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miewatchtower published semimonthly by watch tower bible b tract society 117 adams street n h ~reat knoril brooklyn 1 n.y u.s.a officers t president w e van .amburgh secretary and all thy children shall be tau~ht of jehovah and shall be the peace of thy children bqiph 54:z.j the bible clearly teaches that jehovah is the only true god from everlasting to everlasting and is the maker of heaven and earth and g1 er of life to his creatures that the word or logos was the beginning of his creation and his active agent in creating all other things and that the creature lucifer rebelled against jehovah and raised the issue of his universal sovereignty that god created the earth for man made perfect man for notice to stlb8criber8 rem ttances should be sent the earth and piaced him upon it that man yielded to unfaithful country in compuance with regulations to guarantee to office in your safe delh ery of lucifer or satan and willfully disobe ed god s law and was money remittances are accepted at brooklyn from countries where no sentenced to death that by reason of adam s wrong act all men office is located by international money order only subscnptlon rntes in d1jferent countries are stated below in local currency not ce of ezp;ratton are born sinners and without the right to life with renewal blank is sent at least two issues before subscription that the logos was made human as the man jesus and suf expires chang of addreu when sent to onr olllce may be expected effective within one month send yonr old as well as new address fered death in order to produce the ransom or redemptive price for obedient men that god raised up christ jesus divine and exalted please address the watch tower society in every case him to heaven above every other creature and clothed him with all offices yearly subscription rate power and authority as head of god s new capital organization $1 00 that god s capital organization is a theocracy called a.menca u.s 117 adams st brooklyn i n y ls zion and that christ jesus is the chief officer thereof and is the a.tl8tralia 7 beresford rd strathfield n s w indle 21 $1.20 rightful king of the new world that the faithful anointed british wed irwin ave taylor st 5,port of spain trinidad canada 40 toronto ontario $100 followers of christ jesus are zion s children members of jeho nh s england 34 craven terrace london w.2 lis organization and are his witnesses whose duty and pri llege it india 161 love lane bombay 21 rs.3/6 is to testify to jehovah s supremacy and declare his purposes jamaica 1111 king st kingston lis toward mankind as expressed in the bible new zealand g p o box 30 wellington b.l 6s $2.00 that the old world or satan s uninterrupted rule ended phillpp e islands 2621 int 2 henan santa ana manila lis a.d 1914 and christ jesus has been placed by jehovah upon the south africa 623 bostod house cape town throne has ousted satan froin heaven and now proceeds to translations of this jonrnal appe/lj in many languages vindicate his name and establish the new earth all oil the bible who by reason of that the relief and blessings of the peoples can come only infirmity,sincere orstudents are unable to pay the subscription price poverty adversity by jehovah s kingdom under christ which has begun that his may have the watchtower free upon written appilcntlon to the pubhsbers next great act is to destroy satan s organization and establlsh made once each ear statlnl the reason for so requesting it we are righteousness completely in the earth and that under the kingdom glnd to thus aid the needy but the written application once each ear the people of good-will surnying armageddon will carry out the is required by the postal regulatlonll di ine mandate to fill the earth with righteous offspring and printed in the united states of america that the human dead in the gl llyes will be raised to opportunities entered a8 8econd-cla88 mlltter at the po.t o[llce at brooklva n f of life on earth under the act of march s 1879 god s truthfulness testimony period its mission his journal is published for the purpose of enabling the people to know jehovah 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-will it arranges systematic bible study for its readers and the society supplies other literature to aid in such studies it publlshes 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 beloved king it is not dogmatic but invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the scriptures it does not indul e in controversy and its columns are not open to personallties the testimony period elurmg february stressing god s truthfulness will catch up the four-month-iong subscription campaign for the watchtower and awake and will carry it forward through this midwinter month hence the same as during the campaign s initial month january all actiye readers of these magazines will keep on offering jomtly the subscriptions for both of these magazines together with the premium of two bound books w a.tchtower publications all at the regular rate for the two subscriptions namely two dollars by determined efforts on the part of all having strong convictions concerning the truthful contents of the watchtower and awake the subscnptloll campaign will suffer no lag during this month of heavy wmter up north and we believe your field-service reports for february will show this :many watchtower readers will want to swell the ranks of the house-to-house subscription-takers and so we say to all-thqse who want to make a start during goel s truthfulness te~timony period write us at your earliest for all needed information and references 1947 yearbook of jehovah s witnesses the first postwar year of action by the lord s kingdom publishers in more than fifty lands is reported on in the 1947 yearbook of jehovah s witnesses this report was prepared by the president of the watch tower bible and tract society it discloses the growing magnitude of jehovah s visible ofganization and of the strange work he is accomplishing through it supplementing this interesting report is the president s comment on the yeartext for 1947 together with a daily bible text for the year s 365 days and a comment thereon as taken from this past year s issues of the lvatchtcnoer the limited printing obliges us to post the contribution rate for this 1947 yearbook at 50c a copy mailed postpaid to you all group units should combine the orders of their members and forward same here through the appointed servant to bring about eeonomies of time and expense at this end 1947 calendar the yeartext for 1947 is gh praise jehovah all ye nations ps 117 1 am stan ver the society s new calendar features this over b composite three-color picture that differentiates it from any previous calendar lind shows the tangible agencies that will be used for time to come in extending the call of the yeartext to earth s many nations the calendar date-pad beneath is a real service reminder designating the six testimony periods and the special objectives of the alternate months the contribution is 250 a calendar mailed postpaid or $1.00 for five copies to one address watchtower studies week of february 2 unity and peace rr 1·20 inclusive th watchtower january 1 1947 week of february 9 unity and peace rr 21-40 inclusive the watchtower january 1 1947.

