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~ewatchtower published seuuiontrly by watch tower bible fj tract society 117 adams street n h knorr brooklyn i n.y u.s.a officers president w e van aliburgh secretary and all thy children shall be tau~ht of jehovah and ~reat shall be the peace of thy chtldren · ljlllah 54:jj the scriptures clearly teach that jehovah is the only true god and is from everlasting to everlasting the maker of heaven and earth and the giver of life to his creatures that the logos was the beginning of his creation and his active agent in the creation of all other things and is now the lord jesus christ in glory clothed with all power in heaven and earth as the chief executive officer of jehovah that god created the earth for man created perfect man for the earth and placed him upon it that man willfully disobeyed god s law and was sentenced to death that by reason of adam s wrong act all men are born sinners and without the right to life that the logos was made human as the man jesus and suffered death in order to produce the ransom or redemptive price for obedient ones of mankind that god raised up jesus divine and exalted him to heaven above every other creature and above every creature s name and clothed 111m with all power ana authority that god s capital organization is a theocracy called zion and that christ jesus is the chief officer thereof and is the rightful king of the world that the anointed and faithful followers of christ jesus are children of zion members of jehovah s organization and are his witnesses whose duty and privilege it is to testify to the supremacy of jehovah declare his purposes toward mankind as expressed m the bible and to bear the fruits of the kmgdom before all who wl11 hear that the old world ended in a d 1914 and the lord jesus christ has been placed by jehovah upon his throne of authority has ousted satan from heaven and is proceeding to the establishment of the new earth of the new world that the relief and blessings of the peoples of earth can come only by and through jehovah s kingdom under christ which has now begun that the lord s next great act is the destruction of satan s orgamzatlon and the complete establishment of righteousness m the earth and that under the kingdom the people of good-will that survive armageddon shall carry out the divine mandate to fill the earth with a righteous race feed the flock testdiony period its mission his journal is publishe for the purpose of enabling the people to know lehovah god and his purposes as expressed in the bible it publishes bible instruction specifically designed to aid jehovah s witnesses and all people of good-wlll it arranges systematic bible study for its readers and the society supplies other literature to aid in such studies it publishes suitable material for radio broadcasting and for other means of public instruction in the scriptures it adheres strictly to the bible as authority for its utterances it is entirely free and separate from all religion parties sects or other worldly organizations it is wholly and without reservation for the kingdom of jehovah god under christ his beloyed king it is not dogmatic but invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the scriptures it does not indulge in controversy and its columns are not open to personalities t ysailly sudsckiptiol plllcii unitiid statu $1 00 all other countries $1.50 american currenc gneat britain australasia a d soi tii arnica gs amefloan remitg acf a8 i~h~s~r blfrr ·1 a d e l l neyr 1~i lg~psbysle i be made direct to the reapeetlve branch olllce remittnnces from countrles other than those mentioned mal be malle to the brooklyn olllce but by 1i,tenaahcli141 p tal 1i10ney order only fokiiio offices brm.h · 34 cra en terrace london v 2 en~land a.ut alculall ·· 7 beresford road strathlleld n s w australia 80 th africa · boston houae cape town soutb africa r dla ·· · 167 love lane bombay 21 inula please nddresa the soelety in every case trnnslatlona of thla journal appear in several languares all sincere students of the bible who by rea on of inllrmity j?c!verty or ad erslty are unable to pay the subscription rice mlly llave 1 10 n otehtoldor free ul>on written application to tile ilubll he made ouce each ear statlnl tie reason for eo ueslllil it e ore glad to thus aid the needy but the written application ouce each ear a required by the poetal re ulationa not,u to bull.erlbe acknowledgment of a ne or a rene al sub acrlptlon will be bent only when requealed chnn e of nll,lres lien requl!loted may be expected to nr.pear on nddress lauel wlllliu one month a rene.nl blank carryldg not ce of exr.lratlou will be .ent ltll tbe journal one month before tile 8ubscrlpt on expires printed in the united stat ot america eftte ed a· eotld-du matter at the polt offrce at drool/lin der the ,let of 1i o ej 3 js 7 1 1 44 memorial date february expected to be the blackest month of the l ortbern winter for food supplies wj.1l not want for spiritual nourishment the month has been named feed the floej testimony period great effort to reach the scattered sheep with meat in due season will be made by jehovah s wltnesses and their companions february will open a great three-month house-to·house campaign whereever the magazine is permitted circulation to idcrense the subscription list of the watchtower a special offer w1l1 be autborized of a year s subscription for this journal together with a copy of the truth shall mah you free and freedom in the new world as !l premium at the regular subscription rate of $1.00 for anyone s part m this special campaign considerable preparation will be required jehovah s witnesses and compamons will accordmgly begm plannmg and preparmg now to launch out at the openmg of the camp:ugn fully equipped and instructed eager to exceed anythmg that has been attamed heretofore id such an effort for 100,000 new american subeeribers watchtower studies due to the interrupted or delayed commudlcations witb other countries under codlhtlons of total war the memorial dale for this year namely saturday april b 1944 after 6 p m slanual

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gne;walcihi1fo announcing jehovah s kingdom vol lxv january 1 1944 no.1 divine education of the servant teach me to do thy will for thou art my god ps 143 10 ehov.ah teaches his servant in the time of great of having personal fulfillments many times in the stress and affiiction at the hands of enemies the lives of individuals walking in christ s steps all down servant is bound to do the good pleasure of his through the centuries the psalm begins fulfilling at divine :master and lord at all times and at what a certain point of time and that upon a body or ever cost under the pressure from the enemies the group of his faithful followers that time is from servant may cast about in his mind what is the course and after a d 1914 at that date jehovah set up for him to take the faithful and devoted servant his theocratic government under his elect servant does so desiring to please his lord and hence to do christ jesus and then had him hurl the unfaithful god s will in an approved manner seryant satan out of heaven 2 particularly since 1918 the great issue which · christ jesus applied the psalms of david to confronts all the world is whom will you serve himself as concerns individuals he is the only one jehovah god and his kingdom or the great adversary typified singly by the psalmist luke 24 44 45 and his organization the servant has chosen to acts 4 24-28 in a fleshly way he was related to serve the god of truth and righteousness undividedly david through the jewish maiden mary and was for him there is no turning aside or back with divine thereby of the tribe of judah but that was not the approval to show integrity he must keep fidelity main reason whv jesus was called the son of and preserve unbreakable his attachment to the lord david his son;hip was not simply to mark him of his choice the enemy opposition simply furnishes as a human descendant of david but was to identify