Comfort all that mourn (1941)
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TO A WORLD, a large part of which groans
under the wicked aggressions of the totalitarian dictators and the other part
of which stands in mortal fear thereof, the prophetic proof of the early end of the Axis Powers and of all
oppressors comes indeed as great comfort to countless mourners. But what
follows that end, to wit, the long-promised Theocratic Government with its
unspeakable blessings to obedient men, is of still greater consolation. When
Judge Rutherford delivered the speech on this comforting theme to the many
thousands gathered in a national assembly on Saturday, August 9, 1941, in and
about The Arena, St. Louis, Mo., the vast audience acclaimed the message with
joyous applause and enthusiastically adopted the Resolution that followed.
For the comfort of yet other unnumbered
multitudes Judge Rutherford’s speech is gratefully published herein.
The Publisher
Author: J. F. Rutherford
Copyright, 1941
and Published by WATCHTOWER Bible
and Tract Society, Inc. International Bible Students Association Brooklyn,
New York, U. S. A.
Branch Offices :
London, Strathfield, Mexico City, Oslo, Cape
Town, Berne, Buenos Aires, Shanghai, and other cities.
COMFORT ALL THAT MOURN
WHEN the people of all nations mourn; when
all are in distress and greatly perplexed, there is need of diligence to
ascertain the cause of distress and learn and give heed to the prescribed
remedy for such.
Never within the memory of man has there been
on earth such general sorrow and mourning as now. Never a time when the people
need comfort as they do now. Who can give the desired comfort?
The Creator of heaven and earth, the Almighty
God, “whose name alone is Jehovah,” is the God of all comfort. In the Bible,
which is His Word, he has set forth the truth telling plainly why the people
mourn and what is the complete remedy therefor. All persons who would have such
information, and who would receive comfort, must resort to and give heed to the
Word of God. All persons who are now of good-will toward Almighty God will do
that very thing.
Christians are those persons who follow the
lead of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are the servants of the Almighty God. As
his servants they are duly and fully ordained and commissioned by the Almighty
God to deliver His message of truth to all persons on earth who are of
good-will toward Jehovah. The commission which Almighty God has given to each
one of his faithful servants and followers of Christ Jesus is set down at
Isaiah 61:1,2, in these words: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because
the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.”
This is the “day of vengeance of our God”,
and therefore the time when He will vindicate His holy name. Before He exercises his power for the
vindication of his name his servants must proclaim His great name throughout
the earth. For several years past the witnesses for Jehovah have declared to
the people throughout the earth the purpose of God to vindicate his name, and
of his vengeance against all wickedness. The time draws near, therefore, for
him to exercise his supreme power.
This is the day in which the people mourn,
and this is the time when Jehovah’s servants must carry the message of God’s
comfort to all that mourn. This is the time when the good news, or gospel, must
be preached, as commanded by the Lord, to all nations for a witness, and that
preaching must he done by those who are devoted to
Jehovah, and who therefore are Jehovah’s witnesses.—Matthew
24:14; Isaiah 43:12.
Every follower of Christ Jesus who is in a
covenant to do the will of God is and indeed must be a preacher of this gospel
in obedience to the Lord’s commandment. All such have, in obedience to God’s
commandment, separated themselves from the things of this world, and they must,
as commanded, keep themselves “unspotted from the world”. (James 1:27) They
must devote all of their energies to preaching “this gospel of the kingdom” to
the people that those who mourn may receive comfort. That is the present-day
work of paramount importance to all who would live.
Those in distress, and who mourn and who
desire comfort, must fully realize that Almighty God is the fountain of life
and source of all comfort and joy. (Psalm 36: 9) The Bible contains all of that
needed information, which will comfort all who desire righteousness and peace.
The faithful servants of God, receiving comfort from the Lord as set forth in
the Bible, must bear that same message of comfort to them that are in trouble
and who desire to hear the truth. Such is the present-day commission and work
of Jehovah’s witnesses.
