The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

In these two statements we have a description of what is termed the "little flock," and the
"great multitude"--the two classes taken out of the world during the Gospel Age. While the
full results of all evangelistic effort of the Gospel Age are declared in connection with the
occurrences of this vision, yet the vision itself covers merely the period that is termed by
the Savior in Matthew 13:39 the "harvest, the end of the Age." The teaching undoubtedly is
that in order to accomplish the necessary and important work of the "harvest," the awful
"whirlwind" of the "great tribulation" is held in check--for after the whirlwind is let loose
then will be the "night when no man can work." In this connection the following words
written a quarter of a century ago, are worthy of very close attention on the part of those
who are observants of the significant and notable signs of the times:
"Revelation (7:1-3) teaches us that the wars, whose dark clouds have threatened the
civilized world so ominously for the past thirty years, have been miraculously hindered to
give opportunity for 'sealing' the Lord's consecrated people in their foreheads
(intellectually) with the present Truth. We are therefore to expect that when these winds of
war shall be let loose, it will mean a cataclysm of warfare which shall divide kingdoms
(mountains)--prefigured by the mighty wind shown to Elijah, which rent the rock. But
God's Kingdom will not follow the epoch of war: the world will not thus be made ready
for the reign of Immanuel. No, a further lesson will be needed and will be given. It is
represented in an earthquake. Throughout the Scriptures an earthquake seems always to
represent revolution, and it is not unreasonable to expect that an era of general warfare
would so arouse the lower classes of Europe and so discontent them with their lot (and
especially with the conditions which would follow such a war) that revolution would be
the next thing in order. If so, the earthquake made known to God's people is the one
referred to in Rev. 16:18. But severe though those revolutionary experiences will be to the
world they are not sufficient to prepare men to hear the voice of God. It will require the
fire from heaven--an epoch of Divine judgments and chastisements upon a maddened but
unconverted world wild in anarchy, as other Scriptures show us. The results of their wars
and revolutions and anarchy--the failure of their schemes and the lessons of Divine
judgments will, however, have an exhausting and humbling effect and prepare man for
God's revelation of Himself in the still small voice."
The momentous events that have occurred in the world since the above words were
written, particularly since the year 1914, seem most strikingly to confirm the correctness of
this interpretation. To those acquainted with the Scripture prophecies that describe the
manner in which this Gospel Age will close, it seems quite certain that we are living in the
period of time covered by the vision of the four angels holding in restraint the symbolic
winds of strife. Referring to some of the scenes connected with this great day of wrath as
they will relate to the Lord's people, Mr. Russell's statement is of deep significance:
"The night of darkness and intense opposition to the Truth will ere long be upon us and
will hinder you from engaging in the service. . . . When that is true, you may know that
'the door is shut,' that all the wise virgins have entered in, that all have been proved, and
that all vacancies have been acceptably filled. All the special 'servants of God' having by
that time been 'sealed in their foreheads' (given an intellectual appreciation of God's Plan),