Inspection № 15

Vol. LIV August 1, 1933 No. 15

INSPECTION

“Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.”—Zech. 1:18.

JEHOVAH is now preparing those who love him for the most stupendous event in the history of man. For more than six thousand years conditions have appeared to be entirely adverse to those who have tried to do right. Now there is revealed to those who have taken their stand on Jehovah’s side the great truth that there is rapidly approaching a time of unprecedented prosperity and blessings for the human race. Those who are diligent to grasp the truths that are placed before them are lifted far above the present sad conditions of this world and see the incontrovertible proof that the time of deliverance is at hand.

2 In all ages past a subtle foe has beset men, heaped upon them injustice and oppression, led them into pitfalls, filled their days with perplexity and distress, and in the end brought them in sorrow to the grave. That same enemy, Satan, has employed every conceivable means to defame the name of the great Creator Jehovah and to turn man away from Him. That enemy long ago formed an organization made up of false and fraudulent religion, planted superstitious fear in the heart of man, and has drawn multitudes into his religious net. He has created a great commercial system and used it to rob the people of the fruits of their honest toil, and to corrupt the political element that ostensibly rules, and has used this political element to compel the people to remain in subjection. The climax of this wicked organization has been reached in the seventh world power, which is otherwise designated as “Christendom”, and which world power has fraudulently and falsely assumed the name of The Christ of God and has brought upon Jehovah’s holy name the greatest amount of ignominy and shame. The end of such defamation and wickedness must come, and now it rejoices the hearts of honest men to see that the climax is at hand when there will be a complete change for the good.

3 Jehovah declares his purpose to vindicate his holy name at Armageddon; hence it is designated in his Word “the battle of that great day of God Almighty”. The organization of Jehovah symbolized by Mount Zion is the place of the assembly of his troops; hence that place is called “Armageddon”. It is there that he will “go forth and fight” for his own. (Zech. 14: 3) The militant host of Jehovah will be led by Christ Jesus, who is now King of kings exercising his royal authority. (Rev. 17:14; 19:11-14) To be sure, Jehovah does not need to prepare himself for the great battle, but it is necessary to prepare some parts of his organization and to send them forth to make known that he is God, and that his purpose is to destroy the enemy that has defamed his name and brought suffering and death upon his creatures. The administration of the affairs of the world must pass completely from the control of Satan and into the hand of Christ Jesus, who is earth’s rightful ruler. For centuries Satan has been “the prince of this world”, and now he refuses to abdicate; hence his power and organization are to be completely destroyed. Jehovah is long-suffering and forbearing. (Ex. 34: 6) He has given the enemy every opportunity to make good his challenge and boast to turn all mankind against God. But the time must come for Jehovah to act, and when his wrath is expressed it will be so emphatic that all will know that he is the Almighty God. Before executing his judgment against the enemy fair warning and complete notice is given, and such is a part of his preparation.

4 In the centuries of long ago Jehovah, by his holy spirit, moved honest men to write down that which he purposed to bring to pass in future days, and now the prophecies then written are being fulfilled. Among those honest and God-fearing men who wrote prophecy was Zechariah, the grandson of Iddo the prophet. It was about the year 520 B.C. when Zechariah was given his first vision by Jehovah and when he began to write prophecy. More than 2,400 years thereafter that prophetic vision began to have fulfilment. At that time the World War, which began in 1914, had come to a conclusion, and the ruling powers of the world were bringing forth various schemes of reconstruction. The rulers of “Christendom” had received the evidence that Satan’s world had come to an end and that the time was at hand for the beginning of the kingdom of God under Christ Jesus. Instead of heeding this evidence the seventh world power set up a substitute for God’s kingdom, which is an abomination and detestable in Jehovah’s eyes.

5 Zechariah’s vision came to him from the Lord and in the nighttime. In vision he beheld a company of men riding on horseback. The leader of that company rode a red horse, and those who followed after him rode red, bay and white horses. That was a heavenly vision foreshadowing things to come to pass in future days upon the earth. That company of heavenly cavalry halted their horses upon the side of the Mount of Olives, in the shadow of a grove of myrtle trees. From this vantage point the chief horseman made a careful survey of the city of Jerusalem, while the other horsemen of his company rode up and down in the land gathering information and returned and reported that information to their chief. The information gained by his own inspection, and that reported to him by his aides, filled the chief with righteous indignation. In the vision Jerusalem appeared to be trodden down, and there was utter indifference on the part of the Jews to put it in proper shape. The chief horseman immediately began to prepare his forces for a great war, which foreshadows the greatest war that is ever to come to the nations of the earth.

6 A period of years passes while the chief horseman continues the work of preparation, and in that time only a small number of men on earth give any heed to what is being done. The preparatory work is not done in silence, but openly and aboveboard, the chief even serving notice upon his adversary and calling upon him to prepare for the great battle, and then he tells the enemy exactly what will be the result of that fight. In vision the prophet sees both Jehovah’s and the enemy’s mighty armies drawn up in battle array and marks the people taking their position in the respective militant forces. The crucial hour arrives, and the two mighty armies are hurled against each other, resulting in a complete victory for the leader who stood in the shade of the myrtle trees on his red war mount.

7 The vision first discloses the chief and his assistants making an inspection of Jerusalem. That city symbolically stood for God’s covenant people in the present-day ‘ ‘ Christendom ’ ’, which particularly means the Anglo-American empire system, and which people are in an implied covenant to do God’s will. The inspection also includes all who have made a covenant to do the will of God; and that which follows involves all classes of people in the world.

8 The facts now fully known disclose that the work of preparation, in fulfilment of the prophetic vision, began in 1918 and has progressed over the period of fifteen years, and now the hour draws near for the terrible clash of the armed forces. Zechariah the prophet foreshadowed a small company of persons who are wholly devoted to God and who are now on the earth, and to which company of faithful ones Jehovah God has given an understanding of the prophetic vision. At the same time Jehovah has laid upon this company of witnesses taken out for his name the obligation and great privilege of informing other persons on earth as to the vision and its meaning. These are commanded to serve notice upon the rulers of the world to inform them of what is about to come to pass in fulfilment of the prophetic vision, and also to give information to all persons of good will that they may find a way of escape in that time of great slaughter that is shortly to take place. The prophecy of Zechariah, which is here considered and which is now being unfolded, thrills the heart of everyone who has an honest desire to see a righteous government established in the earth. While this prophecy and its fulfilment involve all creatures now on the earth who are in an implied or direct covenant with Jehovah God, only a small number will understand it and appreciate it. The clergy of “Christendom” and the principal ones of their flocks, the opposers of the proclamation of the message of God’s vengeance and of his kingdom, and the “evil servant” class, the “man of sin”, “the son of perdition,” not only will fail to understand the prophecy and its interpretation but will treat it with contempt and ridicule. On the other side, those who are wholly devoted to Jehovah, and who are therefore his chosen witnesses, and those who are of good will and who go to make up the Jonadab class; and later the “great multitude”, will see and greatly appreciate the prophecy and its meaning.

