1953 New Heavens and a New Earth - A2Z.org

PUBLISHERSWATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY, INC .INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATIONBrooklyn, New York, U. S . A .3,600,000 EditionCOPYRIGHT, 1953byWATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETYMade in the United States of America

DEDICATEDto the honor and praise of the divineCreator of the new heavens and thenew earth for the blessing of' mankindof' all nations, tribes,peoples and languages .Abbreviations of Bible versions quoted or cited in this bookAS -American Standard Version, by the American Committeeof RevisionAT -An American Translation, by J . M . P . Smith and E. J .GoodspeedCB - The Holy Bible, translated by the Catholic Biblical Associationof AmericaDa - The 'Holy Scriptures', a New Translation, by J . N . DarbyDy - Translation of the Latin Vulgate made at Douay and RheimsED - The Emphatic Diaglott, a translation of "what is commonlystyled the New Testament", by Benjamin WilsonFn - The Holy Bible in Modern English, by Ferrar FentonMo - A New Translation of The Bible, by James MoffattNW - New World Translation of the Holy ScripturesRo - The Emphasised Bible, a New Translation, by J . B . RotherhamRS - Revised Standard Version, by the Division of ChristianEducation of the National Council of the Churches ofChrist in the United States of AmericaSo- Books of the Hebrew Bible, by the Soncino Press, Londonand Bournemouth, EnglandWr - The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures (RomanCatholic)Ws - The New Testament, a Translation in the Language of thePeople, by Chas . B . WilliamsYg- The Holy Bible, translated by Robert YoungAny quotation not followed by any specific abbreviationis from the Authorized or King JamesVersion . The names of the books of the Bibleare abbreviated when indicated after a quotation .

CHAPTERCONTENTSPAGE1 Their Creator 72 The Invisible Heavens 193 Creation of the Planet Earth 344 Conscious Life Begins on Earth 545 Corrupting of the Righteous World . . . . 716 Corrupt World of That Time Destroyed . 847 The Making of This Cosmos Begun 1018 Jerusalem Prophetic in Rise and Fall . . . . 1169 The Holy City Revived and Cast Off . . . 13210 Foundation for the New World Laid . . . . 14411 The New Creation 15812 The New Covenant 17213 The Desolating of Spiritual Israel 18514 Kingdom of the New World Born 19915 The Healing of the "Jerusalem Above" . . . 21416 New World Society Forming 22817 Sure Evidences of the End's Approach . . . 24418 The Great Gathering for Survival 26319 End of the Heavens and Earth That Are Now . 28420 Baptism for Life in the New World . . . . 30021 Creation of New Heavens and a New Earth . 31222 The Enduring Quality of the New World . . 342Chart of Outstanding Historical Dates . . . . 364Subject Index 369Index to Scriptures Cited 376

"New Heavens andA New Earth"CHAPTER ITheir CreatorHE creating of new heavens and a new earthT is now under way . This is an all-powerfulreason for lovers of truth, righteousness, libertyand life in peace and happiness to overflow withirrepressible joy . After almost six thousand yearsof human sorrow, suffering and death, at lastpermanent relief is near at hand and will berealized within this generation . A clean, just andhealthful new world is immediately before themand they may enter into it . Now, when the outlookfor this old world is utterly hopeless, it ishigh time for persons who long for life underperfect conditions to inform themselves and provewhether this startling good news is true . If it istrue-and it can be proved true upon the highestauthority-then it is only reasonable that theyprepare for it, letting it be a guide to their presentcourse of action . In view of the shortness of thetime, it is most urgent that they do so . This willsave them from sharing the certain destruction ofa doomed old world and guarantee them a joyful1 . What reason for joy is there, and what is it mosturgent to do?7

8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"entrance into the new world that will endureforever with blessings for its inhabitants .2 The creation of new heavens and a new earthcomes about in a manner far different from whathigh-minded men presume . The failure of theirideas about it argues that they do not understandit and that they take too much to themselves andimproperly rely upon what mere men of this oldworld do . In January, 1918, months before theclose of World War I, the president of the UnitedStates proposed a League of Nations for the postwarworld. The Protestant religious organization,the Federal Council of Churches of Christ inAmerica (replaced in 1951 by the National Councilof the Churches of Christ in the United Statesof America), came out in favor of the proposal .Disclosing how it viewed matters of universal importance,the religious Council published this statementin January of 1919 :3 "The time has come to organize the world fortruth, right, justice and humanity. To this endas Christians we urge the establishment of aLeague of Free Nations at the coming PeaceConference . Such a league is not merely a peaceexpedient, it is rather the political expression ofthe kingdom of God on earth . The League of Nationsis rooted in the gospel . Like the gospel, itsobjective is `Peace on earth, good will towardmen' . Like the gospel, its appeal is universal .4 "The herioc dead will have died in vain unlessout of victory shall come a new heavens and anew earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.-2 Peter3 :13 .5 "The church can give a spirit of good will,without which no League of Nations can endure."2-5 . In 1918 from what did the Federal Council ofChurches in America expect new heavens and a newearth to come forth?

THEIR CREATOR 96By this statement the Council of Churchespredicted that the League of Nations would proveto be the political expression of God's kingdom onearth and that it would fulfill the prophecy of2 Peter 3 :13 and introduce a new heavens and anew earth in which righteousness would dwell .Shortly the League became a reality, with Christendom'sbacking . But did it fulfill the Councilof Churches' prediction? The kingdom of God isprophesied to last forever ; but the League of Nations,its claimed "political expression", failed andwent into the abyss of helplessness at the outbreakof World War II in 1939 . It had not produced a"new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness", evenamong its member nations. The "heroic dead" ofthe nations victorious in World War I had evidentlydied in vain. In 1945, over the blood andagony of millions more dead heroes, the UnitedNations succeeded to the League of Nations . Afteryears of operation it offers no more promise thanthe defunct League of Nations did of establishinga new heavens and a new earth out of victory inWorld War II . Never did less righteousness dwellin this earth, never was there more moral corruptionand human degradation. The entrance of thepostwar world into the atomic era, and later intothe era of the hydrogen bomb, has not elevatedits spirit or transformed this earth into a placeof beauty and bright hope for mankind.7 As if men of this old world, by combinationsof nations and with the backing of the religioussystems of Christendom, could create new heavensand a new earth in which righteousness controlled!It is beyond the power of feeble, imperfect, selfish6 . Did the League fulfill the prediction of the Councilof Churches? What promise does the United Nationsgive of doing so?7. In 1951 what did the American president admit concerningthe creating of a new heavens and a new earth?

10 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"man to do. This has been admitted even by theAmerican president who ordered the atomic bombto be dropped upon Hiroshima, Japan, and who,in 1950, in an international armaments race, orderedthe Atomic Energy Commission to producethe hydrogen bomb and asked the American Congressto furnish the vast sum of money for this .The following year this statement came from him,as reported in the New York Times of October 8,1951 : "CINCINNATI, Oct. 7-President Trumancalled on Protestant churchmen representing morethan a score of major denominations today to`turn the hearts and souls of men from rancor andhatred to love and the spirit of true brotherhood .'In a message read before the inaugurating sessionof United Church Men, the President told the assembledlaymen that while they `may not hope tocreate a new heaven and a new earth' at thepresent time, they could through prayer and labor`strive to leave this world a little better' thanthey had found it ." The explosion of the firsthydrogen bomb the very next year boomed out adisconcerting emphasis to the president's words .s No men were ever authorized to create newheavens and a new earth . It is presumptuous forthem to hope to do so themselves at any time,present or future . Their use of the expression "newheavens and a new earth" is in fact a borrowedone and they have misappropriated it and misappliedit. They have thus subjected trusting peopleto great disappointment and have turned theattention of mankind away from the true and onlycreator of the righteous new world . Although thehopes of men who look to men crash around themin bitter failure, the creating of the new heavens8, 9 . Were men authorized to create such things, andwhose promise of such things do men of faith seecoming true?

THEIR CREATOR 11and new earth moves on to full accomplishment .Men of faith and of enlightened vision who lookto the right source of these long-awaited thingssee the grand work in process and rejoice . Theybehold the millenniums-old promise of these goodthings coming true . They trust in the same promisethat the inspired writer did, who nineteen centuriesago wrote : "There are new heavens and anew earth that we are awaiting according to hispromise, and in these righteousness is to dwell ."The writer of that was Simon Peter, of the city ofBethsaida. He was a loyal follower and faithfulapostle of Jesus Christ, and he penned these sublimewords in his second letter to his fellowChristians, chapter three, verse thirteen. Thetime of awaiting these things in full is now aboutover .0To whose promise was the apostle Peter referringwith such confidence that the promisewould not fail but was worth waiting for? Not amere man's promise. True, the prophet Isaiahuttered and wrote down the promise over sevencenturies before the apostle Peter's letter, but hewas merely quoting by inspiration the greatPromiser, who himself said : "Lo, I am creatingnew heavens, and a new earth, and the formerthings are not remembered, nor do they ascendon the heart ." (Isa. 65 :17, Yg f) The Promiser ofthese new things is also their Creator . That iswhy he speaks the promise as if he were alreadycarrying it out, although it was over twenty-sixcenturies in advance .1 0 And who is this confident Promiser and Crea-According to the New World Translation of the ChristianGreek Scriptures . See also John 1 :40, 44, NW .t For the explanation of this and other abbreviations in thisbook see the list of them on page 5 .lo. Who is this Promiser and Creator, as regards hisname and connections?

12 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tor? Not some nameless "lord", whose identitywould be lost among the many personages in heavenand in earth who are called "lord" . No, but hediscloses his name, that we may not look to thewrong source or channel for the fulfillment of thepromise ; and he puts his own chosen name beforethe statement of his promise, declaring : "Therefore,thus said the Lord Jehovah ." (Isa. 65 :13,Yg) He is the great Creator of all things, theMaker of the heavens and the earth . For the firsttwo thousand years from man's creation he wasknown to men of faith by that name "Jehovah" ;but for over nineteen hundred years after that,beginning with faithful Abraham the Hebrew, hewas almost exclusively associated with the Hebrewsand Israelites and Jews . He is the livingand true God .11 The Hebrews, Israelites and Jews are not responsiblefor God's unusual name . No creature inheaven or on earth gave it to him . He chose it forhimself. He gave it to himself . He announced itas his own, saying : "I am Jehovah, that is myname ; and my glory will I not give to another,neither my praise unto graven images." (Isa.42 :8, AS ; Yg) Men who claim to know and representand worship God have become ashamed ofthat name ; but the exclusive Owner of it is notashamed of it. He is not afraid of having his nameknown because of his deeds and associations thatare reported in the ancient Hebrew Scriptures,like a hunted criminal afraid of being identifiedbecause of his dark deeds and incriminating associates. He does not fear that harm will cometo anyone if his name is made known in connectionwith his works, his promises and his people . Hehas chosen no poor name, but has already covered11, 12 . Who is responsible for God's name, and is it apoor name?

THEIR CREATOR 13it with matchless glory and will glorify it stillmore in the future .12If he had no personal name by which we couldspeak of him and address him, there would be nosense in the third of his Ten Commandments givento the nation of Israel through the prophet Moses ;which commands : "You must not take up thename of Jehovah your God in a worthless way,for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunishedwho takes up his name in a worthless way ."Likewise, there would be no sense in the prayerthat Jesus Christ taught his followers to addressto God, saying : "Our Father in the heavens, letyour name be sanctified." (Ex. 20 :7 and Matt .6 :9, NW) The divine command not to take upGod's name in a worthless way was, not a commandnever to pronounce it, nor a command alwaysto use some unauthorized, inferior substitutefor it, but a command never to misuse it . Thatthe true Creator of the new heavens and earthmay be honorably identified we are obliged tomention his unique name "Jehovah" in all itsconnections .RELIABILITY OF HISPROMISE13The promise of new heavens and a new earthis backed by a living Personage, with ample powerto fulfill it regardless of how marvelous thesenew things will be . It is foolish for puny man,whose 200-inch telescope, according to the latestestimate, pierces the depths of the universe to adistance of about two billion light-years, to say,"How do we know there is a God? None of ushere on earth have ever seen him!" It is good thatmankind, from the first man on, has never seen13 . Why is it foolish and inexcusable for man to demandto see God the Creator before believing his existenceand his promise?

14 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"him . Man is not so constructed as to be able tosee his Creator and remain alive . When the prophetMoses on top of Mount Sinai in Arabia askedto see his face, Jehovah by his invisible representativethere answered : "You are not able tosee my face, because no man may see me and yetlive ." (Ex. 33 :20, NW) The nation of Israel at thefoot of Mount Sinai were so terrified at the outwardmanifestation of Jehovah's unseen presenceon the mountain and his voice out of the invisiblethat they said to Moses, the mediator betweenthem and God : "You speak with us and let uslisten, but let not God speak with us for fear wemay die ." "Do not let me hear again the voice ofJehovah my God and this great fire do not let mesee any more, that I may not die ." God said thatthey spoke sensibly in so speaking . (Ex. 20 :18, 19and Deut . 18 :16, 17, NW) Only the fool asks tosee God personally in order to be convinced of hisexistence . All the creation with which man is intouch by means of his sense of sight, hearing,taste, feeling and smell testifies that God the Creatorof all exists, so that such a request to seebefore believing is without excuse.-Rom . 1 :19,20, NW .14The great truth stated in his written Word,that God always was and had no beginning, maystun us . Our minds can hardly take it in, but itis not too much for reasonable faith . We must notliken God to ourselves and put our limitationsupon him . Because he is the great First Cause ofall creation he must always have been, during theendless past, so that what seems to be a longstretch of time to us mortals is but a short spaceof time to him . In prayer Moses said to him :14 . How do the Scriptures emphasize that God alwayswas, without beginning? and his being without endassures what for man in the new earth?

THEIR CREATOR 1 5"Before the mountains were brought forth, or everthou hadst formed the earth and the world, evenfrom everlasting to everlasting, thou art God . Fora thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterdaywhen it is past, and as a watch in the night ."(Ps . 90 :2, 4) Emphasizing His timelessness, theapostle Paul prayed : "Now to the King of eternity,incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honor andglory for ever and ever . Amen ." (1 Tim. 1 :17,NW) Angels have been reported as swearing "byhim who lives forever", yes, "by the One wholives for ever and ever, who created the heavenand the things in it and the earth and the thingsin it and the sea and the things in it." (Dan. 12 :7,AT; Rev. 10 :6, NW) He it is "who inhabits eternity,whose name is Holy" . (Isa. 57 :15, RS) Becauseof his eternal existence and his incorruptiblenesshe will always remain the God supreme and true,and all the false gods of this present short timewill perish and prove to be no gods . It is as theprophet Jeremiah wrote : "Jehovah is the trueGod ; he is the living God, and an everlasting King :at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nationsare not able to abide his indignation . Thus shallye say unto them, The gods that have not madethe heavens and the earth, these shall perish fromthe earth, and from under the heavens . He hathmade the earth by his power, he hath establishedthe world by his wisdom, and by his understandinghath he stretched out the heavens ." (Jer. 10 : 10-12,AS) Only due to the fact that this true and livingGod is without beginning and without end mankindwill be sustained in endless life in the newearth that he creates along with new heavens ."Even his enemies and those on earth whodoubt his existence will shortly be forced to know15. Who will be forced to know God is supreme, andwhy? How is he the foundation of all creation?

1 6 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"that he is supreme and all creatures are his inferiors. The fervent prayer was not uttered tohim nor recorded in his Holy Bible all for nothing :"Let them be confounded and troubled for ever ;yea, let them be put to shame, and perish : thatmen may know that thou, whose name alone isJehovah, art the Most High over all the earth ."(Ps . 83 :17, 18) To vindicate himself as the SupremeSovereign he will answer this prayer of hisfaithful servant . To fit his unequaled position, histhrone is in the heavens and our earthly globeis beneath his feet . "Thus said Jehovah : Theheavens are My throne, and the earth My footstool." (Isa . 66 :1, Yg; Da; AS) The center of theboundless universe is therefore at God's throne ;it is not at the astral center of the great galaxyof numberless galaxies or island universes thatnow exist within or beyond the range of man'svisual powers . As the creative center, God is thenecessary foundation of all creation . All the creationrevolves around him as its source. The centripetalforce of this vast system of animate andinanimate things is inward toward him . All isinseparably united to him .16Since God is and is supreme, there mustbe theocracy throughout all parts of creation,high and low . Simply explained, theocracy means"God-rule", that is, the absolute rulership by God .This means that his creation is operated and controlledby divine law . That is the one scientificformula that applies all the way from the greatisland universes or galaxies down to the insideof a mere atom of matter . Natural law, which ourscientists are at great pains to investigate andunderstand, is merely a part of theocratic law .There are no areas in all heaven and earth that1 6 . Why must there be theocracy in all parts ofcreation?

THEIR CREATOR 17lie apart from theocratic rule, God's rightful sovereignty. There are no islands isolated from themainland of his creation . There is no part of creationso distant as to be beyond the reach of hispower. There would be no means to live or existin places of isolation .17All is dependent upon the Sovereign Creator .His universal theocratic laws are bigger andstronger than we human mortals are . We cannothalt or alter the operation of his laws, nor canman now equipped with the atomic bomb and itssister, the hydrogen bomb, wreck the Creator'suniverse . To try to go contrary to the fixed outworkingof his laws always works to our unhappiness,harm and destruction . To bring ourselvesinto harmony with his theocratic law and ordermeans wisdom and understanding on our part .It makes our eternal life in the Creator's righteousnew world certain ."IIt would be impossible for us to know the fulltruth about this Creator God by merely trying toread the visible universe like a book, includingthe so-called "book of nature", that has to bedecoded or deciphered. Well knowing this, theCreator has been delighted to reveal himself toinquiring men who have faith . For the good ofthe generations to come he has turned Author andhas caused this revelation to be written underinspiration in the Holy Scriptures . The sacredBible is his creation . Without it, how would weknow God's name, his miraculous deeds and hispurpose now to create new heavens and a newearth in which righteousness is to dwell? Worldlyscientists try to understand how and by whatphysical laws created things operate, but they17 . Why is it to our benefit to bring ourselves intoharmony with God's law and order?i 8 . Why has God turned Author, and what thereforewill we follow instead of worldly scientists?

18 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"never learn how the Creator of such things works .They neglect the Creator's written Word, his LawBook . Viewing it from the standpoint of religiouscreeds and tradition, they criticize the Bible, callit unscientific and put physical law and matterabove the Bible. That is why they continue indestructive darkness . We will not follow them . Wewill accept God as our Creator and take his Word .19God does not believe in keeping us in ignoranceand dependent upon worldly scientists . He invitesus to come and ask him questions concerninghis purposes and operations, and to request ananswer : "Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,and his Maker : Ask me of the things to come ;concerning my sons, and concerning the work ofmy hands, command ye me . It is I that have madethe earth, and created man upon it ; it is I, myhands, that have stretched out the heavens, andall their host have I commanded ." (Isa . 45 :11, 12,Da; AS; Yg ; So) To respond to this invitation toinquire of Jehovah the Creator, we must go tohis written revelation, the Holy Bible, and studyit with the help of his theocratic organization .We must come, not defiantly challenging his rightand ability to make things occur his way norcommanding him to do things for us or dictatingthe work of his hands, but humbly and sincerelyasking for information and guidance and requestingan answer in faith . (Jas . 1 :5) This we shallnow do, that we may learn how he creates therighteous new heavens and earth and how wemay gain life everlasting in that glorious newworld.i g . For information what does God invite us to do,and how and with what attitude must we do so?

CHAPTER IIThe Invisible HeavensHEAVEN," in its simplest sense, means thatwhich is heaved or lifted up, higher thanthe earth. "The heavens are higher than theearth," is the way the Creator himself states thematter. (Isa. 55 :9) In defining the Greek wordfor it (ou.ra.nos') the famous Greek philosopherof the fourth century B.C ., Aristotle, said : "Accordingto its true sense we call it heaven ou .ranos'from being the boundary of the thingsabove." (Peril Kos'mou, or, "On the Universe")No proper understanding of the creation of therighteous new heavens and new earth can bereached without our first examining and understandingthe invisible heavens . Because "science"cannot demonstrate such a thing in its laboratoriesit refuses to believe in immaterial, invisible heavensthat the most powerful telescopes and microscopescannot penetrate . It even denies the existenceof a Creator God and prefers to speak ofa "creative genie",' using a word of Arabianmythology . The Holy Bible is infinitely above thematerialistic science of this world, because it disclosesand proves the fact of an invisible, supreme,The Creation of the Universe, by George Gamow (1952),page 32.i . Before we can properly understand the creation ofthe new heavens and new earth, about what must wefirst understand? What throws materialistic scienceoff its base?19

20 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"intelligent, eternal God and the fact of an invisiblerealm of life in which countless spiritcreatures of God live and carry on their activities .These facts throw materialistic science off its basein its most fundamental theories, so that it cannotreason straight . "God is a Spirit." (John 4 :24,AS; NW) "God is a spiritual Being ." (Ws) Sosaid Jesus Christ, who himself descended from theinvisible heavens . This fact accounts for it thatmaterialistic science cannot see God or peer intothe realm of invisible heavenly life .2 The creating of the spirit realm was long beforethe creating of the material universe with itsbillions of independent galaxies like our own MilkyWay . Proving this fact and in order to humbleman who is a latecomer or recent arrival in creation,Jehovah put this question to the sorely triedbut patient Job : "Where were you when I laidthe foundation of the earth? Tell me, if youhave understanding . Who determined its measurements-surelyyou know! Or who stretched theline upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or wholaid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sangtogether, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"Another translation, rendering this last questionquite freely, says : "Who laid the corner-stone,when the morning-stars were singing, and all theangels chanted in their joy?" Another free translationsays : "And all the heavenly beings shoutedfor joy ."-Job 38 :4-7, RS; Mo; AT.3 The Creator thus points out that there were"sons of God" before the creation of earth andman's appearance upon it . The "morning stars"mentioned in connection with these heavenly sons2 . What series of questions to Job proves that thecreation of the spirit realm was before that of thematerial universe?3 . Who were the "morning stars" mentioned?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 21of God were not literal, inanimate, material stars .As the morning stars are mentioned in a parallelway with the sons of God, this may be just asymbolical way of describing these sons of God .As the morning star in our planetary systemshines brightly in our heavens before the risingof the sun, so these heavenly sons of God arebrightly shining creatures, like a blinding lightningflash .4There was a time when God had no sons . Hehad not yet begun creating the invisible heavens .He was then all alone in eternal space . But he wasnot lonesome . To be lonesome would have meantsomething was lacking for him . But he is completelyself-sufficient and is absolutely not dependenton anyone else . Single life was not monotonousfor him . His unsearchable qualities are perfectlybalanced, and his thinking processes brought himsatisfying delight. But he is not a mere thinker .He is an active God and he has pleasure too inwork . What his movements were during the pasteternity of his single being we do not know, butthe "glory of the incorruptible God" always attendedhim . (Rom . 1 :23, NW) Carried away withthe thought of this the psalmist sings out : "BlessJehovah, 0 my soul! Jehovah my God, thou artvery great ; thou art clothed with majesty andsplendour ; covering thyself with light as with agarment ." (Ps . 104 :1, 2, Da ; AS) But there wasno one to enjoy God for what he is . In the courseof time he was pleased to begin to let others enjoyhis goodness and companionship . It was then hepurposed to create living creatures . This wouldmean undertaking responsibility for those whowould become dependent upon him, but he was4 . When did God have no sons? For what purpose didhe undertake the responsibility of sons?

22 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"glad to take on this responsibility . The creaturesthat he would make his sons would find unspeakablepleasure in him . In turn, he would findpleasure in them. He would be worthy of all theywould render to him of appreciation, praise andservice : "You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God,to receive the glory and the honor and the power,because you created all things, and because ofyour will they existed and were created ."-Rev .4 :11, NW."THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION BY GOD"5 What, now, was the first creation by God?Of God it is written : "He that sits in the heavenslaughs ; the Lord makes sport of them." Also :"It is he who sits enthroned above the circle ofthe earth ." "Jehovah, his throne is in heaven ."(Ps . 2 :4 and Isa . 40 :22, AT; Ps . 11:4, AS) Butthese scriptures apply since God's creation of theearth and the rising of human kings upon it ;they do not mean that God needed to sit down andthat first he created a chair or throne for himself.What need does he have of such a thing,when, as it is written at Job 26 :7 (AT), "he hangsthe earth upon nothing"? No, God's first creationwas something alive and intelligent . Out of whatdid God produce this first creation? It is hardfor some to see how God could create somethingout of nothing . Hence they invent or believe indualism, the theory that matter always was, thesame as God always was, eternal, necessary andindependent of God; and that God was merelythe organizer and shaper of matter into differentforms, and imparted life to it . But in trying to doaway with the miracle of God's creating things5 . Why was God's first creation not something withoutlife? Out of what did he begin creating, contrary tothe theory of dualism?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 23out of nothing, these dualists create a miracle oftheir own and always leave unanswered the question: From where did this inanimate, unintelligentmatter come? If God is not the first and onlyGreat Cause of all matter, then who else or whatelse is? Nihil ex nihilo, meaning "nothing (comes)out of nothing", may be true, but that is trueonly without God's presence, for nothing cannotof itself produce something . Today, matter is understoodto be concentrated energy, and God isthe source of all energy. The dualist theory is notnecessary, it does not give the satisfactory explanation,it does not hold true, it is not Scriptural .God remains the First Cause of all else .6Jehovah's first creation answers our questionfor us, at Revelation 3 :14, 21, in these words"These are the things the Amen says, the faithfuland true witness, the beginning of the creationby God : ' . . . I conquered and sat down with myFather in his throne.'" (NW) Jesus Christ, nowglorified in heaven since his return there nineteencenturies ago, is the one who thus identifies himselfas God's first creation . But, besides him, twoor three other witnesses point to the same fact .T The apostle Paul testifies of him : "He is theimage of the invisible God, the firstborn of allcreation, because by means of him all other thingswere created in the heavens and upon the earth,the things visible and the things invisible, nomatter whether they are thrones or lordships orgovernments or authorities . All other things havebeen created through him and for him . Also heis before all other things and by means of himall other things were made to exist, and he isthe head of the body, the congregation . He is the6, 7. How does God's first creation answer our questionfor us? How does Paul support that by saying he was"the firstborn of all creation"?

24 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that hemight become the one who is first in all things,because God saw good for all fullness to dwellin him ." (Col . 1 :15-19, NW) It is useless for believersin a trinity to argue that the expression"the firstborn of all creation" does not mean thatJesus Christ was a creation by God but meansthat he is God's Chief or Principal One with firstprivileges ; for then, to follow the same line ofreasoning, the expression in verse 18, "the firstbornfrom the dead," would mean that Jesus Christnever died, was never one of the dead . But sinceall the scriptures testify that Jesus Christ wasdead parts of three days and was resurrected, theexpression "the firstborn from the dead" means hewas the first one to be raised from death to complete,endless life . Likewise the corresponding expression"the firstborn of all creation" means hewas the first one to be created . He is a creature ;he was not coeternal with God. Being heavenly,he was spirit like God .a Until his first creation Jehovah God was sonless; by it he became a father . We have seen thatthe theory of dualism is without foundation andthat there was no coexistent matter present whenGod made himself a father. So there was no femaleprinciple then in existence, the way certainJesuit priests argue in order to glorify motherhoodto an equality with God or even to a superiorityover God . So Jehovah God used nothingfemale, no mother, by which to produce his firstson. For this reason he is rightly called "the onlybegottenSon of God", and he was given a "glorysuch as belongs to an only-begotten son from afather" . (John 3 :18 ; 1 :14, NW) In what way, then,8 . How, despite the existence of other sons of God,was he the "only-begotten Son of God", without amother?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 25do all the other "sons of God" not disprove thatthis first-born Son is God's "only-begotten Son"?It is because he is the only direct Son of JehovahGod and by the co-operation of this Son he afterwardbrought forth all his other sons . The testimonyof the apostle Paul quoted above bears outthis truth . So does the testimony of the apostleJohn. At John 1 :1-4 he speaks of God's onlybegottenSon as "The Word" and he starts atthe beginning of the history of creation, saying :"Originally the Word was, and the Word was withGod, and the Word was a god the Word wasdivine, AT . . . . All things came into existencethrough him, and apart from him not even onething came into existence . What has come intoexistence by means of him was life, and thelife was the light of men ."-NW; see also Moffatt,Stage, Boehmer, Pfaefflin, Menge, Newcome(Revised) translations .9 As a word is the product of a speaker orwriter, so the Word was the first creation of God,and by means of his only-begotten Son, the Word,God gave life to all other creatures . By means ofhim he also now makes it possible for fallen, dyingmankind to gain everlasting life in the righteousworld of the "new heavens and a new earth" .Thus he is the "word of life", just as the sameapostle John writes : "That which was from whena beginning was made, which we have heard,which we have seen with our eyes, which we haveviewed attentively and our hands felt, concerningthe word of life, (yes, the life was made manifest,and we have seen and are bearing witness andreporting to you the everlasting life which waswith the Father and was made manifest to us) ."-1 John 1 :1, 2, NW .9 . How does being God's Word denote his being created?and how is he the "word of life"?

26 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"to Admitting that his life was from his heavenlyFather, Jesus Christ said : "Just as the livingFather sent me forth and I live because of theFather, he also that feeds on me, even that onewill live because of me ." (John 6 :57, NW) Becausethe other intelligent creatures of heaven receivedtheir life from God, the Scriptures speak of themas "the sons of God" . It is reported that at timesthey assembled together before God, even downto the time when Satan the Devil came into existence: "Now it came to pass on the day when thesons of God came to present themselves beforeJehovah, that Satan also came among them ."(Job 1 :6 ; 2 :1 ; 38 :7, AS) These heavenly sons ofGod are generally spoken of as angels . As angelsmeans "messengers", this term describes the generalservice that they render for God . Does thatmean that God's only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ,is an angel? When Jesus came to earth he repeatedlysaid that God his Father had sent him :"I seek not my own will but the will of him thatsent me. Also the Father who sent me has himselfborne witness about me." (John 5 :23, 24,30, 37, NW) And we read a prophecy of hiscoming to the temple of God, at Malachias 3 :1(Dy), in these words : "Behold I send my angel,and he shall prepare the way before my face. Andpresently the Lord whom you seek, and the angelof the testament whom you desire shall come tohis temple . Behold he cometh, saith the Lord ofhosts." It is generally agreed and it is Scripturallysupported that there Jesus Christ is foretold asthe "angel of the testament", or, the "messengerof the covenant" (Wr) .See also John 6 :38-40, 44 ; 7 :16, 28, 33 ; 8 :16, 18, 26, 29 ; 20 :21 .i o. Why were other intelligent creatures of heavencalled "sons of God" and also "angels"? Why was theonlybegotten Son of God also an angel?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 2711The "angel of the testament" is understood tobe the same as the angel whom Jehovah Godpromised to send before Moses and the nationof Israel on their journey through the wildernessto the Promised Land : "Here I am sending anangel ahead of you to keep you on the road andto bring you into the place that I have prepared .Watch yourself because of him and obey his voice .Do not behave rebelliously against him, for he willnot pardon your transgression, because my nameis within him ." (Ex. 23 :20, 21, 23 ; 32 :34 ; 33 :2,NW) Because Jehovah's name was within thisangel, it strongly indicates that the angel wasJesus Christ in his prehuman spirit form . (1 Cor .10 :1-4) He is the chief one to declare, uphold andvindicate his Father's name Jehovah . On earth hesaid : "I have come in the name of my Father ."He prayed to God : "Father, glorify your name ."And when he made his kinglike ride into Jerusalem,the multitudes hailed him with the cry foretoldat Psalm 118 :26 : "Blessed is he that comesin Jehovah's name, even the king of Israel!" (John5 :43 ; 12 :12, 13, 28, NW) His name Jesus means"Jehovah is salvation" .12Because Jesus Christ is the First-born andthe only-begotten Son of God, he is generally distinguishedfrom the rest of the heavenly angelsand is spoken of outstandingly as the Son . Theapostle Paul says : "So he has become better thanthe angels to the extent that he has inherited aname more excellent than theirs . For example, towhich one of the angels did he ever say : `You aremy Son ; today I have become your Father'? Andagain : `I shall be a Father to him, and he willii . What strongly indicates that the angel with Mosesand the Israelites in the wilderness was Christ in prehumanform?12 . Why does Hebrews 1 :4 .13 not argue that the onlybegottenSon of God is not also an angel?

28 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"be a Son to me'? But when he again brings hisFirstborn into the inhabited earth, he says : `Andlet all God's angels worship him .' . . . But with referenceto which one of the angels has he eversaid : `Sit at my right hand, until I make yourenemies a stool for your feet'?" (Heb .1 :4-13, NW)But the fact that Jesus Christ is here distinguishedfrom the other angels does not mean that he isnot also an angel of God ; otherwise, the fact thatJesus Christ is here distinguished as the Son ofGod would mean that the other angels are notsons of God . Jesus Christ is designated as God'sSon, not in contrast with the angels, but in contrastwith the previous prophets, by means ofwhom God used to speak to men .-Heb. 1 :1-3 .13From his superiority over the other angelsthe prehuman first-born Son of God could becalled an "archangel" . Before his coming down toearth as a man he was not known in heaven asJesus Christ . He served as God's Word or representativeSpokesman to all other creatures : "Thename he is called is The Word of God ." (Rev.19 :13, NW) Besides this official name or title hemust have had a personal name . The Scripturesgive the names of only two heavenly angels beforeGod's only-begotten Son became a man onearth, namely, Michael and Gabriel ; but this issufficient to show that God has given all the angelspersonal names . Psalm 147 : 4 tells us God even callsall the stars by their names . (Dan . 8 :16 ; 9 :21 ;Luke 1 :19, 26) Only one of the two angels namedis called an archangel, namely, Michael . Of him weread : "When Michael the archangel had a differencewith the Devil and was disputing aboutMoses' body, he did not dare to bring a judgment13 . Why could he also be called an "archangel"? Besideshis official title, what was his personal name inheaven? Why?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 2 9against him in abusive terms, but said : `May Jehovahrebuke you .'" (Jude 9, NW) The fact thatMichael disputed there about Moses' body on thetop of Mount Nebo, where he died, argues stronglythat this archangel was the angel whom Jehovahpromised to send before Moses and the nationof Israel and within whom Jehovah's name was .This point is further argued when an angel saidto the prophet Daniel : "And at that time shallMichael stand up, the great prince who standethfor the children of thy people."-Dan . 12 :1, AS;see also AT; Mo.14Are there other archangels besides Michael?Does Daniel's prophecy indicate this when itspeaks of him as "one of the chief princes"? Weread the angel's words to Daniel : "The prince ofthe kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-onedays ; but Michael, one of the chief princes, cameto help me, so I left him there with the princeof the kingdom of Persia . . . But now I will returnto fight against the prince of Persia ; andwhen I am through with him, lo, the prince ofGreece will come . But I will tell you what is inscribedin the book of truth : there is none whocontends by my side against these except Michael,your prince ." (Dan . 10 :13, 20, 21, RS) Since theScriptures mention or name no other archangelsthan Michael, the expression "one of the chiefprinces" distinguishes him from the "prince ofthe kingdom of Persia" and the "prince of Greece" .These latter two princes stood like guardian spiritsfor Persia and Greece just as Michael stood forthe children of Daniel's people, the Israelites . Butthose princes of Persia and of Greece were not"princes" within Jehovah's theocratic organiza-14. Why does Daniel 10 :13, 20, 21, by use of the expression"one of the chief princes", not indicate therewere other archangels?

30 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tion, for they withstood and fought against Jehovah'sangel with Michael at his side . Hence theywere not archangels within Jehovah's organizationlike Michael, but were part of the rebel organizationof which Persia and Greece under theirprincely charge were a part . This would leaveMichael as the ranking archangel in Jehovah'stheocratic organization .15Time came when the archangel Michaelfought against those spirit princes of Persia andGreece and the other spirit princes over other worldpowers of the enemy organization . According tothe Bible time schedule this fight was of recentdate, and Revelation 12 :7-10 describes the fight :"And war broke out in heaven : Michael and hisangels battled with the dragon, and the dragon andits angels including the princes of Persia andGreece battled but it did not prevail, neither wasa place found for them any longer in heaven . Sodown the great dragon was hurled, the originalserpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who ismisleading the entire inhabited earth ; he washurled down to the earth, and his angels werehurled down with him. And I heard a loud voicein heaven say : `Now have come to pass the salvationand the power and the kingdom of our Godand the authority of his Christ, because the accuserof our brothers has been hurled down, whoaccuses them day and night before our God!' "(NW) What does Michael's action here for thekingdom of God and for the authority of hisChrist prove in the light of the other evidencepresented above? It proves that Michael the archangelis no other than the only-begotten Son ofGod, now Jesus Christ. The very name Michael15. What does Revelation 12 :7-10 prove as to the identityof the archangel Michael? In further proof, whatdoes the name "Michael" mean?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 31means "Who is like God?" and indicates that JehovahGod is without like or equal and thatMichael his archangel is his great Champion andVindicator.16The angels obedient to God their Father areglorious creatures. There is no reason to doubttheir existence, for many eyewitnesses on earthhave seen them materialized in flesh and thendisappearing. At times they have appeared in aglory that has struck terror to the beholders .(Dan . 10 :4-11 ; Matt . 28 :1-4 ; Luke 2 :8-15) "Alsowith reference to the angels he says : `And hemakes his angels spirits, and his public servantsa flame of fire.'" (Heb . 1:7, NW; Ps . 104 :4) Manis lower than the angels, so that in making manGod's work of creation moved from a higher to alower order of creation . So when the only-begottenSon of God became a man, prophetic Psalm 8began going into fulfillment, just as the apostlePaul comments : "A certain witness has givenproof somewhere, saying : `What is man so thatyou are mindful of him, or the son of man so thatyou look after him? You made him a little lowerthan angels .' . . . we behold Jesus, who has beenmade a little lower than angels ." (Heb. 2 :6-9, NW;Ps . 8 :4-8) Accordingly angels have powers superiorto those of man . They are able to "flyswiftly" through interstellar space . Consideringthe distances they have to cover and in the amountof time, their speed of flight must be terrific . (Dan.9 :21) God can use angels for the destruction ofmankind, as when his passover angel sped throughoutEgypt in the middle of the night and killedEgypt's first-born among man and beast, doubtlessmillions of lives. In one night, too, his angeldestroyed 185,000 Assyrian warriors under Sen-16 . Why is there no reason to doubt the existence ofangels? How are they proved to be superior to man?

32 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"nacherib, who were threatening Jerusalem . (Ex .3 :2 ; 12 :29, 30 ; 14 :19, 20 ; 2 Ki . 19 :35, 36) Godalso uses angels for helpful service to his faithfulpeople on earth : "Are they not all spirits for publicservice, sent forth to minister for those whoare going to inherit salvation?"-Heb . 1:14, NW ."The prophet Daniel was given a vision ofhundreds of millions of angels before God's throne .(Dan . 7 :9, 10) They are all organized and placedin the positions of service, just as the SupremeSovereign of heaven pleases . Some serve in thecapacity of seraphs and others in the capacity ofcherubs . (Gen . 3 :24 ; Isa . 6 :1-6 ; Ezek . 10 :1-20)All together, they form the invisible heavenly organizationof Jehovah God, in complete subjectionto him and lovingly obedient to him as theirtheocratic Head and Life-giver. From the time ofJehovah's prophetic utterance at Genesis 3 :15concerning the seed of the woman, this heavenlyuniversal organization has been compared to afaithful wife of a husband and has been spoken ofas Jehovah's woman or wife . He, the Creator ofthis heavenly organization, is its husband, whofathers the seed or offspring it brings forth . Thisheavenly universal organization is the one that isaddressed, at Isaiah 54 :5, 6 (AS) : "Thy Makeris thy husband ; Jehovah of hosts is his nameand the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer ; theGod of the whole earth shall he be called . For Jehovahhath called thee as a wife ." (Gal. 4 :26, 27)This angelic organization, therefore, plays a vitalrole in God's creation of the righteous new heavensand earth, and we must always take it intoconsideration the way the sacred Scriptures do.17 . In what capacities do angels serve? From Genesis3 :15 on, to what is this angelic organization likened,and why must we bear it in mind when consideringnew heavens and a new earth?

THE INVISIBLE HEAVENS 33This will help us to determine whether "newheavens" means the destruction of the stars andplanets now visible to man in the sky and thecreation of new ones, or means something morereasonable.

DCHAPTER IIICreation of the Planet Earthit as one great divine act of,, creation that provided all the tremendousmasses of matter that were involved, Genesis 1 :1opens up the Holy Bible with the words : "In thebeginning God created the heavens and the earth ."-NW.2 The beginning here mentioned does not referto the creation of the invisible heavenly spiritrealm and its creatures . It refers to the beginningof the history of the planets, stars and island universesor galaxies within the range of man's sight,and the planet earth beneath his feet . The concludingstatement of this first general accountof creation says : "This is a history of the heavensand the earth in the time of their being created,in the day that Jehovah God made earth andheaven ." (Gen . 2 :4, NW) How long ago was thatbeginning of the universe's history? The Bible doesnot state . Modern science estimates the averageage of the stars in the island universe or MilkyWay, of which our solar system is a part, to bethree to four billion years . Genesis 1 :1 by its silenceon a date allows for that estimate of time or anyfuture correction of it . By time-measuring devicescalled "radioactive clocks" the scientists estimate1 . How does Genesis 1 :1 describe creation?2 . What "beginning" is here referred to, and why mustscientists be off in calculating the time of that beginning?34

€h im' . ThisCREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 35the age of earth's rock to be around three andone-half billion years . However, there are anumber of factors entering into the measurementof earth's age by this means that we cannot besure about. Hence the estimate of earth's age bythis means is not wholly reliable . The biggest factorthat modern science disregards in its measurementsand investigations is God, the Creator himself. This cannot but throw all their calculationsoff. `By the word of Jehovah were the heavensmade, and all the host of them by the breath ofhis mouth ."-Ps . 33 :6, AS .3"God created ." (Gen . 1 :1) The Hebrew wordtranslated "God" is El €o is the pluralnumber of the word El.o'ah, meaning "God" . Althoughthe word El.o .him' is in the plural number,the verb "created" (Hebrew, ba.ra') is in thesingular number, so that we cannot translate it"Gods created", as atheists want to do. Somewould translate Genesis 1 :1 : "In the beginninghe created gods with the heavens and the earth ."They would make it agree with the Babylonianepic of Creation, which says : "When on highheaven had not been called by name, the earthbelow a name had not received- . . . when no godsat all had come into existence, not yet calledby name, not yet with their destinies fixed-then it was that the gods were created withinthem." But their attempted translation betraysgross ignorance of the Hebrew, for in the entirecreation account from Genesis 1 :1 to 2 :4 E .o .him'occurs thirty-five times in connection with whatGod did and said, and every time the verb is inthe singular number, showing that El.o.him' isthe subject of the verb and means one Person .3 . Why may the Hebrew at Genesis 1 :1 not be translated"Gods created", or, "he created gods with theheavens and the earth'?

€h im',36 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"4 Many clergymen follow the pagans in believingin a trinity . They try to see in the plural titleEl.o .him' a support for their teaching that thereare "three persons in one God", namely, God theFather, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit .However, el.o .him' means "gods" only when theScriptures apply this plural word to the falsepagan deities. The pagan Philistines applied thetitle el .o.him' to their fish-god Dagon. (Judg. 16 :23,24 ; 1 Sam . 5 :7) If, then, the trinitarians arguethat the use of E €o €him' with a singular verbmeans there are three coeternal, coequal Personsin one God, then the same thing must hold truefor the fish-god Dagon : he must be three personsin one god. Further, there is the Hebrew word(a.d(5n') meaning "master" or "lord" . In theScriptures this is often applied in its plural form(a .do.nim') to one man or person, as at Genesis24 :9, 10, 51 ; 39 :2-20 ; 40 :1 ; 42 :30, 33 ; Exodus21 :4, 6, 8 ; Judges 19 :11, 12 ; Isaiah 19 :4 ; Malachi1 :6 . The plural number of a title is thus used toapply to just one individual or person, to denotehis excellence, majesty or superiority in this capacity.In the same way, El €o as applied tothe Creator, is the plural of majesty, excellenceand supremacy ; it does not mean he is mysteriouslya trinity. In harmony with this fact the GreekSeptuagint Version of the Scriptures translatesE €o €h im' with the singular title ho The.os', andthe Latin Vulgate with the singular De'us. ThusE €o €h im' is first of all connected with creation.He is the Creator.5 His inspired account of creation continues :"Now the earth proved to be formless and waste4. Why does the title El€o.him', which is in the pluralnumber, not support the doctrine that the Creator isa "trinity"?5, 6 . What was the state of the earthly globe finallybefore the six days of creation began?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 37and there was darkness upon the surface of thesurging waters, and God's active force was movingto and fro over the surface of the waters ."-Gen . 1 :2, NW.eThe once popular theory that the earthly globewas of secondary origin, that is, that its mass waspulled out from the mass of the sun by the attractivepower of some still larger sun that was passingby, has now been abandoned by almost all scientists.The Bible does not call for such a tidal theoryof earth's creation . Scientific theory is, however,that at a certain stage of development theprotoearth was a brilliantly hot ball of gas that finallyliquefied and then hardened . So time was whenthe infant earth was a glowing globe of meltedrock and no solid crust existed. As a result ofinternal processes this molten spheroid becamesurrounded with a thick atmosphere of air, watervapors and, likely, some other extremely vaporizablesubstances . Science reasons that earth becamesurrounded with a "liquid envelope" . Thiswould all be prior to the six days of creationduring which God prepared the earth for humancreatures to occupy . Without describing how itcame about, his record says surging waters coveredthe globe . Underneath that great wateryabyss lay the hard crust of the earth . Evidentlythe internal heat of the earth still warmed thosewaters, but no form of life, no one-celled organismsnor any subsea vegetable life existed in them . Asthe Creator gazed at earth at this stage the surfaceof its waters was formless, that is, featureless,being empty and waste . Nothing poked itselfup above their surface .' Darkness was upon the surface of the surging7. How was the darkness upon the surface of the surgingwaters produced? And what did the movement ofGod's active force over the surface of the waters mean?