The people are torn by war, famine,
pestilence, and beset by all manner of wickedness. No longer are the people
free to assemble, speak and worship God as He has commanded. All human remedies
offered have failed, and in the world the people are without hope. The hour has
struck when the people must turn to God and his Word if they would receive
comfort and survive the terrible disaster that is impending and about to fall
upon the nations.
CAUSE
What is the cause of the great mourning of
the people of all nations? How it is possible for the people to have peace and joy ? Those two questions are answered in the terse and
forceful words of the Bible record at Proverbs 29: 2, to wit: “When the
righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” The sorrow, distress and mourning of the people of all
nations, therefore, as the Lord has stated, is because the wicked now bear rule
and use that ruling authority to oppress the people and take away their
liberties and the substance of their labor. The only remedy is the
authoritative rule of the world by the King of righteousness. Those who now
exercise faith in God and in his Word, and who obtain the truth from his Word,
look forward with eagerness to the day when the righteous shall be in complete
authority in all the earth. It is the truth that will make the people free from
fear and mourning. Receiving the truth, their joy at once begins.
From the Bible testimony both the wicked and
the righteous must be definitely identified, and this must be done before any
man can understand and appreciate the cause of the world distress and what is
the true remedy therefor.
THE WICKED
The mighty wicked ruler is Satan the Devil.
He is invisible to human eyes, but exercises tremendous power over men and
nations. Associated with him is a host of wicked angels or demons, likewise
invisible to human eyes, and at all times preying upon the people. That
invisible, wicked rule is represented on the earth by visible agents that yield
to and are controlled by the invisible demon-power. Those human agents
generally are entirely blind to the fact that the demons exercise the real
ruling power, and hence they are led blindly into deeds of wickedness.
Concerning this it is written in the Bible that Satan, the god of this world,
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ Jesus, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them. (2 Corinthians 4: 3, 4) Those that believe not, here mentioned, are the
ones who do not have and exercise faith in God and in Christ, and who disregard
the Bible as God’s Word.
Satan is the “prince [god] of this world”.
(John 12: 31; John 14; 30) He is the "chief of demons’, meaning that he is
the leader of all the demon host. (Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24, Am. Rev. Ver.)
The rule of wickedness is over the entire earth; as it is written: ‘The whole
world lies in the wicked one.’ (1 John 5:19) Since the year 1914 the sorrows
and mourning of the nations have continuously increased, and the reason
therefor is stated at Revelation 12:12 in these words: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth [meaning the rulers of the earth],
and of the sea [meaning the peoples that bear up and support those nations]!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” The Devil knows his
time is short because the due time is here when he must be ousted and when
righteousness shall rule the world, and which good news, when proclaimed,
brings comfort and joy to all who have faith in God and in his Word. The
present is the transition period from the wicked to the righteous.
THE RIGHTEOUS
Almighty God, whose name alone is Jehovah, is the eternal, righteous One. (Psalm 116:5) “God
is in the generation of the righteous.” (Psalm 14:5) All his ways are
righteous, and his commandments are righteousness. (Psalm 119:172) His beloved
Son, Christ Jesus, whom Jehovah has made Lord and King of the world, is the
express image of his Father Jehovah. (Hebrews
1:3) He is the world’s rightful and righteous. King, duly appointed and
anointed by Jehovah to rule. (John
18:37) God’s due time, when He shall rule, has come. His rule as King of The Theocracy is of the greatest
importance to all creation. Under His rule the righteous will of Jehovah shall be done in the earth, and
for this reason Jesus commanded all Christians to pray to God these words: ‘Thy
kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven.’ (Matthew
6:10) Concerning Christ Jesus, the righteous King, it is written, at Isaiah
9:6: “The government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” When
that righteous King rules the world in completeness the people shall rejoice.