the sen ant the opportunity to demonstrate obedience jesus as the heir to the divine government as foreto the lord under fire by thus manifesting unquench shadowed by the typical theocratic government in able love for him he honors the lord as the worthy which david reigned over the nation of israel such one to whom service is due it is not his own pleasure was the reason why at his triumphal ride into j ernand will that he seeks to do nor that of the enemies or salem the multitudes that hailed him cried out any other creatures it is his lord s will and pleasure hosanna to the son of david blessed is he that that are all-important to carry alit the lord god cometh in the name of the lord hosanna in the backs up his servant and deab with the enemies as highest blessed be the king that cometh in the deserying he enlightens his seryant as to his good name of the lord peace in heaven and glory in the pleasure because he delights in his sen ant s willing highest iatt 21 9 luke 19 38 according to ness and loyalty and is glad to keep him in his service fleshly descent he was david s son but by his appointment from jehovah god to be the king in j ehovllh s s psalm 143 is a melody of ,jehovah s servant and is entitled a psalm of david it was inspired of goyernment of universal domination he was david s god the lord god brought the psalmist into a lord or master matt 22 41-46 setting that was prophetic also by the holy spint i about seven or eight years before david s birth god caused him to utter and write down things that the lord god by his prophet samuel said to disobediare a prophecy 2 sam 23 1-3 the psalm was com· ent king saul thou hast done foolishly thou hast posed by an individual a prophet but aside from not kept the commandment of the lorn thy god god s chief servant christ jesus it could have which he commanded thee for now would the lorn personal application to no individual it applies to have established thy kingdom upon israel for ever a class of persons of whom christ jesus is the head but now thy kingdom shall not continue the lorn because these follow in his footsteps hence instead hath sought him a man after his own heart and the lord hath commanded him to be captain over his 1 when and why doe jehovah servant cabt about in hi mind as j to what cou e 10 take and bo teacbe him 2 under hat re

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4 shewatchtower brooklyn n y people 1 sam 13 13,14 no mere chance was it 15 14 13 45-48 rom 12 4 5 1 cor 12 12,13 18 2i then that at the child s birth his father jesse called · in 1918 came the time for the lord to come to him david the name means beloved j dear it the temple for the judgment of the house of god was proper to call thus the one who would prove to those elect body-members who had died faithful to be a man after [god s own heart however the him and who were in the graves awaiting his corning name was also given for the stronger reason that into his kingdom he raised from the sleep of death david was to be a type or prophetic pattern of the these having been judged as worthy were given one respecting whom god would speak from heaven the reward of bearing his heavenly likeness being at llis baptism and his transfiguration saying this raised to life in the spirit immortal and were united is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased to him at the temple there were still living on earth latt 3 17 17 5 in a flawless and perfect sense a remnant who are candidates to be memhers of his jesus on etlrth was the man after [god s own glorious heavenly body these are children of heart acts 13 22 23 he was the servant of the god by his woman zion his organization con lost high god that never deflected from his father s cerning such of zion s children revelation 12 9 13 will in the shadow of a degree or for an instant 17 reads and the great dragon was cast out that such prophetic relationship of david to christ jesus old serpent called the devil and satan which makes the 143d psalm therefore one of heightened deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the importance and interest to us earth and his angels were cast out with him ami when the dragon saw that he wils cast unto the earth feryent appeal he persecuted the woman which brought forth the 8 the psalm breaks forth with an appeal to the man child and the dragon was wroth with the lord god jehovah hear my prayer 0 lord give woman and went to make war with the remnant of ear to my supplications in thy faithfulness answer her seed which keep the commandments of god and me and in thy righteousness and enter not into have the testimony of jesus christ judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall · the remnant of body-members have the testino man living be justified ps 143 1 2 can such mony of jesus christ and represent him their be the words of god s elect servant christ jesus head persecution upon them is as though done to from and after 1914 at which time he was crowned the king himself the apostle paul testifies that in the heavens to reign as king for jehovah in the when he as saul of tarsus was tracking down the theocratic government his first act then being to body-members of christ then the lord miraculously cast the unfaithful servants satan and his demons appeared to him and said saul saul why perseout of heaven and down to the earth how can cutest thou met it is hard for thee to kicl against such words have any relation to the reigning king the pricks and i said who art thou lord t and triumphant over his foes t in the following way he said i am jesus whom thou persecutest acts 26 14 15 l ioreover jesus told in advance of the t the great theocrat jehovah purposed to give christ jesus a body of associates h4,ooo in number time when he should reign on the throne and conchrist jesus would be their head as these would sit cerning those who at that time should do anything down in the throne with him and reign with him he to his last body-members or spiritual brethren he would be lord of lords and king of kings or said verily i say unto you inasmuch as ye have prince of the kings of the earth rev 7 4-8 done it unto one of the least of these my brethren h 1 3 j 17 14 1 5 ps 89 27 at his coming in the ye have done it unto me matt 25 31 10 such flesh about two thousand years ago he began select statement must be because the king is represented ing these body members the first ones thereof were on earth by his last body-members the remnant 0 persecution by the dragon organization against his faithful apostles only a minority of the jewish nation believed and accepted him and became mem the faithful remnant causes psalm 143 to undergo bers of the body of christ hence to complete the its complete and final fulfillment unquestionably body jehovah god in due time did visit the gen then david of old was used to picture the faithful tiles [non-jewish nations to take out of them a remnant of christ s followers at the end of the world people for his name the selecting of the body where we have been since a d 1914 his footstep members and fitting them for the kingdom has followers are also beloved of god for it is written continued from that time till this it appears that to them behold what manner of love the father the majority of the members of the body of christ hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the have been taken from among the gentiles acts sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not 6 wltb what oppell does pnlm 143 break fortb alld wbat qul!liuoll8 as to application thtreof arlae and wby 7 now did jehovab purpo.e to make cbrlst jl!liu a lord of lord and klug of kings nnd wben did tbe needed work of aelecuoll berlll and from nmone wbom 8 at ble comlne to tbe temple in 1918 bow were the falthlul bodymembe tben in death rewarded alld what actlon did tbe dull take toward the remnant thereof yet on eerth 9 why wlui eucb persecutlon done to chrljlt jl!liue in etfect 10 whom then dgell dayld lui e:rpreeelull blmeelf in psalm 143 picture and wby too ie bl name appropriate?

