His "Work" and His "Act" (Part 6) № 22

“VINDICATOR”

The concluding united service period of the year 1937, the nine days December 4 to 12 inclusive, is called the “Vindicator” testimony period. The feature offer of this period will be the new book Enemies, to be placed on the usual contribution of 25c. All those desiring to be for a vindication of Jehovah's name will act upon this announcement and will at once begin making all due preparations for a vigorous part in this testimony. Consult the forthcoming issues of the Informant for additional details and instructions. Your prompt report at the close of the testimony will be appreciated by this office.

“ENEMIES”

This new book, written by Brother Rutherford, and first announced and released at the recent general convention of Jehovah's witnesses at Columbus, Ohio, is now available for all who are for Jehovah and his King and against his enemies. It is a grand work, of 384 pages, excellently bound, gold-stamped, with color illustrations and a comprehensive index. The initial edition is the autographed edition and contains, in facsimile, a letter written by the hand of the author and addressed to all the Lord’s servants. Due to the limited quantity of this author’s edition a contribution therefor of 50c a copy is asked to offset the special expense of publishing this edition.

YEAR BOOK FOR 1938

The Year Book for 1938 will embody the features that have made the issues for previous years so valuable to all who declare themselves on Jehovah’s side and who are actively interested in and participating in the publishing of his name and his kingdom. The president’s report contained therein gives an accurate and comprehensive account of the state of the Lord’s work in the various lauds throughout the earth, showing in considerable detail the activities and efforts put forth during the service year just ended and the results thereof. Then there is the year text for 1938 and a pointed comment thereon. This, together with well chosen daily texts and explanatory comments thereon from The Watchtower, makes this Year Book: one of everyday help and use for all the Lord’s faithful. The edition thereof is limited, and hence the contribution of 50c per copy is received therefor. Company groups should combine individual orders and send same in through company servant, to reduce mailing expense.

1938 CALENDAR

The text for the calendar year 1938 is: 'Fear not; for the battle is God’s.’ (2 Chron. 20: 15) The calendar art picture was specially painted to fit tins text and beautifully illustrates it and its action. Beneath the picture on the calendar ...  appears a letter from the president of the Society setting forth the several united service periods for the year and serving as a ready reference for the kingdom publishers. The calendar pad also indicates the dates of these testimony periods. Company servants should send in a combination order for all in the company wanting calendars. Remit, with order, at 25c each, or $1.00 for five.

Vol. LVIII

November 15, 1937

No. 22

HIS “WORK” AND HIS “ACT”

“As I have done to Shiloh.”—Jer. 7:14.

PART 6

JEHOVAH hates the wicked. “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” (Rom. 9:13) This does not mean that God loved Esau some and loved Jacob more. “Jacob” stands for those who faithfully serve Jehovah; "Esau” stands for those who practice the Devil religion for gain, and Jehovah hates that class, because all such are on the Devil’s side. The most reprehensible on earth are those who pretend to serve God, and who constantly bring reproach upon his name, and who inflict punishment upon God’s servants because they serve God faithfully. Being subjected to persecution because of faithfulness to God puts to the test his servants, which test, if properly met, will work to the good of the righteous. “Jehovah putteth the righteous to the test, but the lawless one and the lover of violence his soul doth hate.” (Ps. 11:5, Roth.; Rom. 8:28) The lawless and the lover of violence, who practice violence contrary to God’s law, are the religionists in particular. The Roman Catholic Hierarchy takes the lead among the wicked and is therefore the worst among the wicked. That wicked institution arrogantly and blasphemously assumes to be the representative of God and Christ on earth, while, hiding behind its false cloak, it prosecutes its wicked schemes to gain power over the people. Jehovah has appointed the day to fully recompense that wicked crowd, and the time for the expression of his wrath against them appears to be very near. The fact that the Lord God now makes clear to his people what his purpose is concerning the wicked, and shows to them that the religionists are the chief ones of the wicked, is strong and persuasive proof that the time of the execution of Jehovah’s wrath against the wicked is near at hand.

2 Jehovah gave Jeremiah a vision of what his purpose is toward the wicked, and he caused his prophet to act out a part in making clear that picture. ‘‘Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me.” (Jer. 25:17) Jeremiah then performed this pictorial drama or that part of it foretelling what those whom Jeremiah represented should do in the future. What he did was not an easy task for Jeremiah to perform, but he did not refuse it because it was hard. His commission from Jehovah obligated Jeremiah to perform faithfully the duty laid upon him. It was a God-given job. Jeremiah was fully advised of the mental condition of the clergy of his day, and he knew that to carry out his commission would bring hard things upon him from the religionists. But it was a joyful service because he was rendering it according to the will of God. Jeremiah had learned that the joy of the Lord was his strength. That joy was an antidote for all the disagreeable and painful parts of the tasks that lay before him. And what did that foreshadow? It foretold exactly what the witnesses of the Lord today are commissioned to perform and must perform. Looking at the picture made long ago foretelling disagreeable conditions, and having in mind the cruel persecutions that have here been inflicted upon some of their number, particularly upon the faithful in Germany and New Jersey, the remnant now well know that the task before them is not an easy one, but the difficulties that lie in their pathway do not deter them in the least from proceeding to the performance of their commission. The true, faithful and zealous ones are not now wasting their time, and the time of others, by writing letters and asking what they shall do. They have the commandments and orders from the Lord, they know their duty, and they are going forward to perform it. It is well that they know this. Some of the Lord’s people are not now privileged to communicate by letter with others. They are not permitted to receive the publications of the Society, and particularly The Watchtower. But they have fed upon God’s Word and know what he has commanded the faithful to do, and they are doing it, even at the cost of their own lives. They are not writing long dissertations in to the office and saying: "I have run onto this interpretation, and I want it answered to my satisfaction.” Those who are indulging in this kind of practice, wasting their time and the time of others, will not keep abreast of the Lord’s army, and they will not stand the test and will not go through to the end. No one is justified now in wasting time to stop and discuss the question as to whether or not the Lord Jesus has come and is at the temple, and whether the apostles and other faithful saints have been resurrected or not. These questions have long been settled, and now the faithful see a duty to be performed and are eager to perform that duty in the strength of the Lord. Let this be an answer to letters of this kind that are written asking for the space in The Watchtower to be used to answer their questions, which have heretofore been clearly answered. The army of the Lord is moving forward under the command of Christ Jesus. There is no time for quibbling. Our duty is to obey the Lord, and particularly so when his commandments are clear and specific. The purpose of unfolding the prophecies to his people now is to encourage and strengthen those who are in the front ranks to go on and not lag behind.

3 The command to Jeremiah was to make “all the nations ... to drink” to whom the Lord sent him, and he did so. In a symbolic or figurative way he caused the people to drink. What he did was to make a picture foretelling what would come to pass in the last days, that is, in the day of Jehovah. The record does not show that Jeremiah left Judah and Jerusalem and journeyed to all the nations named, nor docs the record show that he sent messengers to such nations to deliver the cup and to make them drink. The record at chapter 27 of Jeremiah’s prophecy shows that he did take advantage of the presence in Jerusalem of the ambassadors or representatives from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Zidon and that he sent the “cup” with them, or that he made them the official representatives of their respective countries or governments to drink the cup. Also Jeremiah did send the Lord’s written statement or message with Prince Seraiah, whom Zedekiah the king was sending to Babylon. Seraiah was directed by Jeremiah to read what he had written in a book, of all the calamities that should come upon Babylon, and after reading it he was to bind it to a stone and cast it into the Euphrates river, thus symbolically foretelling what should befall Babylon. (Jer. 51:59-64) The picture made by Jeremiah, however, was complete, showing how the message of Jehovah’s warning gets to all nations of the earth in one form or another. For this present day Jehovah provided the radio, which has carried the message of the kingdom to almost all the nations of the earth, thereby giving the people warning that Satan’s world is to be destroyed and Christ Jesus shall reign in righteousness. He also provides sound equipment to otherwise transfer the spoken message to various parts of the earth. In addition thereto Jehovah’s witnesses have the printed message in as many as seventy-five different languages and dialects, and which are distributed in that many and more countries of the earth. In the United States alone are some peoples of almost every nation of the earth, and these have been brought into contact with Jehovah’s message in some form. In obedience to the Lord’s command his witnesses have carried the testimony to the nations, and they must continue to carry this message as commanded; and when this is done and completed, then, as Jesus declares, the greatest tribulation of all time shall fall upon the nations. (Matt. 24:14, 21) The message of Jehovah at the present time has become so very bitter to the Roman Catholic Hierarchy that that wicked religious institution employs every possible effort to suppress God’s message of truth.

