³ The Bible book that tells us most about the Lord’s day is Revelation. Almost all the prophecies of this book are fulfilled during the Lord’s day. But Revelation is only the climax of a series of prophetic books that tell us about that day. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, among others, also tell us about it. Often, what they say helps us to understand better the prophecies in Revelation. Let us see how the book of Ezekiel in particular sheds light on the fulfillment of Revelation during the Lord’s day.

The Four Horsemen

4. According to Revelation chapter 6, what happened at the beginning of the Lord’s day?

⁴ For example, in the sixth chapter of Revelation, the apostle John describes a dramatic vision: “I saw, and, look! a white horse; and the one seated upon it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest.” (Revelation 6:2) Who is this victorious horseman? None other than Jesus Christ, installed as King of God’s Kingdom and riding to conquer his enemies. (Psalm 45:3-6; 110:2) Jesus’ triumphant ride began back in 1914, at the very beginning of the Lord’s day. (Psalm 2:6) His very first conquest was the casting of Satan and his demons to the earth. The result for mankind? “Woe for the earth and for the sea.”​—Revelation 12:7-12.

5. What grim figures follow the Rider on the white horse, and what authority does each figure have?

⁵ There follow in the vision three grim figures: a fiery-colored horse symbolizing war, a black horse symbolizing famine, and a pale horse whose rider was named “Death.” Of this fourth horse, we read: “I saw, and, look! a pale horse; and the one seated upon it had the name Death. And Hades was closely following him. And authority was given them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with a long sword and with food shortage and with deadly plague and by the wild beasts of the earth.”​—Revelation 6:3-8; Matthew 24:3, 7, 8; Luke 21:10, 11.

6. What has been the effect on the earth of these three fearsome horses and riders?

⁶ True to the prophecy, mankind has suffered terribly from war, famine, and disease since 1914. But the fourth horseman also kills by means of “the wild beasts of the earth.” Has this been a notable feature since 1914? Consideration of a similar prophecy by Ezekiel helps to put this aspect of the prophecy into perspective.

7. (a) What prophecy did Ezekiel utter concerning Jerusalem? (b) How was this prophecy fulfilled?

⁷ Writing perhaps five years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E., Ezekiel prophesied a terrible punishment for the Jews because of their unfaithfulness. He wrote under inspiration: “So, too, it will be when there will be my four injurious acts of judgment​—sword and famine and injurious wild beast and pestilence—​that I shall actually send upon Jerusalem in order to cut off from it earthling man and domestic animal.” (Ezekiel 14:21; 5:17) Was this fulfilled literally back then? Undoubtedly Jerusalem suffered from famine and warfare as its end drew near. And famine usually causes disease. (2 Chronicles 36:1-3, 6, 13, 17-21; Jeremiah 52:4-7; Lamentations 4:9, 10) Was there also a literal plague of wild beasts at that time? Likely there were cases of humans being dragged off or perhaps even killed by animals, since Jeremiah also foretold this.​—Leviticus 26:22-33; Jeremiah 15:2, 3.

8. What part have wild beasts played during the Lord’s day so far?

⁸ What about today? In the developed lands, wild animals are not the dangerous problem that they once were. In other countries, however, wild animals continue to claim victims, especially if we include snakes and crocodiles among “the wild beasts of the earth.” Such tragic deaths are seldom reported in the international press, but they are notable. The book Planet Earth​—Flood speaks of the many in India and Pakistan who “have died in agony from the bites of venomous snakes” while trying to escape from floods. India Today reported on one village in West Bengal where an estimated 60 women have lost their husbands because of tiger attacks. Such tragedies may become even more common in the future when human society breaks down and when famine increases.

9. What other kind of “animal” has caused havoc and suffering among mankind during this century?

⁹ But Ezekiel alluded to another kind of “animal” when he said: “There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her, like the roaring lion, tearing prey. A soul they actually devour . . . Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves tearing prey.” (Ezekiel 22:25, 27) So humans can act like animals too, and how mankind has suffered from such predators during our century! Many have died at the hands of animalistic criminals and terrorists. Yes, in more than one way death has claimed a rich harvest of victims from “the wild beasts of the earth.”