The hour for his unobstructed rule is at hand, and every person who gets life
everlasting must take his place wholly on the side of the King of The Theocracy and, doing so, will
participate in the blessings to be administered. This good news, or gospel,
must now be preached to the people that they may have hope and have an opportunity
to choose Christ the King of righteousness and live, and, failing to do so,
remain as supporters of the wicked rule and perish. Each person, therefore,
must choose his own destiny. The obligation and commission of Jehovah’s
witnesses is to proclaim the truth of and concerning The Theocracy, which will enable the people to intelligently
choose.
FACTS
The facts are indisputable, and therefore
admitted, that the Nazis, Fascists and the mightiest religious organization on
earth, acting together and designated as “the Axis powers”, now rule from
Norway to Egypt and within that realm the people mourn. That ruling power is
opposed to the Kingdom of God under Christ and violently opposes everyone who
advocates The Theocracy.
Opposing the Nazi, religious combine is
another mighty world power, carried on by the political and commercial strong
men of those nations, and ably supported by religious leaders. That world power
is generally known as the advocate of Democracy, and during the World War from
1914 to 1918 adopted and used the slogan: “This war will make the world safe
for democracy.” That ruling power does not advocate the kingdom of God and
hence is against The Theocracy.
Prophecy
The Almighty God knew the end from the beginning
and set down the words pertaining thereto, but hid the meaning thereof until
his own due time to reveal the same. Mark well the Lord’s prophecy describing
those two great ruling powers and the end thereof. More than two thousand years
ago Jehovah dictated His prophecy
to Daniel, the servant of God, and it is written in the Bible. It appears that
the meaning of divine prophecy is hidden from men until God’s due time for the
same to be understandable. God’s due time is when He brings to pass events well
known to all persons who desire to know, which events fit the prophecy, and the
meaning of the prophecy is thereby made understandable.
When God had completed the dictation of the
prophecy here considered Daniel says: “And I heard, but I understood not; then
said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy
way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. . . . [Then] the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the
wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”—Daniel 12: 8-10.
“The time of the end” is now here. The sure
and unfailing promise of Jehovah God is that now the wise shall understand.
“The wise” are those who fear Jehovah God, who devote themselves to him and who
serve him and his kingdom faithfully and truly. “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all
they that do his commandments; his praise endureth for ever.”—Psalm 111: 10.
IDENTIFICATION
This prophecy of Daniel tells of two mighty
opposing ruling powers: one designated therein as “the king of the north”, and
the other designated as “the king of the south”. The identification of these
two kings is essential to an understanding of the prophecy set out at Daniel
11:27-45. Those two kings are not mere men, but are world ruling powers, in
which men play their parts as the servants of the wicked one, “the god of this
world.” Both of such ruling powers are instruments of the organization created
and employed by Satan to keep the people in ignorance of Jehovah and his great Theocratic Government, and Satan’s
purpose is to turn the people away from Almighty God and lead them into
destruction. This he does in his endeavor to carry out the wicked challenge
flung into the face of Jehovah
centuries ago. Satan is the ‘father of lies’ (John 8: 44), and hence he causes
both of his ruling powers to resort to lies in order to blind them and to blind
the people to the truth.
“The king of the north” is that ruling power
which is totalitarian and dictatorial, which rules and claims the right to rule
the nations of the earth, and which is violently opposed to The Theocratic Government of Jehovah by Christ Jesus, and opposes and
persecutes those servants of God who proclaim the coming and universal rule of
the kingdom of righteousness. Politics and religion are the chief elements of
“the king of the north”. That ruling power began with Nimrod, the earth’s first
political, religious dictator, who compelled the people to worship him and to
obey his commandments. From time to time that power has prevailed in the earth
and today is represented in the “Axis combine”, which seeks to rule the world
and proclaims its purpose to set up once again the “Holy Roman Empire”. It
violently opposes The Theocracy and
persecutes those who support that righteous government.