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%cewatc1hiio vol announcing jehovah s kingdom january lxviii 1 1947 no.1 unity and peace keep the 1tnity of the spirit in the bond of peace eph 4 3 ehovah is the great unifier and peacemaker he is the father of the prince of peace he gave mankind a natural basis for being united and at peace with one another and that is that they are all of one flesh and blood jehovah god hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth acts 17 26 this natural basis for human harmony and oneness as of one human family was upset when selfishness entered and led to disobedience to him the creator which disobedience is sin 2 the first man adam was created a son of god luke 3 38 had he and his wife eve kept on in an obedient childlike relationship with their creator their children would naturally have been born as children of god and in righteousness and perfection continuing as such men would have loved one a~other and consequently been at peace with one another as in one amiable family circle ioreover their earthly parent adam as the head of the human household would ha e taught them all the love of god and the worship of god this perfect human family would thus ha e been all united around the worship of the one true and living god and such common ,yorship and love of god would have barred out all division confusion and discord with one another the rule would have applied to them as much as it now applies to god s spiritual family if a man say i love god and hateth his brother he is a liar tor he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love god whom he hath not seen and this commandment have we from him that he who loveth god love his brother also 1 jolm 4 20 21 but adam and eve let themselves be turned from the love of god by his great adversary satan the devil thereupon peace left the earth a what was essential for humanity s unity and peace back at the start of our race remains true in this the sixtieth century since then the simplicity 1 what basis for unity and harmony did god first give humankind and how was it upset 2 around what would the perfe~t human family have been united and what rule of love would ha e apphed 3 a what is the essential haslc prldclple for an undl ided peaceful new orld b what has acted as a divisive forre and who confesses to that fact 3 j of this truth should not make us scoff at it as too elementary and as not on a level with this highly educated far-advanced worldly-wise twentieth century of the so-called age of brains the harmonious worship of the one living and true god whom all the scriptures proclaim to be jehovah is the basic principle for an undivided peaceful new world religion or more religion than what this earth has had for the past six thousand years will not pacify the peoples and nations and bring mankind into unity with god the one source of life the part that religion has played in keeping men apart from one another is owned up to by all honest thinkers and now comes the noted clergyman the minister emeritus of the riverside church in new york city and publicly admits the same thing incidentally he shows up the difference between religion and christianity which is the worship of god as christ jesus taught it sunday september 29 1946 this clergyman addressed a sermon to an overflow congregation and to quote from the report of his sermon in the new york times of the next morning asserting that christianity s hope now depends on presenting to the world the universal profundities of the gospel dr fosdick said that religion today which ought to unite humankind divides mankind instead and helps to increase the world s confusion heferring to recent riots in india he said the world is certainly a mess and what helps to make it a mess is not simply politics nationalism imperialism and all the ungodly forces that divide us but alas religion new york times september 30 1946 · the truth of what this religious clergyman says is so obvious that other clergy protestant jewish and catholic dare not deny it everywhere by the conditions inside and outside of christendom the truth stands demonstrated that jehovah god the almighty peacemaker has removed his peace from this messed-up world and its organization of politics commerce and religion is he then to be charged with its wars tribulations and woes upon the people 4 it god has removed his peace from this world why is he not responslhle for its wars tribulations and woet on mankind?

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4 miewatchtower brooklyn n y no but satan the devil who is the god of this world is the one chargeable as many times published in this magazine the watchtower backed with scriptural and factual proof god s kingdom by his anointed king christ jesus was brought to birth in the heavens a.d 1914 war ensued up there against the opposers of the newborn theocratic government in the outcome of that war beginning a.d 1914 satan and his invisible demon hosts were worsted and they were so to speak cast out into the earth and have been restrained thenceforth down to this earth s vicinity therefore a voice sounded out in heaven saying according to the prophetic account at revelation 12 10-12 now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our god and the power of his christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our god day and night therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come do m unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time that shows this world does not have god s protection against woes from satan 5 till this cast-down satan the devil is bound by jehovah s king christ jesus for the thousand years of his reign there will be no unity and peace among mankind in general regardless of how feverishly the politicians big husiness men militarists social reformers and religious clergymen plan and scheme together satan the devil is not just interested in chidng mankind farther and farther away from jehovah god and his king jesus christ by embittering them with woeful sufferings he is also desperately anxious to break up the peace and unity of christ s brethren on earth whom he has continuously accused falsely before god in heaven day and night his accusation against them has been that none of christ s brethren on earth would keep their integrity toward god and hold fast to god s universal sovereignty and kingdom by the time that satan the devil got through tempting and persecuting them this accusation has of course been proved false by the faithful practicers of christianity because as revelation 12 11 says they overcame him by the blood of the lamb [christ jesus and by the word of their testimony and they loyed not their lives unto the death the one visible organization of peace 6 there is only one visible organization on earth where peace and unity should and must exist and where they do exist and it is the organization of christ s falsely accused brethren they stick to the fact that they were bought by the blood of christ jesus and are nl longer their own and therefore they are obligated to serve god who thus bought them and not serve men of this world they publicly give their word of testimony and by thus bearing witness they are the witnesses of jehovah god in behalf of his son jesus christ the lamb they do not care if this course of action costs them their human lives they do not let satan s terrorism make them surrender to his world organization by denying jesus blood and by silencing their testimony as jehovah s witnesses they cling fast to god s theocratic organization which is his woman and their mother hence satan god s enemy wars upon such children of god s woman j as we read and when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child [the new government and the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of god and have the testimony of jesus christ rev 12 13 17 whereas ah~ighty god does not protect this world against the malicious devil he does protect and preserve the organization of the faithful remnant if the brethren of christ against the warlike attacks of satan the devil under the driving force of fear of the things threatening to come upon the earth the political commercial and religious leaders are working anxiously for the unity and peace of the world if we peep behind the visible scene by means of the revealing word of god we see also the devil and his demons who know they have but a short time left gathering all nations and their rulers into a united opposition to god s kingdom by his son they have no peaceable feelings toward that kingdom but are bent upon a showdown fight against it at the field of armageddon rev 16 14-16 faced with such united world opposition to god s kingdom and under the stress of the war which the dragon the devil is making upon them the faithful remnant of christ s brethren need to look very carefully to peace and unity within their own ranks for certain the 7ily adversary is bent on disturbing the visible organization of god s remnant since god prevented him from destroying the remnant in this last global war he now tries to break up the organization and thus hinder them from together keeping god s commandments and together holding forth the testimony to god s name and kingdom which testimony jesus christ now commits to them to hold forth b in an effort to weaken and break down the 7 in lew of world developments why do the remnant need to look carefully to peace and unity within their own ranks 8 in an elfort to eaken and break down the organization how does satan now use certain professed christians 5 what is satan now interested in doing and how have christians pro ed lum a false accu,er 6 what is the one vlslble orgadlzatlon of unity and peace and why does it need god s protection and preservation?

