I think I recall that the most recent annual report shows over 22,000 partakers worldwide but Revelation tells us that only 7,000 will be sealed once the “harvest” has been completed. And, of course, it only makes sense that this is the fulfillment of the Christian ministry, (“then the end will come” Matthew 24:14) When the Chosen Ones are killed by the 8th King, we will see who the Great Crowd is because they will be the only ones who show godly fear and give glory to Jehovah. So many good points in this chapter 25.
Here is a quote from Chapter 25:
“Revelation 11:13-14 continues: “In that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and 7,000 persons were killed by the earthquake, and the rest became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Look! The third woe is coming quickly.”
In the time of Elijah, Jehovah informed his prophet that there were seven thousand men who had not bent their knee in homage to Baal or kissed his disgusting idol. In the 11th chapter of Romans, Paul referred to the account of Elijah and the seven thousand and applied it to what he called the remnant of Israel, which at that time included non-Jewish Christians. Hence, the seven thousand represented a remnant of spiritual Israel, as Paul interpreted it under inspiration. The seven thousand in Revelation similarly must represent the anointed remnant left behind after the resurrection commences; those who do not bend their knee to the image of the beast or receive its mark during the concluding judgment phase.
The sacred secret of God is that the seven thousand are the individual brothers of Christ that will serve as the composite two witnesses during the coming parousia, after their being sealed. Revelation 11:13 indicates that the deaths of the seven thousand coincides with the death and resurrection of the two witnesses by saying: “in that hour.” This signifies that the wild beast kills the remaining sons of the kingdom after it arises from the abyss.
The 20th chapter confirms that the remaining sons of the kingdom are destined to be executed with the ax for giving witness to God and Christ during that critical time and for refusing to receive the mark of the beast.
What does the city represent—a tenth of which also falls as a result of the great earthquake? A city is mentioned three times within the context of the 11th chapter of Revelation. The “holy city” is referred to in the second verse as being trampled upon by the nations for 42 months. Also, the two witnesses are killed in the “great city” where Christ was also impaled, which was also the literal holy city of Jerusalem.
There is, therefore, no contextual basis for the Watchtower’s claim that the city represents sinful Christendom. It is evident that the context of the vision dictates that the tenth of the city that falls represents God’s holy city, which is heavenly Jerusalem as represented on earth by the holy ones. But what is represented by the one-tenth?
The book of Zechariah contains a parallel prophecy that aids in deciphering Revelation. Zechariah 14:1-2 states: “Look! The day is coming, a day belonging to Jehovah, when the spoil from you will be divided in your midst. I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for the war; and the city will be captured and the houses plundered and the women raped. And half of the city will go into exile, but the remaining ones of the people will not be cut off from the city.”
Zechariah’s prophecy reveals that the nations warring against “Jerusalem” initiates God’s war against them, exactly as is also described in the 11th chapter of Revelation. It is apparent that “Jerusalem” relates to Christ’s Kingdom. In what sense, though, might “half of the city” go into exile while “the remaining ones of the people will not be cut off from the city”?
Since the Jerusalem above is represented on earth by the anointed remnant, their being killed by the nations brings about their instantaneous resurrection into the heavenly realm; hence: “the remaining ones,” are not cut off from the holy city since they have a place reserved for them in the city above.
Those who are killed join the already-resurrected holy ones in heaven to complete the New Jerusalem. That is why, following the pillaging of the holy city and the evident martyrdom of the earthly sons of the Kingdom, Zechariah 14:5 says: “And Jehovah my God will certainly come, all the holy ones being with him.”
“All of the holy ones being with him” denotes that all of the 144,000 are with Jehovah when he comes to finish off the nations at the war of Armageddon—none of them remaining on the earth. Therefore, “half of the city” that goes into exile symbolizes the earthly congregation of the great crowd that is left behind after the last of the remnant have departed to the city above.
Thus, the appointed times of the nations to trample upon God’s Kingdom terminate when there is no longer any portion of the Jerusalem above represented upon the earth below.
So, the “tenth of the city” in Revelation symbolizes the earthly realm of the Kingdom that falls during the final attack of Gog, which is the great earthquake that occurs when the seven thousand sons of the Kingdom abandon their earthly estate to take up residence in the heavenly New Jerusalem. “The rest [who] became frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven” can only bespeak of the great crowd of earthly survivors who will be witnesses to the awe-inspiring events during the culmination. They will be the only humans on earth that will give glory to God.”