10. What does John’s listing of war, famine, disease, and wild beasts as causes of death help us to see?

¹⁰ The listing of war, famine, disease, and wild beasts in John’s vision helps us to see that the agonies endured by Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. were to be paralleled on many occasions during our day. The Lord’s day has thus already meant suffering for the world, largely because mankind’s rulers have refused to submit to that first Horseman, the enthroned King, Jesus Christ. (Psalm 2:1-3) What, though, about God’s people? What has the Lord’s day meant for them?

Measuring the Temple

11. At Revelation 11:1, what was John commanded to do, and this was with regard to which temple?

¹¹ At Revelation 11:1, the apostle John says: “A reed like a rod was given me as he said: ‘Get up and measure the temple sanctuary of God and the altar and those worshiping in it.’” This visionary measuring of the temple was very meaningful for God’s people. Which temple sanctuary did John measure? Not the literal Jewish temple where John had worshiped before he became a Christian. That temple was rejected by Jehovah, and it was destroyed in 70 C.E. (Matthew 23:37–24:2) Rather, it was Jehovah’s great spiritual temple arrangement. In this figurative temple, anointed Christians serve as underpriests in the earthly courtyard.​—Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24; 10:19-22; Revelation 5:10.

12. When did that temple come into being, and what developments took place regarding it in the first century?

¹² That temple came into being in 29 C.E. when Jesus was anointed as high priest. (Hebrews 3:1; 10:5) It was to have 144,000 underpriests, and in the first century many of these were chosen, sealed, and then died faithful. (Revelation 7:4; 14:1) But when those first-century Christians died, they slept in the grave, not being immediately resurrected to heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:15) Moreover, after the first century a great apostasy set in, and the priestly anointed Christians were surrounded by flourishing “weeds,” apostates. (Matthew 13:24-30) Throughout the centuries since then, it might well have been asked: ‘Will all the 144,000 underpriests ever be sealed?’ ‘Will those who have died faithful ever be resurrected to serve in the heavenly sanctuary?’ The visionary measuring of the temple showed that the answer to each of these questions is yes. Why?

13. What did John’s measuring of the temple sanctuary guarantee, and what happened early in the Lord’s day?

¹³ Because in Bible prophecy the measuring of something usually indicates that Jehovah’s purpose for that thing is certain to be thoroughly worked out. (2 Kings 21:13; Jeremiah 31:39; Lamentations 2:8) Thus, John’s visionary measuring of the temple sanctuary was a guarantee that during the Lord’s day, all of Jehovah’s purposes regarding the temple would be fulfilled. In harmony with this and according to all the evidence, those of the anointed who had already died faithful began to be resurrected to their promised place in the heavenly sanctuary starting in 1918. (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 6:9-11) But what of the rest of the 144,000?

14. What happened to anointed Christians before and during the first world war?

¹⁴ Even before the Lord’s day began, anointed Christians who had come out of apostate Christendom began to gather into a separate organization. They had built a fine record of faithfulness in announcing the importance of the year 1914, but in that decisive year, as the first world war got under way, they began to suffer oppression, ‘trampling.’ This reached a climax in 1918 when the directors of the Watch Tower Society were imprisoned, and the organized preaching work almost ceased. At that time, they were virtually ‘killed.’ (Revelation 11:2-7) What was the meaning of the measuring of the temple sanctuary for these Christians?

15. What did the measuring of a visionary temple mean for God’s people of Ezekiel’s day?

¹⁵ In the year 593 B.C.E., 14 years after Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed, Ezekiel saw a visionary house of Jehovah. He was given an extensive tour of this temple and watched as each of its features was carefully measured. (Ezekiel, chapters 40–42) What did this mean? Jehovah himself explained: The measuring of the temple implied a test for Ezekiel’s people. If they would humble themselves, repent of their errors, and measure up to Jehovah’s laws, they would be told the measurements of the temple. This would evidently encourage them in the hope that one day Jehovah’s people would be freed from Babylon and once again worship Jehovah in his literal temple.​—Ezekiel 43:10, 11.

16. (a) Of what did John’s measuring of the temple sanctuary assure God’s people back in 1918? (b) How was this fulfilled?

¹⁶ Similarly, if those discouraged Christians back in 1918 would humble themselves and repent of any errors that they had committed, they would be freed to have Jehovah’s blessing and play a full part in his temple arrangement. And this is what happened. According to Revelation 11:11, they ‘stood up,’ or figuratively were resurrected. A related resurrection vision in Ezekiel foreshadowed a restoration of the Jews to their own land. (Ezekiel 37:1-14) This modern ‘resurrection’ turned out to be a restoration of God’s people from their discouraged, almost inactive state, to a living, vibrant condition in which they could play a full part in Jehovah’s service. Such a ‘resurrection’ occurred in 1919.