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january 1 1947 lfeewatchtower 5 organization satan causes certain professed christians to get filled with a spirit of independent thought and action he raises these up to publish and declare that jehovah god has no recognizable united compact organization of his people upon the earth which organization he uses as his chosen servant and through which he feeds his people with spiritual truth and sends them instructions as to how they may jointly serve him with a combined effectiveness the persons with such anti-organization ideas say that for us to hold to god s organization of his servants is ch~nnelism such persons argue in favor of making god s consecrated people loose insubordinate to all organization subject to their own decisions as to how to serve god and left foot-loose to wander hither and yon seeldng spiritual food wherever they think they see it from indiscriminate sources or channels themselves to be the judges as to whether it is truth or not and meat in due season they argue that they themselves are individual channels of divine truth as much as anybody else or any organization that they are specially chosen of god as individual purveyors to provide the present truth they say that the channel they once recognized has denied the lord and his voice is no longer heard in or through it and hence god s consecrated servants should break loose and look to new channels themselves 9 the intent of all that is to disjoint all members of god s organization and make them fly apart to depend upon direct individual leadings of the lord god with no organization to bind them together as brethren as members of god s family with one standard of faith hope and action thus disconnected from all organization they become easy marks for the adversary and his hosts to pick off one by one and to shoot down with his fiery darts all who care for their o vn spiritual safety will resist such disruptive arguments of men who seek to draw away disciples after themselves they will keep their vision of jehovah s theocratic organization clear and unblurred and will preserve their unity with it 10 all mankind are one human family they are like one big human organism of one flesh and blood naturally what hurts one member hurts them all and neglect or oppression toward one member leads to injury gf··the whole corporate humanity at last man s failure to appreciate this fact is reaping frightful consequences today quite aptly then the apostle paul compares the congregation of christ s followers to a perfect human body he does so in order to illustrate that there must be unity between o what is the intent of all such and what will those careful for their own spiritual safety do about it 10 by comparldg the christian congregation to the human body whllt does the apostle show ill regards organization this body of christians under jesus christ their head in likening this body of christians to the most wonderful organization known to man namely the human organism the apostle shows that jehovah god has a visible organization and that l1is consecrated people under jesus christ the head must be that visible organization let the opposers and the self-governing independents call this channelism if they will but the bible shows that jehovah god anointed this body of christ and it alone with his holy spirit by it he carries on his work in the earth upon it and it alone he bestowed his gifts of the spirit through jesus christ in support of this truth we have but to consider the apostle s argument in his several letters to the organized christian congregations of his day 11 paul founded the congregation at corinth writing it he says now concerning spiritual gifts brethren i would not have you ignorant ye know that when ye were gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols howsoever ye might be led 1 cor 12 1 2 am stan ver jehovah god did not use those speechless idols as channels to convey spiritual gifts those images had no power to speak or see or teach and could not give any spiritual gifts of speaking out truths or prophecies or foreign languages to the ignorant pagans that worshiped them god gives the spirit and spiritual gifts through jesus christ wherefore i make h.llown unto you that no man speaking in the spirit of god saith jesus is anathema and no man can say jesus is lord but in the holy spirit verse 3 the spirit or active force of god does not operate contradictorily and contrary to itself it does not cause one man to say that jesus is accursed and another man to say jesus is the lord and master any spirit or active force that causes any person to say a curse upon jesus must therefore be of god s adversary the devil for god s spirit is one and is at agreement with itself it is holy and therefore it causes christians to confess god s holy son jesus as the lord who bought them with his precious blood of human sacrifice that spirit of god promotes and preserves unity among all those upon whom it operates 12 but you may ask if it is one spirit or active force corning from jehovah god and through his one channel jesus christ why is it then that christians do different works 7 why would they not all be equal to one and the same work by the spirit of god 1 the apostle replies now there are varieties of gracious gifts but the same spirit and there are varieties of services and the same lord and there are varieties 11 how does paul show the former worshipers of dumb idols that god spirit is not self-contradicting 12 what vaneties of operations does paul next describe but by what does he say all are done?

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6 ~ewatchtower brooklyn n y of workings and the same god is he who works all things among all and to each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the benefit of all for to one is given through the spirit a word of wisdom and to another a word of knowledge according ·to the same spirit and to another faith by the same spirit and to another gifts of cures by the same spirit and to another operations of mighty works and to another prophecy and to another discriminations of spirits and to another different languages and to another interpretation of languages -1 cor 12 4-10 the emphatic diaglott 13 the varieties of spiritual gifts and powers bestowed upon various christians do not argue against there being just the one god over all of them and one lord jesus as his appointed head over them and one and the same spirit or active force from the one divine source the fact that all christians did not speak with miraculous gifts of foreign languages does not mean that those lacking the gifts of tongues were lacking god s spirit the gift of tongues was not the one exclusive test to prove they were accepted lith god and were accepted with his christ and had the spirit of god and the fact that god s consecrated witnesses of today do not miraculously speak and preach with foreign tongues does not therefore mean that jehovah god s spirit has not been poured out upon them in these last days joel 2 28 29 those gifts of tongues and of healings were especially bestowed by and through the twelve apostles and passed away with their death acts 8 14-20 10 ±4-47 19 6 rom 1 11 but the spirit or active force of god is capable of a great variety of manifestations in harmony ith god s holy purpose hence varied manifestations of the spirit are not meant to counteract one another and produce disunity and friction they are meant to be for the profit of all christians who have been anointed with this one and the same spirit of jehovah god 14 it is not the individual christian that makes the choice of a particular gift of the spirit if it were left to each individual christian to choose there would likely be an overweight or preponderance of one kind of gift as against others leading to an unbalance and to an artificial scarcity of other valuable gifts it is jehovah who governs those consecrateq to him through christ and he determines what particular gifts shall be bestowed by his spirit or active force and upon whom to this effect paul says but all these things performs the one and the same spirit distributing to each in particular as it will l cor 12 11 diaglott 13 why is not the variety of gifts and powers a reason for disunity and friction 14 who determmes the spiritual gifts to be bestowed and why a unitary corporate organization 18 god s one corporate organization can be acted upon by the one spirit of the one god but with varieties of manifestation through the active organization members how so the apostle illustrates all these organization members are anointed with the one spirit of god now he which establisheth us with you in christ and hath anointed us is god writes paul to his corinthian brethren 2 cor 1 21 the title christ means anointed one and thus all these organization members under christ jesus their head are members of the christ company or congregation or body their anointing with god s spirit is unto service as the apostle has shown above so with this understanding paul continues his explanation saying for just as the body is one and yet has many parts and all the parts of the body many as they are form one body so it is with christ for we have all-jews or greeks slaves or free men-been baptized in one spirit to form one body and we have all been saturated [imbued with one spirit l cor 12 12 13 an amer trans 16 there is no more closely knit compact and harmonious organization than the human body the christ company under jesus their head is like that body and is therefore a united organization it must stay closely bound together and at peace with itself so as to get the benefit of all the varied services of all its members differences of services rendered by the many members do not mean the organization is not one body under jesus the head no more than the different performances by the different members of the human organism make it a disunited shapeless unidentifiable inharmonious collection of different things no but the body is outfitted with various parts and members so as to be suited for life upon this earth with dominion over the lower animal creatures it is one soul with one head and with one life-force which is in the one blood-stream that feeds the whole body likewise with the organization of god s anointed christians under their head jesus they are members many in number and with a variety of service and activity but they have all been made to drink of one spirit namely the one holy active force that descends from the power plant jehovah god and through their one capital member jesus christ although they were to start with jews and non-jews slavemen and free male and female they have all been imbued or saturated with this one spirit because they are a unitary organization under one head 11 difference and variety of service do not divide them but the one spirit binds them together all 15 by reason of their anolntlnl what do these christians compose and unto what is their anointing 16 why is the christ company like the human body 17 for what common good and purpose are all services?