“The king of the south” is the world ruling
power which rules and claims the right to rule the nations of earth in the name
of Democracy. The dominant elements of such power are commerce, politics and
religion. It began with ancient Egypt, the first world power controlled by
commerce, politics and religion. Today it is represented in the British
Commonwealth of Nations and the nations supporting that empire. It does not
advocate and support Jehovah’s Theocratic
Government by Christ Jesus, and is therefore against the kingdom of God;
as the King declared: “He that is not with me is against me.”—Matthew 12: 30.
Due to the instructions received from their
religious advisers both kings have false conclusions as to the Kingdom of God.
Instead of recognizing Jehovah’s
anointed King, Christ Jesus, who was enthroned in 1914, both “the king of the
north” and “the king of the south” set ' themselves against The Theocracy and their action is in
fulfillment of God’s prophetic words, to wit: “The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against
his Anointed.” (Psalm 2:2) The Devil planted that ambitious desire in the minds
of both kings to rule the earth, that he might bring about the destruction of
the nations before Armageddon. Both strive for world domination. To that end
they employ diplomacy and force, manifested particularly from 1914 to 1918 in
the world. Then both sat at the same table to formulate a scheme to rule the
world and the League of Nations was born.
At this point of the prophecy of Daniel
(11:27), as it is. written, “both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief,
and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper; for yet the
end shall be at the time appointed.”
While they speak lies to each other, their
chief lie is that they deny that Jehovah God is the supreme power and that
Christ Jesus is the rightful ruler of the world by reason of his appointment
from the great Theocrat, Jehovah God,
and that his kingdom has now come. The Word of God plainly says that the table
around which they sat is “the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:21, Am. Rev.
Ver.) and that the chief of demons is Satan, who is the father of lies. Then
the religious instructors announced that the League of Nations is the
instrument of God to rule the world. The League of Nations, to which both kings
subscribed, stood up and in substance said: “We will rule the world, instead of
Christ, Jehovah’s Anointed King.” That marks the beginning of the public
manifestation of the “desolating abomination” mentioned by Daniel and the Lord
Jesus. Now both “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” stand where
they ought not to stand and boastfully claim the right to rule the world, and
concerning which Jesus says: “But when ye shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let
him that readeth understand,) then let them that be
in Judaea flee to the mountains.” (Mark 13:14) Thus the Lord identifies the
“abomination of desolation” and warns the people of good-will toward God that
they must flee to the kingdom of God by Christ Jesus before the terrors of
Armageddon fall upon them.
Now all the world witnesses “the king of the
north” and “the king of the south” in the deadly grip of war, to determine
which shall rule the world. The prophecy says that the purpose of both kings is
“to do mischief”, or wickedly, because they are both against Jehovah and Mis Kingdom by Christ Jesus.
Then the prophecy adds: “It shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the
time appointed.” Their efforts shall not forestall Jehovah in establishing His government of righteousness. No
power can successfully interfere with Jehovah
in establishing his government of righteousness. No power can successfully
interfere with Jehovah in carrying
out his purpose. The Almighty God says: “I have purposed it,
I will also do it.” (Isaiah 46:11) The great God of Eternity, who sits in the
heavens, shall have and does have both of these kings in derision and laughs at
their futile efforts.—Psalm 2:4.
The prophecy of Daniel, at the eleventh
chapter, proceeds to detail the struggle between “the king of the north” and
“the king of the south”, and definitely tells of the everlasting end of the
totalitarian rule and that the Axis combine, the dictatorial rule, shall soon
cease for ever. On this occasion it is not possible to
relate the details of that prophecy, but, by the Lord’s grace, The Watchtower
will publish the same that the people of good-will may be enlightened and
strengthened in hope for complete relief.
NEUTRALITY
Both of The kings’
fight desperately for world domination. They are working great destruction upon
the nations, increasing the burdens of all and causing the people to mourn
greatly. What is the attitude of Jehovah’s
covenant people concerning this controversy ? Shall
they take sides and fight either for “the king of the north” or for “the king
of the south”? Almighty God commands that they must remain entirely neutral in
the controversy. Because his covenant people are servants and representatives
of The Theocracy
they must hold themselves entirely aloof from warring factions of this world.