The Little Scroll

17. (a) Describe John’s vision at Revelation 10:1. (b) Who was the angel that John saw, and during what day was the vision due to be fulfilled?

¹⁷ At Revelation 10:1, John saw a “strong angel descending from heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet were as fiery pillars.” This somewhat resembles visions of Jehovah seen previously by Ezekiel and by John himself. (Ezekiel 8:2; Revelation 4:3) But John here saw an angel, not Jehovah. Hence, it must have been Jehovah’s great angelic Son, Jesus Christ, who “is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) Moreover, Revelation 10:2 depicts Jesus as standing in a position of great authority, with “his right foot upon the sea, but his left one upon the earth.” So the angel represents Jesus during the Lord’s day.​—See Psalm 8:4-8; Hebrews 2:5-9.

18. (a) What was John commanded to eat? (b) In a similar vision, what was Ezekiel commanded to eat, and with what effect?

¹⁸ Jesus, in this magnificent visionary form, has a little scroll in his hand, and John is instructed to take the scroll and eat it. (Revelation 10:8, 9) In this way, John has an experience very similar to that of Ezekiel, who was also commanded to eat a visionary scroll. In Ezekiel’s case, Jehovah himself handed the scroll to the prophet, and Ezekiel saw that “there were written in it dirges and moaning and wailing.” (Ezekiel 2:8-10) Ezekiel reports: “I began to eat it, and it came to be in my mouth like honey for sweetness.” (Ezekiel 3:3) What did the eating of the scroll imply for Ezekiel?

19. (a) What was represented by Ezekiel’s eating of the scroll? (b) Who were to receive the bitter messages Ezekiel was commissioned to preach?

¹⁹ Clearly, the scroll contained inspired prophetic information. When Ezekiel ate the scroll, he accepted the commission to declare this information to such an extent that it became a part of him. (Compare Jeremiah 15:16.) But the contents of the scroll were not sweet for others. The scroll was full of “dirges and moaning and wailing.” Whom was this bitter message for? In the first place, Ezekiel was told: “Son of man, go, enter in among the house of Israel, and you must speak with my words to them.” (Ezekiel 3:4) Later, Ezekiel’s message widened out to include the pagan nations round about.​—Ezekiel, chapters 25–32.

20. What happened when John ate the little scroll, and what resulted from his doing so?

²⁰ In John’s case, the results of his eating the scroll were similar. He reports: “I took the little scroll out of the hand of the angel and ate it up, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; but when I had eaten it up, my belly was made bitter.” (Revelation 10:10) Eating the scroll was sweet for John too. It was thrilling to have Jehovah’s word become a part of him. Yet the message had a bitter ring to it. Bitter for whom? John was told: “You must prophesy again with regard to peoples and nations and tongues and many kings.”​—Revelation 10:11.

21. (a) What did anointed Christians do in 1919 that corresponded to John’s eating of the little scroll, and with what effect? (b) What was the result for Christendom and the world in general?

²¹ How has all of this been fulfilled during the Lord’s day? According to the historical facts, back in 1919 faithful Christians embraced the privilege of serving Jehovah so thoroughly that it became a part of them, and this was sweet indeed. But their blessing and privilege proved bitter to others​—especially to the clergy of Christendom. Why? Because these faithful anointed Christians courageously proclaimed all of Jehovah’s message for mankind. Not only did they preach the “good news of the kingdom” but they also exposed the spiritually dead condition of Christendom and the world in general.​—Matthew 24:14; Revelation 8:1–9:21; 16:1-21.

22. (a) In what grand way have the anointed been used by Jehovah during the Lord’s day so far? (b) What has the Lord’s day meant for Satan’s world and for God’s people?

²² This faithful band of Christians was used by Jehovah to gather the final ones of the 144,000 for sealing, and they spearheaded the gathering of the great crowd, who have an earthly hope. (Revelation 7:1-4, 9, 10) This great crowd plays an important part in Jehovah’s purposes toward this earth, and its appearance has caused great joy both in heaven and on earth. (Revelation 7:11-17; Ezekiel 9:1-7) Hence, this “day of all days” has already meant suffering for Satan’s world but rich blessings for Jehovah’s people. Let us see, now, how this will continue to be true as the Lord’s day continues.