38 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"waters. How so? By God's will . "I am Jehovah,and there is none else ; forming the light and creatingdarkness." (Isa . 45 :6, 7, Da) In a lesson oncreation Jehovah asked the patient Job : "Whoshut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth,as if it had issued out of the womb ; when I madeclouds the garment thereof, and thick darkness aswaddling-band for it?" (Job 38 :8, 9, AS) It isknown that in our own Milky Way or Galaxythere are critical regions for observation that arehidden from human eyes by layers of cosmic dust,which even the 200-inch telescope on Mount Palomar,California, cannot penetrate, although the"blind" radio telescope is able to do so . It is possiblethat by such means Almighty God clothedthe earth covered with water and vapor in a densedarkness, until the critical moment. Despite thedarkness "God's active force was moving to andfro over the surface of the waters" . Ferrar Fenton'stranslation reads : "But the breath of Godvibrated over its fluid face ." (Gen. 1 :2) The expression"active force" here translates the Hebrewword ru'ahh. An American Translation renders it"a tempestuous wind", which would have dispelledthe thick vapory cloud that encased the earth ."Tempestuous wind" does not convey the thoughtof more than the force of a stormy wind operatingupon the waters. True, ru'ahh is elsewhere renderedby translators as "blast, breath, tempest,wind, spirit" ; but by the movement of this ru'ahhthere was more than the mere agitation of thewater's surface as by a raging wind. There wasthe operation, not necessarily violent or noisy, ofthe invisible "active force" of the Creator to accomplishhis will . It was not the supposed thirdperson of an imaginary, unscriptural "trinity" .

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 39DAY ONE8"And God proceeded to say : `Let light cometo be .' Then there came to be light ." (Gen . 1 :3,NW) This divine command toward our earthmarked the beginning of a new epoch known asthe "creative week" . In response, the obstructioncausing the darkness moved away or dissolvedand light beams struck the vapory canopy aboutthe earth . It was evidently light from the sun,of which the earth is a satellite . It did not yetreach the surging waters that enveloped the earth ."After that God saw that the light was good, andGod brought about a division between the lightand the darkness ." (Gen . 1 :4, NW) This separationof light from darkness suggests that the earthrotated as it revolved around the sun . In thiscreation account or in the rest of the Bible thereis nothing that teaches the geocentric view of theearth, namely, that the earth is the center of theuniverse and that the heavenly bodies, sun, moonand stars, revolve about it, and that the earth isflat. Three thousand years before Copernicus andGalileo Galilei the words of Job were recorded inGod's Word : "He stretcheth out the north overempty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing ."(Job 26 :7, AS) Or, "He spread out the Northernexpanse, and suspended the earth upon space!"(Fn) This fact allows for its motion round thesun . In harmony with this is the later inspiredstatement at Isaiah 40 :18, 22 : "To whom thenwill ye liken God? . . . It is he that sitteth above thecircle of the earth." (AS) Or, "That He sits overthe round earth ." (Mo) By earth's receiving daylightonly from the sun the light on earth wasseparated from the darkness ; and by earth's rotatingon its axis both hemispheres, Eastern and8 . Respecting the earth, how did light come to be,and how was the light divided from the darkness?

40 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Western, enjoyed alternating periods of light anddarkness.9 Modern science still does not know what lightis . It does not know its Creator, of whom it iswritten : "God is light and there is no darknessat all in union with him ." (1 John 1 :5, NW) Butthe Creator knows and he saw that the light wasgood for the earthly creations that would needthe light to live here . "And God began callingthe light Day, but the darkness he called Night .And there came to be evening and there came to bemorning, a first day." (Gen. 1 :5, NW) God thusended his first creative day .10 It is stoutly contended that because the creativedays of which this was the first are numbered,this limits the length of each such day to twentyfourhours' length. This raises the question : Ifevening and morning made up the first literalday, then was the moon, which appears at evening,created before the sun of morning? Also, darknesswas upon the surface of the surging waters beforethe first day; and since the evening growsdarker before the morning or daybreak, how didthe darkness on the surface of the surging watersget darker than before, and when did that primordialdarkness change to the darkness of theevening of the first creative day? Since the accountof the fourth creative day mentions the sunof morning ahead of the moon and stars of theevening, why did it not, on the first creative day,become morning and then evening? Morningwould break off the primordial darkness and showa termination of it more so than evening would .It is therefore evident that in the creative days9. Why did God see that the light was good, and whatdid he call it, and what did he call the darkness?10 . How is it shown from the account of the first dayof evening and morning that the creative days are noteach twenty-four hours long?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 41evening and morning are figurative rather thanliteral, and are to be understood differently frommere darkness and light, called Night and Day .11Because of the inclination of the earth's axisthe length of Day and Night differs at differentlatitudes on the earth's surface and at differentseasons . But the evening and morning of eachcreative day are equal in length of time . That isto say, each creative day is of the same length .But if not 24 hours long, then how long? How arewe to know? By measurement of the seventh day,which is now possible . That a creative day is notto be understood as a literal 24-hour day is shownby Genesis 2 :4, which speaks, not of six days, butof the "day that Jehovah God made earth andheaven". (AS) As we examine Genesis 2 :1-3regarding the seventh day we note that it doesnot say as with the preceding days, `And God sawthat it was good ; and the evening and the morningwere the seventh day.' No, it leaves the day unfinished. According to the New World Translationit says : "Thus the heavens and the earth and alltheir army came to their completion . And by theseventh day God came to the completion of hiswork that he had made, and he proceeded to reston the seventh day from all his work that he hadmade . And God proceeded to bless the seventh dayand make it sacred, because on it he has beenresting from all his work that God has createdfor the purpose of making." This agrees with theargument of the apostle Paul at Hebrews 4 :3-11that God was continuing to rest in the day ofKing David the psalmist and was still resting inPaul's day in the Christian era .12The Christian era is now nearing its close and11, 12 . How is it now possible to determine the lengthof each creative day? How is it shown that the seventhcreative day is not yet ended?

4 2 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"we are almost six thousand years from man'screation, after which God's resting began, or hisdesisting from earthly creation ; and now thethousand-year reign of Jesus Christ is beforemankind, after which he will hand over all thingsto God his Father. So, not by human interpretation,but by God's own interpretation, the seventhday of rest adds up to seven thousand years .13Just as the Hebrew prophets did not knowthe full meaning of what they prophesied, so theBible writers needed not necessarily to know thelength of the creative day. The apostle Petershowed the expression "day" could mean more than24 hours, saying : "One day is with Jehovah as athousand years and a thousand years as one day ."(2 Pet. 3 :8, NW) Now we are living in the day offulfillment of Bible prophecy and it is possible tounderstand the length of God's seventh day of desistencefrom earthly creation . This in itself helpsus to understand the figurative meaning of anevening and a morning as making up a creativeday. In the evening period things would be indistinct,but in the morning they would become clearlydiscernible . How God's seventh creative daywould turn out was in evening darkness at itsbeginning, for it was conditional upon man'scourse of free-will action . It turned out dark as tohow it would be a day of blessing . But whenGod's only-begotten Son came to earth to bringlife and incorruptibility to light through thegood news, the morning began . Not long beforehis coming, Bible prophecy began fulfilling on aSee "Let God Be True", chapter 15, entitled "The Sabbath :in Shadow and Reality", pages 177-179, q€20-24 .-1952 RevisedEdition .13. How is it Scripturally shown that "day" does notalways mean a 24-hour period? And how did the eveningof the seventh day turn to morning?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 43large scale by the deliverance of the faithfulJewish remnant from Babylon and by their returnto the Holy City, Jerusalem, 537 B .C . Thiswas near the middle of the seventh creative day,or about 3,500 years from man's creation. Thusit has been with this day as described at Proverbs4 :18 : "The path of the righteous is like the lightof dawn, which shines brighter and brighter untilfull day."-RS .14 Similarly, with the six preceding creativedays . They started out indistinctly but ended upwith full light as to what had been purposed andaccomplished each day . Since the Fourth Commandmentabout the weekly sabbath day is basedupon the creative week as a pattern, and sincethe days of the week marked out by the FourthCommandment are all equal, it argues that each ofthe days of the creative week were likewise equalin length, 7,000 years. Since the period describedin Genesis 1 :1, 2 preceded the creative week, this,according to God's will, allows that period oforiginal creation to be indefinite in length, muchlonger than the entire 49,000 years (7 7,000)of the creative week. The creative week itself beganabout 46,025 B.C., according to the Bible'stimetable .DAY TWO15The morning of the first creative day has nowpassed, and it is time for the evening of the secondday to begin. "And God went on to say : `Let an expansecome to be in between the waters and let a dividingoccur between the waters and the waters .'"14. What commandment argues that each of the sevencreative days was equal in length? So when did thecreative week begin, and how long was the originalcreation prior to that?15. What did God command to take place on the secondday?

44 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"(Gen . 1 :6, NW) Science today reasons that, beforethe formation of large bodies of water on theearth's surface, all of its water had existed in theform of atmospheric vapor, because then theearth's surface must have been extremely hot .Eventually the temperature dropped below theboiling point of water, and then there was a condensationof much of the vapor and it was depositedupon the earth as a great body of water,whether by heavy rainfalls or by other processes .But not all the atmospheric vapor was depositedupon the earth . A thick blanket of it swathed theearthly globe, and there was no open space with anatmosphere . God saw the need of this for earth'sfuture inhabitants. At the right time he calledfor an expanse to be formed . His power was equalto his expressed will : "Then God proceeded tomake the expanse and to make a division betweenthe waters that should be beneath the expanseand the waters that should be above the expanse .And it came to be so."-Gen. 1 :7, NW.16A great body of water was thus raised highabove the surface of the earth and rotated withthe rotation of the earth, like a canopy above it .It doubtless reflected the sunlight as brilliantly asthe planet men call Venus, which till now iswrapped in a layer of clouds . The water canopywas held in suspension, not by the expanse beneathit, but by God's decree and power . In addition tothe gravitational pull of the earth it kept theearth's atmosphere from expanding and dissipatingto an unlimited extent .17 "And God began to call the expanse Heaven .And there came to be evening and there came to16 . How were the waters above held in suspension,and with what effect on earth's atmosphere?17 . What did God call the expanse, and why was it notthe same as the heavens of Genesis 1 :1?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 45be morning, a second day ." (Gen . 1 :8, NW) Theexpanse that spread out all around the earthduring this second day, and which God calledHeaven, was not the same as "the heavens" spokenof in Genesis 1 :1 . Those heavens were created beforethe first creative day and included all the celestialbodies of our material universe. The expansenow called Heaven was brought about bythe division of the watery elements on and aboutthe earth during the second creative day . Thewaters in suspension above it did not enclose anyof the stars of the outer heavens . Through thisvast body of water above the expanse the sun,moon and stars were not visible at the surface ofthe waters under the expanse. The division betweenthe waters above and the waters beneathwas to be broken in God's due time, and to servehis awesome purpose, but without destroying thisexpanse called Heaven .DAY THREE'a At the beginning of the history of creationsurging waters covered the entire face of theglobe. Water continued to cover the globe evenafter the waters were divided to permit an atmosphericexpanse, until the close of the second creativeday. "And God went on to say : 'Let the watersunder the heavens be collected into one place andlet the dry land appear .' And it came to be so ."(Gen . 1 :9, NW) The featureless appearance ofthis water-covered sphere became broken by theappearance of land above the waters. This wasevidently caused by a contraction or shrinking ofthe globe, which produced a buckling of earth'scrust so that land surfaces were pushed up above18 . What did God command to occur on the third day,and what relationship did this show up between theearth and the waters?

46 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the waters . The circumference of the entire earththus decreased. The waters were thus proved tobe resting upon the earth ; and the earth was notfloating upon the waters the way some religiouscritics of the Bible would interpret Psalm 24 :2to mean . The earth was the base of our planet,and the waters were purely incidental . At Exodus20 :4, 5 waters were said to be "under the earth" ;but that meant merely underground and not underthe entire earth and all the way down with nosupport by earth. In this the Giver of the TenCommandments is perfectly scientific .19"And God began calling the dry land Earth,but the collection of the waters he called Seas .Further, God saw that it was good ." (Gen. 1 :10,NW) The term "seas" would include lakes, comparingwith the 124-mile-long "Sea of Galilee" oftoday, also larger inland seas and the great oceans .Today the oceans and seas cover nearly threefourths of the surface of our planet, but how muchback there on the third creative day we do notknow. Were they sweet waters? Geological evidenceclearly indicates that during the earlyperiod of their existence they consisted entirelyof sweet water. The saltiness of the oceans wasa later development, as the waters drained off theland . The same as today, the earth's surface abovethe waters was doubtless discontinuous . The dryland did not enclose the seas or oceans, but theseven or more or less seas surrounded the landsurfaces . Hence there was a circumfluent ocean,and it was possible to go to the ends of the earth,even though the earth was not flat . Falling offwould not launch one into boundless space ; itwould land one in the surrounding water .19. What did God call the dry land and the collectionof waters, were the waters sweet or salty, and howwas it possible to go to the ends of the earth?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 4720 Up till then there was no form of life in theprimeval global sea, and there was no form oflife on the dry land at its first appearance . How,then, did life on this planet begin? Not by socalled"spontaneous generation" . It was not becausethe chemical and physical conditions of deadmatter became favorable for it, and accidentallythe structural and chemical rearrangement withina molecule of dead matter sparked off life to afaint, lowly start . Life's beginning was no accident,no more than the existence of matter is.It was a miracle of the great Life-giver, to whomit is said : "For with thee is the fountain of life ;through thy light do we see light ." (Ps. 36 :9, AT)First, though, there must have been a preparationof the earth's rocky surface for this by the buildingup of a soil upon which plant life could live,both on land and under the sea . "And God went onto say : `Let the earth cause grass to shoot forth,vegetation bearing seed, fruit trees yieldingfruit according to their kinds, the seed of whichis in it, upon the earth .' And it came to be so ."-Gen.1 :11 NW.21 Here, now, was something wonderful whendivine power superimposed the life principle uponatoms of matter and produced living matter, vegetablematter, organic matter . It was now that thevegetable kingdom of life began . Bacterial lifenow began ; and the formation of the complexorganic molecule did not require hundreds ofmillions of years, as godless, false scientists reason,and that accidentally by the complicated selfrearrangementinternally of previously dead matter.It was created instantly by God .20, 21 . How did forms of life on the earth begin on thisthird day?

48 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"22 God's utterance divided up the plant worldinto three general divisions : grass, the lowliest andmost widely spread ; then vegetation bearing seed,a larger and higher division ; and then fruit treesyielding fruit according to their kinds . All thisplant life could reproduce itself and thus keep theearth adorned, and also provide food for the futureanimal kingdom . The presence of carbon inthe primeval seas and in the earth's crust wouldprove valuable for both of these kingdoms oflife. At that time the air was doubtless denselyladen with carbon . The property that plants haveof taking in the carbon dioxide of the air andgiving off oxygen would serve to purify the atmosphereand provide it with free oxygen for thelater animal kingdom to breathe . At the very beginningGod created the many different familykinds of plant or vegetable and set bounds abouteach kind which could not be crossed ; and he arrangedfor the preservation of these distinct kindsby the reproduction each of its own kind . Thisdivine rule, which cannot be violated, is markedby the decree that the trees should yield "fruitaccording to their kinds" . The vegetable kingdomdid not start with one original plant and all thedifferent kinds develop from it. By creating thedifferent kinds at the start with an allowancefor variety within each family kind there was atonce revealed the "greatly diversified wisdom ofGod". (Eph . 3 :10, NW) He laid down a principlethat he was to follow in creating later forms oflife .23How much of the sun had now reached thesurface of the dry land to nourish this plant life22 . Into what three general divisions did God dividethe vegetable kingdom, and what function did plantsserve? How were family kinds produced and main .tained, and why?23 . So how did the third day end?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 49is not disclosed . But as the creating of the vegetablekingdom followed the appearance of the dryland, it doubtless occurred in the morning of thisthird creative day. How close this was to thefourth day with its great increase of light, we donot know . "And the earth began to put forthgrass, vegetation bearing seed according to itskind and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which isin it according to its kind . Then God saw thatit was good. And there came to be evening andthere came to be morning, a third day ." (Gen .1:12, 13, NW) Thus the third creative day endedbrightly with its purpose accomplished, not onlywith luxuriant plant life robing the dry land butwith many forms of submarine plants decking thefloors of the seas .

50 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"DAY FOUR24As time now moves on into the evening of thenext creative day, what takes place proves to becomparable with what took place on the first day,when God said : "Let light come to be," and notcontradictory of it . "And God went on to say : `Letluminaries come to be in the expanse of the heavensto make a division between the day and the night,and they must serve as signs and for seasons andfor days and years. And they must serve as luminariesin the expanse of the heavens to shine uponthe earth .' And it came to be so ." (Gen . 1 :14, 15,NW) No darkness is said to have preceded thiscreative day, which darkness needed to be dispelledby the light. So this differs from whatoccurred at God's command on Day One . Thelight of that day was said to come from the sun .Why, then, would God call for luminaries to appearin the expanse?25Prior to this day the outside surface of thewatery canopy that swaddled the earth got thefull benefit of the sun's rays. Beneath, the atmosphereof the recently created expanse wasnot yet thinned down and cleared of its murkiness,so that what light may have penetrated it wasdiffused, without its source being discernible. NowGod decreed a change. "And God proceeded tomake the two great luminaries, the greater luminaryfor dominating the day and the lesser luminaryfor dominating the night, and also the stars .Thus God put them in the expanse of the heavensto shine upon the earth, and to dominate byday and by night and to make a division betweenthe light and the darkness . Then God saw that24 . What did God command to occur on Day Four?How was this comparable with Day One and yetdifferent from it?25 . Up till now upon what had the sun beamed, andwhat change did God now proceed to make?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 51it was good. And there came to be eveningand there came to be morning, a fourth day ."-Gen . 1 : 16-19, NW .26Significant is the account's use here of theverb "make" instead of "create" with referenceto these luminaries . The sun, long thought tobe the parent of our earth, had been createdbefore the first creative day . The same is true ofthe moon and the stars . They are included in the"heavens" mentioned in Genesis 1 :1 . But now onthe fourth creative day God makes these celestialbodies to occupy a certain new relation towardearth's surface and the expanse above it . Thestatement that "God put them in the expanseof the heavens to shine upon the earth" indicatesthat they now became discernible, as ifthey were in the expanse, and their light reachedthe surface of the earth with greater strengththan before . The source of light by day was discernedto be a powerful luminary, and a dimmerluminary was seen to be shedding light by night .Although the atmosphere of the expanse clearedsufficiently to permit this effect, yet these luminarieswere not visible at earth's surface in sharpoutline and detail, because of the waters that hadbeen raised up in suspension above the expanseon the second creative day .27The fact that the two great luminaries are notnamed would suggest that they were not then distinctlyvisible but had an effect like indirect lightingin a house . Not till after the global flood ofNoah's day does the Bible name the sun for thefirst time and, later, the moon for the first time .(Gen . 15 :12 ; 37 :9) After the flood there is defi-26 . On this day what did God make instead of create?What was the effect upon the earth's surface?27 . What was the effect produced on the earth by thewaters above the expanse still intercepting the directrays of the sun?

52 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"nite evidence that the intercepting mass of waterin suspension above the expanse had been brokenup and deposited on the earth . That it used tobe warmer all over the earth has had to be admittedeven by atheistic scientists. Geology undeniablyshows that vegetation of our presenttemperate zone used to flourish in far northerlypoints as Alaska, south Greenland, Iceland andSpitsbergen, and subtropical plants grew richlyfarther north, with palm groves even in southEngland. Correspondingly various forms of landand marine animal life lived farther north also .The fact that coal deposits have been found inplaces along the shore of Antarctica is taken as indisputableproof that rich vegetation once coveredthat vast continent now almost completely icecoated.The general warmth of the globe wasdoubtless due to the canopy of waters above theatmospheric expanse, which let the light and heatrays of the sun in and diffused it everywherebut which, like a hothouse, kept the heat fromescaping .2 8 The irrigating of earth's plant life at this timewas done the way it is described in the fullercreation account of Genesis, chapter two : "JehovahGod had not made it rain upon the earthand there was no man to cultivate the ground .But a vapor went up continually from the earthand it watered the entire surface of the ground ."(Gen. 2 :5, 6, NW) This means an upgo of moisturerather than a downpour of it as rain . Atnight this vapor would condense and provideenough moisture regularly for the growing things .Despite the rising vapor during the light of daythere was no rainbow visible. A rainbow is reportedto be seen by humans first after the Flood,2s . How was the irrigating of the earth then effected,and what indicates that no rainbow made its appearanceon this day?

CREATION OF THE PLANET EARTH 53when God made it a sign to remind mankind ofhis covenant toward them and of their obligationsto hold animal life, represented by the blood, assacred. If the rainbow had always been appearingsince the appearance of the greater luminary inthe expanse over earth on Day Four, there wouldhave been no real force or effect in God's makingit an outstanding sign of his covenant that a delugeof waters should never again wipe mankind offthe face of the earth . (Gen . 9 :8-17) It would havebeen commonplace and not novel, not a markerof a change, of things new .29Besides furnishing light by day and night,the sun, moon and stars were to serve for man'sguidance in other ways, "as signs and for seasonsand for days and years ." They have shone forthon high as "signs" of God's existence, "his eternalpower and Godship" ; and, as prophecy developed,they have served as symbols of actors playing apart in the great controversy over Jehovah's universalsovereignty . They have marked not onlythe natural seasons, days and years, but also thoseof special meaning in the Creator's theocratic arrangementwith his chosen people . Though silentin their inanimateness, they have joined mightilyin the universal Hallelujah song to which Psalm148 :1-6 calls : "Praise ye Jehovah . Praise ye Jehovahfrom the heavens : praise him in the heights .Praise ye him, all his angels : praise ye him, allhis host . Praise ye him, sun and moon : praisehim, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavensof heavens, and ye waters that are above theheavens . Let them praise the name of Jehovah ;for he commanded, and they were created . Hehath also established them for ever and ever :he hath made a decree which shall not pass away ."-AS.29 . How have the sun, moon and stars served "as signsand for seasons and for days and years"?

CHAPTER IVConscious Life Begins on EarthSTRONOMERS today know of no planet inA the discovered universe that is so ideallyadapted for the life of intelligent creatures asis our earth . Everything stamps it as a specialcreation of an intelligent God . He scientificallyprepared it for the dwelling place of living, thinkingcreatures, and his inspired account of thecreative week reveals the ordered steps that hetook to that end. By the close of the fourth dayhe had made conditions just right for consciouscreature life to live on earth's great store offood and to fill this earth with movement andaction .DAY FIVE2 By the Bible time schedule it was now 28,000years from the week's beginning, or about 18,025B.C., which means that animal life on earth isquite recent when compared with wild guesses ofatheistic "science" . The waters now became acradle, not of man's life, but of marine animals'life . "And God went on to say : `Let the watersswarm forth a swarm of living souls and let flyingcreatures fly over the earth in the bosom of theexpanse of the heavens."' (Gen. 1:20, NW; Ro)Not one lone creature is commanded to come into1, 2. For what is the earth today ideally adapted? Butwhat did God command to take place on Day Five?54

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 55existence in the waters to start off animal life,but swarms of them at once of many differentfamily kinds. At the same time flying creaturesof many kinds are to fly, not merely over thewaters, but "over the earth", in bold outlineagainst the face of the expanse of the heavens .3 Take note of what the Creator called thoseliving creatures in the waters, "living souls ." Inthis way the Creator gives us his definition of"soul". He makes known to us what an earthly"soul" is and startles us with the fact that fishesand marine reptiles are "souls" . He thus differsfrom the philosophy of paganism and of Christendomas to what a "soul" is, namely, an unseeable,untouchable, intelligent and immortal somethingthat inhabits a mortal, material body foronly a time and then departs for the spirit realm .It cannot be argued that the Creator called marineanimals "souls" because such a supposed "soul"(neph'esh) was the most important part of them .The Hebrew word neph'esh being drawn from theverb na .phash', which means to "breathe", theword "soul" (neph'esh) here means a consciousthing that breathes . For such the Creator hadprepared the atmosphere of the expanse .' The inspired account sticks to the Creator'sdefinition of "soul" when it describes what followedthe divine command : "And God proceededto create the great sea monsters and every livingsoul that glides, which the waters swarmed forthaccording to their kinds, and every winged flyingcreature according to its kind . And God got to seethat it was good." (Gen. 1 :21, NW; Ro) Here is3 . In contrast with paganism, what did God call thoseliving creatures in the waters? For what had Godprepared the atmosphere of the expanse?4. In what sense did God "create" living creatures onthis day? What is to be understood by "winged flyingcreatures"?

56 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the second time that the creation account usesthe word "create", a word used in the HebrewScriptures only to describe what God does . Itsuse here shows that "create" does not alwaysmean, as at Genesis 1 :1, to produce somethingout of nothing, but may mean to produce somethingnew out of matter already existent . Thelatter is what God did here on the fifth day bygiving life to animals in the sea and to wingedflying creatures. Showing matchless skill as a designer,he created many kinds at one time, eachkind distinct from the other . Among the denizensof the seas at that time were such reptiles as theichthyosaurus and the plesiosaurus, fossils of whichhave been discovered, also the fish known as thecoelacanth, which was long thought to be extinctbut one of which was caught in 1938 and anotherof a different type caught off southeastern Africain December, 1952. Modern science recognizes thearchaeopteryx as the "first bird", fossils of whichhave been found ; but the Creator did not limithimself to that bird . He created many kinds . By"winged flying creatures" is to be understood, notmerely birds, but also great flying creatures ofvery ancient times, such as the pterodactyl withits 25-foot wingspread. Winged insects may herealso be understood, of which there are hundredsof thousands today .5 God was pleased with what he produced ; it wasgood, as all his works are . "With that God blessedthem, saying : 'Be fruitful and become many andfill the waters in the sea basins and let the flyingcreatures become many in the earth .' And therecame to be evening and there came to be morning,a fifth day." (Gen. 1 :22, 23, NW) According tothe law of Moses, God's blessing upon his chosen5 . What did God's blessing upon such living creaturesof the sea and air mean for them?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 57people of old meant that they would be abundantlysupplied with food and that he would bless theirpowers of reproduction to continue as a populousnation. God's blessing upon the living creaturesof the sea and air meant the same thing for them,suitable food for their enjoyment and a great multiplicationof their family kind. The psalmist

58 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"marks this fact, saying : "How manifold are thyworks, 0 Jehovah! in wisdom hast thou made themall : the earth is full of thy riches . Yonder is thegreat and wide sea : therein are moving thingsinnumerable, living creatures small and great .There go the ships ; there that leviathan, whichthou hast formed to play therein. These all lookunto thee, that thou mayest give their food in itsseason : that thou givest unto them, they gather ;thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good."-Ps. 104 :24-28, Da .DAY SIs God's heavenly sons, who had sung at thefounding of the earth as a special creation, followedthis drama of creation with the keenestof interest . Little did they realize that what wasfinally to be brought forth on this the closingwork day of the creative week was to affect heavenand earth and to make necessary the creatingof new heavens and a new earth in which righteousnessis to dwell uninterruptedly forever . Theevening of this day begins! "And God went on tosay : `Let the earth put forth living souls accordingto their kinds, domestic animal and creepinganimal and wild beast of the earth according to itskind.' And it came to be so." (Gen. 1 :24, NW; Ro)God here addressed the dry land, which he hadcalled Earth. He did not call for the waters of theseas to develop animals for life on the land . Whatwere the "living souls" that he commanded theearth to put forth? Human creatures? No, butanimals inferior to man, namely, domestic animals,creeping animals and wild beasts, distinctfamily kinds of each that did not crossbreed . Thefact that God specified domestic animals disclosed6 . What did God command to occur on the sixth day,and what classifications of life resulted?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 59he had man in view with whom certain animalswould be pleased to live in close contact, to serveman's interests more fully. On the other hand,the wild beasts would prefer the open fields andforests . The creeping animals included insectsand reptiles."And God proceeded to make the wild beastof the earth according to its kind and the domesticanimal according to its kind and everycreeping animal of the ground according to itskind. And God got to see that it was good ." (Gen.1 :25, NW) Included among these "living souls"were the tremendous land reptiles, the dinosaurswith their absence of fur and their definitelysnakelike shape of head, such as the stegosauruswith an armor-plated spine, the protoceratops thatlaid eggs, the diplodocus, the tyrannosaurus, 20feet high and 45 feet long, and the brontosaurusthat weighed as much as 50 tons and was 100 feetlong . Bones of these have been found, althoughthey have long been extinct. They were the giantsof the animal kingdom, and demonstrated God'spower . These and the other forms of animal lifepreceded man and God took care of them by hisdue provision ; man was not necessary .-Job 38 :39to 39 :30.8 As respects their food God later said to man :"And to every wild beast of the earth and toevery flying creature of the heavens and to everythingcreeping upon the earth in which there islife as a soul I have given all green vegetation forfood ." (Gen. 1 :30, NW; Ro) At that time thelion must have eaten green vegetation like the ox,and this was plentiful, even in the arctic and ant-7. What animals demonstrating God's power did suchland animals include, and who took care of all thisanimal life?s . What had God provided for their food, and in whatregions did they find this?

60 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"arctic regions . Because of the mild climate allover the globe, kinds of animals now found onlyin tropical regions were not confined to equatorialareas but ranged over large parts of Europe andnorthern Asia and North America . Frozen carcassesof mammoths with green vegetation intheir mouths or undigested in their stomachsfound in far northern regions prove it .

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 61MAN APPEARSs At this stage earth was like a cageless zoologicalgarden. It did not then display the climaxof God's earthly creation . But God had not createdearth merely for such a show place . He made itprincipally for the creature to inhabit who wouldhave all these forms of conscious life in subjection."For thus saith Jehovah who created theheavens, God himself who formed the earth andmade it, he who established it,-not as waste didhe create it : he formed it to be inhabited:-I amJehovah, and there is none else ." (Isa . 45 :18, Da)The time had at last come for him to start offthe realization of this final purpose regarding theearth. To do this he did not transplant any angelfrom heaven nor any supposed "disembodied soul"up there . Man was not to be a degradation of anangel ; he has no ties of relationship with angels .Since the only-begotten Son of God, when becominghuman flesh and blood, was made a littlelower than the angels, mankind is lower in orderthan the heavenly angels. Hence in making manGod did not work from a lower form of intelligentlife up to a higher-man-but in the opposite direction. Still, it was marvelous, in that it was anew kind of intelligent creature, a material one ;and it excited the wonder of the observing angelsand made them shout for joy .10 Neither did God address some lower form ofanimal life-say, the most intelligent and the mosthumanlike and command it to develop into aman. God proceeded to make a direct new creature,separate and distinct from angels and inferioranimals or beasts. This new creature would9 . For whom did God primarily create the earth, andhow did this creature compare with the angels?lo. What shows that this new earthly creature was notto be related by flesh to beasts, birds or fishes?

62not be related by ties of flesh to beasts, birds orfishes. Hence the inspired statement is : "Not allflesh is the same flesh, but there is one of mankind,and there is another flesh of cattle, andanother flesh of birds, and another of fish . Andthere are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies."(1 Cor. 15 :39, 40, NW) If not the earth and ifnot some lower animal then alive on earth, whomdid God address before this new creature cameinto existence? For it is written : "And God Hebrew,El .o.him' went on to say : `Let us makeman in our image, according to our likeness, andlet them have in subjection the fish of the seaand the flying creatures of the heavens and thedomestic animals and all the earth and everycreeping animal that is creeping upon the earth .'"-Gen . 1 :26, NW.11"Let us," said God (El €o€him') . There is noecho of polytheism here, as if God were a numberof gods or persons within himself . Furthermore,the custom of a ruler to speak of himself in theplural number as "we" and "us" appeared withthe Persians, as shown at Ezra 4 :18. But God isnot to be understood here as talking to himself,deliberating with himself, and addressing himselfin the plural of majesty and excellence . Whom,then, does he address? The Jerusalem Targum,which is an Aramaic paraphrase of Genesis, reads :"And Jehovah said to the angels . . . : `Let us makeman ."' Many Jewish rabbis, too, believe God hereaddressed the angels by his words, "Let us ."But to get the inspired interpretation of God'swords, we must turn to the words of his inspiredapostles, who inform us that God used his onlybegottenSon, the Word, in bringing all other11 . Did God's expression, "Let us," mean he was severalpersons within himself? So whom, Scripturally, did headdress, saying : "Let us make man in our image"?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 63things, including man, into existence . (John 1 :1-4 ;Col. 1 :13-17) We make no mistake, then, in understandingthat God said, "Let us," to his coworker,his only-begotten Son, the Word, in hisprehuman condition . He could properly say to him,"Let us make man in our image, according to ourlikeness," because, says the apostle Paul, "he isthe image of the invisible God, the firstborn of allcreation" ; "the Christ, who is the image of God."-Col. 1 :15 and 2 Cor. 4 :4, NW .12It was because of being made in the imageand likeness of God that man would be, not justa mere conscious living creature like the fishes,birds and beasts, but a son of God . An earthlycreature, in order to be a son of God, would haveto resemble his heavenly Father and should beable to receive his Father's spirit and bring forthits fruitage of love . (Gal . 5 :22, 23) For man andhis mate to be the children of God it was necessaryfor them to be above the lower animals andto fulfill the divine purpose : "Let them have insubjection the fish of the sea and the flying creaturesof the heavens and the domestic animalsand all the earth and every creeping animal thatis creeping upon the earth ."18Although he used his only-begotten Son inthe work, the record speaks as if God alone didthe work, creating man, not in their image, butin his own . "And God proceeded to create theman in his image, in God's image he created him ;male and female he created them ." (Gen. 1 :27,NW) Here we have the third, fourth and fifthtimes that the verb "create" is used in relation tothe work of God . Does it here mean to make some-12 . For man and his mate to be in God's image andlikeness, what was necessary in their case?13 . In the producing of man, what does the verb"create" at Genesis 1 :27 mean? How does this verseagree with the fuller account of Genesis, chapter two?

64 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"thing out of nothing? No ; but he used matteralready to hand, as the fuller account of man'screation discloses . The way Genesis 1 : 27 is wordedalso agrees with the fuller account, that Godcreated first the one human, the man, the male,and after that he , created the female . For thisfuller account we must here turn to chapter twoof Genesis .14 "Then Jehovah God proceeded to form theman out of dust from the ground and to blowinto his nostrils the breath of life, and the mancame to be a living soul . Further, Jehovah Godplanted a garden in Eden, toward the east, andthere he put the man whom he had formed . ThusJehovah God made to grow out of the groundevery tree desirable to one's sight and good forfood and also the tree of life in the middle ofthe garden and the tree of the knowledge of goodand bad."-Gen. 2 :7-9, NW.1STaking the dust of Eden, or the sixteen chemicalelements of the dust, which was inorganicmatter, God proceeded to create man, forminghis body with nostrils to breathe the atmosphereof the expanse. Still air may have filled the hollowplaces of the body thus formed, but the body didnot breathe ; it was lifeless. What made it beginto live? Was it the putting of a "soul" in it, anoutside intelligence such as the pagans try to describe,and making it take up residence in the body?To the contrary, God's own record says that JehovahGod proceeded to "blow into his nostrils thebreath of life" . That is, with air through the nostrilsGod expanded the body's lungs and startedit to breathing and to living . He put the force14 . Out of what did God form man, and where didGod put him?15 . How did God make the man alive, and what cameinto existence by his doing so? Why was man, andnot any lower creature on earth, a "son of God"?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 65of life into that body that he had formed completewith all its parts . What resulted when Godcombined the human body with the force of life,causing it to breathe? A living soul! God's recordsays : "And the man came to be a living soul ."The apostle Paul agrees with this, saying, at1 Corinthians 15 :45 : "So also it is written, `The

66 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"first man, Adam, became a living soul ."' (CB; Ws;Dy) This first man did not have in him whatpagans call a "soul", but he came to be a livingsoul, just the same as the fishes and the landanimals are living souls . (Gen . 1 :20, 21, 24, NW;Da; Ro) When Luke 3 :38 (NW) speaks of "Adam,the son of God", it does so, not because Adamhad a soul in him and the lower creatures did not,but because Adam was created in God's imageand likeness . Adam was therefore the highestsoul on earth, and so he could have in subjectionto him the other souls in the sea and on the landand in the air .16How did God create the female of the humankind? She proved to be something new and different; but she was created from matter alreadyat God's disposal, starting with a rib from man'sside. Since Adam was not self-reproducing, howcould she be of Adam's bone and flesh unless Godtook part of Adam's body as a base with whichto create her? God had made it impossible forman to crossbreed with any of his inferiors, theanimals, even the manlike ape, and God made theman to realize this fact . "And Jehovah God wenton to say : `It is not good for the man to continueby himself. I am going to make a helper for him,as a complement of him.' Now Jehovah God wasforming from the ground every wild beast of thefield and every flying creature of the heavens andhe began bringing them to the man to see whathe would call each one ; and whatever the manwould call it, each living soul, that was its name .So the man was calling the names of all the domesticanimals and of the flying creatures of theheavens and of every wild beast of the field, but16 . How only could the woman be of man's bone andflesh, and so how did God create her, and what didman say of her?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 67for man there was found no helper as a complementof him. Hence Jehovah God had a deepsleep fall upon the man and, while he was sleeping,he took one of his ribs and then closed upthe flesh over its place. And Jehovah God proceededto build the rib that he had taken fromthe man into a woman and to bring her to theman . Then the man said : `This is at last boneof my bones and flesh of my flesh . This one willbe called Woman, because from man this one wastaken .' "-Gen . 2 :18-23, NW.17 Jesus Christ did not pronounce this Genesisrecord of the creation of man and woman and ofGod's marrying them childish, mythical and toofantastic to be believed . He knew it was absolutelytrue, because he himself had been there asGod's creative agent . Quoting the Genesis record,Jesus said to his religious critics : "Did you notread that he who created them at the beginningmade them male and female and said : `For thisreason a man will leave his father and his motherand will stick to his wife, and the two will be oneflesh'? So that they are no longer two, but oneflesh . Therefore, what God has yoked togetherlet no man put apart ." (Matt. 19 :3-6, NW; Gen .2 :24) In this way the Creator kept the human racefrom being of hybrid flesh, a family of pure humansouls .18 It was when marrying them that God gavethem his blessing and in it stated to them hispurpose in putting them on the earth . As it iswritten : "Further, God blessed them and Godsaid to them : `Be fruitful and become many and17. How did Jesus Christ show his attitude towardthis account of man's creation? And why is the humanrace not a hybrid race?is . How did God, when marrying them, state his purposein putting them on the earth? What was to betheir food?

68 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjectionthe fish of the sea and the flying creatures of theheavens and every living creature that is creepingupon the earth .'" The animals that they were tohave in subjection they were not to kill for food :"And God went on to say : `Here I have given toyou all vegetation bearing seed which is on the .surface of the whole earth and every tree onwhich there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed .To you let it serve as food. And to every wildbeast of the earth and to every flying creature ofthe heavens and to everything creeping upon theearth in which there is life as a soul I have givenall green vegetation for food .' And it came to beso."-Gen . 1 :28-30, NW; Ro; Da .19 The reason why they and the animals shouldfeed on the vegetable kingdom was that the vegetablekingdom is soulless, whereas there is "livingsoul" in the animal kingdom . Literally, Genesis1 :30 quoted above reads : "And everything creepingupon the earth in which there is living soul ."(Da; Ro) An American Translation renders thisphrase : "And to all the land reptiles, in whichthere is a living spirit" ; the Revised StandardVersion: "And to everything that creeps on theearth, everything that has the breath of life ."(CB similarly) But the Hebrew expression hereis different from that of Genesis 2 :7, which declaresthat God blew into man's nostrils the"breath of life" . Hence the New World Translationbest renders Genesis 1 :30 with the expression"life as a soul" . In the Hebrew Bible the wordneph'esh, besides meaning the living person oranimal, often means the life as a soul that such19 . For what basic reason was man to feed on thevegetable kingdom instead of the animal kingdom? Sohow does the New World Translation best render theHebrew word neph'esh at Genesis 1 :30?

CONSCIOUS LIFE BEGINS ON EARTH 69person or animal possesses . For that reason JehovahGod, after the flood of Noah's day, commandedmankind not to eat the blood of the animal kingdom: "Only flesh with its soul-its blood-youmust not eat . And, besides that, your blood of yoursouls shall I ask back . From the hand of everyliving creature shall I ask it back ; and from thehand of man, from the hand of one who is hisbrother, shall I ask back the soul of man . Anyoneshedding man's blood, by man will his own bloodbe shed, for in God's image he made man ." (Gen .9 :4-6, NW) On the basis of this meaning of "soul"Jesus Christ on earth could "give his soul a ransomin exchange for many" .-Matt . 20 :28, NW .20 The creation of man and woman occurred inthe morning of the sixth day and crowned God'searthly work . "After that God saw everythinghe had made and, look! it was very good . Andthere came to be evening and there came to bemorning, a sixth day ." (Gen . 1 :31, NW) God'swork in its entirety was very good. It was the productof Him who is the sum of all goodness . Ashis Son Jesus once said to a man who called him"good Teacher" : "Why do you call me good? Nobodyis good, except one, God ." (Mark 10 :17, 18,NW) The goodness of God's work means thatAdam and his wife were created in human perfection,with no parts missing and no parts superfluous,completely sound . No sin and imperfectionin man can be traced to the Creator : "The Rock,perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice .A God of faithfulness, with whom there is noinjustice ; righteous and upright is he. They haveacted ruinously on their own part ; they are not20. How was God's work in its entirety at the closeof the sixth day worthy to be pronounced good? Whatwere man and woman's duties according to God'smandate?

70 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"his children, the defect is their own ." (Deut .32 :4, 5, NW) How could God create man in hisown image and likeness and at the same timecreate him imperfect and unbalanced as to wisdom,justice, power and love? He could not doso. The perfect man and woman, according toGod's mandate to them in Eden, were to reproducetheir kind and to fill, not heaven, but the entireearth with their perfect offspring. At the sametime they were to subdue all the earth outsidetheir garden of Eden and to hold all other livingcreatures in subjection .21God's sixth creative day now came to itsclose . God could now desist from earthly workand turn over to the perfect man and woman thepopulating and the subduing of the earth on the7,000-year-long seventh day of God's creativeweek . "Thus the heavens and the earth and alltheir army came to their completion . And by theseventh day God came to the completion of hiswork that he had made, and he proceeded to restor, desist on the seventh day from all his workthat he had made. And God proceeded to bless theseventh day and make it sacred, because on it hehas been resting or, desisting from all his workthat God has created for the purpose of making .This is a history of the heavens and the earthin the time of their being created, in the day thatJehovah God made earth and heaven ." (Gen . 2 :1-4,NW) No record exists of God's creating a "hell"of fire for tormenting human souls .21 . At the close of the sixth creative day what did Godproceed to do? Had he made a "hell" for fiery torment?

CHAPTER VCorrupting of the Righteous WorldA T Eden at the beginning of God's seventh.1 1 creative day a righteous world existed . Thetime was about 4,025 B .C. There was then arighteous earth under righteous heavens. By thiswe mean something different from the planetearth and the material heavens from which mangets his natural light by day and night, the sun,moon and stars. In the symbolisms of the Biblethe heavens are used to represent those who inhabitthe realm higher than man's, namely, theinvisible heavenly realm inhabited by spirit persons. The earth is used to picture the human populationwho inhabit it . Addressing such, Psalm96 :10, 11 says : "Jehovah reigneth : the world alsois established that it cannot be moved : . . . Let theheavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice." (AS)From this standpoint there was a righteous earthat the garden of Eden . Not only was it a paradise,but it had righteous human inhabitants, createdin perfection in the image and likeness of God .Every animal, even the serpent, was in subjectionto the perfect man and woman . "God made manupright." (Eccl. 7 :29, AS) There was, too, arighteous heaven over upright man . The greatheavenly Father was over his human son anddaughter and was doubtless represented invisibly1 . In what respects did a righteous world exist at Edenat the beginning of God's seventh creative day?71

72 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"in Eden by his official Word, his only-begotten Son,now Jesus Christ . Jehovah God would doubtlessspeak to his human creation by his only-begottenSon as His official Word . There is no record ofanyone else's speaking officially with humankindin the paradise of Eden .2 The tree of life in the middle of the gardenand the tree of the knowledge of good and badGod planted in Eden with man in mind . If anybirds and animals ate of that tree of life and treeof knowledge, it was not to be expected that bythis act and by such food they would gain theright to eternal life and a knowledge by whichthey could determine and decree what is good andbad.3 The first man Adam was under a test in Edenand before the test was over God did not mention,point out and identify to Adam the tree of life inthe middle of the garden, as far as the Bible shows .But when reminding Adam that he was undertest to prove whether he was worthy to continueliving in the paradise of Eden, God declared thetree of the knowledge of good and bad a forbiddentree. "And Jehovah God proceeded to take theman and settle him in the garden of Eden to cultivateit and to take care of it . And JehovahGod also laid this command upon the man : `Fromevery tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge ofgood and bad you must not eat from it, for inthe day you eat from it you will positively die .'"(Gen . 2 :15-17, NW) According to this, man wouldnot die for not eating from the tree of knowledge2 . With whom in mind had God planted the tree of lifeand the tree of knowledge of good and bad in Eden?3 . When did God advise Adam about either of thesetrees, and to what did God encourage Adam by meansof the tree of knowledge?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD 73but would die for eating from it while prohibited .Hence Adam was not deprived of anything vitalby being barred from eating it . As for the knowledgeof good and bad, Adam could leave thatsafely with God without fear of being a shameworthyignoramus . God allowed Adam freedom ofchoice as to whether to eat from it or not . Goddid not tempt Adam to disobedience and wickednessby putting the tree of knowledge in the garden,for he had the other trees to eat of to satisfaction; but God rather encouraged him to obedienceand faithfulness to God's sovereignty bywarning him of the penalty of eating the forbiddenfruit. So Adam could not be deceived byany tempter about this .4After God gave Adam his instructions andwarned him against the way that led to death,God created a wife for him and gave her in marriageto his earthly son Adam . It was then thatGod, speaking by his official Word, his onlybegottenSon, blessed them and stated their commissionto subdue the earth and fill it with arighteous godly race. Doubtless there were otheroccasions afterward when Jehovah God by hisofficial Word spoke to them as he walked in thegarden about the breezy part of the day, for sothe divine Record indicates later . Adam, actingas Jehovah's visible mouthpiece or prophet, toldhis wife about the forbidden fruit and warned herof the death penalty. This was because she wasa part of his body, one with him, and he did notwant to have harm come to his own flesh . Rightlyhe loved her and did not want to lose her in death .No other creature on earth was God's prophet toher, but such other would-be prophet on earth4 . By means of whom did God give his marriage blessingto Adam and Eve, and who was His prophet onearth?