(2 Corinthians 10: 3, 4) In neutrality Christ Jesus takes the lead and commands
all of the faithful supporters of his kingdom to follow in his steps. (1 Peter
2:21) To his faithful followers Jesus says: ‘Ye are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world; because ye are not of the world, and I have chosen you out
of the world, you are opposed and hated by all nations for my name’s sake.’
(John 17:16; John 15:19; Matthew 24: 7-9) Jehovah’s
covenant people are the representatives of The
Theocracy and must hold fast their integrity toward God and his kingdom.
To do otherwise means their destruction everlastingly. Jehovah’s covenant people are now engaged in a work of the
greatest importance to mankind, to wit, the directing of the people to the only
possible means of peace, comfort and life. This one thing they must do.
The prophecy shows that in order to fight
against the totalitarian forces of “the north” “the king of the south” becomes
more and more dictatorial. Both adopt the same method or means, and as a result
the burdens of the people greatly increase and they mourn bitterly. Such are
the present-day experiences.
END
What, then, shall be the end of this great
distress and mourning? Shall the totalitarian dictators succeed in controlling
the earth? God’s prophecy answers that to the full satisfaction of all who love
righteousness. The prophecy tells that “the king of the north” receives
information which proceeds from Jehovah God and Christ Jesus, and which greatly
troubles the world powers, and “therefore he shall go forth with great fury to
destroy, and utterly to make away many. . . . Yet he
shall come to his end, and none shall help him”. (Daniel 11:44,45) That will
mark the end of the rule of wickedness and will mean the end of mourning for
the people.
COMFORT
By revealing to his covenant people the meaning of his prophecy Jehovah brings to them great comfort now. None have suffered
more than those who have held fast their integrity toward God. They have
suffered for righteousness’ sake. Because of their faithfulness to God and His
King, Jehovah directs to his
covenant people this message: “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who coniforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able
to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:2-4) Thus Jehovah plainly commands what course the Christian must now
take, and which is, to “comfort all that mourn”.
Obeying God’s commandment, and desiring to
aid and comfort those who are in trouble, Jehovah’s
servants and witnesses now delight to call attention to the message of the
Lord, which has brought them great comfort, and they bid those that mourn to
give a hearing ear to that message because it is from the Lord. Again you are
reminded of Jehovah’s emphatic
words: ‘When the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.’ With the present,
world-wide mourning of the people it must be apparent to all that the wicked
now rule the nations of earth, and of which there could not be the slightest
doubt. Furthermore, the present world powers offer no remedy for the betterment
of the people. Jehovah’s remedy is
certain and complete.
RIGHTEOUS RULE
Following the wicked rule of the dictator Nimrod,
God made known his purpose to raise up what the Scriptures speak of as “The Seed”, that is, His own King, and
to set up his kingdom, through which all peoples of the earth might receive the
blessings of peace, prosperity, joy, happiness and everlasting life. Jehovah’s
purpose never fails. In his due time his expressed will must be done and shall
be carried out.— Isaiah 55:11.
The Kingdom, which Jehovah promised, is the kingdom for which Christians for
centuries have prayed, as Jesus commanded: ‘Thy kingdom come
; thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven.’ All the ways of
Jehovah are righteous ; and when his will is done in
the earth, that means the righteous rule or government of the earth, in which
there shall be no sorrow or mourning among the people. With the end of the rule
of dictators God’s kingdom of righteousness shall rule the people right here in
the earth; and they shall then rejoice, because, it is written, “When the
righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.”—Proverbs 29:2.
Repeatedly by his many prophets God has told
of the coming of His kingdom, and those faithful prophets suffered martyrdom
because of their faithfulness in advocating that coming kingdom. Then God sent
into the earth his Son, Jesus, whom God anointed and made King. Before the
Roman governor Jesus declared that He is the King. (John 18: 37) Jesus was put
to death and by his lifeblood he has bought the race of men, all of whom had
inherited condemnation of death. God raised Jesus out of death, and that great Spirit,
exalted to heaven, is now the King and rightful Ruler of the world.