9 It was in A.D. 1914 that the Prince of Peace stood up and cast Satan out of heaven. (Dan. 12:1; Rev. 12:1-9) It was in 1918 that this mighty Prince came to the temple of Jehovah for judgment, and from that time dates the preparation. ‘‘He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face. ” (Nah. 2:1) That prophetic statement means that the mighty Field Marshal of Jehovah is now present and preparing for the great battle. To his anointed remnant on earth Jehovah now says: “Keep [securely] the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, . . . For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacob [his anointed; meaning his faithful remnant on the earth].” (Nah. 2:1,2, A.R.V.) God’s people have been brought into unity, and now they “offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness”, and that continually; and thus these are prepared to perform their part. The fact that Jehovah foretold by his prophet concerning the coming of the battle of Armageddon and that he would prepare for it is proof that the battle will be fought; and the further fact that he has now opened these prophecies to the understanding of his anointed is evidence that the time of the battle is near; hence the prophecy is of profound interest to the anointed.

10 Concerning his militant organization and its preparation “in that day” Jehovah’s prophet says: “The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet; the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the cypress spears are brandished.” (Nah. 2: 3, A.R.V.) God’s organization is fired with zeal for the vindication of his great name, and hence that organization flashes as fiery-steel. Furthermore, Jehovah says: “I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.” (Isa. 13:3, A.R.V.) Then Jehovah addresses the enemy and tells him to prepare and warns him of what will be the result: ‘‘Draw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln. There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away. Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.’’ — Nah. 3:14-17, A.R.V.

11 The Lord further gives assurance that this battle will be the final end. ‘‘What do ye devise against Jehovah ? he will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time.” - Nah. 1: 9, A.R.V.

12 The enemy knows that his time is short, and hence he prepares with haste for battle. (Rev. 12:12) Continuing his policy of fraud and deceit, diplomacy, boasting and flattery, Satan pulls his commercial, political, military forces and strong-arm squad together, and then by the mouth of his sanctimonious clergymen tells the people that this unholy alliance is the means for the salvation of the world. Satan uses the various elements of his wicked organization to draw the people of all nations, and particularly those of ‘‘Christendom’’, away from God and into his own wicked camp. The Anglo-American empire system, which chiefly is ‘‘Christendom”, Satan makes his chief spokesman on earth, and therefore in the Scriptures this system is called the ‘‘false prophet”; and by this beastly organization Satan speaks to and deceives the people. ‘‘And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.’’ — Rev. 16:13, 14, 16; see Light, Book Two, page 42.

13 Thus Satan prepares for the great battle, and at the same time he takes a careful inventory of the faithful followers of Christ Jesus. Against these he forms a conspiracy the purpose of which is to cut off these faithful witnesses of God and to destroy them. (Ps. 2: 3, 4; 83: 2-5) That conspiracy is formed, and the overt acts are committed against God’s anointed within the realms of “Christendom”, and this is further proof that “Christendom” is Satan’s instrument. His reason for attempting the destruction of these faithful ones of God is that they might not maintain their integrity toward God, and might thereby fail to be made part of His holy nation; and because these are the ones whom Jehovah uses to give notice to the world of his purpose to destroy the enemy organization. Jehovah causes his prophet to speak concerning his witnesses in these words: ‘‘Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about.”—Joel 3: 9, 12, A.R.V.

THE TEMPLE

14 The temple or sanctuary of God must be set up and cleansed before the complete vindication of Jehovah’s name, and such work is a part of the preparation for the battle of the great day of God Almighty. For some time prior to the opening of the temple for judgment Christ Jesus was giving attention to the consecrated ones on the earth to prepare the way before Jehovah and to bring these consecrated ones to the time and place of judgment; and concerning that period of time Jehovah says: “And he shall prepare the way before me.” (Mal. 3:1) That work being completed, then Christ Jesus suddenly or straightway comes to the temple: “He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. ’ ’ From that time forward to the time of the battle of Armageddon is designated in the Scriptures “the day of his preparation”. The Scriptures show that these two periods are separate and distinct in this, to wit, the time of ‘preparing the way before Jehovah ’ ends with the coming of Christ Jesus to the temple; whereas “the day of his preparation” begins at the time of the coming of Christ Jesus to the temple. The consecrated must be brought before the Lord for examination, and must be tried and judged, and the approved ones are brought into the temple and anointed. This is part of the work of ‘ ‘ the day of his preparation”. This work was foreshadowed by the rebuilding of the typical temple at Jerusalem. The prophetic book of Zechariah deals with this preparatory work, the battle of the great day of God Almighty, and the conditions that will exist at the conclusion of that battle. All of this was written aforetime for the purpose of giving strength to the faithful remnant of God’s anointed people now on the earth. Jehovah has furnished cumulative evidence upon this point and it behooves us to give careful consideration to all of such evidence. This publication is issued for that very reason.

15 When the term “Lord of hosts” or “Jehovah of hosts” appears in a Scriptural text it relates particularly to Jehovah as the Commander of his military force which he uses to express his wrath against the enemy. Note that the words of the prophet concerning the coming of Christ Jesus are: “Behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.” (Mal. 3:1, A.R.V.) Concerning the rebuilding of the temple as prophesied by Zechariah the command is: “Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts.” (Zech. 1:3, A.R.V.) The great God of battle is preparing for the final war, and those in his organization eagerly seek for information concerning the same.