What Will the Lord’s Day Mean for You?

“Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”​—PSALM 110:2.

1-3. (a) Why has the beginning of the Lord’s day been a time of conflict, and what have been some of Jesus’ successes? (b) How will Jesus “complete his conquest”?

BACK in 1914, Jesus was installed as King of God’s Kingdom, and the Lord’s day began. Immediately, the new King faced violent opposition from Satan the Devil and his agents here on earth. (Psalm 2:1-6) So these early years of the Lord’s day have been a time of conflict in which Jesus has gone ‘subduing in the midst of his enemies.’​—Psalm 110:2.

² The new King’s conquests have been impressive. After 1914, Satan tried to “devour” the newborn Kingdom but, instead, was ignominiously cast out of heaven. (Revelation 12:1-12) He then ‘waged war’ with the remaining ones of the anointed, but he was unable to prevent their ‘standing up’ in 1919 or their accepting “the little scroll” from the hand of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 10:8-11; 11:11, 12; 12:17) He was equally powerless to prevent the gathering of the final ones of the 144,000 and the assembling of the great crowd (out of all the nations), who render “sacred service day and night in [Jehovah’s] temple.”​—Revelation 7:1-3, 9-15.

³ Indeed, since 1914 Jesus has ‘gone forth conquering.’ Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Jesus has yet “to complete his conquest.” He has yet to take action in removing all traces of Satan’s world system of things. (Revelation 6:1, 2; 19:11-21) What will this momentous act mean for us as individuals?

Public Stripping of Babylon the Great

4. How is false religion described in Revelation?

⁴ The destruction of Satan’s world begins with the end of false religion. Revelation describes the whole world empire of false religion​—including Christendom—​as a prostitute, Babylon the Great, who has relations with the kings of the earth and makes mankind drunk with her fornication. She herself is also drunk​—revoltingly—​from drinking blood, the blood of God’s servants. (Revelation 17:1-6) Revelation also describes the end of this disgusting old harlot, and we can better understand what this will mean if we consider what happened to another religious harlot that existed back in the seventh century before our Common Era.

5, 6. Why was unfaithful Jerusalem called a prostitute, and what judgment did this bring on her from the hand of Jehovah?

⁵ That harlot was the city of Jerusalem. She was supposed to be the center of Jehovah’s worship on earth, but God said to her: “By your blood that you have shed you have become guilty.” (Ezekiel 22:4) She was also supposed to be spiritually pure, but she had prostituted herself by consorting with the nations. “O how I am filled up with rage against you,” Jehovah said to her, “by your doing all these things, the work of a woman, a domineering prostitute!”​—Ezekiel 16:30; 23:1-21; James 4:4.

⁶ Consider, then, Jehovah’s judgment on this harlot: “Here I am collecting together all those [the nations] passionately loving you toward whom you were pleasurable and all those whom you loved . . . , and they must strip you of your garments and take your beautiful articles and leave you behind naked and nude. And they must burn your houses with fire.” (Ezekiel 16:37, 39, 41; 23:25-30) History records what happened. The Babylonians came in 607 B.C.E. and stripped Jerusalem bare. Her people and her wealth were carried off to Babylon. The city was destroyed, the temple was burned, and the land was left desolate.​—2 Chronicles 36:17-21.

7. What will be the end of Babylon the Great?

⁷ Something similar will happen to Babylon the Great. Revelation warns: “These [modern “kings,” or rulers with whom Babylon the Great has committed spiritual fornication] will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:2, 16) From the example of ancient Jerusalem, we know what this will mean. False religion will be destroyed by national governments who formerly ‘loved’ her. Her wealth will be ripped away, and she will be burned, completely destroyed. A fitting end to a disgusting organization!

The Heavens Darkened

8. What kind of time will the great tribulation be for mankind?

⁸ With the destruction of Babylon the Great, we will have entered the “great tribulation” prophesied by Jesus. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:14) Speaking of that time, Revelation says: “A great earthquake occurred; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the entire moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth.” (Revelation 6:12, 13) This great earthquake is the “great quaking” in “the soil of Israel” that Ezekiel prophesied. (Ezekiel 38:18, 19; Joel 3:14-16) It is the final destruction of this wicked system of things. Will anything happen to the literal sun, moon, and stars at that time?

