13, 14. (a) According to the apostle Paul, when does the heavenly resurrection begin, and who are resurrected? (b) When are the anointed who survive into the Lord’s day resurrected to heaven?

¹³ The insight granted by the opening of the fifth seal agrees completely with other scriptures that have to do with the heavenly resurrection. For example, the apostle Paul wrote: “For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord shall in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”​—1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.

¹⁴ What a stirring story these verses tell! Those of Jesus’ anointed brothers who survive to Jesus’ presence, that is, who are still alive on earth during his presence, are preceded into heaven by those who have already died. Such ones, dead in union with Christ, rise first. Jesus descends, that is, turns his attention to them, and resurrects them to spirit life, giving them “a white robe.” Afterward, those who are still alive as humans finish their earthly course, many of them dying violently at the hands of opposers. They do not, however, sleep in death as their predecessors did. Rather, when they die, they are instantly changed​—“in the twinkling of an eye”—​caught away to the heavens to be with Jesus and fellow members of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-52; compare Revelation 14:13.) Thus, the resurrection of anointed Christians starts soon after the four horsemen of Apocalypse begin their ride.

15. (a) What good news has the opening of the fifth seal provided? (b) How does the ride of the Conqueror on the white horse culminate?

¹⁵ The opening of this fifth seal of the scroll has provided good news concerning anointed integrity keepers who have conquered, faithful to the death. But it provides no good news for Satan and his seed. The ride of the Conqueror on the white horse continues irresistibly and culminates in a time of reckoning for the world that “is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) This is made clear when the Lamb opens the sixth seal.

1, 2. (a) What is it like to live through a severe earthquake? (b) What does John describe when the sixth seal is opened?

HAVE you ever lived through a severe earthquake? It is not a pleasant experience. A big temblor may start with a sickening roll and a rumbling noise. The swaying may worsen by fits and starts while you dash for safety​—perhaps under a desk. Or it may come as a sudden, shattering jolt, followed by the crashing of crockery, furnishings, even buildings. Damage may be catastrophic, with frequent aftershocks inflicting further damage and adding to the misery.

² Having this in mind, consider what John describes at the opening of the sixth seal: “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred.” (Revelation 6:12a) This must fall within the same time frame as the opening of the other seals. Just when in the Lord’s day does this earthquake occur, and what kind of quake is it?​—Revelation 1:10.

3. (a) What occurrences did Jesus foretell in the prophecy about the sign of his presence? (b) How do the literal earthquakes relate to the great symbolic earthquake of Revelation 6:12?

³ Literal and figurative quakings of the earth are mentioned a number of times in the Bible. In his great prophecy about the sign of his presence in Kingdom power, Jesus forecast “earthquakes in one place after another.” These would be part of “a beginning of pangs of distress.” Since 1914, with earth’s population exploding into the thousands of millions, literal temblors have contributed significantly to the distresses of our times. (Matthew 24:3, 7, 8) Nevertheless, even though they fulfill prophecy, those earthquakes have been natural, physical disasters. They are preliminary to the great symbolic earthquake of Revelation 6:12. This, indeed, comes as the devastating finale to a series of advance tremors that shake Satan’s human earthly system of things to its foundations.a

Tremors in Human Society

4. (a) Since when had Jehovah’s people been anticipating that catastrophic events would begin in 1914? (b) Of what period of time would 1914 mark the end?

⁴ From the mid-1870’s, Jehovah’s people had been anticipating that catastrophic events would start in 1914 and would mark the end of the Gentile Times. This is the period of “seven times” (2,520 years) running from the overthrow of the Davidic kingdom in Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. to Jesus’ enthronement in heavenly Jerusalem in 1914 C.E.​—Daniel 4:24, 25; Luke 21:24, King James Version.b

5. (a) What announcement did C. T. Russell make on October 2, 1914? (b) What political upheavals have taken place since 1914?

⁵ Thus, when C. T. Russell appeared for morning worship with the Brooklyn, New York, Bethel family on the morning of October 2, 1914, he made the dramatic announcement: “The Gentile Times have ended; their kings have had their day.” Indeed, the worldwide upheaval that began in 1914 was so far-reaching that many long-standing monarchies disappeared. The overthrow of czardom in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 led to a long confrontation between Marxism and capitalism. Tremors of political change continue to disturb human society earth wide. Today, many governments fail to survive more than a year or two. Lack of stability in the political world is illustrated in the case of Italy, which had 47 new governments in just 42 years following World War II. But such advance tremors are only preliminary to a climactic governmental upheaval. The result? God’s Kingdom will take over sole rulership of the earth.​—Isaiah 9:6, 7.

6. (a) How did H. G. Wells describe the new and momentous epoch? (b) What did a philosopher and a statesman write about the epoch since 1914?

⁶ Historians, philosophers, and political leaders have pointed to the year 1914 as the start of a new and momentous epoch. Seventeen years into that epoch, historian H. G. Wells commented: “Gladly would the prophet prophesy pleasant things. But his duty is to tell what he sees. He sees a world still firmly controlled by soldiers, patriots, usurers, and financial adventurers; a world surrendered to suspicion and hatred, losing what is left of private liberties very rapidly, blundering toward bitter class conflicts, and preparing for new wars.” In 1953 philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote: “Ever since 1914, everybody conscious of trends in the world has been deeply troubled by what has seemed like a fated and predetermined march toward ever greater disaster. . . . They see the human race, like the hero of a Greek tragedy, driven on by angry gods and no longer the master of fate.” In 1980 statesman Harold Macmillan, reflecting on the peaceful start of the 20th century, said: “Everything would get better and better. This was the world I was born in. . . . Suddenly, unexpectedly, one morning in 1914 the whole thing came to an end.”

7-9. (a) What upheavals have shaken human society since 1914? (b) The upheavals in human society during Jesus’ presence would eventually include what situation among mankind?

⁷ World War II brought another wave of upheavals. And smaller wars along with international terrorism continue to shake the earth. The fearful threat of terrorists or states using weapons of mass destruction has many people wondering.

⁸ Other things besides wars, though, have shaken human society to its foundations since 1914. One of the most traumatic upheavals was triggered by the U.S. stock-market crash of October 29, 1929. This brought on the Great Depression, which affected all capitalist countries. That depression bottomed out between 1932 and 1934, but we are still feeling its effects. Since 1929 an economically sick world has been patched up by makeshift schemes. Governments indulge in deficit financing. The oil crisis of 1973 and the stock market plunge of 1987 added to the shakings of the financial empire. Meantime, millions of people buy largely on credit. Countless numbers are victimized by financial gimmicks, pyramid schemes, and lotteries and other gambling subterfuges, many of which are sponsored by governments that should be protecting the people. Even Christendom’s television evangelists stretch their hands out for their multimillion-dollar share!​—Compare Jeremiah 5:26-31.

⁹ Earlier, economic troubles had opened the way for Mussolini and Hitler to seize power. Babylon the Great lost no time in courting their favors, and the Vatican entered into concordats with Italy in 1929 and Germany in 1933. (Revelation 17:5) The dark days that followed were surely a part of the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy about his presence, which would include “anguish of nations, not knowing the way out . . . while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” (Luke 21:7-9, 25-31)c Yes, the quakes that began to shake human society in 1914 have continued, with powerful aftershocks.