16 Cyrus, the king of Persia, under the direction of Jehovah issued a decree for the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. A remnant of Jews returned from captivity and began the work of rebuilding, and then because of opposition these Jews for sixteen years did no work whatsoever in connection with the rebuilding of the temple. In the meantime Cyrus was succeeded by Darius the Persian. It was in the second year of the reign of Darius that God sent his two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to stir up the Jews and put them to work on the temple. Zechariah began to prophesy two months later than Haggai, or, to wit, in the eighth month in the second year of the reign of Darius. (Zech. 1:1; see Vindication, Book Three, page 109) Zechariah was a son of Berechiah, who was the son of Iddo the prophet. Therefore Zechariah was the grandson of the prophet. The scripture also shows that Zechariah was a priest. (Neh. 12:1-4, 12-16) The name Zechariah means “Whom Jehovah remembers”, and Zechariah foreshadowed God’s servant class on the earth at the end of the world and whom God remembers and makes living stones in his temple, which temple is his building for the vindication of his great name. The name Berechiah means “Whom Jehovah hath blessed”. Sometimes Zechariah was called “the son of Iddo”, because he was in fact a son of the second generation. (Ezra 5:1) “Iddo’’ means ‘‘Timely; one born on a feast day; loving; opportune”. We know that Jehovah does everything at the opportune time.

17 Jehovah was displeased with the service of these Israelites, and therefore he caused Zechariah to prophesy and say: “ [Return] unto me, saith the Lord of hosts. ... Be ye not as your fathers.” (Zech. 1: 2-5) Their fathers had permitted the temple, which had been built by Solomon, to be cluttered up with trash and defiled by idol worship, and now the returned captives from Babylon were showing the same disregard for God’s interests by permitting the building of the temple at Jerusalem to stop and lie in waste. (Hag. 1:4) The words of the prophet Zechariah serve as a warning to all who are begotten of the spirit and who become negligent of the duties and obligations laid upon them by the Lord. (Zech. 1:6) Isaiah prophesied of a similar displeasure on the part of Jehovah with his consecrated people on the earth. (Isa. 6:1-9; 12:1) This is one of the reasons why the Lord Jehovah sent his message to cleanse his people, that is, to refine and cleanse the temple class; and this work would necessarily mean the cleaning out and putting on the side of all the stubborn and rebellious ones. All must know that Jehovah is God and that his name shall be vindicated; and this work must begin at the house of God. (Mal. 3:1-3; Ezek. 20:1, 37, 38; 33: 33) Such preparatory and cleansing work must be done before the final battle; hence it is a part of the work of the ‘day of preparation’.

A VISION

18 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which corresponds to our modern month of February, the prophet Zechariah had a vision. It was about the time for the “latter rain”. Three months previous to that time Haggai had been prophesying. After the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the same year, it seems, Haggai ceased prophesying, or at least there is no record of his further prophesying; but from that time forward Zechariah exclusively filled the prophetic office concerning the work to be done on the temple.

19 Concerning the vision the prophet said: “I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom [of the mountain]; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.” (Zech. 1:8) It being in the nighttime, the vision relates to a time when ‘there is darkness upon the earth, and gross darkness covers the people’. (Isa. 60:2) The “man riding upon a red horse” was the angel of the Lord which materialized and to whom other angels make report of the result of their investigation. (Zech. 1: 11) He was riding on a red horse, which is a symbol of sanguinary warfare. (Isa. 63:2) The ‘man on the red horse’ manifestly represents Christ Jesus, the Leader and Field Marshal of Jehovah’s war organization.—Ps. 45: 4.

HE SURVEYS

20 It is the time of inspection! The man on the red horse “stood”, that is, he made his horse come to a standstill, and this corresponds to the period of time of “silence in heaven”, it being the time when there was inactivity between the end of the Elijah and the beginning of the Elisha work of the church. (Rev. 8:1; Light, Book One, page 99) The rider on the red horse “stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom’’. Another translation renders this text “in the shade” or “shady place”. (Roth., and A.R.V. margin) Evidently the leader stood his horse at a point on the side of the Mount of Olives in the shadow of the trees, and from which point he makes an inspection of the city of Jerusalem. At that same time there were myrtle trees growing on the side of the Mount of Olives. (Neh. 8:15) It was the appropriate place for the rider to stand his horse, and the fact that mention is made that he stood his horse among the myrtle trees shows that it was at an appropriate time for Jehovah to return to his people, to restore to them his truth, and to gather them unto himself. “Myrtle” means harvest, the time of restitution and joy. (The Watchtower, 1931, page 149; Preservation, page 19) This would fix the time of the fulfilment of the prophecy, to wit, at the time the Lord was gathering his people unto himself preparatory to cleansing them at the temple judgment. — Ps. 50:5; Isa. 41:19; 55:13.

21 The man on the red horse was inspecting the city of Jerusalem, which represented God’s covenant people. The city of Jerusalem must, at the time, have presented a sorry appearance according to the description given of it by the prophet. (Neh. 2:11-15) The inspector general of Jehovah’s hosts must have been filled with indignation when he surveyed the desolation of Jerusalem. Likewise when Christ Jesus came in 1918 to inspect the professed people of God and set up the temple, he would look with indignation upon the desolation of the earthly part of God’s organization, the covenant people of the Most High. The words of Isaiah, at this point, seem quite appropriate and express the indignation of the Lord: “For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed [remnant people] is come.” (Isa. 63:4) This locates the time of the beginning of the fulfilment of Zechariah’s prophecy.

22 The inspector general of Jehovah’s hosts at the same time made an inspection of Satan’s earthly organization: “He stood, and measured the earth.” What he then saw would further increase his indignation and in due time would increase his zeal to act in the destruction of the wicked world. ‘‘He beheld, and drove asunder the nations.” (Hab. 3:6) It is the day of Jehovah’s preparation. (Nah. 2:3) Standing behind the man on the red horse were other riders on “red horses, speckled [margin, bay; Leeser, pale], and white [horses]’’. This shows that the inspector general was accompanied by his army officers in the army of Jehovah and these make inspection and render their report to their chief. (Zech. 1:11) The conclusion is irresistible that these horsemen accompanying the Lord Jesus represented his holy angels that accompanied him at the time of judgment. (Matt. 25:31) “Behold, the mountain was full of horses ... of fire.” (2 Ki. 6:17) These represent the war organization of Jehovah. “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.’’ —Rev. 19:14.