74 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"would be a false one and would mislead her intodeath .5 Then a day came and another voice was heardin the paradise of Eden . It was not Jehovah's ;it was not Adam's . Eve looked at the speaker. Itwas the serpent, known for its cautiousness . "Nowthe serpent proved to be the most cautious of allthe wild beasts of the field that Jehovah God hadmade. So it began to say to the woman : `Is itreally so that God said you must not eat fromevery tree of the garden?' At this the woman saidto the serpent : `Of the fruit of the trees of thegarden we may eat . But as for eating of the fruitof the tree that is in the middle of the garden,God has said, "You must not eat from it, no, youmust not touch it for fear you may die ."' At thisthe serpent said to the woman : `You positively willnot die. For God knows that in the very day ofyour eating from it your eyes are bound to beopened and you are bound to be like God, knowinggoodand bad."' (Gen . 3 :1-5, NW) Hm-m-m! Thatwas a new thought to Eve about that tree .But the Creator had not endowed that lowlycreature with the power of speech and gift ofhuman language. There must have been someonebehind that serpent speaking-from the invisibleworld, the same way that an angel made Balaam'sass speak to him . (Num. 22 :21-33 ; 2 Pet. 2 :15, 16)Who was the real speaker that tried to act as atruer prophet than Adam and contradicted whatGod had said? It could be no other than the lyingadversary of God . Warning against false apostlesand prophets, Paul warned his Christian brothers :"The serpent seduced Eve by its craftiness, . . .And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps trans-5 . What new voice was heard in Eden, to whom was itdirected, and what did it say?6 . How was the serpent caused to speak, and whatappropriate warning does the apostle Paul give?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD 75forming himself into an angel of light." (2 Cor.11 :3, 13, 14, NW) But how did he ever get to bein the righteous paradise of Eden?T From other parts of the Bible we must buildup the facts of the case . Ezekiel, chapter twentyeight,mentions another personage as being in thegarden of Eden . But that prophecy is addressedto the king of Tyre ; and the city of Tyre did notexist in Eden and the literal king of Tyre who wasthere addressed was not born till thousands ofyears later . (Josh . 19 :29) However, the king ofTyre or the dynasty of its kings took a traitorouscourse toward Jehovah's people ; and in describingthe wickedness of the royalty of Tyre God useslanguage that fits his treacherous adversary atEden . Because the course of the royal line ofTyre is thus likened to that of the original traitoragainst God, then by our considering the languageof Ezekiel 28 :11-19 we can see reflected the lamentablecourse of the glorious cherub of heavenwho became the chief opposer of God and themurderer of humankind .s The king of Tyre was once without blame withregard to the nation of Israel after they settledin the land of Palestine . There was no iniquity inthe king of Tyre as far as molesting the chosenpeople of Jehovah was concerned, even thoughthe Tyrians were cursed Canaanites and the Israeliteswere Shemites . The king of Tyre in thedays of David the king of Jerusalem was Hiram,and this Hiram was ever a lover of David . So hesent envoys to David and craftsmen to build Davida palace. David's son Solomon made a league withKing Hiram, and this king of Tyre provided the7 . In what prophecy do we learn that another personagewas in Eden, and what line of kings is addressed withlanguage that befits God's treacherous adversary?8 . How was the conduct of the king of Tyre once withoutblame toward the nation of Israel?

76 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"sturdy lumber from the mountainside of Lebanonfor the temple that King Solomon built to Jehovah.Solomon also sent to Tyre for a craftsmannamed Hiram, who was half Tyrian and half Jew,and he did the intricate brasswork of Jehovah'stemple . The king of Tyre also assisted in buildingSolomon's magnificent palace and provided pilotsand sailors for Solomon's fleet . King Hiram evenaddressed Solomon as "my brother" . (2 Sam .5 :11 ; 1 Ki. 5 :1 to 9 :27 ; 10 :11-22) This was irreproachableconduct for a heathen king .aIn course of time iniquity of conduct towardJehovah's chosen people was found in the king ofTyre . He yielded to commercialism ; he joined Israel'senemies ; he carried gold and silver belongingto Jehovah into his temples at Tyre, sold thesons of the kingdom of Judah to the distant Grecians,abandoned the captive Israelites to the enemynation Edom and "remembered not the brotherlycovenant" . (Joel 3 :4-8; Amos 1 :9, 10) Heceased to be a protector, ceased to be like a cherubwith outstretched wings, like the cherubs in Jehovah'stemple that stretched out their wings tocover the propitiatory cover of the Ark of hiscovenant. By the slopes of Mount Lebanon, withits famous cedars, the king of Tyre had been as ina garden of Eden and on a mountain of God . Hewas gorgeously decked in royal robes and splendorfrom all the precious gems and metals that hiscommerce had brought into the country . But nowfor his devilish perfidy toward Jehovah's people,divine judgment was to come upon him at God'sappointed time . He was to lose his position in hisEden-like garden spot and on God's mountain,and he was to suffer fiery destruction and becomea loathsome memory .9. How did iniquity come to be found in the royal lineof Tyre, and what was to be its fate for that?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD 7710 Because of the king's close imitation of thecourse of God's main adversary, God uses theking's course to picture the course of the Devil,and he really addresses the Devil, at Ezekiel 28 :11-19, saying : "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Thou,who sealest up the measure of perfection, full ofwisdom and perfect in beauty, thou wast in Eden,the garden of God . Every precious stone was thycovering : the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond,the chrysolite, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire,the carbuncle, and the emerald, and gold .The workmanship of thy tambours and of thypipes was in thee : in the day that thou wastcreated were they prepared . Thou wast theanointed covering cherub, and I had set thee sothou wast upon the holy mountain of God ; thoudidst walk up and down in the midst of stones offire."-Da; AS; Yg.11 This reveals to us that besides the Word,or God's only-begotten Son, God had stationed acherub in the garden of Eden, whose personalglory was like that of Tyre's king decked in dazzlingprecious stones and in gold, with musicalaccompaniment. Being God's creation, he bore thestamp of the measure of perfection and he wasbeautiful and wise . He was anointed by God to aposition of service . His responsibility was to coveror safeguard as with wings that part of God'suniversal organization over which God set him .So he was on the mountain of God, the mountainpicturing God's holy universal organization . Beinga glorious cherub, he was invisible to Adam andEve, who were under his outspread wings in Eden .Being higher than they and being spirit, thislo . Who, then, was really addressed at Ezekiel 28 :11.19,and why properly so?i 1 . According to this, how had God set up a world ofrighteous heavens and earth at Eden, and did he createa devil?

78 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"anointed covering cherub served as an immediateheavens over them, a righteous heavens . Adamand Eve, being "out of the earth and made ofdust", constituted a righteous earth, symbolicallyspeaking . (1 Cor. 15 :47, 48, NW) Thus at the beginningof human history in the garden of EdenGod set up a righteous world, of righteous spiritualheavens and of a righteous human earth . Godcreated no Devil .12The anointed covering cherub was wise, butstill he could go wrong in his responsible position .King Solomon was the wisest man of pre-Christiantimes and yet he lost his understanding and turnedaway from Jehovah God and took up idolatry .His "brother", the king of Tyre, was also wise tobegin with, but then he yielded to selfishness andbetrayed the interests of Jehovah's chosen nationof Israel . God, pointing out the unfaithful courseof the anointed covering cherub at Eden, nowsays : "Thou wast perfect in thy ways, from theday that thou wast created, till unrighteousnesswas found in thee. By the abundance of thytraffic they filled the midst of thee with violence,and thou hast sinned ; therefore have I cast theeas profane from the mountain of God, and havedestroyed thee, 0 covering cherub, from the midstof the stones of fire . Thy heart was lifted up becauseof thy beauty ; thou hast corrupted thy wisdomby reason of thy brightness : I have castthee to the ground, I have laid thee before kings,that they may behold thee. By the multitude ofthine iniquities, by the unrighteousness of thytraffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries : and Ihave brought forth a fire out of the midst ofthee-it hath consumed thee ; and I have broughtthee to ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all12. How, as described by Ezekiel, did the king of Tyreillustrate the fall of the covering cherub at Eden?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD 7 9them that behold thee . All they that know theeamong the peoples shall be amazed at thee : thouart become a terror, and thou shalt never be anymore ."-Ezek . 28 :15-19, Da; AS; Yg; So .13From this we discern that the anointed coveringcherub in Eden, new in his position but yetwise enough for it, was lifted up with pride at hisendowments from God . Blinded by it he engagedin a condemned course . For this he was used as awarning against putting a novice or newly convertedperson in a responsible position of prominencein the Christian congregation, "for fear thathe might get puffed up with pride and fall intothe judgment passed upon the Devil ." (1 Tim .3 :6, NW) Just as the princely son of the king ofTyre presumed to be a god and `set his heart asthe heart of God', so the covering cherub becameselfish and wanted to become worshiped as God,at first by Adam and Eve . (Ezek . 28 :1-9, Da) Asthe king of Tyre took the children of the kingdomof Judah captive and sold them as slaves to theGreeks for self-profit, so the covering cherub,greedy for selfish gain, was willing to captureAdam and Eve from God and sell them into theservice of others for the price of his exaltationand worship as a god. He was willing to do violenceto the interests of Adam and Eve by murderouslyturning them into the course that wouldlead to their destruction and to the death of alltheir offspring. For this crime the covering cherub,grown proud and selfish, would bring destructionupon himself, foreshadowed by the destructionthat came upon the perfidious, commercializedline of kings of Tyre, accompanied by theruin of their capital city Tyre. God is thus ab-13 . Like whom did the cherub aspire to be, and to thatend what was he willing to do selfishly? But whatwould he bring upon himself?

80 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"solved from the charge of creating Satan theDevil . The anointed covering cherub in Edenmade himself that wicked one .14The oldest Bible translation is the GreekSeptuagint Version (L ) . It was made by Hebrewsfrom Hebrew manuscripts older than theoldest Hebrew manuscript of Ezekiel that we haveextant today. It reads differently from the MasoreticHebrew text, which is quite variable orobscure in meaning in some parts of Ezekiel28 :11-19 . Addressing the Devil, pictured by theking of Tyre, the Septuagint says: "Thou wastin the delight of the paradise of God ; . . . From theday that thou wast created thou wast with thecherub : I set thee on the holy mount of God ;thou wast in the midst of the stones of fire. . . .Of the abundance of thy merchandise thou hastfilled thy storehouses with iniquity, and hastsinned : therefore thou hast been cast downwounded from the mount of God, and the cherubhas brought thee out of the midst of the stonesof fire."-Ezek . 28 :13-16, L (Bagster; Thomson); see also RS; AT; Mo.15According to this the Devil was not himselfonce the anointed covering cherub, but was withthe cherub in Eden, possibly meaning with theWord, God's only-begotten Son by whom Godmade Adam and Eve . When the glorious spiritcreature pictured by the king of Tyre yielded toselfish ambition, and unrighteousness was discoveredin him, then the cherub drove him out ofhis glorious position and threw him, woundedwith a divine condemnation, out of God's mountainor theocratic organization . Our determining14. What is the oldest written Bible translation, andhow does it read at Ezekiel 28 :13-16?15. According to this, who was the cherub, and whotook action against the spirit wrongdoer? Why do wenot hold to the Septuagint rendering?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD81whether this is the correct reading of Ezekiel'sprophecy against the king of Tyre waits upon thediscovery of an older Hebrew manuscript ofEzekiel's prophecy that will agree with the SeptuagintVersion (L ) . In the meantime we shallhold to the traditional Masoretic Hebrew text,with which the Latin Vulgate agrees .16Whereas Jehovah by his Word conversed withAdam and Eve in their perfection and innocence,the Genesis record does not show that theanointed covering cherub did so directly. Whenhe did address Eve, accordingto the record, he didso indirectly through theserpent. He did so as atraitor to God, as Satan theDevil, which Bible expressionmeans "the Opposer,the Slanderer" . He hadnow set himself in oppositionto Jehovah's universalsovereignty ; and to temptEve and Adam away fromwilling submission to Jehovah'srightful sovereigntyhe slandered God to Eve and misrepresented Godas a liar. Captivated by his own egotistic ambitionto be a god to take the place of Jehovah, hedangled before Eve the idea of becoming likeJehovah God and being able to make her owndecisions as to what is right and wrong, goodand bad .1 ' Satan did not reveal his now devilish transformationbut disguised himself as an angel of16 . How did the cherub address humankind differentlyfrom Jehovah, and to what course did he seek to inducethe woman?17. How did Satan disguise himself, and by his coursewhat did he become?

82 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"light and acted craftily and used the cautious,inoffensive-looking serpent of that day . He becamethe first liar and slanderer or devil, and by whatfollowed he became a murderer . In proof of this,Jesus, God's only-begotten Son, who also hadbeen in Eden, said to Satan's agents : "You arefrom your father the Devil, and you wish to dothe desires of your father . That one was a manslayerwhen he began, and he did not stand fastin the truth, because truth is not in him . Whenhe speaks the lie, he speaks according to his owndisposition, because he is a liar and the father ofthe lie."-John 8 :44, NW.18 Adam was not present at Eve's temptationand could not exercise his headship over her bypreventing her from eating the forbidden fruit.After wrongly entertaining the Devil's slanderouscharges against her Creator, Eve fell underdeception. She began to feel she was blind intellectuallyand morally . She determined to trybeing godlike at once by deciding that JehovahGod was frightening her to keep her back frombecoming like Him, and by making her ownrule of what was right and good . That her husbandmight not interfere, she would eat while he wasaway. "Consequently the woman saw that thetree's fruit was good for food and that it was adelight to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable tolook upon . So she began taking of its fruit andeating it . Afterward she gave some also to herhusband when with her and he began eating it .Then the eyes of both of them became openedand they began to realize that they were naked .Hence they sewed fig leaves together and madeloin-coverings for themselves ."-Gen . 3 :6, 7, NW.18 . How did the woman fall under deception, whatcourse did she take, and what were the immediatedevelopments?

CORRUPTING OF THE RIGHTEOUS WORLD 8319 Adam ate of the forbidden fruit under nodeception from the spirit Serpent, the Devil . Hencehe sinned willingly and fully deserved the penaltydeath. "For Adam was formed first, then Eve .Also Adam was not deceived, but the woman wasthoroughly deceived and came to be in transgression." (1 Tim . 2 :13, 14, NW) At once that qualityof conscience, which distinguishes man from thelower living creatures, began to condemn themand they could no longer look upon each otherin a pure way . They became filled with a fearof God, which causes a restraint and which showsa lack of love for him-sin against God is unlovingtoward him . So they made artificial coverings ofbody parts they now became ashamed of, andthey tried to escape pronouncement of the penaltyof the law .20 All this denoted a world catastrophe . Oh no,the literal heavens and earth of the material cosmosdid not meet with disaster and suffer destruction. But the righteous world, or theocraticarrangement of things heavenly and earthly, hadended . It had become corrupted, not through anyevil ingredients in it itself, but by the forming ofselfish desire and by being drawn away by itinto a lawless, godless course . (Jas . 1 :13-15) Thelocal heavens, represented by the anointed coveringcherub, yielded to corruption first and producedthe great original Serpent, Satan the Devil .The earth, represented by Adam and Eve, yieldedto the influence of the corrupted heavens and departedfrom the way of theocratic righteousness .The need arose for creating righteous new heavensand a new earth, to vindicate the Creator,Jehovah God .19 . Who was here deceived, and who not? And howdid the sense of guilt express itself?20 . How did this denote a world catastrophe, and theneed now arose for what to be created?

ACHAPTER VICorrupt World of That TimeDestroyedCORRUPT world came into existence whenAdam joined Eve in eating the forbiddenfruit of the tree of the knowledge of good andbad, thereby expressing his approval of her disobedientact and transgression of God's law . Howlong would this corrupt world of that time last?God decided .2 The day of Adam's eating of the forbiddenfruit was present . Without God's saying a wordto him about it, Adam's conscience already condemnedhim . (Rom . 2:15) All Adam could nowexpect for himself and his wife was death, annihilation.Would God change this into a sentenceof eternal torture for Adam and Eve in a fieryhell after their death? For God to be changeableabout his laws and decrees would make him unreliable. Since he is absolutely trustworthy, itmust be that he does not change in this respect .Christendom's false religion argues that hechanged the penalty of his law at Eden, but atMalachi 3 :6 (AS) the Supreme Judge declares :"I, Jehovah, change not." His judgment showshe did not change .1 . How did a corrupt world come into existence, andhow long would it last?2 . For sinning, what could Adam expect for his wifeand himself, and why would God not change the penaltyagainst them?84

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 853 God, by his official Word, his only-begottenSon, must now come and let the guilty convictthemselves and then he must pronounce judgment."Later they heard the voice of JehovahGod walking in the garden about the breezy partof the day, and the man and his wife went intohiding from the face of Jehovah God in betweenthe trees of the garden . And Jehovah God keptcalling to the man and saying to him : `Whereare you?' Finally he said : `I heard your voicein the garden, but I was afraid because I wasnaked and so I hid myself ."' Under investigationthe man blamed his sin upon the God-given woman,and the woman blamed her sin upon the serpent.There was no word of repentance .-Gen .3 :8-13, NW.The covering cherub, identifying himself withthe serpent, had turned against Jehovah's universalsovereignty and against the interests of Jehovah'suniversal organization . The universal organizationis Jehovah's woman or his wife by acomparison with the perfect man's wife . Thecovering cherub was one of the children or membersof that universal organization, and so it washis mother. Therefore by disobedience the cherubhad dishonored his mother, God's symbolic woman. By his sentence upon the unfaithful cherub,the original Serpent, God showed that he castthat wicked one, Satan the Devil, out of hisbright theocratic organization into the darknessoutside and that he set his obedient wife, his organizational"woman", in opposition to Satan theDevil, the Serpent. "And Jehovah God proceededto say to the serpent : `Because you have done this3 . How did God let the guilty convict themselves beforehim?4. Out of what, therefore, did Jehovah cast the unfaithfulcherub, and what woman did He set in oppositionto that one?

86 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"thing, you are the cursed one out of all the domesticanimals and out of all the wild beasts of thefield . Upon your belly you will go and dust is whatyou will eat all the days of your life . And I shallput enmity between you and the woman and betweenyour seed and her seed . He will bruise youin the head and you will bruise him in the heel .'"-Gen. 3 :14, 15, NW.5 God did not then and there kill the literal serpentbut degraded it . This pictured that God didnot then and there destroy the unfaithful coveringcherub, but degraded him, throwing him out of themountain of God, out of the theocratic universalorganization of the heavenly sons of God. Noticethat God did not sentence the wicked one to a hellof fire and brimstone, either to have charge ofsuch a place or to be tormented there . God sentencedhim to have his head bruised. Why didnot God have some seed or member of his heavenlyorganization, his woman, crush the greatSerpent's head at once? It was because the Serpentmust have time to develop a seed or offspring .Also the Serpent could not bruise the heel of aheavenly son of God, especially the only-begottenSon of God, whom God had used to create theanointed covering cherub and who was higherand more powerful than that cherub . The Serpentmust get at the only-begotten Son of God in alower position than that of angels, where he couldreally hurt him, namely, in the position of a manon earth, where he could also test his integrityas he had also tested Adam's integrity . Up to thattime there had been no death of any angels, norany killing of them, and God's Word plainly statesthat such a thing is not to take place until the5 . What did the degrading and not killing of the serpentpicture, and why did not some member of theheavenly organization then crush the great Serpent'shead?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 87"war of the great day of God the Almighty", inour day.6At Eden was not the time or place to destroythe original Serpent, Satan the Devil . As in thecase of Egypt's Pharaoh who resisted the prophetMoses, God would let Satan live on and growharder and harder against God and his woman andbring forth his wicked seed to fight against Godand the seed of his woman . The destruction towhich the great Serpent was doomed would comein God's due time, after he had served God's purposein trying out the integrity of God's universalorganization and its seed . So Satan served as avessel "made fit for destruction".-Rom . 9 :14-24 ;16 :20, NW .If God did not at once destroy the great instigatorof sin in the universe, we should not expecthim to destroy at once the first victims, Eve andAdam . Nor did God do so . His great sabbath dayof 7,000 years was now in progress and he haddesisted from earthly creation . So he refrainedfrom immediately putting the sinful couple todeath and desisted from creating a new humanpair to fill the earth with a righteous race, subduethe entire earth to a state like the paradiseof Eden and have the lower creatures in subjection. God had a better way than that to fulfill hisoriginal purpose and prove his supremacy overSatan, who wanted to pervert or thwart his purpose. God would faithfully carry his original purposeto success despite any interference the Devilwould raise, thus displaying his invincible powerover the Devil. God would do so by means of thenow promised seed of his woman .6 . How was the great Serpent thus treated as Egypt'sPharaoh was later on?7. Why did God desist from a course requiring thecreation of a new man and woman, and despite whatdid he purpose to carry out his original purpose?

88 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH""By letting Adam and Eve live in their condemnedcondition for a time Eve could bring forthchildren, but now she must do so in great pain,while at the same time her husband dominatedher . God did pronounce the sentence of death, notupon her, but upon Adam as her responsible head ."And to Adam he said : `Because you listened toyour wife's voice and took to eating from the treeconcerning which I gave you this command : "Youmust not eat from it," cursed is the ground onyour account . In pain you will eat its produce allthe days of your life . And thorns and thistles itwill grow for you, and you must eat the vegetationof the field . In the sweat of your face you willeat bread until you return to the ground, for outof it you were taken . For dust you are and to dustyou will return .'"-Gen . 3 :16-19, NW.aDeath did not mean that a soul taken fromheaven and encased in Adam's earthly body wouldescape and return to heaven and live there immortally.No! At death Adam would return tothe dust . His body had been taken from there andhad been made alive by God's power so that Adambecame a "living soul" . Accordingly, when Adamreturned to the dust, that living soul would die ;it was a mortal soul and God could destroy it . God'sWord has never changed about that . More than3,400 years after Adam's sin Jehovah God inspiredhis prophet Ezekiel to write : "Behold, all soulsare mine ; as the soul of the father, so also thesoul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, itshall die ." (Ezek . 18 :4, 20) So for Adam deathmeant a return to nonexistence . "And the dustreturns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returnsto God who gave it ." (Eccl. 12 :7, AT) Thea . What were the features of the sentence upon Eveand upon Adam?9 . What did Adam's returning to the dust mean as tosoul and spirit?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 89invisible active force that energized Adam's bodywould depart and return to its Giver, God, andthe body would crumble to dust . The sinner soulAdam would no longer have that activating forceor spirit in his body. He would become a "deadsoul".-Num . 6 :6 and Lev. 19 :28 ; 21 :1, NW.10 Adam brought death not only upon himselfbut also upon all the race descended from him .God's Word is outspoken on this : "By one man'strespass many died . . . . For the judgment resultedin condemnation from one trespass . . . . by thetrespass of the one man death ruled as kingthrough that one, . . . through one trespass theresult to men of all kinds was condemnation . . . .through the disobedience of the one man manywere constituted sinners ." (Rom . 5 :15-19, NW)This disastrous effect spread to the entire humanrace, because the race was yet unborn in Adam'sloins at the time that he followed his wife intosin . "Through one man sin entered into the worldand death through sin, and thus death spread toall men because they had all sinned ." "In Adamall are dying." (Rom . 5 :12 and 1 Cor . 15 :22, NW)On God's part this was no injustice to the humanrace, for he did not owe it to them to let Adamand Eve live as condemned sinners and bring therace into existence . It was a case of mercy andtoleration on God's part to let an imperfect sinfulrace come into existence . Furthermore, it was wiseeconomy on his part . As the race inherited sinand death through one man, it allowed for God tomake salvation justly available for that one man'sdescendants of all kinds through one faithful man,the "man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a correspondingransom for all" . (1 Tim . 2 :5, 6, NW)10 . Why did death spread to all mankind, and why wasthis merciful and tolerant as well as economical onGod's part?

90 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Hence, to God's vindication, "through the obedienceof the one person many will be constitutedrighteous."-Rom. 5:19, NW .11The garden of Eden with the tree of life inthe middle was no place for the sinners condemnedto death to keep living and to bring forth theirsinful offspring. God so stated to his official Word,his only-begotten Son . "And Jehovah God wenton to say : `Here the man has become like one ofus in knowing good and bad, and now in orderthat he may not put his hand out and actuallytake fruit also of the tree of life and eat and liveforever,-' With that Jehovah God put him out ofthe garden of Eden to cultivate the ground fromwhich he had been taken . And so he drove the manout and posted at the east of the garden of Edenthe cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword thatwas turning itself continually to guard the way tothe tree of life ."-Gen. 3 :22-24, NW.12What form those cherubs took visible to manthe record does not here reveal, although elsewhereit gives us a symbolic description . (Ex.25 :18-22 ; 1 Ki . 6 :23-35 ; Ezek . 9 :3 ; 10 :1-20 ; 41 :18-25) The unfaithful covering cherub would haveliked to lead Adam and Eve back into Eden toeat of the tree of life that they might live as hissubjects and worshipers forever, but the cherubsat Eden's entrance upheld Jehovah's universalsovereignty. They kept their commission faithfullyand so held to God's woman or organization .THE SERPENT'S SEED DEVELOPS13 The original Serpent, Satan the Devil, pro-11 . To whom did God now speak, and what action didhe take toward man?12 . What would the unfaithful cherub have liked to dothen, but what served as interference?13. Where did the Serpent proceed to develop his seed,and who is first named as such, and why?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 91ceeded to develop his wicked seed outside of Eden,and to build up an earthly, human society, accordingto his selfish pattern . The first one namedas part of the Serpent's seed was Cain, the firstboy of Adam and Eve . He had no love for hisyounger brother Abel. "We should have love forone another ; not like Cain, who originated withthe wicked one and slaughtered his brother . Andfor the sake of what did he slaughter him? Becausehis own works were wicked, but those ofhis brother were righteous ." (1 John 3 :11, 12,NW; Gen. 4 :1-16) Abel proved himself Jehovah'sfirst witness outside of Eden . Jehovah has hadhuman witnesses ever since.-Heb . 11 :4 to 12 :2,NW.14Did Satan the Devil remain alone in his disobediencein heaven? No, for other angels copiedhis example of disobedience and became an invisiblepart of the seed of the Serpent . "God did nothold back from punishing the angels that sinned ."(2 Pet. 2 :4, NW) When did they sin? Taking nothingfor granted, but consulting the revealed Word,we are informed it was in Noah's day at the latest .With regard to Jesus Christ in spirit form it iswritten : "In this state also he went his way andpreached to the spirits in prison, which had oncebeen disobedient when the patience of God waswaiting in Noah's days, while the ark was beingconstructed, in which a few people, that is, eightsouls, were carried safely through the water ."(1 Pet . 3 :18-20, NW) The record of Noah's daydoes not leave us in doubt as to what form theirdisobedience took .15Noah's day began 599 years before the Flood,or 2,969 B .C . This was about 1,056 years after the14 . Did any become an invisible part of the Serpent'sseed, and, if so, when according to the Record?15 . By Noah's day would there be many women on theearth? If so, why?

92 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"covering cherub's rebellion against Jehovah's sovereignty. By then there were many women on theearth. The first daughter of Adam mentioned (butnot named) is the one that married his murderousson Cain. "Meanwhile he became father to sonsand daughters . So all the days of Adam that helived amounted to nine hundred and thirty yearsor seventy years less than a thousand-year dayand he died ." (Gen . 4 :17 ; 5 :4, 5, NW) Noah, thetenth in line from Adam, was born 127 years afterAdam's death .16"Now it came about that when men startedto grow in numbers on the surface of the groundand daughters were born to them, then the sonsof God began to notice the daughters of men, thatthey were good-looking, and they went to takingwives for themselves of all whom they selected.After that Jehovah said : `My spirit shall not acttoward man indefinitely in that he is also flesh .Accordingly his days shall amount to a hundredand twenty years .' The Nephilim proved to bein the earth in those days, and also after that,when the sons of God continued to have relationswith the daughters of men and they bore sonsto them, they were the mighty ones who wereof that world, the men of fame ."-Gen. 6 :1-4, NW .1 7 These sons of God were from among those"sons of God" that had shouted for joy in heavenat God's founding of the planet earth . (Job 38 :7)The covering cherub had coveted the worship andservice of the human family . The spirit sons ofGod who turned disobedient craved sexual companionshipwith the daughters of the human family. Angels do not marry among themselves . Their16. According to Genesis 6 :1-4, what did certain sonsof God do, and what resulted from their course?17. What were the original position and the properdwelling place of such sons of God, and what wouldsatisfying their new craving mean for them?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 93proper dwelling place is in the invisible heavens .Their original and permanent position is on aspirit level above mankind, not on a human level .The disobedient spirits, heavenly sons of God tobegin with, became discontented and did not findfull satisfaction in the companionship of onlyangels . Their desire gravitated earthward and ledthem into temptation . No, they did not want merelyto obsess or take invisible possession of humancreatures, men and women alike . By contemplatinghow good-looking the daughters of men werethey developed an appetite for their flesh in sexualconnection. They wanted to imitate men andmarry these sub-angelic women and give themmarriage dues as husbands. This meant that suchsons of God must materialize in flesh--doubtlessthe way the cherubs at Eden's entrance had done-and take up living with their human wivesand abandon their service of God in his invisibleheavenly theocratic organization . Marriage ofhuman daughters to angels was unnatural. So, likethe homosexuals of Sodom who desired the bodiesof two materialized angels who as males visitedLot there, the disobedient sons of God cravedfemale flesh for unnatural use .18 The Christian disciple Jude identifies thosesons of God as angels when he shows that evenangels can get out of a safe or saved conditionand become subject to the judgment of death : "Theangels that did not keep their original position butforsook their own proper dwelling-place he hasreserved with eternal bonds under dense darknessfor the judgment of the great day." (Jude 5-7,NW) The unnatural marriage did not produceangels for heaven . Since daughters of men could1 8 . How does Jude identify such sons of God for us,and who were the offspring of their marriage? So howdid the earth become?

9 4 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"produce only the human kind and since it is themother that gives the body (a fleshly body) tothe offspring, the unnatural marriage producedhybrids, human freaks, with more than ordinarysize and vitality due to their angelic fathers . "Theywere the mighty ones who were of that world, themen of fame ." Because they were violent, brutaland oppressive toward the weaker, imperfecthuman race they were called Nephilim, whichmeans "fellers", or those who cause others to fall ."And the earth came to be ruined in the sight ofthe God and the earth became filled with violence .So God saw the earth and, look! it was ruined,because all flesh had ruined its way on the earth ."-Gen. 6:11, 12, NW .19The disobedient "sons of God", the fathers ofthe Nephilim, thus dominated the earth . Togetherwith Satan, who exercised his unseen influenceover mankind and who approved the course ofthe disobedient spirits, they formed a heavenlycontrol body, a symbolic "heavens" over mankind .Morally ruined mankind in their social, religiousand political arrangements of that time formedan earthly organization, a symbolic earth . Together,this symbolic heavens and earth constitutedthe "world of that time" . It was corrupt inGod's sight. As for the physical earth, its circumstanceswere as described at 2 Peter 3 :5, 6(NW) : "There were heavens in ancient times andan earth standing compactly out of water and inthe midst of water by the word of God, and bythose means the world of that time suffered destructionwhen it was deluged with water ." Thiscorresponded with the way the earth was left onGod's third creative day : The dry land called Earthwas apparent, "standing compactly out of water ."19. What were the symbolic heavens and the symbolicearth at that time, and what were the circumstances ofthe physical earth?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 95At the same time it was "in the midst of water"in that the waters that God had caused to go intosuspension above the expanse were still up thereand prevented mankind on earth from having aclear, unobstructed view of the sun, moon andstars. But it would not continue so for long now .20 The faithful prophet Enoch had passed offthe earthly scene in 3,039 B .C ., or 70 years beforeNoah's birth ; and now Noah had become Jehovah'soutstanding witness and his prophet . Noahwas 479 years old when God declared that theworld of that day would be tolerated only 120 yearslonger. There was no faith in the true God prevalentin that world. But Noah was no part of thatworld. By his faith "Noah walked with the God" .So he had a righteous standing in God's sight andwon His good pleasure . In the great propheticdrama that God now proceeded to stage God used(1) Noah as a prophetic figure of Jesus Christ,(2) Noah's wife as a prophetic figure of thecongregation of Jesus' anointed followers, and(3) Noah's three sons and their wives as a groupprophetic of faithful people of good will towardGod in our own momentous day . Of this we shallspeak more fully in a later chapter . We do wellto pay close attention to conditions and events inNoah's day, because the Greater Noah, JesusChrist, made a prophecy concerning our day ofworld-wide corruption and violence and predicted :"Just as the days of Noah were, so the presenceof the Son of man will be ." (Matt. 24 :37 andGen . 6 :8-10, NW) Hence we should imitate thecourse, not of the world, but of Noah's family .21"And as for me," said Jehovah to Noah, "here20. Who was then Jehovah's chief witness on earth,and why? And why should we of today pay close attentionto conditions and events of his day?21 . In view of God's purpose what was Noah instructedto do, and how did Noah then condemn the world?

96 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"I am bringing the deluge of waters upon the earthto bring to ruin all flesh in which the force of lifeis active from under the heavens ." Noah was thereinstructed to build a big three-story ark or chest,with sufficient cells, cabins or compartments, and tobring his wife, his three sons and their three wivesinto the ark along with at least a pair of each ofthe family kinds of the land animals and flyingcreatures for the perpetuation of all these kindsof creature life beyond the global deluge . He wasalso to stock the ark with food enough to satisfyall these forms of life while the deluge periodlasted. A tremendous test of Noah's faith andcourage this, but he met it . `By faith Noah, afterbeing given divine warning of things not yet beheld,showed godly fear and constructed an arkfor the saving of his household, and through thisfaith he condemned the world, and he became anheir of the righteousness which is according tofaith."-Heb. 11 :7 ; NW; Gen . 6 :13-22, NW .22On beholding Noah and his sons constructingthe ark over the years and on learning the reasonfor it men of that world scoffed at the possibilityof a global deluge. Just so today, scientists scoffat the actual happening of such a world catastrophe.But we have the written testimony of threeeyewitnesses of that horrendous swamping of anentire corrupt world. Besides that, Jesus Christ,a witness of it from the invisible spirit realm, confirmedtheir written testimony as true . We haveThe Hebrew word mob bul'. here translated "deluge", the lexicographerLudwig Koehler would render "heavenly ocean" hereat Genesis 6 :17 and also at Genesis 7 :6, 7, 10, 17. See Lexicon inVeteris Testamenti Libros, by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner(1953) .22 . What testifies to the truth of the deluge account?And when and how did the passengers of the ark moveinto it?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 97faith to accept it and to quote from it . Afterprobably some decades of work on the ark it wascompleted in the six hundredth year of Noah'slife . According to our present-day calendar themonth of October came, or the Hebrew monthBul, which name is understood to mean "rain" .With perfect timing Jehovah told Noah to moveinto the ark with all his family and the specifiednumber of animals and birds, two each of theunclean kinds and seven each of the clean kinds .Noah obeyed with no waste of time. "And theykept going to Noah inside the ark, two by two,of every sort of flesh in which the force of lifewas active. And those going in, male and femaleof every sort of flesh, went in, just as God hadcommanded him . After that Jehovah shut thedoor behind him ." (Gen. 7 :1-10,13-16, NW) Afterthat, if anyone outside tried to make it to the arkthat very day when the water began to flood theearth, they just "missed the boat" .23 But, physically and scientifically, how couldsuch a global inundation as predicted possiblyoccur? Simply by putting the water back over allthe globe where it had been when God began hiscreative week, as described at Genesis 1 :1, 2 .Shem, Ham and Japheth, as three eyewitnessesand survivors of the deluge, explain the phenomenonfor us. Their written record relates : "In thesix hundredth year of Noah's life, in the secondmonth Bul , on the seventeenth day of the month,on this day all the fountains of the great watercanopy or, many surging waters were brokenopen and the floodgates of the heavens wereopened. And the downpour upon the earth wenton for forty days and forty nights . . . . the deluge23 . How could such a global inundation occur, and howdid it occur according to three eyewitnesses and survivors?

98 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"went on for forty days upon the earth, and thewaters kept increasing and began carrying theark and it was floating high above the earth . Andthe waters became overwhelming and kept increasinggreatly upon the earth, but the ark keptgoing on the surface of the waters . And the watersoverwhelmed the earth so greatly that allthe tall mountains that were under the wholeheavens came to be covered . Up to fifteen cubitsthe waters overwhelmed them and the mountainsbecame covered . And this is the history of Noah'ssons, Shem, Ham and Japheth ."-Gen. 7 :11, 12,17-20 ; 10 :1, NW .24By those elemental forces the antediluvianworld ended suddenly inside of forty days . "Bythose means," says 2 Peter 3 :6 (NW), "the worldof that time suffered destruction when it wasdeluged with water ." When, by God's power, "thefountains of the water canopy and the floodgatesof the heavens became stopped up and so thedownpour from the heavens was restrained," theplanet presented the spectacle of a water globe .It was like the planet before God's creative weekbegan, except that in the sunlight and moonlightthat now clearly beamed upon it a tar-coveredark floated, loaded with four married humancouples and the mated couples of the many familykinds of the animal and bird realm, all saved outof the world destruction . In the far northern andsouthern areas the water had congealed and vasticecaps had suddenly massed, refrigerating manyforms of life . Marine life swam over the otherparts of the submerged globe, whales came up toblow over what is now Vermont in America, andflying fish leaped out of the waters and porpoisesgracefully arched their bodies above the waters .24 . What was it that then suffered destruction, andwhat was the globe's appearance after the downpourceased?

CORRUPT WORLD OF THAT TIME DESTROYED 9925As for the symbolic earth, or human societyliving under the various arrangements and systemsof things of that time, it was buried out ofsight with water. As for the symbolic heavens ofthat corrupt world, the Nephilim were drownedand their fathers, the disobedient spirit sons ofGod, could not live like fish in their human bodiesin the depths of the flood . Their marriages weredissolved by the death of their wives, and theywere forced to dematerialize and get back to theirproper dwelling place, but not to their originalposition. Why not?26Having sinned and gone over onto the Devil'sside, they had ceased to be sons of God. They hadbecome demons, devils, and had no further partwith God . They could not be admitted back to theirformer position of favor and service in Jehovah'stheocratic organization, his "woman" who hadmothered many spirit children . They had becomethe invisible seed of the Serpent. But the greatJudge Jehovah did not then destroy them, anymore than he destroyed Satan the Devil at theFlood . He did doom them to destruction, but asan immediate punishment he debased them to thelowest degree, pictured by Tartarus . Says 2 Peter2:4, 5 (NW) : "God did not hold back frompunishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwingthem into Tartarus, delivered them to pitsof dense darkness to be reserved for judgment ;and he did not hold back from punishing an ancientworld, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness,safe with seven others when he broughta deluge upon a world of ungodly people." Thoseangel sinners are no more to be preserved and25 . What happened to the symbolic earth and symbolicheavens?26. What was the immediate punishment of those disobedientspirits, and how have they been reserved forfuture handling?

100 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"saved than that ancient world was of which theyhad made themselves a visible, superhuman part .God has reserved them "with eternal bonds underdense darkness for the judgment of the greatday" . That great day is now at hand . Till nowthose disobedient angels have been allowed to livewith the great Serpent, but under dense darkness,outside of the light of God's favor andspiritual illumination, and with no power to materializeagain and remarry women . At most nowthey can only obsess poor human victims .27The corrupt world had ended indeed, as regardsboth its heavens and its earth . But theplanet earth remained, and eight human witnessesof Jehovah God survived under his protection, tocarry forward his purpose toward earth and towardman and animal on it .-Eccl. 1 :4 .27 . So what had ended, but what remained, and why?

CHAPTER VIIThe Making of This Cosmos BegunHE cosmos or world that stands today had itsT beginning some time after the flood of Noah'sday in 2,370 B .C . After describing the destructionof the preflood world with its heavens and earth,the apostle Peter warns us in writing : "But bythe same word of God the heavens and theearth that are now are stored up for fire and arebeing reserved to the day of judgment and ofdestruction of the ungodly men ." (2 Pet. 3 :7, NW)Now, the literal planet earth and the literalheavens above did not pass away at the flood, butthe symbolic ones did ; so we must understandthat the "heavens and the earth that are now"that are stored up for fiery destruction must bethe symbolic ones. Who created them?2 Besides depositing on the earth the watersthat had remained suspended above the expansesince God's second creative day, the Deluge producedgreat changes on the earth's surface, plowingit up to a depth of a mile, in some places to adepth of six miles . For five lunar months, 150days, the flood waters covered earth's crust andcaused a great laying down of sediment beforethey began to subside . It was a miraculous act ofGod, but, despite it, God kept the earthly planet1 . When did the world today standing begin, and arethe "heavens and the earth that are now" and reservedfor fire the literal or the symbolic ones?2 . How did the flood affect the surface of the globe, andwhen did the dry land reappear?101

102 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"in existence, to remain forever as obedient mankind'seternal home : "Who laid the foundationsof the earth, that it should not be moved forever . Thou coveredst it with the deep as with avesture ; the waters stood above the mountains .At thy rebuke they fled ; at the voice of thythunder they pasted away (the mountains rose,the valleys sank down) unto the place which thouhadst founded for them . Thou hast set a boundthat they may not pass over ; that they turn notagain to cover the earth ." (Ps . 104 :5-9, AS) Goddid not repeat his work of the second creativeday by again putting waters above the expanse .He let the waters from above the expanse remainwhere they had fallen . It was now in the secondmillennium of his great 7,000-year sabbath day,and so he let the earth adjust itself under theflood waters and produce great basins for thewaters and let dry land reappear, on the first dayof the tenth month of 2,369 B .C.-Gen . 8 :1-5, NW .3 From the day that Jehovah shut the door behindNoah and his fellow passengers in the arkuntil God commanded them to go out onto thedry land, which was again producing olive trees,grapevines, and other plant life, it was twelve lunarmonths and ten days. This about equals a fullsolar year . (Gen . 7 :11 ; 8 :13-19) Jehovah's faithfulwitness, Noah, set a right example for all hisdescendants down till today. The first thing hehad his family do after coming out alive from theark of preservation was to offer a grand sacrificeto his great Preserver, Jehovah God . Doubtlesshe used the seventh or odd one of each group ofclean animals and birds . In this act of pure worshiphe foreshadowed how Jesus Christ, the King3. How long were Noah and his family in the ark, andwhat was their first act on emerging? How did Godexpress his pleasure?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 103of the new world, will start off the new and everlastingrighteous cosmos . Jehovah God was pleasedwith Noah's introduction of pure worship into thecleansed earth, and he blessed him and his family .He repeated to them the command he had originallygiven to perfect man and woman in therighteous Edenic world, to fill the earth with theiroffspring . But in specifying what they might eathe extended their diet beyond the Edenic foodallowance, to include animal flesh food : "Everycreeping animal that is alive may serve as foodfor you. As in the case of green vegetation, I dogive it all to you ."-Gen. 9 :1-3, NW .4 Here, however, he established laws that applyto all of Noah's descendants, including all of us today:he forbade the use of animal blood as foodand also murder and the uncalled-for slaying ofanimal life . His language on this is clear : "Onlyflesh with its soul-its blood-you must not eat .And, besides that, your blood of your souls shallI ask back. From the hand of every living creatureshall I ask it back ; and from the hand ofman, from the hand of one who is his brother,shall I ask back the soul of man . Anyone sheddingman's blood, by man will his own blood be shed,for in God's image he made man ." (Gen. 9 :4-6,NW) The apostles of Jesus Christ recognized thatsuch laws to Noah applied to all the Christiancongregation from them till now . From the conferenceof apostles and other older disciples atJerusalem A .D. 49 they sent out this authoritativedecree to the non-Jews that had become believers :"The holy spirit of inspiration and we ourselveshave favored adding no further burden to you,except these necessary things, to keep yourselves4 . What things, though, did God forbid, and how didChrist's apostles acknowledge that such laws appliedto all Christians till now?

104 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"free from things sacrificed to idols and from bloodand from things killed without draining theirblood and from fornication ."-Acts 15 :22-29, NW .5 The condemning of murder and of use of bloodas food God made a part of his covenant or solemnagreement with all mankind . In this covenant he5 . What promise did God make a part of his covenantthen, and what sign did he institute as a reminder ofthis covenant?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 10 5embodied this unbreakable promise : "No morewill all flesh be cut off by waters of a deluge, andno more will there occur a deluge to bring theearth to ruin ." The sign that reminds us today ofthis covenant embodying God's promise and ourhuman obligations, Jehovah then gave for the firsttime : "My rainbow I do give in the cloud, andit must serve as a sign of the covenant betweenme and the earth ." The waters above the expansehaving fallen to produce the watery grave of theancient world, the sun now shone upon the faceof the earth without obstruction and God producedthe first rainbow visible to mankind, to inauguratehis covenant with Noah and all his descendants. Today when God looks upon the rainbowhe reminds himself of his covenant and holdsto it . At sight of a rainbow mankind, especiallyChristians, should remind themselves of the covenantand their obligations under it .-Gen . 9 :8-17,NW .6 Omitting Nimrod the great hunter, who isleft without record of a child, Genesis, chapterten, records seventy families as stemming fromNoah in three great racial branches, Japhetic,Hamitic and Shemitic, from Noah's three sonsJapheth, Ham and Shem . Seventy is a multiple ofseven and ten, numbers symbolizing perfectionspiritually and earthly . So the seventy familiesserve as a token fulfillment of God's command toNoah's family to fill the earth with the humankind . Noah himself had no more children to createfurther branches of the human family ; his marriedsons did the procreating toward filling the earth .The year after the flood ended Shem's son Arpachshadwas born. This noteworthy fact em-6 . How did Noah and his family carry out God's commandto fill the earth, and what noteworthy fact doesthis emphasize as to the survival of the human family?