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january 1 1947 ~ewatchtower 7 services are for the benefit of all those of the organization and for the carrying out of the one over-all purpose of the organization namely the service commission which was put upon jesus the head of the organization when he was anointed with god s spirit namely the spirit of the lord jehovah is upon me because jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the year of j eho vah s favor and the day of vengeance of our god to comfort all that mourn to appoint unto them that mourn in zion to give unto them a garland for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they may be called trees of righteousness the planting of j ehovah that he may be glorified isa 61 1-3 am stan ver quoted by jesus christ at luke 4 16-21 interdependence of meiilbers in christ s body jehovah god finds a usefulness and service for each and every member and therefore he anoints each and every member with his holy spirit or active force mindful of this comforting fact no member of the body will feel so inferior that because he does not have a more outstanding and far-reaching part in god s service he will view himself as no part of the body of christ because paul as an apostolic member of the governing body of the church declared let the woman learn in silence with all subjection and i suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence that does not mean that women devoted to god and anointed with his spirit are no part of christ s body nor given a certain service therein to render 1 tim 2 11 12 to correct such a discouraging divisive outlook the apostle further wrote using the body to illustrate 19 if the foot says as i am not a hand i am not a part of the body that does not make it any less a part of the body and if the ear says as i am not an eye i am not a part of the body that does not make it any less a part of the body if all the body were eye how would we hear 1 if it were all ear how could we have a sense of smell as it is god has arranged the parts everyone of them in the body as he wished -them to be if they were all one part where would the body be as it is there are many parts but one body the eye cannot say to the hand i do not need you or the head to the feet i do not need you 1 cor 12 14-21 an amer trans 20 here the apostle paul was not likening christ s 1s body to an elongated body whose length stretched over centuries of time and whose distinct parts come into existence one after another during the successive centuries of time with the shoulder members existing in the first century in the apostolic times and the other members coming alive during the later centuries with finally the feet members coming into existence in this century in the time of the end such a view would mean that in the first century the lord s theocratic organization was all shoulders and that down here in these last days the lord s organization is all feet it would mean that the organization in the first century did get along as ,shoulders without the help of the rest of the body and without the feet it would mean that in this time of the end the feet do get along without the upper members of the body including the shoulders to the contrary of such a view the apostle says the eye cannot say unto the hand i have no need of thee nor again the head to the feet i have no need of you verse 21 21 manifestly then the apostle compares the lord s visible organization on earth at any time that it exists to a whole body having many members with many forms of service accordingly and with all members interdependent upon one another where there is interdependence of the members of an organization upon one another there must be unity why in order to work together for the benefit of the whole organization and all its members hence not only should the organization of jehovah god s people throughout the world take to heart this illustration drawn by the apostle but each local company and unit of jehovah s organized people should apply the illustration to itself take also the organization s legal servant the watch tower bible and tract society it has now fifty-seven branches outside the united states in different countries of the earth so it is needful for the same principle of unity to govern all branches and for all to keep at one with the central office and carry out instructions from headquarters in their respective countries or territories suppose we take the following example 22 paul and barnabas had been out on foreign missionary service and at the time were serving at their posts in antioch of syria certain divisive elements showed up to stir up much local disturbance debate and discussion paul and barnabas were assigned to go up to the then headquarters at jerusalem to a meeting of the governing body there to have the troublesome matter fully aired and a decision rendered thereon with the help of god s spirit after receiving the decision through the 21 in what way then does paul compare it to the human body and who should take to heart this liiustratlon of unity 22 wbat illustration do we bave of this in barnabas paul and sllas 18 19 why should no member feel so outside the bods and wbat illustration 20 why was the apostle not likelllng various parts existed separately durlllg inferior as to think himself does paul use the christ to a body whose the successive centuries?

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8 seewatchtower brooklyn n y governing body at jerusalem paul and barnabas returned and the decision was put in effect in antioch afterward as paul and silas made missionary revisits in other roman empire provinces they published and put into effect the decision of the central governing body at jerusalem for so doing it would be wrong and unscriptural to accuse paul and silas of channelism rather they saw and acted with the lord god s organization in place of trying to be democratic self-guiding self-choosing independent they submitted to organization orderliness and worked for peace and unity with the organization and within it in every land they visited -acts 15 1-16 5 23 noone in the organization should feel so superior as to ignore others such as those doing a very common or menial-looking service an uplifted offish attitude of one rendering a prominent or seemingly important service does not build up unity in the organization an individual ought to remember that he himself is not important or irreplaceable but it is the office of service that is important and that must be carried out it has a relationship close or remote with all other offices or kinds of service in the organization regardless of how inferior what makes for unity in the organization is the unselfish concern of all the members for one another with humility and with the effort to aid another member where he may lack after all this is all for the good of the organization as a whole and for its proper appearance before the world this works out for the glory of the lord god because it proves his spirit is upon the organization it oils up and smooths the way for the whole organization to do god s appointed work with no grinding and clashing in any of its parts this follows the principle according to which the lord god fashioned the human body just as the apostle goes on to illustrate say· ing 24 but much more necessary are those members of the body which are thought to be more feeble and those parts of the body which we esteem to be less honorable around them we throw more abundant honor and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness and our comely parts have no need god however put together the body having given somewhat more abundantly to that part which was lack· ing so that there may be no division in the body but that the members may be concerned equally for each other and whether one member suffer all the members sympathize or whether one member is glorified all the members rejoice with it now you 23 wb sllould none exercise a superior feeling over others and why sbouhl there be common concern for all members 24 how does the apostle next lilustrate this are a body of christ and members in part l cor 12 22-27 diaglott 25 the little finger and the little toe are in themselves feeble members of the body and yet how necessary they are to proper handling and walking in a jostling crowd we safeguard the little toe because if this feeble member is stepped on by a heavy heel how it makes the whole body contort with pain and the mouth give explosive outcry in sympathetic reaction like,vise in cold weather if the hands and feet are kept warm it contributes to the general comfort of the entire body hence the members of the human body despite performing different services do not isolate themselves from one another but co-operate with one another looking to one another s welfare and proper performance with ease if the head is crowned with the reward of service no envy or begrudging is aroused in another member but all the rest of the body responds to that fact and rejoices if the feet are shod with unsightly or ill.kept shoes the rest of a self-respecting person responds to that fact and feels embarrassed and ill at ease in the presence of company 26 the apostle presses the point that the congregation of christ at any time in its existence on earth during this present evil world should be just like the human body in these vital respects in creatino mankind s first parent adam jehovah god rnad him with no design of divisions or schisms to be in perfect man s body but that all parts and members thereof should naturally care for one another just like that it shou:ld be with that larger organization the body of chnst of whom the anointed christians are members in particular all must bear a responsibility toward one another and this should be borne with love such love as jehovah god had in making the human body but whoso hath the world s goods and beholdeth his brother in need and shutteth up his compassion from him how doth the love of god abide in him 1 john 3 17 a.m stan ver we should have mutual love for one another as members of the lord s organization under christ jesus mainly because the lord s commissioned work for the body of christ is concerned namely that of proclaiming the kingdom gospel such love is christlike it is a fruit of god s spirit and is a great un~fier and binder within the organization as it is wntten at colossians 3 14 and above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness -am stan ver 21 with loving helpfulness to one another in rendering our several services to god there will be no open25 what practical examples of the apostle s points can we give 26 wltb wbat quality should au bear responsiblllt;y toward one anotber and why 27 why is not christendom with its ~cts and cults comparable to the human body and its many different parts?