9, 10. What did Ezekiel prophesy in the case of Egypt, and how was this fulfilled?

⁹ Ezekiel, warning of the coming fall of Israel’s large southern neighbor, Egypt, said: “‘And when you [Pharaoh] get extinguished I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. As for the sun, with clouds I shall cover it, and the moon itself will not let its light shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens​—I shall darken them on your account, and I will put darkness upon your land,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”​—Ezekiel 32:7, 8.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh and his armies fell, the literal heavens did not darken. But Egypt’s future became very dark. As Bible scholar C. F. Keil notes, “the darkness consequent [upon Pharaoh’s fall] is a figurative representation of utterly hopeless circumstances.” Forever finished as an independent world power, Egypt was dominated by one world power after another! Today, most of the territory of the ancient Pharaonic world power is ruled by an Arab nation.

11. (a) What is prefigured by what happened to Egypt? (b) How will the future be absolutely black for Satan’s world at the great tribulation?

¹¹ But Keil saw a further meaning in Ezekiel’s prophecy. He writes: “The overthrow of this world-power [Egypt] is an omen and prelude of the overthrow of every ungodly world-power on the day of the last judgment.” This is, in substance, true. As Revelation shows, at the great tribulation ungodly mankind’s prospects will be as black as were those of Egypt. It will be as if the sun gave no light by day and the night sky were devoid of any warm light from the moon and without any friendly, twinkling stars. Those who refuse to honor Jehovah’s King will perish without even an honorable burial as the Rider on the white horse completes his conquest. (Revelation 19:11, 17-21; Ezekiel 39:4, 17-19) No wonder ungodly men will cry out “to the mountains and to the rock-masses: ‘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?’”​—Revelation 6:16, 17; Matthew 24:30.

Ongoing War!

12. How has Satan expressed his hatred of Jesus Christ during the Lord’s day?

¹² What, though, of Christians in these times? Well, they have been greatly affected by the ceaseless warfare between Satan and the Rider on the white horse. Since Satan has been unable to get at Jesus personally, he has unleashed the full force of his fury on the remaining ones of the anointed and​—more recently—​on the great crowd of other sheep that has gathered around them. As Jesus warned, these have been “objects of hatred by all the nations on account of [his] name.” (Matthew 24:9) Satan has used every weapon at his disposal, including mobbing, imprisonment, torture, and murder, to fight against them.​—2 Timothy 3:12.

13. How has Satan used guile in his warfare against God’s people?

¹³ Satan has also skillfully used guile. (Ephesians 6:11) Using “the deceptive power of riches,” he has tempted some to slow down or even to cease their sacred service. (Matthew 13:22; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10) Others he has lured into uncleanness and immorality. (1 Corinthians 5:1, 2) Many are under heavy pressure because of the “anxieties of life,” and Satan takes advantage of this to try to ‘weigh them down.’ (Luke 21:34) In other cases, he has used personality conflicts or rebellious tendencies to distract from “the more important things.”​—Philippians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 1:11, 12; James 4:1-3.

14, 15. How can we conquer in our struggle against Satan?

¹⁴ Hence, Christians have needed to cultivate endurance during the Lord’s day. Some have failed, and each failure has been a small victory for Satan. (1 Peter 5:8) But most have heeded Jesus’ promise: “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) With help from Jehovah, they have conquered and brought joy to his heart.​—Proverbs 27:11; 1 John 2:13, 14.

¹⁵ Surely, none of us want to give Satan the satisfaction of seeing us quit! Hence, let us follow Paul’s counsel and arm ourselves with truth, righteousness, and faith​—preaching the good news with zeal and studying to keep our faith strong. Let us also pray incessantly and stay alert. In that way, we will “be open to no accusation in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:8; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Peter 4:7) Rather, the Lord’s day will be a source of rich blessings for us.

Marvelous Privileges of Service

16. Why was John told not to write down what the seven thunders said, and what did this mean for anointed Christians in 1919?

¹⁶ At Revelation 10:3, 4, John says that he heard “the seven thunders” utter their own voices. He wanted to write down what he had heard, but he reports: “I heard a voice out of heaven say: ‘Seal up the things the seven thunders spoke, and do not write them down.’” Evidently, it was not yet time for such information to be released. Instead, John was told to take the little scroll and eat it. The seven thunders appear to represent a complete expression of Jehovah’s purposes. (Psalm 29:3; John 12:28, 29; Revelation 4:5) Back in 1919, when anointed Christians figuratively ate the little scroll, it was not time for them to have a complete understanding of Jehovah’s purposes. (Compare Daniel 12:8, 9.) But they fearlessly forged ahead with what understanding they had and proved themselves worthy of further enlightenment.