God gives his unfailing promise that in due
time Christ Jesus the King shall be enthroned and rule the world in
righteousness. That promise is certain of fulfillment. Furthermore
the Lord makes known by his Word that the setting up of the kingdom of
righteousness will be attended by great trouble, war, famine, pestilence,
oppression of the people, and intense distress of the nations. Such troubles
and woes are now here, and are due to the fact that the Devil refuses to yield
up the rulership of the world without a great struggle; hence the Devil brings
ever increasing woes upon the people. (Revelation 12:12) These events have come
to pass in the present time and are in fulfillment of the prophecies of God,
and all the people may observe them.
While the two kings, “the king of the north”
and “the king of the south”, engage in the most deadly and destructive war of
all time, the God of heaven sets up his kingdom, as Jehovah by his prophecy of Daniel foretold: “And in the days
of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” —Daniel 2:44.
That kingdom has now come and the King is in
action. His first work is to inform the people of what is taking place and that
these present- day events will be quickly followed by the complete destruction
of Satan’s rule to the end that righteousness may obtain in the earth for ever without interruption. During the past few years the Lord has sent forth his servants to bear witness
before the people of and concerning his kingdom, and, this done, there shall
follow quickly “the battle of that great day of God Almighty”, and which will
be the greatest tribulation the world will ever have known. (Revelation 16:16;
Matthew 24:14, 21) Such is precisely in fulfillment of the prophetic utterance
of Jehovah set forth at Exodus
9:16. The power of the Lord at Armageddon, exercised against God’s enemies,
will put an everlasting end to the “Axis powers” and to all similar powers of wickedness.
All of such have forgotten and turned against God and his Kingdom, and the
decree of the Almighty against them is written in these words: “The wicked
shall he turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)
The wicked all cleared out, then the Kingdom of God will be in full operation
and His will shall then be done in the earth as in heaven.
THEOCRACY
That righteous government is The Theocratic Government. It is the
government of Jehovah by Christ
Jesus. Concerning Christ Jesus it is written: “The
government shall be upon his shoulder.” (Isaiah 9:6) That government of
righteousness shall endure, and the King, as the official of Jehovah, shall administer life
everlasting to all who obey Him.
If you believe God, and that the Bible
contains His Word, then hear and rejoice in the emphatic statement thereof, to
wit: “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in
judgment.” (Isaiah 32:1) The King, here mentioned, is Christ Jesus, the great
Theocratic King, and his rule shall always be righteous and in righteousness.
He is and forever will be invisible to human eyes; but on the earth, mingling
amongst the joyful people, will be his visible representatives. Who are they?
GOVERNORS
Again note the prophecy of Daniel. When Jehovah gave Daniel
the prophecy he did not understand it, and so states.
Jehovah caused His angel then to appear to Daniel, who delivered from Jehovah this message: “But go thou thy
way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of
the days.” (Daniel 12:13) Clearly this part of the prophecy means that Daniel
died and since has rested in death, but at the end of the days of the prophecy
Daniel shall be raised out of death as a perfect man and stand in his “lot”.
The promise of God is that then the prophecy shall be understood. And now the
prophecy is understood; which is proof that we confidently expect Daniel the
prophet of God to soon stand amongst the peoples upon this earth and many will
see him and rejoice. And what is Daniel’s “lot” ?
Daniel, together with other faithful men of
old from Abel to John the Baptist, when raised out of death to perfection as
men, shall be the governors or visible representatives of The Theocratic Government on the earth.
Heretofore they have been called “the fathers in Israel”, but when they come they shall be children and representatives of Christ
the King, and thereafter be known as the “princes in all the earth”; as it is
written: “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make
princes in all the earth.”—Psalm 45:16.
