In the previous article in this series on Micah, the concluding comments made the case that divine intervention will be necessary to save mankind from extinction. What else could Jesus have been referring to except nuclear war when he warned that the great tribulation would be so severe that no flesh would be saved unless God cut it short? Jesus also spoke of a post-tribulation world, when he said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” — Matthew 24:29
We should not expect life to return to normal after a nuclear war. No doubt the skies will be literally darkened by the smoke of destruction. And metaphoric darkness will be even more enveloping.
Christians living before the atomic age could not possibly have understood how this might come about. Unfortunately, now with nuclear-armed nations facing off in a proxy war in Ukraine and the Anglo beast creating other provocations with China and Iran, it is becoming alarmingly clear that certain dark entities are pushing the nations into an inevitable conflict wherein one party or all will resort to launching their thermonuclear missiles.
While the Watchtower has played an invaluable role in disseminating Bible truth regarding basic doctrine, as well as shedding light on the issues between Jehovah and Satan and the vital role of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom, as well as training an army of preachers and teachers, Jehovah’s Witnesses are laboring under a deluding influence; ironically, emanating from the same source as the truth.
What is the delusion? It is the myth that Christ began ruling in his Kingdom in 1914 and that Satan and all of his wicked angels have already been hurled down from heaven. No doubt, the appearance of an anointed congregation of International Bible Students under the direction of Charles Russell served as a signal for the operation of Satan to go into effect to create the ongoing delusion using powerful works and lying signs, such as WWI, etc.
Although the relatively short period of time variously known as the conclusion, the time of the end, the final part of the days, and the last days, has not begun the worldwide preaching of the good news that must come first has surely put the demons on notice that the beginning of the end is near.
During this past century, not coincidently coinciding with the worldwide ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the nations have been hard at work developing weapons systems with the potential to literally destroy all life on earth. It should be apparent that the demonic gods intend to blow it all up when Christ and his angels come against them.
The sobering truth is, whatever horrors, hardships, and atrocities that have been inflicted upon mankind over the past 108 years, we have yet to experience the foretold woe for the earth and sea because Satan has come down in great anger knowing he has a short period of time. Jehovah’s Witnesses should stop deceiving themselves that a “short period” of time spans more than a century.
Jesus expelled many demons from people when he walked the earth. Sometimes he would not even permit them to speak through their human proxies. He once calmed a tempestuous storm at sea. As an immortal King imbued with all the power of his Almighty Father, Jesus will prevent Satan from carrying out his evil scheme to destroy the world; hence, cutting short the tribulation on account of the chosen ones.
The most powerful hurricanes have a well-developed “eye.” The outer winds may be blowing 150 miles an hour, or more, but inside the eye there is relative calm, even blue sky. That is where the expression the eye of the storm comes from. The coming tempest of Jehovah will be similar. The impending world war will result in an unprecedented calamity, even a great tribulation, which will be cut short. Then what?
Revelation depicts the tribulation in apocalyptic language, saying: “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the entire moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as when a fig tree shaken by a high wind drops its unripe figs. And the heaven departed as a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and every island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the high officials, the military commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, and every free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rocks: “Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” — Rev. 6:12-17
Civilization in its present form seems permanent and enduring. Governments stand like immovable mountains. Human leaders and institutions shine like stars. We all take for granted that the sun will rise tomorrow and the peaceful moon will light the night. But when the sixth seal is opened it will seem as if the sun and moon have failed. Every mountain-like human institution will be rocked. Then what?
“After this I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding tight the four winds of the earth, so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the sunrise, having a seal of the living God; and he called with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying: “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until after we have sealed the slaves of our God in their foreheads.” — Revelation 7:1-3
The angels holding back the four winds so that the chosen may be sealed coincides with the cutting short of the tribulation on account of the chosen ones. Then what?
Jehovah’s intervention will bring an end to wars among the nations. That is what is meant by the prophecy of Isaiah and Micah: “He will render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore.”
It seems reasonable that after the tribulation, which will bring mankind to the brink of extinction, the exhausted nations will not have the will to keep warring against each other. God will speak to them then: “Listen to me in silence, you islands; let the nations regain their strength. Let them approach; then let them speak. Let us come together for judgment.” — Isaiah 41:1
The post-tribulation period will commence judgment day. The nations that survive the tribulation will then be made to stand before the reigning King—Jesus Christ. Then the chastened chosen ones will be made to stand before governors and kings. It seems that they, the kings and governors, will be forced to acknowledge that Jehovah saved them from destroying themselves. Since at that point, the chosen will be speaking for Christ, shining like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father, filled with holy spirit up to the brim, the governors and kings will not be able to hold their own against them in the argument. Micah 5:8 describes this change of circumstance: “The remaining ones of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of a forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, that passes through and pounces and tears in pieces; and there is no one to rescue them.”
The remaining ones of Jacob is a reference to the remaining ones of the 144,000. They are called “remaining ones,” otherwise known as the anointed remnant, because they will remain on earth after the first resurrection begins—after the tribulation is cut short.