23 Zechariah inquired of the Lord the meaning of these men on horses, and the angel talking with him explained it to him: “Then said I, 0 my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.” (Zech. 1:9) This question is propounded for the benefit of those faithful ones of the remnant now on earth, and the angel of the Lord brings to them the needed information in answer to their questions. (Rev. 1:1) This is proof that the interpretation of prophecy does not proceed from man, but that the Lord Jesus, the chief one in Jehovah’s organization, sends the necessary information to his people by and through his holy angels. “And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.’’ (Zech. 1:10) In the vision these represent Jehovah’s host that he uses to express his wrath against the enemy. (Rev. 14:20) With this host Jehovah’s witnesses on earth are duly associated.

24 Satan and his wicked agents stalk through the earth to spy out and to maliciously act against God’s faithful people, and these horsemen in Zechariah’s vision act as observers of what concerns Jehovah’s organization and to carry out his purposes. The Lord now has his face or attention turned to consideration of things on the earth, and he inspects both the enemy organization and the organization of Jehovah. The eyes of the Lord are observing everything on the earth. (Zech. 4:10; Rev. 5:6) The horsemen were as the eyes of the Lord.—Num. 10: 31.

25 The under-inspectors report to their chief: “And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” (Zech. 1:11) The substance of their report is that they have found the entire organization of Satan self-centered, in a state of selfcomplacency and giving no regard or concern to the kingdom of God under Christ. This report must have been made following the end of the World War and when Satan’s agencies were seeking means and remedies to bring peace on the war-torn earth. They gave no heed to God’s kingdom, but so far as it is concerned they sat still and rested and relied upon the League of Nations, the World Court, peace treaties, and like things, to keep Satan’s organization in possession of the world. Of course, they gave no assistance to God’s people to proclaim the truth, but treated them with contempt. Such describes the attitude of the various parts of Satan’s organization on earth from 1918 to 1922. But God’s remnant got on their feet and began to work. At the conclusion of the report by these underinspectors, ‘‘then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” (Zech. 1:12) This corresponds to the condition amongst God’s people from 1918 to 1922, probably before the general convention of the latter year at Cedar Point, Ohio. It was when the Lord’s covenant people saw that Christ the great Inspector General had come to the temple that they cried out: “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.” (Ps. 118: 25) It was in 1922 that God’s covenant people became aware of their own negligence in connection with the building of the antitypical temple. It was then that the Lord spoke words of comfort to them and they rejoiced, seeing that Jehovah’s anger had turned away from them. (Isa. 12:1-4; 61:1-3) “And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words, and comfortable words.’’ — Zech. 1:13.

26 Zechariah, having received the good and comfortable words from the Lord, was commanded to make a proclamation: “So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.’’ (Zech. 1:14) This proclamation or message must be both of God’s vengeance against the enemy and of comfort to his own people. Jehovah had put his name on his consecrated people who represented his true interest and whom he would give a part in the work of vindicating his name. Hence he manifests his jealousy (his zeal) by returning unto Zion his great favor. (Zech. 8:1-3; Ps. 102:16) For that very reason Jehovah provided for the release and delivery of his people from bondage in the year 1919. During the World War Satan’s agencies, particularly the Anglo-American empire system, had ill-treated God’s faithful people much to the displeasure of Jehovah; hence he caused his prophet to say: “And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease [careless (proud, margin), Roth.] ; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.” (Zech. 1:15) It was “Christendom”, this Anglo-American empire system, that not only became indifferent to God’s kingdom and rested in ease in their own strength to lift up the nations, but helped forward the affliction of God’s people in particular. The Lord also says, ‘‘I was but a little displeased” (with his own people), and for this reason he permitted them to be taken into custody by the enemy. (Jer. 12:7) Instead of “Christendom’s” exercising mercy towards those who preached the gospel of God’s kingdom (at that time this very preaching was with fear and trembling), “Christendom” took delight in punishing Jehovah’s covenant people and helped forward their affliction. Since then the same agents of Satan continue to make war against God’s anointed. The prophecy of Ezekiel describes the malice of “Christendom” against God’s remnant people. —See Ezekiel 25; Vindication, Book Two, page 9.

27 In making preparation for the punishment of the enemy organization Jehovah sends his “Messenger of the covenant”, Christ Jesus, to gather together his people, build up the temple class, and make them fit for participating in his work. “Therefore thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1:16) Seeing this, Jehovah’s remnant should be very zealous and not slack their hands in the work because of opposition put forth by the enemy. The Lord declares that his temple shall be built up, and it is built up, “even in troublous times.” (Dan. 9:25) ‘The line stretched forth upon Jerusalem’ is to measure the progressive work which Jehovah has done in the building up of his organization on earth since 1922. He expresses his purpose to comfort and strengthen his people. “Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad [my cities (shall) overflow with blessing, Roth.] ; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1:17) Jehovah has prospered his organization by committing to the remnant the testimony of Jesus Christ, the kingdom interests on earth, and the duty of carrying on the Elisha work, and by pouring out his spirit upon them, and bringing them into his organization, and permitting them to drink the fruit of the vine new with the Lord Jesus Christ in his organization. ‘‘For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” (Isa. 51:3) When Zion is builded up those therein must give praise to Jehovah. “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem.” (Ps. 102: 13,16,21) Jehovah has vindicated his Word toward his people by putting his message of truth into their mouths and sending them forth to deliver his testimony.—Isa. 51:16.

28 Having consoled his own people of Zion, Jehovah now tells her of the enemies that will come against her. “Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.” (Zech. 1:18) Horns symbolize means of pushing or inflicting punishment upon another. (Ezek. 34: 21; Deut. 33:17) Up to the time of the prophecy of Zechariah four devilish world powers had existed and inflicted punishment upon men who served Jehovah God. The prophecy here means that four more world powers, to wit, Greece, Rome, the Anglo-American empire system, which is “Christendom”, and the combination of the League of Nations, which is the eighth world power, would further oppose God’s anointed people. (Rev. 17:11) The angel of the Lord tells Zechariah that these horns are the powers that scatter God’s people. (Zech. 1:19) The “four horns” would also fitly represent the complete power of Satan’s organization, which does violence to God’s people and which reaches its climax of wickedness in the seventh world power.