CATHOLIC ACTION

4 In the outposts of the British Empire, which are generally known as the colonics of Great Britain, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy is causing laws to be enacted prohibiting the importation or sending of the printed message of God’s kingdom into those countries. This devilish religious institution has become so bold that it publishes in its own papers that it is using its power and influence to cause the enactment and enforcement of such laws. This of itself is a clear admission that the clergy of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy organization have received the warning, and they will never be able to plead ignorance of God’s purpose to destroy them.

5 In the United States, which has long been considered a place of freedom of speech, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy has been able to put the clamps on radio stations, newspapers and other means of publication to prohibit the free and wide proclamation of the message of God’s kingdom. They do this on the pretext that the message of God’s kingdom “shocks their religious susceptibilities” and causes dissension amongst the people, and should be prohibited. At the same time the big moguls in the Roman Catholic organization, and their political tools which they put in office, unhesitatingly and without hindrance flagrantly denounce the highest court in America because that court does not yield to the seductive and political influence of the Hierarchy. This is a further admission that the Hierarchy have heard the warning and that it has stung them to the quick; and never shall they be permitted to plead ignorance that they did not know what God was sending upon them. Let the Hierarchy and its representatives, as they read what is here said, take further notice that God’s message shall be declared and that they now have no power to stop the oncoming of Jehovah’s Executioner, who shall inflict upon their wicked organization the judgments of Jehovah long ago written.

6 Jehovah’s witnesses are not trying to convert the world, they arc not carrying on a propaganda, they are not engaged in a bigoted proclamation in order to cause dissension, as the clergy of the Hierarchy falsely claim. Jehovah’s witnesses are obeying God’s commandments to tell the truth; and let the people of good will, who are honest and sincere, take note of this fact and obey God’s Word and refuse to give further heed to the malicious and false accusations made by the Roman Catholic clergy and their allies against the representatives of the Lord.

BEGIN WITH RELIGIONISTS

7 The prophetic part of the drama enacted by Jeremiah at God’s command shows where the cup must first be delivered, when he says: “To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day.”— Jer. 25:18.

8 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, the kings and others thereof, claimed then to be God’s people. They pictured and therefore foreshadowed the religionists, clergy and the others of “Christendom” today who claim to be the people of the Lord and to be ruling the world by divine right. The clergy, the priests, the preachers and practitioners of the Jews’ religion for hire, professed to be God’s servants, and they claimed to be the seed of Abraham according to God’s promise. They were bound by the terms of the law covenant, which God had made with that nation through Hoses; and they were also bound by the covenant of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord (Deut. 29:1-14); and they were also bound by the terms of the everlasting covenant concerning the sanctity of life. (Gen. 9:1-17) But they had fallen away to the Devil religion and had broken all these covenants and were worthy of destruction. (Rom. 1:31, 32) They were bloodguilty, and there was no way for them to escape. Whom did they foreshadow? The facts clearly show, and that beyond any question of doubt, that they foreshadowed the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and their allies and rulers and nations of “Christendom”. No one will attempt to question the fact that the Roman Catholic Hierarchy claims to be the only true representative of God and Christ on earth. That unholy religious crowd uses its influence over the political rulers of the nations and causes them to join the Hierarchy in reproaching God’s holy name. They are all without excuse. They have been warned. All those religionists and their supporters claim to be Christian, and they therefore are in an implied covenant to obey the commandments of Almighty God. They claim to be followers of Christ Jesus, and therefore must obey him whom Moses foreshadowed. (Acts 3:22, 23) They are also bound by the terms of the everlasting covenant concerning the sanctity of life. They have broken these covenants by the shedding of human blood viciously and without regard to the rights and privileges of other creatures. They have wickedly and ruthlessly engaged in slaughtering animals, contrary to God’s covenants. They are covenant-breakers and guilty of death.

9 How do the men of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy deport themselves? They claim to represent Jesus, but they are wholly unlike Jesus, who was meek and lowly of heart and adhered strictly to the commandments of Almighty God. They follow the traditions of men and make void the Word of God. Far from following the course that Jesus took, who made himself of no reputation, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, and particularly the cardinals and bishops, now go about wrapped in lace curtains and wearing lace “pants” or aprons, and dazzling tinsels and peculiar hats, and pose as sanctimonious and holy ones while everybody who knows them knows they are the crookedest gang that have ever afflicted the earth, and that they are carrying on the worst racket that has ever been practiced upon any people. These chief men of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy are scornful men. They use high- sounding words in praise of themselves, and with scornful countenance and haughty mien they command the people to do their own selfish bidding, and this in utter disregard of the people’s rights. The Hierarchy assumes the power and authority to tell the people what they must and must not read, when and where they must go, and what they must do, and to what they must listen and to what they must not listen. They attempt to control and rule everything in the land of “Christendom”. They have gotten their hooks so completely into the political and judicial clement of almost all nations that the Hierarchy is really the power behind the throne that rules the nations of “Christendom”.

10 Jehovah now speaks to that wicked and unholy crowd of religionists through his prophet and says: “Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem,” anti- typically “Christendom”. (Isa. 28:14) These words of Jehovah without doubt apply to the Hierarchy. They are the ones that have said: ‘Our organization is invulnerable; even hell itself shall not prevail against us’; and therefore the Lord says to them: “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves; ... ye shall be trodden down.” (Isa. 28:15,18) It is this ruling crowd of “Christendom” to whom the Lord commands the cup shall be taken and that these shall be the first to drink of the cup of this fury.

11 And what is the purpose of compelling them to drink of the cup? Jehovah answers: “To make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse.’’ It is upon this religious crowd of “Christendom” that Jehovah begins his “strange act”, and that could well appear strange to all supporters of the Hierarchy and all the dupes thereof and they will say: “It is strange that God would so afflict an organization that for centuries has been using God’s name.” That organization has been using the name of God blasphemously in practicing its religion for pecuniary gain. God knew the end from the beginning, and it pleased him to speak of the things that did not then exist as if they were already in existence. (Rom. 4:17) Therefore Jehovah says, as stated in the prophecy, that he is bringing upon “Christendom” this curse, “as it is this day.”

12 The picture enacted by Jeremiah shows that it applies when Jehovah begins his “strange act” against “Christendom”. At the time that Jeremiah enacted this picture it was eighteen years before the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah saw by faith and believed what God would bring upon Jerusalem, and he was not ashamed to boldly announce Jehovah’s purpose. While the fall of Jerusalem was a minor fulfillment of the prophecy, the complete fulfillment thereof is upon “Christendom” in the day of Jehovah, which is at the present time. The message of God’s prophet exposed the religionists of the Jews to shame and hissing; and today the honest-hearted Catholics and non-Catholics, who believe on God and Christ Jesus, look with contempt and hissing upon the fraudulent Roman Catholic Hierarchy that practices its religion for personal gain. Jehovah God’s message, written in his Word and now being delivered, is like a hailstorm, and, says the Lord, “the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters [truth] shall overflow the hiding place.” (Isa. 28:17) The double-dealing, the extreme crookedness of the hypocritical Roman Catholic Hierarchy and of other religionists’ supporting institutions, arc now being uncovered in order that honest persons may view them in their true state. “Christendom,” that is, the hypocritical religionists that claim to be Christians, shall be the first ones, according to Jehovah’s decree, to ‘drink of the cup of this fury’.