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j a~uary 1 1944 ~ewatchtower 5 because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of god 1 john 3 1,2 11 god s time of sufferance of the treacherous servants satan and his demons to operate in heaven expired in 1914 then in faithfulness to his promise god brought forth his elect servant as king set up the theocratic government with him and banished satan s crowd from heaven having been unable to devour the new theocratic government at its birth the dragon satan and his crowd went after the ones on earth in line for the kingdom jehovah s servants who were following the steps of his chief servant christ jesus both throu h the bible and through the epoch-making events fulfilling bible prophecies concerning the kingdom god informed this servant companv of the kin dom s estahlishment in 1914 so now god s commandments to announce the kingdom s beginning to all the nations of the earth applied to them and they must obey the testimony of jesus christ was always and is regarding the idngdom of god and thev must keep it by bearing witness to all peoples · 12 satan purposed to censor the news that should go to the people whom he had deceived lest any of the people should forsake his own world organization and choose kingdom service he tried to obscure the fact of the kingdom s establishment he tried to stamp out all proclamation of the ood news by destroying or muzzling jehovah s sen~ants who were active to l eep god s commandments he caused them to be hated of all nations using world war i as a goad to ~he nations ~o suppress the kingdom proclamation in the vicious persecution that fo~lowed ~ome were killed and others were put in grisly prisons the rest were put in an effective condition of restraint by mobs raids martial law and legislative hans and proscriptions the houndin and affiicting of jehovah s consecrated people reached its climax in the united states in 1918 13 thus the year that marked the halting of world war i also witnessed the beloved david class of jehovah god lying inactive hemmed in on all sides by the enemy and under sore bonds ref>training them from their accustomed kingdom proclamation the worldly element that caused such sincere followers of christ to be driven out from their freedom of worship was the same as caused jesus own kingdom proclamation to be silenced by murder namelv the religious clergy who chose worldly ~lers as· king instead of christ such religious clergy are the chief visible representatives of the dragon organization 11 why did sata and his demonl go atter tbese kingdom repre.entath on earlb and hy muot these bear testimony concerning tbe kingdom 12 how did satan try to censor tbe klnl:dolll newl to tbe people and lui a conlequence hat experiences were tbrult upoil god coil.eerated people down to 1911l 13 lienee the yenr 1918 wltlles.ed them ii what condition add due ~fjti f iy.e a~ro~n~f e il marnta and therefore jiat appeal in dogging the steps of the remnant of the seed of god s woman zion the dragon uses the religious clergy as chief persecutors and instigators of persecution in 1918 and for some time afterward the restrained and outcast servant class of j eho ah raised the appeal 0 jehovah hear my prayer give ear unto my supplication in thy faithfulness answer me-in thy righteousness and enter not into judgment with thy servant for no one living is justified before thee ps 143 1,2 young being viewed and treated as the filth and offscouring of all the world they could pray and look only to jehovah god for help and deliverance 1 cor 4 13 h that appeal is not the voice of complaint or faultfinding toward god it is an earnest entreaty that the most high and holy god should account them worthy to have their prayer and supplications heard and answered in due time it expresses belief in god s faithfulness and that he will do the right thing he has given his word and these in trouble put confidence in his word and call upon him to fulml his reliable promises and not their desires they cry to him out of no unrighteous motives but that the answer of god may be in right keeping witll the servant s relationship to his lord rather than cast off all his ties and spoil his reliability and integrity toward his lord rather than quit his service because of the suffering to which it leads the &ervant cleaves unshakably to his lord and asks for some helpful recognition from the lord that he is still retained as his servant h the world does not recognize the lord s servant as such but the religionists scoff at him because esteeming themselves to be god s favorites clue to the success of their conspiracy against jehovah s servant they condemn the servant class as unpatriotic as seditious conspirators and unhearable nuisances and costly parasites on human society and exceptionally unworthy of freedom of worship the servant class confess that they are not perfect being born like others in sin and shapen in iniquity as descendants of rebellious adam on the basis of human perfection they could no more justify themselves before god than the religionists or any other human creatures but they know that their inborn sinfulness and physical imperfections are not the deciding thing or reason for their restraints and persecutions inasmuch as they have access to the blood of jesus christ to have their unwilling sins forgiven and washed away hence they ask god not to enter into judgment with them as to perfectness of conduct they say if thou lord shouldest mark iniquities 0 lord who shall stand but there is 14 it not complaint or taulttlndlnl hat tloe thll ippell exllress and hy doe tbe oer ant alit 80me reeognltloll trom ihe lord · 15 how doeo the ork view anti lpeak ot tbe .e ·ant clao.l and hy do tbey uk god 1i0t to enter into judgmellt with tbem 011 tbe bnojs ot perfeetne of collduet u helnl tbe deciding tactor 1

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6 shewatchtower brooklyn n y forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be fcared -ps 130 3 4 rom 3 9 10 18 the real issue and cause for judgment is whether the servant is in a covenant or sacred contract with god to serve him and vhether in his heart the servant is denying that covenant and willingly breaking or failing to carry it out the vital question is one of covenant-keeping the fulfilling of one s consecration to do the will of the lord and ~ra8ter christendom is made up of religionists guilty of not living up to their implied covenant with god whom they profess to worship their wicked effort toward the servant class is to force them to be covenant-breakers like themselves yielding to this enemy effort would mean everlasting destruction to j ehovah s covenant people rom 1 31 32 due to the heavy combined onslaught of the enemy in 1918 god s consecrated servants on earth became affected with iniquity of lip like when the prophet isaiah confessed to being a man of unclean lips because the seraphim of god at the temple were declaring his holiness and glory but the prophet s lips were silent because of the people among whom he dwelt continued silence and iniquity of lip would finally be fatal for god s servants so they desired from him not adverse judgment but a purging of lip to declare again his kingdom truth only by being faithful to their covenant obligations as his servant could they properly beseech him to answer them in faithfulness and righteousness to denv him would lead him to deny them 2 tim 2 12 13 religious intolerance well realizing it is not the time to justify themselves before god or men but is the time to justify and honor the lord the sen ant class state the reason for asking his answer to their pleadings for the enemy hath persecuted iny soul he hath smitten my life down to the ground he hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me my heart within me is desolate ps 143 3,4 the intent of enemy persecution is to heap reproach upon jehovah to whom the servant class are consecrated and whose name they hear 18 hen david uttered the above words of the psalm he was an outlaw in israel he was such not according to the law of the most high god but according to the arhitrary decree and mischievous law framed by king saul david was no lawbreaker or disorderly person nor a conspirator against the interests and the highest welfare of the nation it 11 was saul s jealousy and his obsession by demons that drove him to hate and persecute david because of saul s presumptuousness and his disregard of god s commandments even before david s birth god canceled the continuance of the kingdom in saul s family and later sent the prophet samuel to anoint david as king-elect with da id s anointing the lord s spirit came upon him and the lord removed his spirit from saul thereafter david using but a stone in a sling went forth in jehovah s name and slew the philistine champion the giant goliath for his military exploits in saul s service that followed david received superior praise from the people saul then tried to bring about david s death at philistine hands and himself made two personal attempts at davido s life david escaped and fled for his life he finally took refuge in the darksome bowels of the earth in the cave adullam located in the mountainous j udean wilderness toward the dead sea in this retreat 400 men including dayid s father s household joined him 1 sam 22 1 2 i