17. What are some of the new insights that Jehovah has granted to his people in the years since 1919?

¹⁷ Then, over the years, they were given a progressively clearer understanding of Jehovah’s will. For example, they came to realize that the sheep of Jesus’ parable were, even before Armageddon, being separated from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-46) They saw that the birth of the Kingdom in 1914 was in fulfillment of Revelation chapter 12. They came to a deeper appreciation of the importance of Jehovah’s name, and they learned who the great crowd of Revelation chapter 7 really are. What confidence these progressive revelations gave to God’s people!​—Proverbs 4:18; 2 Peter 1:19.

18. What outstanding privileges of service have Jehovah’s people shared in during the Lord’s day, and what awareness does this build in our hearts?

¹⁸ At the same time, Jehovah entrusted his earthly servants with outstanding privileges of service. In a lofty vision, John saw angels proclaiming everlasting good news for mankind, proclaiming the fall of Babylon the Great, and warning against receiving the mark of the beast. (Revelation 14:6-10) While angels undoubtedly oversaw these divine service privileges, it was humans, Jehovah’s Witnesses on earth, who actually spoke these messages to mankind. John also saw Jesus reaping “the harvest of the earth.” (Revelation 14:14-16) But it has been through the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work of Jesus’ subjects on earth that he has reaped this harvest. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) What a privilege it is to share with the angels and with Jesus Christ himself in service privileges of such vital importance! In so doing, we feel ourselves truly in harmony with Jehovah’s great, invisible heavenly organization of faithful spirit creatures.

Divine Protection

19. (a) What will be the climax of Satan’s hostility toward God’s people? (b) Who will conquer in the final, climactic conflict?

¹⁹ As the end of his world approaches, Satan will put more and more pressure upon Christians. The climax of his hostility is described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, where he is prophetically called Gog of Magog. According to this inspired prophecy, Satan will make an all-out attack to try to destroy God’s people once and for all. Will he succeed? Revelation answers: “The ten horns [modern-day “kings,” or rulers] . . . will battle with the Lamb, but, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also, those called and chosen and faithful with him will do so.” (Revelation 17:12, 14) Faithful Christians will be certain to conquer if they remain faithful to their great, conquering King. Gog’s forces will be utterly destroyed.​—Ezekiel 39:3, 4, 17-19; Revelation 19:17-21.

20. What blessings will the Lord’s day bring to faithful Christians at the great tribulation?

²⁰ Thus, the Lord’s day means salvation for God’s people. Those of the anointed still alive as humans at the great tribulation will have their heavenly position guaranteed, and they will be unwaveringly determined to finish their life’s course in faithfulness. (Revelation 7:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:6-8) The great crowd will also survive, and Jesus “will guide them to fountains of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:14, 17) What a fine reward for faithful endurance!

21. What will happen on earth during the Lord’s day after the great tribulation?

²¹ Now the Lord’s day enters into a wonderful phase: the Thousand Year Reign of Christ Jesus. (Revelation 20:6, 11-15) The river of water of life, prophesied both in Revelation and in Ezekiel, will flow down from Jehovah’s throne to mankind, and those who drink of it will gradually be raised to human perfection. (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1, 2) Hades will be emptied, and billions of those who have died will also have the opportunity to drink of this river.​—John 5:28, 29.

22. What momentous events await mankind at the end of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ?

²² At the end of the thousand years, mankind will have been raised to perfection. What an appropriate time for Satan to make his final appearance on the earthly scene! Once again he will try to deceive mankind, and some will follow him, even then. These are significantly called “Gog and Magog” since they will manifest the same evil spirit as that shown by ‘Gog’s crowd’ in Ezekiel’s prophecy. But their rebellious spirit will be wiped out for all eternity when they, along with Satan himself and his demons, are cast into the symbolic lake of fire. (Revelation 20:7-10; Ezekiel 39:11) A truly blessed future awaits those who remain faithful through that final test, and then the perfected human race will become one with Jehovah’s righteous universal organization. Jehovah God himself will be “all things to everyone”!​—1 Corinthians 15:24, 28; Revelation 20:5.