At the eleventh chapter of Hebrews a list
appears of the names of many of those faithful men, which includes all the
prophets, and therefore necessarily Daniel is one. All of those, the Lord declares,
shall constitute the princes or governors in the earth, and they “shall rule in
judgment”, or justice. (Isaiah 32:1) They will put in force the judgments of
the Lord, and all of their actions, in harmony with the Lord, will be in
justice and righteousness. Then instead of mourning the people shall rejoice.
BLESSINGS
The rule of the earth by the “Axis powers”
and the so-called “democracies” hold out to the people no hope of peace,
security, life or happiness. Those desiring these blessings must now turn to The Theocracy. The Bible was written for
the very purpose of furnishing the basis for the hope of such as love God and
his Kingdom. (Romans 15:4) The people must now gain a knowledge of the Bible,
and thereby learn the way by which they can receive everlasting blessings.
All the people of good-will desire peace. The
"battle of that great day of God Almighty” will for
ever end the rule of selfishness and wickedness. That will mean the end
of all war. There shall never be another time of tribulation, as the Lord has
promised. (Matthew 24:21) The righteous Lord will teach the obedient people his
way, and they will walk in the way of righteousness. No more will they make
instruments of war, because, as the Lord declares, “nation shall not lift up a
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
(Micah 4:1-4) When in 1918 a temporary peace was declared the people rejoiced,
even though that joy was of but short duration. When the people of goodwill
learn that there will never be another war they will rejoice for evermore.
Under The Theocratic Government peace,
like a mighty river that never ceases to flow, will go on and endure to the
endless comfort and joy of the people. —Psalm 72:7; Isaiah 48:18.
The Theocratic
Government, by Christ Jesus, will be wholly righteous and its laws
administered at all times without partiality. The people will have no occasion
to fear enemies, because none shall be permitted to exist. The people shall
walk together in peace, lying down and sleeping in security, and none shall
make them afraid.—Zephaniah 3:13; Micah 4:4; Ezekiel
34:25.
LIFE
The rule of the wicked has brought upon the
people indescribable suffering and the death of countless innocents, and the
badge of mourning has marked every home. The rule of the wicked offers no hope
of life. Why longer look in that direction? The righteous rule by Christ Jesus
guarantees life everlasting to all obedient ones, as it is written: “This is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) Salvation belongs to Jehovah (Psalm 3:8), who
administers life to the obedient ones by Christ Jesus, the King. (Romans 6:23)
Under his reign obedient ones shall never die. - John 11:26.
Give heed to the comforting words published
for those who give their entire devotion to The
Theocracy. In symbol that government of righteousness is called “the
Holy City”, because it is Jehovah’s organization. It constitutes the new
heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13) Concerning
that kingdom the utterances at Revelation 21:1-4 are of great comfort to' all
who believe them: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for
the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4) Those words of the Lord
now give great comfort to all who hear and believe them. All who support and
obey The Theocratic Government
shall receive everlasting blessings.
THEOCRACY HERE
The present is the worst of times because of
the wicked rule. By faith we see the wicked rule now coming to an end. The
present, therefore, is the best of times till now, because we see The Theocratic Government is coming in. It
is therefore the time when all who put their trust in God should rejoice. The
Kingdom, promised long centuries ago, has come and the day of deliverance is
near, and concerning this Jesus says: "And when these things begin to come
to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your [deliverance] draweth nigh.” - Luke 21: 28; Emphatic Diaglott.
To the generation that seek the face of
Jehovah, and who desire everlasting life, the Almighty God says: “Lift up your
heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of
glory shall come in.”—Psalm 24:7.
The only hope for peace and life rests in The
Theocratic Government. All persons
now on earth who expect or hope to live must flee to that righteous government,
and all others shall be destroyed. To those who would live the great Theocrat says: “O worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth. Say among the [nations]
that the Lord reigneth; the world also shall be
established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the people righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the
fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall
all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh
to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people
with his truth,”—Psalm 96: 9-13.