t doubtless like psalm 142 this succeeding psalm now under study was composed by david at the ca,e separated from free intercourse with the rest of god s covenant people and living in a hole in the earth jehovah s anointed servant felt like a dead man long interred and forgotten but there was one in israel who did not forget and who was noteworthy for standing up against king saul in behalf of david that man of good-will was saul s own son jonathan for acting in good-will he put his life in danger at saul s hand j and he helped david escape while david was in the cave jonathan s sympathies and thoughts were with god s anointed servant and after david s whereabouts were reported jonathan secretly hunted him up and jonathan saul s son arose and went to david into the wood and strengthened his hand in god and he said unto him fear not for the hand of saul my father shall not find thee and thou shalt be king over israel and i shall he next unto thee and that also saul my father knoweth and they two made a covenant b~fore the lord 1 sam 23 16-18 truly jonathan whose name means gift of jehovah was like a gift of god to david for help and comfort 20 king saul david s persecutor pictures chri tendom s religious clergy and those who are the evil servant class toward god all such together make up the man of sin or son of perdition class this class are the enemies and persecutors of j ehovah s consecrated servant who proclaims god s kingdom as the rightful rule of the earth and as mankind s only hope the spirit of the lord god is upon 19 la why did david speak of himself as made to dwell in dar~nl!sll and as thobe that have been lonl dead b to whom howe.er wu david not as dead snd out of mind and how was thl· ·1io n 20 tal whoin does king maul picture and hat oplrh i upon such ib what does that cla attempt resl>e t1nlt god s servant cia so that theae .peak in the language of paalm 143 4 lg what 10 the renl lmue or cause for judl;ment resl eetlnl the servant anel why

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january 1 1944 seewatchtower 7 the servant class but the spirit of the demons is upon the religious man of sin class the servant class begotten of god s spirit are in line for a place in the theocratic kingdom and are his conunissioned publishers of that kingdom for this reason the envious religious leaders who now try to rule as spiritual lords and kings on earth and who claim superior rights to the l ngdom of heaven hate jehovah s servant class and persecute them they seek thus to cause destruction to their soul thereby the clergy seek to prevent their own fraudulent claims of being god s ordained representatives and anointed heirs of the kingdom from being exposed they cause jehovah s servant to be outlawed banned and their literature to be proscribed by the political governments and thus drive them underground they hope to keep them in the darkness out of the limelight and out of the public eye and mind and so to suppress the kingdom message they try to quench jehovah s spirit in them and to desolate their hearts of all love for god this they apparently succeeded in doing during world war i and especially during 1918 then jehovah s consecrated people were like the valley of dry bones seen in the vision of ezekiel 37 1-14 in that condition they said like david and my spirit hath fainted upon me in the midst of me astounded is my heart ps 143 4 rotherham pss 21 david s state of confinement provided time for meditation and meditation led to hope i remember the days of old i meditate on all thy works i muse on the work of thy hands i stretch forth my hands unto thee my soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land selah ps 143 5,6 david was familiar with god s vord that is the books thereof written by ioses and joshua and the judges he was a man of faith and therefore believed in that sacred record of jehovah s deliverances of his faithful people by his mighty acts of old 1 ieditating upon such acts stirred up the hope that the same almighty god would work like acts of deliverance for the servant now in distress in entreaty david stretched forth his hands to god the god of deliverances because david was like a land weary of waiting for rain and needing refreshment in order to bring forth fruitage to god s glory he thirsted for this visible expression of god s mercy and goodness to him in order that he might come to life again in the free and active service in behalf of jehovah s theocratic rule over his covenant people u such was the yearning attitude of the servant class of the lord god in 1918 and for a short time thereafter time for reflection was afforded them by their restrained condition their hearts were on 21 in hi ronftnement upon what did david meditate hat did thl a al en in blm and tor wbat did he lhlrht 22 holy was the like true rel:ardlnl lhe servant dass in 1918 and for ii .hort time thereafter god s work but their lack of understanding of his word had caused them perplexity it had let them submit to being unrighteously deprived of their liberty and privileges of serving the lord so they meditated on god s word particularly his prophecies that had forecast his work for these days they refreshed themselves with the record of god s acts of liberation in ancient time and hoped for an antitypical or modern-day fulfillment of such toward themselves they got an understanding of the prophetic meaning of elijah s relationship to elisha and of elisha s becoming prophet in the room of his predecessor elijah see the watchtower august 1 and 15 1919 this led them to see that the lord god had a further work to do like elisha s and that he would use his faithful servant class in his hand to do it they were weary of idleness as to the kingdom proclamation idleness resulting in no bearing of the kingdom fruits to god s praise or for the nourishment of those seeking life et~rnal they stretched forth their hands to god that he might rescue them from this barren condition like j erusalem s seventy years of desolation and make them fruitful again in his service hear me speedily 0 lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest i be like unto them that go down into the pit cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning for in thee do i trust cause me to know the way wherein i should walk for i lift up my soul unto thee deliver me o lord from mine enemies i flee unto thee to hide me ps 143 7-9 the time seemed long to david for speedy deliverance he asked because he felt as if the spirit thin that was sustaining him to fortitude and endurance could not hold out much longer he needed to see the face of jehovah s favor again that he might not be like one hopelessly trapped in a deep pit which the enemy had dug this severe disciplining from goq at the hands of the malicious enemy was like a night of darkness and david longed for the blackness to br ak and for the morning of god s evident lovingkindness to dawn he was perplexed but not in despair 2 cor 4 8 he was anxious to make a move and get away from bemg holed up but what way should he take should he retreat or should he boldly advance into the open and engage in a battle of wits with the enemy as to strategy of movement if he took the offensive defiant of the enemy and fearless of what they might do to him almighty god could even then deliver him 1 sam 23 25-28 u the servant needs not retreat into a literal cave and hole up for safety if he flees to jehovah to hide 23 wby did david pral god to hear blm speedily lellt be be fts in a pit and why uk god to cauae him to tnow tbe way herein he should walk 24 why does one fleeing to god to bide him not need to bole up unseen to ~ure tetl

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8 miewatchtower brooi~lyn y him even while active in the open and surrounded by watchful enemies yet god can cover him in the shadow of his hand and preserve him pss 91 1 31 23 isa 51 16 25 the situation of jehovah s servant class in a.d 1918-1919 was like that they knew their outcast and outlawed position before human society was due to the religious leaders like king saul the enemies thought they had driven them out for good and that henceforth they could divide and conquer them in their unfortunate condition anci destroy them in such pockets if e.er these tried to stage a comebacl the enemies aimed to be quick to fly at them and hold them under repression the servant class desired the lord to manifest his favor by not letting the enemies triumph over them permanently by this i know that thou favourest me because mine enemy doth not triumph over me and as for me thou upholdest me in mine integrity and settest me before thy face for ever ps 41 11 12 28 the servant class were looking for a way out of their barren inactive condition but which way to move was the burning question hence the prayer let me know the way wherein i should walk for unto thee ha.e i uplifted my soul ps 143 8 roth pss they were willing to go forth and resume god s service they prayed that when so doing the lord god should snatch them from the enveloping movement by the enemy and be their hiding-place and refuge they discerned that it was a lack of faith in his protection and guidance for anyone to hole up in the ground in fear slacking the hand from his service and letting the enemies boast themselves against their god jehovah their prayer was