WHO IS NEXT?

13 The fact that Jehovah’s “strange act”, that is, the battle of the great day of God Almighty, will begin by the destruction of the religionists of “Christendom” does not mean that there will thereafter be a period of witness work for the purpose of gathering the “great multitude”. On the contrary, the Scriptures show that the witness work must be completed before the great tribulation begins. (Matt. 24:14, 21) When the old “whore” goes down, there will be some that will weep and wail, and the chief ones amongst that wailing crowd will be those who have commercialized the religion of the Roman Catholic system and her allies. And why will they wail? Because they will understand that they are next in line for destruction; and this is shown by the statement in the prophecy: “Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people.” — Jer. 25:19.

14 The great commercial traffickers (pictured here by the rulers of Egypt) and their cruel, selfish hirelings or servants (the Ethiopians), advocators and hired killers, including the police, the army, and the navy, and the conscienceless politicians, all forming a part of the world organization, all must drink the “cup” and drain it to the dregs. They are the rulers in the world which are symbolized by Egypt. “Organized religion” not only is and has been friendly with the political and military elements of the world, but has depended upon such to help carry on the religious schemes and perform their ceremonies by which the people have been hoodwinked. The religionists, and particularly the priests or other clergymen, have ‘gone down to Egypt for help’, as the prophet Isaiah (30:2) puts it, and have turned their backs upon Jehovah God and his King, just as Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, the kings of Jerusalem, did in their time. The reliance of the religionists or religious practitioners upon Egypt, the world, is like leaning upon a bruised reed: “Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.”—Isa. 36: 6.

15 In the prophecy of Jeremiah, in chapter 25, and particularly in chapters 46-51 inclusive, Egypt is dealt with after Jerusalem. The same is true as set forth in other prophecies, to wit (Ezek. 32:1-32): “There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised  with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God.” (Isa. 19:1-22; Zech. 14:18, 19) These prophecies all support the conclusion that when the religious systems, the old “whore”, fall, then the punishment will proceed to the Godless element, that is, the commercial and political elements, their allies and supporters.

16 “Egypt,” antitypically, includes the commercial elements; but there are others which must drink of the “cup”, and which are specifically named aside from Egypt: “And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod.” (Jer. 25:20) “The mingled people,” as they are called in the Authorized Version, Rotherham (margin) renders in this wise: “And all the Bedawin,” or, “mixed multitude.” That means mongrels of no specific nationality or race. (See Vindication, Book Two, page 134.) “Uz,” named in this part of the prophecy, is dealt with. The land of Uz was where Job resided, and was in the east. (Job 1:1-3) Since the day of Job it is no longer a “land of Consultation” with Jehovah, but has been Godless. It represents that Godless people of the earth that have adopted the policy of dealing with the Roman Catholic Hierarchy by sending ambassadors to the Papal court; such as mentioned in Jeremiah 27:3. Its people are wholly devoted to the Devil. Hence it is written in the record: “O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself [vile] naked.” (Lamentations 4:21) Such are professed “Christian” religionists who are entirely and openly against God.

17 The prophet next mentions the kings of the land of the Philistines, specifically naming the principal cities of the Philistines. The Philistines in the drama in which Samson played a part, and also in that of David’s time, picture the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. Seeing the setting of the picture by Jeremiah’s prophecy, the Philistines here appear to represent the commercial religionists and necessarily include the Hierarchy, which is commercial and political and works with the religious practitioners in persecuting Jehovah’s witnesses and resisting the work of God’s servants in the realm of the earth controlled by them.

18 The Scriptures show that Jehovah hated Esau (Mal. 1:3); and yet Esau was, according to the flesh, a descendant of Abraham. Jehovah hated Esau because he went entirely over on the Devil’s side. Edomites were the descendants of Esau. And so the prophecy declares that that people must drink of the cup of this fury: “Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon.” (Jer. 25:21) Moab and Ammon were in the same class. The nations here mentioned appear to refer to others in the conspiracy against the Lord and his faithful servants, and who arc moved by the Devil to do his bidding in reproaching the name of God and violently opposing his kingdom. (Ps. 83:2-12) They have no faith in things pertaining to God, but they connive with those who practice the so-called “Christian religion” for selfish or commercial purposes, and together they seek to do injury to Jehovah’s witnesses and are haters and persecutors of all who try to do good to their fellow man and, above all, of those who are diligent in proclaiming the name of Jehovah. In other prophecies the Edomites picture the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, the religious practitioners; the Moabites picture particularly the commercial element; and ‘the people of Ammon’ refers to the political religionists, whether within or outside of the nations called “Christendom”, who do not acknowledge Jehovah or even pretend to worship and serve him. They picture a people who practice some form of Devil religion and who are received by and consort with the Roman Catholic Hierarchy as her allies. They are a people that are self-centered, self-contained, relying upon their own strength. (Jer. 48:1-46; 49:1-22; Amos 1:11-15; 2:1-3; Isa. 15:1-9) The people here referred to represent those who take a delight in hissing God’s people and hindering them in their work and mocking and persecuting them.—See Vindication, Book Two, pages 27-36.

19 It is clearly made manifest that Jehovah’s purpose is to cause every nation to feel his strong arm, and therefore he names the nations specifically: “And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea.” (Jer. 25: 22) In certain prophecies Tyre pictures the Hierarchy; but there are many persons connected with the Catholic organization who have no faith in what the Catholics teach, but who hold on to the Catholic organization for the commercial gain derived by such association. By their mouths they may claim to be Catholics, but they really have no sincere devotion to the organization aside from what pecuniary benefit they derive by association with it. The peoples of Tyre and Zidon well picture such a class, because the ancient people of Tyre and Zidon selfishly operated for pecuniary gain. In brief, the nations described in this part of the prophecy include those who acknowledge the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and its religion solely for gain in a pecuniary way. In support of this conclusion, note that a Catholic of authority says:

“Though Catholic laymen as such have no jurisdiction in the Church, they are today the chief agents in the work and development of the Church. They are ready and willing to help the great cause. Priests and bishops mingle with them, guiding and advising them, and taking the lead openly when important issues are at stake. But the heavy work, the spade work, is done by the laity, men and women, to whom ‘the Catholic Cause’ appeals.

“There was a time—it is now past—when only pious Catholics took part in the work of the Church. But today many Catholics who cannot qualify as pious are busy about Catholic Action. Catholicism, in America at least, has ceased to be a matter of religious observance. Catholicism now is something that partakes of clannishness, and that is constituted in large part by social and political and ‘club’ affiliations. Among the hundreds of Catholic leaders who arc outstanding in their loyalty to the cause are to be found quite a few who have little if any regard for Catholic doctrines or observances. Catholic Action would be a far less serious factor in this country [U.S.A.] were its only agents pious and devout Catholics. The starting point of the wave of Catholic Action in this country may be traced back to the inauguration of the National Catholic Welfare Conference in 1921. On that occasion Archbishop Hanna declared: ‘We have co-ordinated and united the Catholic power of this country. It now knows where and when to act and is encouraged by the consciousness of its unity. We feel ourselves powerful because our reunion has become visible.’ From that day Catholic strength has grown apace, and Catholic organizations have multiplied.

