The Watchtower, November 1, 1950
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"YOU ARE MY WITNESSES," SAYS JEHOVAH.—Isa. 43:12
The WATCHTOWER
Announcing
JEHOVAH'S
KINGDOM
NOVEMBER 1, 1950
Semimonthly
NEW SYSTEMS OF THINGS
BEGINNING THE NEW WORLD SOCIETY
EVOLUTION CONTRARY TO
SCIENTIFIC FACT
WAS CHRIST HUNG ON A CROSS?
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PERSECUTES CHRISTIANS
DOING THE WORK ASSIGNED
©WTB&TS
"YOU ARE MY WITNESSES," SAYS JEHOVAH.—Isa. 43:12 THE PURPOSE OF "THE WATCHTOWER"
Literal towers in Bible times were elevated vantage points from which watchmen could observe happenings, warn of danger, or announce good news. Our magazine figuratively occupies such a vantage point, for it is founded on the very pinnacle of wisdom, God's Word. That elevates it above racial, national and political propagandas and prejudices, frees it from selfish bias. It is not bound by any traditional creed, but its message advances as the light on God's purposes and works increases.—Habakkuk 2:1-3.
It sees things Scripturally. When it observes this generation afflicted with greed, delinquency, hypocrisy, atheism, war, famine, pestilence, perplexity and fear, and persecution of unpopular minorities, it does not parrot the old fable about history repeating itself. Informed by Bible prophecy, it sees in these things the sign of the world's time of the end. But with bright hope it also sees opening up for us just beyond these woes the portals of a new world.
Thus viewed, "The Watchtower" stands as a watchman atop a tower, alert to what is going on, awake to note signs of danger, faithful to point out the way of escape. It announces Jehovah's kingdom established by Christ's enthronement in heaven, feeds his kingdom joint-heirs with spiritual food, cheers men of good will with glorious prospects of eternal life in a paradise earth, comforts us with the resurrection promise for the dead.
It is not dogmatic, but has a confident ring in its voice, because it is based on God's Word. It does not privately interpret prophecy, but calls attention to physical facts, sets them alongside prophecy, and you see for yourself how well the two match, how accurately Jehovah interprets his own prophecy. In the interests of our salvation, it keeps sharp and faithful focus on Bible truth, and views religious news generally.
'Be watchful in these perilous times,' God admonishes. So keep on the watch by regularly reading "The Watchtower".
PUBLISHED BY THE WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY
117 Adams Street
Brooklyn 1, N. Y., U. S. A.
N. H. KNORR, President
GRANT SUITER, Secretary
"They will all be taught by Jehovah."—John 6:45, NW; Isaiah 54:13
CONTENTS
Doing the Work Assigned
New Systems of Things
Beginning the New World Society
Use the Remaining Time Wisely
Evolution Contrary to Scientific Fact
Was Christ Hung on a Cross?
Dominican RepublicPersecutes Christians
Questions from Readers
Announcements
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Abbreviations used in "The Watchtower" for the following Bible versions
AS - American Standard Version LXX- The Septuagint Version
AT - An American Translation Mo - James Moffatt's version
Da - J. N. Darby's version NW - New World Translation
Dy - Catholic Douay version Ro - J. B. Rotherham's version
ED - The Emphatic Diaglott RS - Revised Standard Version
Le - Isaac Leeser's version Yg - Robert Young's version
Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible used is the King James Version
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DOING THE WORK ASSIGNED
A POPULAR song declares that the 'lucky old sun has nothing to do but roll around heaven all day'. The sun has much more to do than lazily roll around heaven. The sun was made to work. It was created as a "light to rule the day". (Gen. 1:16) It is earth's furnace, supplying heat and making life possible. If the sun did no work, Ecclesiastes 1:7 would not be true: "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." Why not? Well, every second the sun lifts 16,000,000 tons of water vapor from the seas, which vapor becomes clouds that float inland and precipitate rain. Without the laboring sun the sea waters would not return to the rivers whence they came, and rainfall would cease. It is good for us that the sun does more than just roll around heaven all day.
The moon also works, being created as a "light to rule the night". (Gen. 1:16) It is the power behind the tides. Sun and moon and stars perform a work of praise, as is indicated when we take a literal view of Psalm 19:1-4, AT: "The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the sky shows forth the work of his hands. Day unto day pours forth speech, and night unto night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes forth through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."
The earth was made to work, to nourish and sustain life. It is not an idle body, but spins so rapidly that at the equator its surface travels over a thousand miles per hour. Thus we have night and day. Additionally, the earth whizzes in its orbit around the sun at a speed of 66,600 miles per hour, so tirelessly that year after year it completes this nearly 584,000,000-mile journey without varying its schedule 1/1000 of a second. If it failed to make this trip we would have no changing seasons. Fortunate for us that the earth does not hang idle and motionless in space.
And when man was put upon the earth, he was not assigned to a dreamy and indolent existence, as though idleness were the ideal state. When God made man He "put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it". Additionally, with Eve he was to rear children, subdue the earth, extend Edenic conditions earth-wide, and rule over the other forms of earthly life. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15) Happily, God did not create man for a career of loafing. Idleness is a snare that leads to death.—Ezek. 16:49; 1 Tim. 5:13.
Even the lower animals perform useful service. To single out but one of these many services, what about the insects that pollinate plants and enable such green things to reproduce and bear fruit? Why, Jehovah God even uses one of these tiny lower creatures as an example in industriousness, saying: "Go to the ant, you sluggard, look at her ways, learn sense; for she has no leader, no foreman or chief, yet in the summer she provides her food, and gathers during harvest-days."
(Prov. 6:6-8, Mo) Have you ever seen an ant lying at ease basking in the sun? Rather, are they not always hustling energetically about their business?