bring my soul out of prison that i may praise thy name the righteous shall compass me ahout for thou shalt deal bountifully with me ps 142 7 they uplifted their souls that is they presented their bodies a living sacrifice to the lord for his reasonable service rom 12 1 27 david having thus prayed for guidance as to his way did not stay holed up in the cave of adullam he moved out to a natural fastness or stronghold and the prophet gad said unto david abide not in the hold depart and get thee in to the land of judah then david departed and came into the forest of hareth later jonathan came to him l sam 22 5 23 15-18 thus j ehoyah answered david s prayer and disclosed that he was guiding the way of his anointed servant though now david was at large and more exposed to successful pursuit by the enemy his god could now show he was the 2:1 in 191~·1919 hat were lhe enl!uly· future plans agalnlt the oulla ed servonl do nnd hal kind 01 manlfeat expression of favor did the kervrnt class desire from god 2g why did the 8e ent ciaos pray to he let known the way in which to wall nnd how did they uphrt their soull unto god 27 havin pra eo hat mo e did da ld make and bo did jehovah nnswer 1115 praer and 8ho blmself david s preserver deliverer and preserver of his servant and that the servant s real refuge is in the most high god the rock of ages prov 18 10 u in a d 1919 jehovah answered the prayer of his faithful remnant he had sent his elect servant christ jesus to .the temple to judge his consecrated ones to purge the faithful ones from religious nncleanness and iniquity of lip and to show them the way to go mal 3 1-4 stay holed upt no retreat then t no again god s pleasure for them as he caused them to know it through his unfolding word was and is for them to go forward and push through the waters of the peoples as elisha passed throngh the smitten waters of the j ordnn river and took up the work of the prophet elijah in march 1919 the officers of the watch tower bible and tract society were released from penitentiary being admitted to bail then immediately long before the enellly s trumped-up case against them was thrown out of court and their conviction reversed may 5 1920 the servant class began their preparations to mow forward with the fearlessness of elisha 28 such bold offensive meant by no means that henceforth they would be immune from attack and persecution by the foe no more than in david s case david knew that if he left the hide-out of adullam while king saul still lived and held the reins of government he would be spotted hy saul s spies and be more subject to pursuit than theretofore hence david petitioned the lord further teach me to do thy will for thou art my god thy spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness or teach me to do thy pleasure for thou art my god let thy good spirit lead me in a levelland ps 143 10 roth pss the lord s anointed bng-elect looked up to jehovah god as his teacher he was not bent on pleasing himself but desirous of doing the divine good pleasure he did not seek to wreal any personal vengeance against his persecutor king saul should the lord s maneuvering of events bring saul into david s power yet david would refuse to lift sword or spear against him but would abide god s time to take saul out of the way 1 sam 24 1-12 26 1-12 that was the good spirit of the lord upon his servant david ao david trusted in the guidance of the good bpirit of the lord god and prayed that it would lead him into the right land a plain country a level land wherein he would be certain his course was upright shortly afterward abiathar escaped destruction at saul s hands and fled to david ahiathar came with a priest s ephod used in ascertaining god s will 28 wben did jehovah answer lhe prayer of the se not closs hnl did he show was lhe ay to go and hen did they preflare to lnl.e it ha e god i 1i:00d .fllrtt 30 whither did da ld tru-t goo s .plrlt to i ulc1e him nnd apecial provision did god then make to teach david his willi n d u d l0vper e ab e i~a s e t ni11 c bat

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january 1 1944 ~ewatchtower 9 david inquired from him as a priestly representative of jehovah god and received instruction as to the way he should go pleasing to his divine master 1 sam 22 17 3 23 1-12 30 6 7 s jehovah was his teacher and his spirit did not forsake david his spirit was even in david s tongue and spake by him and caused him to speak god s inspired message like psalm 143 11 david was then only about twenty-five years old in later life he said 0 god thou hast taught me from my youth and hitherto have i declared thy wondrous works ps 71 17 in his psalms he asked for god s continual teaching shew me thy ways 0 loim teach my thy paths lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the god of my salvation on thee do i wait all the day the meek will he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach his way ps 25 4 5 9 repeatedly he prays god teach my thy statutes ps 119 12 26 64 68 124 133 teach me good judgment and knowledge for i have believed thv commandments before i was afflicted i went astray but now have i kept thy word 0 lond and teach me thy judgments ps 119 g6 67,108 concerning the benefits of such divine education he says thou through thy com· mandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies for they are ever with me i have more understanding than all my [human teachers for thy testi· monies are my meditation i understand more than the ancients because i keep thy precepts ps 119 98-100 jehovah s course of instruction does not fail his servant in the midst of the fight he teach eth my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms blessed be the lond my strength which teacheth my hands to war and 11iy fingers to figh 1 ps 18 34 2 sam ~2 33 ps 14· 1 only hy such education from god and taking heed thereto was david ahle to remain a man after [g od s own heart free from religion di lne te cilelts he who prays to god to teach him to do the uivine good-pleasure or will shows the spirit to learn and obey while praying thus he must search the written word of god wherein the divine will is recorded trusting god by his spirit to reveal his will through those sacred pages 2 tim 2 15 keep in mind however that it is the servant class not an individual person that prays to be taught to do god s will hence the revelation of god s will must therefore be not for an individual but for the entire company of his faithful remnant it is not an 32 31 a from ben on had god been tead,ln d vld and what prarers ,1i1l da iii cootlnually make for god to te ch him bl wilat are the benefit of ouch ,ih loe iucatloll 10 pellce and ar 32 a prallij to be taught to do goll s will obow hat iplrl and hltt ,ic!il1l 11iu,t ncl ompau luch pra r

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10 ~e watchtower bnookly:n n y secrated society of the anointed remnant have used as their agency or legal servant the watch towell bible and tract society for publishin the will of god as he taught it and for directing his people in the doing of it unitedly throughout the earth s6 as a reproof to any religionists who object at this positive identification of god s visible organization today the lord says this parable the ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master s crib but israel doth not know my [professed people doth not consider isa 1 3 during the years since 1918 the wise ha e looked to jehovah god and christ jesus as their teachers in zion they now know that jeho ah has answered their prayer teach me to do thy will for thou art my god through his organization of the anointed remnant these using the legally constituted watch tower society this is because the society teaches no religion serves none and is devoted to no religious organization that is proved by the fact that it is persecuted by all religious organizations king saul for serving jehovah and for being chosen and anointed to serve him 37 when the officers of the watch tower society were released from prison cells in 1919 by god s marvelous overruling of religious opposition what did he teach his faithful remnant to do as his will and good pleasure t this to be his witnesses by proclaiming as never before his vord fearlessly asking of no man first for permission to preach god s word at his command tl/e watchtower august 1 and 15 and september 15 1919 fearlessness was specially required because they must declare the day of vengeance of our god against christendom and all the world they must proclaim the message of the kingdom to all nations as foretold and commanded at iatthew 24 14 and that message must be of the kingdom as having been established in a d 1914 this must be done before the final end comes on the world at armageddon see the watchtower july 1 1920 sa before the great teacher came to the temple in 1918 jehovah s consecrated people had thought that all their work before the final end was to be devoted exclusively to the spiritual ones namely those consecrated to god and begotten by his spirit to heavenly life now however beginning in 1923 the teacher at the temple began to reveal that there is an earthly class who become the lord s sheep and whom he gathers now before armageddon s war to the right side of his throne from then on step by step the heavenly teacher opened the under36 wbat scriptural