29 The Scriptural use of “four” is symbolic of completeness, such as foursquare. ‘ ‘ And the Lord shewed me four carpenters [craftsmen, Roth.; smiths, A.R. V.].” (Zech. 1:20) Generally the word here used for “carpenters” means artificers or ones who do constructive work. The "four” is here used as symbolic of the complete army of the Lord which hammers the horns off the bull heads of Satan’s organization, and crushes them. Since the prophet inquires concerning the four constructors or artificers, the angel of the Lord said: "Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These [horns] are the horns which have scattered Judah [God’s faithful people], so that no man did lift up his head [in 1918 and 1919] : but these [artificers or carpenters or constructors] are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.” (Zech. 1:21) These are God’s provided means to discomfit the enemy, such as Gideon did in his time. (Judg. 8:12; Isa. 19:16; Ezek. 30:9) This wicked crowd of Satan rises up to scatter and to destroy those who praise Jehovah God, pictured by Judah, and the Lord God purposes the destruction of these assailants and makes preparation to that end. If Jehovah’s witnesses were left without instruction or spiritual food they would be discouraged and cast down and the enemy would put them to flight. Now Jehovah instructs his faithful people and gives them comfort and encouragement that they may have hope of complete victory through Christ Jesus; and thus he prepares them for their part in the work of vindication.

30 In preparing his people for the concluding work of the great day of battle Jehovah causes the Temple Builder, Christ Jesus, to gather his faithful ones to the temple, and from that time forward he feeds them upon spiritual food convenient for them and puts them through just such training as will best fit them for his work. The faithful remnant, appreciating the fact that since the year 1922 onward Jehovah has gradually unfolded his prophecy and has used the remnant in fulfilling prophecy and has later brought them to an understanding of the meaning thereof, have been greatly benefited and lifted up. Such knowledge of Jehovah’s purpose and experiences through which the Lord has put his people has increased their faith and hope and made them strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. It is no wonder that these faithful ones rejoice in tribulation and in the punishment inflicted upon them by Satan’s agents because of their faithfulness in bearing testimony to the kingdom. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:17, 18) Seeing that the Lord is preparing them for greater things in his service their consolation and joy increase.

QUESTIONS FOR BEREAN STUDY

1. What is Jehovah’s purpose in now giving to his people a clear understanding of his Word? What is the great truth

now revealed to those who have taken their stand on Jehovah’s side? What is the result of such revelation?

2. What, in brief, has been the experience of the human race in the ages past? Who is responsible therefor? How has he accomplished his wicked work? What has been his purpose?

3. What is meant by "Armageddon”? "Mount Zion”? "The battle of that great day of God Almighty”? By whom will that battle be fought? Just what is the necessity and purpose of Jehovah’s "preparing” for the great battle? The purpose of the battle? The purpose of the present witness work throughout the world?

4. How and when was the prophecy provided which is here under consideration? Amid what events does it begin to have fulfilment?

5, 6. When and from whom did Zechariah have this vision? What did he see?

7, 8. Explain the prophetic significance of the first procedure disclosed in the vision. Who will see and appreciate this prophecy and its meaning? Why?

9. Point out the fulfilment of Daniel 12: 1. Of Nahum 2: 1, 2. What are the evidences that the battle of Armageddon is near?

10, 11. Apply Nahum 2: 3. Also Isaiah 13: 3. To whom does Nahum 3: 14-17 apply, and what is the purpose of this command? Nahum 1: 9 finds what fulfilment?

12, 13. What is the evidence of fulfilment of Revelation 12:12? Of Revelation 16:13,14,16? Of Psalms 2:2,3 and 83: 2-5? Of Joel 3: 9, 12?

14. Distinguish between the time of ‘preparing the way before Jehovah’ and "the day of his preparation”. What is the nature of the prophecy by Zechariah? The purpose of the record thereof?

15. What is the significance (a) of the term "Lord of hosts”? (b) Of the fact of Jehovah’s revealing the meaning of that name?

16. What followed the decree issued by Cyrus? Point out the necessity then of the prophetic work of Haggai and Zechariah. Also facts concerning Zechariah, with the prophetic significance thereof.

17. Account for Jehovah’s command, "Return unto me . . . Be not as your fathers. ’ ’ To whom does the prophecy apply? Show the harmony of these words of Zechariah with Jehovah’s message to his people by Isaiah.

18, 19. When was Zechariah given this vision? How is that fact significant? Identify the "man” here seen, and explain the symbolism of his ‘ ‘ riding upon a red horse ’ ’.

20-22. Show how fitting is the expression, "He stood among the myrtle trees.” What was he doing there, and what did he see? Point out the fulfilment of this part of the prophetic vision. What, then, do we see prophetically pictured by the horses and the horsemen seen in the vision?

23, 24. Explain and apply the angel’s answer to the question, "What are these?”

25. What, in substance, was the report given by the underinspectors to their chief? What was the situation foreshown in the angel’s inquiry recorded in verse 12? When and how did the Lord ‘answer with good and comfortable words’?

26. How and when did "the Lord of hosts” manifest his ‘great jealousy for Jerusalem and for Zion’? With whom, and why, was he ‘‘very sore displeased’’? How did they ‘help forward the affliction’?

27. When and how has the Lord (a) "returned to Jerusalem with mercies”? (b) ‘Built in it his house’? (c) ‘Stretched forth a line upon Jerusalem’? (d) ‘Caused his cities, through prosperity, to overflow with blessing’? (e) ‘Comforted Zion’? (f) ‘Chosen Jerusalem’?

28. What next is seen in the vision? What is the meaning of this part of the prophecy?

29. Apply the angel’s prophetic statement concerning the "four carpenters”.

30. Describe how Jehovah has prepared his people for the concluding work of the great day of battle. How are they affected by the knowledge and the experiences which Jehovah has provided?

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

WHAT is now the duty of the true follower or disciple of Christ? In other words, does a Christian today have an obligation which does not rest upon other people?