Jehovah God the Creator works, and his work is perfect. (Deut. 32:4) He may have entered upon a sabbath after his work of creation relative to earth, but that this did not mean he became an idler in the universe is thereafter shown by Jesus' words: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." When on earth Jesus said: "I must work the works of him that sent me." When twelve years old Jesus was at work in his Father's service, and years later he died a faithful worker bearing witness to Jehovah's truth. (John 5:17; 9:4; 18:37; Luke 2:42-49) So zealous was Jesus in enduring in godly work that he became a model for Christians: "To this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely."—1 Pet. 2:21, NW.
Christ Jesus gave the work assignment to his followers when he commanded them to be his witnesses and make disciples, and declared: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come." (Matt. 24:14; 28:19; Acts 1:8, NW) And as Christians work together as an organization, each one should stick to his individual assignment, realizing that Jehovah places each one as it pleases Him, and that all assigned services are essential. [1 Cor. 12:18-25] Recall that Satan coveted a loftier place than that assigned to him, to his downfall. Did not Miriam seek to exalt herself to a higher position of service, and suffer divine rebuke therefor? And when Korah rebelliously aspired to
more prominence in Israel, did not the earth open up and swallow him? How much better was the attitude of his descendants centuries later, as expressed in the psalm for them: "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Num. 12:1-15; 16:1-3, 31-33; Ps. 84:10; Isa. 14:12-15) When one seeks to change his service assignment he forgets the theocratic principle expressed at Psalm 75:6, 7: "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." Hence you should not covet and go after the work assignments of others. You should "stick to your work".—1 Tim. 4:16, Mo.
Then we will be blessed. Then we will have success. The work God assigns us is the work we can do, by his grace and spirit. We cannot do the sun's work, and lift 16,000,000 tons of water every second. We cannot move the tides, like the moon. We cannot light up the night sky as the stars do. Why, we cannot even do the work of little insects in pollinating plant blossoms! Nor for that matter can we do the theocratic work assigned to our Christian brethren. But we can by God's grace do the work assigned to us in or under God's organization; that is the work his spirit will help us to do. In that theocratic way we can 'work out our own salvation'. —Phil. 2:12.
And when such salvation sees us delivered into Jehovah's new world, we can enter upon blessed work assignments then. Anointed ones will reign with Christ in heavenly glory, while earthly servants will take up the work Adam and Eve abandoned in disobedience, namely, filling the earth, subduing it, beautifying it, and exercising loving dominion over the animals. Then men will "long enjoy the work of their hands".—Isa. 65:22.
Systems of Things
"God, who long ago spoke on many occasions and in many ways to our forefathers by means of the prophets, has at the end of these days spoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the systems of things." Heb 1:12 NW
he made the systems of things."—Heb. 1:1,2,NW.
EHOVAH God is the Maker of righteous systems of things. They are all under his supreme control. He has arranged them in an order that leads from one set of good things to better or grander things, at last reaching a height of goodness that leaves us with nothing further to be desired. He is a God of order and knows whither he is proceeding with his arrangements. His goal is to rid the entire universe of all forces of wickedness and disturbance. He will do this by means of his promised government in the hands of his glorified Son, Jesus Christ, thus bringing all living creation, seen and unseen, into peaceful, obedient relationship with their Creator and God. By attaining this goal he will vindicate himself as Rightful Sovereign over all the universe. To this end he has made a series of systems of things to follow one another. His Son has a most important part in the vindication of Jehovah's universal sovereignty, and he has used him in the making of the systems of things.
2 This present worldly system of things under Satan its god is permitted only for a time. It does not have the divine approval. It has had the witnesses of Jehovah God among it since its beginning after the Flood, but it has never been able to amalgamate them with itself. They have been left in this world by God in order to deliver a witness concerning his purpose to establish a new world government. But the world has acted unworthily of their presence by disregarding their message and viciously persecuting them for it. By this we mean not just the pre-Christian prophets from Noah down to John the Baptist, whose exploits and sufferings are described in chapter eleven of Paul's letter to the Hebrews. We mean also the little flock of true Christians of whom only a remnant is on earth today; yes, and the "great crowd" of "other sheep" who have flocked to their side in order to serve as Jehovah's witnesses with them. The persecution of all these modern witnesses of the Most High God since World War I was foretold by Jesus, who said it would be a clear sign of the consummation of this wicked system of Satan. Its persecution of them has become notorious, thus proving the world is not worthy of them. For this reason it will be destroyed.—Heb. 11:38; Matt. 24:9; Rev. 7:9, 10, NW; John 10:16.
3 One of the evidences that we had reached its consummation and that its end was near was to be a separating work between its peoples, particularly those within Christendom, which claims to be the realm
By whom and to what end has Jehovah made systems of things?
Of whom has this old world not proved worthy? How so?
What work was to evidence we had reached its consummation?
of Christianity. Jesus pictorially described the climax of the separating work and the fiery destruction of the fake Christians, and said: "The harvest is a consummation of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the consummation of the system of things. The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be." Likening the separation work to a separating of good and bad fish scooped up in a dragnet, Jesus further said: "That is how it will be in the consummation of the system of things: the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous and will cast them into the fiery furnace." This separating work has been going on since A.D. 1919 as a result of the Kingdom testimony delivered by Jehovah's witnesses in all nations of the earth. The fact now that the weeping and gnashing of the teeth of the rejected unworthy ones has begun proves we are near the climax of the dividing work and that the accomplished end is near upon this world.—Matt. 13:39-42, 47-50; 24:14, NW.