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january 1 1947 miewatchtower 9 ing for schism and division in his visible organization such as exists in the religious organization of christendom which is divided into hundreds of cults sects and so-called churches under no circumstances can such various sectarian religious organizations be compared to the various members of the human ·body which have each a different function why not f because the members of the human body despite being many with different services to perform are nevertheless one body the religious organization of christendom is not one body but is split up and fights wii-hin itself over various political and racial as well as religious disagreements the apostle compares the members of the human body not to the sects which he deplores in his letter but to individual members of jehovah s theocratic organization under christ jesus the head 1 cor 12 25 1 11-13 j 3 3-5 ill 18 19 christendom s religious organization has never taken to heart the apostle s illustration from the human body and she does not have unity and peace inside her religious structure how then could she be a really effective force for the unity and peace of the proposed one world created by human hands 2s god is not responsible for the different religious sectarian organizations catholic protestant and jewish but he is responsible for the difference of services rendered by the many individual members within his theocratic organization it is he as creator of his theocratic organization that has set the members of the organizational body everyone according as it pleased him it is his purpose that they should all co-operate with one another in love like the different members of the one human body hence the apostle says now ye are the body of christ and severally members thereof and god hath set some in the church first apostles secondly prophets thirdly teachers then miracles then gifts of healings helps governments divers kinds of tongues are all apostles f are all prophets f are all teachers f are all workers of miracles f have all gifts of healing do all speak with tongues f do all interpret t according to the facts the answer was no 29 in one respect all members could be alike that was in love love would abide and endure after miraculous gifts passed away at the passing of the church out of its primitive infancy so paul does not giye the self-evident answer to his question but adds this admonition for miraculous speakers with tongues and for prophets and other gifted ones but desire earnestly the greater gifts and moreover a most excellent way show i unto you if i speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not 28 who is responsibie for the difference and variety of services and how 80 29 in what one respect should they be alike in deveiopment love i am become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal but now abideth faith hope love these three i and the greatest of these is love 1 cor 12 27-13 13 am stan ver this is a warning for us regarding all service that we render in the organization as members thereof according to god s gracious gift to us we must be moved by love of god and of our brethren in order for the service to count in his sight various forms of activity and service may pass out as time moves on but the development of love within us will remain and wiii hold us true to jehovah god and his organization under christ for intern ational unity the christian congregation at corinth greece to which paul wrote as above was over 600 miles southeast from rome which was in a different nation of course nonetheless the christian congregation there at rome italy was also a part of the body of christ as thus far expanded so the apostle paul wrote them instructions like those sent to corinth because the same instructions applied to all parts and members of christ s body whether at rome or at corinth or at jerusalem their being of different nationalities according to the flesh did not call for different sets of instruction to warn the roman christians lest any of them grow conceited and think themselves different and superior to others of the body and thereby start divisive schisms among the body members the apostle paul wrote 31 in virtue of my office [as an apostle and a member of the church s governing body i tell every one of your number who is self-important that he is not to think more of himself than he ought to think he must take a sane view of himself corresponding to the degree of faith which god has assigned to each in our one body we have a numuer of members and the members have not all the same function so too for all our numbers we form one body in christ and we are severally members one of another our talents differ with the grace that is given us if the talent is that of prophecy let us employ it in proportion to our faith j if it is practical service let us mind our service i the teacher must mind his teaching the speaker his words of counsel the contributor must be liberal the superintendent must be in earnest the sick visitor [or one acting with mercy must be cheerful let your love be a real thing with a loathing for evil and a bent for what is good put affection into your love for the brotherhood keep in harmony with one another i instead of being ambitious associate with humble 30 30 why were like instructions sent out although to congregations in different natloll8 31 what iike instruction did paui write the christians at rome?

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10 ~ewatchtower brooklyn n y folk j never be self-conceited rom 12 3-16 moffatt 52 all such instruction had as its purpose the promoting and strengthening and preserving of unity within the roman congregation of christians and as a sister to such organizational unity there would exist hannony or peace but to remind us specifically of the pacific purpose of christians one toward another and toward all with whom we must associate in life s dealings paul makes this further remark be at peace with all men if possible so far as that depends on you rom 12 18 moffatt those heeding this apostolic instruction will avoid being troublemakers and disturbers and will carry on quiet dealings with others they will not intentionally provoke strife tunnoil and quarrel j but if controversy and disagreement are stirred up they will let it be from the other party because he objects to their proclaiming the truth of god s word even the perfect one jesus christ ran into controversy opposition and disturbance because he preached the kingdom truth ve his followers are not above him or better than he and cannot do other than also rouse up opposition and debate because of sharing in the testimony of jesus christ and proclaiming the truth the purpose of the gospel is not to stir up strife and controversy but it is the antagonists of the truth that hatefully stir up such such is unavoidable in those cases and we should not stop publishing the kingdom truth in order to avoid such paul did not do so s3 however among brethren ,vithin the theocratic organization of christ s body such controversy strife contention wrangling and strained relations with one another should not be because all are understood to be and taken to be lovers and upholders of the truth as far then as depends upon us we should seek to get along in peace with those devoted to the truth and wanting to serve god if we love the truth then let us look above our personal feelings and desires to the one over-all purp.ose .of the lord s organization in christ then we will rise above petty personal things of strife and will go along harmoniously with our brethren in the paramount service of god we must get along accordantly with one another in god s org.anization are we not all subject to the same regulatlons and to the same general witnessing obligations f are we not all targets of the one common enemy the world are we not all bound together in the one purpose of vindicating god s name and universal sovereignty yes then as far as depends upon us let us be a what was the purpose of paul s instruction b why should p ce with all men be as far as possible and as it depends upon us 33 why should not strife and strained