reproof i lth en to objector to .nch identillcation of tbe sen ant ilnd tbrough wliat cbannel 1i0 the remnllnt now kdow jehovah haa answered their prayer anll why throuj;h it 37 from and alter 1919 what did god teach the lalthful remnant u beinl blo will for them to do 1 311 beyond hilt had been believed before 1918 wbat did jehovah god reveal to the remnant from 1023 on ii.li to tbose to wbom to mini.ter add by wbat friend of david ere such one pictured standing of the spiritual remnant to see that such other sheep must be witnessed to and served with the kingdom message and thereby enabled to take their stand for god s kingdom so doing these may pass alive through armageddon into the new world they are the ones who were pictured by david s devoted lover and fellow warrior jonathan and they become the companions of the faithful remnant in this time of persecution by the king saul class 18 this wonderful course of education by the wise counselor and teacher at the temple continued and now his other sheep as well as the remnant of the little flock were privileged to attend the lord·s schooling and receive education for everlasting life which entails the doing of god s will now it was a sublime revelation when the perfect educator opened the textbook the bible and in 1925 revealed that the name of jehovah must have its proper place that his kingdom was born in 1914 and j eho ah s purpose by it is to make a great and lasting nllme for himself at the battle of armageddon and that such battle is not a fight between capital and labor conservatives and radicals or any human parties and nations but is god s fight against the entire devil s organization invisible and visible and that his servant class on earth have no part in that fight but must only warn of its coming 2 sam 7 23 isa 63 14 .0 the teaching on this subject continued in 1929 it vas revealed that jehovah s purpose primarily is the vindication of his name and hence the greatest bible doctrine is that of the kingdom because the kingdom is his instrument to effect that vindication the privilege of the remnant of those anointed ones in the covenant for the kingdom is to have a part in that vindication and their obligation now is to honor and publish his name this was made very plain as being god s good pleasure for them to fulfill faithfully u parallel in time with the above instruction zion s teachers jehovah god and christ je u progressively taught the remnant an their increasing number of companions what the iungdom really is and also the kind of visible organization hy which the kingdom must be advertised world-wide in that organization jehovah god and his king are the higher powers rom 13 1 the organization is not a loose-jointed one of self-governing units or companies whose local activities are to be decided upon and supervised by so-called elective elders it must have a centralized control and direction and by 1938 this fact was fully appreciated when the what oubllme revelation wu made by the perfect educator in 1126 40 what teacblng of primary importance wu chen in 11291 41 what teachlll reaching a climax in 1038 so aloo i:hell ft to kind of orl;nni tlon jeho nb god ond hi klug un to accorupll.h tbe divine will al80 were then privileged to attend the lord o .cboolllll alld the

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january 1 1944 seewatchtower 11 great teachers taught the sen ant class that god s organization is theocratic it obeys god rather than men and hence must be governed and operated from the supreme one j eho ah do nl and not from the servants on earth upward a la democratie how patiently and wisely jehovah god was de eloping the understanding of his servant class to do his will according to theocratic instructions through his visible organization .2 jehovah gave them practical training he appointed world-wide testimony periods at regular intervals through the year and taught them unity of action under a unified command after years of stupendous radio broadcasting hy them in the face of religious opposition he provided them with portable phonographs with recorded bible lectures and taught them to make back-calls on hungry other sheep and to conduct home bible studies he let them be brought hefore rulers courts police and law-and-order authorities and trained and de eloped them to give effective witness in such places he taught them ho every man shall bear his own burden and how to endure the most rabid persecution and defeat it by faithfulness he provided them with magazines and showed them how to publish the kingdom mes~age on street corners and pavements and on routes he has made them know their commission isa 63 1-3 that they are ordained ministers of the kingdom gospel and that their sole mission on earth now is to he jehovah s witnesses their chief obligation is to be a kingdom publisher in this they are not on the defensive nor beating a retreat but must follow god s king in his offensive against religion to aid them thereto he has established among them schools of adn1l1ced course in theocratic ministry and also established the watch tower bible college of gilead to train special publishers to push the offensi e on weak fronts or on untouched foreign fields thus has he answered the prayer of his sen ant in a most marvelous manner that could be only the lord s doing and not the wisdom and ingenuity of any man-built organization future course of i~struction it is god s spirit his invisible energy upon his people that has helped them to accomplish his work thus far as they have followed its leadings through his word the servant class have been led into the land of uprightness the condition of willingly and lovingly doing his will according to theocratic rule the theocratic instruction makes the land a plain and level one where there need be no stumbling over what to do and how to do it though in the midst of the enemies of god s kingdom the theocracy ~2 what practical tmlnln iii to doln gi en u down to tills ver ear ~3 by what ha god worketj throu h them the strange work which precedes god s strange act at armageddon is not yet done so many of the other sheep are yet scattered and in danger of perishing and need to be fed we stand at the threshold of 1944 it is certain to be a crucial year vhether it brings either sudden or speedy close to the conflict between the king of the north and the icing of the south is immaterial the postwar era must come with its human efforts and machinery for global peace that will bring its own tests of the faith and faithful endurance of jehovah s servant class and their companions because satan and his demons will be relentlessly marching all nations to the climax at armageddon the fervent prayer that went up in 1918 teach me to do thy will for thou art my god needs to be continued by the servant class in view of the momentous period ahead with its steadily broadening regimentation of all peoples to carry out the will of both these kings as a certain prospect the words of the above prayer of psalm 143 10 have been provided as the yeartext for 1944 they appear on the society s service calendar 45 the anointed david not only prayed to be taught god s will but also asked for the strength to do it because of the opposers he prayed quicken me o lord for thy name s sake for thy righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble and of thy mercy cut off mine enemies and destroy all them that amict my soul for lam thy servant ps.143 11,12 in faithfulness and according to righteousness j ehovah responded to the prayer of his anointed servant not for mere david s sake but for his name s sake his anointing to the lcingdom was put upon david not in vain it must mean a right-hearted man must come to israel s throne that the theocratic rule might be carried out to the glory of jehovah s name though it took some thirteen years to cut off all enemy interferers with god s purpose almighty god brought his disciplined servant david to the throne of the typical theocracy so foreshadowing glorious things to come · g in 1919 the valley of dry bones seen in ezekiel s vision god quickened into living organisms in his holy land by power of his spirit ezek 37 3-14 the intense activity of jehovah s witnesses now in the midst of global war and under totalitarian aggressions and encroachments is self-evident proof that almighty god revived his servant class raising them from the pit of 1918 they had pleaded that for his own name s sake he enliven them again to his service and open the way to it he did so because 44 why at tbe tbr8bold o tll44 does tbe prayer o psalm 143 10 need to continue as the prllyer o god · ·ervent cl and bat vlalble aid has been proylded tbereto 4:1 be des to be tauj{ht lor what did david alao pray 110 re r>ecla hlm.elr and bl enemleo and holy did god work out the au er 46 1i0w did jebo l.b quicken hi aervant clako lor lila name oake and how i it true tbat tbe bave been broul:bt out o trouble bls will bas jehovab god and led them rnd in wbat