A CONSUMMATION OF CERTAIN ONES NINETEEN CENTURIES AGO
4 Some who are to inherit the kingdom of the coming new world are still living amid this old world and its setup of things. But, remember, they are no part of it and they do not fashion themselves after it. Not being of the old, they are of the new. And do you know that for nineteen centuries now they have been living under a new system of things which Jehovah God created by his Son Jesus Christ? Yes. You
can know and understand this from the apostle Paul's words at Hebrews 9:26. He there refers to Jesus' sacrifice of his perfect human life nineteen centuries ago. After reminding us that Jesus was not a Levite priest who served at the temple in Jerusalem, he adds: "Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the world's foundation. But now he has manifested himself once for all time at the consummation of the systems of things to put sin away through the sacrifice of himself." (NW) That consummation reached its end A.D. 70 with the destruction of old Jerusalem and its temple and the scattering of the Jewish nation for almost nineteen centuries. Although the old world has kept standing, there can be no question that certain systems there ended, to make way for new ones. Again the apostle speaks to prove this. He tells of the faithless acts of the Jews and the punishments that befell them for it in the wilderness after they were saved from Egypt. Then he remarks: "Now these things went on befalling them as examples and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the accomplished ends of the systems of things have arrived." (1 Cor. 10:11, NW) So we ask, What ends arrived on Christians back there?
They were the ends of the systems of things which God had set up among his chosen people for their benefit until Jesus Christ should come and be sacrificed, be raised from the dead and be glorified at God's right hand in heaven. The angel Gabriel foretold to Daniel the exact year when Messiah the Prince should appear. He showed that three and a half years after Jesus was anointed with the spirit of God, or at the middle of a week of years, the Messiah would be cut off in sacrifice. This would make all the animal sacrifices and other oblations of the Jews at the temple out of date and of no further force and value.
Gabriel said concerning Jesus the Messiah: "And he will make a strong covenant with the many for one week [of years]; and in the half of the week will he cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." (Dan. 9:27, Le; AT, Mo) That this meant the end of the Jewish system of sacrifices and oblations as set down in the law of Moses is certain. Testifying to such end the apostle says: "Christ is the accomplished end of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness."
Again for the comfort of both Gentile people and Jewish people he says: "By means of his flesh he abolished the hatred, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples in union with himself into one new man and make peace, and that he might fully reconcile both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake." Again: "God . . . kindly forgave us all our trespasses and blotted out the handwritten document against us which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us, and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake."—Rom. 10:4 and Eph. 2:15, 16 and Col. 2:13, 14, NW.
So nineteen centuries ago the end arrived upon that system of Mosaic law and its animal sacrifices and oblations offered by priests of the tribe of Levi. How? By Jesus' death on the torture stake, then his resurrection and his ascending to heaven to offer the value of his human sacrifice to God. More proof that such system had ended was given thirty-seven years later when the Jewish priests were forcibly deprived of their sacrificial work by the destruction of their typical temple, which has continued unrestored till this very day. Not only that, but the national system whereby the Jews had a human king
reigning on the "throne of Jehovah" at Jerusalem came to a decisive end. Why so? Because the Jewish nation rejected Jesus the Son of David as their King and after he rose from the dead Jesus refused to restore the earthly kingdom to the nation of natural Israel. Instead, he sat down at God's right hand in heaven, there to await the year 1914 for God to enthrone him to be the heavenly King of the righteous new world.—Heb. 10:12, 13.
Besides that, there had been a system of prophetic types and shadows dramatizing wonderful realities which were to come, and, after Jesus ascended to heaven, this system ended. Now the time had come for fulfillments in order to prove God's Word true. (Col. 2:16,17; Heb. 10:1; 11:17-19) Also the system by which God spoke and delivered his message by means of Hebrew prophets from Abraham down to John the Baptist ended. At the end of those days God spoke to men by means of his heavenly Son Jesus Christ and by his Son's followers whom God adopted as his spiritual sons. (Heb. 1:1,2) In view of the fact that all such arrangements ceased then, the apostle Paul could rightly say nineteen hundred years ago that the accomplished ends of the systems of things had arrived upon him and his brethren.
9 A dividing work is today taking place world-wide at this consummation of Satan's wicked system. To foreshadow this, there was a separating work carried on among the Jewish nation in Palestine until fiery destruction came upon their capital and its temple in the year 70. John the Baptist foretold it when he spoke of the coming of the Messiah and said: "That one will baptize you people with holy spirit and with fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will completely clean up his threshing-floor, and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with fire that cannot be put out."
(Matt. 3:11,12, NW) The wheat gathered into the storehouse was the Jewish remnant that sided with Jesus as Messiah the Prince. They were baptized with the holy spirit from the day of Pentecost forward. The chaff that was burned up
was the Jewish nation in general, which sided with Caesar against Jesus. They were baptized with the fire of God's wrath particularly from 70 (A.D.) onward. Jesus himself referred to the dividing work among the Jews with which those old systems of things ended. He referred to the believing Jews that were to be harvested out from among the faithless nation, with himself as the
Chief Reaper, and said: "Lift up your eyes and view the fields, that they are white for harvesting. Already the reaper is receiving a reward and gathering fruit for everlasting life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. In this respect, indeed, the saying is true, One is the sower and another the reaper. I dispatched you to reap what you have spent no labor on. Others have labored, and you have entered into the benefit of their labor."—John 4:35-38, NW.
harvest work, how well we see prefigured in that Jewish harvesting and threshing what is in progress in Christendom today! When we call to mind the horrible end that came upon the Jewish capital and its besieged inhabitants back there, we shudder at the more terrible end that is shortly to come upon hypocritical Christendom and its confusion of religions. However, this
10 After that harvest, but particularly after the good news was turned to the uncircumcised Gentiles and they were given the opportunity to enter the heavenly kingdom, the Jewish nation withered away from being God's favored people, like the fig tree which Jesus cursed. (Matt. 21:18, 19,43; Luke 13:6-9; Acts 10:1-48) Today, after more than thirty years of similar
catastrophe spells no disaster to God's true people, the genuine Christians. It will wipe out a great blot on God's holy name and it will cleanse the earth for the pure worship of Jehovah God everywhere, resulting in peace and prosperity to mankind.