Jehovah’s anointed King, he whose right it is to govern, said: ‘‘He that is not with me is against me.’’ (Matt. 12: 30) It is this mighty Prince after the order of Melchizedek, the Anointed King whom Jehovah has set upon his throne, that is directing and carrying on the great work of Jehovah amongst men. It is therefore certain that Satan the Devil is against God’s Anointed and against all who are with the Lord in faithful service. All who are not taking the side of Christ the King and engaging in the work which he commanded to be done, must be classed against him. Whether they know it or not, all such are influenced by Satan to be against the Lord and his work. This will include many who think they are followers of Christ. The people are blinded by the subtle influence of Satan and hence, except for the Jonadab class, are taking no part in the great work with the anointed in giving out the good news concerning the kingdom. On the contrary, many of the professed followers of Christ are allied with the enemy in opposition to those who are joyfully obeying the command in making the proclamation of God’s righteous government.

What are the denominational churches doing? They are not telling the people about God’s righteous government now at hand. The clergymen and their leaders are in open opposition to that message of God’s kingdom. They tell the people that there is no evidence of the second coming of the Lord and his kingdom. They tell the people that the church systems must reform the world and clothe it with the glory of the moral achievements of man before Christ can come. That sounds good to many ears, but it is a ruse of the Devil to turn the minds of the people away from the truth. The clergy in these denominational systems use their influence to prevent the hungry ones in their congregations from hearing the good news of the kingdom. The denominational churches are therefore doing nothing to give proclamation to the good news, but, on the other hand, are in opposition to the message.

Are all who were anointed obeying the command to give this witness? They are not; and therefore they are to that extent in opposition to the righteous government of Jehovah. Many of such who were once in line for membership in the royal family refuse to obey the Lord’s commandment and therefore show a lack of love for God, for Christ, and for his kingdom. Jesus said that at the end of the world, and necessarily at the time of coming to his temple, he would cause a separation between all of the consecrated by gathering out the lawless. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” – Matt. 13:41.

These words of the Master show that the ones gathered out were for a time in line for the kingdom. Otherwise they could not be brought out from the kingdom. They are gathered out because they become offended at the Lord’s manner of carrying on his work. ‘‘Iniquity’’ means lawlessness; and by refusing to do the Lord’s work as he commanded, such become lawless. The message of truth that comes to their ears is so strong, and points so clearly as to what the followers of Christ at this time must do in reference to announcing the kingdom, that it offends them and hardens their hearts; thereby they are shaken out. Instead of God’s trying to get men into heaven, he is shaking out every one that can be shaken, in order that the approved ones might be made manifest. – Heb. 12: 27.

During the past fifty years a goodly number have been brought to a knowledge of “present truth” and have made a consecration to do God’s will and, having been accepted as his sons, have received the call to a place in the kingdom. Some of these were by nature better endowed than others and more apt to teach, and were placed in the position of “elders”. Failing to walk in meekness and humility, and becoming impressed with their own importance, they have fallen to the wily influence of the wicked one and have become ensnared by him. They do not joyfully obey the Lord’s commandments. They have not been willing to recognize the manner in which the Lord is doing his wonderful work in the earth, and, failing to recognize and appreciate it, they have refused to do it. They have preferred to follow their own wisdom. They have leaned to their own understanding, contrary to the Lord’s commands, as written in Proverbs 3: 5, 6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” These leaders have influenced others of the consecrated to imitate their wrongful course. Failing to see the great privilege of announcing God’s righteous government, and being impressed with their own importance in the Lord’s arrangement, they think that to study, talk to each other, ‘‘develop character,’’ and get ready to go to heaven, is all that is expected of them. They overlook the fact that God has commanded his beloved ones to do his work now, and that work means that the good news of his government must be proclaimed to the people. They do not see the importance of welcoming back the King and telling others about it. Therefore they fail and refuse to engage in the witness work that must be given between the time the Lord comes to his temple and the final overthrow of Satan’s organization.

This is foreshadowed in the experience of King David, who was a type of Christ. David sent his priests to the elders of Judah, reminding them that they were his brethren and by reason thereof an obligation rested upon them. He reminded the elders that as leaders it was their duty to be the first to welcome back the king, that their influence might be used for good. “And king David sent to Zadok and to Abia-thar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house. Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?’’ — 2 Sam. 19: 11, 12.

All the anointed ones now on earth are brethren of Christ Jesus; and the obligation to welcome back the King and to joyfully declare this fact rests particularly upon those who have been made leaders among his people on earth. Many of them fail thus to do; and, failing to take the side of the Lord, their influence is placed on the opposite side and against the Lord.

Jehovah through his prophet pointed out this great testing time when his Messenger should come to his temple. He declared that it would be such a fiery trial that the question would be, Who will be able to abide that time? The prophet said: “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.’’—Mal. 3: 3.

In symbolic phrase the prophet here states that the Lord when coming to his temple would sit as a refiner and purifier of the message of truth and would purge out the errors and by flashes of light from his temple illuminate the mind of each and every one that was really devoted to him. And what was the purpose in so doing? The prophet answers, “that they [meaning the anointed ones] may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” And what is the nature of this offering? The apostle answers that it is the praise of God. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. ” (Heb. 13:15) This means that all the anointed ones who love and appreciate the Lord will withstand the fiery trial and will thereafter offer in righteousness the sacrifice of praise unto God continually by obediently making announcement or proclamation concerning his righteous government.

“HE HOLDETH FAST HIS INTEGRITY”

THE significance of the malicious activity of Satan against the God-fearing man Job is now due to be clearly understood, since, according to the Scriptures, it is God’s due time to unfold the meaning of these ancient prophecies, for the enlightenment and refreshment of those who live upon earth today.

That which is written concerning Job, in the book of the Bible bearing his name, takes on greater interest when we begin to see that God used him to make a marvelous picture of the vindication of God’s word and the restitution of the human race.

Satan accused Jehovah of hedging Job about, and also all his beasts, so that Job could not be induced to worship the Devil. Jehovah told Satan that he might try his hand to induce Job to repudiate the Lord; and then Satan went forth to make preparations for the attack, with the wicked purpose of destroying Job’s devotion to the Lord.

The day came when all Job’s children were in the house of his eldest son, eating and drinking together. Satan stirred up his instruments the Sabeans, and they stole the oxen and the asses of Job and took them away, and killed his servants. Other servants were herding the sheep, when both sheep and servants were destroyed by fire. About the same time the Chaldeans, also servants of the Devil, stole the camels of Job and slew his servants having them in charge.