relations be between the brethren but instead efforts teward peace and unity dependable to work and live in the interests of unity and peace h this is the course of heavenly wisdom but if ye have bitter jealousy ~nd faction in y~ur ~eart glory not and lie not agamst the truth this wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above but is earthly sensual devilish for where jeal~usy and faction are there is confusion and every vile deed but the wi;dom that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle easy to be entreat:d full of me:rcy and good fruits withoutvarianc wltho thypocnsy and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them thatmakepeace jas.3 14-18 a.m stan vet the common objective 5 in every direction this energetic missionary apostle paul found it advisable and timely to send out inspired exhortations to umty an d peace t urning in the other direction from rome eastward to asia minor he wrote instructions like those sent to corinth and rome and sent such to the congregations in ephesus and in colosse because they too were part of the one body of christ t the colossians he wrote and above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness and let the pea~e of christ rule in your hearts to the which also ye were called in one body col 3 14 15 a.m stan v er today nineteen centuries from the ~he call still is to peace among the remnant of chnst s body members now when religious christendom is split and at odds with herself in a thousand and one ways over one selfish cause or another the divisive spirit pervading religious christendom the re~nant of christ s brethren cannot afford to let infiltrate among themselves because the body of christ is called to peace his peace must rule among them they are his friends not his enemies he must rule among them his friends his brethren as their prince of peace especially so now since he was enthroned in the theocratic government at the right hand of jehovah god a.d 1914 the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called the prince of peace isa 9 6 36 with like exhortation the apostle wrote to the ephesians from his prison in rome i exhort you therefore i the prisoner for the lord to walk worthily of the calling with which ye were called with all humility and gentleness j with patience sustaining each other in love j using diligence to preserve the unity of the spirit by the unitin .bond of peace j there being one body and one s lnt as also you were called in one hope of your callmg one lord one faith one immersion one god and father this the cour~e of heavenly wisdom and not earthly 35 what like instruction did paul send to the colossians and wh is this call to peace especially appllcllble since a.d 1914 36 what corresponding instruction did paul send to tile ephesians is

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january 1 1947 miewatchtower 11 3g but not so the mature remnant of the body of of all he who is over all and through all and in all but to each one of us was given favor according to christ yet on earth and not so their loyal comthe measure of the free gift of the anointed one panions of good-will the remnant with their good[christ therefore it is said having ascended on will companions inseparably at their side stand high he led a multitude of captives and gave gifts upright like mature strong men unbending unto men and he gave indeed the apostles and the swayed uncompromisingly firm and steady for the prophets and the evangelists and shepherds and truth and for clean-handed above-board dealings in publishing the truth the theocratic organization teachers eph 4 1-8 11 diaglott 31 here we pause for a question to sharpen our which holds them stands 1jnited in its immovableinterest in what the apostle next says namely what ness its members fighting fearlessly shoulder to ,vas the objective in all such gifts of different serv shoulder for the faith of the gospel of god s ltingants in the body of christ was it indeed to pit one dom phil 1 27 28 unitedly they uphold the unikind of servant against another kind in competition versal sovereignty of their one god jehovah and to create an uppish clergy and a nether laity and unitedly they hold fast to the headship and leaderthus produce divisive distinctions 1 answer to the ship of their one lord jesus christ unitedly they question comes with a positive no in the apostle s resist the confusing selfish spirit of this world but next words namely for the complete qualification pray and open their hearts fully for the one spirit of the saints for the work of service in order to the proceeding from god and through jesus christ and building up of the body of the anointed one [christ j which holy spirit is an active unifying force enertill we all attain to the unity of the faith ana of the gizing them to combined concordant activity in the knowledge of the son of god to a full grown man service of god <0 jehovah god now makes peace within his visible to the measure of the full stature of the anointed one j ··· but being truthful in love we may grow up organization on earth ps 147 14 to the wicked in all things into him who is the read the however he decrees no peace and there is no peace anointed one from whom the whole body being in this world iso 48 18 22 his prince of peace fitly joined and united by means of every assisting christ jesus now reigns at his side in the kingdom joint according to the proportionate energy of each that was born a.d 1914 jehovah s command to single part effects the growth of the body for the christ is rule thou in the midst of thine enemies building up of itself in love eph 4 12-16 diaglott ps 110 2 with those enemies jehovah will make 38 isow in this time of the end is most decidedly no peace negotiations at the field of armageddon the time when the body of christ or its remnant on where all nations are lining up for the nnnl display earth should rightly be expected to attain to that of their might against jehovah s universal sovmaturity of spiritual growth like the stature of a ereignty he will smite through them and destroy perfect man one body in christ 1iaturity and the them to give ever-enduring proof that he is the full stature of christ s body means unity and har rightful sovereign over all the earth and all the rest monious peaceful functioning of all the members of of the universe in blessed contrast therewith jehohis body with mutual interdependence and helpful vah s enthroned prince of peace rules in the midst ness it means standing firm in the one faith and in of his remnant and their good-will companions with the one hope immovable in this stormy time when all peaceable purposes to hold them together in one the mighty winds of false religious doctrines and under his protection and blessing hence in the propaganda blow and the smooth-handed trickery of midst of a strife-torn disquieted world there should political commercial and religious men of this world be one visible organization where permanent peace is craftily practiced by means of errors that are and unity exist and that should be jehovah s organagainst the established kingdom of god the men ization of his witnesses under the prince of peace and women of christendom betray themselves to be christ jesus it should stand and by god s grace like immature infants swayed and carried to and fro it does stand to the glory of jehovah god as a by these winds of doctrine and propaganda they visible tangible sample of the everlasting peace and are childishly tricked and fooled repeatedly by the unity of the righteous new world which he will earlv cunning craftiness of power-grabbing rulers and usher in by his kingdom under jesus christ office-seekers of the world 37 what was the lord s objectl e in giving such gifts of different ser ants 38 what do maturity and the full stature of christ s body mean now 39 how do the remnant and their loyal companions show maturity in contrast with the men and women of the world 40 what is now the contrast between jehovah s rule toward his enemies and that toward his remnant and their companions let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoicej and let them say among the nations jehovah reigneth -1 chronicles 16 31 a.s.v.