11 The period of time in which those old systems of things flourished we could not designate by any such name as "the Jewish age".
Why not? Because they began before there were any natural Jews. Also God is now dealing with those who are Jews inwardly, having their hearts circumcised. These are spiritual Israelites, who make up "the Israel of God". (Rom. 2:28, 29) So we merely take note of such a period of time since the Flood during which those systems of things obtained, but do not name it. The time for such old things ended nineteen centuries ago. They are among the past systems of things and past generations from which the sacred secret of God was concealed concerning Christ and his followers, but which secret has now been made known to His holy ones.—Col. 1:26, 27, NW.
THE NEW LONG IN OPERATION ALREADY
12 What a grand experience it is to live under God's new system of things and to know it is only the forerunner of finer things to come!
It transforms all our existence that we are obliged to live now in this fading old world. Now that Jehovah God has revealed his sacred secret, it has made things new for us. His secret was wrapped up in his Anointed One or Christ, whom he had foretold and foreshadowed during previous millenniums. In due time his beloved Son left the heavenly courts and was born as a man and the prophecies began fulfilling concerning him. Then the long-hidden sacred secret was uncovered to those who believed and received the spirit of God. By means of his Son Jehovah God did away with what was old that he might introduce what was new.
13 The apostle is plain on this improvement of matters for us, saying: "Hence when [Jesus] comes into the world he says: 'You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but you prepared a body for me. You did not approve of whole burntofferings and sin offering." Then I said, "Look! I am come (in the roll of the book it is written about me) to do your will, O God." After first saying, 'You did not desire nor did you approve of sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt-offerings and sin offering'—sacrifices which are offered according to the Law—then he actually says, 'Look! I am come to do your will.' He does away with what is first that he may establish what is second. By the said 'will' we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time." (Heb. 10:5-10, NW) Now, does that sound like making things new for us who seek life and happiness? For one thing, that replacement of the first set of sacrifices with the second kind of sacrifice which really sanctifies means a new high priest of God. It means a new relationship of worshipers with God.
14 How much more satisfying this is than the old! The Levite priesthood, who offered mere animal sacrifices and vegetable offerings, were put in office under the old Law covenant which God made with the natural Israelites through Moses. So those priests were part of the ancient system of things that existed under the Law covenant. The sacrifices they offered could never take away human sins and make men perfect, and so they were merely pictorial of the coming real sacrifice. If men were to get lasting good, a new and better system of things was certainly necessary, and God made it by his Son Jesus Christ. (Heb. 1:1,2,NW) The old Law covenant prevented Jesus the Messiah from becoming a priest on earth and it only condemned men for sins instead of relieving them of such. So if there was to be a new high priest of God with a sacrifice removing sins, and if Messiah of the tribe of Judah was to be this High Priest, then there must be a new covenant. Christ Jesus was made High Priest by the sworn oath of Jehovah God, and then he was given to be the High Priest of the new covenant. What this means we read:
15 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second; for he does find fault with the people when he says: 'Look! the days are coming," says Jehovah, "when I shall consummate a new covenant toward the house of Israel and toward the house of Judah; . For this is the covenant which I shall covenant with the house of Israel after those days," says Jehovah: "I shall put my laws in their mind, and upon their hearts I shall write them, and I shall be a God to them and they will be a people to me. And they will by no means teach every man his fellow citizen and every man his brother, saying: 'Know Jehovah,' because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them.
For I shall be merciful to their unrighteous deeds and I will by no means call their sins to mind any more." In his saying 'a new covenant' he has made the former one obsolete. Now that which is made obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing away."—Heb. 8:7-13, NW.
16 By means of Christ's service as a mediator greater than the prophet Moses and by his service as a self-sacrificing High Priest Jehovah God replaced the old Law covenant with the new covenant. When God nailed the old covenant to the torture stake upon which Jesus Christ was sacrificed, a system of things 1,545 years old passed away which once had to do with the natural Jews or Israelites. On the day of Pentecost A.D. 33 the resurrected and glorified Jesus in heaven inaugurated the new covenant toward his faithful followers on earth. There the Christian disciples were begotten by God's outpoured spirit and became spiritual Israelites, or Jews inwardly.
17 Would not this mean, then, the introduction of new systems of things? This must be included in the meaning of the apostle's words when he says: "If anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away, look! new things have come into existence. But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:17,18, NW) Such a thing as this "new creation" in union with Christ the Head had never existed before, no, not in all God's universe. So it could not be otherwise than that new systems of things should be introduced, and these in connection with the Christian "new creation". Such new systems were introduced. Jehovah God so indicated when he described the benefits of the new covenant, saying that he would really remove sins by means of it from those spiritual Israelites taken into the covenant and that they would all be taught by Jehovah and all would know him, from the least of them to the greatest of them.—Jer. 31:31-34, AS.