TRANSITION
The end of the rule of the wicked
totalitarian powers is at hand. Soon the combined elements of wickedness will
put forth their supreme effort in their final endeavor to destroy all who
support The Theocracy. They shall
fail, and none shall help them, because God has decreed it so. (Daniel ll:45) The Lord will literally destroy all of such
wicked rule. Behold the righteous Theocratic
Government, by Christ Jesus, taking possession and ruling the world in
righteousness. He who is “the Prince of Peace”, “the Everlasting Father,” “the
King of glory,” will have complete control from his throne in heaven. Daniel
and other faithful men of old soon shall stand in their lot as the visible governors
of the people and representatives of The
Theocracy. Then the people will be comforted and greatly rejoice.
Jehovah God has surely sent his witnesses to
now deliver his message of comfort to the people of good-will. Those who hear
and flee to The Theocracy and seek
righteousness and meekness have Jehovah’s promise that they may be hid from the
terrible storm of Armageddon and be safely carried over, even as Noah and his
family were carried over the flood. Those survivors who obey the King will be
granted the unspeakable privilege of carrying out the divine mandate to
“multiply and fill the earth” with a righteous people, and they will rejoice
forever.
Who will this day hear and understand these
truths from Almighty God? Jehovah gave to Daniel the answer in these words:
“None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Daniel
12:10) “The wise” are those who believe, fear and serve Almighty God and his
beloved Son, Christ Jesus. (Psalm 25:12) Each one must make his choice. The
opponents of The Theocracy will
remain with the wicked and perish for ever. They that
be wise will choose to serve the “King of glory” and receive the blessings of
everlasting life. The wise will now receive great comfort from this message
from the Word of Almighty God, who is “the Father of mercies” and “'God of all
comfort”, and “whose name alone is Jehovah”.—2
Corinthians 1:3; Psalm 83:18.
[The multitude of Christians assembled, and
who heard the foregoing address, unanimously agreed to send to the people the
following message:]
TO ALL PERSON'S OF GOOD-WILL TOWARD
JEHOVAH and
His King, Christ Jesus:
Having received great comfort from Jehovah’s Word, and now enjoying the
privilege of being His servants, we send you this message of comfort that you
too may, in this hour of world distress, receive consolation and lay hold upon
that which will bring you endless life and joy.
The unfailing promise of Jehovah, repeatedly stated in the Bible,
is that soon He shall destroy all wickedness and wicked rule in the earth, to
be followed by the rule of righteousness by Christ Jesus and His visible
representatives on the earth, and which government shall afford boundless
blessings to the people. The transition period is now here, evidenced by the
world trouble, and which soon shall end with Armageddon, “the battle of that
great day of God Almighty.” The only place of safety is under The Theocracy, that righteous rule of Jehovah by Christ Jesus. All who oppose
that government shall perish for ever. All who are of
good-will toward Jehovah and His Theocratic Government by Christ Jesus,
and who flee thereto, may find safety and life.
The rulers of wickedness now stand where they
ought not to stand, wrongfully claiming the right to rule the world contrary to
Jehovah and His King. That totalitarian dictatorial rule the Lord declares to
be the "desolating abomination" foretold by Daniel the prophet. (Mark
13:14) The Lord warns all persons of good-will to immediately flee to Jehovah’s Government by Christ Jesus,
which is The Theocracy, and which
is the only place of safety. Be wise, therefore, and obey the Lord’s warning
and commandments and immediately take your stand on the side of The Theocracy, that you may have and
enjoy the everlasting blessings from the Lord.
IS “The King of the North” a Mere Man?
How Will He “Come to His End”?
Watch it in THE WATCHTOWER
The presently unfolding prophecy of Daniel
11, and other subjects of equal importance and interest, will appear in The WATCHTOWER, “that the people of good-will may be
enlightened and strengthened in hope for complete relief.” So
Judge Rutherford assures on page 16 herein.
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