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persons of good-will in antitypical jerusalem t ile jewish prophets ezekiel and jeremiah both of them priests of the tribe of levi were contemporaries however jeremiah was selected to prophesy thirty-three years before ezekiel in the twenty-ninth year of jeremiah s prophesying ezekiel was one of the young men who was carried away captive with king jehoiachin to the far-distant land of babylon by emperor nebuchadnezzar this deposing of king j ehoiachin and carrying away of thousands of jewish captives to babylon was because of the abominations that jehoiachin and many of his subjects were committing religiously in the capital city jerusalem and the rest of the kingdom of judah although carried off capth e ezekiel was not slaughtered and the reason was that he was a faithful servant and witness of jehovah god and was not guilty of the religious abominations committed by the majority of his fellow countrymen hence in the fifth ;year of his captivity in babylon god raised up ezekiel to be his prophet among the israelite captives in that heathenish land there ezekiel protested against the many abominations still being committed in jerusalem and he gave numerous prophecies against such in this protest against abominations of religioll ezekiel was associated with jeremiah although far away because right in jerusalem itself the prophet jeremiah made like protests in the name of jehovah god against the religious abominations committed in that city anti the rest of the kingdom these prophetic protests by both ezekiel and jeremiah continued until the destruction of jerusalem in 607 b.c when many thousands of .jews guilty of religious abominations were slaughtercd by the conquerors .jerusalem of that day professed to be a holy city dedicated to god and the capital city of his theocratic kingdom organization on earth in such regards unfaithful jerusalem was a type of modern-day christendom which likewise professes to be holy to god and to be his visible organization of his people therefore christendom is the antitypical unfaithful jerusalem in the ninth chapter of ezekiel s prophecy is recorded a prophetic picture of the abominations that refer ahead to the wickedness done in christendom of the present time the prophetic picture is s:v-mbolic and shows six men each of whom is armed with a weapon of destruction called a slaughter weapon and standing ready to destroy the city this has a present-day meaning for the religious organization called christendom the city of jerusalem is the city meant in ezekiel s prophetic picture and symbolically represents the corresponding organization of christendom which claims to erve god and christ but in fact serves satan the devil alqp.g w~th those six armed men of the prophetic picture is another man but clothed with linen with a writer s inkhorn b;r his side this man compared with ezekiel and .jercmiah who were faithful witnesses of jehovah back there and hence he pictures jehovah s witnesses of today t.he faithful followers of christ jesus who go to make up his remnant of heirs of the heavenly kingdom of god yet on the earth on the other hand the six men with slaughter weapons picture the invisible forces of the lord that will 12 destroy antitypical jerusalem or christendom at the battle of armageddon in the prophetic picture jehovah s command to the man clothed with linen and with the inkhorn by his side is that he go through the city and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof antitypically this means the religious abominations that are now done within the realm of christendom this part of the prophetic picture shows that jehovah s witnesses of christ s remnant must go throughout christendom and declare god s message concerning his name and his kingdom and this message includes the prophecies long ago pronounced by jeremiah and ezekiel by so doing jehovah s witnesses of today put a mark upon the foreheads of the persons who desire to learn the truth regarding jehovah s purposes the forehead represents the ~eat of knowledge and means antitypically that the persons on earth who are of good-will toward jehovah god receive a knowledge of god s truth and give heed thereto with mind and heart there are today v.ithin christendom many persons of such kind who have been associated with the religious systems because they did not know anything better they observe the many abominations committed by the religionists contrary to god s word for instance they see the religious leaders or clergymen indulging in the crooked politics of this world and in many unscrupulous and unrighteous schemes teachings and practices they see the clergy and hear them proclaiming false doctrines and resorting to lies and deceptions in order to operate and carryon a racket by which the people are robbed for example the roman catholic hierarchy now works in full accord with political leaders not to mention her former concordats with hitler and mussolini and does so in an effort to rule the world arbitrarily as the power behind the throne and eventually to take away the liberties of the people as was once done during the regimes of hitler and mussolini the proof is at hand to show that the hierarchy foments and carries on wicked wars and all manner of cruel schemes resulting injuriously to the people and to the di~honor of god s name to add to this the hierarchv teaches such false un-biblical doctrines as purgatory hich in effect is that a person when he dies goes to purgatory and is there suffering conscious torment until the religious priests can offer prayers and relieve the dead one supposed to be there suffering of that punishment and this falsehood is used to work on credulous people so as to wring money from living friends of the deceased seeing these many abominable things committed the honest and sincere persons in those religious institutions cry to the lord god being of good-will toward jehovah god they desire a knowledge of him and his righteous ways and the lord god hears their cry and sends his message of truth to them by and through his faithful servants who together are pictured by the man clad in linen with the ink~orn at his side when these persons of good-will learn of jehovah god and his king christ jesus and of the theocratic government now reigning they readily turn to him and serve him and his enthroned king those who have thus sighed and cried because of the rehgious abomina-

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january 1 1947 miewatchtower 13 tions done in christendom and who receive the bible truth and obey the lord god are the ones marked in their forehead these are the ones who have the assurance that at the destruction of antitypical jerusalem christendom in the battle of armageddon they will be spared from the slaughter weapons of jehovah s executional officer christ jesus with all the holy angels with him hence they will survive that battle alive and enter without dying into the new world of righteousness which will follow armageddon continuing faithful in their integrity throughout that new world they will live forever in happiness on earth perfected the modern ebed-illelech of good-will years before ezekiel jehovah god sent his faithful prophet jeremiah to give warning to jerusalem of her impending destruction at the hand of king ~ebuchadnezzar and his babylonian armies in this work jeremiah pictured the remnant who as jehovah s witnesses today are sent to give warning to christendom of her impending destruction at the universal war of armageddon because of jeremiah s faithfulness in declaring jehovah s stern message jeremiah was cast into prison at the instance of jerusalem s religionists however while he was in that filthy prison a swarthy friend appeared consider now how jehovah has very wonderfully and in simple manner pictured those who put their tru!lt in him and not in the imposing worldly powers in the royal house of jerusalem s last king zedekiah there was an ethiopian whose name was ebed-melech his name means servant of the king he was a eunuch jer 38 7 he was not an israelite and this is made certain by the fact that he had been sterilized and made a eunuch which god s law made it contrary to do to israelites in effect ebedmelech was a prisoner of unfaithful jerusalem being a trusty and a harmless man who had general access to the king s house to serve the king he was not at all in sympathy with the harsh deeds of the ruling house of jerusalem and therefore ebed-melech pictured a class today subjected to christendom but not at all in sympathy with the harsh and cruel methods employed by christendom s rulers political and religious being a slave this ethiopian could not take the advice of jeremiah to forsake the doomed city and go away to the chaldean besiegers he saw the great injustice that had been done to jeremiah in throwing him into a deep muddy dungeon he had faith in jeremiah s god hence he pictured the same class as those who cry and sigh for all the abominations that are done in the city as an ethiopian a man of color he symbolized a natural sinner who desires to learn of god he had heard of god s purpo!les through jeremiah s preaching this is in harmony with the words of psalm 68 31 ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto ood king zedekiah was sitting in the benjamin gate of jerusalem probably holding court there and it was then that ebed-melech the ethiopian had the opportunity to publicly approach the king and speak to him in open court in doing this the ethiopian pictured those persons other