18 It was, indeed, the opening of a wonderful epoch, an epoch of new things about which inspired men of God had prophesied and of which the sacrifices, feasts and laws of the old covenant had cast shadows before them. The realities now brought in surpassed in wondrousness what ancient men of faith had envisaged; and now by faith and under the illumination of God's spirit we behold them. Hence the apostle writes: "By faith we understand that the systems of things were put in order [prepared, adjusted] by God's word, so that what is beheld came to be out of things that do not appear." (Heb. 11:3, NW, margin) Now we can see that there is more meant than we formerly appreciated when Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus Christ as "the Lamb who was slaughtered from the world's foundation". (NW) The foundation of a new world was truly laid in the sacrifice he offered nineteen centuries ago. This fact is emphasized by the apostle Paul in showing that the sacrifice of the High Priest Jesus Christ needs no repeating, in these words: "Neither is it in order that he should offer himself often, . . . Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the world's foundation." (Heb. 9:25, 26, NW) What world? we ask. Why, the new world of new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is to dwell. In his sacrifice Jesus laid the foundation for creatures on earth to be rescued from sin and death in order to live in the new heavens and new earth of the righteous new world. It is from the laying of that world's foundation onward that he does not have to keep on suffering often in order to make the new world sure and permanent, for his sacrifice was perfect and up to every requirement of justice.
19 More than that! Jesus' sacrifice met the crucial requirements for flatly answering the pre-eminent issue before all the universe, namely, Can Jehovah God maintain his sovereignty over all creation, and will God's highest Son hold true to his Father's universal sovereignty? Satan the slanderer said No, and by applying the full pressure of his entire world he tried to make Jesus say No! But the willing, loyal sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God answered Yes! By his obedience to a sacrificial death on a torture stake Jesus held true to Jehovah's universal sovereignty and he held fast his integrity toward his God. After his baptism in the Jordan river he was anointed with God's spirit to be the King of the new world, and by his integrity to God, who gave him the royal anointing, Jesus Christ proved his right to the Kingdom. He thus made sure that there would be a Kingdom to govern the new world righteously. By his sacrifice he ransomed men, not only those who would be given the high calling to rule with him in the kingdom of heaven but also those of mankind who would become his earthly subjects in the new world.
20 Thus in a twofold sense the foundation of the new world was laid in Jesus' perfect sacrifice. That he might one day be King enthroned in the government and that he might act as High Priest in applying the benefits of his human sacrifice, Almighty God raised Jesus Christ from the dead as an immortal spirit Son and ushered him into his heavenly presence. As a result,
the foundation of the new world has stood solid and immovable through all the storms and assaults of the past nineteen hundred years, and today we jubilantly hail the early incoming of the new world with Jesus Christ as Jehovah's anointed King.
PRESENT ENJOYMENT OF THE NEW
21 The coming new world is one of the new systems of things God makes by his Son. But after its foundation was laid, we did not have to wait until the actual establishment of the new world in order to enjoy new systems of things. Christians who have been brought into the new covenant from Pentecost of the year 33 forward have been enjoying the new arrangements and provisions. No literal temple at Jerusalem, no Levite priesthood, no animal sacrifices which need to be offered repeatedly year in and year out, no consciences burdened with guilt of sin for which the Law of Moses condemns men, no, none of all those things for us! We have come to the New Jerusalem, God's capital of the universe. We have a new temple, of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and all his spiritual followers are living stones, built upon him as the foundation. We have a new high priest, a new sacrifice of a superior kind which actually cleanses away sins by its blood, a new law inscribed not on stone tablets but on our hearts, a new mediator between God and men, a new covenant. Anything more? Yes, new knowledge, new works of God in fulfillment of his past prophecies, shadows and types, a new ministry, and a new relationship with God as his new nation of spiritual Israel and as his sons whose spirit cries out to him, "Abba, Father!" True Christians, living up to their privileges, have long enjoyed these things over the centuries. Today a faithful remnant of Christ's
In his sacrifice what other requirements did Jesus meet?
Why has the new world's foundation stood solid all this time?
For new systems have we had to wait till the new world? How so?
joint heirs are enjoying them. All these new things operating together as new systems of things since Pentecost are preliminary and preparatory to God's own new world. They are an absolute guarantee of the full coming of the new world.
22 Since Christ's death, resurrection and ascent to heaven all these things have been true even in the midst of this old world. The new covenant is no part of the old world arrangements but it takes out of this world a people for Jehovah's name. (Acts 15:14) These are no longer a part of the old world, no more than Jesus their Mediator was ever a part of it. And God has chosen for his people those whom this world does not prize. Figuratively speaking, they are impaled toward this world and, in turn, it is impaled toward them as a thing condemned to destruction. And so they do not have its spirit, nor do they follow its wisdom. (John 8:23; 15:19; 17:6,14,16; 1 Cor. 1:27,28; Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:19) They have "tasted the right word of God and powers of the coming system of things", the apostle tells us. He tells those who are God's children in the new covenant that their mother is not the organization under the Mosaic law covenant which was pictured by the servant girl Hagar. Their mother is like the free woman to whom Hagar belonged, Sarah the true wife of Abraham. Abraham, who sacrificed his beloved son at the divine command, pictured Jehovah God, and his wife Sarah pictured the holy organization which is the mother or producer of God's children. She is not a part of this old world, but is clean from it and high above it. She is heavenly, like God, and completely subject to him and devoted to his purposes. Jerusalem on earth is not her symbol. "But," says the apostle Paul to Christians
in the new covenant, "the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." (Heb. 6:5 and Gal. 4:24-31, NW) By means of the new covenant she produces God's spiritual children who are to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom.