106 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"phasizes that, even come the end of a world withdestruction of its heavens and earth, the humanfamily will survive by means of those whom theCreator preserves, and his purpose to have thisearth filled with a righteous human family will becarried out to his vindication . Survivors, likeNoah's sons and daughters-in-law, will have theprivilege of producing righteous children aftersuch end of a world . To his disciples, but not toothers, Jesus said : "You are the salt of the earth ."(Matt. 5 :13, NW) Noah and his family in theirday were the "salt of the earth". Through thosewitnesses of Jehovah the human family was preservedwithout any break by death through theend of the ancient world . Likewise at this end ofthis cosmos.Noah gave the earth a righteous, godly startafter the flood. How did the corrupt earth andworld of today come to develop? By a falling awayfrom Noah's faithful example, under the influenceof the enemy of all righteousness, the originalSerpent, Satan the Devil . Still ambitious for worlddomination, he again set out to build up a worldof his own with mankind as his slaves and worshipers. The heavens of his making must dominatethe earth, the human population built up into anunrighteous, untheocratic form of society. Thedisobedient sons of God who had dematerializedat the flood were now back in the spirit realm .True, they were now "spirits in prison", becausethey were degraded from Jehovah's theocratic organizationand were restrained from again materializingas men and intermeddling thus inhuman affairs. They were held under "eternalbonds" as in "pits of dense darkness", as in a7. How did the corrupt earth and world of today cometo develop? Who were the "spirits in prison", and whatlatitude of action did they have, however?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 107Tartarus . They were debarred from God's enlighteningcounsels and faced only the black doomof everlasting destruction, when God's judgmentday should come . (1 Pet . 3 :19 ; 2 Pet . 2 :4 andJude 6, NW) But still they had a great latitudeof free action, even up in high levels of heavenin contact with the holy angels . While they hadbeen debased to Tartarean depths as regards dishonorand divine disfavor, they had not yet beencast out of heaven . That was to await the day ofjudgment. Incidents illustrating their continuedaccess to heaven are the cases where Satan intrudedhimself upon a gathering of the faithfulsons of God and challenged the unselfish integrityof Job, God's faithful servant on earth .8 Satan the Devil, the ringleader in rebellionagainst Jehovah God, made himself the ruler orprince of these "spirits in prison" . He set up akingdom and became the "ruler of the demons",whom the Jews contemptuously spoke of as "Beelzebul",meaning "lord of dung" . (Matt. 9 :34 ;10 :25 ; 12 :24-26, NW) He built up a highly organizedspiritual force or heavens in order tooppose Jehovah's theocratic organization and toaccuse His people on earth falsely and persecutethem. The apostle Paul gives us a look into theintricate organization of Satan the Devil when hewarns Christians with these words : "Put on thecomplete suit of armor from God that you may beable to stand firm against the machinations of theDevil ; because we have a fight, not against bloodand flesh, but against the governments, againstthe authorities, against the world-rulers of thisdarkness, against the wicked spirit forces in theheavenly places." (Eph. 6 :11, 12, NW) The ac-8 . What did Satan make himself respecting the imprisonedspirits, into what did he organize them, andwhat illustrates their continued access to heaven?

10 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"cess these had into heaven after the flood is furthershown by the opposition that the spirit princeover the kingdom of Persia put up against Jehovah'sangel for twenty-one days until the archangelMichael came to the angel's assistance.-Dan . 10 : 12-14 .9 Further showing that the wicked one and hisdemons would have access to heaven till the settingup of God's kingdom, the apostle John under inspirationwrites : "And another sign was seen inheaven, and look! a great fiery-colored dragon,with seven heads and ten horns and upon its headsseven diadems ; and its tail draws a third of thestars of heaven, and it hurled them down to theearth ." This dragon he calls "the original serpent,the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleadingthe entire inhabited earth" . (Rev . 12 :3,4, 9, NW) The dragon's diademed heads propheticallyindicated that the great Devourer or Dragonwould dominate seven successive world powersdown till the time he was expelled from heaven .In John's day the Dragon was dominating thesixth, the Roman empire . The five preceding it inthe order of their rise to world power were Egypt,Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece . (Rev .17 :9, 10) The one to come, the seventh, was thegreatest of them all-the empire system thatdominated the earth down till A .D . 1914 withoutdivine interruption . Daniel 10 :13, 20 reveals thatthe great Dragon had spirit princes over theworld powers of Persia and Greece, a fact thatindicates each of the successive seven visible worldpowers has a spirit prince over it, a superhuman,unseen power behind the earthly world power .The Dragon's seven heads dictated to the seven9. What sign seen by John showed their continued accessto heaven, and what is the meaning of the dragon'sseven heads?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 109spirit princes. In harmony with this the apostleJohn writes to the Christians during Rome's sway :"We know we originate with God, but the wholeworld kos'mos, Greek is lying in the power ofthe wicked one ."-1 John 5 :19, NW .10 The world, of which Christians are no part,did not originate with God . The visible or earthlypart of this world or cosmos originated with God'sarchenemy, Satan the Devil . Imaging its father,the earthly visible part of the Devil's world islikened to a seven-headed, composite wild beast .The Devil or Dragon develops it out of the wickedhuman elements who are not subject to God'stheocratic rule and who are therefore likened toa troubled, restless sea . (Isa . 57 :20, 21) Johnsymbolically describes this, saying : "And it thedragon stood still upon the sand of the sea. AndI saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, withten horns and seven heads, and upon its hornsten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemousnames. Now the wild beast that I saw was like aleopard, but its feet were as those of a bear, andits mouth was as a lion's mouth . And the dragongave the beast its power and its throne and greatauthority." (Rev . 13 :1, 2, NW) God tolerated this"wild beast" for his own purposes. He even madeallowance for "the appointed times of the nations"during which the worldly powers would have undisputed,uninterrupted sway of the globe . Yet theseven successive world powers over mankind receivedtheir power, throne and great authorityfrom the original Serpent, the Dragon, Satan theDevil. Offering to make Jesus Christ the ruler ofthe seventh world power if he would just forsake10. With whom did the earthly part of this world originate,and to what does Revelation liken it? How didJesus act differently from it toward the offer of gloryand authority?

110 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Jehovah's worship and do one act of worship tothe Dragon, Satan the Devil showed Jesus all thekingdoms of the inhabited earth and said to himin the mountain of temptation : "I will give you allthis authority and the glory of them, because ithas been delivered to me and to whomever I wishI give it ." Unlike the beast, Jesus refused .-Luke4 :5-8, NW.II About 130 years after the flood was over,rebellious men began building the city of Babel,or Babylon, with its famous tower . This was inthe days of Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah .Babel, which the Greeks later called Babylon, becamethe beginning of Nimrod's government thatwas contrary to the godly patriarchal influence ofNoah, who lived for 350 years after the flood .The history of Shem tells us briefly : "And thesons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put andCanaan . And Cush became father to Nimrod . Hemade the start in becoming a mighty one in theearth. He displayed himself a mighty hunter inopposition to Jehovah. That is why there is asaying, `Just like Nimrod a mighty hunter inopposition to Jehovah .' And the beginning of hiskingdom came to be Babel and Erech and Accadand Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of thatland he went forth into Assyria and set himselfto building Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calahand Resen between Nineveh and Calah : this isthe great city." (Gen . 10 :6, 8-12 ; 11 :10, NW)Nimrod became a tool of the Devil, a part of thevisible seed of the great Serpent . Like the Devil,Nimrod challenged Jehovah's universal sovereigntyand set himself up as mankind's savior, thefirst king on earth after the flood. He was willing11 . When did Babylon begin, and the beginning ofwhose kingdom was it? With it what "beast" wasstarted developing?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 111to be worshiped as a mighty hunter, even thoughthis meant he was a violent breaker of God'scovenant with Noah regarding murder and thesacredness of creature blood. He got his power,throne and authority from the Dragon and startedthe development of the seven-headed beast .12The purpose of building Babel and its toweron the plains of Shinar in the Mesopotamian valleywas to concentrate power over mankind at oneplace and block the carrying out of God's commandto Noah's family to fill the earth with people.Speaking then only one language and one setof words, "they now said : `Come on! Let us buildourselves a city and also a tower with its top inthe heavens, and let us make a celebrated namefor ourselves, for fear we may be scattered overall the surface of the earth .' " In view of thisJehovah God conferred with his only-begottenSon . What followed was no Pentecost of the outpouringof the gift of foreign tongues by the holyspirit. Almighty God confused their language, suddenlyrobbing them of their common language andmaking their minds think and their tonguesspeak in a desolating variety of languages differentfrom that of Noah . At the same time he did not,as at Pentecost of A.D . 33, impart the gift of interpretingforeign tongues. Unable to work togetherwith mutual understanding in an untheocraticcause, the city planners and buildersscattered according to their language groups overall the globe .13Consequently, Babel at its start failed to becomethe first world power . Bible history shows12 . What was the purpose of building Babel and itstower, and how did Jehovah break up their united actionand scatter them?13 . What world power did Babylon eventually become,but of what and for whom did it become the pattern?

112 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"it became the third head of the symbolic wildbeast out of the sea . However, Babel or Babylonset the pattern of earthly political rule in oppositionto the true God and in obedience to the "godof this system of things", who "has blinded theminds of the unbelievers, that the illumination ofthe glorious good news about the Christ, who isthe image of God, might not shine through" . (Gen .11 :1-9, NW; 2 Cor. 4 :4, NW) So all seven worldpowers and their satellites are Babylonish in kind .They commit spiritual fornication with Satan's"woman".14Satan's woman? Yes ; that is to say, Satan'suntheocratic organization . She is the opposite ofJehovah's woman, his theocratic organization,which is the heavenly mother of the promisedseed that is to bruise the Serpent and his seedin the head. (Gen. 3 :15) What Jehovah's organizationcame to be called we shall soon see . Satan's"woman", the organization subject to him as awife, came to be called "Babylon", because Babelor Babylon was the beginning of the visible partof his organization over mankind . So Babylon,like a prostitute woman, rides Satan's wild beast .15Jehovah, supreme Sovereign of the universe,was not uneasy over letting Satan's cosmos orworld rise after the Flood and develop to thezenith of its power and tear loose like a wild beastthrough the earth even into this atomic age . Jehovahknew that he would make good his Edeniccovenant to bring forth the seed of his womanto bruise the Serpent in the head . But first thatseed must be bruised in the heel by the Serpent14 . Who is Satan's "woman", and what did she becomecalled, and why?15. Why was Jehovah not uneasy at letting Satan'scosmos rise after the Flood, and through the line ofwhich of Noah's sons would His promised seed come?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 113and there must be hostility between the seed ofhis woman and that Serpent's seed . God had destroyedthe Serpent's earthly seed in the flood .Now for his Edenic prophecy to be fulfilled, hemust let Satan's woman Babylon come into beingafter the flood and bring forth the Serpent's seedto do the bruising. Jehovah's woman, his theocraticheavenly organization, and the Serpent'swoman, his untheocratic Babylonish organization,now faced each other . In 2020 B.C ., about 219years after Jehovah displayed his power overBabel and its religious tower, Noah died, a faithfulwitness of Jehovah to the end . He had speciallyblessed his son Shem, saying : "Blessed be Jehovah,Shem's God, and let Canaan become a slave tohim." (Gen . 9 :26, NW) Shem's God is Jehovah,Canaan's Satan . This meant that the woman'sseed, in its human connections, would comethrough Shem's line .16 The tenth man in the line of descent countingfrom Shem, namely, Abraham, proved to be theone through whom Jehovah promised that thewoman's seed would come. Abraham, at first calledAbram, lived at Ur of the Chaldeans, an ancientbrick-built Sumerian city with a brick templemoundcalled a ziggurat . Here at Ur the excavationsmade in March, 1929, discovered eight feetof water-laid clay. This layer was clean and freefrom the pottery rubbish of any civilization ; ithad been laid there and at Kish, hundreds ofmiles away, by the flood of Noah's day . Abrahamknew of that world-devastating deluge . The Bibleevidence is that Abraham had the clay tablets containingShem, Ham and Japheth's account of the16 . Who was the man through whom Jehovah promisedthat the seed of his woman would come, and of whatworld catastrophe did he have the records?

1 14 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"flood and also had the other histories going backto the first one, "the history of the heavens andthe earth," written by Adam or at his dictation .(Gen. 2 :4 ; 5 :1 ; 6 :9 ; 10 :1 ; 11 :10 ; 11 :27, NW)Abraham had faith in Shem's God, Jehovah .17 To test Abraham's faith and so to prove himworthy to be the means of blessing to all the peopleof faith like his, Jehovah called for Abrahamto leave his home town for an unknown land towhich Jehovah would lead him . Abraham wasthen about seventy-five years old and childless . Ifhe obeyed, then, said Jehovah, "I shall make agreat nation out of you and I shall bless you andI will make your name great ; and prove yourselfa blessing . And I will bless those who bless you,and him that calls down evil upon you I shallcurse, and all the families of the ground will certainlybless themselves by means of you ." (Gen .12:1-3, NW) Abraham obeyed and the covenantof Jehovah went into force when Abraham crossedthe Euphrates river into the Promised Land .Twenty-five more years of barrenness for himselfand his beloved wife Sarah followed in thisforeign land to which they had immigrated. ThenAlmighty God performed a miracle in fulfillmentof his promise to Abraham ; he blessed his wifewith their only son Isaac. (Gen . 21 :1-7) By thisJehovah God was enacting a great propheticdrama in which Sarah represented Jehovah's"woman" or heavenly theocratic organization, themother of the promised seed . Hence in prophecythis mother organization could be spoken of asSarah or the Sarah organization .-Isa . 51 :1-3 ;Gal . 4 :21-31 .17 . What covenant went into effect toward Abrahambecause of faith, and how did his wife become a pictureof God's woman?

THE MAKING OF THIS COSMOS BEGUN 1 1518 From this standpoint Isaac prophetically representedthe seed of God's woman . This understandingis supported by the human sacrifice thatJehovah commanded Abraham to make of hisonly son Isaac, on Mount Moriah . After Abrahamhad shown his willingness to obey to the limit,Jehovah's angel who attended Abraham stayed hishand and said : "By myself I do swear, is the utteranceof Jehovah, that by reason of the factthat you have done this thing and you have notwithheld your son, your only one, I shall surelybless you and I shall surely multiply your seedlike the stars of the heavens and like the grainsof sand that are on the seashore, and your seedwill take possession of the gate of his enemies .And by means of your seed all nations of theearth will certainly bless themselves due to thefact that you have listened to my voice." (Gen.22 :15-18, NW) Jesus Christ is primarily the seedof God's "woman", the Greater Sarah . Doubtlesshe had Abraham and Isaac in mind when he said :"For God loved the world so much that he gavehis only-begotten Son, in order that everyoneexercising faith in him might not be destroyed buthave everlasting life ." (John 3 :16, NW) Theblessing by means of the promised seed was notto come to "all nations of the earth" automatically .It was to be made available for them, and thepeople of all nations must bless themselves bymeans of the seed of blessing. They must do somethingabout it. They must procure the blessingfor themselves by exercising faith in the seed,God's only-begotten Son. Then they would not bedestroyed but would attain to everlasting life inthe righteous world of new heavens and a newearth, the world that God loved so much .18 . How, particularly, was Isaac shown to represent theseed of God's woman, and how must all nations blessthemselves by means of that seed?

CHAPTER VIIIJerusalem Propheticin Rise and FallT WAS of significance that faithful AbrahamI built the altar on which to sacrifice his belovedson Isaac upon a mountain that Jehovah Goddesignated in the land of Moriah . Nineteen centurieslater in that same region Jehovah let hisonly-begotten Son be sacrificed, for it was onMount Moriah that King Solomon built the firsttemple of Jerusalem. (Gen . 22 :1, 2 ; 2 Chron. 3 :1 ;1 Chron . 21 :18 to 22 :19) So it was the localitymarked out for the greatest sacrifice in the universe,a fact that was emphasized by Jesus whenhe said : "I must journey on today and tomorrowand the following day, because it is not admissiblefor a prophet to be destroyed outside of Jerusalem .Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophetsand stoner of those sent forth to her!" (Luke13 :33, 34, NW) His death outside her gates andwithin sight of her temple on Mount Moriah madeher fall for the second and final time unavoidable .Jerusalem was moved out of the way, that thegreater city for which Abraham was lookingmight be seen more clearly with the eye of faith ."For he was awaiting the city having real foundationsand the builder and creator of which is God ."-Heb . 11 :10, NW.1 . Why was the locality of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaacsignificant? And what sacrifice made Jerusalem's secondfall unavoidable?116

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 1172 In Abraham's day the city that later becameJerusalem was known as Salem, this name meaning"Peace" . It was the city of Jehovah's onlyking and priest on earth then, Melchizedek, whois thought to have been no other than Shem,Noah's blessed son, whose God was to be Jehovah.However, for the effect of it, God's Wordleaves us without the name of his father andmother and without information about the beginningand the end of his life, that it might beshown that he did not receive his priesthood fromany human and that this priesthood was withoutend, as it were . His name "Melchizedek" meant"king of righteousness", and he was king of thecity of peace . In these respects he was meant toprefigure Jehovah's everlasting High Priest ofthe righteous world of new heavens and a newearth . (Heb . 7 :1-17) Melchizedek was in positionto bless Abraham. He did so when Abraham wasreturning triumphant from his defeat of thepagan aggressors from the land of Shinar, theregion of Babylon . "And Melchizedek king of Salembrought out bread and wine, and he waspriest of the Most High God. Then he blessedhim and said : `Blessed be Abram of the Most HighGod, Producer of heaven and earth, and blessedbe the Most High God, who has delivered youroppressors into your hand!' At that Abram gavehim a tenth of everything ." (Gen . 14 :18-20, NW)This blessing predicted a glorious victory forAbraham's promised Seed, who was to be sacrificedlike Abraham's son Isaac, for the vindicationof Jehovah as the Most High God and for theblessing of all mankind .2 . In Abraham's day what was the city called that laterbecame Jerusalem, and how was he blessed by its king?What did that blessing predict?

1 1 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"3 More than 850 years passed before Melchizedek'scity became the Salem of which the inspiredpsalmist sang : "In Judah is God known : his nameis great in Israel . In Salem also is his tabernacle,and his dwelling place in ion ." (Ps. 76 :1, 2)During that long interim Salem receded into thebackground of events . When we next hear of itit is in the hands of the descendants of the accursedCanaan, the Jebusites, and is known asJebusi. Jehovah made a covenant with Abrahamto give him all the land of Canaan, including thatof the Jebusites and their city of Jebusi, or Jerusalem. But before that, Abraham's descendantsmust pass through a period of great trial, for,when making this covenant, Jehovah said toAbraham : "You may know for sure that yourseed will become a temporary resident in a landnot theirs, and they will have to serve them andthese will certainly afflict them for four hundredyears. But the nation that they will serve I amjudging, and after that they will go out withmuch property . As for you, you will go to yourforefathers in peace ; you will be buried at a goodold age . But in the fourth generation they willreturn here, because the iniquity of the Amoriteshas not yet come to completion ." (Gen . 15 :13-16,NW) The here-unnamed "land not theirs" inwhich Abraham's descendants would be enslavedproved to be Egypt, the first world power havingto do with them, the first head of the Dragon'sbeastly organization after the Flood .4 Partnership in Jehovah's covenant with Abra-3 . By what covenant was the city to become the Salemof Psalm 76 :1, 2? Before that what oppression and deliverancemust Abraham's descendants experience?4 . Through whom did the partnership in Jehovah'scovenant of blessing descend, and how did the twelvetribes of Israel come to be located temporarily inEgypt?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 119ham for blessing all the families and nations ofthe earth was inherited by his son Isaac and thenby Isaac's son Jacob . Jacob became the father oftwelve sons . Through the jealousy of most of hishalf brothers Jacob's beloved son Joseph was soldinto Egypt as a slave. For his integrity to JehovahGod through the severest of trials Joseph miraculouslycame to be the ruler of Egypt, next toPharaoh the king. During the seven-year faminethat then struck the world Joseph invited hisfather Jacob and his eleven brothers to take uptemporary residence near him in Egypt, in theland of Goshen . Two hundred and fifteen yearsafter their forefather Abraham had crossed theEuphrates river into the Promised Land, Jacoband his household entered Egypt . It was herethat they became a populous race of twelve tribesaccording to the twelve sons of Jacob and werecalled the "twelve tribes of Israel" .-Gen . 49 :28 .5 Some time after Joseph's death a Pharaoharose in Egypt who did not regard with anygratitude Joseph's valued services to the landof the Nile during the famine years and afterward.Doubtless egged on by the invisiblepower behind his throne, that is, by the spiritprince maneuvered by the first head of the greatDragon, this demon-worshiping Pharaoh tried tostamp out the people who had now inherited God'scovenant with Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel.Along with other oppressive measures, heenslaved them, just as Jehovah had foretold toAbraham. But while the great Dragon had a spiritprince for the oppressor Egypt, Jehovah too hada guardian angel for his people Israel . To raise upa visible deliverer for Israel from enslavement in5 . How did the twelve tribes of Israel come under oppressionin Egypt, and how did Jehovah raise up avisible deliverer for them?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 119ham for blessing all the families and nations ofthe earth was inherited by his son Isaac and thenby Isaac's son Jacob. Jacob became the father oftwelve sons . Through the jealousy of most of hishalf brothers Jacob's beloved son Joseph was soldinto Egypt as a slave. For his integrity to JehovahGod through the severest of trials Joseph miraculouslycame to be the ruler of Egypt, next toPharaoh the king. During the seven-year faminethat then struck the world Joseph invited hisfather Jacob and his eleven brothers to take uptemporary residence near him in Egypt, in theland of Goshen . Two hundred and fifteen yearsafter their forefather Abraham had crossed theEuphrates river into the Promised Land, Jacoband his household entered Egypt . It was herethat they became a populous race of twelve tribesaccording to the twelve sons of Jacob and werecalled the "twelve tribes of Israel" .-Gen . 49 :28 .5 Some time after Joseph's death a Pharaoharose in Egypt who did not regard with anygratitude Joseph's valued services to the landof the Nile during the famine years and afterward.Doubtless egged on by the invisiblepower behind his throne, that is, by the spiritprince maneuvered by the first head of the greatDragon, this demon-worshiping Pharaoh tried tostamp out the people who had now inherited God'scovenant with Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel.Along with other oppressive measures, heenslaved them, just as Jehovah had foretold toAbraham. But while the great Dragon had a spiritprince for the oppressor Egypt, Jehovah too hada guardian angel for his people Israel . To raise upa visible deliverer for Israel from enslavement in5 . How did the twelve tribes of Israel come under oppressionin Egypt, and how did Jehovah raise up avisible deliverer for them?

12 0 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Egypt Jehovah's angel appeared to the shepherdMoses, at the burning bush in the Arabian wildernessnear Mount Sinai, or Horeb, the mountainof God. At Jehovah's command Moses returnedto Egypt and appeared before Pharaoh and demandedthe release of the Israelites in the name ofJehovah .6Pharaoh defied Jehovah and hardheartedly refusedto let his people go. Rather, he increasedhis oppressions upon them . Then Jehovah executedhis judgments upon Egypt and its false gods andits spirit prince by bringing ten devastatingplagues upon Pharaoh and his land . The tenthplague, the death of all the first-born of Egypt onthe fourteenth day of the month Nisan, brokethe hardened heart of Pharaoh and he thrust theIsraelites out of the land . In this tenth and lastplague the Israelites did not lose a single firstborn,because they obediently celebrated the passoversupper, which Jehovah now introduced amongthe Israelites .Thus four hundred and thirty years to theday after Abraham had crossed the Euphratesand the great covenant of blessing went into force,the Israelites began their march out of Egypt .(Ex . 12 :40, 41) Some days later Pharaoh, hearingthat the escape route of the Israelites was blockedby the Red sea, ordered out his charioteers andhorsemen and went in pursuit to drag them back toslavery . Jehovah, by his angel guide, then openedfor his people a dry path through the sea to theArabian shores opposite. Seeing his prey slippingfrom his fingertips, Pharaoh with his speedy hoste . How did Jehovah execute judgments upon Egypt'sgods and spirit prince and break Pharaoh's heart? Whydid not Israel lose a first-born?7 . On what anniversary did Israel start their marchout of Egypt, and how did Pharaoh and his hosts dashinto destruction?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL121dashed in madly between the watery walls of thesea . Could the spirit prince of Egypt hold thosewalls up and prevent them from collapsing uponthe Egyptians? Moses, on dry Arabian ground,turned, raised the rod with which Jehovah hadused him to perform miracles, and down tumbledthe walls of water upon the pursuers .8 "Let me sing to Jehovah, for he has becomehighly exalted . The horse and its rider he haspitched into the sea . My strength and my mightis Jah, since he serves for my salvation." So sangMoses at this divine exploit . (Ex. 15 :1, 2, NW)In this way the living and true God made a namefor himself that could never be blotted out . Hisact of deliverance made Israel his people by every8 . What did Jehovah thus make for himself, and whobecame his people by every right?

122 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"right. No wonder King David could exclaim : "Andwho is like thy people, like Israel, the one nationin the earth that God went to redeem to be apeople to himself, and to make himself a name,and to do for them great things and terrible, forthy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedstto thyself from Egypt, from the nations and theirgods? And thou hast established to thyself thypeople Israel to be a people unto thee for ever ;and thou, Jehovah, art become their God ."-2 Sam.7 :23, 24, Da .9The miraculous pillar of cloud then led theIsraelites to Mount Sinai or Horeb . There Jehovahmade Israel a real nation, a people with atheocratic government over them . He establishedthis government by making with them there acovenant in addition to his covenant with Abraham. (Gal. 3 :17-19) It was a covenant of law,with the Ten Commandments as the set of fundamentallaws, and the Israelites agreed to keep itfor the divine blessing upon their nation . Fortyyears later, when they were at the banks of theJordan river and about to cross over into the landpromised to Abraham's seed, Moses said to them :"Jehovah our God concluded a covenant with usin Horeb. It was not with our forefathers thatJehovah concluded this covenant, but with us, allthose of us alive here today . Face to face Jehovahspoke with you in the mountain out of themiddle of the fire." (Deut. 5 :1-4 ; 29 :1, NW; Ex.19 :1 to 24 :8) They were now his covenant people,those who had voluntarily agreed to be his slaveswhom he had redeemed . They were eyewitnessesof what Jehovah had done for them in Egypt,9, lo . Where did Jehovah then lead them and what didhe make with them there as a nation? They were anation of what respecting Jehovah, and what could herightly say to them in prophecy?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 123at the Red sea and during the forty years of theirwandering in the wilderness preparatory to enteringthe Promised Land . They were a nationof witnesses of Jehovah, a nation that he hadbrought into existence and shaped under the Lawcovenant . He could rightly say to them prophetically:Y 0 "Now thus saith Jehovah that created thee,O Jacob, and he that formed thee, 0 Israel : Fearnot, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called theeby thy name, thou art mine . Ye are my witnesses,saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I havechosen ; that ye may know and believe me, andunderstand that I am he : before me there wasno God formed, neither shall there be after me .I, even I, am Jehovah ; and besides me there is nosaviour ."-Isa . 43 :1,10,11, AS .11 Israel was a national creation of God. His namewas upon them, and they must bear that namein an honorable way, not in a worthless way .Assuring them of divine blessing if they did so,Moses said : "All the peoples of the earth will haveto see that Jehovah's name has been called uponyou and they will indeed be afraid of you ." (Deut .28 :10, NW) God must now give his own createdtheocratic nation a territory in which to live andbe a national witness of the universal sovereigntyof their God Jehovah . By a miracle like that atthe Red sea he brought them across the floodedriver Jordan under the leadership of Moses' successor,Joshua . Jehovah did not make the landan outright handout to the Israelites. That wouldhave been too easy for them ; it would not haveproved their faith and obedience to the God with11 . Whose name must the nations see was upon Israel?How were they brought into the Promised Land, andhow must they act for God toward the land's inhabitants?

1 2 4 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"whom they had entered into a solemn covenant.In the terms of this covenant they had been instructedwhat to do when they entered thePromised Land . The then occupants were descendantsof accursed Canaan and were condemned todeath for their wickedness and unclean worship offalse gods, demons. In taking possession of the landby a fight in which Jehovah God would help themthe Israelites must act as his executioners anddestroy the filthy demon worshipers who opposedthe establishment of theocratic rule in the Godgivenland .'12By thus cleansing the land they would upholdthe sovereignty of Jehovah over all the earth andwould safeguard themselves against getting infectedwith idolatrous worship in the future. Whenthey showed their faith and proceeded with clearingout the accursed idolaters from the land, then"Jehovah the God of Israel it was who was fightingfor Israel' .-Josh . 10 :14, 42 ; 23 :3, 10, NW.13After six years of partially subduing thePromised Land the Israelites entered upon aperiod of rule by human judges as the visiblerepresentatives of God . God was actually theirinvisible Ruler, their King . "Jehovah is the onewho will rule over you," said Judge Gideon. (Judg.8:23, NW) And Judge Samuel reminded them"Jehovah your God was your king ." (1 Sam .12 :12, AS; Deut . 33 :5) Samuel said that, becausenow, near the end of his life, they had requested avisible, mortal king to be set up over them, likethose of the pagan nations all around them .12 . By thus cleansing the land what would they uphold,and how would they safeguard themselves? Who foughtfor them, and when?13 . Upon a period of rule by whom did Israel first enter,and how did they afterward come to have a visible,mortal king? With which king did Jehovah start animportant dynasty?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 1 25Samuel, Jehovah's prophet, anointed Saul as theirfirst king . Thus the king of Israel was spoken ofas "the anointed of Jehovah" . Saul, after forsakingJehovah his God and seeking advice from thespirit medium of En-dor, died in battle after aforty-year reign . Because of his unfaithfulness toGod, Jehovah did not let Saul start a royal dynastyin Israel, but had David of Bethlehem-judahanointed as king at the Judean city of Hebron .With him Jehovah God began an important dynasty.14 King David proceeded to subdue all the remainingunconquered portions of the PromisedLand . He assaulted the citadel of Jerusalem thatwas still held by the pagan Jebusites. (Josh . 15 :63 ;Judg. 19 :10-12) "And David and all Israel wentto Jerusalem (the same is Jebus) ; and the Jebusites,the inhabitants of the land, were there . Andthe inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thoushalt not come in hither . Nevertheless David tookthe stronghold of ion ; the same is the city ofDavid. . . . And David dwelt in the stronghold ;therefore they called it the city of David ."(1 Chron . 11 :4-7, AS) So it was that Jerusalem,which was a polluted pagan city to begin with,became the capital of the kingdom of Israel . Thecity's stronghold or citadel was called ion, a namethat came to be applied later to the whole cityas it was enlarged .15By his prophet Moses Jehovah had repeatedlyspoken to the Israelites about choosing a specialplace in the Promised Land for the location ofhis name ; it was to become the center of worshipfor the entire nation . "To the place that Jehovah14. How did Jerusalem become Israel's capital, andwhat other name did it also come to be called?is. According to God's covenant, to what place were allthe tribes of Israel to come regularly, and how didJerusalem become that place?

1 j "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"your God will choose out of all your tribes toplace his name there, to have it reside, you willseek and there you must come ." (Deut . 12 :4, 5,11, 21 ; 26 :2, NW) Jerusalem, or ion, provedto be the place Jehovah selected, for in due timeKing David had the sacred ark of the covenant,which represented Jehovah's presence in Israel,brought up and located near his palace in the cityof David, ion . At this event David composed apsalm and sang out : "Let the heavens be glad,and let the earth rejoice ; and let them say amongthe nations, Jehovah reigneth ." (1 Chron . 16 :31,AS) Later Jehovah chose a location just to thenorth of ion as a place for the temple that Godhad told King David that his son and successorSolomon would build, and it became part of thecity. There in seven and a half years' time wiseKing Solomon built a magnificent temple . ToSolomon God said : "I have hallowed this house,which thou hast built, to put my name there forever." (1 Ki . 9 :1-3, AS) Concerning Solomon'ssuccessor, his son Rehoboam, it is written : "Hereigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the citywhich Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribesof Israel, to put his name there ." (1 Ki . 14 :21,AS) It became the holy city, identified with God'sown name .16 At a height of about 2,550 feet above theMediterranean sea level, Jerusalem was higherthan almost any other great capital in humanhistory, it being also at the head of a slope that fellabout 3,300 feet to the plain of the Jordan riverat Jericho, or about 3,800 feet above the Deadsea level . How well the situation and the significanceof the holy city were to symbolize the factsof something far higher and grander than the16 . How was Jerusalem's elevation significant, and inwhat way was it "the city of the great King"?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 127mere earthly city! How appropriately the psalmistcould use Jerusalem as a prophetic type andsing : "Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised,in the city of our God, in his holy mountain .Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,is mount ion, on the sides of the north, the cityof the great King ." (Ps . 48 :1, 2, AS) Jehovahwas the real King of Jerusalem during the daysof his theocratic government over Israel . Thehuman king of the line of David was merely hisvisible earthly representative on a material throneon Mount ion . The throne was really Jehovah's .Hence it was written of David's successor : "ThenSolomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as kinginstead of David his father, and prospered ; and allIsrael obeyed him." (1 Chron . 29 :23, AS) ThusSalem, the capital of ancient King Melchizedek,priest of the Most High God, became again theseat of a theocratic king and the center of Hishigh priest .17In Hebrew a city is feminine in gender and isspoken of as a woman . The city's residents orcitizens are spoken of as its children . For example :"Praise Jehovah, 0 Jerusalem ; praise thy God,0 ion . For he hath strengthened the bars of thygates ; he hath blessed thy children within thee .""Let Israel rejoice in him that made him : let thechildren of ion be joyful in their King ." (Ps.147 :12, 13 ; 149 :2, AS ; Isa . 54 :1, 13 ; Joel 2 :23 ;3 :6) From this standpoint faithful, theocraticJerusalem was used to typify or picture Jehovah'sholy invisible organization, his theocratic universalorganization, his woman or wife who mothersthe Seed that he promised in Eden after man'sfall into sin . To this organization, which was long17. Why is a city spoken of as a woman and its citizensas her children? So to whom, really, was Isaiah 54 :1-13addressed?

128 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"reserved as the one to bring forth the woman'sseed for bruising the Serpent in the head, werereally addressed the prophetic words : "Sing, 0barren, thou that didst not bear ; break forth intosinging, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travailwith child : for more are the children of the desolatethan the children of the married wife, saithJehovah . For thy Maker is thy husband ; Jehovahof hosts is his name : . . . For Jehovah hath calledthee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, evena wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thyGod . For a small moment have I forsaken thee ;but with great mercies will I gather thee . Andall thy children shall be taught of Jehovah ; andgreat shall be the peace of thy children ."-Isa.54 :1,5-7,13, AS.18 Jehovah's wifely heavenly organization corresponds,not only with faithful, theocratic Jerusalemthat accepted Jehovah's anointed King, butalso with Abraham's free wife, Sarah, the motherof Isaac . This is not the private interpretation ofthe witnesses of Jehovah . It is the inspired interpretationby God's spirit . For the apostle Paulturns from the unfaithful, untheocratic Jerusalemof his day that had rejected Jehovah's anointedKing and he says to his Christian brothers : "Butthe Jerusalem above is free, and she is ourmother ." After saying this, he quotes Isaiah 54 :1,quoted in our preceding paragraph, and makesthis comment : "Now we, brothers, are childrenbelonging to the promise the same as Isaac was ."Next Paul quotes the words of Abraham's freewoman, Sarah, directed against her slave girl, andthen he comments : "Wherefore, brothers, we arechildren, not of a servant girl, but of the free18. With whom does God's heavenly organization correspond,and how does Paul bear this out? So who isthe woman meant at Genesis 3 :15?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 129woman." (Gal . 4 :21-31, NW) Hereby is provedthat there is a "Jerusalem above", a heavenlyJerusalem, and that it is the mother of the promisedseed pictured by Isaac for blessing all thefamilies of the earth . The woman that JehovahGod designated in Eden, at Genesis 3 :15, to be themother of the Serpent-bruiser is the heavenlyJerusalem, his invisible, spiritual theocratic organization."I At Eden God promised to put enmity betweenhis woman and the great Serpent, and betweenher seed and that of the Serpent . By his law covenantwith the nation of Israel he set Israel againstthe demon worship of the pagan nations andagainst any alliances with the nations of theSerpent's visible organization . The Serpent andhis seed returned this hostility and worked persistentlyat corrupting Israel and subjugating it .King Solomon, builder of Jehovah's temple, becamecorrupted with idolatrous demon worshipand died unfaithful to God . But the ruling dynastywas not taken from his line, for by a specialkingdom covenant with faithful King David Godhad given his word that the royal line would remainin David's household till the arrival of theSeed of God's woman . (2 Sam . 7 :1-17) So in thereign of Solomon's successor the kingdom was divided. Ten tribes of Israel seceded and formed anortherly kingdom of their own. Only the tribesof Judah and Benjamin and the sacred tribe ofLevi with its priesthood remained faithful to theroyal house of David and its capital Jerusalem,the seat of Jehovah's worship . In course of timethe spirit prince over Assyria, represented by thesecond head of the Dragon's wild beast, became19 . What did God put between his woman and the Serpentand their seeds, and how did the Serpent and hisseed express this? With what effect in 740 B .C .?

130 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"dominant and began attacking the northerly tentribekingdom of Israel . In 740 B .C . Assyria subjugatedit, destroyed its capital and deported theunfaithful Israelites to Assyria .20 Then the second head of the great Dragontried striking at the kingdom of Judah and itscapital Jerusalem . The Assyrian capital Ninevehbecame the great rival of the holy city. But when,in the days of faithful King Hezekiah, the Assyrianaggressor Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem andreproached her God, Jehovah's angel (doubtlessthe archangel Michael) sent the Assyrian seed ofthe Serpent back to Nineveh minus 185,000 of hissoldiers, slain all in one night, in a vindication ofJehovah's universal sovereignty . After that thethird head of the Dragon, which controlled thespirit prince over Babylon, became dominant, andBabylon became the great rival of Jerusalem . Asrepresented by these two typical cities on earth,Satan's woman, who figuratively bore the nameBabylon, and Jehovah's woman, the heavenly Jerusalem,now faced each other in open hostility .None of the kings who sat on the throne of Jehovahin earthly Jerusalem proved to be the seedof God's woman . In spite of the earnest efforts ofsome godly kings to save the situation, the reigningline of David's dynasty carried its corruptionso far that Jehovah saw good to overturn thatminiature theocratic kingdom . To do so, helet Satan's woman Babylon score an apparenttriumph . In 607 B .C. her royal seed Nebuchadnezzar,king of earthly Babylon, succeeded in takingJerusalem and its noble palaces and, to theshock of the Jews, their polluted temple . He20 . As represented by what cities on earth did Satan'swoman and God's woman face each other in open hostility?How did Satan's woman score an apparent triumphin 607 B . C .?

JERUSALEM PROPHETIC IN RISE AND FALL 131carried off most of the surviving Jews, includingKing edekiah, captive to the province of Babylon. Shortly afterward the poor of the land whohad been left there fled in fear down to Egypt,leaving behind Jerusalem a scene of ruins and theland of Judah a desolation without man or domesticbeast.21Although the prophet Jeremiah had foretoldall this, he wept at its realization and utteredthis lamentation : "How doth the city sit solitary,that was full of people! She is become as a widow,that was great among the nations! She that wasa princess among the provinces is become tributary!. . . Her adversaries are become the head,her enemies prosper ; for Jehovah hath afflictedher for the multitude of her transgressions : heryoung children are gone into captivity before theadversary . And from the daughter of ion all hermajesty is departed : . . . Jerusalem hath grievouslysinned ; therefore she is become as an uncleanthing ; all that honored her despise her, becausethey have seen her nakedness : yea, she sigheth,and turneth backward . Her filthiness was in herskirts ; she remembered not her latter end ; thereforeis she come down wonderfully ; she hath nocomforter : . . . The breath of our nostrils, theanointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits ; ofwhom we said, Under his shadow we shall liveamong the nations . . . . Thou, 0 Jehovah, abidestfor ever ; thy throne is from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us untothee, 0 Jehovah, and we shall be turned ; renewour days as of old."-Lam . 1 :1-9 ; 4 :20 ; 5 :1-21,AS.21 . Who foretold all this desolation of Jerusalem andJudah, and what lamentation did he utter at its realization?

CHAPTER IThe Holy City Revived and Cast OffFOR seventy years earthly Jerusalem lay desolatewith her children in a far-distant land,exiles from the location of the seat of Jehovah'sworship. This was just as Jehovah had foretold .(Jer . 25 :11, 12 ; 29 :10) How Babylon, the earthlyheadquarters of the Devil's religion, gloated atthis! How the Devil's woman, Satan's organization,with all her seed rejoiced! Her husband, Satan,shone within her organization like a glorious heavenlyluminary, the "day-star, son of the morning" .In destroying Jerusalem and laying her templemountain waste he felt he had achieved his ambition: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt mythrone above the stars of God ; and I will sit uponthe mount of congregation, in the uttermost partsof the north ; I will ascend above the heights ofthe clouds ; I will make myself like the Most High ."(Isa . 14 :12-14, AS) In the face of this it appearedthat God's woman, the heavenly Jerusalem, wouldnever bring forth the promised seed that was tocrush the Serpent's head and free mankind of hisBabylonish organization . God's woman appearedlike a widow, childless, forsaken .1 . In view of Jerusalem's desolation, what ambition didSatan think he had achieved, and what appearance didGod's woman take on?132

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 1332 But Jehovah's Edenic covenant with his womanconcerning the Seed can never be broken orfail . He had foretold earthly Jerusalem's desolationfor seventy years because of her pollutions .At the same time he had foretold her revival asa holy city and the restoration of his pure worshipthere and the reinstatement of his namein ion . "Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, 0daughter of ion, like a woman in travail ; for nowshalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwellin the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon :there shalt thou be rescued ; there will Jehovahredeem thee from the hand of thine enemies ."(Mic . 4 :10, AS) However, there was a faithfulminority or remnant among the captives thatBabylon had carried away ; and with faith in allthe sure promises of Jehovah these could speakfor their mother, the city of which they were thechildren, and they could say to Satan's womanBabylon : "But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation : myGod will hear me . Rejoice not against me, 0 mineenemy Hebrew, feminine enemy : though I fall,I shall arise ; when I sit in darkness, Jehovahshall be a light unto me . I will bear the indignationof Jehovah-for I have sinned against him-until he plead my cause, and execute judgmentfor me : he will bring me forth to the light ; Ishall behold his righteousness . And mine enemyfeminine shall see it, and shame shall cover herwhich said unto me, Where is Jehovah thy God?Mine eyes shall behold her ; now shall she betrodden down, as the mire of the streets . In theday when thy walls shall be built, on that day2 . Besides foretelling Jerusalem's 70-year desolation,what also had Jehovah foretold about her? What couldher faithful remnant with faith in God's promises sayto Satan's woman Babylon?

13 4 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"shall the established limit recede ."-Mic . 7 :7-11,Da.8At Babylon's beginning in Nimrod's day, oversixteen centuries before her rise to an imperialposition, Jehovah God showed his omnipotentpower over her by confusing the language of herbuilders and scattering them to the ends of theearth . Conqueror now though she was of pollutedJerusalem and at the height of her imperial gloryand power, yet Jehovah God remained the universalsovereign. So he showed his almighty powerover this third world power that was oppressinghis people. He had her suddenly thrown down athis own appointed time, in 539 B.C ., before theseventy years of Jerusalem's desolation were up .He even foretold the Persian prince who wouldinvade Babylon's gate and bring her downfall asan imperial power-Cyrus. Because Cyrus servedas an instrument in God's hand and because heforeshadowed the Seed of God's woman who wouldbring the downfall of Satan's woman Babylon,Jehovah spoke of the Persian conqueror as "hisanointed" . On the very night of Babylon's unexpectedfall Jehovah engraved the handwriting ofdoom on the walls of Belshazzar's banquet hall andhad his aged prophet Daniel pronounce the imminentexecution of the doom . That same nightDarius the Mede, the uncle of Cyrus, took the citywith his detachment of troops and Belshazzar waskilled. (Isa . 44 :26 to 45 :6 ; Dan. 5 :5-31) It was atime for the heavens, God's woman, his heavenlyuniversal organization, to rejoice, along with thefaithful remnant of his people on earth, the captivechildren of earthly Jerusalem :Jer. 51 :48 .3 . How had Jehovah shown his power over Babylon ather beginning, and how did he show it over her againas the third world power? How had he foretold this?

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 1354 The faithful Jewish remnant in Babylon, especiallyDaniel, had been counting the years ofJerusalem's desolation . In the first year of Darius'rule over conquered Babylon Daniel understoodfrom the prophetic book of Jeremiah that the revivalof Jerusalem was at hand by Jehovah's restorationof a faithful remnant there . (Dan . 9 :1, 2)The revival was due to be realized in 537 B .C .,seventy years from 607 B .C . when Jerusalem fellto Babylon . Now Babylon had been conquered,and the Medo-Persian empire, the joint governmentof Darius the Mede and his nephew Cyrusthe Persian, became the fourth world power, controlledby the fourth head of the great Dragon inheaven. That head put a spirit prince as a guardianover the Medo-Persian empire, which was thefourth head of the wild beast that came up outof the sea. Cyrus the Persian succeeded his uncleDarius to rulership over Babylon and over all thePersian empire . How to influence Cyrus to restorethe Jewish remnant to the land of Judah for therebuilding of Jehovah's temple at Jerusalem's oldsite was the big problem . Satan's spirit princeover Persia was strenuously opposed and tried toinfluence Cyrus against it . This occasioned a conflictin the heavens, to which Satan and his demonsstill had access. It was doubtless like what theglorious angel who appeared in an awe-inspiringvision said to Daniel : "I am come for thy words'sake. But the prince of the kingdom of Persiawithstood me one and twenty days ; but, lo, Michael,one of the chief princes, came to help me :and I remained there with the kings of Persia .Now I am come to make thee understand whatshall befall thy people in the latter days ; for the4 . How did the remnant understand when Jerusalemwas to be revived? Why was the influencing of Cyrusto restore the remnant the big problem?