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12 seewatchtower bnooklyn :n y it was his purpose to have his name declat:ed throughout all the earth before he shows his power over all enemies at armageddon so the lord god made the servant class his witnesses and put his name upon them he called them by the foretold new name that is jehovah s witnesses all inward trouble and perplexity that they felt back in 1918 well the lord god has lifted them up out of that the trouble that the religious saul class brings upon them does not disturb them im· ardly or disrupt their peace with god they know that such enemy trouble is permitted for a test of their integrity and that they may have a part in vindicating god s name by faithfulness <1 like david god s sen ant class and their com panions do not pray for the malicious enemies exc pt 41 ca what doer the .er~nnt cia··· like dblld prny bo rel:nr.h the en£omle and ljernuse of hat per~onnl relatlon~hin to c lil lb ji loe fituch relatton~h p mnhe lhe affliction b their enelll1e :l ruo t pl:erlou8 matter and h afe e content to pep od sen ing goo that these should be exterminated those enemies show no mercy to jehovah s witnesses and their fellow sufferers and so mercy to them can be expected only from god by his destruction of the affiicters who seek to bring about the soul-destruction of his faithful people jehovah s witnesses make such earnest request not for heartless selfish reasons but because say they i am jehovah s servant their wholehearted service to him first last and all the time is the essential canse of t}leir being assaulted by demons and wicl.ed religionists because they are jehovah s servant persecution and punishments inflicted upon them are an affront to god and a reproach to his na~lle therefore in the final vindication of his name at armageddon he will vindicate his servant class by the called-for destruction of all enemies that amict them luke 18 7,8 with that prospect we nre content to keep on sen ing him as he is pleased to teach us to do his will calamities-from whom and why an evil because it results in suffermg distress and loss to those upon whom it falls a calamity may be either from the devil or from almighty god at stated times god sent calamities upon certain ancient peoples und in each mstance that evil as a righteous act of judgment consider now that upon egypt the israelites god s chosen people were for a time in egypt god had greatly favored the egyptians by saving them from starvation 111 a time of famine 111 the davs of joseph the israelite prime minister of pharaoh be~ause of that and because god s people were in that land the egyptians and their ruling powers had reason to know the great jehovah god and to know of his name the egyptians oppressed jehovah s people and continued to increase their burdens the egyptians therefore wrongfully affiicted the israelites with evil in defiance of jehovah god god heard the cries of the israelites and he sent moses and aaron to appear before the ruler of egypt and request that the israelites be permitted to depart from that land this request was reiused by pharaoh who arrogantly replied who is jehovah that i should obey his voice r then god sent certain pla~ues or calamities upon the peoples of egypt which resulted in evil to them and finally he completely overthrew the egyptian military hosts in the red sea and caused the then ruling power to perish such calamity was a very great evil upon the egyptians but it was a righteous evil that fell upon them why did god bring that evil upon the egyptian people was it to teach them the sinfulness of sin was it for the purpose of venting ill-mil against them t the lord caused the proper answer to these questions to be written in his word when he said and what one nation in the earth is like thy people even like israel whom god went to redeem for a people to himself and w make htl1 a name 2 sam 7 23 satan the enemy had defamed jehovah s name and turned the people away from him and caused those who should have known better to defy him jehovah god s ex a cala~nty is pressed purpose was to keep his name before mankind until his own due time to completely vindicate his word ami name just before the seventh plague upon egypt jehovah nod by his prophet moses said to pharaoh the oppressor even now i might havc stretched out my hand and i might have smitten thee and thy people with the pestilence and thou i ouldst have been cut off from the earth but for this cause have i allowed thee to remain in order to show thee my power and in order that they may proclaim my name throughout all the earth ex 9 15 16 leeser s transla· tion this agrees with the inspired statement at pro erbs 16 4 jeho ah hath made everything for its 0 n end [purpose margin 1 yea cven the wieked for the day of evil am ret ver or according to leeser every thing hath the lord wrought for its destined end yea even the wicked for the day of unhappiness note that tlll does not say that the lord jehovah made or created the wicked because wickedness does not find its orlg lll or creation with jehovah his work is pel feet deul 32 4 his work is holiourable and glorious and his l ighteousness endureth for ever ps 111 3 but whereas jehovah god did not make or create the wieked he cluj make the destiny for the wicked in permitting the wicked to come into existence and to remain for a time in exlstencc god destined or made even the wicked for the da.y of e ll as god said to pharaoh the servant of satan so also god had pcrmitted pharaoh s lord satan to remam for the day of evil that there in that day jeho ah god mi~ht show his power over satan the devil by visitmg upon him the calamity of destruction all the wicked will he destroy ps 145 20 there is no peace saith my god to the wicked -isa 57 21 in king itezekiah s day the assyrian army appeared before the city of jerusalem and defied the name of almighty god the assyl 1ans were worslllpel s of the devil and were instruments used by the devil to reproach the name of .jehovah and to turn mankind away from jehovah

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ja~uary i 1944 31iewatchtower 13 god the assyrian embassy that appeared by the walls of jerusalem not only defied jehovah but diligently attempted to draw all the people of israel away from god and their covenant with him at such insolence god brought a great disaster or calamity npon the assyrian army he sent his angel and in one night smote 185,000 of them this calamity was an evil but was rightfully enforced that the name of jehovah god might be kept before human creatures -isaiah chapters 36 and 37 in the patriarch abraham s day jehovah god brought fire and brimstone from heaven upon the peoples of sodom and gomorrah and such was an evil upon them genesis 19 in destroyin them however jehovah s action was right for like reasons as the above stated it will not do to say that the egyptians the assyrian and the peoples of sodom and gomorrah were destroyed because they were already eonncts and under the condemnation of death as descendants of adam they were not under sentence of death for the reason that th y had never been tried and sentenced they were all born in sin by reason of the fact that they were offsprmg of adam who was sentenced to death in eden they were under condemnation because disapproved but if for that reason they were executed then we should expect jehovah god to execute everyone of the human race because every child is born in sin rom 5 12 however in the case of the egyptians assyrians and sodomites and gomorrheans the question of mere imperfection was not invoh·ed those people had turned away from jeho ah god and worshiped the devil they opposed god s servants and chosen people and brought reat reproach upon his holy name and for the good of all creation god slew them he did so for the same real>on that he went down to eliypt to wit to make a name for himself or keep his name before creation until his own good time to completely vindicate it he would have the people know that satan is not the almighty but that jehovah is the almighty god his action in overthrowing the egyptians and the others also foreshadowed his purpose in due time to completely dcl>troy satan s organization that all creatioll may know that jehovah is the only true god and that his word is true and that his name is the only one whereby lifc may he obtained through chnst jesus ezek 38 23 john 17.3 the nation of israel made up jehovah s visible typical organization which he ul>cd to foreshadow his purposes he chose the israelites and placcd jlls name upon them and made them ills peculwr treasure abo e all people upon the condition that they would obey ilim ex 19 5 6 as his people among the other nations round about they ere gou s representatives and stood for jeho ah the other nations were under satan s control and practiced the devil religion and reproached jehovah s name the israelites beeame unfaithful defamed the name of jehovah and followed after false gods then jehovah god brought a great ealamity upon them he caused their holy city to be laid low and the people thereof that remained after the great slaughter to be carried away captive to a foreign jand his punishment upon them was for his name s sake -jer 44 26-28 that calamity which befell israel was a great e il to that people but it was right and was administered justly as a punishment for their wrongdoing and more partieularly as a vindication of the name of jehovah god the issue was then and is now between jehovah and the adver· sary satan jehovah has not prevented satan from carry· ing on his wicked ways and works nor has he prevented the people from following after satan he has from time to time brought calamities or