“In no country of the world is there such thoroughgoing organization as among American Catholics.” —Rome Stoops to Conquer, page 16, paragraph 1, 2.

20 As to the “kings of the isles which are beyond the sea”, the Mediterranean sea is the sea here referred to in the type, and those people beyond carry on a commercial business with Tyre; and so today there are those nations and people who are willing to be classed as Catholics, although entirely without faith in the -organization, holding to it only for mercantile purposes.—See The Watchtower April 1 and 15 and May 1, 1937; the book Enemies, chapter 6.

21 Jehovah’s prophet then specifically names other nations, to wit: “Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners.” (Jer. 25:23) The people of Dedan were close associates with the Edomites, and hence another branch of Satan’s crowd. Because of their commercial mind and ungodly selfish spirit they line up under Gog, the Devil’s chief officer. - See Jeremiah 49:7, 8; Ezekiel 25:13; Isaiah 21:13; Ezekiel 38:13,14.

22 The people of Dedan were either all Cushite or they were mixed with Shemites. (Gen. 10:7; 25:1-3) All of that people practiced a Devil religion. The prophecy named Tema, which means “desert”. They were desert men and supplied provisions to those actively engaged in commercial traffic. (Isa. 21:14,15; Job 6:19) Tema, or that nation, therefore pictured a class of persons or nations who cater to the commercialists and for hire do the bidding of the commercial strong men. “Buz,” mentioned in this part of the prophecy, means “contempt”. The descendants of Buz, with the exception of Elihu (Job 32: 2, 6), joined the bad company of Satan’s commcrcialists. They despised anything and everything pertaining to God and his Word, and therefore pictured a similar class of modern times, who are haters of anything and all things that are good and pertain to God, and who resort to anything at the instance of the commcrcialists.

23 None must be omitted, and therefore Jeremiah, under the commandment of the Lord, says that he causes to drink of the cup “all that arc in the utmost corners”. Other translators render this text in this wise: “And all that have the corners of their hair polled” (E.R.V.) ; “And all those that have their hair cut round.” (Leeser) “Those with clipped car-locks.” —McClintock & Strong’s Cyclopedia.

24 The covenant people of God, the Israelites, were forbidden this mode of haircut. (Lev. 19:27) According to Jeremiah 9:26 (margin) the people were those descendants of Abraham who dwelt in the wilderness near the Edomites, and who were unfaithful to God, and adopted the method or course followed by the Edomites. They did not wish to be classed with the covenant people of God, and therefore they did not appear sanctimonious, like the religionists of the Jews. They attempted to escape reproach resulting to those bearing the name of God’s covenant people, and therefore they dwelt apart from them and had dealings with the commercial traffickers because of their insatiable desire and love for money. They well picture that class of persons who in this day resort to anything for money-gain or what money will bring them. Money is their god.

25 The Arabs were a class of peddlers. They traded with Tyre, but were not a part of Tyre. In the prophecy they are included with those who must drink the “cup” which Jeremiah carried. “And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert.” (Jer. 25:24) In Jehoshaphat’s time the Arabians brought to him rams and billy-goats. (2 Chron. 17:11) They lived in tents and were therefore tent-men. (Jer. 3:2; Isa. 13:20) They had no love for God or his temple, but, on the contrary, consorted with the Philistines and other opposers of God, and opposed the rebuilding of the temple and the walls at Jerusalem. (2 Chron. 21:16; Neh. 4:7,8; 2:19; 6:1,2) Some of the people “out of [that] nation” heard the gospel preached at Jerusalem, and heard it in their own language, as shown by the testimony of Acts 2:5-11. The Arabians, therefore, well picture those who are opposers of God’s organization and his people on earth, particularly Jehovah’s witnesses at the present time, and are of that class of people who accuse Jehovah’s witnesses of being rebellious against the worldly powers, and who find it profitable to their own selfish desires to serve Big Business and the chief moguls of the Roman Catholic organization for what profit or commercial gain they get out of it. They delight to have part in the persecution of Jehovah’s witnesses. They belong to the roughneck class. Among such people there are the leaders, who are known and are designated by the prophecy as “kings of the mingled people”, that is, the chief ones of the ‘mongrels’, who are willing to hire out to do any kind of dirty work just so there is something in it for them. They arc ready and willing tools to act for the Hierarchy. They picture an unsettled element that have no distinct classification but are out solely for selfish gain.

26 Continuing, then the prophet says: “And all the kings of Zimri.” (Verse 25) The word “Zimri” means “musical”, “my song.” It appears that such well fit the present-day “commercialized musical profession”. The paid choirs of the church organizations fit this description exactly. With their mouths they make music to the praise of Jehovah, but they have no heart devotion to the Lord whatsoever. They make song for commercial gain. For one to make music to the praise of Jehovah God is a blessed privilege, but those who indulge in song for professional and commercial purposes, calling out the name of God and Christ Jesus, and who hate God and his kingdom, are certainly a Godless crowd. They are reprehensible because they use the language pertaining to Jehovah and the Savior, Christ Jesus, and yet openly reproach the name of God and Christ. These professional choirs indulge in music for commercial purposes, but their own hearts are not stirred in the least toward God thereby. They are professionals.

27 Compare this with the untrained voices of ten thousand of Jehovah’s witnesses assembled in convention, who sing songs of praise to Jehovah, and which songs thrill the hearts of the ones who are devoted to him because they sing with the spirit of loving devotion to God and praise to his name. How different the paid church choirs whose songs, to those who are devoted to God, are like a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal! The apostle Paul had in mind such when he said: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1) It has become a rule of the so-called “Christian” religionists to employ hired choirs or professional musicians at a large, money salary to sing in the great cathedrals and church buildings, and when the pope has a celebration, such as the inauguration of so-called “holy year”, the professional singers celebrated in the world are brought forward to make music. In fact, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and their commercial allies are in a scheme to control the common people for pecuniary gain, and to carry out their schemes they employ music-makers to sing songs for them. This same crowd now controls the radio and furnishes music to suit the people who desire to yield to commercial solicitations. Likewise professional music conductors play anthems, which were written for the praise of Jehovah, but which musicians have no interest whatsoever in God and his kingdom. They play military marches and furnish like music that stirs men’s emotions and makes them easy victims of the commercial and political crowd. They play sacred music at the instance of the leaders of the religious organizations in order to stir the people, and sway their emotions, and cause them to yield to the importunities of the clergy and give up their money. Whenever the clergy want to take up a big collection they put on a paid song-fest first, and then “get the one-armed man to pass the hat”. Music, which should be employed to the praise of the Creator, is improperly and wrongfully employed to swing the people into the Devil’s trap and rob them of their hard-earned money. This crowd, however, is amongst those who are employed to turn the people away from God, and they, the Lord says, must drink of the cup of this fury.

28 Up to this point in the prophecy consideration is given to the ruling elements in the countries south of Babylon, and then Jeremiah turned his attention to the kings of the north or northeast of Babylon and passed the cup to them. “And all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes.” (Jer. 25:25) Elam was one of the early nations and was in an alliance with the nation or king of the plains of Shinar and joined with that Devil nation in wars of conquest. (Gen. 14:1,2,5,9) In the days of Abraham Elam was a prominent nation of imperialistic ambitions and took the lead of a combination of kings in war. They were a devilish people. Abraham engaged them in battle and defeated them when he recovered Lot. (Gen. 14:1-16) God foretold the destruction of Elam, by the mouth of at least two of his prophets. (Jer. 49: 34-38; Ezek. 32: 24,25) The Elamites appear to well picture the rulers of imperialistic designs that form leagues, such as the League of Nations, to accomplish their purpose, and that are in a league against God and his kingdom. Those who support imperialism would be included within those described as “Elam” in the prophecy. The following texts support this point: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast [of imperialism] and his image [the League of Nations, which is against God’s kingdom], and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” (Rev. 14: 9, 10) “And the first [angel] went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”—Rev. 16:2.