While the children of Job were together eating and drinking, Satan stirred up a great windstorm that destroyed the house in which they were, and all Job’s children were killed. (Job 1:13-19) The Devil thought that now Job would curse God. On the contrary, Job abased himself before the Lord God and said: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1: 21, 22) Unlike Adam, Job showed his complete submission and willing obedience to Jehovah. Job therefore maintained his integrity and his devotion to God.

It is quite probable that Adam wept and cried because of his loss, after he was expelled from Eden. Also that he became embittered and suffered. Both Adam and his offspring have been hated and have suffered at the hands of the Devil. The name Job means “he that weeps, that cries, that is hated and is persecuted”. In this he well represents the members of the human family that have suffered because of their efforts to do right. The history of the human race is recorded in tears of bitterness. After the loss by Job of his children and his property there came another day when the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord, and again Satan was there also to present himself before the Lord. (Job 2:1) Satan the Devil still had conversation with God:

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” - Job 2: 3-6.

Satan was determined to break the confidence of Job in the Lord and to turn him away from the Lord God. “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils, from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” (Job 2:7) Again Job humbled himself before the Lord, which is shown representatively by his sitting down among the ashes. “And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal ; and he sat down among the ashes.”—Job 2: 8.

Then Satan bethought himself of his method of reaching Adam. In his effort to break Job’s integrity he now used the woman whom God had given Job for a wife. “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse [renounce] God, and die.” (Job 2:9) Again the Devil failed in his wicked attempt to destroy Job’s faith. Job responded to his wife in words of rebuke: “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”—Job 2:10.

Adam fell when the test was upon him. He sinned willingly with his eyes open. (1 Tim. 2:14) Adam did not love God. He was controlled by his selfish desire. Satan concluded that, because Adam yielded to his selfish desire at Eve’s suggestion and fell, Job would likewise yield to his wife’s suggestion and fall. Job did not fall under the test. He did not rebel against God or deny him. After Job had lost his children and all his property he still had the confidence of God and full faith in God and therefore maintained his integrity. It was at that time that God said to Satan: “And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

Integrity means fidelity to what one believes is right, regardless of what extraneous influence may be brought to bear upon him. It means that one insists upon his own innocence of any willful wrong-doing and still maintains his faith in and devotion to his Creator. One may be charged with a crime and suffer great punishment under and by reason of such charge and yet be innocent, and amidst all his suffering honestly insist upon his innocence of willful wrongdoing. In this he would hold the confidence of those who knew him. The record, made in the book bearing his name, shows that Job at all times and under the greatest suffering steadfastly maintained his integrity by holding fast his faith in God and having the confidence of God.

It has been suggested that Adam in Eden was perfect in everything except experience. Such conclusion is wrong and contrary to the Scriptures. Jehovah God created Adam perfect. It is expressly written, in Deuteronomy 32: 4, that all the works of Jehovah are perfect. There is no such thing as a qualified perfection, when speaking of the handiwork of Jehovah. Adam preferred to yield to the influence of the Devil rather than to obey God, and he therefore fell and lost everything which God had given him. In describing his condition the prophet Isaiah uses these words: “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.’’ — Isa. 1: 6.

Job was imperfect in his organism, but he had a perfect heart devotion to the Lord. He preferred to serve God rather than the Devil, and in this he maintained his integrity and had God’s confidence therein. Thus it is demonstrated that there was no excuse for Adam’s wrongful course. This also proves that there is no excuse for an intelligent creature to willingly choose to serve the Devil rather than to serve God. One who loves God will seek to know his way and to do it so far as it is possible; and such a course is pleasing to God.

The book of Job has long been a mystery. By many it is claimed to be merely a choice piece of literature. Others say it is the greatest poem in the world. It is much more than either of such claims. It was Jehovah God who caused the book to be written. For the benefit of all those who are wholly devoted to Jehovah it is further written in the Bible: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4) Furthermore, God made promise that during the ‘ ‘ time of the end” some would have the correct understanding of his Word, which must include the book of Job. (Dan. 12: 4, 10) It seems quite clear, then, that a time must come, before God’s anointed class have passed from the earth, for some of them to understand the book of Job. Involved in the record are these:

Jehovah God; the sons of God; Satan the enemy; Job, the man of Uz; the wife of Job; the ten children of Job; Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, the three professed friends of Job; Elihu, the young man; and numerous spectators. The places involved included both heaven and earth. It seems quite certain that there is contained in the book a lesson of paramount importance to all creation, and particularly to man. It is therefore the privilege of the anointed to search out by God’s grace the meaning thereof in God’s due time.

BABYLON: THE DEVIL’S ORGANIZATION

THE powerful, superhuman and invisible force behind the earthly human organizations that oppress the whole race of mankind is the great wicked one, Satan the Devil. After the great flood, which destroyed the old world, the beginning of Satan’s organizations on earth for misruling the human race was Babylon. The notorious Nimrod was the human agent which Satan used to found Babylon on the plains of Shinar. The annals of the sacred Scriptures say: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel [or Babylon], and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”—Gen. 10:10.

Nimrod, the first king of that wicked city Babylon, was a giant and a great hunter of wild beasts, a great campaigner and acquirer of property by seizure, and exalted himself before the people as greater than Jehovah God. He shows forth, therefore, the propensities of the religionists, the profiteer or militarist, and the politician. It is manifest, however, that the chief purpose of the organization, put foremost at that time, was to establish the Devil-worship and bring reproach upon the name of Jehovah God.

In the course of time Nebuchadnezzar succeeded Nimrod as the ruler of Babylon. He also was a strong sponsor of the Devil religion. The words of the prophet Ezekiel (21: 21) bear out this fact, when he writes of Nebuchadnezzar, saying: “For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.” The prophet Daniel (3:1) calls attention to the same fact, saying: “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. ’ ’ He- was a wicked, tyrannical and cruel ruler. (Dan. 4:27) Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah (51:34) speaks of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon as a dragon, saying: “He hath swallowed me up like a dragon.” Therefore the Lord, through his prophet, identifies the king of Babylon as the Devil’s representative and gives him one of the Devil’s names, namely, “dragon.” The same prophet also calls the king of Babylon “the king of Sheshach”.—Jer. 25: 26.