1 3 6 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"vision is yet for many days . . . . and now will Ireturn to fight with the prince of Persia ."-Dan .10 :1, 12-20, AS .5 However, no princely spirits of Satan's organizationcould block the fulfillment of Jehovah'sword exactly on time . In 537 B .C ., Cyrus, conquerorof Babylon, yielded to God's irresistiblepower exercised upon him . He issued his famousdecree for the loosing of the Israelites from Babylonand for helping them to go back to Jerusalem'sdesolate site to rebuild the temple of Jehovah atthe place where He had chosen to put his holyname : "Whosoever there is among you of all hispeople, his God be with him, and let him go up toJerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the houseof Jehovah the God of Israel-he is God-whichis at Jerusalem ." (Ezra 1 :1-3, Da) In response, acongregation of 42,360 Israelites, along with 7,537male and female servants and lay singers, journeyedto Jerusalem under the headship of theJudean prince erubbabel.-Ezra 2 :64-67; Neh .7 :66-69 .', By the end of the seventieth year of Jerusalem'sdesolation a faithful Jewish remnant wereback in the land living at former city sites . In theclosing month of the desolation they had a big conventionat Jerusalem's temple hill and there theyset up a proper altar on its bases and the Levitepriests, of the priestly family of Aaron, resumedthe temple sacrifice to Jehovah . Then they keptthe festival of booths, which was a seven-day festivalof ingathering, one of the three great festivalsof the year at which all Israelites were boundby their law covenant to assemble at Jerusalem .5 . To whose power did Cyrus yield, what decree did heissue, and who responded to it?6 . In the closing month of Jerusalem's desolation whatdid the restored remnant appropriately do, and whenwas the temple finally rebuilt?

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 13 7How appropriate that was, since Jehovah had regatheredthem from Babylon to Jerusalem, notonly genuine Israelites from all twelve tribes, butalso thousands of men and women who werewilling to serve the interests of Jehovah's theocraticorganization! (Ezra 3 :1-6) Arrangementsfor building a new temple to Jehovah proceeded,but it was not till 516 B.C ., after years of delaydue to opposition by the enemy, including doubtlessthe spirit prince of Persia, that the Judeangovernor erubbabel and the Levite high priestJeshua completed this second temple .-Ezra 3 :7to 6 :18 .No, the pure worship of the true God couldnot be crushed out by all the power of the Deviland his Babylonish organization . Jehovah gloriouslyfulfilled his word that Jerusalem shouldlive again and that a faithful remnant should returnto his worship there . "A remnant shall return,even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mightyGod . For though thy people, Israel, be as the sandof the sea, only a remnant of them shall return ."(Isa. 10 :21, 22, AS) "I will surely assemble, 0Jacob, all of thee ; I will surely gather the remnantof Israel ." (Mic. 2 :12 ; Jer . 23 :3) This was a propheticdrama with living actors in real life picturinggreater and far more important things tocome, even in our momentous days.s Whereas the Jewish remnant did return totheir homeland, it was not to set up an independentkingdom again, with a descendant of the royalhouse of David on the throne. The "seven times",mentioned at Daniel 4 :16, 23, 25, 32, had begun7 . Thus what worship had not been crushed out byenemy power and what prophetic word had Jehovahgloriously fulfilled?8 . On returning to the homeland, why did the remnantnot set up an independent kingdom with a descendantof David on the throne?

138 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"with Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalemin 607 B .C . They had a miniature fulfillment uponNebuchadnezzar himself when he went mad likea beast for seven years ; but they were completelyfulfilled in seven symbolic times, 2,520 (or7 360) years, from 607 B.C. to the autumn ofA.D . 1914, during which non-Jewish or Gentileworld powers dominated the earth unhindered ."The appointed times of the nations," Jesus calledthem. (Luke 21 :24, NW) They correspond withthe long period of time foretold by Jehovah'sprophetic words through Ezekiel to Jerusalem'slast king, edekiah : "Remove the mitre and takeoff the crown ; what is shall be no more. Exalt thatwhich is low, and abase that which is high . I willoverturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shallbe no more, until he come whose right it is ; andI will give it to him."-Ezek . 21 :25-27, Da .11 In harmony with this divine decree therewould be no kingdom of God again with a son ofDavid on the throne until God's heavenly woman,his theocratic universal organization, broughtforth the Seed who has the right to the Kingdom .Then Jehovah God would give the Kingdom powerto him . Hence when God restored the remnant in537 B .C ., he did not re-establish an earthly kingdomunder the Judean prince erubbabel . Thisdid not mean that God had abandoned his covenantfor the kingdom made with faithful kingDavid . (1 Chron . 17 :1-15) It meant that God rec-2,520 is a perfect number . It is the product obtained by multiplyingthe four perfect numbers 3, 7, 10, 12, and can be dividedby all the digits from 1 to 10 without leaving any remainder,hence is their least common multiple .9 . So what did God's not restoring the kingdom in 537B .C . mean as to his Kingdom covenant and the ap .pointed times of the nations?

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 139ognized his appointment of seven symbolic timesfor Gentile nations to control the earth withoutany typical kingdom of God in the way, thus todemonstrate what they could do toward bringingrelief, peace and prosperity to people and to showthe absolute need of God's kingdom .10 God's angel told Daniel of the fight he hadwith the spirit prince of Persia and added : "WhenI go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come .However . . . . there is not one that sheweth himselfstrong with me against these, but Michaelyour prince." (Dan. 10 :20, 21, Da) In fulfillmentof this prophecy the Persian empire fell beforethe Grecian conqueror Alexander the Great andin 332 B .C. Alexander established himself overthe Jewish remnant in Judah . The fifth head of thegreat Dragon in heaven now dictated to the Devil'sworld through the spirit prince of Greece, and therestored Jewish remnant had to endure this formof Gentile rule .11During the control of the Persian empire theentire canon of the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures,all thirty-nine books of them from Genesis toMalachi, had been completed at the revived holycity of Jerusalem . So the remnant of Israel hadan inspired guide for the coming hundreds of yearstill the promised Seed of God's woman wouldcome . But after Greece came to power, the Jewscame under the influence of the Grecian cultureand philosophy. Instead of giving God's writtenWord first place, the Jewish religious leadersbuilt up a great system of human traditions handeddown by word of mouth . These traditions glorified10 . In fulfillment of Daniel 10 :20,21, what became thefifth world power, and when and how?11 . When was the canon of the Hebrew-Aramaic Scripturescompleted, and to what extent did the Jews comeunder the influence of Grecian culture and philosophylater?

14 0 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Jewish rabbis and not God . These precepts ofmen set aside or got around God's commandmentsand superstitiously caused God's holy name tobe shoved into a corner and forgotten, unknownto the mass of Jews . A system of religion knownas Judaism developed, and it was marked by condemnablereligious hypocrisy . Religious sects wereformed and split the people and brought confusion .There was an attempt to fuse some of the Grecianphilosophy with the traditions of Judaism, so thatJews got to believe in the pagan doctrine of theimmortality of the human soul and in a life ofsubterranean torment for wicked souls after deathand in a life in heaven for good souls .12The restored Jews did not relapse into paganidolatry with material images, yet they came intoa system of religious bondage that deprived themof theocratic freedom . They pursued a system ofself-righteousness, imagining that they were justifyingthemselves to everlasting life by the traditionalway of trying to do the works of the Lawcovenant, made at Mount Sinai . They came into areligious slavery described by the apostle Paulwhen he compared Abraham's free wife Sarahand his slave girl Hagar and said : "These thingsstand as a symbolic drama ; for these womenmean two covenants, the one from mount Sinai,which brings forth children for slavery, and whichis Hagar. Now this Hagar means Sinai, a mountainin Arabia, and she corresponds with the Jerusalemtoday, for she is in slavery with her children ."(Gal . 4 :21-25, NW) It was slavery, not to Gentilerule, but to Judaism .13It was in this slavery that the descendants12 . Thus the restored Jews came into what slavery, andhow did the apostle Paul describe it?13 . Amid that slavery how did echariah 9 :9 have aminiature fulfillment, and under whose dominationwere the Jews then?

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 141of the restored Jewish remnant were in the year33 (A.D.), when Jesus Christ rode in royal fashioninto Jerusalem, offering himself to her as theMessiah, Jehovah's anointed King . This provideda miniature fulfillment of Jehovah's prophecy atechariah 9 :9, as the apostle Matthew shows,saying : "This actually took place that it mightbe fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet,saying : `Tell the daughter of ion, "Look! yourKing is coming to you, mild-tempered, andmounted upon an ass, yes, upon a colt, the offspringof a beast of burden ." ' " (Matt . 21 :4, 5,NW; John 12 :14-16) By that time Jerusalem hadpassed out from under the control of the broken-upGrecian empire and had come under the dominationof the Roman Empire, ever since 63 B .C . Thesixth head of the fiery-red Dragon in heaven wasthen dictating, and the spirit prince of Rome wasforemost in Satan's demon organization .14 Those Jews who had in mind to kill Jesuswere the children of the great Dragon, its earthlyseed. Hence Jesus said : "You are from your fatherthe Devil and you wish to do the desires of yourfather. That one was a manslayer when he began,and he did not stand fast in the truth, becausetruth is not in him ." (John 8 :44, NW) To theirreligious, sectarian leaders he said : "Woe to you,scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because youshut up the kingdom of the heavens before mankind; for you yourselves do not go in, neither doyou permit those on their way in to go in . Serpents,offspring of vipers, how are you to flee fromthe judgment of Gehenna?" (Matt . 23 :13, 33,NW) When it came to choosing between JesusChrist their proper king and Barabbas the mur-14. As respects Jesus, how did certain Jews demonstratethey were earthly children or seed of the great Dragonor Serpent?

142 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"derous robber, they showed their devilish parentage,crying out to the Roman governor : "If yourelease this man Jesus , you are not a friendof Caesar . Every man making himself a kingspeaks against Caesar . . . . We have no king butCaesar." (John 19 :12-15, NW) They were willingto take the responsibility before God for Jesus'death, saying : "His blood come upon us and uponour children ." (Matt. 27 :25, NW) Thus they wereserving the Dragon as its slaves .15Jesus announced the rule : "Every doer of sinis a slave of sin . Moreover, the slave does not remainin the household forever ; the son remainsforever ." (John 8 :34, 35, NW) Willfully demonstratingthemselves to be slaves of what was opposedto Jehovah God, the faithless Jews rejectedGod's only-begotten Son . So they were unfit toremain in God's household with his Son and weredue, according to rule, to be cast out, just as theslave girl Hagar and her son Ishmael were castout of Abraham's household, while his son bySarah remained . (Gen . 21 :8-14) Addressing theJerusalem on earth and which was "in slaverywith her children", Jesus said : "Jerusalem, Jerusalem,the killer of the prophets and stoner ofthose sent forth to her, how often I wanted togather your children together, the way a hengathers her chicks together under her wings! Butyou people did not want it . Look! your house isabandoned to you ." (Matt. 23 :37, 38, NW) "Thedays will come upon you when your enemies willbuild around you a fortification with pointedstakes and will encircle you and distress you fromevery side, and they will dash you and your childrenwithin you to the ground, and they will not15 . What rule concerning a slave did Jesus announce,and how did he serve advance notice of the enforcementof this rule on Jewry?

THE HOLY CITY REVIVED AND CAST OFF 143leave a stone upon a stone in you, because youdid not discern the time of your being inspected ."(Luke 19 :41-44, NW) With these words Jesusserved advance notice of Jehovah's casting Jerusalem,her temple and her children away .16Fulfillment of Jesus' prediction of the terribledestruction of Jerusalem, which defiled herselfwith his blood, came in the year 70 (A .D .), or 37years and 5 months after his final prediction . Thistime it was the Roman legions under GeneralTitus that executed the divine sentence of destruction. They bottled up all the city with their encirclingrampart, and the city suffered horribly,not from a water shortage but from the famine .The hundreds of thousands of passover celebratorswere trapped within the doomed city, and whenthe city fell by the end of the month of August1,100,000 of them had perished . At the beginningof that month their temple, on which they hadbased their hopes like a charm, was fed to theflames by Roman arsonists, on the tenth day ofthe fifth Jewish month Ab, the same day of themonth that Nebuchadnezzar had fired the templeof Solomon 676 years previous . (Jer . 52 :12-23)Thousands of Jews were carried off captive, andgreat desolation was wrought by the Romansthroughout Judea and Galilee . The Jewish capitalfell, never to be restored again as Jehovah's holycity. When the next city was built on the site ofJerusalem in the following century, it was built,not by Jews, but by a pagan Roman emperor as aGentile city . Such it continued to the end of the"appointed times of the nations", A .D . 1914 . Todaythe Mohammedan "Dome of the Rock" standswhere Jerusalem's former temple stood .16 . How did Jesus' prediction of Jerusalem's destructioncome about, and as what did the city fall beyond restoration?

CHAPTERFoundation for the New World LaidVER since the first prophecy was made by theE great Judge at Genesis 3 :15, that God's womanwould produce a seed and that it should bruisethe Serpent at the head, a righteous new worldwas certain, for "God, who cannot lie", was theone that promised it . Since then that righteousnew world is even more certain, for the foundationfor it has been laid . Any world, in order to exciteconfidence and trust, must have a solid, firm, enduringfoundation, to make sure of the stabilityof what is built upon it. It must be a right foundation,one that squares perfectly with absoluterighteousness, in order to assure that the superstructureresting upon it will be upright, straightand true, with no crookedness and no dangerousleaning . Then no disappointment will ever result .Realization will fulfill, yes, exceed all expectation .2 The foundation and the superstructure of thenew world come from the only possible rightsource, and that is God Almighty and Supreme,the Creator . To men who misruled earthly Jerusalemand polluted the typical ion, weakening itsfoundations and hastening its fall, God's prophetIsaiah said : "Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I lay for foundation in ion astone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, at . Why is a righteous new world more certain now thanat the pronouncing of Genesis 3 :15, and why is thefoundation of it so important?2 . What is the new world's foundation, where was itlaid and when?144

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 145sure foundation : he that trusteth shall not makehaste ." (Isa . 28 :16, Da) Earthly ion, which wasthe capital of Jehovah's theocratic nation of Israel,was not the organization here meant . Theearthly ion, turning apostate to Jehovah, rejectedthe tried stone, the precious cornerstone,the sure foundation, when it was presented to her,A .D. 33. A higher ion, a heavenly one, wasmeant, and God purposed it to be the capital organizationof the universe, where he would placehis holy name with never a change . That heavenlycity or capital organization was the one that faithfulAbraham was waiting for according to thedivine promises : "For he was awaiting the cityhaving real foundations and the builder and creatorof which is God ." (Heb. 11 :10, NW) The surefoundation is Jehovah's only-begotten Son, JesusChrist . Although rejected by the rulers of typicalJerusalem and ion, with their false standards ofmeasurement, he was chosen as precious andthoroughly tried out by the great Builder of thenew world and was laid in the heavenly ionA.D. 33 . The capital for the new world is thereforecertain.3 It is thus seen that the basis for the righteousnew world is heavenly, not earthly, not human .Scripturally, a world is made up of a heavens andan earth, figuratively speaking . As the naturalheavens are higher than the earth, so the heavenlyorganization must dominate and must determineof what quality the earthly organizationbeneath it will be . Righteous heavens guaranteea righteous earth, resulting in salvation . "Distil,ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pourdown righteousness : let the earth open, that itmay b ring forth salvation, and let it cause right-3 . new world's basis is of what kind? And what isthe first and all-essential requirement for the righteousnew world?

146 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"eousness to spring up together ; I, Jehovah, havecreated it ." (Isa . 45 :8, AS) The first and allessentialrequirement for the righteous new worldis a perfect, upright, incorruptible governmentwith ample power, backed by the Supreme Sovereignof the universe . To the creation of thisJehovah gave his first attention .4 How did God's only-begotten Son become thesure foundation laid in ion A .D . 33? By firstundergoing a thorough test . To be a sure foundationhe must be like a tried or tested stone . AtEden the anointed covering cherub over mankindhad raised a great issue that affected the entireorganization of God from top to bottom . There atEden God had established a righteous world, andthe covering cherub had a prominent part in thespiritual heavens of that world under the onlybegottenSon of God, the official Word . He helda fundamental position in those heavens, therefore,and was like a spiritual foundation of thatworld; and mankind, Adam and Eve, dependedgreatly upon him . They formed the earthly partof that righteous world ; and the earthly part,being less powerful than the spiritual part of theworld, rested upon it like a foundation . Thespiritual part existed long before the earthly . Butduring the test of the spiritual part at Eden itweakened under the strain of selfishness, and thecovering cherub became ambitious and tried tooverturn Jehovah's theocratic world . He turnedto unrighteousness by turning against the MostHigh God and planning to steal the worship andservice of the earth from him . Then he lied againstGod who had laid him as a foundation and hedeceived the woman . He turned her into an unrighteouscourse and used her to bring pressure4. How did God's Son become the sure foundation laidin ion A .D. 33? How was there a testing of thefoundation of the first righteous world at Eden?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 147upon Adam to commit unrighteousness with herby sinning against their Creator and Lawgiver .5 So the covering cherub proved unreliable . Byhis failing under the test he called into questionthe foundation of any future world that God mightset up . In effect the unfaithful cherub said thatJehovah God could not establish a righteousworld but what he could overturn it from its veryfoundation ; that no spiritual foundation for anysuch world would prove any different from theanointed covering cherub ; also that God couldnot build any earthly or human superstructureupon that spiritual foundation but what he couldcorrupt it and cause it to renounce God. Satanthe Devil made this point very clear in the falsecharges he hurled against Jehovah's faithful servantJob . He argued that no righteous man couldkeep his integrity toward God under the test . Allcreatures are basically selfish, he contended . (Job1 :1 to 2 :7) This put in doubt the continued loyaltyof all Jehovah's theocratic organization to hisuniversal sovereignty. It made the universal sovereigntyof the Most High the foremost issue beforeall intelligent creation . It was a challenge toJehovah to put the issue to a test . He did, determiningto take time or allow time for it . Tothat end he had to allow Satan the Devil to livein order to show up that one's falsity.-Ex. 9 :16and Rom . 9 :17, NW .6 God was sure of the unswerving loyalty of hiswoman, his heavenly theocratic organization ; hewas certain she could produce one to be a surefoundation for a new righteous world . God stated5. By the cherub's failure as a foundation what wascalled in question, and why did God permit Satan tolive on?6. As shown at Genesis 3 :15, of what was Jehovah sureas respects his woman? Why did he not take his belovedSon and lay him then as the new world's spiritualfoundation?

14 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"this to the Serpent. (Gen. 3 :15) The one his womanwould bring forth by God's selection was hisonly-begotten Son. But this Son was already aspirit in heaven and was older, higher and morepowerful than the covering cherub . In fact, Godhad used him in creating the cherub . So why didnot God take his beloved Son and lay him thenand there as a spiritual foundation for a newworld? Ah, because in that case he would not bea tried foundation stone, fully tested and perfectedin his obedience to God's universal sovereignty; and that perfect test could not come tohim while he was still up in heaven as a spiritSon loftier and more powerful than Satan theDevil . Furthermore, if he were to remain such aspirit and, as such, be laid directly as a spiritualfoundation, it would leave the human family intheir condemned, sinful and dying condition and inthe long run they must all die out, even destroyingthemselves suicidally in extreme selfishness, asmankind threatens to do today . In that way God'soriginal purpose to people this earth from theoriginal pair in Eden would fail, and it would bean everlasting reproach to him .' To undergo the full test of perfect obediencethe Son of God must come down to earth, becominga perfect man as Adam had been, andmust undergo pressure and temptation to unfaithfulnessat the hands of the great Tempter, theoriginal Serpent, Satan the Devil . Thus he coulddemonstrate that a human creature, who is alittle lower than the angels like the coveringcherub, can keep his integrity without compromisewith the Devil. Thus whether he was thehighest creature or the least creature, the Son ofGod was to be inflexible for righteousness, ab-7 . To undergo the full test of perfect obedience, wheremust the Son of God go? By proving faithful to deaththere, what could he accomplish?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 149solutely committed to vindicating Jehovah's universalsovereignty and word and name . By provingfaithful to death as a man not only could hevindicate his heavenly Father and prove the Devila base liar and an unworthy challenger of GodAlmighty, but he could also redeem or buy backall that unfaithful Adam had forfeited for hisdescendants by sinning and losing the right toperfect human life in a paradise . T o redeem thoseperfect human privileges on a paradise earth forthem, the Son of God must himself become aperfect man in actual fact, no more, no less, andmust die as a sacrifice for all of Adam's offspring .Only by his becoming such a perfect man andbeing exposed to the assaults of the Serpent andhis seed would the Serpent be able to bruise theSeed of God's woman in the heel .eThe eventual aim of the unfaithful coveringcherub in Eden was to seize God's place in theuniverse. So as a starter he displaced JehovahGod in the lives of Eve and Adam . The belovedSon of God never considered such a thing for amoment . After the utterance of the prophecy atGenesis 3 :15 Jehovah God selected his faithfulSon to prove himself the woman's seed, whichmeant exposing himself to the Serpent's venomoushostility to the limit . The Son humbly and lovinglyconsented . Concerning his mental attitude andwhat happened to him as a result it is written :"Keep this mental attitude in you which wasalso in Christ Jesus, who, although he was existingin God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure,namely, that he should be equal to God . No,but he emptied himself and took a slave's formand came to be in the likeness of men . More thanthat, when he found himself in fashion as a man,8 . What was the covering cherub's eventual aim, andwhat was the mental attitude of God's faithful Son,as described at Philippians 2 :5-11?

15 0 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"he humbled himself and became obedient as far asdeath, yes, death on a torture stake . For this veryreason also God exalted him to a superior positionand kindly gave him the name that is above everyother name, so that in the name of Jesus everyknee should bend of those in heaven and thoseon earth and those under the ground, and everytongue should openly confess that Jesus Christis Lord to the glory of God the Father ."-Phil .2 :5-11, NW.9 The Son was in God's form by being a spiritin his image and likeness and by being his creativeagent . When he emptied himself of all thathe was as a heavenly spirit, God miraculouslytransferred his life from heaven to the womb of aJewish virgin, Mary of Bethlehem . That was beforeJoseph to whom she was engaged for marriagetook her to his home . Mary was a descendantof King David . So her first-born son would beheir to King David as respects the covenant forthe kingdom that God made with him . He wouldalso be a descendant of faithful Abraham andcould be directly his seed by means of whom allthe families of the earth could bless themselves .Before Mary consented to becoming the child'smother the angel Gabriel said : "You will conceivein your womb and give birth to a son, and you areto call his name Jesus . This one will be great andwill be called Son of the Most High, and JehovahGod will give him the throne of David his father,and he will be king over the house of Jacob forever,and there will be no end of his kingdom . . . .Holy spirit will come upon you, and power ofthe Most High will overshadow you. For thatreason also what is born will be called holy, God'sSon." Before Joseph consented to taking Maryhome as his legal wife above reproach, Jehovah's9 . How was this Son in God's form, and how did heempty himself and come to be in the likeness of men?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 151angel had to say to him : "That which has beenbegotten in her is by holy spirit ." (Luke 1 :30-35and Matt. 1 :20, NW) In the year 2 B .C ., aboutOctober 1, Jesus the Son of God was born atDavid's home town Bethlehem, as foretold . In thetransfer of his life from heaven he did not take aspirit body with him . He had emptied himself .He was born as a perfect human creature .10 That Jesus was born a perfect human like the"young children" of the prophet Isaiah and likethe natural seed of Abraham, Hebrews 2 :9-17(NW) says : "We behold Jesus, who has been madea little lower than angels, crowned with gloryand honor for having suffered death, that he byGod's undeserved kindness might taste death forevery man . . . . Therefore, since the `young children'are sharers of blood and flesh, he also similarlypartook of the same things, that throughhis death he might destroy the one having themeans to cause death, that is, the Devil, and mightemancipate all those who for fear of death weresubject to slavery all through their lives . For heis really not assisting angels at all, but he is assistingAbraham's seed. Consequently he was obligedto become like his `brothers' in all respects,that he might become a merciful and faithfulhigh priest in things pertaining to God, in orderto offer propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of thepeople." To materialize as a man as angels hadpreviously done was not enough . It was absolutelynecessary for him to be born as a perfect manand be the absolute equivalent of the perfect manAdam in Eden . In balancing justice God's Lawcovenant to the Jews, of whom Jesus was nowone, said : "Soul will be for soul or, life , eyefor eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot forlo. How does Hebrews 2 :9-17 show Jesus was born aperfect human, and why was birth, and not materialization,absolutely necessary?

152 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"foot ." (Deut . 19 :21, NW) Like had to go forlike . Hence as the human life privileges had beenforfeited for the human race by its perfect fatherAdam, through sin, those life privileges had tobe repurchased by the sacrifice of a perfect humanlife like Jesus' .11As a full-grown perfect human Jesus was inposition to offer a perfect sacrifice to God, likethe high priest of the nation of Israel . God hisFather had foretold the making of him a highpriest, not like Israel's first high priest Aaronor his natural descendants, for Jesus was notborn of Aaron's family or tribe, but like theroyal priest Melchizedek, king of Salem . In fact,God had sworn to make Jesus such a king-priest,at Psalm 110 :4 . When thirty years of age, theage at which Israel's priests entered in full upontheir duties at the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus presentedhimself to God to do the divine will forwhich God had sent him into the earth . Thisdedication of himself to do what God would henceforthreveal as his will Jesus symbolized by Johnthe Baptist's immersing him in the Jordan river .(Ps . 40 :6-8 ; Heb . 10 :5-10) His being submergedcompletely under the water pictured that he waswilling to go to the point of death and burial indoing his heavenly Father's will .12God accepted Jesus' dedication . As Jesus wasa perfect human fully equal to the perfect Adamin Eden, God appointed him to be sacrificed, doinghimself what he had asked Abraham to do withhis beloved son Isaac as a prophetic picture . Wasthe foundation of a new world laid in that human11 . As a full-grown man why was Jesus able to offeran acceptable sacrifice? Jehovah had sworn to makehim what, and at what age did Jesus fittingly symbolizehis dedication to God?12 . When God accepted Jesus' dedication, was the newworld's foundation laid in his sacrifice? When did Godmake him a priest like Melchizedek?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 1 53sacrifice to which Jesus was then assigned? No!Remember that the foundation is not a humanone, but must be a spiritual one . A perfect humancould not serve as a foundation of a new worldwith new heavens as well as a new earth . Muchless could such a perfect human when dead as asacrifice serve as such a foundation . Such a perfecthuman sacrifice could only benefit the earthlyor human part of a new world . What is more,Jesus could not be a mere human priest, for theJewish nation of which he was a member alreadyhad Levite priests of Aaron's family ; he must bea spiritual priest. Hence God must now act . He did .As God by his spirit overshadowing Mary transferredhis Son's life from heaven to her womb,now God by that same spirit begot Jesus to becomehis spiritual son . John the Baptist saw the spiritvisibly manifested as a dove descending upon theimmersed Jesus and heard God's voice from heavensay : "This is my Son, the beloved, whom Ihave approved ." (Matt. 3 :13-17, NW) ThatFatherly announcement served notice of Jesus'begettal as God's spiritual son . As such God madehim his high priest like Melchizedek .13Now that Jesus was begotten of God's spiritand was anointed with that spirit to be Jehovah'sHigh Priest, was the foundation of the new worldthen laid? No! Jesus was available material forthe foundation, but he must be tested first beforehe could be laid in the heavenly ion as a surefoundation .14 However, the heavenly Father's woman, the"Jerusalem above", had brought forth the first ofher seed, a spiritual seed . No longer did she appearlike a wife forsaken by her husband because of13 . On his thus becoming High Priest, was the newworld's foundation laid? Why?14 . What had God's woman now brought forth, andhow must he now prove himself a sure foundation?

154 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"having no child to show for her marriage . Butthe question at this time was, Would her Seedprove capable of bruising the Serpent's head? Todo so he would have to prove himself a sure andreliable foundation . To prove himself such hemust demonstrate his complete obedience to thenew world's Creator, even to the very death . Hemust in obedience to God's will let himself bebruised in the heel . Then he could be raised toglory in ion and become the means for savingthe other members of the woman's seed, God'sother sons by her. That method of dealing withhis only-begotten Son would answer Satan's challengeto God and would vindicate Jehovah's rightfulsovereignty. Hence we read : "For it was fittingfor the one for whose sake all things are andthrough whom all things are, in bringing manysons to glory, to make the Chief Agent of theirsalvation perfect through sufferings." If alreadya perfect Son of God, how could he yet be madeperfect? What did he learn and prove by his sufferingsat the hands of the Serpent and his seed?Obedience! "Although he was a Son, he learnedobedience from the things he suffered, and afterhe had been made perfect he became responsiblefor everlasting salvation to all those obeying him,because he has been specifically called by God ahigh priest after the likeness of Melchizedek ."(Heb . 2 :10 ; 5 :8-10, NW) So he was perfected inhis obedience to God .15 Jesus was baptized in water, then begottenby God's spirit and anointed to be God's HighPriest like Melchizedek, in the autumn of 29(A.D .), according to the Bible timetable . Forthree and a half years after that he endured all15 . From what year on did he undergo the test, andwhen did he reach the climax of it? How was the Stonelaid before the Jewish kingdom builders?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 155kinds of hardships, reproaches and persecution,particularly from the side of the religious leadersof the nation of Israel . The great Serpent wasurging its seed to do all this and was waitingfor the opportune time to sink its fangs into theheel of this Seed of God's woman . But none ofsuch unjust things could move Jesus from hissacred service of God as High Priest and as ChiefWitness to the kingdom of God. At the end ofthree and a half years, in 33 (A .D .), Jesus wasquite tested out . He showed he could not be subvertedin his complete loyalty to the Sovereign ofthe universe . But his obedience must be testedeven to the limit, to a disgraceful death, a deathupon the torture stake like a Roman slave andlike a Jew cursed by God . (Deut. 21 :22, 23 ; Gal.3 :13) Jesus foreknew this, but he was determinedto meet this supreme test . Accordingly, he wentto Jerusalem and, knowing he was the foundationstone or anointed King, he rode into Jerusalem asat the coronation of a king of Israel . By this actJehovah God laid the all-important building stonebefore the Jews who wanted to build God's kingdomfor him.-Matt . 21 :42-44 ; Luke 20 :17, 18 ;Ps . 118 :22-24 .16After riding royally into the capital city,Jesus went to the temple and drove out its defilers .The people, by singing out Psalm 118 :25, 26, werein effect hailing him as king, but the high priestof Israel did not come and anoint him as king atthe temple and thus acknowledge him as thefoundation stone, the basis of their hopes for God'skingdom of his Messiah. No, but four days laterthe religious leaders seized Jesus, tried and condemnedhim to death and handed him over to theRoman governor Pontius Pilate for execution by16 . How did the Jewish builders completely reject thefoundation Stone?

156 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"slow death on a torture stake . When Pilate asked :"Shall I impale your king?" then, as we read, "thechief priests answered : `We have no king butCaesar.'" (NW) When Jesus did hang on thetorture stake, the religious leaders gloated andtaunted him. When his dead body was entombed,they had soldiers stationed at the memorial tombto prevent what they thought would be a resurrectionof his physical body. In this fashion theJewish builders completely rejected the foundationof the righteous new world.-Mark 11 :1-18 ; John12 :12-16 ; 18 :28 to 19 :22 ; Matt . 27 :32-66.17The foundation stone had now been subjectedto all kinds of pressures, strains and stresses andcame through the most gruelling test with perfectintegrity, showing no weakness of sin . WhenJesus died and was buried, was the foundationthen laid in ion? No! It was dead and lying onearth, near the polluted earthly ion stained withinnocent blood . The ion where it must be laidis heavenly, in the capital position of the universe. The foundation must be a heavenly one,a spiritual one . The foundation had been rejectedby religious men with their own ideas of God'skingdom, but it was chosen by God because ofits tested preciousness . He alone could lay thisfoundation in heavenly ion. To this end he raisedhis beloved Son from the dead on the third day,not to human life again-that had been sacrificedforever-but to the heavenly life to which thisSon had been begotten after his water baptism .Forty days afterward on the Mount of Olives hiswatching disciples saw Jesus start his ascent toheaven, to his heavenly Father . Arriving there,he was seated by his Father at his right hand,17 . Why was the foundation Stone not laid in ion atJesus' death and burial? When was the new world'sfoundation laid?

FOUNDATION FOR THE NEW WORLD LAID 1 57on the throne. Then the prophetic words of Davidconcerning the Lord Jesus, at Psalm 110 :1 (AS),received fulfillment : "Jehovah saith unto myLord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I makethine enemies thy footstool ." (Matt . 22 :41-45) Atthis point of time the foundation for the righteousnew world was laid in ion above, A .D . 33, orthree and a half years after his begetting as aspiritual Son and his anointing with the spiritto be the Messiah King .18 Jesus on earth had been slaughtered like aninoffensive, unresisting lamb . On presenting thevalue of his human sacrifice at his appearancebefore his Father on the heavenly throne, theresurrected Jesus Christ rightly became called"the Lamb who was slaughtered from the world'sfoundation" . (Rev. 13 :8, NW) But this was thelaying of the foundation of the new world in apreliminary or first-stage way . The complete, finalor full-scale laying would take place when hiskingdom would be born and his enemies wouldbe made his footstool . Till then he must wait,reigning over only his footstep followers . To thiseffect it is written concerning this King and HighPriest like Melchizedek : "But this man offeredone sacrifice for sins perpetually and sat down atthe right hand of God, from then on awaiting untilhis enemies should be made a stool for his feet ."(Heb . 10 :12, 13, NW) It is therefore in our day,after the close of the "appointed times of thenations" A.D. 1914, that we must look for thecomplete, full-scale laying of the tested, surefoundation of the divinely made new world .18 . What did Jesus then rightly become called? Whendoes the complete, final or full-scale laying of thefoundation take place?

CHAPTER IThe New CreationEFORE the foundation of the new world wasB laid in the year 33 (A .D.) the Creator ofheaven and earth foreordained a "new creation" .From the beginning of his prophecies, even atGenesis 3 :15, he had declared this, showing inthis manner his foreknowledge and his purpose :"declaring the end from the beginning, and fromancient times things that are not yet done ; saying,My counsel shall stand, and I will do all mypleasure." (Isa . 46 :10, AS) According to his purposehe foreknew the chief one of this new creationlong before this one was manifested as JesusChrist at the end of the Jewish system of things .It is so stated in these words : "True, he was foreknownbefore the world's foundation, but he wasmade manifest at the end of the times for thesake of you who through him are believers in God,the one who raised him up from the dead andgave him glory, so that your faith and hope mightbe in God ."-1 Pet. 1 :19-21, NW; John 17 :24.2 The great Creator did not purpose that JesusChrist should be alone but chose others to beunited with him in forming the new creation,1 . Before what and from when on had God foreordaineda new creation? Whom of this new creationhad he foreknown?2 . Before the new world's foundation did God chooseothers to be united with his Son in forming the newcreation? What does Ephesians 1 :3-6 show on this?158

THE NEW CREATION 1 59the supreme work of God's creative art . For thisreason one of them writes to the others : "Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessingin the heavenly places in union with Christ, justas he chose us in union with him before the world'sfoundation, that we should be holy and withoutblemish before him in love . For he foreordainedus to the adoption through Jesus Christ as sonsto himself, according to the good pleasure of hiswill, in praise of his glorious undeserved kindnesswhich he kindly conferred upon us by means of hisloved one."-Eph . 1 :3-6, NW.3 Only in the case of the chief member of thenew creation did God foreordain and foreknowthe individual, his only-begotten Son . In the caseof the others he did not choose to predestinate theindividuals, although he did foreordain the numberof them and their nationality . But he left it opento those favored with the opportunity in his foreordainedtime to prove themselves worthy of beingincorporated finally into the new creation . All together,they make up a new nation . Jesus referredto this new nation when he said to the Jewishreligious leaders that rejected him as the foundationof the new world : "Did you never read inthe Scriptures, `The stone that the builders rejectedis the one that has become the chief cornerstone. From Jehovah this has come to pass and itis marvelous in our eyes'? This is why I say toyou, The kingdom of God will be taken from youand be given to a nation producing its fruits ."(Matt . 21 :42, 43, NW) So it is God's kingdomclass.3. What did God foreordain about these others, andwhat did he leave open to them individually? Whatkind of nation do they make up?

160 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"4 This new nation to be created was foreshadowedin its origin by the nation of naturalIsrael, the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob.Since the kingdom of God was taken awayfrom natural Israel and given to the more worthynation, it was really to this new nation (spiritualJacob) that the prophetic words were addressed :"Thus saith Jehovah that created thee, 0 Jacob,and he that formed thee, 0 Israel : Fear not, forI have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thyname, thou art mine." "Yet now hear : 0 Jacobmy servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen :Thus saith Jehovah that made thee, and formedthee from the womb, who will help thee : . . . Fearye not, neither be afraid : have I not declaredunto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are mywitnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, thereis no Rock ; I know not any . Remember thesethings, 0 Jacob, and Israel ; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee ; thou art my servant : 0Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me ." (Isa .43 :1 ; 44 :1, 2, 8, 21, AS) This new nation Jehovahmakes his witnesses .5 Jehovah foreknew individually and by namethe head or chief one of the new nation . (Matt .1 :20-25 ; Isa . 7 :14 ; Luke 1 :26-33 ; 2 :21) Havingused him previously in the creation of all otherthings, including the heavens and the earth, Jehovahnow used him also in the forming of the newcreation . By the sacrifice of him as High Priest,Jehovah redeems all the other members of thisnew nation to himself . For forty days after hisbaptism in the Jordan river and his anointing4 . By whom was this new nation foreshadowed in itsorigin, and a nation of what does God make it?s . Whom of that new nation did God foreknow individuallyand by name, and what did God use him informing? How did this one begin choosing his followers?

THE NEW CREATION 161with the holy spirit, Jesus was in the nearbywilderness, where he endured his first temptationsor testings as the foundation stone at the handsof Satan the Devil. (Matt. 3 :13 to 4 :11) When hecame out victorious he returned to John the Baptist,from whose disciples he began choosing hisown disciples. John, on seeing him approach, said :"See, the Lamb of God that takes away the sinof the world!" At the announcement of the Lambof God Andrew and John began to follow Jesus,and afterward Simon Peter.-John 1 :29-51, NW .s So the new nation began to develop and beformed. Natural Israel was developed from thetwelve sons of Jacob . In the new nation Jesuscorresponded to Jacob, the inheritor of the Abrahamiccovenant ; and for pillars or secondaryfoundations, like Jacob's twelve sons, Jesus choseand appointed twelve apostles, or envoys . (Luke6 :12-16) He said to them : "You did not chooseme, but I chose you, and I appointed you to go onand keep bearing fruit and that your fruit shouldremain." (John 15 :16, NW) Judas turned unfaithfuland betrayed him to his enemies to be killedon the torture stake . Hence Jesus, after his resurrectionfrom the dead, chose Saul of Tarsus tofill up the vacancy as the twelfth apostle, and thisone became called the apostle Paul . (Acts 1 :15-22 ; 9 :1-22 ; Gal . 1 :1; Rom. 1 :1) In proof of Paul'sapostleship he was inspired to write to the Christiancongregation fourteen letters or epistles, comprisingover a fourth of the Christian GreekScriptures. Other apostles and disciples wrote theremainder of the twenty-seven books of theseScriptures ; and these together with the Hebrew-6 . How was the new nation like natural Israel in itsdevelopment from Jacob? How was Paul's being chosenas one of the apostolic foundations shown by his writings?

1 62 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Aramaic Scriptures make up the complete HolyBible.-2 Pet . 3 :15, 16 .Jesus' first disciples, including the twelve apostles,were all natural Jews . As descendants of faithfulAbraham and being in Israel's law covenantwith Jehovah God, they naturally had the firstclaim on the privilege of becoming part of thenew nation, the seed of the Greater Abraham,Jehovah God . "Now the promises were spokento Abraham and to his seed . It says, not, `Andto seeds,' as in the case of many such, but as inthe case of one, `And to your seed,' who is Christ .Moreover, if you belong to Christ, you are reallyAbraham's seed, heirs with reference to a promise." (Gal . 3 :16, 29, NW) But Jesus Christ wasspiritual and sinless, perfect ; he was to be laid asa spiritual foundation in the heavenly ion . Hisdisciples were all human creatures, sinners, imperfect,unable to keep the law of God's covenantwith Israel and unable to be justified or declaredrighteous by doing the works the Law required .How could they form part of the new nation,founded upon him the spiritual foundation in ion?It must be by God's undeserved kindness throughChrist.s Jesus too had been human, perfect flesh andblood ; and yet he became a spiritual son of God bythe begetting of God by his spirit or active force .This was for him a step toward heaven from wherehe had come . Jesus pointed out that the kingdomof God is a spiritual one in heaven, and concerningmembership in that kingdom he laid down thisrule : "Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see7. Why, properly, were Jesus' first disciples naturalJews? How could imperfect, human disciples form partof the new nation founded on the spiritual foundationin ion?8 . What rule did Jesus lay down for one's becoming ason of God and part of the Kingdom nation?

THE NEW CREATION 1 63the kingdom of God. . . . Unless anyone is bornfrom water and spirit, he cannot enter into thekingdom of God . What has been born from theflesh is flesh, and what has been born from thespirit is spirit ." (John 3 :3-6, NW) As in Jesus'case, begettal by the spirit was necessary for hisdisciples to become sons of God with him andthus become part of the Kingdom nation .9 God saw that the disciples were human sinnersby heredity from Adam and that they could notjustify themselves or get declared righteous bytheir own works in trying to keep the law giventhrough Moses . So in his mercy and in righteousfulfillment of his purpose God arranged anotherway for them to be justified . That was by theirexercising faith in God's redemptive work throughthe shed blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ ."Through this One a forgiveness of sins is beingpublished to you ; and that from all the things fromwhich you could not be declared guiltless bymeans of the law of Moses, everyone who believesis declared guiltless by means of this One ." (Acts13 :38, 39, NW) "God is one, who will declarecircumcised people righteous as a result of faithand uncircumcised people righteous by means oftheir faith ." God's basis for declaring any believerrighteous is the perfect human sacrifice of hisHigh Priest Jesus Christ : "so as to exhibit hisown righteousness in this present season, thathe might be righteous even when declaring righteousthe man that has faith in Jesus ." "For allhave sinned and fall short of the glory of God, andit is as a free gift that they are being declaredrighteous by his undeserved kindness throughthe release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus ."9 . How did God arrange for hereditary sinners to bedeclared righteous and thus exhibit his own righteousness?

164 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH""We have been declared righteous now by hisblood."-Rom . 3 :30, 26, 23, 24 ; 5 :9, NW .10 Can God be righteous in declaring sinnersrighteous? Yes, when he is justified in doingso by their faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice . Butfirst those to be declared righteous must repent orfeel sorry for their sins and must undergo a changeof mind toward sin, taking no pleasure in it anymore . Hence both John the Baptist and Jesuspreached repentance first . (Matt. 3 :1, 2, 8 ; 4 :17 ;Mark 1 :15 ; 6 :12) Then in expression of their repentantheart and mind they must be converted orturned around from pursuing sin toward followingrighteousness . This conversion reaches its climaxin a person's accepting God's way of gaining righteousnessthrough faith in Jesus Christ, and notthrough egotistic attempts at self-righteousness .This means dedicating ourselves to God throughJesus Christ. On the basis of believing we will beaccepted through Jesus' righteousness and becleansed from sin by the purifying power of hisblood. Each one so dedicating himself to God todo his will must start to do that divine will as itis revealed by Jesus Christ . This requires answeringhis call, "Be my follower," and following thesteps he took, even at the cost of suffering . "Infact, to this course you were called, because evenChrist suffered for you, leaving you a model foryou to follow his steps closely." (Matt . 9 :9 ; 16 :24and 1 Pet . 2 :21, NW) To make a public confessionof having dedicated himself to God to follow inJesus' steps one must be baptized in water as Jesuswas and in obedience to Jesus' own parting commandment.-Matt. 28 :18-20 .10. What are the steps the sinner takes toward beingdeclared righteous by God?

THE NEW CREATION 165"This is as far as the human believer can goat first toward the kingdom of God . It now lieswith God whether to call and elect him for theKingdom; "it depends, not upon the one wishingnor upon the one running, but upon God, who hasmercy." (Rom . 9 :16, NW) God must first decideto justify or declare righteous the believers thathave gone so far. "God is the One who declaresthem righteous." (Rom. 8 :33, NW) Declaredrighteous, they are now cleansed fromsin in Jesus' blood and are reckoned or counted asbeing in the same condition that Jesus was in whenhe dedicated himself to God and gave outwardevidence of it by water baptism . According to hisown choice and will God may now beget them byhis spirit to be his spiritual sons, the brothers ofhis Son Jesus Christ . To those whom God thusbegets or brings forth as sons the disciple Jamessays : "Because he willed it, he brought us forthby the word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruitsof his creatures ." (Jas. 1 :18, NW) Their becoming"firstfruits of his creatures" denotes theyhave become a new nation . The "word of truth"by which the heavenly Father has brought themforth is symbolized by clean, life-giving water, andby this means in addition to God's spirit or activatingforce they have met the requirement mentionedby Jesus for seeing and entering God'skingdom, namely, that of being born again, bornfrom above, born from water (symbolic of Biblicaltruth) and spirit .12These having the begettal by God's spirit haveindeed the Fatherhood of God and the brother-11 . With whom does it now lie to make such one ofthe Kingdom class, and how does he do so, in harmonywith the rule Jesus laid down?12 . Who is the mother of those begotten by God's spirit,and for what certain purpose does she bring themforth?