29 Those mentioned in the prophecy above as “the kings of the Medes” apparently were the descendants of Madai, the brother of Magog the son of Japheth. This is the first mention of the descendants of Japheth in connection with the cup of this fury. Up to this point in the prophecy the descendants of Ham and Shein arc shown to have received the cup, and now the third great division of the human race gets its turn to drink of the cup at God’s hands. (Gen. 10: 2) Those Medes mentioned were, of course, before the time of Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, as mentioned in the prophecy of Daniel. Those carly-day Medes acted with the politicians of Assyria in scattering the Israelites, the covenant people of God, among their cities and there holding them captive. (2 Ki. 17:6; 18:11) Such Medes (who were before Darius and Cyrus) appear to picture 1ho.se organized elements who work with religionists in striving to prevent the activities of God’s covenant people, the remnant, and who endeavor to hold such witnesses in restraint and prevent them from worshiping Almighty God as he has commanded. The present-day crowd, whom those Medes pictured, claim to be God’s people, but are unfaithful to Jehovah and are hypocrites. In the various political and judicial offices there are many men who claim to be Christian, but have no faith in God and in Christ, but who work with the high-up religionists who do claim to be Christians, and cooperate with such in inflicting punishment upon Jehovah’s witnesses because it appears to be to the advantage of such political and judicial tools of the Hierarchy. Such are the magistrates and other judicial officers, flagrant examples of which operate in New Jersey, Quebec, and other like places, who are without conscience and void of all honesty. They work together with the police or others of the military crowd to compel obedience to their unrighteous judicial decisions rendered against God’s true people.

30 Every part of the Devil’s organization is included, who must drink of this cup of his fury, and therefore it is written: “And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.”—Jer. 25:26.

31 All the nations that have willingly pursued a course of unrighteousness for gain of things material have joined Satan's crowd and come under the Devil and under the immediate command of Gog of Magog. That entire wicked crowd have joined in the conspiracy in making assaults upon those who serve Almighty God in spirit and in truth. All such are now in the conspiracy against God`s remnant on the earth. Gog, the Devil’s chief official, manipulates the wicked forces in the persecution of Jehovah’s witnesses. Therefore says the Lord concerning Gog: “Say, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, 0 Gog, the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all soils of armour, even a great company, with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya, with them; all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands; and many people with thee. And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel [the true people of God], as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days.”— Ezek. 38:3-6,15,16.

32 All the nations that lie north of Palestine have for a long while been dominated by the extreme religionists, and particularly that form of religion introduced and practiced by the old “whore”, and doubtless will also make up a large portion of the “ten horns” that hate the old “whore” and will destroy her, as foretold by the Lord. (Kev. 17:15-17) That same wicked crowd also makes war against the King of kings and all his faithful followers, and meets complete and absolute defeat.

33 The Devil is the god of this wicked world and rules and claims the right to rule all the kingdoms of the earth, and which the Lord will destroy; and therefore all such must drink of the “cup”. Hence the prophet says: “And all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth.” In order to mock Jehovah God and to bring Jesus into a position of disapproval the Devil offered to turn over to Jesus all these kingdoms, upon condition that Jesus would worship him. (Matt. 4: 8, 9; Luke 4:6) Jesus rebuffed that wicked one, because in the heart of the Lord Jesus has always been the law of God written and the will of his Father he always does. Christ Jesus could not and would not take possession of the world until Jehovah’s due time. (Ps. 110:1) Now at the present time Christ Jesus has been placed upon the throne of full authority, and he must and will destroy all rule in all the nations under Satan, because they are against God and his kingdom. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”—Ps. 2: 8, 9.

34 For many years Japan has practiced her own peculiar Devil religion. In more recent times she has yielded to the influence of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, for gain, of course, and now actively engages with the Vatican in a conspiracy to destroy the work of the Lord and his witnesses. Japan is included in the kingdoms of the north as mentioned in the prophecy, and she must be one that drinks the cup of this fury. Japan resents the message of Jehovah and confiscates the literature containing such message; but the Scriptures show that neither that nation nor any other shall escape, because Armageddon will not omit any nation or government on earth, be the same large or small, far or near. Japan is not included in what are commonly called “Christian nations”, but she has received the witness to the truth of and concerning God’s kingdom and of God’s purpose to destroy the kingdoms of this world. There has been a wide distribution of the kingdom message in Japan, and in addition thereto Japanese official ambassadors in America, and other countries, have had that witness. Regardless of the persecution there continue to be a few faithful witnesses of the Lord in the land of Japan.

35 With all his boasted power, the Devil himself cannot avoid ‘drinking the cup of this fury’. This is made certain by the words of the prophet: “And the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.” (Jer. 25:26) Clearly that means that the Devil himself shall be the last to go into oblivion, after seeing all of his organization destroyed. The king of “Babylon”, who is therefore the chief in the universal organization of wickedness, is Satan himself. “Sheshach” is a symbolic name for Babylon. The meaning of the name “Sheshach” is an enigma to all religionists. The clergy have never been able to understand it, and they scoff at the existence of “Sheshach”. Until recently God’s covenant people did not have an understanding of the name and its meaning. But in this day of Jehovah, after the coming of Christ Jesus to the temple, God has revealed to his people the meaning of that name. Jehovah has made known to his people that Satan’s organization is symbolized in The Revelation as a “wonder in heaven” or great “sign”. Jehovah God’s organization is revealed under the symbol of “a great wonder [or, sign] in heaven”, like unto “a woman clothed with the sun”. (Rev. 12:1-4) Satan’s organization is now understood, and is therefore no more an enigma to God’s people, but is known, by the grace of God, as that wicked organization, both invisible and visible, that for centuries has opposed Jehovah and defamed his holy name. The “king of Sheshach” therefore pictures the Devil, who is the king or head of the great wicked organization in opposition to Jehovah.

“But “Sheshach” shall fall in the great day of God Almighty. When Satan’s organization begins to tumble, the religionists of “Christendom” being the first, from that time on those who have looked upon the world as perpetual, unbreakable and immovable will be greatly surprised and astonished. They will be greatly astonished when they see the Roman Catholic Hierarchy go down, and to them it will be a very “strange act”.

37 At chapter fifty-one of the prophecy, Jeremiah takes his stand as though he were at the point following the destruction of the Devil and his organization. lie now records the historical fact as though it had already come to pass, and he says: “How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations! And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him; yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.” — Jer. 51:41,44.

38 Quite fittingly therefore the prophecy against Sheshach is the last part of the prophecy of Jeremiah against all of the worldly organization. The last chapter of the prophecy of Jeremiah is purely prophecy recorded as fulfilled, and therefore is history written in advance. This shows that the last part of the battle of Armageddon will be the destruction of Satan’s angelic host under Gog, the commander of the invisible as well as the visible army of the Devil. Then follows the seizing of Satan and casting of him into the bottomless pit. It will be a great punishment to the Devil to stand by and see all his power taken away from him by the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he has for centuries persecuted. Then in complete disgrace Satan himself will be taken away by the Lord Jesus Christ and completely shorn of all power and cast into the bottomless pit. (Rev. 20:2,3) Thus the Lord, by his prophet, shows the beginning and the ending of the battle of the great day of God Almighty, which ends in complete victory at the hands of the King of kings, Christ Jesus, and to the honor and vindication of Jehovah’s name.