disasters upon certain peoples that his name might not entirely perish from the sight of creation and this he does for the good of creation that lives therefore all the evil which god has caused to come upon creatures has been right and just whether that evil be in the form of individual punishment or as a great calamity upon a people or upon peoples the israelites bemg god s covenant people and responsible to him were more reprehensible because of bringing reproach upon jehovah s name to them he said hear this word that the lord hath spoken against you 0 children of israel against the whole family which i brought up from the land of egypt saying you only have i known of all the families of the earth therefore i will punish ·ou for all y01,lr iniquities amos 3 1,2 the city of jerusalem stood for his organization hence he said shall there be evil in a city and the lord hath not dolle it t amos 3 6 in other words the punishment that fell upon the israelites god s chosen people he either permitted to come or sent it to carry out his righteous purposes the iniquity of that people consisted in their breaking his law and commandment and doing contrary to their covenant and therefore the evil which god brought upon them was right and his judgment and the enforcement thereof was righteous since the human tragedy at eden satan has been and now is the wicked prince that has persisted iii going contrary to god s law when jesus was on earth he spoke of satan as the prince of this world john 12 31 jesus described him as the one opposed to jehovah and to himself satan is also designated in the scriptures as the prince of devils which means he is the chief one among the de ils or wicked ones he is also termed the prince of the power of the air which must mean he posse~cs and exercises power that is invisible to man and that is great matt 12:24 eph 2:2 such fact is within the common knowledge of all who really discern the truth as revealed in god s word as such pnnce satan would have power to generate storms hurricanes floods and like thinf s that would bring great calamities upon the people when jesus was on the sea of galilee without doubt it was satan that brought up the storm in an effort to destroy the master mark 4 37 jehovah would not ha e brought on that windstorm which put in jeopardy the lives of his chosen men since satan possesses such power and since he made repeated attempts to destroy the lord jesus he must have been responsible for that storm on the sea of galilee in support the scriptures are explicit in the statement that satan produced the great storm that destroyed the children and the property of jehovah s servant job job 1 12-19 from time to time there have befallen the peoples of earth great calamities in the way of storms hurricanes cyclones typhoons floods and fires and the like since there would be no occasion or reason for jehovah to bring such disasters upon the people the one responsible therefor must be satan since god overthrew israel his trpical

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14 ~e watchtower buooklyn y people in a d 70 there is no evidence that he has brought calamities or been responsible for the calamities that have befallen the peoples of earth on the contrary the scriptures point out that he abides his own good time to bring the great battle of god almighty which will completely and for ever clear sanctify and vindicate his name what would be the purpose of satan in bringing calamities upon the people t :manifestly for the reason that he would cause such to be charged against jehovah god and thereby cause the people to curse god knowing that satan has a set policy whieh has ever been to turn man away from jehovah and knowing there has been instilled into the minds of men the thought that storms and floods and the like are the acts of god we can easily see that these calamities are a part of satan s scheme to reproach god early in the days of the christian era satan obtained control of men who were the leaders of organized christianity or the organization formed in the name of christ since then he has caused men and organizations in the name of christ to practice and carryon extensive wickedness and has charged the same up to god and has thereby brought great reproach upon the name of jehovah god for centuries crime has run riot in the earth and thc record of every nation is smeared with human blood unrighteously shed for all of which satan is respons1blc he bas caused tbe persecution and death of many people and has used professed followers of christ to commit such crimes by this means adopted by satan he has brought the name of jehovah into reproach and turned many men and women away from the great eternal god the lifegiver it is the due time for at least the body members of christ jesus and for all men of good.will· to have a proper understanding of evil wrongdoing and wickedness and the distinction between these things by the light he shed upon his written word jehovah god by christ jesus now makes it possible to come to that correct and scriptural under· standing prov 2 6 joshua successor of moses u :i swervlng devotion to the lord marks joshua s career as moses successor at no time so far as the divine record discloses was joshua guilty of serious trespass even prior to his induction into the position of visible leader of the natlon of israel in moses stead joshua s service record is without taint or blemish he was very theocratically minded never once rebelling or even murmuring agamst the servant moses that god placed in command of his typical nation joshua adhered to the theocratic order during the trying time of the forty· year wilderness journey a time marked by backslidings and rebellions on the part of the oluer generation of israelites liberated from egypt jehovah rewarded his faithfulness the genealogy of joshua is traced back to ephraim in 1 chronicles 7 20-27 first rnentlon of him is abruptly made as though he were so well known that any introduction to him would be superfluous at the time of israel s resistance to the unprovoked attack of the amalekites there joshua appointed by moses as the commander of israel s army discomfited malek and his hosts the victory was from jehovah and granted to those under his banner for it was only as ~loses held aloft the rod of god over the warring factions that joshua s fighters prevailed in recognition of this an altar was constructed and called jehovah-nissi which means jehovah my banner ex 17 8-16 it was under th1s invincible banner of theocracy that joshua ever afterwards fought joshua was called moses minister and servant and enjoyed a close relationship with the man of god in theocratic service at the time of moses first forty-day stay in the mount of god joshua accompanied him part way and was the first to accost him on his return joshua had not indulged in calf-worship as had the other israelites but was awaiting with unshaken faith the descent of moses from the mount ex 24 13 33 11 32 17 again about one year later joshua proved himself when he was sent with eleven others to spy out the land of canaan he along with caleb brought back a faithful report and urged the fearful israel ites to trust in jehovah and oust the heathen from the promised land it was this zealous course that assured his ultimate entrance into the land of canaan um 13 8 26 14 6-10 30 so it was not to an untried or unproved sen ant that moses spoke thirty.nine years later saying be strong and of a good courage for thou must go with this people unto the land which the lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them and thou shalt cause them to inherit it and the lord he it is that doth go before thee he will be with thee he will not fail thee ne1ther forsake thee fear not neither be dismayed deut 31 7,8 joshua was appointed to succeed !lioses in leading the israelite nation j he was appointed by jehovah num 27 15·23 shortly after moses death the almighty himself spoke to joshua enlarging upon the charge moses had given the son of nun was assured of success in the campaign against canaan and was told that no man would be able to stand against him that he would surcly divide the land for an inheritance the prime requisite for success in his mission was solemnly sounded by jehovah of hosts only be thou strong and very courageous the law shall not depart out of tlly mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest obsen-e to do accordmg to all that is ,vrltten therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success -josh 1 1-9 joshua acted quickly spies were dispatched across the jordan to jericho the first city in lme for attaclt he commanded the people to prepare victuals for in three days they would cross the jordan the spies returned with a good report having been greatly aided in the1r scouting mission by the righteously disposed rahab and moving according to schedule three days after joshua s command to make preparations the israelites crossed jordan and entered the promised land and this despite the fact that the river jordan was at flood stage josh 3 15 it was jehovah s doing the priests bearing the ark of the covenant led and as they stepped into the raging jordan the torrent from above was stopped and the waters heaped up and backed back and the israelites passed over on dry

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