonstration, but merely pointed out that the Scriptures were being fulfilled by him day by day,— demonstrating that he was the very Christ. Indeed, we see clearly that all prophecies were written with the divine intention that they should be so obseured as to be unintelligible except to a particular class for whom their information was intended; and to be made known to these only through the guidance and interpretation of the holy Spirit. It is in perfect accord with this that we find that our Lord’s teachings at his first advent were spoken in parables and dark sayings; that hearing, his hearers might not understand—except the few, the “Israelites indeed,” the chosen, the elect. ‘Tio these our Lord so explained his course; saying, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are without [to outsiders] all these things are done in parables [and dark sayings]; .... that hearing they may hear and not understand.” (Mark 4:11, 12) And these chosen ‘“Tsraelites indeed” needed special in-truction even after his resurrection; for we read that he explained unto them the Scriptures; saying, ‘Thus it is written and thus it behooved the Son of Man to suffer and to énter into lis glory.” Similarly it was with difficulty, and only under the guimance of the specially instructed apostles, thar the primitive chureh learned of the partial fulfilment of Juels prophecy im the Pentecostal blessing; and, later on, were taught respecting the fulfilment of other prophecies through the widening of the message of reconcilation and jot heirship in the kingdom, so as to inelude such Gentiles as would eome unto the Lord through faith and obedience. These things heing obviously true, we are not to wonder that the fulfilment of prophecies now, in the end of the (Gospel ave, in its harvest time, should be similarly obscure, and 1equire elucidation, and then be comprehensible only to the true spiritual Israelites, now keenly awake, and seeking to know and to do the Lord’s good pleasure. In the Mullennial Dawn series, we have called attention to many of these prophetic fulfilments now transpiring;—to the end of the 6,000 years of the reign of evil, and to the opening of the seventh thousand, or period of rest and blessing;—-to the great antitypical Jubilee, a thousand years long, in whose beginning we are now living, and whose trumpets of Jubilee announcement are now antitypically being blown in the proclamation of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets (Acts 3:21); —-to the “Times of the Gentiles” whose full end will be with a great time of trouble, political, ecclesiastical, social, witnessing the full establishment of Christ’s kingdom upon the R.V. ruins of present institutions;—to the close of the 2,300 days of Daniel’s prophecy, and the cleansing of God’s antitypical temple, the true church, from the defilement of the dark ages, as now being due;—to the end of the 1,335 days of Daniel’s prophecy which were to bring in the present “harvest” time, which, as foretold, has brought, and is bringing to God’s people great joy and blessings through an expanded view of the divine plan of salvation, enabling them to appreciate better the heights and depths and lengths and breadths of the love of God, which manifests itself in the divine plan;—to the completion of the parallels between fleshly Israel, the type, and spiritual Israel, the antitype, by which we see that we are now in the “harvest” of the present age, and can know what to expect in its remaining years if we look back at the closing years of the Jewish harvest, the type. As our Lord Jesus said to some of his faithful ones when explaining the prophecies due at the first advent, so, also, might now be applied, to some of God’s people, the Master’s words,—"Oh, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Our text is another prophecy which we believe applies in this harvest time, and which, consequently, has a beginning of its fulfilment now. As already pointed out in these columns, we, in common with almost all expositors, recognize that the seven trumpets of Revelation are symbolical and not literali—indeed that this entire book is a book of symbols, and that so far it has been symbolically fulfilled. Christian people in general understand that five of these trumpets have already “sounded” and are in the past;—we would say six, It is admitted that those that have already “sounded” have not been literal blasts of a bugle on the air, but divine decrees and their fulfilments; and we esteem that it is reasonable to expect that the seventh trumpet will be similar in this respect to the preceding six. But literal things are so much more easily received by the natural man that, even though absurd, they commend themselves as instead of the truth,—until our minds are guided of the holy spirit into the proper channel by “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”’—by comparing the seventh trumpet with the preceeding six trumpets, and not with a natural blast upon the air, So firmly entrenched is the error that many advanced Christians, Bible students and ministers are really expeeting some day to hear what 13 sometimes denominated “Gabricl s horn.” shrill enough and loud enough to awaken the dead. It as hoth proper and necessary that we exercise great putience with Christian brethren, who thus display their imfantile development of knowledge in respect to spiritual thinys, while we point out to them that this seventh trumpet-——‘The Last Trumpet’——"The Trump of God,” is as much symbole as were ifs predecessors and marks a much larger and moe mpportant fulfilment than anv of them. 11s fulfilment extends through a period of 1,000 years; its events mark and coincide with all the various features of the Millennial reign of Christ. its beginning, we understand, was in 1578, and its termination will be a thousand years future from that date. It will be “sounding” for all that time—during which its events will be im process of accomplishment. What the events represented by this Seventh Trumpet are, is briefly explained in the verses following our text (17, 18). The first feature of this Trumpet is the announccment of Christ’s kingdom in the earth—the assumption of his great office, the beginning of his reign. This, as we have already shown from other Scriptures, was chronologically due to begin in 1878. The results of this assumption of authority by Messiah follow in due course as narrated. (1) “The nations were angry and thy wrath is come.” The laying of judgment to the line and justice to the plummet, and the sweeping away of the refuge of lies, an early feature in our Lord’s reign, as described in the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa. 28:17), will necessarily result in great commotion in the affairs of the “present evil world;” because its social, financial, political and religious conditions and arrangements will not square with the Lord’s line and plummet of righteousness. [2992]

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