THE GATHERING STORM

39 Undergoing great suffering because of their faithfulness to Almighty God, Jehovah’s witnesses of the remnant, and their brethren of the Jonadabs, view with keenest interest the march of the present-day events. The elements gathering for the great storm, which soon shall break, are moving forward to the mighty climax. They see the freedom of the people being taken away from them and the people themselves put in great fear and forced to obey the ruthless dictators of the nations of the earth. The British Empire, which has long stood for the freedom of speech and right of worship, is now seen moving to a point of crushing all freedom. The outlying colonies are now observed as putting forth their agents and enacting laws to shut out the message of God as delivered by his faithful witnesses, and those who are acquainted with the prophecies now see these prophecies being fulfilled as the cords are being tightened around England herself, which ere long will be ruled for a time by the hand of some despot. In the land of America, which for the greater part of her existence has boasted of her freedom of speech and freedom of worship, is now seen vigorously active a movement to take away the liberties of the people and to destroy freedom of speech and freedom of worship of Almighty God. The officials or ruling elements, although sworn to uphold and to defend the fundamental laws of the nation, arc now seen as pushing with all available power to have all branches of the government, including the highest judicial body, controlled by a dictator, which dictator will act under the direction of the old “whore” until that wicked system is destroyed at the beginning of Armageddon.

40 Jehovah’s witnesses, now in the light of revealed prophecy, sec the reason of the present-day events and know what will be the result. Some of the more noble- minded politicians now begin to see the great dangers arising to the liberties of the people, and they cry out: “We must act quickly.” The difficulty, however, is that they have waited too long. The warning was given some years ago by those who are devoted to Jehovah. America was told of the oncoming of the condition now existing and what shall be the result. But the rulling powers gave no heed thereto. Then in due time millions of American people signed a petition to the lawmakers of the land calling their attention to the rapid encroachment upon the rights of the people by the ultrareligionists, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, and called attention to the fact that such is against God and his kingdom. That petition to the lawmaking body was ignored, and the Roman Catholic Hierarchy was permitted unhindered to move forward with a ruthless hand. The cry of alarm that now comes up from a few of the politicians appears to be entirely too late. It is too late. The American nation or government is moving rapidly to the point of dictatorial rule. Then that nation will be compelled to ‘drink of the cup of God’s fury’. By the grace of Jehovah the remnant now are permitted to see these things in advance in order that they may receive comfort and hope and know that their faithfulness to God and his kingdom will be fully rewarded in due time. Let all those who are on the side of God now be diligent to inform themselves of the unfolding of prophecy and also diligent in bearing testimony to those who have the hearing ear and who, hearing, may flee and find safety in God’s organization. The day of deliverance for those who are devoted to God is near, and although the persecution continues to increase, there is every reason for those who love the Lord to greatly rejoice.

41 Jeremiah having performed that part of the drama showing that each and every nation must drink of the cup of this fury, and having presented it to all, then Jeremiah is directed by the Lord what he is to say: “Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.” —Jer. 25:27.

42 Jehovah does not take action against his enemies until he first gives the warning of his purpose and states the reason for so doing. Here he tells Jeremiah to notify the people that it is the Lord’s command, the command of Jehovah of hosts, that the peoples and nations shall drink and be drunken and spue and fall, never to rise again. God now commands that the rulers and their supporters be told that fatal drunkenness is their lot, and soon they will find themselves in that drunken condition, from which they will not revive. God has caused to be written in his Word, and brought to the attention of religionists and others, that the great and mighty organization of the world, which they think is invulnerable and immovable, shall fall and that the Lord will see to it that all the world shall drink of the wine of his fierceness: “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” (Rev. 16:19) The wicked religionists have time and again, although having heard the warning, continued to assault the faithful people of God, and now “Christendom” shall receive pay in kind. “For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been.” – Obad. 16, R.V.

43 As the religionists and their supporters have heard God’s message during the past few years, not only have they gone mad by reason thereof but they would rather die than to continue to hear it, and hence they continue to cry out, when the message is spoken, that “it shocks their religious susceptibilities, and should be forbidden and stopped”. Being unable to stop the message they would really like to die and get away from it. “And in those days shall men . . . desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” (Rev. 9:6) The Roman Catholic Hierarchy is now driven to madness by reason of the plainness of the message of truth delivered, and, knowing their inability to defend their fraudulent and false teachings, they refuse to come into the open and attempt to defend their traditions; and concerning this it is written: ‘And it shall be a vexation when he shall make them understand the doctrines. – Isa. 28:19, margin.

44 The organized forward movement of this plain message of truth began in 1922, and has progressed since, by the grace of God. Jehovah will have this message of warning delivered; as he states: ‘Because of the sword, which I will send upon you,’ meaning the sword of execution, which shall fall upon Satan’s organization. The sword of execution, wielded by the Mightier-than-Nebuchadnezzar, to wit, by Christ Jesus, will fall with greatest heaviness upon “Christendom”, and from such there is no escape. This fact is now known by those who are faithful to Jehovah, and gives them comfort and hope, because they know their deliverance is sure and that the vindication of Jehovah’s name is absolutely certain.

45 Jehovah's witnesses are not to go to the people and deliver any man’s message; and this is plainly shown by what God directed Jeremiah to say, to wit : “And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye shall certainly drink.” —Jer. 25: 28.

46 His witnesses of this time must go in the name of Jehovah God, in the name of the Lord of hosts, who now makes war upon the wicked. The people will refuse to hear, except a few; but the faithful witnesses will continue to say: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye shall certainly drink.” Jehovah’s witnesses will not stop to argue with opposers. That is not their business. Their work is to bring the message of the Lord to the attention of the people, that they may have an opportunity to give heed thereto. Much and prolonged talk at the door with those of the homes is not obeying God’s commandments. His message must be delivered as the Lord’s message and as he has commanded it, and those who refuse to hear cannot be forced to hear, but, having an opportunity to hear, must bear the responsibility. The message must therefore be carried to them by those who are serving God. They have no excuse for disobeying his commandments, the disobedience to which would result in the destruction of the ones who are in a covenant to obey his will.

47 It is not the purpose of The Watchtower to boast of what has been done and is being done in fulfillment of this prophecy, but some of the well-known facts may here be mentioned in order that the faithful may see that in the past few years, under the guidance of the Lord, they have been working exactly in harmony with God’s will in giving the message of warning to the nations and to the people. Some of the “wiseacres”, who think they are in the truth and wiser than others, will, figuratively speaking, continue to sit on the fence and whittle, and say, in substance: “I think we had better go easy now, because the great work that we will do is still in the future and after the end of the first part of Armageddon.” Also some who are fearful will say: “Let’s talk about love and say nothing about the trouble.” The faithful will not be deceived by any such sophistry. God has revealed the meaning of these prophecies to his people in order that they may see their duty, obligation and privilege. Idleness and indifference now will result in disaster. Full and joyful obedience the Lord requires. This is the day when God has commanded his people to “rise up against her in battle” and to have a part in his work, which work appears to the religionists as strange. The faithful now recognize that God has afforded them an opportunity to have a part in his work for the comfort and encouragement of such as have covenanted to do his will. Therefore he furnishes them meat in due season by revealing the meaning of his prophecies Written long ago. God has promised to direct the path of those who acknowledge him. He often causes such devoted ones to perform duties that they do not understand until afterwards. It therefore seems fitting that we here call attention to some of the things that the Lord has permitted his people to do.