than the remnant of spiritual israelites who take their stand on the side of jehovah god and speak in favor of the remnant angaged in witness work like jeremiah s correspondingly early in the year 1919 and while a number of official representatives of jeliovah s visible organization were literally in a federal prison many thousands of persons of goodwill toward god and his people gladly signed a petition to the american government that the society s servants might be given a hearing and released from prison see the watchtower of 1919 page 101 since then jehovah s witnesses have many times been cast into prisons for faithfully preaching the kingdom message to christendom and many persons of good-will have come to their aid to relieve them in their imprisonment and to help in their release this is action like that of ebed-melech of old during the siege of jerusalem approaching king zedekiah ebed-melech the ethiopian addressed him and said my lord the king these men have done evil in all that they have done to jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is for there is no more bread in the city jer 38 9 king zedekiah heard his speech and then commanded the ethiopian to take thirty men to assist him and to draw jeremiah out of thc dungeon jer 38 10 this corresponds with the releasing of god s people who come into prison and under unjust restraints the ethiopian with the other men proceeded to make arrangements to take jeremiah out of the dungeon and to do so in the most comfortable manner that they could thus preventing the least possible injury to him jer 38 11 12 this shows that antitypically the faithful followers of christ jesus are imprisoned and restrained and are visited with help by persons of good-will who are commended by jehovah s king christ jesus in these words i was in prison and ye came unto me 1 1att 25 36 the ethiopian showed much kindness to jeremiah in putting old clouts under his arms to lift him out of the prison the clergy had done exactly the contrary when they shoved jehovah s faithful remnant on earth into prisons and coneentration camps in taking this kind of action toward jehovah s servants the ethiopian probably had in mind the words of the psalmist as set forth in psalms 142 102 and 69 those of good-will lent their efforts to the lord god to draw his servants out of prison and thus the lord looseth the prisoners ps 146 7 neither the religionists nor the politicians lifted the lord s servants out of the dungeon in this time of the end dack in 1919 no effort was made to do so until the people of good-will filed an urgent petition with the public officials likewise since it has been the ebed-melech class of modern days that has showed sympathy for and interest in god s faithful servants whom the lord causes to be released from prison the releasing refers to all those who were faithful as jehovah s remnant some of whom have actually been in prison and others of whom were under prison-like restraint so they drew up jeremiah with cords and took him up out of the dungeon and jeremiah remained in the court of the prison so jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that jerusalem was taken and he was there when jerusalem was taken jer 38 13 28 from the time of their release in 1919 until now jehovah s remnant as foreshadowed by jeremiah have been under surveillance by the ruling factors as if in a prison

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14 9hewatchtower brooklyn n y court and particularly so at the instance of christendom s clergy who increasingly try to limit and circumscribe the freedom of activity of jehovah s faithful servants on earth regardless of this surveillance and restraint jehovah s remnant and their good-will companions go on jeremiah was in the prison court until jerusalem was taken by king nebuchadnezzar s armies and destroyed which restraint of jeremiah foreshadowed the surveillance of jehovah s devoted remnant now but did jeremiah stop testifying to the name of the lord godl not by any means and neither do jehovah s witnesses under surveillance today stop we read now the word of jehovah came unto jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard saying go and speak to ebed-melech the ethiopian saying thus saith jehovah of hosts the god of israel behold i will bring my words upon this city for evil and not for good and they shall be accomplished before thee in that day but i will deliver thee in that day saith jehovah and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid for i will surely save thee and thou shalt not fall by the sword but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee because thou hast put thy trust in me saith jehovah -jer 39 15-18 a s.v today in the face of the destruction of christendom and the terrific slaughter there in the battle of armageddon those of good·will who continue faithful as the ebed·melech class may take this comforting promise of jehovah to them· selves in hope of survival of the battle of armageddon and of entry into the glorious new world of righteousness created by jehovah s hands asa in action against religion r eligion stood as a powerful antagonist of true wor people the place once wrongfully occupied by demon reliship when asa ascended the throne of judah it was gion the true worship of jehovah god flourished it is true subtle demon religion that had previously overpowered that king asa was against religion but he was not a godless the once-wise king solomon and caused the nation of atheist against the true worship of jehovah as well had he israel to be split after his death during the seventeen not commanded judah to seek the lord god of their year reign of the first king of the two-tribe kingdom of fathers and to do the law and the commandment 1 judah religion ensnared the inhabitants and its close grip vorld statesmen of today as they listen to the threatenwas not loosened in the three years of abijah s succeeding ing voice of organized religion shouting out that she alone kingship hence when rehoboam s grandson and abijah s can assure peace through her moral law would do well son asa began ruling over judah in 978 b.c he was at to recognize the wise distinction asa made between religion the head of a nation alienated from jehovah god and in and true worship religion meant ruin for israel whereas bondage to demonism to burst the shackles and effect a true worship guaranteed peace and protection the truthreconciliation with god would call for vigorous and fulness of this becomes evident as the history of asa s reign decisive action vas king asa a man of such action 1 continues it develops that asa had an army of three hunthe chronology of the times indicates that asa reigned dred thousand spearmen from the tribe of judah and two one year with his father abijah and that his total king hundred and eighty thousand oowrnen from the tribe of ship reached a forty-first :rear or down to 938 b.c early benjamin against this force came zerah the ethiopian in his reign young asa remembered his creator in the days with an host of a thousand thousand and three hundred of his youth and moved with vigor against the demon chariots that is to say a million men when the battle religion that had dogged the steps of the judean kingdom lines were set in array in the valley of zephathah at for the past twenty years asa did that which was good mareshah asa outnumbered almost two to one cried unto and right in the eyes of the lord his god for he took away the lord jehovah saying lord it is nothing with thee the altars of the strange gods and the high places and to help whether with many or with them that have no brake down the images and cut down the groves and power help us 0 lord our god for we rest on thee and commanded judah to seek the lord god of their fathers in thy name we go against this multitude 0 lord thou art and to do the law and the commandment also he took our god let not man prevail against thee when the battle away out of all the cities of judah the high places and the was over the judeans returned to jerusalem with much images and the kingdom was quiet before him 2 chron spoil for jehovah had put the ethiopian hordes to flight and blessed his own true worshipers with victory 2 chron 14 2-5 note the good effects of this hard-hitting action against 14 8-15 asa was stirred to take even further action against relireligion in his days the land was quiet ten years and gion a prophet of god azariah by name met the returnhe ·built .fenced cities in judah for the land had rest and he had no war in those years because the lord had given ing victorious army with king asa at its head and focused him rest therefore he said unto judah let us build these attention on the cause for the triumph the lord is with cities and make about them walls and towers gates and you while ye be with him and if ye seek him he will be bars while the land is yet before us because we have sought found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you the lord our god we have sought him and he hath given 2 chron 15 2 these words prompted by the spirit of us rest· on every side so they built and prospered god upon the prophet built up even more courage in asa 2 chron 14 1 6 7 peace and a reconstruction work and for the fight against demonism more abominable idols prosperity came as a result of the purge against religion toppled as the purge continued in judah and benjamin then rightfully filling in the hearts and minds of the and extended into cities asa had taken in mount ephraim.

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