166 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"hood with Jesus Christ . God has adopted themthrough his Son Jesus Christ . Who is their"mother"? She is the heavenly universal organizationof Jehovah God, his woman or wife. Bybringing them forth as his spiritual sons with aheavenly destiny or inheritance God makes thema part of his heavenly theocratic organization .In this way they become its children, seeing thatthe members of the organization are called itschildren . But they are her children brought forthfor a certain purpose, to form the new nation, thekingdom of God, the capital organization of God'suniverse . So the apostle Paul could say to these :"But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is ourmother."-Gal . 4 :26, NW.13The "Jerusalem above", barren of the promisedseed for over four thousand years sincethe giving of the Edenic promise at Genesis 3 :15,had at last begun giving birth to the seed, beginningwith Jesus Christ and then bringing forththe remaining ones of her royal seed by God'sadoption of them . (Eph . 1 :5) She can thereforerespond to God's call to her : "Be glad, you barrenwoman who does not bear children ; break outand cry aloud, you woman who does not have childbirthpains ; because the children of the desolatewoman number more than those of her who hasthe husband ." (Gal . 4 :26, 27, NW; Isa . 54 :1) Sothere is no need for earthly Jerusalem ever to berevived again as it was in 537 B .C. The heavenlyJerusalem has her royal seed, and the throne forit is to be in the heavenly ion, and not in anearthly city over in ancient Palestine .13 . Why could God's woman now respond to his callat Isaiah 54 :1, and why is there therefore no need forearthly Jerusalem to be revived again?

THE NEW CREATION 167"Now that they are his spiritual sons, Godcalls or invites them to the kingdom of God withhis Son and he elects or chooses them for it .But they must continue faithful to the deaththrough sufferings in imitation of their modelJesus in order to make their calling and electionsure . God gives them an assurance or testimonyof his Fatherhood and of their sonship by hisspirit or active force operating in their lives, tolead them. "For all who are led by God's spirit,these are God's sons. For you did not receive aspirit of slavery causing fear again, but you receiveda spirit of adoption as sons, by which spiritwe cry out, `Abba, Father!' The spirit itself bearswitness with our spirit that we are God's children .If, then, we are children, we are also heirs : heirsindeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, providedwe suffer together that we may also be glorifiedtogether ."-Rom. 8:14-17, NW .15When God mentioned the seed of his womanat Eden, he gave first recognition to his royalspiritual sons, primarily Jesus Christ . All of themmust be patterned after their Oldest Brother,God's only-begotten Son . That is what God foreordainedconcerning them . He makes all his arrangementsfor their good, their success in gainingthe Kingdom . For their proving faithful imitatorsof his Son to the close of their earthly life, makingtheir calling and their being chosen certain, JehovahGod will pronounce them righteous and willmake them so in the spirit realm, glorifying them14 . To what does God call and elect his spiritual sons,and in this matter what do they have to make sure?What assurance of family relationship with him doesGod give them?15 . At Genesis 3 :15 to whom did God give first recognition,and whom did he foreordain them to be patternedafter? How does God finally justify them and glorifythem?

1 68 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"in the heavens. The apostle says to them : "Nowwe know that God makes all his works cooperatetogether for the good of those who love God, thosewho are the ones called according to his purpose ;because those whom he gave his first recognitionhe also foreordained to be patterned afterthe image of his Son, that he might be the firstbornamong many brothers . Moreover, thosewhom he foreordained are the ones he also called ;and those whom he called are the ones he alsodeclared to be righteous. Finally those whom hedeclared righteous are the ones he also glorified ."(Rom . 8 :28-30, NW) The Serpent cannot blockGod's purpose toward them .16Another thing God foreordained was that theseed of his woman should be drawn not merelyfrom the natural Jews or Israelites but also fromthe uncircumcised non-Jews, all Gentile people ofwhatever nationality. That was for long a mysteryconcerning the seed, but had been definitely foretold.(Rom. 15 :8-12) "In other generations thissecret was not made known to the sons of men asit has now been revealed to his holy apostles andprophets by spirit, namely, that people of the nationsshould be joint heirs and fellow membersof the body and partakers with us of the promisein union with Christ Jesus through the good news ."-Eph . 3 :4-6, NW.17 Both Jewish people and non-Jewish people canbe declared righteous through a like faith in JesusChrist . In that way both can be adopted as God'ssons and be united with Jesus Christ as one bodyof which he is Head ; one people, one nation ofwhich he is King. "For he is our peace, he who16 . What had God also foreordained as to their nationalextraction, and what had this fact been for long?17 . How could Jews and Gentiles be declared righteousand united in one body? When did God begin takinguncircumcised Gentiles into this arrangement?

THE NEW CREATION 169made the two parties one and destroyed the wallin between that fenced them off . By means of hisflesh he abolished the hatred, the Law of commandmentsconsisting in decrees, that he mightcreate the two peoples in union with himself intoone new man and make peace, and that he mightfully reconcile both peoples in one body to Godthrough the torture stake, because he had killedoff the hatred by means of himself." (Eph . 2 :13-16, NW) God began taking non-Jews or Gentilesinto the new spiritual nation when he sent theapostle Symeon Peter with the good news of salvationto the home of the Italian centurion atCaesarea. "Symeon has related thoroughly howGod for the first time turned his attention to thenations to take out of them a people for hisname ." This was as foretold . (Acts 10 :1-48 ;15 :14-18, NW) So uncircumcised Gentiles weredeclared righteous .-Gal . 3 :8 ."'One other noteworthy point that God hasforeordained about this new creation is its exactnumber. When completed, it is to be 144,000members strong under the Head Jesus Christ ; andon the heavenly Mount ion, where he has beenlaid as the tested and sure foundation, they willstand up in power with him . Given a vision of this,the apostle John writes : "And I saw, and look!the Lamb standing upon the mount ion, andwith him a hundred and forty-four thousand havinghis name and the name of his Father writtenon their foreheads . And they are singing as if anew song before the throne . . . and no one was ableto master that song but the hundred and fortyfourthousand, who have been purchased from theearth ." (Rev . 14 :1, 3, NW) When the natural Is-18 . What other noteworthy point did God foreordainabout this new creation, and in harmony with thatwhen did he turn to the uncircumcised Gentiles? Whydoes their former nationality not count with him?

170 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"raelites gave evidence of their not going to producethe foreordained 144,000, God turned to the uncircumcisednon-Jews or Gentiles to take out ofthem this complete new nation, called by his nameJehovah. All citizens of that nation being begottenby his spirit as his sons, their former nationalitydoes not count . They are a spiritual nation, suchas has never existed before, and each member isa new creation . "Consequently, from now on weknow no man according to the flesh . Even if wehave known Christ according to the flesh, certainlywe now know him so no more . Consequently,if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a newcreation ; the old things passed away, look! newthings have come into existence ."-2 Cor . 5 :16,17, NW.19To all these, whether Jews or whether Gentilepeople who had before not been Jehovah's people,Peter writes : "You are `a chosen race, a royalpriesthood, a holy nation, a people for specialpossession, that you should declare abroad theexcellencies' of the one that called you out ofdarkness into his wonderful light . For you wereonce not a people, but are now God's people ; youwere those who had not been shown mercy, butare now those who have been shown mercy."(1 Pet . 2 :9, 10, NW) The way Peter applies thewords that he quotes from the Hebrew Scripturesshows that this "holy nation" is not naturalIsrael but is now the true Israel, the spiritual Israel.They have God's peace and mercy, in harmonywith the apostle Paul's prayer : "Neither iscircumcision anything nor is uncircumcision, buta new creation is something . And all those whowill walk orderly by this rule of conduct, uponthem be peace and mercy, even upon the Israel of19. What is written to all these at 1 Peter 2 :9, 10?Who, then, is now the "Israel of God"?

THE NEW CREATION 171God ." (Gal . 6 :15, 16, NW) They rest on twelveapostolic pillars .20 Each member of this foreordained spiritualIsrael is sealed with the stamp of God's authorityto be a part in this new nation, with its twelveapostolic secondary foundations all laid upon thechief foundation in ion, Christ Jesus . Referringto this spiritual Israel, John further writes : "AndI heard the number of those who were sealed, ahundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out ofevery tribe of the sons of Israel ." Then he lists12,000 for each of the twelve tribes he names,totaling 144,000 sealed ones . All are spiritual Israelites.-Rev. 7:4-8, NW .21Jehovah's sabbath day of 7,000 years stillcontinues to run, but his making of this new creationis no violation of this great day that he hasblessed and made sacred . (John 5 :17) It was onlyfrom a work of creating material things, earthlyand stellar, that he bound himself to desist onthis his seventh creative day or sabbath . His "newcreation" is a spiritual creation the final realm ofwhich is invisible and far beyond the materialuniverse that earthly creatures can see . Furthermore,this spiritual new creation is brought intoexistence to do a highly urgent and necessarywork of mercy toward fallen, dying mankind onGod's creative sabbath day ; and Jesus pronouncedGod's rule : "So it is lawful to do right on thesabbath ." (Matt. 12 :12, NW) The new creationwill form the new heavens of the coming righteousworld and it will serve to make this seventh creativeday a blessed one for all .20 . How is each member sealed? The number of sealedones shows spiritual Israel to be of how many members?21 . Why is the making of this new creation no violationof Jehovah's 7,000-year sabbath day?

CHAPTER IIThe New CovenantHE new creation, which is the spiritual "IsraelT of God", is not under the Law covenant thatJehovah God made with the nation of naturalIsrael . True to its new or different relationshipwith God, the new creation is under a "new covenant". Jesus Christ first called attention to this .On the night on which he was betrayed by hisunfaithful apostle Judas, he first celebrated theannual passover supper with all his apostles, includingthe traitor. Then after the unworthy Judashad left, Jesus took some of the remaining unfermentedbread and wine and set up a new institutionfor his disciples called "the Lord's supper"or "the Lord's evening meal" . The apostle Matthew'saccount of it says : "As they continued eatingthe passover , Jesus took a loaf and, aftersaying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it tothe disciples, he said : `Take, eat. This means mybody .' Also he took a cup and, having giventhanks, he gave it to them, saying : `Drink out ofit, all of you ; for this means my "blood of thecovenant" which is to be poured out in behalfof many for forgiveness of sins .'" (Matt. 26 :26-28, NW) The new covenant had been promisedmore than six centuries previously in Jeremiah's1 . Under what covenant is the new creation, and whendid Jesus Christ first call attention to this? As a resultof what sacrifice does it go into force?172

THE NEW COVENANT 173prophecy, and by these last words Jesus informedhis apostles that it was to go into force towardhis disciples as a result of his sacrifice, theshedding of his blood .2 Jesus, by his use of the expression "bloodof the covenant", was borrowing words that theprophet Moses had used when making the Lawcovenant with Israel at Mount Horeb in 1513 B.C.That Law covenant with its Ten Commandmentsand its priesthood, animal sacrifices, ceremoniesand festivals had served its purpose . It was nowtime for it to be replaced with another covenantor solemn agreement with God . The use of theexpression "new covenant" showed that the Lawcovenant had grown old. Hebrews 8 :13 statesthat fact this way : "In his saying `a new covenant'he has made the former one obsolete . Nowthat which is made obsolete and growing old isnear to vanishing away ." (NW) The purpose ofthat old Law covenant was to set apart a peoplefrom the nations of this world and to put themunder a different arrangement, a theocratic systemof things ; it was to prepare them for thecoming of the promised seed of Abraham, the seedof God's woman, the Messiah .3 The Law covenant was made with Israel atMount Horeb on the Sinai peninsula, for whichreason the mountain is also called Mount Sinai .Said Moses to the Israelites : "Jehovah our Godconcluded a covenant with us in Horeb . It wasnot with our forefathers that Jehovah concludedthis covenant, but with us, all those of us alivehere today." And when making a covenant pledg-2 . From what was Jesus' expression "blood of thecovenant" borrowed? What was the purpose of the Lawcovenant, and how had it now become?3. Where was the old Law covenant made, and how dothe two records of that show the use of the expression"blood of the covenant"?

1 74 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"ing faithfulness to God in the Promised Land,Moses notes that this was "aside from the covenantthat he had concluded with them in Horeb" .(Deut . 5 :2, 3 ; 29 :1, NW) Showing how the covenantwas made at Horeb, the apostle Paul says :"Neither was the former covenant inauguratedwithout blood . For when every commandment accordingto the Law had been spoken by Moses toall the people, he took the blood of the youngbulls and of the goats with water and scarletwool and hyssop and sprinkled the book itself andall the people, saying : `This is the blood of thecovenant which God has laid as a charge uponyou.'" (Heb . 9 :18-20, NW) This agrees withthe account of what took place at Horeb : "Theyoffered up burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls assacrifices, as communion offerings to Jehovah .Then Moses took half the blood and put it inbowls, and half the blood he sprinkled upon thealtar . Finally he took the book of the covenantand read it in the ears of the people . Then theysaid : `All that Jehovah has spoken we are willingto do and be obedient .' So Moses took the bloodand sprinkled it upon the people and said : `Hereis the blood of the covenant that Jehovah has concludedwith you as respects all these words .' "-Ex . 24 :5-8, NW.4 True, the Israelites had celebrated their firstpassover down in Egypt, and at the miraculousgiving of the manna as food for them in the wildernessthey had commenced observing the weeklysabbath . True, also, the annual passover observanceand the weekly sabbath observance were incorporatedinto the Law covenant with Israel .However, this did not mean that the Law covenant4. Why did the celebration of the passover in Egyptand the starting of the weekly sabbath in the wildernessnot mean the Law covenant had been made inEgypt? After whose agreement was it made?

THE NEW COVENANT 175had begun or had been made down in Egypt . Godstarted circumcision with Abraham . Also Abrahamgave the tenth part or tithe to Melchizedek,and Jacob vowed to give tithes . But the fact thatcircumcision and tithes were incorporated into theLaw covenant did not mean that the Law covenantbegan with Abraham or Jacob . (Ex . 12 :1-49 ;16 :11-30 ; Gen . 14 :18-20 ; 17 :9-27 ; 28 :18-22) Afterthe Israelites had heard the specific terms of thecovenant at Horeb and had voluntarily agreedto be bound by them, then the Law covenant wasmade with them over the blood of sacrificial victims. Mount Horeb, from atop which Jehovah hadspoken the Ten Commandments to Israel andwhere he made the covenant with them, symbolizedhis heavenly seat of government.-Heb .12 :18-25 .5 Four hundred and thirty years before that,Jehovah had made his covenant with Abraham tobless all the families of the earth in his seed .What, then, was the purpose of making this Lawcovenant with his descendants? The apostle Paulexplains : "Why, then, the Law? It was addedto make transgressions manifest among the Israelites, until the seed should arrive to whomthe promise had been made, and it was transmittedthrough angels by the hand of a mediator .Consequently, the Law has become our tutorleading to Christ, that we might be declared righteousdue to faith ." (Gal . 3 :17-19, 24, NW) Nowthat Jesus Christ had come and now that Israelitesunder the Law covenant had had their transgressionsmade manifest to them and had repentedand had been led to Christ, with faith in him, itwas time for the Law covenant to be done away .5 . Why, 430 years after the Abrahamic covenant, didGod make the Law covenant with Israel? Did itsmediator finally cancel it? Is it in the mediator's powerto cancel the new covenant?

176 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"How was it canceled or abolished and by whom?By Moses the mediator? No, he was long dead bythen, and could do nothing about it . Moses as mediatoroffered the sacrifices for validating the Lawcovenant . Likewise Jesus, by shedding his blood insacrifice, became the mediator of the new covenant,which was why he said : "This means my`blood of the covenant'," and, "This cup meansthe new covenant by virtue of my blood, which isto be poured out in your behalf." (Matt . 26 :28and Luke 22 :20, NW) But, though he made thenew covenant valid by his blood, it was not withinhis right and power to blot out the old covenant. Jesus came to fulfill it .6 It is not the part of the mediator or go-betweento cancel a covenant between two other parties ;but it is the part of the originator of the covenantto do so for sound reasons . In the case of the Lawcovenant through the mediator Moses, this wouldbe Jehovah God . The Law covenant made thesinfulness and trespasses of the Israelites manifestand condemned them to death . Concerning itsremoval Paul writes: "God made you alive togetherwith him . He kindly forgave us all ourtrespasses and blotted out the handwritten documentagainst us which consisted of decrees andwhich was in opposition to us, and He has takenit out of the way by nailing it to the torturestake ."-Col . 2 :13,14, NW .Since God nailed the old covenant to the torturestake on which the perfect flesh of Jesushung, Jesus was instrumental in abolishing the6 . Whose part is it to cancel a covenant, and who,therefore, took the Law covenant out of the way andhow?7 . Who, though, was instrumental in abolishing theLaw covenant? So why is the new creation not splitinto Jewish and Gentile parts by the Law covenant, andwho, appropriately, is its mother?

THE NEW COVENANT 177Law covenant that had fenced off the Israelitesfrom the Gentile or non-Jewish people. To thelatter it is written : "But now in union with ChristJesus you who were once far off have come to benear by the blood of the Christ . For he is ourpeace, he who made the two parties one and destroyedthe wall in between that fenced them off .By means of his flesh he abolished the hatred,the Law of commandments consisting in decrees,that he might create the two peoples in unionwith himself into one new man and make peace ."(Eph . 2:13-15, NW) For this reason the newcreation, the new nation of spiritual Israel, isnot under the old Law covenant of Moses andis not split into two groups by that covenant . Themother of this new nation is God's woman, "Jerusalemabove," pictured by Abraham's wife Sarah .Their mother is not the temporary "woman" whowas pictured by Abraham's slave girl Hagar, symbolof the Law covenant from Mount Sinai orHoreb.-Gal. 4 :24-26.8By Moses himself Jehovah God had promiseda new Moses, a Greater Moses, as his prophet .(Deut. 18 :15-18) Correspondingly, by the prophetJeremiah God promised a new covenant . Speakingconcerning the faithful remnant whom he wouldrescue from captivity in Babylon, he said : "Behold,days come, saith Jehovah, that I will makea new covenant with the house of Israel and withthe house of Judah : not according to the covenantthat I made with their fathers, in the dayof my taking them by the hand, to lead them outof the land of Egypt ; which my covenant theybroke, although I was a husband unto them, saithJehovah . For this is the covenant that I will8 . By Moses what prophet had Jehovah promised, andcorrespondingly what did God promise by Jeremiah andin what terms?

178 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"make with the house of Israel, after those days,saith Jehovah : I will put my law in their inwardparts, and will write it in their heart ; and I willbe their God, and they shall be my people. Andthey shall teach no more every man his neighbour,and every man his brother, saying, KnowJehovah ; for they shall all know me, from theleast of them unto the greatest of them, saithJehovah : for I will pardon their iniquity, andtheir sin will I remember no more ."-Jer. 31 :31-34, Da .9 When was the new covenant made with spiritualIsrael? Jesus, when introducing the Lord'sevening meal or the memorial of his death onthat last passover night, announced the "newcovenant by virtue of my blood" . But was thenew covenant made that night? No! The blood forputting that covenant in force was still in Jesus'blood vessels ; it must first be shed . Hebrews9 :15-17 (NW) says : "So that is why he is a mediatorof a new covenant, in order that, becausea death has occurred for their release by ransomfrom the transgressions under the former covenant,the ones who have been called might receivethe promise of the everlasting inheritance .For where there is a covenant, the death of thehuman covenanter needs to be furnished . For acovenant is valid over dead victims, since it isnot in force at any time while the human covenanteris living ." Moreover, the new covenantpromised that Jehovah would pardon iniquity andremember sin no more, and this must be on thebasis of shed human blood, the mediator's blood ."Yes, nearly all things are cleansed with bloodaccording to the Law, and unless blood is pouredout no forgiveness takes place ."-Heb. 9 :22, NW .9. On what occasion did Jesus announce the new covenant,and why was it not made at that time?

THE NEW COVENANT 17910 On the afternoon following that last passovernight and the institution of the Lord's eveningmeal, Jesus hung bleeding on the torture stake,and his heart broke, so that when the Romansoldier jabbed his side with a spear "immediatelyblood and water came out" . (John 19 :33-37,NW; Ps. 22 :14-16; ech . 12 :10) The new covenant'smediator was then dead . Was it then thatthe new covenant was made? No! For the mediatorin his death condition could do nothing aboutit ; he could not present the blood to the greatOriginator and Maker of the covenant, and allhis then disciples who were to be brought into thenew covenant were scattered and were in thebondage of fear and despondency . Amid this criticalsituation Almighty God, who had purposed andforetold the new covenant, intervened and raisedhis mediator from the dead on the third day, notas a human but as a glorious spirit creature . Theresurrected Jesus then materialized fleshly bodiesand appeared on various occasions to his disciplesand proved himself alive from the dead to themby many positive proofs . (1 Pet. 3 :18 ; Acts 1 :1-3,NW) He thus gathered them together from theirscattered condition and told them to wait inJerusalem until they should become clothed withpower from on high . On the fortieth day afterhis resurrection he left them and ascended onhigh, to appear in the presence of the Great Makerof the new covenant . He was then laid as thenew world's foundation in the heavenly Mountion.-Luke 24 :44-53.11It was then that he presented to Jehovah Godthe value of his human blood, the equivalent of10 . Why was the new covenant not made at the deathof Jesus on the tree? How was he enabled to appear inthe presence of the Maker of the new covenant?11 . What did Jesus then and there do, and with whataction at Mount Horeb did this correspond?

180 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"a perfect human life. This corresponded withMoses' sprinkling the blood of animal sacrificesupon the handwritten book of the covenant atMount Horeb, to bring about a typical cleansingfrom sin for Israel . "Therefore it was necessarythat the typical representations of the things inthe heavens should be cleansed by these means,but the heavenly things themselves with sacrificesthat are better than such sacrifices. For Christentered, not into a holy place made with handswhich is a copy of the reality, but into heavenitself, now to appear before the person of Godfor us."-Heb . 9 :23, 24, NW .12That may have been before or on the veryday of Pentecost, fifty days after his resurrectionfrom the dead. At any rate, on the day of Pentecost,A.D . 33, Jesus Christ the Mediator on Mountion acted as Jehovah's agent and poured out theholy spirit upon his faithful disciples gatheredat Jerusalem . This denoted that they had beenbegotten by God's spirit as his spiritual sons andhad been anointed with the spirit to serve as hiswitnesses and preach the good news . (Isa . 61 :1-3)More than that, it denoted that first they had hadtheir iniquity pardoned and that God rememberedtheir sins no more and that he had justified themor declared them righteous . This was by virtueof Jesus' blood, his "blood of the covenant" . Hencethis Pentecostal event corresponded with Moses'sprinkling the Israelites with the sacrificial bloodand saying : "Behold the blood of the covenant,which Jehovah hath made with you ." It was thenand in this way that the new covenant was madewith spiritual Israel, God's firstfruits, God's first-12. What did the Mediator do on the day of Pentecost,and with what action at Mount Horeb did this correspond?So when was the new covenant made withspiritual Israel?

THE NEW COVENANT 181born . It was a "covenant with God by sacrifice",Jesus' sacrifice .-Ps . 50 :5 .13The old Law covenant was made at MountHoreb accompanied with terrifying sights andsounds . The new covenant was made at Mountion, where Jesus Christ, the Mediator, had beenlaid as the sure, tested foundation . ContrastingMount Horeb with this, the apostle said to hisfellow spiritual Israelites in the new covenant :"You have approached a mount ion and a city ofthe living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriadsof angels, in general assembly, and the congregationof the firstborn who have been enrolled in theheavens, and God the Judge of all, and the spirituallives of righteous ones who have been made perfect,and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,and the blood of sprinkling which speaks in abetter way than Abel's blood." (Heb . 12 :18-24,NW) Admission into the new covenant is not helddown to the natural Jews but is open to men of allnationalities provided they have faith in Christ'sransom sacrifice and dedicate themselves to Godthrough him the Mediator. "For there is oneGod, and one mediator between God and men,a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a correspondingransom for all-this is what is to bewitnessed to at its own particular times ." (1 Tim.2 :5, 6, NW) So men of all kinds have been taken in .14 According to the terms of the new covenantthose taken into it receive more than an initialforgiveness of their sins and a justification orbeing declared righteous because of their faithin Jesus' blood. They also receive an accurate13 . In contrast with the Law covenant, where is thenew covenant made? To whom is admission into thenew covenant open, and so who have been taken in?14 . Besides forgiveness and justification, what do theyalso receive as children of God's woman, and where isGod's law written and how?

18 2 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"knowledge of Jehovah, each and all of them . Aschildren of God's woman, the Jerusalem above,they are taught by Jehovah . He, by means of hiswritten Word and by the power of his spirit,writes his theocratic law in their hearts, "not onstone tablets, but on fleshly tablets ." (2 Cor .3 :3-18, NW) They do God's will and carry outhis law from within, from the heart, in love . Thenew covenant is therefore far superior to the oldcovenant based upon animal sacrifices .15The old Law covenant had a priesthood and asacred tabernacle or temple . So has the new covenant.However, Jesus Christ was not made HighPriest by the new covenant, for he needed noforgiveness of sins and, as the covenant's Mediatorand validating sacrifice, he preceded the newcovenant. He was instrumental in God's makingof it. Before the new covenant Jesus was madeGod's High Priest like Melchizedek by God's swornoath recorded long before at Psalm 110 :4 : "Jehovahhath sworn, and will not repent : thou arta priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek ."(AS, margin) He was made a spiritual priest,that he might serve as such in heaven itself inGod's presence, there presenting the value of hishuman sacrifice and acting as an advocate orhelper for his followers on earth. (Heb. 7 :1-28,NW) However, the new covenant does produce theunderpriesthood over which Jesus Christ is Chief .These underpriests are living stones and go tomake up a spiritual temple in which God dwells byhis spirit . To them it is written : "Coming to himas to a living stone, rejected, it is true, by men,but chosen, precious, with God, you yourselvesalso as living stones are being built up a spiritual15 . Why was Jesus not made High Priest by the newcovenant? How does the new covenant correspond withthe Law covenant in having a temple and a priesthood?

THE NEW COVENANT 183house for the purpose of a holy priesthood, to offerup spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God throughJesus Christ ." (1 Pet . 2 :4, 5, NW) They are instructedto give attention to their Chief Priest :"Consequently, holy brothers, partakers of theheavenly calling, consider the apostle and highpriest whom we confess-Jesus."-Heb . 3 :1, NW.16 What did all these new things mean? This :That, when the resurrected, glorified High PriestJesus Christ was laid as the foundation of thenew world and the new covenant went into forcetoward his faithful followers on earth, a newsystem of things was introduced . The old systemsof things prior to this had reached their consummationand those systems had to pass away, givingplace to the new, the glorious realities that hadbeen foreshadowed by God's past arrangementswith mankind. So, bearing in mind that Jesus'human sacrifice was perfect and did not need tobe repeated yearly like the animal sacrifices underthe old Law covenant, we can appreciate the apostle'swords : "Neither is it in order that he shouldoffer himself often, as indeed the Levite highpriest enters into the holy place from year to yearwith blood not his own. Otherwise, he Jesuswould have to suffer often from the world'sfoundation . But now he has manifested himselfonce for all time at the consummation of the systemsof things to put sin away through the sacrificeof himself ." (Heb . 9 :25, 26, NW) In keepingwith the consummation of the old systems ofthings Jerusalem was destroyed A .D . 70, its templewas burned down, and the place of activity of theLevite priests of the family of Aaron was removed.Even the family records of these priests16 . What did all these new things mean? In keepingwith the consummation of the old systems of thingswhat happened to Jerusalem and its temple and priesthood?

1 84 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"were lost and destroyed, so that no Jew down tothis day can be identified for sure as one of thosepriests qualified to serve ." But only the unbelieving Jews of natural Israelare the ones without a priesthood based onthe "law of a commandment depending upon theflesh", Aaron's flesh . (Heb . 7 :16, NW) Jehovah'strue priesthood was not destroyed with the firingof Jerusalem and its polluted temple A .D. 70 .Jesus' sacrifice on the torture stake sealed Jerusalem'sdoom indeed, but it proved him worthyas God's true High Priest like the king-priest Melchizedek,and it provided for the making of thenew covenant and for its underpriests and itsspiritual temple. The Son of God, the Word, wasthus used again in producing new systems ofthings : "God, who long ago spoke on many occasionsand in many ways to our forefathers bymeans of the prophets, has at the end of these daysspoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointedheir of all things, and through whom hemade the systems of things ."-Heb . 1 :1, 2, NW;John 1 :1-4 .17. Who, then, are without a priesthood and who notso? By Jesus' activity and service like Melchizedek's,what was he used by God to produce?

CHAPTER IIIThe Desolating of Spiritual IsraelROM Pentecost of A.D . 33 and on through theF days of the "twelve apostles of the Lamb"the Christian congregation built upon Jesus Christas the Rock flourished . (Rev . 21 :14 ; Matt . 16 :18)This Christian congregation visibly representedGod's woman on earth, she being its heavenlymother and it being composed of her spiritualchildren, the sons of her husband, God. It was afree organization, its mother being God's "freewoman" . Said one of the twelve apostles : "Wherefore,brothers, we are children, not of a servantgirl like Abraham's female slave Hagar , but ofthe free woman like Abraham's wife Sarah ."By Jesus Christ the Mediator, Jehovah God hadbrought it into a new covenant and made it freeand separate from this world which "is lying inthe power of the wicked one" . (Gal. 4 :31 and1 John 5 :19, NW) The faithful apostles werechannels to impart to the Christian congregationmiraculous gifts of the holy spirit, and under theirsurveillance the visible theocratic organizationgrew and spread like a garden of Eden, a paradise .Thus God's woman, "the Jerusalem above," wasrepresented as a happy mother, flourishing with1 . To what was the condition of the Christian congregationlikened during the days of the "twelve apostlesof the Lamb", and why?185

186 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"many happy spiritual children. The apostle Paul,being caught up in a vision as to the very heightof heaven, beheld the "Jerusalem above" as in aparadise condition of beauty and growth, and sohe describes his rapture as a being "caught awayinto paradise" .-2 Cor. 12 :2-4, NW.2 How long would the "Jerusalem above", asrepresented by her daughter, the Christian congregationon earth, remain in that condition ofparadise prosperity? Till the death or till shortlyafter the death of the twelve apostles, for theythemselves as well as the Hebrew Scriptureswarned of reverses to come . In the apostolic daysthe persecution upon the faithful Christians andthe scattering of them merely served to spreadthe proclamation of the good news of God's kingdomand to build up new congregations in newfields . (Acts 8 :1-4 ; 11 :19, 20 ; Phil . 1 :12-18) Theliving presence of the uncompromising, doctrinallysound apostles acted as a great restraining forceagainst the blighting invasion of unchristian worldlinessinto the congregation.-2 Thess . 2 :6, 7, NW .3 But how would it be after this apostolic restraintwas removed by death? Doubtless thesame as with natural Israel under the old Lawcovenant after the death of Moses' successorJoshua and his faithful associates : "Israel continuedto serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua andall the days of the older men who extended theirdays after Joshua and who had known all the workof Jehovah that he did for Israel ." "And all that2. Till when was "Jerusalem above", as represented bythe congregation, to continue in that paradisaic prosperity,and why?3. What happened to Israel's worship after Joshua andhis faithful associates died, and why could somethingsimilar be expected to befall the Christian congregationafter the apostles died?

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 187generation too were gathered to their fathers,and another generation began to rise after themthat did not know Jehovah or the work that hehad done for Israel . And the sons of Israel fellto doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovahand serving the Baals . Thus they abandoned Jehovahthe God of their fathers ." (Josh . 24:31 andJudg. 2 :10-12, NW) Something similar was to beexpected to befall spiritual Israel, because theapostle Paul used natural Israel as a warning,saying : "Now these things went on befalling themas examples and they were written for a warningto us upon whom the accomplished ends of thesystems of things have arrived ."-1 Cor . 10 :11,NW.4 The same apostle, making his last trip toJerusalem and warning Christians to be on guard,said : "I know that after my going away oppressivewolves will enter in among you and will nottreat the flock with tenderness, and from amongyou yourselves men will rise and speak twistedthings to draw away the disciples after themselves.Therefore keep awake." (Acts 20 :29-31,NW) The apostle Peter, also drawing a warningexample from the history of the people of naturalIsrael, said in his second and last letter : "However,there also came to be false prophets amongthe people, as there will also be false teachersamong you. These very ones will quietly bring indestructive sects and will disown even the ownerthat bought them, bringing speedy destructionupon themselves . Furthermore, many will turnout of the way and follow their acts of loose conduct,and on account of these the way of the truthwill be spoken of abusively. Also with covetous-4 . What final warning of this did the apostle Paul give,and also the apostle Peter?

188 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"ness they will exploit you with counterfeit words ."-2 Pet. 2 :1-3, NW.5 John, when nearing the end of his earthly lifeas the only surviving one of the twelve apostles,wrote, about A .D. 98 : "Young children, it is thelast hour, and, just as you have heard that antichristis coming, even now there have come to bemany antichrists ; from which fact we gain theknowledge that it is the last hour . They went outfrom us, but they were not of our kind ; for if theyhad been of our kind, they would have remainedwith us . But they went out that it might be shownup that not all are of our kind ." (1 John 2 :18,19, NW) Jesus Christ himself warned concerningthe long interval till God's kingdom came : "Lookout that nobody misleads you ; for many will comeon the basis of my name, saying : `I am the Christ,'and will mislead many ."-Matt. 24 :4, 5, NW .6Jesus told his disciples that he was going awayas to a far-off country and that he would returnwith Kingdom power at an unannounced time . Allhis anointed followers were to keep watch andpreserve themselves with virginlike purity in expectationof his return to take his faithful congregationto himself as his bride. Until his foes wereto be made his footstool he must sit waiting atGod's right hand in heaven, and during that waitingperiod the members of his bride, his congregation,were to be called out from this world .(Ps . 110 :1; Heb. 10 :12, 13) In view of that theapostle Paul said to believers from among thepagans : "You turned to God from your idols tobe slaves to a living and true God, and to wait for5. What final warning did the apostle John write, andwhat did Jesus say of the long interval till God's kingdomcame?6. Till Jesus returned with Kingdom power, how werehis followers to conduct themselves on earth, and withwhat hope?

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 189his Son from the heavens, whom he raised upfrom the dead, namely, Jesus who delivers us fromthe wrath which is coming ." (1 Thess . 1 :9, 10,NW) They were no part of the world with whichthey were surrounded on earth, but their life ascitizens was really in the heavenly ion : "As forus, our citizenship exists in the heavens, fromwhich place also we are eagerly waiting for asavior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will refashionour humiliated body to be conformed to his gloriousbody according to the operation of the powerwhich he has, even to subject all things to himself." (Phil . 3 :20, 21, NW) This was a sustaininghope!z After the death of the twelve apostles theflourishing paradise appearance of the "Jerusalemabove" began to fade from earthly view . Therewas enmity between her and the Serpent andbetween her seed and his . He and his seed had themajority, the whole world, on their side, to workagainst the interests of the woman's seed onearth . Subject to persecution and to the world'sattractions, opposition and pressures, many ofthose who professed to be her children, the sonsof God, began to drop their eyes from heaven inexpectation of Christ's return and the setting upof God's kingdom in his hands . Doing so, theyyielded to this world and began to compromisewith it and to violate their Christian virginity byspiritual adultery or unfaithful intercourse withthis world and its political, commercial and religioussystems .God's Law covenant with natural Israel had7 . By what course of professed Christians did theparadise appearance of the "Jerusalem above" beginto fade from earthly view?8 . By what warning to natural Israel did the Lawcovenant set a pattern for Christians? How mustChristians stay clean?

190 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"set a pattern for Christians by warning againstthis: "Watch yourself that you do not concludea covenant with the inhabitants of the land towhich you are going, for fear it may prove itselfa snare in your midst . But their altars youpeople are to pull down and their sacred pillarsyou are to shatter and their sacred poles you areto cut down . For you must not bow down toanother god, because Jehovah is exclusively devotedto his name . He is a God exacting exclusivedevotion, so that you may not conclude a covenantwith the inhabitants of the land, as they willcertainly have unfaithful intercourse with theirgods and sacrifice to their gods and someone willbe certain to invite you and you will certainlyeat some of his sacrifice . Then you will have totake some of their daughters for your sons, andtheir daughters will be certain to have unfaithfulintercourse with their gods and make your sonsunfaithfully have intercourse with their gods ."(Ex . 34 :12-16, NW) "Your eye must not feelsorry for them, and you must not serve their gods,because that will be a snare to you . The gravenimages of their gods you should burn in the fire .You must not desire the silver and the gold uponthem, nor indeed take it for yourself, for fear youmay be ensnared by it, for it is a thing detestableto Jehovah your God. And you must not bring adetestable thing into your house and actually becomea thing devoted to destruction like it ." (Deut .7:16, 25, 26, NW) Christians are God's templefor the indwelling of his spirit . In their worshipthey have no place for idols : "Do not become unevenlyyoked with unbelievers . For what partnershipdo righteousness and lawlessness have? . . .And what agreement does God's temple have withidols? For we are the temple of the living God ."(2 Cor. 6 :14-16, NW) We must stay clean .

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 1919 If God's people curry friendship with thisworld by getting into an unequal yoke with it bycompromise, it means spiritual immorality inGod's sight. It means becoming his enemy. A religiousorganization indulging in such spiritualadultery he could never bless, but they would losehis spirit and could no longer bring forth thefruitage of godliness, "the fruitage of the spirit,"to God's praise . (Jas . 4 :4-8 ; Gal. 5 :16-24, NW)Satan the Serpent, who was at enmity with God'swoman, sought to degrade her children in thisvery way and to bring about this very loss of God'sspirit and its fruitage, leading to the desolationof their visible earthly organization .1 0 Exactly as foretold, Satan's agents, falseprophets and oppressive wolves, sneaked in amongthe flock of spiritual Israel, the children of "Jerusalemabove". They brought in with them paganreligious doctrines and unchristian, materialisticphilosophies and man-made religious traditions,formalisms and ceremonies . They tried to drawChristians away from the "faith that was oncefor all time delivered to the holy ones" and todraw away followers after themselves and to setup divisive sects inside the Christian congregation .They made it their object to exalt themselves aslords over the flock and exploit them for selfishgain and use them for unclean, worldly purposes .(Acts 20 :29, 30 ; Col. 2 :8 ; Jude 3, NW) Thus historyrecords how great religious systems in acompromising union with this world and infectedwith its ideas, practices and customs were builtup. They had internal disagreements and split upto form new religious sects . At times efforts weremade to reform the older, established systems .9 . How would God's people commit spiritual immorality,and to what would loss of his spirit lead?lo . How did developments work out exactly as foretold,and how did a divided, pagan Christendom result?

192 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"This brought some measure of reformation butalso produced further varieties of religious sects,all calling themselves by Christ's name . The realmwhere this held true came to be called "Christendom". But this title distinguished it from so-called"heathendom" only in name, and not really in thematter of teaching, practice and conduct . Christendomwas unequally yoked with paganism andyet hypocritically posed as Christian, which isworse than outright paganism .11 The Devil's sowing of imitation Christiansamong the true ones Jesus foretold and illustratedby an enemy's sowing poisonous weeds amongthe wheat . This corrupting process did not waituntil the religiously turbulent sixteenth century .It began, as Jesus predicted, right after the apostlesfell asleep in death and professed Christiansgot drowsy spiritually . (Matt . 13 :24-30, 36-43 ;1 Cor. 11 :30) The excuse given for compromisingwith paganism on doctrine and practices was thatit would speed up the conversion of the world toChristianity. Instead, it has hastened the productionof religious hypocrites and has sprung adeathtrap on Christendom . Instead of showinggodly repentance and Christian conversion Christendomhas shown itself to be wicked . The fruitageChristendom has borne shows it rotten to the core .God foretold this : "The inspired utterance saysdefinitely that in later periods of time some willfall away from the faith, paying attention to misleadinginspired utterances and teachings of demons,by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies,marked in their conscience as with a brandingiron, forbidding to marry, commanding to abstainfrom foods which God created to be partaken of11 . When did the corrupting process among the congregationbegin, and what fruitage has it produced inthese last days in Christendom?

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 193with thanksgiving by those who have faith andaccurately know the truth ." "But know this, thatin the last days critical times hard to deal withwill be here . For men will be lovers of themselves,lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers,disobedient to parents, without gratitude,with no loving-kindness, having no natural affection,not open to any agreement, slanderers, withoutself-control, fierce, without love of goodness,betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with self-esteem,lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,having a form of godly devotion but proving falseto its power ."-1 Tim . 4 :1-3 and 2 Tim . 3 :1-5, NW.12Christendom has long claimed to be the spiritualion or Jerusalem and has quoted and appliedto itself the Bible promises that belong to thetrue ion, the "Jerusalem above" . But Christendomhas had happen to her what happened to apostateIsrael and its capital city Jerusalem . In Israel thereligious leaders by their compromise with thisworld were responsible for the decline of godlinessin the nation . So, too, the religious hierarchiesand clergymen of Christendom are the real culpritsresponsible for the corruption and ungodlinessin the land today after centuries of theircontrol and influence. In harmony with this comesthe admission by a German baroness speaking ata Sunday morning annual communion breakfastof the National Federation of Newman Clubs ina New York city hotel : "If our German Christianshad not been weak, Hitler would never have cometo power." (New York Times, Feb. 9, 1953) Emphasizingthe responsibility of the religious clergywho are adulterously yoked with worldly institu-12, 13 . As in apostate Israel, who are responsible forthe corruption and ungodliness in the land today? Howdid Jeremiah point this out, and so whose fate will thepeople share?

194 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tions and who prophesy their own religious dreams,Jeremiah 23 :11, 14, 15, 22 (AS) bluntly says :is "Both prophet and priest are profane ; yea, inmy house have I found their wickedness, saithJehovah. In the prophets of Jerusalem also I haveseen a horrible thing : they commit adultery, andwalk in lies ; and they strengthen the hands ofevil-doers, so that none doth return from hiswickedness : they are all of them become unto meas Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hostsconcerning the prophets : Behold, I will feed themwith wormwood, and make them drink the waterof gall ; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodlinessgone forth into all the land . But if theyhad stood in my council, then had they causedmy people to hear my words, and had turned themfrom their evil way, and from the evil of theirdoings ." So the religious flocks have become liketheir pastors. Hence they will share like fates :"it shall be, like people, like priest ."-Hos . 4 :9,AS .14 Because of having itching ears the imitationChristians have accumulated for themselvesteachers who were willing to tickle their earswith popular pagan, traditional and philosophicteachings . As a result, Christendom has gone onan unclean pagan religious diet that is comparablewith the things God forbade the Israelites of oldto eat ; and when the witnesses of Jehovah go outinto public places and from house to house offeringChristendom clean Bible food the people turnfrom God's outstretched arms and self-righteouslyclaim to be more holy than his faithful witnesses .God says : "I have spread out my hands all the day14 . How have the imitation Christians gone on anunclean religious diet, and how have they respondedto God's outspread hands?

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 195unto a rebellious people, that walk in a way thatis not good, after their own thoughts ; a people thatprovoke me to my face continually, sacrificing ingardens, and burning incense upon bricks ; thatsit among the graves, and lodge in the secret placesin ancestor worship ; that eat swine's flesh, andbroth of abominable things is in their vessels ;that say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me,for I am holier than thou ." To the true God theseare a source of irritation : "These are a smokein my nose, a fire that burneth all the day . Behold,it is written before me : I will not keep silence,but will recompense, yea, I will recompenseinto their bosom, your own iniquities, and theiniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah,that have burned incense upon the mountains, andblasphemed me upon the hills : therefore will Ifirst measure their work into their bosom." "Theythat sanctify themselves and purify themselvesto go unto the gardens, behind one in the midstor, after the rites of the Only One , eatingswine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse,they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah."-Isa. 65 :2-7 ; 66 :17, AS .15 In like manner, Christendom claims to be veryholy, claiming to trace her religious hierarchy directlyback to Jesus' twelve apostles . She has herown rites for purifying herself, differently, however,from the Bible way ; and religious statisticsassign to her a church membership of hundredsof millions divided among hundreds of denominations. Since Johann Gutenburg first produced aSee The Two Babylons, by Alex. Hislop, page 16, paragraph 1,footnote .15,16 . How does Christendom have a great "holy" exterior?But what does Jehovah see behind or alongwith that religious exterior so that he did not accept it?

196 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Bible printed on a movable-type press in 1452,more than two billion copies have been printed onChristendom's presses and circulated as the alltime"best seller" ; and yet her millions do not"tremble" at God's Word to the extent of carefullystudying it and obeying it . She has a form ofgodliness with many church buildings and manyreligious ceremonies, rites, holidays and customs ;but the apostate Israelites also had these and Godwas disgusted with them . God sees the hypocrisyof such things, the double-dealing behind them,including the wanton bloodshed accompanyingthem, from the sanguinary crusades of the MiddleAges down to the first and second world warsclimaxed by the atomic bomb that blasted out over70,000 human lives at one flash, paving the wayfor the hydrogen bomb of vaster destructiveness .Expressing his disgust and his nonacceptance ofsuch imitation Christians, the Most High Godsays :16"He that killeth an ox for religious sacrificeis as he that slayeth a man ; he that sacrificetha lamb, as he that breaketh a dog's neck ; he thatoffereth an oblation, ashe that offereth swine'sblood ; he that burnethfrankincense, as he thatblesseth an idol. Yea,they have chosen theirown ways, and theirsoul delighteth in theirabominations : I alsowill choose their delusions,and will bringtheir fears upon them ;because when I called,none did answer ; when

THE DESOLATING OF SPIRITUAL ISRAEL 1 97I spake, they did not hear : but they did that whichwas evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein Idelighted not. Hear the word of Jehovah, ye thattremble at his word : Your brethren that hate you,that cast you out for my name's sake, have said,Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see yourjoy ; but it is they that shall be put to shame ."-Isa . 66 :3-5, AS .17 Christendom offers many prayers for worldpeace now. God's refusal to answer such prayersshould make her take to heart his words at Isaiah1 :15 : "When ye spread forth your hands, I willhide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye makemany prayers, I will not hear : your hands arefull of blood ." Christendom has therefore grosslymisrepresented God's woman (his theocratic organization)to the universe, to angels and to menof heathendom. Yet she jealously holds to theclaim of being God's spiritual Israel, the heir ofhis promises. She joins all her religious systemsand sects in a united fight upon those who sincerelytremble at Jehovah's Word and whom heplainly favors as his true people, his new creation,his holy nation in the new covenant with him.Christendom's course of action shows that shehas hated these witnesses of Jehovah and has denounced,renounced and cast out these witnessesfor His name's sake . Resenting their being His witnessesand knowing that their hope is to see Jehovahglorified by the vindicating of his universalsovereignty, she has taunted them as a "smallsect" and most unpopular minority by saying :"Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see yourjoy ." Along with saying these derisive words, shehas heaped persecution upon these few, but true,children of "Jerusalem above", God's woman . By17. Why do Christendom's peace prayers fail, and howhas she treated those who tremble at God's Word?