48 Since 1922 Jehovah’s witnesses have been presenting the cup or message of Jehovah to nation after nation, and that message has been rejected and refused by the kings or rulers. In 1931 the message set out in the booklet The Kingdom, the Hope of the World, was seined upon the rulers in many lands, and thereafter the same message was taken more particularly to the common people. While there is no specific or direct effort to serve the rulers further with the message of the kingdom, it is still brought to the attention of such time and again by reason of its being carried to the people, and the rulers must take notice thereof. The mighty religionists are very much opposed to the people's hearing the message, and they, together with their political and judicial allies, formulate, enact and enforce laws to prevent the people from hearing. A small number of the common people hear, understand and appreciate this message as from the Lord, and they give heed thereto; but the far greater number of the people think that this work in which Jehovah’s witnesses are engaged is a ‘very strange work’, and so they dismiss it by the mere saying, ‘‘We are not interested.” Since 1931 Jehovah’s witnesses have, in obedience to God’s commandment, made a wide distribution of God’s message to the people. There has been a wide distribution of such Biblical explanations as contained in the books Vindication, Preparation, Preservation, Jehovah, Riches, Choosing (‘‘Separating the Nations”), Uncovered, Protection, and many others. In addition thereto the radio has been employed to proclaim the message throughout the earth, and also thousands of sound machines have been and are being used to proclaim God’s Word within the presence and hearing of the people. The faithful and true witnesses rejoice in this and, regardless of opposition, push on. They will obey God rather than men.

49 Since 1934 the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and their ‘‘man Friday”, one Hitler, have been personally served with the message, and they cannot claim ignorance. In 1936 a Resolution, publicly adopted at a convention in Lucerne, Switzerland, was widely distributed throughout that land and in Germany and in other parts of the world, although the work of distributing that Resolution was fraught with peril, and many who did distribute it were put in peril of their lives and are now languishing in filthy prisons in Germany. The rulers and the people of such lands have been warned, and it is their fault now if they do not find the way of escape. The day of reckoning and recompense is now at hand.

50 ‘‘As Babylon hath caused the slain of [true] Israel [that is, God’s people] to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth”; and the Lord now so declares. (Jer. 51:7, 49) ‘‘For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same; but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.”—Ps. 75:8.

51 Since the Roman Catholic Hierarchy stands at the very head of the wicked class and is the more reprehensible because of using the name of Jehovah and Christ Jesus for the purpose of carrying on a cruel persecution upon Jehovah’s witnesses, and which brings great injury and suffering upon the people, her claim of lasting stability and immovability sounds very foolish. In the light of revealed prophecy can there now be any doubt as to where Armageddon begins? Do the Scriptures make this matter clear? or is it still a question of open speculation ? Those who love Jehovah and his kingdom are not left at all in doubt, as will now appear from what follows.

(To be continued)

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

1. Whom does Jehovah hate, and why? How and why does ho put the righteous to the test? Who are the wicked? and how will Jehovah deal with them? Why docs Jehovah now make known his purpose concerning the wicked?

2. Compare Jeremiah's position and course of action (Jer. 25: 17) with that of the witnesses of the Lord today. Account for this zeal and definite course of procedure on the part of the true and faithful, even though some of these are denied written communication with others.

3. How fid Jeremiah carry out Jehovah’s command as declared at verse 17?

4-6. What is the evidence that the clergy have heard the warning? For what purpose is this warning given?

7, 8. To whom must Jeremiah first deliver the cup? Why first to them? Whom did they foreshadow, and how?

9. How do the men of the Homan Catholic Hierarchy deport themselves? To what end?

10-12. To whom docs Isaiah 28: 14,15,18 apply? What is the purpose in compelling them to drink of the cup? Apply the words, “as it is this day.”

13. Who will weep and wail when the religious element of Satan’s organization goes down? Why?

14, 15. Identify those prophetically mentioned in verso 19. Why must they also drink?

16. Whom did “Egypt”, and “the mingled people”, and “the kings of the land of Uz” represent? How?

17, 18. “Edom,” “Moab,” and “the children of Ammon” pictured whom? How?

19, 20. How, in the fulfillment of the prophecy, do those mentioned in verse 22 come in for a share in the cup? Show

that they picture a class today practicing religion solely for pecuniary gain.

21-24. Why send the cup to those mentioned at verse 23, and to those whom they pictured, and require these also to drink? Explain the expression, “all that are in the utmost corners.''

25. Who were the kings mentioned in verse 24? Why must they, and those whom they pictured, drink of the cup!

26, 27. Identify “the kings of Zimri”. Why must they also drink of the cup of this fury?

28, 29. Why must the kings of Elam at that time, and those now whom they pictured, drink of the cup? Why also the kings of the Merles, and those whom they pictured?

30-32. To whom does the expression “all the kings of the north"? apply? Why must these drink?

33,34. Account for the expression “all the kingdoms of the world’’. How do parts of the earth not commonly called “Christian nations’’, such as Japan, deserve a share in the cup of fury?

35. Who is “the king of Sheshaeh’’? How has his identity come to be known by Jehovah's people?

36, 37. Apply Jeremiah 51:41,44.

38. Show that it is fitting that “the king of Sheshach shall drink after them”.

39, 40. In what facts do those faithful to Almighty God now see the elements gathering for the great storm? Account for their seeing the reason of the present-day events, and knowing the result thereof. For what purpose have they been permitted to see these things in advance?

41, 42. Apply the command recorded at verse 27.

43. How does the message of warning affect the religionists and their supporters?

 44. How and when has Jehovah ‘sent the sword among them’?

45, 46. What if they refuse to take the cup sent by Jehovah at the hand of his witnesses?

47, 48. What are some of the well-known facts showing that the faithful have been working in harmony with God’s will in giving the message of warning? What will they now do?

49-51. With what result to the witnesses has the message of warning been proclaimed? With what result now, and later, to those who have been served with the message?

BESIEGED

JEHOVAH’S servants on earth speak his message. If the rebellious ones, meaning the professed Christians of “Christendom”, and the “evil servant” class, had their way they would stop the work of God’s “faithful servant” and completely silence all who speak the truth of and concerning the Devil’s organization. But as God said to Ezekiel, so now he says to the “faithful servant” whom Ezekiel foreshadowed: “But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they arc a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, 1 will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.”— Ezek. 3:25-27.

The “servant” is not to tell his own message. Jehovah has made his “faithful servant” the “watchman”, and only as the Lord God directs the “servant” to speak he does speak, having always a “Thus saith the Lord” for every part of the message that is delivered. The work of the servant is not to make converts to get them to join an organization, but to give a witness to the truth. The hearers must either accept or reject the message, and take the responsibility. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith.” (Rev. 3:22) Jehovah brings his servant into action and uses him for his purposes while he moves forward to the vindication of his name. The opposition by the rebellious house of “Christendom” or by the “evil servant” will in no wise prevent the truth from being told as God purposes it shall be told.

Jehovah continues to instruct Ezekiel what he shall do. In chapter four of the prophecy it is written that God took Ezekiel and made him a sign-man to the professed people of God, first to Israel after the flesh, and thereafter to “Christendom”. “Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.” (Ezek. 4:1,2) Ezekiel is here instructed to lay a siege against Jerusalem. In this he performs a mimic siege against the city. This performance was in the presence of those in the city and was a sign to them and a warning. It was a prophecy against “Christendom”. Originally Jerusalem was the capital city of ‘both houses of Israel’, and Jehovah let the iniquity of both houses be visited upon that city. To Ezekiel Jehovah said: “Moreover, take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.’’ — Ezek. 4: 3.

Ezekiel was commanded first to lie on his left side for three hundred and ninety days, thus picturing the iniquity of the house of Israel; and then at the end of that period he was to lie on the right side forty days, picturing the iniquity laid against Judah. “Moreover lie thou upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be unto thee a number of days, even three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And again, when thou hast accomplished these, thou shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; forty days, each day for a year, have I appointed it unto thee.” (Ezek. 4:4-6, R.V.) This did not mean that Jerusalem was besieged that length of time when the actual siege came to take place. (2 Ki. 25:1-8) This represents the long-suffering of God toward the two houses of Israel. The number of days that Ezekiel lay on his left side and then on his right side represented the number of literal years that God forbore with the two houses of Israel, suffering them to perform their iniquitous work. Both the 390- year and the 40-year period must have terminated at the same time, to wit, in the year 606 B.C., when the long-suffering of God ceased and the city of Jerusalem was broken up, marking the beginning of ‘the gentile times’.