23 This period of time in which the new covenant is in force and in which the good news of the Kingdom is preached by those in the covenant we must not designate by any such name as "the Gospel age". Let us remember that the gospel or good news did not begin to be preached first when the new covenant was made. No; for at Galatians 3:8 (NW) we read: "Now the Scripture, seeing in advance that God would declare people of the nations righteous due to faith, declared the good news beforehand to Abraham, namely: 'By means of you all the nations will be blessed.'" Neither can we say that the new covenant system of things ends with the coming battle of Armageddon in which this world will be destroyed. Since God's spiritual children in the new covenant will have a remnant that will overlive Armageddon into the new world, then this new covenant system must last till after Armageddon. It must, together with its provisions, last until God's power removes his faithful remnant from the earth and glorifies them with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom. Hence the end of the new covenant arrangement does not come at the end of this old world of Satan's rule. We must yet wait to see when Jehovah God brings the new covenant to its successful end. At that time he will bring all his spiritual sons into the "coming systems of things" in which will be "demonstrated the surpassing riches of his undeserved kindness in his graciousness toward us in union with Christ Jesus". —Eph. 2:7, NW. 24 One thing is certain: The end of the new covenant does not bring the end of God's covenant with Abraham, to whom he declared the good news, "By means of you all the nations will be blessed."
That 24. Does the new covenant's close end the Abrahamic covenant? Why?
Abrahamic covenant is an "everlasting covenant". (Ps. 105:8-10) It will extend on through the thousand years of Christ's royal rule for the blessing of all his earthly subjects, no matter of what nationality they may have been in this old world.
BEGINNING THE NEW WORLD SOCIETY
THE old world has its society or its people living according to a certain social arrangement. The new world, too, will have its society, all the members of which will live in harmony with a righteous arrangement. Satan the Devil, the god of this present wicked system of things, is the invisible ruler of the old-world society, but he will not be the god of the new world. His wicked system will be obliterated by the coming "war of the great day of God the Almighty", Armageddon. (Rev. 16:14-16, NW) Jehovah, whose universal sovereignty Satan has challenged, will be the one, true living God of the new world. He will rule through the theocratic government of his faithful Son, Jesus Christ the King. That kingdom will institute new systems of things, the ones the Bible speaks of as yet coming. Come to think of it, the very establishment of God's kingdom in the heavens by enthroning his Son in 1914 resulted in a radical change in the activities of God's spiritual children who were under the new covenant. It has marvelously altered the message they preach in all the earth for a witness to all nations. Aye, it has put a "new song" in their mouths, the song of God's kingdom at last brought to birth after millenniums of waiting. (Rev.
14:3;12:1-10) The systems of things under which we have lived according to the new covenant have been grand, we must admit; but those which will obtain in the new world will be oh so much grander for all its society.
2 Why should it not be different, yes, better? For it will have new heavens and a new earth. The destruction of this old world with its Devil-controlled heavens and earth will therefore be no calamity. We eagerly look for it, doing as the apostle Peter says: "Awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens being on fire will be dissolved and the elements being intensely hot will melt. But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell." (2 Pet. 3:12, 13, NW) The kingdom of Jesus Christ, together with his 144,000 faithful victorious followers, will spread out its power over all this globe and will form the "new heavens". To these spiritual followers Jesus has said: "There is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God that is not certain to get many times more in this period of time and in the coming system of things everlasting life." (Luke 18:29, 30, NW; Mark 10:30) The gospel account of Matthew speaks of the coming system and calls it the "re-creation" or the "new world", saying: "In the re-creation [new world], when the Son of man sits down upon his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also yourselves sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone that has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother
nant. These "other sheep" are enjoying many of the benefits of the new covenant arrangement along with the spiritual remnant. Really, these present-day "other sheep" correspond with the "strangers" of good will who lived peaceably and harmoniously within the city gates of the ancient Israelites under the Law covenant. The Sabbath law of the Ten Commandments speaks of them prophetically as "thy stran-
or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive many times more and will inherit everlasting life."—Matt. 19:28, 29, NW, margin.
But what of the "new earth"? Well, it will be human society, on our same planet, of course, but organized according to a new and righteous system of things under the Kingdom. Doubtless the most of those who enter the "new earth" will have to be raised from the dead to do so. As Jesus said, when discussing the general resurrection of mankind: "The children of this
speaks of them prophetically as thy stranger that is within thy gates". That old covenant made many provisions for such Godfearing strangers. In many things it had the same ordinances for them as for the natural Israelites. (Ex. 20:8-10; 12:48, 49) The modern-day flock of "strangers" sojourning within the gates of the new covenant arrangement have been greatly blessed with the spiritual remnant by obeying the same divine ordinances.
"PRINCES IN ALL THE EARTH"
5 For some years now both the remnant
system of things marry and are given in marriage, but those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. In fact, neither can they die any more, for they are like the angels, and they are God's children by being children of the resurrection." Luke 20:34-36, NW.
4 However, that coming system of things is one which God uses his glorified Son Jesus to make. (Heb. 1:1,2,NW) The "new earth" which the Kingdom will bring
and the great crowd of strangers or "other sheep" have been looking for the promised "princes" of the new earth to appear. Their expectation has been based upon the statement of Psalm 45:16, which is addressed to the new world's King: "Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth." In the past we have understood this to apply exclusively to the witnesses of Jehovah of ancient times before Christ, men who were either the natural forefathers of Jesus Christ, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, or who were faithful prophets
into existence will be begun with the survivors of Armageddon who have an earthly hope and destiny. They are the Right Shepherd's "other sheep". A "great crowd" of them which keeps increasing in number is now living with the remnant of Kingdom joint heirs who are under the new coveand fellow witnesses of these. Their line runs from Abel to John the Baptist, and the names and exploits of a number of them are reported in Hebrews, chapter 11. Basing it upon Hebrews 11:2,38,the WATCH TOWER publications used to refer to them as the "ancient worthies".