1 98 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"every thinkable means she has tried to destroythem literally or corrupt them religiously andmake them like herself. A world effort in thisdirection she made during World War I of 1914-1918, taking advantage of the war hysteria ; andfor a time she congratulated herself that she hadsucceeded. She has caused great confusion as towho are really God's Christian congregation, hisspiritual children by his woman .18 Viewed from the outward appearances visibleamong men on earth, spiritual Israel was reducedto desolation . For the long centuries of time sinceJesus Christ ascended to heaven these children ofGod's woman had been expecting God's heavenlyorganization to produce the Kingdom, for whichthey continually prayed, "Let your kingdomcome." In the decade of years beginning with1870, a small band of these children of "Jerusalemabove" began to point to the year 1914 as theScripturally calculated date for the full establishmentof that Kingdom. Till that date comparativelyfew joined them, and they were under greatreproach and opposed upon all sides, by all thesects of Christendom, and their message of God'skingdom was ridiculed .. Truly God's woman, "Jerusalemabove," the heavenly ion, was desolate asrepresented by her true loyal children on earth,while the earth was overrun with the mock Christiansof Christendom . But the divine Husband ofthe heavenly ion was jealous for his woman . Hehad heard the taunts hurled at her children onearth, "Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may seeyour joy!" To the chagrin of the taunters he madethem see this very joy .I a . As represented by her true children on earth, howwas the "Jerusalem above" reduced to desolation? Buthow did God chagrin those who taunted them?

CHAPTER IVKingdom of the New World BornTHE human birth of the one that was to bethe long-promised King at Bethlehem-judahwas an occasion for rejoicing. God's woman, hisuniversal theocratic organization as representedby a "multitude of the heavenly host", rejoiced,glorifying God and predicting peace to men ofgood will . The shepherds that heard the angelicmessage and then verified it by visiting the newbornchild, glorified and praised God for this importantstep toward introducing the divine kingdomof a righteous new world . Aged Simeon andold prophetess Anna at the temple blessed andthanked God, the heavenly Father of the child .(Luke 2 :4-38, NW) Thirty years later the spiritualbegetting and the anointing of Jesus to be thefuture King were cause for further joy to righteouscreatures in heaven and on earth, for theMessiah, the Anointed One of God had appearedon earth. (John 1 :15-51 ; Matt . 3 :13 to 4 :11) Threeand a half years after that there were three daysof intense grief at his arrest, unjust trial, sentence,execution and burial like that of a seditious,throne-seeking criminal ; but the joy of God's loyalcreatures became overwhelming when the Mes-1 . How was there joy over God's steps toward establishingthe Kingdom, from the King's human birth downto his resurrection?199

200 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"siah, the Son of God, was resurrected from thedead, reviving the hopes of all these respectingthe earnestly desired kingdom .-Luke 24 :33-53 .2 The Scriptures speak of the King's resurrectionfrom death as a birth to the perfection of spiritlife . That is why he is called "Jesus Christ, `theFaithful Witness,' `The firstborn from the dead,'and `The Ruler of the kings of the earth' ." (Rev .1 :5, NW; Col . 1 :18) God thus not only restoredhis only-begotten Son to the land of the livingbut also restored him to himself in heaven as aspiritual Son, so becoming his Father, his Lifegiverin a way different from his original creationof him. By this stupendous miracle he fulfilledthe promise he had made to the Israelite forefathers: "And so we are declaring to you thegood news about the promise made to the forefathers,that God has entirely fulfilled it to ustheir children in that he resurrected Jesus ; evenas it is written in the second psalm, `You are myson, I have become your Father this day .'" Thesecond psalm refers to God's Anointed King,whom Jehovah God sets upon his holy hill of iondespite all the opposition and objection of thekings and rulers of the earth .-Acts 13 :32, 33,NW; Ps . 2 :1-7, AS .3 Forty days after Jehovah became the heavenlyFather of his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ ascendedfrom the Mount of Olives to heaven to sitdown in his Father's throne, at his right hand .This was in obedience to the divine invitationprophetically uttered at Psalm 110 :1, 2 : "Jehovahsaid unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand, untilI put thine enemies as footstool of thy feet . Jehovahshall send the sceptre of thy might out of2 . As what do the Scriptures speak of the King's resurrection?3 . In response to the divine invitation, where did theresurrected Jesus go and seat himself?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 201ion : rule in the midst of thine enemies." (Da)And the apostle Peter, who saw Jesus start hisascension back to God, adds : "Through the resurrectionof Jesus Christ. He is at God's right hand,for he went his way to heaven, and angels andauthorities and powers were made subject tohim ."-1 Pet. 3 :21, 22, NW; Rev . 3 :21 ; Matt .22 :41-45 ; Heb . 1 :1-3 ; Acts 7 :56 .At Jesus Christ's miraculous resurrection JehovahGod became Father to a divine Son . Atthe same time his woman, the "Jerusalem above",the heavenly ion, became mother to her firstdivine, immortal, royal Son . Here for the firsttime there was brought forth from her thatpromised fruitage of her marriage to the universalSovereign, Jehovah God. In the garden of Eden,when pronouncing sentence upon the sinner manand the sinner woman, God announced his marriageto his own holy, sinless woman, his heavenly,spiritual organization, with a particular "seed"in view . This seed was to be a spiritual one, ableto bruise the great, original Serpent in the head .But centuries passed, millenniums passed, and yetthere was nothing to show for God's marriageto his woman in the way of the promised seed .There was no parenthood ; and thus the climaxof the marriage was not reached . The heavenlyion, the "Jerusalem above", continued barren .5 The kingdom that God had established overthe Jews at their request did not prove to be thepromised kingdom, for God overturned it in 607B .C. by the aggressive forces of Babylon . The menwho sat upon the throne on the earthly ion werethe descendants of King David according to Je-4. Thus when for the first time did God's woman bringforth the promised fruitage of her marriage to him?5 . From when on could Satan and his woman reproachGod's woman for barrenness as regards a kingdomseed, and what was God's woman then like?

202 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"hovah's covenant with him for an everlastingkingdom, but that fact did not save that humankingdom from a violent overturning, with thedestruction of its temple of worship . From thenon the great Serpent Satan and his woman Babyloncould reproach Jehovah's woman for her barrennesswith respect to a kingdom seed, apparentlyto her grief. She was like a wife, taken thousandsof years before, and yet seemingly forsakenby her husband, cast off with the casting off ofthe visible earthly kingdom of Jehovah's people .She had no seed . Her marriage seemed a failure ;it had seemingly failed of its purpose .6Why did God's woman in heaven continue barrenso long as regards the Edenic promise, whichhad guaranteed a seed? It was because, as in thecase of Abraham's wife Sarah, God the Husbandhad closed her womb, as it were, for it was not hisdue time for her to bear . God knew when hewanted his seed . And because Jesus' human birthwas tied in with the matter, Jesus could not beborn as the son of a human virgin before a certaintime, which God had foretold in his Holy Scriptures. To this effect it is written : "But when thefull limit of the time arrived, God sent forth hisSon, who was produced out of a woman and whocame to be under law, that he might release bypurchase those under law, that we in turn mightreceive the adoption as sons ." (Gal . 4 :4, 5, NW)However, when Jesus Christ was resurrected fromthe dead in order to ascend to where he was beforeand to sit at his Father's right hand in histhrone, then the barrenness of God's woman inheaven was broken. She was no longer like awidow, desolate without a husband . She had fruit6 . Why did God's woman continue barren so long, andwhen did the charge against her of barrenness departforever?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 203to show for her marriage, and the days of reproachupon her for her barrenness were gone forever .7 More than that, the fruitfulness of God's womanin heaven, the "Jerusalem above", did notterminate with her bringing forth her first-born .Jehovah God her Husband did not close her wombafter that. Just ten days after Jesus' ascensionto heaven, God used his heavenly ion to bringforth other spiritual children . On the day of Pentecosthe used his Son Jesus Christ to pour out theholy spirit upon his faithful Israelite followerson the earth, by this act begetting them as hisspiritual sons, giving them the "spirit of adoptionas sons, by which spirit we cry out, `Abba,Father!'"-Acts 2 :1-38; Rom . 8 :15, NW; Gal .4 :6, 7 .8 About three and a half years later God byJesus Christ sent the apostle Peter to preach thegood news to the Italian centurion Cornelius . ThereGod the Husband opened the womb of his heavenlyion, his woman, to begin to bring forth many,many more sons from among the non-Jewish believersout of all families and nations of the earth .In symbol of this bearing of further children bythe "Jerusalem above", the holy spirit began to bepoured out upon the uncircumcised Gentile believers,accompanied by miraculous gifts of thespirit . (Acts 10 :1 to 11 :18) In this way the heavenlyion's children began to spread to the endsof the earth, in all directions, and it became necessaryfor God's woman, prefigured by Abraham'swife Sarah who dwelt in tents in the PromisedLand, to enlarge the covering of her motherlytent. Her Husband fulfilled the promise : "He7 . At Pentecost how did God show that he had notclosed the womb of his woman?a . Three and a half years later how did Jehovah againopen the womb of his woman and what promise did hefulfill toward her?

20 4 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"maketh the barren woman to keep house, andto be a joyful mother of children . Praise ye Jehovah." (Ps . 113 :9, AS) It was a time to cringe nomore at reproach over barrenness and to mourn,but to be glad, break out into singing, cry out inpraise to her heavenly Husband, and to do housekeepingin an expanding way, enlarging the placeof the worship of her Husband . It was the timefor her to obey her Husband's command throughhis prophet :9 "Exult, thou barren, that didst not bear ; breakforth into singing, and shout for joy, thou thatdidst not travail with child : for more are thechildren of the desolate than the children of themarried wife, saith Jehovah . Enlarge the placeof thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtainsof thy habitations : spare not, lengthen thycords, and strengthen thy stakes . For thou shaltspread abroad on the right hand and on the left ;and thy seed shall possess nations, and they shallmake desolate cities to be inhabited . Fear not,for thou shalt not be ashamed ; neither be thouconfounded, for thou shalt not be put to shamefor thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, andshalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhoodany more. For thy Maker is thy husband :Jehovah of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer,the Holy One of Israel : the God of the wholeearth shall he be called . For Jehovah hath calledthee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,and as a wife of youth, that hath been refused,saith thy God . For a small moment have I forsakenthee ; but with great mercies will I gatherthee. In the outpouring of wrath have I hid myface from thee for a moment ; but with everlasting9 . What command of her Husband did it thus becometime for her to obey? What sworn assurance did hegive her?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 20 5loving-kindness will I have mercy on thee, saithJehovah, thy Redeemer. For this is as the watersof Noah unto me, since I have sworn that thewaters of Noah should no more go over the earth :so have I sworn that I will no more be wroth withthee, nor rebuke thee . For the mountains shalldepart, and the hills be removed ; but my lovingkindnessshall not depart from thee, neither shallmy covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah,that hath mercy on thee . And all thy childrenshall be taught of Jehovah, and great shall bethe peace of thy children."-Isa. 54 :1-10, 13, Da.10 Jesus began to apply the above prophecy inhis day, and the apostle Paul under inspirationconfirmed the time of its application, applyingthe prophecy to the Greater Sarah, the "Jerusalemabove", the heavenly ion, and declaring thather spiritual children were the anointed Christianbelievers from among the non-Jewish nations aswell as the natural Israelites . (John 6 :44, 45, NW;Gal . 4 :22-31) There was thus unspeakable joywithin God's theocratic universal organization, ofwhich the congregation of anointed Christians onearth was a visible part .11 Despite all this cause for joy, there was stillone crowning thing of universal importance thatwas wanting on the part of God's woman . Shehad spiritual children, these steadily increasingto her Husband's foreordained number of 144,000besides her first-born Son Jesus Christ ; but shedid not have her first-born Son acting in the roleof the Seed bruising the Serpent's head . True, atJesus' ascension and taking his seat at Jehovah'sright hand he began reigning over his anointed10. How did Jesus apply the above prophecy, and alsothe apostle Paul? Hence what did God's organizationexperience?11 . Despite this, what did God's woman yet have tobring forth, and why did she have to wait for this?

206 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"followers on earth who were in the new covenantthat he had mediated between God and them . Inview of this the apostle Paul wrote nineteen centuriesago concerning Jehovah God : "He deliveredus from the authority of the darkness and transplantedus into the kingdom of the Son of hislove." (Col . 1 :13, NW) Jesus Christ in heaven wasthus reigning over those who were one day to sitwith him in his heavenly throne and reign withhim ; but he was not yet reigning in the midst ofhis enemies. Almighty God had not yet put all hisSon's enemies under his feet as a footstool, wherehe could bruise the head of the great Serpent andhis seed . God had set up a bar to that till a certaintime, and that bar was the "appointed timesof the nations", which were due to run out in theyear 1914. Till then Jesus Christ must wait, sittingat his Father's right hand, for it is written : "Thisman offered one sacrifice for sins perpetually andsat down at the right hand of God, from thenon awaiting until his enemies should be made astool for his feet ." "We do not yet see all thingsin subjection to him ." (Heb . 10 :12, 13 ; 2 :8, 9,NW) Hence God's woman, the heavenly ion, hadyet to bring forth her First-born in the role ofKing acting with the iron rod for destroying hisenemies . The Kingdom had yet to be born!12For almost forty years in advance of A .D .1914 the anointed children of the heavenly ionlooked for the full establishment then of God'skingdom . Already in 1877 the book The ThreeWorlds, which the first editor of the magazineThe Watch Tower joined in producing, called attentionto that date. For instance, on page 189it said : "And as from where the harvest of the12 . With what event in view, how was 1914 pointedforward to well in advance? In what way was God'swoman suffering pain till then?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 2 07Jewish age began, to A .D. 70 was forty years,so this 2,520 years, or the `times of the Gentiles',reach from B.C. 606 to A.D . 1914, or forty yearsbeyond 1874 ." (See also pages 83, 165 .) And in thethird issue of The Watch Tower, September, 1879,page 2, the editor pointed to the same date (1914),writing : "We believe that the Word of God furnishesus with indubitable proof that we are nowliving in this `Day of the Lord' ; that it began in1873, and is a day of forty years' duration ." Andin its sixth issue, December 1879, pages 3-5, thedate A.D . 1914 is three times called to attentionas important for Jehovah's New Jerusalem . Thusas the awaited date drew nearer the interest ofGod's woman, the heavenly ion, heightened . Heryearning for the establishment of the kingdom ofher Husband by his first-born Son increased, andshe was getting mature for the occasion . She wassuffering pain only because of the intense expectationand the sufferings and persecutions of herchildren on earth, who were pointing forward tothe Kingdom's establishment . Revelation 12 :1, 2(NW) pictures her pregnant condition :13"And a great sign was seen in heaven, a womanarrayed with the sun, and the moon wasbeneath her feet, and on her head was a crownof twelve stars, and she was pregnant. And shecries out in her pains and in her agony to givebirth." This could not apply to Mary the Jewishvirgin, for she was not in heaven when she borethe human Jesus, and he was born a perfectchild, evidently without the maternal pains andagony accompanying the birth of Eve's imperfectchildren. (Gen . 3 :16) The woman in heavenis God's woman or the theocratic universal or-13. Whom does the pregnant woman seen in heavensymbolize, and what do the celestial lights about hersymbolize?

208 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"ganization above, and she is subject to Him asthe Husband and Fecundator. She has the heavenlylight of truth and righteousness, pictured byher being arrayed with the sun, and she walksin the pathway of divine light, pictured by herhaving the moon beneath her feet. Perfect organizationallight brightens and adorns her mind, aspictured by the crown of twelve stars on herhead, twelve being a number symbolic of organizationalor governmental perfection, this being illustratedin Israel's twelve tribes, Jesus' twelveapostles, spiritual Israel's twelve tribes, New Jerusalem'stwelve tribal gates and twelve apostolicfoundations, etc . The woman is the spouse of theuniversal King of whom it is written, "God islight," and in her heavenly position she canworthily bring forth his royal heavenly creation .14 Anxiously waiting for the birth was also thewoman's archenemy, the great Serpent . Since theflood of Noah's day the Serpent has expressed hisheadship through seven great world powers thathave afflicted Jehovah's faithful witnesses, thesebeing in their order (1) Egypt ; (2) Assyria ;(3) Babylon ; (4) Persia; (5) Greece ; (6) Rome ;and, since the seventeenth century, (7) the Anglo-American imperial system, this world's mightiestempire . Even since 607 B.C., when Jerusalem andher temple were first destroyed by Babylon andthe active reign of the house of King David's descendantswas stopped, the great Serpent in heavenhad been ruling as the unhindered "ruler ofthis world", "the god of this system of things."(John 12 :31 ; 14 :30 and 2 Cor . 4 :4, NW) In thelast quarter of the nineteenth century the greatSerpent was being notified by Jehovah's witnesses14, 15 . Who also was awaiting the birth, and what dohis seven symbolic heads mean? In the last quarter ofthe last century, of what was he notified by Jehovah'switnesses?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 209on earth that the time of his uninterrupted rulership,"the appointed times of the nations," wasdue to end A.D . 1914, or 2,520 years from 607B.C. The religious clergy of Christendom ridiculedJehovah's witnesses for their expectations concerningA.D . 1914 ; but, as that year was enteredand the nations' appointed times neared their end,the great Serpent and his seven spirit princes thathad been invisible guardians over the sevensuccessive world powers watched God's womanin heaven, to see what she would bring forth .We read :15"And another sign was seen in heaven, andlook! a great fiery-colored dragon, with sevenheads and ten horns and upon its heads seven diadems; and its tail draws a third of the stars ofheaven, and it hurled them down to the earth .And the dragon kept standing before the womanwho was about to give birth, that, when she didgive birth, it might devour her child."-Rev .12 :3, 4, NW.16A .D. 1914 did not produce God's kingdom onearth at the site of King David's ancient capital .Jesus Christ the Son of David said, "My kingdomis no part of this world . . . . my kingdom is notfrom this source ." Repeatedly he stated that hiskingdom would be heavenly . It would not haveits source in this old world, but it would be broughtforth from God's woman in heaven and so wouldbe born in heaven, not at earthly Jerusalem orion . Consequently, with 1914 as the birth date,God's Word says : "And she gave birth to a son,a male, who is destined to shepherd all the nationswith an iron rod. And her child was caught awayto God and to his throne ." (Rev . 12 :5; John16. Where was the Kingdom born in 1914? What doesthe woman's "son, a male", picture in effect, and howcould there be a catching up of such to Jehovah'sthrone?

2 10 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"18 :36, NW) The book of The Revelation beingwritten largely in symbolic language, the woman's"son, a male", pictured God's kingdom promisedin his covenant with King David for the kingdom .In order to exist, a kingdom must have someoneto exercise the kingdom power. So the woman'sson, a male, symbolized in effect Jesus Christ nowempowered to rule amidst his enemies as Jehovah'sroyal representative on the throne . Jehovahaccepted the woman's newborn son ; and asJehovah is higher than his universal organization,he caught away her son up to him and his supremethrone, so enthroning him as the theocratic Kingupon the heavenly "throne of Jehovah" .-1 Chron.29 :23, AS .17However, if the resurrected Jesus Christ had,since ascending to heaven, been sitting at hisFather's right hand, how could he be pictured asbeing caught up to God and his throne? He wascaught away from the greedy jaws of the fierycoloredDragon that was hungering to snap atthe Kingdom at its birth and swallow it up . SoJesus Christ was caught away to God's thronein that he was then given the divine right to rulewith destructive power toward his enemies and toenforce the closing of the nations' appointed timesfrom 1914 onward . Pointing to the beginning ofthose times in 607 B .C ., Ezekiel 21 :26, 27 (Da)announced : "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah : Removethe mitre and take off the crown ; what isshall be no more on earth . Exalt that which islow, and abase that which is high . I will overturn,overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no more,until he come whose right it is ; and I will giveit to him ." In 1914, at the close of the seven "ap-17. How could Jesus Christ, already seated at hisFather's right hand, properly be pictured as caughtup to him and his throne?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 211pointed times of the nations", it was the divinelyfixed time for Jesus Christ to come to his Fatherand receive what was due him by right as the Heirof Jehovah's kingdom covenant with David . Thenit was the time for him to act on Jehovah's invitation: "Ask of me, and I will give the nationsfor thy possession, and the ends of the earth forthy property ; thou shalt break them with a rodof iron ; thou shalt shatter them like a potter'svessel."-Ps. 2 :8,9, Wr .18 Daniel's prophecy fills out what the symbolicpicture in Revelation, chapter twelve, does notshow . It describes God's first-born Son, who onearth was called "the Son of man", in his comingto Jehovah's throne to be empowered and put inoffice : "I beheld till thrones were set one forJehovah and one for the King to be , and theAncient of days did sit : his raiment was whiteas snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool ;his throne was flames of fire, and its wheelsburning fire. A stream of fire issued and cameforth from before him ; thousand thousands ministeredunto him, and ten thousand times tenthousand all these hundreds of millions of spiritcreatures representing his woman, the heavenlyion stood before him : the judgment involvingthe appointed times of the nations was set, andthe books were opened . . . . I saw in the nightvisions, and behold, there came with the cloudsof heaven one like a son of man, and he came upeven to the Ancient of days, and they broughthim near before him . And there was given himdominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples,nations, and languages should serve him : hisdominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall18 . How does Daniel 7 :9-14 show what Revelation 12does not as regards the empowering of God's Son asking?

212 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"not pass away, and his kingdom that which shallnot be destroyed ."-Dan . 7 :9-14, Da .19Empowered to rule with an iron rod amidsthis enemies since God's time had come to put themunder his King's feet as a footstool, the enthronedJesus Christ immediately made war uponthe enemies in heaven . Remember that he is alsothe archangel Michael, who once helped one ofhis angels to fight against the spirit prince ofPersia. But now, as the one whose commission itis to bruise the Serpent's head, he begins a fight,not merely against the spirit prince of Persia, butagainst all seven spirit princes and their headhimself, Satan the Serpent . "And war broke out inheaven : Michael and his angels battled with thedragon, and the dragon and its angels battled but itdid not prevail, neither was a place found forthem any longer in heaven . So down the greatdragon was hurled, the original serpent, the onecalled Devil and Satan, who is misleading theentire inhabited earth ; he was hurled down tothe earth, and his angels were hurled down withhim."-Rev. 12 :7-9, NW.20 Never again will Satan and his seven princesand other angels be permitted to find a place forthemselves up in heaven . They are under the feetof the King of the newborn Kingdom to stay . Insidea short time they will be bruised in the headunder his heel .21How the war in heaven was fought, and howlong it took for the Seed of God's woman, thereigning King, to hurl the Serpent and his demonicseed out of heaven, Revelation, chapter 12, does19 . Immediately after being empowered, what did JesusChrist do in heaven?20 . Why is place found no longer for Satan and hisangels in heaven?21 . How was the war in heaven fought, how long didit last, and of what was victory in it a proof?

KINGDOM OF THE NEW WORLD BORN 213not clearly say. Daniel 10 :5-21 informs us thatlong ago in the days of the Persian king Cyrusthe holy angel that appeared to Daniel foughtwith the spirit prince of Persia twenty-one daysuntil finally Michael the archangel came to helphim gain the victory in behalf of Jehovah's people .The war in heaven, beginning in 1914, was a realfight, in which the enthroned Son of God, spokenof by his ancient title "Michael", proved his integritytoward Jehovah's universal sovereignty.The Scripture indications are that the fight wasover in at most 1,260 days, with the satanic forcesoutlawed and completely ousted from heaven bythen. (Rev . 12 :6, 14 ; 11 :1-3) The triumphant fightwas a proof of the end of the "appointed timesof the nations" and of the successful birth ofGod's kingdom by putting his Son into royalauthority, secure against all opposition . This isproved by the heavenly testimony that followed :22 "And I heard a loud voice in heaven say :`Now have come to pass the salvation and thepower and the kingdom of our God and the authorityof his Christ, because the accuser of ourbrothers has been hurled down, who accuses themday and night before our God! And they conqueredhim because of the blood of the Lamb andbecause of the word of their witnessing, and theydid not love their souls even despite the dangerof death . On this account be glad, you heavensand you who reside in them! Woe for the earthand for the sea, because the Devil has come downto you, having great anger, knowing he has a shortperiod of time ."-Rev . 12 :10-12, NW .23 That God's kingdom by his promised Seedwas born A.D . 1914 remains an established fact,from which great consequences flow .22 . How is the foregoing proved by the heavenly testimonythat followed?23 . So what remains a fact of great consequence?

CHAPTER VThe Healing of the"Jerusalem Above"E greatest miracle of healing is the spiritualhealing, not the physical healing of humancreatures . Jehovah's grandest act of healing isthe healing of his theocratic organization, resultingin an astounding transformation of her froma sickly appearance of great weakness and dullnessto the most attractive beauty of glowing health .Already this has begun to radiate blessingsof opportunities for perfectly healthy, happy,prosperous living in a righteous new world for allmen of good will .2By the glorious birth of God's kingdom in theheavens A .D. 1914 as witnessed by hundreds ofmillions of angelic servants round about the divinethrone, Jehovah the great Husband and Physicianhealed his woman, his heavenly universal organization.He healed her of her barrenness as a kingdomproducer. There was great joy in heaven, likethat over a royal male child's birth, over whichthere was always more joy than over that of afemale. Without any violent revolution amongGod's creatures up there, without any real travailor painful efforts like those of human childbirth,the theocratic capital government of the1 . What is Jehovah's grandest act of healing, and inwhat has it resulted?2 . How was God's woman healed in 1914, what difficultyfollowed, and how was this foretold by Isaiah?214

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 2 15universe was created by God Almighty from theranks of his subordinate universal organization,the heavenly ion . The real difficulty came immediatelyafterward . It was the "war in heaven"to transform the sacred realms of heaven by purgingout the demonic rebels with their unhealthyinfluence . This was just as Jehovah had foretoldlong before the seven "appointed times of thenations" had begun : "Hear the word of Jehovah,ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren thathated you, that cast you out for my name's sake,said, Let Jehovah be glorified, and let us see yourjoy! but they shall be ashamed . . . . Before she travailed,she brought forth ; before her pain came,she was delivered of a man-child . Who hath heardsuch a thing? who hath seen such things?"-Isa .66 :5-8, Da .3 But on earth there was no visible evidence atonce to prove that blessed event, aside from aBible-marked date ; and even Jehovah's witnessesdid not fully discern and appreciate that event .They were a hated and despised minority ofaround thirteen thousand, for whose blood thefiery-colored Dragon was lusting . There was noso-called visible "earthly phase" of the Kingdomto show ; and the religionists who thought that avisible kingdom with its seat at earthly Jerusalemwas the thing to be expected taunted the witnessesof Jehovah . They pointed to the occupation ofJerusalem's old site by a non-Jewish, non-Christianpower with its mosque "The Dome of the Rock" .The earthly Jerusalem was still trampled on bythe Gentile nations, and there was no restorationof the kingdom of David's descendants there .(Luke 21 :24, NW) Nor had so-called heathendom3 . How were Jehovah's witnesses then subject to beingtaunted, how were they considered religiously, andhow was the sword-holding arm of the state broughtagainst them?

216 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"been wiped out and all the world been made aChristendom by being converted to Christ, an accomplishmentthat Christendom thought was to bebrought about before God's kingdom could comeor in order for it to come by such religious conversion.So Jehovah's witnesses, who were Biblestudents that trembled at his Word, were considereddangerous to Christendom and a religiousplague that needed to be stamped out by ruthlessmethods, this end seeming to justify the foulestmeans. To bring in the sword-holding arm of thepolitical state, the enemies imitated their fatherthe Devil, "the accuser of our brothers ." They accusedJehovah's witnesses, his spiritual sons by hiswoman, of being politically dangerous to whateverhuman government they lived under, especiallythe governments engaged in World War I .4 Thus popular religion was joined by her adulterouslover, the war-maddened political state, inpersecuting and restraining the Bible-preachingwitnesses of ion's Husband, Jehovah . They weremobbed, boycotted, ostracized, banished, imprisoned,forced into military establishments, yes,killed, roasted at the stake by flaming false propaganda,denied fair trials, equal justice and Godgivenrights and privileges, their premises beinginvaded without due warrant, their literaturebanned as seditious, and their means of communicationwith one another in foreign lands brokenup . Everything was done to shatter their organization,control or stop their public activities, andmake them the captive slaves of the totally mobilizedstate and its religious paramours. This is notan exaggerated report ; it is a matter of public4. How was religion joined by the state in mistreatingJehovah's witnesses during World War I, and whywere these taken captive?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 2 17record of that time . At the time, too, thesesincere Christians were still soiled and contaminatedwith a number of religious doctrines, attitudesand arrangements of apostate Christendom,and they became victims of paralyzing fear . "Thefear of man bringeth a snare ; but whoso puttethhis confidence in Jehovah is protected ." (Prov .29 :25, Da) Under the influence of fear of manmore than fear of Jehovah they were ensnared,taken captive and made prisoners of this Babylonishworld of Satan the Devil . Their captivestate then was like that of the Israelites deportedto Babylon in 607 B .C .8Consequently the public testimony to Jehovah'snewborn kingdom was very faint and timidin those days of spiritual captivity, both by wordof mouth and printed page, especially so at theclimax of the persecution in the spring of 1918 .The captives mourned and were in a spirituallyunhealthy condition . The prophecy picturing thattime likens them to lifeless corpses : " `And Iwill cause my two witnesses to prophesy a thousandtwo hundred and sixty days dressed in sackcloth.' And when they have finished their witnessing,the wild beast that ascends out of theabyss the deep sea of men raging against Godwill make war with them and conquer them andkill them. And their corpses will be on the broadway of the great city which is in a spiritual sensecalled Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord wasalso impaled ." (Rev . 11 :3, 7, 8 ; 13 :1-7, NW; Dan .See The Golden Age, Issue No . 27 of September 29, 1920, circulatedto about two million copies .5 . How did Revelation 11 :3, 7, 8 picture them then,what did they seriously need, and how was the conditionthen of their mother foreshadowed by that ofancient Jerusalem?

2 18 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"7 :2, 3, 7) They were sickly-looking children of theheavenly ion, the "Jerusalem above" . They seriouslyneeded spiritual healing to restore them toa free and active life in God's service and withinJehovah's theocratic organization . Viewed fromthe appearance of these visible representativesof hers, the heavenly ion or "Jerusalem above"was languishing under enemy captivity, in exilefrom her Husband's place of worship and sorelyin need of restoration and spiritual cure . Her deplorablestate in regard to her spiritual childrenon earth was accurately foreshadowed by that ofancient earthly Jerusalem lying desolated for seventyyears with her children far away in Babylonishcaptivity .6 For the comfort of heavenly ion it had beenprophesied and recorded at Micah 4 :9-12 (Da)"Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there noking in thee? is thy counsellor perished, thatpangs have seized thee as a woman in travail? Bein pain, and labour to bring .forth, 0 daughter ofion, like a woman in travail ; for now shalt thougo forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell inthe field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon : thereshalt thou be delivered ; there Jehovah will redeemthee from the hand of thine enemies . And nowmany nations are assembled against thee, thatsay, Let her be profaned, and let our eye lookupon ion . But they know not the thoughts ofJehovah, neither understand they his counsel ."The captive children of the heavenly ion graduallycame to understand Jehovah's thoughts andcounsel as expressed in his prophecies, and withgrowing confidence they said to Satan's woman,his adulterous organization Babylon : "Rejoice not6 . For her comfort what did Jehovah say at Micah4 :9-12, and what did his captive children, with histhoughts in mind, say to Satan's woman?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 2 19against me, 0 mine enemy : though I fall, I shallarise ; when I sit in darkness, Jehovah shall be alight unto me . I will bear the indignation of Jehovah-forI have sinned against him-until heplead my cause, and execute judgment for me :he will bring me forth to the light ; I shall beholdhis righteousness. And mine enemy Babylonshall see it, and shame shall cover her which saidunto me, Where is Jehovah thy God? Mine eyesshall behold her ; now shall she be trodden down,as the mire of the streets ."-Mic . 7 :8-10, Da.The things of God's woman on earth must bebrought into harmony and agreement with herthings in heaven. Up there she had given birth tothe man child, the kingdom of God with its authoritydelegated to Christ . So, as regards her captive,spiritually sick children on earth, Jehovahher Husband purposed and promised to take upher case and do justice for her against her enemiesamong whom God's kingdom was to rule with aniron rod . He must redeem her from Satan's woman,Babylon, and bring her forth to the lightin the radiance of spiritual health and beauty,thus showing that she is his organization ionand he is her Husband and God .s It was as in the case of earthly ion or Jerusalemof old . With her Israelite children in exileand prison in far-off Babylon, the nation did notexist, it being without its own government, its ownnational worship and temple, and its own capitalcity. Also with the city and its realm completelydesolated for seventy years without human or domesticanimal and turned to a wilderness or junglewildness, the haunt of wild beasts, it was not a7 . What did Jehovah purpose and promise to do forhis woman as regards her captive, sick children?s . In the case of desolated Jerusalem of old, how didthe Israelite nation take on organic form and a nationalland get reborn?

2 20 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"land sustaining human life . It was not a cultivated,well-ordered and well-kept land, not the "glory ofall lands" such as God's Promised Land of milkand honey should be, something approaching theparadise of Eden . Instead, it was "formless andwaste", without distinguishing features, and adreary-looking void, like our earth when it wascovered with surging waters and before God said :"Let light come to be ." (Jer. 4 :23-31) So in 537B .C. Jehovah God brought about the overthrow ofBabylon and delivered his people from their prisonand restored the faithful remnant of them toJerusalem and its domain . Again the land beganto teem with people and their domestic animals .Government was reorganized, the temple rebuilt,Jehovah's worship resumed at the place where hehad put his name. The nation took on organicform and a national land was reborn .9 That was but a prefiguring of what musthappen to the things belonging to God's woman,the heavenly ion, on earth . As concerns herspiritual children on earth, she had travailed aswith childbirth pains during 1914 to 1918, amidWorld War I. Was all this pain of persecution,reproach and oppression to be for nothing, productiveof nothing to Jehovah's glory and vindication?He had opened the womb of his womanin 1914, so that she brought forth the royal malechild, the heavenly theocratic kingdom . She wascapable of further fertility. Would he now, becauseof the violent enemy efforts to prevent all Kingdomdevelopment, close ion's womb against anyfurther births? No, a thousand times No! As herHusband he had not gone sterile, and her agehad not deadened her womb . Her miraculous birth9, 10 . How had heavenly ion travailed during WorldWar I, and what questions about her were now fitting?What must be brought forth in one day, and what bornat one stroke?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 221of the governmental male child in 1914 was but thestart of a series of births of other children . Thesebirths must follow the opening of her womb atthe birth of her royal First-born . It was now Jehovah'sday since the Kingdom's birth in 1914 . Nowafter his woman's travail he must do for her whathe had done for ancient earthly ion in 537 B.C.Now in this His day a land must be brought forthin this one day as a follow-up of the childbirthpains . A nation must be born at one stroke .1 0 "Who hath heard such a thing? who hathseen such things? Shall a land be born or, broughtforth with childbirth pains in one day? shall anation be brought forth at once? for as soon asion travailed, she brought forth her children .Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bringforth? saith Jehovah : shall I that cause to bringforth shut the womb? saith thy God . Rejoice yewith Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye thatlove her : rejoice for joy with her, all ye thatmourn over her."-Isa . 66 :8-10, AS ."Before the skeptical, anti-Jehovah nations ofearth who had not heard or seen such things,Jehovah brought forth a land and a nation byhis woman in vindication of this prophecy . Unlikethe Israelis who travailed amid bloodshed andviolence to bring forth their untheocratic republicin a part of Palestine in May of 1948, Jehovah'swoman in heaven brought forth her male child,her theocratic Messianic government, "before shetravailed, . . . before her pain came ." (Isa. 66 :7)Quite interestingly, the Aramaic Targum of Isaiahreads at this verse : " . . . before trembling shallcome upon her, as pangs upon a woman with child,her king shall be revealed." The war in heaven to11 . How did the Israelis bring forth their republic in1948, and how did Jehovah bring forth his kingdom?When did ion travail, and to what end?

222 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"eject Satan and his demons followed the Kingdom'sbirth, as did also the travail of persecutionand suffering of ion's spiritual children, Jehovah'switnesses, on earth. Therefore, let all earthly,man-made governments be put on notice thatGod's kingdom is not established by any seditious,revolutionary movement of Jehovah's witnesseson earth . Nor is it established by the efforts ofmen to convert the world to Christianity . God'skingdom was not born or produced as a resultof the painful travail of Jehovah's witnesses from1914 to 1918 ; it was born before that, at the endof the seven "appointed times of the nations" in1914 . That theocratic government is heavenly . Itis of God . He is its Father. His woman ion is itsmother. In its birth to active power God is notdependent upon any creatures on earth . Its birthis without any painful effort on his part . Afterits birth his woman ion travails with regard toher remnant of spiritual children on earth . Shedoes so in order that Jehovah her Husband maybring them forth as a theocratic nation in an organizedland or earthly condition, to make Hisa day of marvelous things .12In 1918 the land or earthly condition of ion'schildren, who were called by her Husband Jehovah'sname, looked very desolate, indeed, plagued .But long ago, for their sakes, Jehovah said toKing Solomon after the dedicating of the templeat Jerusalem : "If my people who are called by myname, shall humble themselves, and pray, andseek my face, and turn from their wicked ways ;then will I hear from heaven, and will forgivetheir sin, and will heal their land ." (2 Chron .12 . In 1918 how did the "land" of her children look,and how did they proceed to act in harmony with Jehovah'swords to the temple-builder Solomon?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 22 37 :14, AS) Seeing the desolation of their earthlycondition as a Christian organization, the witnesseswho bore Jehovah's name humbled themselvesbefore him, prayed for his forgiveness andbegan sincere efforts to cleanse themselves of anyBabylonish soils and ways of which they wereguilty and to be thoroughly theocratic .13History shows that Jehovah God did hearthem from heaven and in 1919 did begin to healthem, sending to them curative spiritual food tofree them from fear of men and from bondage tohuman systems and institutions . Officials of theWatch Tower Society were released from unjustimprisonment in the spring of 1919 and the organizationof the remnant of ion's spiritual childrenwas reconstructed and its Kingdom proclamationwork was boldly resumed. As a world-notifyingsymbol of the restoration of Jehovah's namepeopleas an organized "holy nation", an eight-dayinternational assembly of this remnant took placeat Cedar Point, Ohio, U . S . A ., September 1-8,1919, with fully 6,000 of them, the public addresson Sunday, September 7, by the Society's presidenton "The Hope of Distressed Humanity" beingattended by 7,000 persons .14 Thus to the astonishment of the nations ofhostile Christendom a theocratic nation was bornand a land was brought forth with theocraticinhabitants, marking this as the glorious "day ofJehovah" long foretold. To the organization divineIncidentally, with his left hand upon the Holy Bible openedat this verse the United States president was inaugurated January20, 1953, at Washington, D .C .13 . How did Jehovah answer their prayer in 1919, andwhat world-notifying symbol was given that sameyear?14. Thus how did spiritual healing come in major fulfillmentof Jeremiah 33 :4-9?

22 4 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"healing came by its reconstruction ; to the landof its operation and action a spiritual healing fromGod came by banishing its desolate, barren, unproductive,depopulated condition and by purgingit from the traces of the Babylonish enemy invaderswith their false religious doctrines, traditions,philosophies, ceremonies and practices . Tothe earthly organization of ion's remnant camethe major fulfillment of this prophecy : "For thussaith Jehovah the God of Israel concerning thehouses of this city, and concerning the houses ofthe kings of Judah, which are thrown downbecause of the mounds and because of the sword :. . . Behold, I will apply a healing dressing to itand cure, and I will heal them, and will revealunto them an abundance of peace and truth . AndI will turn the captivity of Judah and the captivityof Israel, and will build them, as at the beginning .And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity,whereby they have sinned against me, and I willpardon all their iniquities, whereby they havesinned against me, and whereby they have transgressedagainst me. And it shall be to me a nameof joy, a praise and a glory before all the nationsof the earth, which shall hear of all the good thatI do unto them ; and they shall fear and tremblefor all the good and for all the prosperity thatI procure unto it."-Jer. 33 :4-9, Da.15Jehovah's kingdom with Jesus Christ, theSon of David, on the throne had been born toGod's woman, the heavenly ion, and the devilishaccusers of her children had been hurled downfrom heaven . So it was out of harmony with theproper order of things for her children on earthto lie spiritually sick, exiled, captive, under thet 5 . How must visible evidence be offered of the Sonof David's occupancy of the heavenly throne, in ful .fillment of Jeremiah 33 :14.18?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 22 5feet of ion's foe, Babylon . The visible evidenceof the Son of David's occupancy of the throne inthe heavens must be offered to mankind by thejust and righteous release of ion's children, thespiritual Israelites, from their oppressors . Thisevidence was given, from 1919 on, as foretold atJeremiah 33 :14-18 (Da) : "Behold, the days come,saith Jehovah, that I will perform the good wordwhich I have spoken unto the house of Israel andunto the house of Judah. In those days, and atthat time, will I cause a Branch of righteousnessto grow up unto David ; and he shall execute judgmentand righteousness in the land . In those daysshall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell insafety . And this is the name wherewith she theJerusalem above shall be called : Jehovah ourRighteousness . For thus saith Jehovah : Thereshall never fail to David a man to sit upon thethrone of the house of Israel ; neither shall therefail to the priests the Levites a man before meto offer up burnt-offerings, and to burn oblations,and to do sacrifice continually ."16 In the summer of 1922, at the second internationalconvention of Jehovah's people at CedarPoint, Ohio, September 5-13, the coming of theSon of David into his heavenly kingdom was discernedmore clearly, so that the listeners shoutedafter the Society's president concluded his conventiondiscourse on the text, "The kingdom of heavenis at hand" (Matt. 4 :17), with these thrillingwords : "Since 1914 the King of glory has takenhis power and reigns . He has cleansed the lips ofthe temple class and sends them forth with themessage. . . . Be faithful and true witnesses for theLord. Go forward in the fight until every vestige16. On what did clearer discernment come in 1922, andwith what effect, and to what were their eyes openedin 1925?

2 26 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"of Babylon lies desolate. Herald the message farand wide . The world must know that Jehovah isGod and that Jesus Christ is King of kings andLord of lords . This is the day of all days . Behold,the King reigns! You are his publicity agents .Therefore advertise, advertise, advertise, the Kingand his kingdom ." To add to the spiritual thrillsthat stirred ion's remnant with greater vitalityand to greater liveliness in Jehovah's service, in1925 he opened their eyes to see the "great sign" inheaven, that is, the birth of the heavenly kingdomfrom God's woman, by the publication in the issueof March 1, 1925, of The Watch Tower the article"Birth of the Nation", in explanation of Revelation,chapter twelve.17 The sight was reviving, health-giving . Itshowed that the heavenly ion was God's woman,and that she was like a strong, fixed city thatwould never again be invaded and trampled onwith disastrous results by the seed of the greatSerpent, for she had given birth to the Kingdom .(Luke 21 :24) In the Kingdom throne her Husbandhad placed the glorified Son of David, JesusChrist; and Jehovah the eternal, universal Kingreigned by him. No more could those on earthwho dwelt in the theocratic land or conditioncomplain of being made spiritually sick by theenemies' doctrines and aggressive actions or bysinning through compromise with the enemy . Nomore would the death-dealing enemies have successover ion and her representatives on earth,wrecking their spirituality . No, but here to theremnant of ion's children was the fulfillment ofthe prophecy :18 "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty :17, 18 . What did the sight they saw show? Of whatcould they no more complain, and thus what prophecyof Isaiah was fulfilled to them?

THE HEALING OF THE "JERUSALEM ABOVE" 227they shall behold a land that reacheth afar. Thyheart shall muse on the previous terror : Whereis he that counted for the enemy , where is hethat weighed the tribute? where is he that countedthe towers with selfish purposes against ion ?Thou shalt not see the fierce people, a peopleof a deep speech that thou canst not comprehend,of a strange tongue that thou canst not understand. Look upon ion, the city of our solemnities :thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation,a tent that shall not be removed, the stakes whereofshall never be plucked up, neither shall anyof the cords thereof be broken . But there Jehovahwill be with us in majesty, a protective placeof broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go nogalley with oars, neither shall gallant ship passthereby. For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is ourlawgiver, Jehovah is our king ; he will save us .Thy tacklings 0 aggressor ship are loosed ; theycould not strengthen the foot of their mast, theycould not spread the sail : then was the prey of agreat spoil divided ; the lame took the prey. Andthe inhabitant shall not say, I am sick : the peoplethat dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity ."-Isa. 33 :17-24, AS .19 God remembered his new covenant with ion'schildren, particularly that part that said, "I willforgive their iniquity, and their sin will I rememberno more ." So on their repentance and returnto their God, he healed them, forgiving theiriniquity. Never again was the desolating sin-sickcondition to overtake them .19. What covenant did God remember toward them,and so their healing followed as a result of what?