The 390-year period just mentioned applies to the ten tribes of Israel, and the 40-year period applies to the house of Judah and Benjamin. In the year 999 B.C. the ten tribes revolted against Judah. This was 393 years before the destruction of Jerusalem. God had foretold through his prophet that he would rend the ten tribes away from Solomon’s son Reho- boam and give them to Jeroboam, and, if the latter would remain faithful to God, through the ten tribes the Lord would build him a sure house. (1 Ki. 11:29-40) But Jeroboam did not remain faithful to God, but, on the contrary, instituted a base and false worship and set up two golden calves, one at Bethel and the other at Dan, and caused the people to worship there instead of going up to Jerusalem. (1 Ki. 12: 26-33) God sent his prophet up to warn Jeroboam; but Jeroboam refused to heed the warning and to turn aside from his false worship, and continued his iniquity. The iniquity of the ten tribes would therefore begin to count from that time, which was 996 B.C., or three years after the revolt of 999 B.C. It follows, then, that 390 years from that date would end 606 B.C. Israel’s iniquity dates from the beginning of the religious revolt and the substitution of the false worship.

Since the Israelites in general foreshadowed “Christendom”, the application of the above is this: “Christianity,” so called, was organized shortly after the demise of the apostles; and the Roman Catholies, acting through their clergy and the principal of their flocks, monopolized the field, that is to say, the entire world, from the religious viewpoint, until the year 1531 (A.D.), when the rulers of England and Germany broke away from the pope and the League of Schmalkald was formed for the protection of the Protestant religion. This date is definitely fixed as a historical fact. (See The Watchtower 1920, page 174.) It was therefore in A.D. 1531 that Jehovah began to bear with the iniquity of “organized Christianity”, as represented by the Roman wing of “Christianity” so called. God’s bearing with this iniquity begins to count at that time, and counting 390 years from then brings the period of time down to the year 1921.

Now as to the house of Judah: Jehovah begins to count her iniquity, with which he had to bear, from the year 646 B.C., that being the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah. The proof is this: The ten tribes went into captivity to Assyria in 740 B.C. Judah should have drawn a warning from this and should have been faithful to God, but, on the contrary, Judah departed from the worship of Jehovah. When God gave warning to Jeroboam concerning the false worship established, he caused his prophet then to foretell the coming of Josiah the king of Judah. (1 Ki. 13:1,2) Manasseh and Amon, who preceded Josiah, had desecrated the temple of Jehovah God and established the devil worship amongst Judah. After Josiah came to the throne he did right in the sight of the Lord. (2 Ki. 23:26, 27) It was in the thirteenth year of the reign of this king Josiah that God raised up Jeremiah and caused him to prophesy to Judah, and Judah refused to hearken to the words of the Lord spoken by the prophet. “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah of the priests that were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin: to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.” (Jer. 1:1,2) Therefore it was from that year, to wit, 646 B.C., that Jehovah began to count the forty years’ iniquity of Judah which terminated in 606 B.C. Jeremiah began to prophesy forty years before the fall of Jerusalem, and his first prophecy was one of warning to Jerusalem of the impending destruction of the city, to which warning the people declined to give heed. This corresponds exactly with the forty days (symbolic of forty years) that Ezekiel lay on his right side to bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. — Jer. 1:14-17.

There must of necessity be a proper application of this mimic siege on Jerusalem to that which Jerusalem represented, to wit, “organized Christianity,” or “Christendom”. As hereinbefore stated, it was in A.D. 1531 when God began to recognize her iniquity and to bear with the iniquity of the Roman branch of “organized Christianity”. That day is marked by the fact that it was then that the two main pillars of the Protestant wing of “organized Christianity” were set up. Germany, Britain and the United States, and the colonies belonging thereto, are the chief countries of Protestantism, or “organized Christianity” according to the Protestants. It has been chiefly in these countries where God has caused the truth to be proclaimed concerning his kingdom. A comparatively small amount of the witness work of “present truth” has been carried on in Italy, Spain and suchlike Catholic countries. The beginning of this public witness work in these Protestant countries would specifically mark the beginning of God’s forbearing with Protestantism. Mark now that it was in 1881 that this public witness work began and is especially indicated by the publication and wide distribution of the booklet Food for Thinking Christians, which set forth the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, and the kingdom of the Lord, and the fundamental truths that had long been obscured by the unfaithfulness of “organized Christianity”. That work, begun in 1881, was exactly 350 years after Jehovah began to bear with the iniquities of the Catholic wing of ‘‘organized Christianity”, and 40 years thereafter exactly corresponds with the 390 days that Ezekiel lay on his left side in the mimic siege. At the end of the 390 days of the mimic siege Ezekiel lay on his right side for a period of 40 days, symbolic of 40 years, as stated by the scripture. This foreshadows that God would bear with the iniquity of Protestantism for a period of forty years from the beginning of that period, to wit, the year 1881, as above stated. Forty years added to 1881 marks the year 1921, at which time the forty-year period of forbearance of Jehovah with Protestantism would end.

Now be it noted that both the 390-year period, applying to Catholicism, and the 40-year period, applying to Protestantism, end exactly at the same time, showing that the application is correct and is to all ‘‘organized Christianity”. It was in that year, 1921, that The Watchtower, by the Lord’s grace, was permitted to identify and did identify and publish the truth concerning ‘‘the beast”, ‘‘the image of the beast,” and ‘‘the abomination that maketh desolate”. (Revelation 13) (See The Watchtower 1921, page 11.) In that same year, 1921, the nations of “Christendom”, by their duly constituted representatives, held a national assembly at Washington, D.C., known as the International Arms Conference. The announced purpose of that Conference was to establish lasting peace on the earth. The clergy of ‘ ‘ organized Christianity ’ ’ ably supported this movement. God’s covenant people, Jehovah’s witnesses, then known as “Bible Students”, presented to that International Arms Conference a resolution that had been duly passed by the convention of Jehovah’s witnesses, which, among other things, stated: ‘That no nation can be truly Christian which fails to obey the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; that the ruling powers of “Christendom” are made up of the commercial and political leaders supported by the clergy of both Catholic and Protestant church organizations who, contrary to the Word of God, had allied themselves with such leaders and become a part of the world organization; that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that it is the divine and only remedy for lasting peace on earth.’

The resolution memorializing this international conference called upon these nations to recognize and adopt God’s remedy, and then added: ‘If the divine Scriptural remedy be ignored, God’s wrath will be visited upon their governments and the system of “Christendom”.’ (See copy of Resolution, Golden Age magazine, December 7; 1921, page 138.) At the time of the presentation of this resolution it was not known that the matter was in any wise foreshadowed by the prophecy of Ezekiel or any other prophecy. In the light of “present truth-” we must conclude that the angel of the Lord directed God’s covenant people to thus serve notice upon “organized Christianity”.

With the close of the year 1921 the 390 years and the 40 years of Jehovah’s forbearing with the two houses of “organized Christianity” had expired. The year 1922 was manifestly God’s due time to begin to make known his judgments against the nations of “Christendom” and to pronounce his judgment by and through his anointed people. It was in that same year, to wit, 1922, that the commandment came from the temple of God to his angels to begin the pouring out of the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth, and God’s covenant people in convention assembled at Cedar Point participated in that work. (See Revelation, chapter 1G; Light, Book Two, page 19 and pages following.) When at least two of God's holy prophets prophesy against “organized Christianity” and the events courting to pass fit both prophecies, then it must be that such events constitute the fulfillment thereof, and this should be a great encouragement to everyone who loves Jehovah.