6 When on earth Jesus Christ died unmarried and childless, but Psalm 45:16 assures us that in his heavenly glory as King he is to have earthly children, and Isaiah 9:6 tells of his birth and says his name will be called "everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace". By bestowing everlasting life upon obedient men for whose life in the new world he died he will have many sons, sons of the Prince of Peace. He will be their Everlasting Father. Those whom we used to call "ancient worthies" will also become his sons by his raising them from the dead and conferring life upon them for their unfaltering loyalty. So the question is, Will those sons whom he makes "princes in all the earth" be limited to those faithful pre-Christian witnesses of Jehovah God? What is our answer now?
The people for Jehovah's name whom he has called with the high calling to the heavenly kingdom and whom he has taken out from all nations by the agency of the new covenant are now about complete. Only a small remnant of them are yet on earth. Also nowadays of the many who devote themselves completely to God through Christ there are few who give evidence of receiving the high calling. Evidently those few who now receive the high calling are favored that way in order to replace any among the spiritual remnant who may lose their Kingdom opportunity through unfaithfulness in the midst of this world. So the high calling or heavenly calling is soon to cease, the full membership of the Kingdom class being finally purchased from among mankind and proved to be faithful conquerors over Satan's world. But now already in this year 1950 there are hundreds of thousands of others who have made a full dedication of themselves to
Jehovah by Christ and who have undertaken the serious service of Jehovah's witnesses. Before the year 1935 we never envisaged this "great crowd" of consecrated "other sheep". What of them? we now ask.—Rev. 7:9-17.
Back in 1904 the first president of the Watch Tower Society wrote the sixth volume of Scripture Studies, entitled "The New Creation". In chapter 3, entitled "The Call of the New Creation", he had this to say, at the top of page 157: "And we may be sure that any consecrating and performing a full sacrifice of themselves in the interest of the Lord's cause after the heavenly class is complete, will find that the Lord has plenty of blessings of some other kind still to give; and that all of his blessings are for such consecrators, self-sacrificers. Possibly they may be counted in with the ancient worthies who had the sacrificing disposition that is pleasing to God, prior to the beginning of the 'high calling'."
9 Years after that publication The Watchtower had this to say in its issue of September 1, 1915, in paragraphs 5,6 of an article on the "harvest work" (pages 268, 269): "It is our thought that with the closing of the 'door' of this Gospel age there will be no more begetting of the holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the restitution work, will be accepted by him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the ancient worthies who were accepted of God. The ancient worthies came in, no call being opened to them—the high calling not being yet open, . Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make a full conse-
What children will the King have? How? So what question arises?
How and why are any favored with the high calling at this time? But what others have now appeared, and in what numbers?
What did The New Creation, chapter 3, have to say about such?
What did The Watchtower, September 1, 1915, have to say of such?
cration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in his ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel age. We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a consecration after the close of the Gospel age high calling and before the full opening of the Millennium."
10 In its issue of January 15, 1920, (pages 21-28) in an article entitled "Worthies— Ancient and Modern", The Watchtower discussed the question of "modern worthies" according to the information and facts then available and said No! to such a class. But that was fifteen years before the revealing of the identity of the "great crowd" symbolized at Revelation 7:9-17. That was years before members of this great crowd of "other sheep" began to flock to the side of the spiritual remnant. That was years before it was appreciated that it was fitting for this great crowd to make a full dedication of themselves to God through Christ. But those already of
this increasing great crowd have, as we now know, devoted themselves to God through Christ as fully as the spiritual remnant have. Like the remnant, they have symbolized that self-dedication by water baptism.And they
Yes, and they have gone farther in belief than those of old. Those ancient people merely looked forward by faith to Christ the Seed of Abraham. But these "other sheep" of today have actually accepted Jesus as the Messiah their Savior and King. Many righteous men and kings of old desired to see the things these "other sheep" now see and hear. Today, instead of pointing into the indefinite future toward the Kingdom, these sheep declare the Kingdom actually established and now about to usher in the new world.—Matt. 13:17.
12 But have these other sheep suffered for their faith as Jehovah's witnesses like those approved men and women of old? Have they had a "trial by mockings and scourgings, indeed, more than that, by bonds and prisons"? Have they been stoned, died by slaughter with the sword, gone about in animal skins, been in want, tribulation and ill-treatment, and wandered in deserts, mountains, dens and underground shelters of the earth? (Heb. 11: 36-38, NW) Has this same old world acted not worthily of these modern witnesses
11 Are they men and women of faith like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah?
have since endeavored to prove their selfdedication genuine by doing God's will and subjecting themselves to the responsibilities of Jehovah's witnesses.
of Jehovah? THERE is the record of recent years. Consult it. The evidence is overwhelming already! But there is yet much demonstrating of faith and integrity, yet much witnessing, yet much intense suffering, before we step
out victorious into the new world. So these "other sheep" of today are indeed proving themselves sterling witnesses of the Most High God, like their faithful predecessors of pre-Christian times; but they have yet to prove their full devotion to the finish during the time that yet remains till Armageddon and the glorious birth of the new world.
