232 person from heaven to earth. Not when he has all the necessary power in heaven and in earth which he can send forth for the carrying out of the divine purpose. By merely directing his attention downward to this earth and sending forth his power, or also sending down the angels that attend him, he can be present at the earth. Let us here remember that in the Hebrew part of the Bible the expression “at the presence of the Lord” literally means “before the face of the Lord”. For example, Zephaniah 1:7 says: “Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand.” (Am. Stan. Ver.) (Also Jeremiah 4:26; etc.) The apostle Peter literally used the expression when he said to the Jews at the temple: “Repent ye therefore, and turn,—unto the blotting out of your sins; to the end that in that case there may come seasons of refreshing from the face of the Lord, and he may send forth him who had been fore-appointed for you—Christ Jesus.” (Acts 3:19, 20, Rotherham) When Peter, at God’s command, called at the home of the Italian centurion Cornelius and preached the gospel to the non-Jews or Gentiles in that home and God’s holy spirit descended upon them, then, so James said, “God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.” (Acts 15:18,14, Am.Stan.Ver.) But God personally did not visit the Gentiles; his apostolic representative did so and God beamed down his active force or spirit upon such Gentiles for believing. So with Christ’s descent from heaven. 8 As newly installed King in 1914, Christ Jesus on the heavenly throne asks his Father for the nations as his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth as his possession. Hence he turns his attention down to them and in this sense he descends. He issues a “word of command” for all nations on earth to yield their sovereignty over to him and for all peoples to swear allegiance to him as earth’s rightful King. As he is Jehovah’s royal Messenger and has angels under his charge, he speaks with the voice of the Chief Messenger or “archangel”. At the crowning of a new king the trumpet was sounded; as it is said of Solomon’s coronation: “And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live king Solomon.” (1 Ki. 1:39, Am. Stan. Ver.) The trumpet therefore symbolizes a loud public proclamation concerning the Kingdom. The royal proclamation is called the “trump of God” because He orders and causes it to be sounded and he also uses his witnesses on earth to sound the proclamation boldly to all nations. It is the “last trump”, because it is the proclamation respecting the Kingdom which puts an end to Satan’s world organization and vindicates Jehovah’s sover; eignty universally.—Rev. 11:15; 12:10. 28. So how and with what accompaniments.does. the Lord descend? 3 How is it ‘tn’ the air” She WATCHTOWER. Brooxiyy, N.Y. 7° Tt is under such circumstances that the “dead in Christ shall rise first”. Their resurrection to heavenly union with him does not wait until the living remnant on earth finish their Kingdom proclamation to all the nations for a witness before the end of Satan’s world comes. However, “together with them,” or during the same period of Christ’s parousia, this living remnant are “caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air’. Daniel’s prophecy and Jesus’ own words declared he as the “Son of man” would come with clouds. (Dan. 7:18,14; Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7) The clouds denote his presence, invisibly, with a storm of trouble and destruction for the nations and with showers of blessing for his devoted remnant and all their companions of good-will. Tt is from this doomed world that they are “caught away” by being completely separated from it. While they are still in this world, they are no part of it. Their destiny is heavenly glory; that of the world is destruction at Armageddon. Because the days of tribulation on Satan’s organization were shortened for the sake of this remnant of the elect, they are snatched from destruction with it. For this reason they were suddenly snatched from the enemv’s power and delivered from a deathlike captive condition in Babylon, Satan’s organization, in the spring of 1919. They were set free for the great Kingdom proclamation, the greatest of all time. Quite fittingly Jehovah speaks of this delivered remnant asa “brand plucked out of the fire’. (Zech. 3:2) Thus, as Jesus predicted, these are the ones who are taken into his favor and under his protection, in close unity with him, whereas the opposers of the Kingdom are left abandoned to their doom. The revival of their witness work in 1919 was likened to their resurrection from the dead, after which they were invited higher to the lofty privilege of proclaiming God’s established kingdom. So they were pictured as ascending to heaven in a cloud, showing they rise up to that exalted privilege. Thus they now enjoy active unity with their King. *t Christ Jesus does not personally come into immediate contact with our earth as he did at his first advent in human form. Descending by merely turning his attention downward to the earth, he can still be “in the air”. In his day Paul called Satan the Devil the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”. (Eph. 2:2) But since the “war in heaven” has forced the Devil and his demon hosts down from up there to this earth, Christ Jesus is now “in the air’ and has its power as an immortal spirit. It is into a unity with him in that exalted position that the remnant are caught away or taken along now. By being faithful 29. In what way is it “together with them’ and in “clouds” that the remnant have their experience now? In what way, then, have the remnan ta that they meet the cord to. e@ ever ayith him?
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