The prophet Isaiah definitely identifies Lucifer, who became Satan the Devil, as the invisible ruler of Babylon, and supports the identification God gave through Jeremiah. The fourteenth chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy (14:4, 12, 13) says: “Thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.’’ This agrees with the fact that Nimrod established his organization in Babylon in the north instead of in the south; therefore that in forming that organization he invaded the land settled by others.

The evidence is strong and convincing that the king, ruler, god and “husband” of Babylon is Satan, that old Serpent, the Devil. Babylon is thereby Satan’s wife, and hence is symbolized by an evil and immoral woman. It has been said that Babylon pictured ‘the church nominal which was originally the gateway to glory and to God’, but which fell and “became a gateway to error and confusion and a miserable mixture composed chiefly of tares and hypocrites”. The Scriptures do not support that conclusion. Babylon was never the nominal organization of God or of Christ. Babylon was never on the side of the Lord God, but was organized in defiance of Jehovah God at the time of the building of the tower of Babel; and it was devoted to the Devil religion, and therefore could not fall away from God. Therefore it could not mean or symbolize an apostate religion; but it does mean that which it is and always has been, a devilish religion and devilish organization. The fact that religions other than the so-called “Christian religion” have fallen to Satan’s organization is entirely a different matter.

Jehovah called it “Ba-bel”, or “confusion”, from the time it was founded on the plains of Shinar; and therefore Babylon could not represent an organization that was once the gateway to heavenly glory: He called it “confusion” because it was the place where he confused the tongues or speech of the people. Babylon worshiped the Devil from the very beginning. The facts show beyond all doubt that Babylon (or Bab-il) is the organization founded by Jehovah’s archenemy, Satan the Devil. That name has from the very beginning stood for the Devil’s organization, and still stands for it. Manifestly it is only in irony and derision that God addresses Babylon as a virgin.—Isa. 47:1.

The Scriptures show that the Devil’s organization is of two parts, to wit, first, that which is invisible to man and which really controls, and hence controls the entire organization; and, second, that part which is visible to man. The organization is designated in the Scriptures as “this present evil world”, over which Satan is the god. (Gal. 1:4; 2 Cor. 4:3,4) The invisible part is called “heaven”, because invisible; while the visible part is called “earth”, because visible to man. (2 Pet. 3: 7) That Babylon symbolizes Satan’s organization or world is clear from the following scripture, which reads: ‘‘The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. . . . Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. . . . And I [Jehovah] will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. ... Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord [Jehovah] of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”—Isa. 13: 1-13; Rev. 17: 3-5, 18.

The construction of the ancient city of Babylon represented both her heavenly and her earthly divisions and position. Out from the well-spring in Eden flowed the river Euphrates, which well represents the human race after the expulsion of man from the garden of Eden. The city of Babylon was built on both sides of that river, which flowed from north to south, and the river therefore divided the city into two parts. In one part of the city was built the temple, and in the other part of the city the palace; and the two parts were connected by a beautiful bridge and also by an underground passage. The two divisions of the city hemmed in the river, and the waters of the river passed between the two divisions. The river therefore represents the human race, hemmed in between the invisible and visible parts of the Devil’s organization over which he rules. He rules there, and his organization rests upon and draws support from the people. Babylon is described in the Scriptures as a “whore”, and is referred to by the Lord’s prophet as ‘sitting upon the multitudes, peoples, and nations’.—Rev. 17:15.

The city of Babylon, the Devil’s organization, is in the Scriptures charged with and shown as guilty of fornication, idolatry, sorcery, murder, and many other crimes. (Rev. 17: 5, 6) Babylon the great is reported to have “made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”. (Rev. 14:8) “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Rev. 18:3) “Stand now [Babylon] with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.” (Isa. 47:12,13) “For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Rev. 18:23) “For [Babylon] is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.” (Jer. 50:38) “The nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. ’ ’ (Jer. 51:7) The book of Revelation, chapter nineteen, verse two, calls Babylon ‘ ‘ the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication”.

The Scriptures associate wine with the harlot. Evidently this is not the wine that the clergy and the advocates of prohibition pretend to be against. The Lord defines what it is when he says in Isaiah’s prophecy (28:7): “They also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way.” “They are drunken, but not with [natural] wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.” (Isa. 29:9) It is manifest that they are intoxicated with the wicked things which the Devil has promulgated and caused to be taught. It is the wine of the harlot and is a counterfeit of the wine of God’s true organization, and of which Proverbs, chapter nine, verses one and two, speaks, saying: “Wisdom . . . hath killed her beasts, she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.”

It has been suggested that the “wine of her fornication” (Rev. 17:2) means the union of the nominal church with the states of this world, thereby manifesting unfaithfulness toward “the Bridegroom” of the true church, who is Jesus. This could hardly be true. Neither literal nor symbolic Babylon was ever espoused to the Bridegroom Jesus, and the church could not therefore be guilty of fornication in this sense. Babylon was espoused and married to the Devil, and the doctrines that she has put forth have caused others to commit fornication and adultery with her. Eartn’s kings have committed fornication with her. Babylon, being the product of the Devil’s power, could not be represented otherwise than as an unchaste or immoral woman, representing an immoral organization in the sight of God; and hence the ruling factors of the earth, uniting with her and adopting her religion, would be guilty of uncleanness; and any system uniting with her or being seduced by her, and that had once belonged to the Lord’s organization, would be guilty of fornication and adultery. The worship of idols, especially on the part of those who had once been in covenant with Jehovah, brands them with adultery and uncleanness, all of which Babylon is guilty of starting or originating.

The Second Book of Chronicles, chapter twenty-one, verse eleven, states: “Moreover, [Jehoram, king of Judah] made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.” The inhabitants of Jerusalem were God’s covenant people, but when they adopted the Devil religion they committed fornication with the Devil’s organization, to wit, Babylon. The same rule applies to spiritual Israel. Those who, having once been God’s covenant people, thereafter became contaminated by the wine or false doctrines of the Devil and adopted the Devil religion, committed fornication with Babylon the mother of harlots, and her name attaches to them by reason of their being adopted into her family.

Jehovah God brands Babylon as “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth”. She is the mother of everything that is abominable in God’s sight. She is the mother of ‘the abomination that maketh desolate, spoken of by Daniel the prophet’, which abomination is the present-day League of Nations. (Matt. 24:15) The name Babylon applies primarily to Satan’s organization, and attaches to all the seed which that organization produces and which represents that wicked organization.