13 Those who do manifest their faith and integrity to the full will become children of the King Jesus Christ, the Everlasting Father, just as much so as the faithful ancients who preceded Christ. Since they manifest a similarity of faith, there is nothing that Scripturally argues against his taking as many of these "other sheep" as he requires and making them "princes in all the earth". When we examine Psalm 45:16 we see it does not say that only those who were the earthly "fathers" of Jehovah's anointed King will be the children whom he will make visible earthly princes to represent the heavenly Kingdom. To give the sense, Moffatt's Bible translation renders Psalm 45:16: "Your sons shall step into your fathers' place, and rise to be princes over all the land." The Roman Catholic French translation by Crampon renders it: "Your children shall take the place of your fathers; you will constitute them princes over all the earth." The Roman Catholic Spanish translation by NacarColunga renders it similarly.*
14 And when we consider this term prince, translated from the Hebrew word Sär (feminine, Sarah), we see that it is not always nor necessarily applied to the son of a king, to a prince of royal birth who is made a state official or governmental officer. It means the first, foremost or chief in any class, the head of any company or group. So in the Bible this Hebrew term Sär, sometimes translated prince, is even applied to Jesus himself, to the archangel Michael, to princes of the tribes of Israel, to princes of the provinces, to governors of cities, and to chiefs or captains of the guard, to captains over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, over tens. Hence, to be made princes, in the Hebrew sense of the word Sär, in the new world society, in the "new earth", offers a variety of opportunities of service with responsibilities of varying degrees; and there will be many such privileges. In the new earth they will not be addressed with the title before their name, like "Prince Charles", "Prince Abraham," "Prince Albert," etc. No; we will be living then under a CHRISTIAN government. We are living now under that divine government, and we do not have anything like such titles now in the theocratic organization. So it would be inconsistent to think we will have any titled forms of address then. But just as now we may refer to officers as servants or directors of the Society, we may then refer to them as sarim (princes) in the Hebrew sense of the word. All we have to say now is that those "other sheep" who have been given positions of responsibility in the visible theocratic organization of today, even if it be over a group of ten who meet for Bible study and united service in the neighborhood, should look well to how they discharge their responsibilities now. Remember the rule stated by Jesus: "The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much." (Luke 16:10, NW) Only if you prove yourself faithful in what is committed to you now in this passing old world will you have any likelihood of being made a prince in the new earth along with the resurrected faithful witnesses of ancient times before Christ.
FOR AN ORGANIZED EMERGENCE
15 Glorious, then, are the prospects for us all who continue faithful. By virtue of God's new covenant through Christ we are
On the use of the expression "instead of; in place of: in the room of", compare Genesis 4:25; 22:13; Leviticus 14:42; 2 Samuel 19:13.
Does Psalm 45:16 say only "fathers" will be made "princes"? What is the sense of the passage?
How is the Hebrew term Sar applied, and so what does it indicate for the faithful ones as to future opportunities?
Why are we now living differently from the society of this world?
already amid new systems of things. But we are moving on to newer systems of things by the re-creation of an entire world of righteousness, with new heavens and a new earth. We are no part of this old world and we are not meddling in its affairs. That fact testifies that we are under the new covenant system and are for the new world. That Jehovah God is dealing with us in this manner adds to the proof that the new world is on the way. God is not now preparing us for nothing. No; but he has a new world in store for us. Knowing what is right at hand, God is now getting ready a new world society. That is why we are living differently, as people who are not of the society of this old world. He is not only preparing his remnant of spiritual Israelites for membership in the heavenly kingdom of the new heavens. He is also preparing our good-will companions, the great crowd of "other sheep", for the visible society of the new earth. Proverbs 14:28 declares: "In the multitude of people is the king's honour: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince." According to that principle the King Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is now gathering a great, numberless flock of his earthly "other sheep" to his one fold.
16 Remnant and "other sheep" will together make it safely to the new world, no matter how desperately Satan's old world tries to destroy us. It can no more prevent us from surviving the battle of Armageddon into the new world than it can block or destroy the new heavens and earth. "For," to quote Isaiah 66:22, "as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain." (AS) His now preparing of a nucleus of the new world society will never be in vain. Hid by Jehovah's powerful
hand in the days of his anger against the doomed old world, this nucleus will go through Armageddon, just as Noah and his household went though the Flood, hid in the ark. You survivors of Armageddon will be the first on the field of action in the "new earth".
17 But what we want is that when, after Armageddon, we do emerge from the ark of hiding we will emerge organized. The enemy may yet take us into his power and scatter us physically or drive us underground. But when he is destroyed at Armageddon and we come forth from his smashed places of detaining us, we shall march forth organized theocratically, knowing organization procedures. And we shall all get together again and work as a free society of the theocratic new world, all over the globe. In due time the faithful remnant will have their change by death and resurrection and be gathered into the invisible new heavens, but the "other sheep" will carry on as the new earth with visible "princes". That righteous "new earth" will grow from this small nucleus until it includes all the dead resurrected from the graves and who obey the Kingdom. When the Kingdom will have accomplished God's purpose toward mankind by the close of the thousand years, then that arrangement will end. Then new systems of things will follow for the delight and blessing of faithful mankind of the new earth for all eternity.—1 Cor. 15:24-28.
18 With these transporting prospects so close before us, let us keep theocratic organization and let God continue improving it as a new world society. Never may we look back to this modern Sodom which is reserved for destruction; but we will keep faces forward in full faith. Onward, then, steadily, all of us together, as a new world society!
Why are remnant and "other sheep" certain to survive Armageddon?
How do we want to emerge? What will follow?
What, then, is our determination henceforth?
Use the Remaining Time Wisely
MAKE no mistake about it, "the appointed time has grown very short." "Look carefully then [keep strict watch, NW] how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." (1 Cor. 7:29; Eph. 5:15, 16, RS) How much shorter nowadays the remaining time, and how much greater the need to make the most of it!*
Whereas Paul saw things with the eye of faith, today the reality stares us in the face. The consummation of the present system of things has been reached. Bible chronology and fulfilled prophecy—total world wars, famines, pestilent diseases, earthquakes, heart-stopping sorrows and fears—are signs of the times or milestones, notifying men and nations where they are on the stream of time. The thirty-six intervening years since 1914, instead of postponing Armageddon, have only made it nearer than most people think. Do not forget: "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matt. 24:34) Consequently, the important question is: What is the most profitable way in which to use the remaining time? If you are wise you will not dodge or side-step the answer. Eccl. 8:5.
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