CHAPTER VINew World Society Formingr 7'711E birth of the Kingdom in 1914 (A.D.)I, denoted the introduction of new heavens, notmerely with regard to our planet earth, but withregard to all creation. Never before had God'suniverse had such heavens, that is to say, sucha new heavenly power, for it was to be the capitalorganization, even above his heavenly universalorganization of holy angels . The superior positionof its King made this so, for "God exalted himto a superior position and kindly gave him thename that is above every other name, so thatin the name of Jesus every knee should bend ofthose in heaven and those on earth and thoseunder the ground, and every tongue should openlyconfess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory ofGod the Father" . (Phil . 2 :9-11, NW) "He raisedhim up from the dead and seated him at his righthand in the heavenly places, far above every governmentand authority and power and lordshipand every name named, not only in this system ofthings, but also in that to come ." (Eph. 1 :20, 21,NW) For the time being, until the head of thegreat Serpent is bruised in the near future, Satanand his demons, who have been cast out of theheavens, continue as the invisible wicked heavensover the visible earthly organization, the symbolic1 . What did the Kingdom's birth in 1914 denote forall creation, and as what did Satan and his demonscontinue, although cast out of the heavens?228

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 229old earth . Together, they form the "heavensand the earth that are now", which 2 Peter 3 :7(NW) says are doomed to destruction shortly . Butthe "new heavens" of God's creation made theirentry A .D . 1914 to remain forever .2 But another soul-stirring fact! The birth of aland in one day, Jehovah's day, and the bringingforth of a holy nation at one stroke, when God'swoman ion had travailed (1914-1918) and thenbrought forth the remnant of her spiritual childrenon earth (beginning in 1919), this had a gloriousmeaning also. It meant that a New World societywas being formed ; yes, the foundation was beinglaid for a "new earth", and that before Satan'sold earth or his old-world human society waswiped out . This is not an overstatement, nor is itan oversanguine dream, but Almighty God promisedthis for the day on which he restored hiswoman's children from the enemy's power . "For,behold," says Jehovah God, "I create new heavensand a new earth ; and the former things shallnot be remembered, nor come into mind . Butbe ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which Icreate ; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicingand her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem,and joy in my people ; and there shall beheard in her no more the voice of weeping andthe voice of crying ."-Isa. 65 :17-19, AS .3 It would be contrary to reason and the senseof the Holy Scriptures to fit into the fulfillmentof the above prophecy the earthly Jerusalem oftoday. That city is a case of international squab-2 . What did the birth of a land in one day and thebringing forth of a nation at one stroke mean as tosomething new, and when was this to happen accordingto God's promise?3 . Which is the Jerusalem meant in the prophecy here,and who are her people in whom Jehovah joys?

230 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"bling and of interreligious friction and which theUnited Nations has wanted to internationalize ."Jerusalem above," or God's woman, is the citythe prophecy meant . It is she who has borne theKingdom, in whom Jehovah her Husband rejoices,and it is in her restored children that he joys . Thepresent earthly Jerusalem was built for the mostpart by the Romans, the Moslems and the Jews,but the Jerusalem that, with her people, becomesa joy and rejoicing is the "Jerusalem above" thatJehovah God creates to be a Kingdom bearer anda mother of God's "holy nation" . (Gal . 4 :26-31 ;1 Pet. 2 :9) God's only-begotten Son, the "righteousBranch" of King David, reigns as a kingat her Husband's right hand ; and the remnantof her spiritual children on earth, whom she hasbrought forth from 1919 onward, Jehovah hasfreed and led back from the modern great Babylonto their theocratic land or earthly position .4 As it is written : "Behold, the days come, saithJehovah, when I will raise unto David a righteousBranch, who shall reign as king, and act wisely,and shall execute judgment and righteousness inthe land. In his days Judah shall be saved, andIsrael shall dwell in safety ; and this is his namewhereby he shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness.Therefore behold, days are coming, saithJehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovahliveth, who brought up the children of Israel outof the land of Egypt ; but, As Jehovah liveth, whobrought up and who led back the seed of thehouse of Israel out of the north country Babylon, and from all countries whither I had driventhem . And they shall dwell in their own land ."-Jer. 23 :5-8, Da.4 . By what name does Jeremiah 23 :5-8 prophesy herking would be called, and from what countries areher children led back?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 2315The name by which her king is called is thesame as the name by which the "Jerusalem above"is called, that is to say, "Jehovah our righteousness." (Jer . 33 :16, AS; Da) The fact that theKing is called by this name does not prove thatthe King is Jehovah God himself or is a memberof a so-called "triune God" of "one God in threePersons", any more than it proves that Jerusalemis such because she is called by that same name .This is like a new name for God's woman, hisuniversal theocratic organization. Satan the Devilhas tried to put apart from God this heavenlywoman that he has yoked to himself, but becauseof the mutual love between them the wickedwould-be marriage breaker has not succeeded .Never will he force a reason for Jehovah her Husbandto divorce her. (Matt. 19 :6) But becauseJehovah leads her children back from the northcountry, antitypical Babylon, and they joyfullycome back to her, unite themselves with her,populate her visible theocratic organization andbecome married to her land or visible society,another name, a new name befits her, a name thatGod himself composes .s In harmony with this new system of thingsthe prophecy long ago said : "For ion's sakewill I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sakeI will not be still, until her righteousness go forthas brightness, and her salvation as a torch thatburneth . And the nations shall see thy righteousness,and all kings thy glory ; and thou shalt becalled by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovahwill name. And thou shalt be a crown ofbeauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diademin the hand of thy God . Thou shalt no more be5 . What does her being called by the same name asher king indicate, and because of the action of herchildren toward her what now befits her?6. In harmony with this what did Isaiah 62 :1-5, 12 say?

232 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"termed, Forsaken ; neither shall thy land any morebe termed, Desolate : but thou shalt be called, Mydelight is in her Hebrew, Heph'zi.bah , and thyland, Married Hebrew, Beu'lah ; for Jehovahdelighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married .For as a young man marrieth a virgin, shall thysons marry thee ; and with the joy of the bridegroomover the bride, shall thy God rejoice overthee. And they shall call them, The holy people,The redeemed of Jehovah ; and thou shalt becalled, The sought out, The city not forsaken ."-Isa. 62 :1-5, 12, Da; AS.' The change of name describes her changed condition,especially as respects her earthly things thathave to do with her spiritual sons on earth . Thisis all because of God's healing measures towardhis devoted witnesses on earth, her children . "ForI will restore health unto thee, and I will heal theeof thy wounds, saith Jehovah ; because they havecalled thee an outcast, saying, It is ion, whom noman seeketh after."-Jer. 30 :17, AS .8 In agreement with God's changing the nameof his woman, his spiritual organization, to correspondwith her gloriously transformed condition,her spiritual children on earth likewise comeunder a change of name, for they seek after herin order to identify themselves with her, and theyare promised in marriage to her first-born Son,the King, as the "bride" of Jesus Christ . Contrastingthese with the religionists of Christendom whoforsake Jehovah, who forget his holy mountainof his kingdom and his pure worship, and whothrow in their lot with the fortunes and destinyof this old world under Satan, the prophet says :"Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD : Behold, My7 . What does her change of name describe, and ofwhat is this all a result?8. In view of her change of name, who also come undersuch a change, and that in contrast with whom?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 233servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry ; behold,My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty ;behold, My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall beashamed ; behold, My servants shall sing for joy ofheart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, andshall wail for vexation of spirit . And ye shall leaveyour name for a curse unto Mine elect : `So may theLord GOD slay thee' ; but He shall call His servantsby another name ; so that he who blesseth himselfin the earth shall bless himself by the God of truth ;and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear bythe God of truth ; because the former troubles areforgotten, and because they are hid from Mineeyes . For, behold, I create new heavens and a newearth ; and the former things shall not be remembered,nor come into mind."-Isa . 65 :11-17, So ."The name of the forsakers of Jehovah Godbecomes one by which his faithful people pronouncea curse, using their name or reputationas a symbol or illustration of a terrible punishmentat God's hand . Far otherwise will be thename or reputation of Jehovah's chosen ones,ion's spiritual children . These elect sons of hiswho serve him he calls by a name different fromthat of the evil, apostate servants . It is a nameor reputation representing the divine favor andblessing upon one and denoting membership inhis universal theocratic organization with honorableprivileges of service to God . To all eternityit will be a blessed name or reputation, a namehonoring the God of truth and faithfulness andcausing people in the righteous new world to blessthemselves and swear by the God of truth . Harmonizingwith the new name or new relationshipby which Jehovah God had called the remnant ofion's children since 1919 by the altering of their9. What does the name of the forsakers of God become,but what the name of his elect sons? In harmonywith this what did the latter do in 1931?

2 34 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"earthly condition, this remnant met in internationalassembly at Columbus, Ohio, U. S . A ., andSunday afternoon, July 26, 1931, they embraceda new name by which they wished to be distinguishedfrom apostate Christendom and itsnominal "Christians" .10 This they did by adopting a resolution, entitled"A New Name", and the sixth paragraph ofwhich resolved : "That, having been bought withthe precious blood of Jesus Christ our Lord andRedeemer, justified and begotten by Jehovah Godand called to his kingdom, we unhesitatingly declareour entire allegiance and devotion to JehovahGod and his kingdom ; that we are servantsof Jehovah God commissioned to do a work in hisname, and, in obedience to his commandment,to deliver the testimony of Jesus Christ, and tomake known to the people that Jehovah is thetrue and Almighty God ; therefore we joyfullyembrace and take the name which the mouth ofthe Lord God has named, and we desire to beknown as and called by the name, to wit, Jehovah'switnesses .-Isa. 43 :10-12 ; 62 :2 ; Rev. 2 :17 ."11This chosen name was Scripturally wellfounded . It did not glorify any man or religioussect or cult, but was based on the scripture abovecited, Isaiah 43 :10-12 (AS), which reads, in part :"Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and myservant whom I have chosen; that ye may knowand believe me, and understand that I am he : . . .I have declared, and I have saved, and I haveshowed ; and there was no strange god amongyou : therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah,and I am God." (See also Isaiah 44 :8, AS .) ThisResolution on "The New Name" was circulated10 . How did they do this, and what specific name didthey embrace?11 . How was this name Scripturally well founded, andwhat action was later taken with this Resolution?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 235throughout Christendom by the millions of copiesin many languages, notifying her . Congregationsof Jehovah's people all over the earth adopted theResolution locally, thereby confessing before Godand before men their responsibility to be Jehovah'switnesses, like that "so great a cloud of witnesses"from the first martyr Abel down to martyred Johnthe Baptist.-Heb . 11 :4 to 12 :1, NW .12 Religious critics were displeased and said disparagingly,`Who asked these people to be Jehovah'switnesses? Where did Jehovah ask themto be his witnesses?' And worldly skeptics thoughtor declared that the name would not stick . Politicaldictators like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, etc .,have tried to destroy the name by banning, suppressingand trying to destroy the bearers of thename. But to this day the name has stuck, it beingfound now in all kinds of public records and documents,and being known to the highest rulersand judges of the land and the lowliest peon amongthe common people. Almighty God has manifestedhis blessing upon the name, for the sons of hiswoman ion are his name-people, "a people for hisname." The designation "Jehovah's witnesses" hasbecome the symbol of a concrete message andtestimony concerning God's new world of righteousness; it has become the emblem of a NewWorld society that is now forming . Jehovah's witnesseshave ever since co-operated with the nonprofitChristian corporation, Watch Tower Bibleand Tract Society, using it as their administrativeand publishing agency and legal representative .is The remnant of anointed witnesses of Jeho-12. How have critics and opposers reacted toward thename and its bearers, but of what has the name becomea symbol? With whom have its bearers cooperated?13 . At what were the remnant of anointed witnessesconsoled, and how did Naomi once call for a change ofname?

2 36 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"vah were filled with unrestrainable joy at thesharper discernment of their relationship to Godand to his universal organization, and they werefired with greater zeal for their world-wide workas his witnesses . They saw that his universalorganization was his woman and that she wastheir mother and they were her children . Theyloved her very dearly and so were immenselyconsoled at the change of her condition from whatit was before that black year of 1918, yes, beforethat world-disquieting year of 1914 . The changeof condition caused a change in the way othersspoke of her, how they would call her, that is,a change of name by the giving of new names .It was now the opposite with her from Naomi,who long ago returned widowed to Bethlehem inJudah and said to her old friends there : "Do notcall me Naomi meaning `My pleasantness' . Callme Mara meaning `Bitter' . . . . Why should youcall me Naomi, when it is Jehovah that has humiliatedme and the Almighty that has causedme calamity?"-Ruth 1 :20, 21, NW.14In 1918 the anointed remnant felt like Naomi .But when in 1919 and afterward Jehovah thefaithful Husband opened their eyes to behold thetransformed condition of his beloved woman, theirgrief vanished and they drew comfort from the"God of all comfort" . By causing her to give birthto the Kingdom in 1914 Jehovah showed to all theuniverse who his woman was and proved that hedelighted in her. Besides that, in 1919 he causedher to bring forth her anointed children on earthas a free people and as bold witnesses to theestablished Kingdom. No longer did the appellations"Forsaken", "Outcast," "Unsought," and"Desolate" befit her . Now the names "Hephzibah14 . When and why did the anointed remnant begin tofeel different from Naomi?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 237'My delight is in her' ", "Sought out, A city notforsaken," described her honorable estate as wifeof the royal Sovereign of the universe . And nowthat her visible organization on earth, her "land",figuratively speaking, was no longer robbed of itsrightful inhabitants by marauding enemies whocarried her children off captive, but now that her"land" was sought out and returned to by herchildren liberated from captivity and was now beginningto teem with them, her "land" could nolonger be called "Desolate" . It no longer deservedto be hissed at, cursed, reproached, and be astonishedat ; but the name "Beulah Married " suggesteditself to the observer as he saw her childrenoccupying her "land", the place of her earthlyorganization, and getting attached to it, settled init and beautifying it . There, as it were, she`dandled them upon her knees' and nursed them .Regardless of how the enemies, the Serpent'sseed, viewed God's woman, her seed or childrentruly loved "Jerusalem above", their heavenlymother, and they could not help but respond toGod's prophetic encouragement :15"Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,all ye that love her ; rejoice for joy with her, allye that mourn over her : because ye shall suck,and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; because ye shall drink out, and be delightedwith the abundance of her glory . For thus saithJehovah : Behold, I will extend peace to her likea river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowingtorrent ; and ye shall suck, ye shall becarried upon the side, and be dandled upon theknees. As one whom his mother comforteth, sowill I comfort you ; and ye shall be comforted inJerusalem . And ye shall see this, and your heart15 . To what encouraging prophecy of Isaiah could theynot help but respond?

238"NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish likethe grass ; and the hand of Jehovah shall be knowntoward his servants, and he will have indignationtoward his enemies ."-Isa . 66 :10-14, Da; AS .16 Note the correspondency in fulfillments :When, in 537 B.C., Babylon's conqueror, KingCyrus of Persia, released Jerusalem's childrenfrom Babylon, over 40,000 of the remnant of Israelitesreturned and rebuilt Jehovah's temple atJerusalem and restored the city. The Jews wholoved the holy city drew great comfort from herrestoration . The revived city and the worshipof Jehovah there acted as a magnet to draw therefaithful Israelites from all parts of the inhabitedearth . It was a sign of Jehovah's supremacy, hisdeity, his theocratic sovereignty . Correspondingly,in 1919 (A .D.), when God's woman ion beganto bring forth her anointed remnant upon earthin Beulah land, so to speak, there were only afew thousand that first came to light . The internationalassembly of them that year in CedarPoint, Ohio, drew 6,000 of them, other thousandsbeing unable to come . Those who had gone apostateamid the troubles of ion's children duringWorld War I she did not bring forth as her remnantin her theocratic land . They were an "evilslave" class, the name of which became markedby God's curse, his disapproval, the withholdingof his blessing .-Matt . 24 :48-51, NW .17 ion's faithful children were then comparativelyfew. But their escape from Satan's Babylonishorganization and their being reorganizedas announcers of Jehovah's kingdom were a challengingsign, a hopeful sign for other prisoners16. What correspondency was there in the fulfillmentsof the prophecy in 537 B. C . and A . D. 1919? Whofailed to be brought forth as ion's children?17. Who must be notified of ion's changed condition,and by whom?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 239of Babylon, Satan's woman. There were still thousandsof others of ion's children to be broughtforth in Beulah land . These must be notified ofion's changed condition, of the reviving of herorganization and of its beautification, and of therevival there of the worship of her Husband, JehovahGod . They must see the sign of this . Thechildren already escaped from Babylon must dothe notifying of those yet imprisoned . They muststand forth as living signs in behalf of JehovahGod and his woman ion, as Isaiah (8 :18, Da),speaking prophetically for Jesus Christ, had longago said : "Behold, I and the children that Jehovahhath given me are for signs and for wondersin Israel, from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth inmount ion ."-Heb . 2:13, NW.18 Accordingly the heavenly Father began preparingthe small original remnant to go out regularlyinto the field of activity, not just a fewhundred full-time "colporteurs" or "pioneers", butall the remnant going from house to house givingout the message of the Kingdom by word of mouthand by books and booklets as well as magazines .To The Watchtower there was also added, in 1919,a new magazine then entitled "The Golden Age"but today entitled "Awake!" The remnant wereto be in fact a "society of ministers", every memberof the anointed remnant to be an active, vocalpreacher, proclaimer or announcer, and not merelythose who had the privilege of mounting thepublic platform. To that ministry of preachingthey had been anointed with Jehovah's spirit, thesame as his Son Jesus had been anointed . (Isa .61 :1-3; Luke 4:16-22) They must not confinethemselves to merely their own home territory,as home missionaries, but be willing to be sent toother lands and territories as foreign missionaries .19 . For what did Jehovah begin to prepare the remnantand with what equipment and where?

240 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Not a land was to be left untouched that mightharbor any of ion's children, if it could bereached. They must see Jehovah's sign. In thisway Jehovah prepared to fulfill on time his promise,his declared purpose :19 "The time cometh for the gathering of all nationsand tongues ; and they shall come, and see myglory. And I will set a sign among them, and I willsend those that escape of them unto the nations,to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow ;to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that havenot heard my fame, neither have seen my glory :and they shall declare my glory among the nations .And they shall bring all your brethren out of allthe nations as an oblation unto Jehovah, uponhorses, and in chariots, and in covered waggons,and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to myholy mountain, to Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, asthe children of Israel bring an oblation in a cleanvessel into the house of Jehovah . And I will alsotake of them for priests and for Levites, saithJehovah ."-Isa . 66 :18-21, Da; AS .20 In harmony with this Jehovah opened the delightedeyes of his children by his woman, "Jerusalemabove," to see the world-wide scope of theKingdom witness they had to give . They had tobe a royal sign to all nations, whether Africanlike ancient Pul and Lud, whether European likeTarshish (in Spain) and Javan (or, Greece),whether Asiatic like Tubal, or insular like "theisles afar off", including the great island continentof Australia . All must be notified that Jehovahhad made his woman fruitful ; that she hadgiven birth to the kingdom of God's Son Jesus19 . What promise in Isaiah's prophecy did Jehovahthus prepare to fulfill?20. To whom did Jehovah's children have to be aroyal sign, and how did the remnant respond to thevision of the work?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 241Christ, which is the sole hope of all mankind ;and that Almighty God had delivered his anointedremnant of spiritual children from Babylonishcaptivity and there was now a free organizationfor the worship of the living and true God . Challengedby the vision, the remnant showed themselveswilling to work anywhere in the field ("thefield is the world") and they responded with Isaiah'stheocratic phrase : "Here am I ; send me."(Isa . 6 :8) Then Jehovah sent them out as 'bringersof good tidings, publishers of peace, publishers ofsalvation, saying to ion, Your God reigns' .-Isa .52 :7 ; Rom. 10 :14,15 .21Away went the beautiful feet of his Kingdompublicity agents, seeking everywhere those whoyearned for relationship with Jehovah's woman,his universal organization . Concordantly with theonward tramp of those beautiful feet, the numberof branch offices of their legal and publishingagency, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societywith headquarters at Brooklyn, New York, U . S . A .,increased from a few such in 1919 to thirty-eightin 1931, a matter of twelve years' expansion work .With the taking of the Scriptural name "Jehovah'switnesses" in this latter year by the congregationsof ion's children throughout the earth,that name became world-known .22The increase in number of branch agenciesindicated that the children of ion were beingbrought to her organization in Beulah land, fromall the nations and lands reached and among whichJehovah's sign-people appeared. Those who rejoicedin his theocratic organization and its peopleincreased by tens of thousands, just as the Crea-21 . What resulted by 1931 with the legal and publishingagency with which they were associated?22. From those gathered to the theocratic organizationwhat did Jehovah take some to be, and to whatunity did he bring them earth-wide?

242 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tor had said : "Be glad and rejoice for ever in thatwhich I create . For behold, I create Jerusalema rejoicing, and her people a joy ." (Isa . 65 :18,Da) From these Jehovah, who does the callingand the choosing of his "little flock" of Kingdomheirs with Jesus Christ, took sufficient and addedthem to his original remnant of spiritual children,"for priests and for Levites ." That is, togetherthey formed the last members on earth of Jehovah'stemple class, his "chosen race", his "holynation", his "royal priesthood", to be associatedwith their High Priest Jesus Christ, who is a"priest forever after the likeness of Melchizedek" .(1 Pet . 2 :5, 9 and Heb . 7 :17, NW) By the oneKingdom message that he gave and entrusted tothem, the one God brought them all to a unityearth-wide, regardless of natural race, color, nationality,language or social level . So in them hasbeen attained the ideal of Galatians 3 :28 (NW)"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neitherslave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in union with ChristJesus ." And Colossians 3 :11 (NW) : "There isneither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,foreigner, Scythian, slave, freeman,but Christ is all things and in all ."23Here now was the germ of a New Worldsociety, the focal point around which could begathered all those of the generation since WorldWar I who wanted to become part of a righteoushuman society subject to God's new heavens .They are in truth a New World society . To themJesus' words apply : "You are no part of the world,but I have chosen you out of the world ." "Theyare no part of the world just as I am no part ofthe world."-John 15 :19 ; 17 :14, 16, NW.23, 24 . Of what society were they now the germ, inwhat respects are they manifestly not of this old world,and how are they held together?

NEW WORLD SOCIETY FORMING 24324 They do not have the spirit of this old worldthat moves men to take part in the selfish pursuits,systems, religious practices, customs, philosophies,and controversies of this old world, whichis under Satan's domination . Said the apostlePaul to them : "Now we received, not the spiritof the world, but the spirit which is from God,that we might know the things that have beenkindly given us by God ." (1 Cor. 2 :12, NW) Theirmessage is not one of trust in the corrupt old worldand its proposals for perpetuating its unworkable,selfish, untheocratic system of things ; but it isone of hope in an upright, incorruptible newworld from the great Creator's hands . Particularlysince 1938 they have recognized that God's organizationis and must be theocratic, God-ruled,and not democratic, not people-ruled . Since October1, 19-` '.8, they have organized and endeavoredto operate theocratically . Their mode of life is inanticipation of this new world, and their undividedloyalty is to its theocratic Creator and his kingdomfor governing that new world . (Acts 5 :29) Althoughthey are spread earth-wide and sent outon preaching service, they are held together asone by that "perfect bond of union", love, thelove of Jehovah God and the love of their neighbors,their fellows who with them are striving forlife in God's new world under his King JesusChrist.-Col . 3:14, NW .25The Creator having caused this New Worldsociety of his people to form at this His due time,it will never be wiped out by anything that thisold world can do . It will survive the end of thisold world and enjoy fulfillment of its blessed hopewhen, under divine protection, it moves on intothe complete new world.25 . What assurance of continuance is there for thisNew World society?

CHAPTER VIISure Evidences of theEnd's ApproachITH the theocratic New World society alreadyfunctioning and preparing to moveWout of this old world, and with the God-givenmessage of "new heavens and a new earth" ringinglouder and louder in our ears, the end of thecorrupt, Devil-controlled old world is nothing forlovers of truth, right and godliness to fear or regret.Jesus taught his disciples to pray for its endin these words to God : "Our Father in the heavens,let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdomcome. Let your will come to pass, as inheaven, also upon earth."-Matt . 6:9, 10, NW .2 The glorified Jesus Christ will be present inthat kingdom as Jehovah's anointed and installedKing for the new world . That royal theocraticgovernment will not divide power with the politicalrulerships and governments of this old world,either demonic or human . It will be the universalgovernment of the new world . Hence it must bethe only government ruling, established not byDevil or by man but by Jehovah God, the Sourceof all rightful government . That divine governmentdid not wait for the governments of this1 . Why is the end of the old world nothing for Jesus'disciples to fear or regret?2 . Why must the Kingdom be the only government ofthe new world, and why was the King given an ironrod in 1914?244

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 245world to move out at the close of the "appointedtimes of the nations" A .D . 1914 ; but at that timeGod's universal organization in heaven gave birthto the Kingdom while the political systems of the"god of this system of things" were still going concernson earth . The newborn Kingdom caught up toGod's invisible heavenly throne was handed an"iron rod" with which to shepherd these earthlynations, dashing them to pieces like a potter'svessels of clay and protecting and preservingGod's sheep who are in the old world but not partof it . To his King Jesus Christ, Psalm 110 :2 says :"Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strengthout of ion : Rule thou in the midst of thineenemies." (AS) So this world's end is inevitable!3 The nations of earth have given proof beforeeverybody that they merit destruction from JehovahGod by means of his enthroned King JesusChrist. Not even the so-called "Christian" nationsand communities that make up Christendomshowed any pleasure over the advance news thatGod's kingdom would be established in full powerA .D. 1914. They rejected that message carriedby Jehovah's witnesses prior to that decisiveyear. They have since scorned and ignored theevidence that has piled up since that year in proofof the Kingdom's birth in the heavens in 1914 .Desiring the old world and its make-up and strivingwith might and main and brain to preserve it,they have stood with the great adversary in oppositionto Jehovah's King and the new world .From the Bible prophecies Jesus foreknew this,and correspondingly he added to them his own inspiredprophecies on the end of this old world .Particularly since Christendom was to be de-3. How have the nations given proof that they meritdestruction by Jehovah's King, and with what didJesus compare Christendom's destruction? Why?

246 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"stroyed along with this world because she has insistedon being a part of it, Jesus compared theend of this world with the destruction of Jerusalemand its temple in 70 (A.D .), bringing the endof its religious system of things . This induced fourof his apostles to ask him privately on the Mountof Olives : "Tell us, When will these things be,and what will be the sign of your presence andof the consummation of the system of things?"-Matt . 24 :3, NW .Jesus' reply showed that the nations wouldnot be Christianized by Christendom's clergy andmissionaries when the time came for God's kingdomwith his Son Jesus Christ present in thethrone . The nations would not cease from theirsanguinary warfare that has characterized theirexistence, even following the days of the Romanemperor Constantine . Jesus said : "Look out thatnobody misleads you ; for many will come on thebasis of my name, saying : `I am the Christ,' andwill mislead many. You are going to hear of warsand reports of wars ; see that you are not terrified .For these things must take place, but the accomplishedend is not yet ." (Matt . 24 :4-6, NW) Suchwars during the centuries prior to 1914 were merewars against human nations, human governments ;but the wars that the nations, including those ofChristendom, were to fight at the consummationof the system of things were to be against God'skingdom and its King Jesus Christ, on the issueof world domination .5 Guided by the time schedule set forth in theHoly Bible, Jehovah's witnesses for decades in ad-4. How did Jesus' reply show the nations would notbe Christianized by 1914, and what is the differencebetween the wars before that date and those after it?5 . With what warfare did the times of the nationsbegin, with what warfare were they to end, and so ofwhat did 1914 mark the beginning?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 2 47vance kept looking forward toward the crucialyear 1914, when the "seven times" of God's permissionof complete, uninterrupted domination ofthe earth by the beastly Gentile nations wouldend . Did the evidence proving the establishmentor birth of God's kingdom that year fail? No! TheGentile times of world domination had begun2,520 years earlier, that is, in 607 B .C ., at theclimax of Gentile war against the typical kingdomof God at Jerusalem, the typical "throne of Jehovah"being then overturned by the capture anddeportation of King edekiah and the destructionof Jerusalem and its temple and the disappearanceof the temple's Ark of the covenant . Likewise,the "seven times" of Gentile domination wereprophesied to end with war by the Gentile nationsagainst the newly born kingdom of God, thiskingdom being established in the heavens by theinstalling of Christ Jesus in the "throne of Jehovah"on the heavenly ion . The end of the "appointedtimes of the nations" in 1914 would thereforemark the beginning of the "time of the end"for this old world, the beginning of the "consummationof the system of things" . The Kingdom'sbirth in 1914 made a difference throughout allGod's universe. Things could never be the sameafter 1914 as they were before, not only amongthe nations of earth but also throughout theheavens. The crucial year 1914 was a universalturning point. From that date on the nations ofearth would march on steadily and inexorably tothe violent end to which they were doomed bytheir own course of faithless opposition to thekingdom of Jehovah and his Christ .6 Exactly on time as scheduled in the Bible,events moved swiftly in 1914 . While Jehovah's6 . How did Jesus' words on the beginning of the"time of the end" of this system of things begin fulfilling?

248 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"witnesses were peacefully assembled by the thousandsin general conventions, they were deeplystirred by the assassination on June 28, 1914, ofthe Austrian archduke at Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia,the spark that was struck to ignite the greatconflagration of World War I . The invisible demonsfanned the flames and at the end of a month warwas on between the most Catholic country ofAustria-Hungary and Serbia . With the passing ofdays more countries of Christendom gave way tothe heat of the passions of war. Heathendom firstgot involved in the world war by Japan's declarationof war against Germany on August 23and by Russia's declaration against Turkey onOctober 30, followed by Britain's and France'sdeclaration against Turkey on November 5 . Bythe end of October, 1914, or 2,520 years to themonth from the complete desolation of Jerusalemand the land of Judah, ten nations and empireswere making the soil of Christendom reek withthe blood of those slain over the issue of worlddomination. In patriotic fashion the religiousclergy of Christendom took sides over the issue .Was this a rejoicing by "Christian" nations at thebirth of God's kingdom in the heavens and yieldingtheir sovereignty to the Kingdom? Not at all .It was a fulfillment of Jesus' prophetic words onthe evidence of the beginning of the "time of theend" of the old world's system of things : "Fornation will rise against nation and kingdomagainst kingdom, and there will be food shortagesand earthquakes in one place after another . Allthese things are a beginning of pangs of distress ."-Matt . 24 :7, 8, NW.This world war, the cost of which in lives,7. What was specially noteworthy about World War I,and with what was it accompanied, in faithful fulfillmentof Jesus' forecast?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 2 49money and property exceeded the cost of all warsduring the preceding eighteen centuries, markedthe start of total war, the whole nation beingmobilized, the entire kingdom and empire beingintegrated for a fight to win . Food needed to berationed ; men were drawn from the productiveoccupations by the millions ; selfish hoarding andfood shortages or famines followed, as more andmore nations got sucked into the widening eddy ofglobal conflict during the four years and threemonths of its devastating course . Epidemics brokeout, culminating in the ghastly pestilence of the"Spanish influenza" in the winter of 1918-1919,which in a few months laid low in death 20,000,000lives from the equatorial to the Arctic regions,or more lives than were killed in battle duringthe four years of war. To add to the din of war,the victims of violence, famine and pestilence, andthe mourning of the bereaved, earthquakes rumbledand roared, shook down millions of dollars'worth of property and claimed the lives of thousands,like the temblor of January 13, 1915, atAvezzano, Italy, that took a toll of 29,978 humanlives. It was a faithful fulfillment of Jesus' forecastof world developments at the beginning ofhis presence on the throne of Jehovah's kingdom :"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdomagainst kingdom, and there will be great earthquakesand in one place after another pestilencesand food shortages, and there will be fearful sightsand from heaven great signs ."-Luke 21 :10, 11,NW .aSatan the Devil visibly proved he was the"ruler of this world", "the god of this system ofthings." He stirred up the nations, first of Christ. How did Satan prove he was god and ruler of thisold world, unworthy of being allowed in heaven, andwhat interpretation does the coming World War Iin 1914 have?

250 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tendom and then of heathendom, to engage in waragainst the universal sovereignty of Jehovah Godas expressed in his newborn kingdom of the Messiah,the Christ . (John 12 :31 and 2 Cor. 4 :4, NW)All the more reason this was for Satan the greatDragon to be cast out of heaven after the installationof Jehovah's King up there. The coming ofthe first world war of history in 1914, and that atthe close of the "seven times" of the untheocraticGentile nations, has but one interpretation, theBible's interpretation . It signifies the establishmentof Jehovah's promised kingdom, the presenceof his Son Jesus Christ in the throne as rulerover earth, and the start of the "time of the end"of this worldly system of things . Hence the bookof Revelation of "things that must shortly takeplace" said : "And the seventh angel blew histrumpet . And loud voices occurred in heavensaying : `The kingdom of the world the newworld has become the kingdom of our Lord andof his Christ, and he will rule as king for everand ever.' And the twenty-four persons of advancedage who were seated before God upontheir thrones fell upon their faces and worshipedGod, saying : `We thank you, Jehovah God, theAlmighty, the one who is and who was, becauseyou have taken your great power and begun rulingas king. But the nations became wrathful, andyour own wrath came, and the appointed time . . to bring to ruin those ruining the earth .' " (Rev .11 :15-18, NW) According to prophecy, Jehovah'senthroned King, Jesus Christ, had to begin reigningin the midst of his enemies in heaven and onearth . He did-in 1914 .eIf the nations of Christendom and their clergyand religious sects would not hail the Kingdom's9 . Besides predicting world war, what persecution didJesus foretell, and of what was it to be a proof?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 251birth in joyful acceptance, neither would they acceptthe ambassadors and announcers of the Kingdom. In further proof of the opposition of thepolitical nations to God's kingdom after its birth,Jesus added these warning words to his predictionof World War I : "Then people will deliver youup to tribulation and will kill you, and you willbe hated by all the nations on account of my name .Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betrayone another and will hate one another. And manyfalse prophets will arise and mislead many ; andbecause of the increasing of lawlessness the loveof the greater number will cool off ." (Matt . 24 :9-12, NW) Back of all this was the Devil, "theaccuser of our brothers ." He instigated his seedon earth to engage in cruel persecution of thechildren of the Kingdom's mother, "the remainingones of her seed." This international persecutionduring World War I was not the mere result of thehysteria of war, but was a coolly calculated policyfomented by the long-restrained hatred Christendom'sreligionists had for Jehovah's witnesses .'€ The drawing of the United States of Americainto World War I in its third year furnished theopportunity at last for the religious clergy andthe principal ones of their flocks to strike at theheadquarters of the legal servant of Jehovah'switnesses, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society,at Brooklyn, N . Y . False accusation servedthe Devil's cause well, and in short order eightofficials and prominent members of the headquartersfamily were railroaded to Federal penitentiaryby a mock trial . Under the pressure thatfollowed, the Society's headquarters were moved10. How was the headquarters of the legal servant ofJehovah's witnesses affected by the persecution, andhow was the Kingdom proclamation affected by thepersecution in general?

2 52 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"from Brooklyn to Pittsburgh, Pa ., where it hadoriginally been chartered in 1884. While selfishtraitors worked within the organization to try todisrupt it, other arrests and imprisonments of Jehovah'switnesses occurred over all the earth,accompanied by mobbings, bans on their Biblesand literature, violent despoiling of their properties,and killings literally and in the propagandathat bombarded the people . Little wonder thatthe voice of Jehovah's witnesses in free, uncensoredproclamation of God's kingdom became subduedand restricted. For the time it seemed as ifJehovah's witnesses had finished their witnessing .The enemies rejoiced and congratulated themselves.(Rev . 11 :7-10) All this added to the evidencethat the "time of the end" had begun in1914 and that the nations were irreversiblydoomed . It was all a part of the great "sign" thatJesus foretold showing the "consummation of thesystem of things" and his invisible presence .11 But the antichristian suppressing of Jehovah'switnesses to deathlike inactivity at the climax ofWorld War I served a purpose . It emphasized howgreat the miracle had to be that Almighty Godwould perform toward them for the sake of hisown name and in his compassion and forgivenesstoward his repentant remnant of ion's children .Jesus predicted this divine miracle. In his prophecyon the sign of his second presence he followedup his prediction of the persecution of his faithfulfollowers with these meaningful words : "But hethat has endured to the finish is the one that willbe saved. And this good news of the kingdom willbe preached in all the inhabited earth for thepurpose of a witness to all the nations, and then• . What miracle did this suppressing of Jehovah'switnesses serve to emphasize, and how did Jesus foretellit in his prophecy?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 253the accomplished end will come." (Matt . 24 :13, 14,NW) "Also in all the nations the good news hasto be preached first ." (Mark 13 :10, NW) Yes, afinal international witness must first be given concerningthe Kingdom before the total end of thenations is accomplished at the close of the "timeof the end". The nations tried to prevent this witnessfrom being given to the rightful universalGovernment of the earth, but they failed, just as

2 54 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the Jewish chief priests and Pharisees tried by useof the arm of the state and of the military to preventJesus' resurrection and its proclamation andfailed .-Matt. 27 :62 to 28:15, NW.12When Jesus gave this prophecy on the finalpreaching of "this good news of the kingdom", hewas there present and the good news that wasthen being preached was, "The kingdom of theheavens has drawn near ." (Matt . 4 :17 ; 10 :7, NW)"The appointed time has been fulfilled and thekingdom of God has drawn near ." (Mark 1 :15,NW) He had been anointed to the Kingdom andwas present in the midst of the people, friends andenemies ; and he could correctly say therefore :"Look! the kingdom of God is in your midst ." "Thekingdom of God has come near to you ." (Luke17 :21 ; 10 :9, NW) That was "this good news ofthe kingdom" at that time, at the consummationof the Jewish system of things in Judea . HenceJesus' prophetic expression "this good news of thekingdom" for the present "consummation of thesystem of things", the "time of the end" of thisworld, must be the good news, not of a kingdomyet to come in the far-off, indefinite future, butof God's kingdom born, set up, and with theanointed Jesus in the heavenly throne, invisiblypresent there and with his attention and the "rodof his strength" directed toward this earth . Suchgood news the facts prove it to be .13However, for such good news to be preachedthere must be preachers . For the good news to bepreached in "all the inhabited earth", preachersmust be sent, and that in great numbers . For thegood news to be preached for a "witness to all the12 . What was meant by Jesus' expression "this goodnews of the kingdom", and why?13 . For such good news to be preached in all the inhabitedearth what was necessary, and how was provisionfor this begun?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 25 5nations", it had to be preached in scores of languages.(Rom . 10 :14, 15) In his day Jesus sentforth his apostles and other disciples to preachthe Kingdom news. In 1919 Jehovah by this reigningJesus sent forth preachers to proclaim "thisgood news of the kingdom" for a final witnessbefore the world's complete end . Whom did Jehovahsend forth? His own witnesses, the remnantof his woman's children .14 To do this Jehovah had to remove them fromunder his temporary displeasure, which could havemeant their death . By the miraculous power ofhis spirit he had to raise them out of their deathlikecondition into which their enemy assailants,oppressors and captors had forced them . In joyfulresponse to Jehovah's call for them to rise andcome up to his lofty service, their corpselikeorganization became enlivened by his spirit andthey rose to their high privilege of delivering theKingdom witness world-wide . At the sight ofthis their astounded enemies felt, as it were, aterrifying earthquake. Foretelling this, Revelation11 :11-13 (NW) said concerning these temporarilyinactivated witnesses : "After the three and a halfdays spirit of life from God entered into them,and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fellupon those beholding them . And they heard aloud voice out of heaven say to them : `Come onup here .' And they went up into heaven in thecloud, and their enemies beheld them . And in thathour a great earthquake occurred, and a tenth ofthe city fell, and seven thousand persons werekilled by the earthquake, and the rest becameterrified and gave glory to the God of heaven ."14 . To do that, what miracle did Jehovah perform andwith what effect on the enemies, as foretold in TheRevelation?

256 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"15To date this final witness to God's establishedkingdom earth-wide has proved to be one of themarvels of this "time of the end", a spiritualmiracle indeed . Think of it : From a few thousandpreachers in 1919, internationally hated and viciouslypersecuted, to half a million dauntlesspreachers by 1953 . As the obedient and fearlessremnant of the children of God's woman wentforth wherever he sent them and preached theKingdom news, tens of thousands and, in time,hundreds of thousands, of people of good will acceptedthis final witness . They saw that the fieldwas the world and that the laborers were relativelyfew. So they joined the remnant of Kingdomambassadors in delivering the good news and thusthemselves became witnesses, Jehovah's witnesses,like His witnesses before the Christian era .In proportion to the spread of the witness, moreof these witnesses of good will have volunteeredtheir service to Jehovah God from all nations,peoples and tongues .16Like a mighty tide, moved irresistibly by thespirit of Almighty God, this final witness to theKingdom has swept over the globe since 1919 inclose to a billion books, booklets, free tracts, magazines,in now more than a hundred languages,in addition to millions of verbal testimonies deliveredto the people from door to door and houseto house and from the public platform or speakingstand and by radio . World War II and localizedwars and mighty dictators have not halted thespread and the acceptance of the witness . Ironcurtains, bamboo curtains, cowhide curtains andred-tape curtains have not kept it out . Until theliteral end of Satan's world comes at God's un-15. How has this final witness to the Kingdom provedto be a marvel?16. How has this final witness swept over the globe,and till when must it go on?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 25 7changeable time the witness must go on, and as itgoes it must and does increase . This final Kingdomwitness is one of the most monumental featuresof the "sign" that God's kingdom was establishedin the heaven in 1914 and that his King reignsin full control amidst his enemies .17In harmony with the known and recordedfacts it must be said that Jehovah's witnesses arethe only ones that have been favored and equippedwith "this good news of the kingdom" . No othersare preaching it ; all others are opposing it . Thiscalls attention to another strong evidence of thepresence of God's Son in the Kingdom and of theapproaching end of Satan's world . What is it?It is the gathering of God's remnant of spiritualchildren, his "chosen ones", from wherever theyhave been scattered under heaven, and then hisintegrating them into one service group and constitutingthem his visible slave class entrustedwith the Kingdom message and interests . By themthe second but invisible presence of Jesus Christas King has not been kept secret but has beenflashed from horizon to horizon like a brilliantstreak of lightning piercing a dark sky. Satanand his demons have deceptively tried to showthemselves as heavenly lights, like the sun, moonand stars in the spiritual heavens of Satan's world,"transforming himself into an angel of light."(2 Cor . 11 :14, NW) But these "wicked spirit forcesin the heavenly places" have suddenly failed togive effective "light" to their dupes on earth tomeet the world crisis . So the situation darkens formankind . The reason is that those spiritual governments,authorities and world-rulers of thisdarkness have been cast down from heaven byJehovah's all-conquering King ; they have been17 . In this connection what other strong evidence ofthe King's invisible presence is called to our attention?But what "lights" have failed the people, and why?

258 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"shaken loose and down from their celestial orbitsand stellar stations . (Eph . 6 :11, 12, NW) Theactivity of the glorified "Son of man" behind theclouds of heaven is forcibly felt in its painful effectupon Satan's organization, and the tribesof the earth are wailing everywhere .18 Note with what expressive description thiswas foretold in the further words of Jesus' prophecyon our day : "For just as the lightning comesout of eastern parts and shines over to westernparts, so the presence of the Son of man will be .Wherever the carcass this world's coming conditionis, there the eagles the far-sighted, swiftmovingwitnesses who foresee this will flock together.Immediately after the tribulation of thosedays 1914-1918 the sun will be darkened, andthe moon will not give its light, and the starswill fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavenswill be shaken. And then the sign of the Sonof man will appear in heaven, and then all thetribes of the earth will go to wailing and they willsee the Son of man coming on the clouds of heavenwith power and great glory. And he will sendforth his angels with a great trumpet-sound andthey will gather his chosen ones together fromthe four winds, from one extremity of the heavensto their other extremity ."-Matt . 24 :27-31, NW .19The invisible demons used their visible agenciesto scatter the remnant of the spiritual sonsof God's woman, his "chosen ones" in line for theheavenly Kingdom . But from 1919 onward God'sreigning King, by his invisible angels who foughtunder him in heaven to victory, gathered thesechosen ones into theocratic unity for the final wit-18 . How did Jesus foretell such gathering and thefailure of the lights of Satan's heavens?19. How and to what were the chosen ones gathered,what sign were they granted to see, and what trumpetsound was given?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 259ness. Jehovah unveiled to their eyes of understandingthe "sign of the Son of man" in heavenas pictorially foretold at Revelation 12 :1-12, andthis drew them together to the established Kingdom. The great "trumpet-sound" of their witnessto the Kingdom began in order to reach the earsof all the chosen ones and call them together forthe final witness in united service to God and hisKing. They must serve as one man in Christ .20 It is to this remnant of regathered "chosenones" that Jehovah's King has committed theearthly assets and interests of the Kingdom inthis "time of the end" . Before 1919 the originalremnant of this class of "chosen ones" were tryingto dispense the Bible truth that was present withthem to others who were spiritually hungry . Theywere grieved at the interruption of their serviceby the enemies of the truth during World War I,and they longed for further privileges of service,freer and larger privileges . They showed a willingnessto be sent into the field of activity in 1919,when the regathering of them by the angels began,and they launched off into the postwar workunitedly, full of faith and courage . They had notexpected such a postwar service ; it came quiteunexpectedly and as a joyful surprise to them .But by this renewed privilege of witnessing theyknew that their King had visited them and hadjudged them faithful and worthy to be entrustedwith Kingdom interests . Their King appointed thisreunited body of "chosen ones" as his "faithfuland discreet slave" over all his belongings onearth . This was just as he had foretold in hisgreat prophecy, saying : "Who really is the faithfuland discreet slave whom his master appointedover his domestics to give them their food at the20. With what did the King entrust the regatheredremnant, and in what capacity were they appointed toserve unitedly?

260 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"proper time? Happy is that slave if his masteron arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you,He will appoint him over all his belongings."-Matt . 24 :45-47, NW .2,1 It is not unusual for God's Word to speak ofa people or a nation or a united group as a servantor slave, as if but one man . For instance : "Yeare my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servantwhom I have chosen" ; and, "Yet now hear,O Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I havechosen." (Isa . 43 :10 ; 44 :1, AS) So with the "faithfuland discreet slave" . It is not an individual man,but is a class entrusted with Kingdom assets andinterests . It is not the Watch Tower Bible andTract Society and all its branches, a legal agencyincorporated according to the laws of a worldlypolitical state. The "slave" is rather the unitedcompany of Jehovah's regathered "chosen ones",the yet remaining ones of God's spiritual childrenby his woman . His King has selected just one"slave" class and put it over all his belongings .The religious clergy of Christendom and the rebellious"evil slave" class show themselves upas not having been entrusted with these Kingdombelongings . The one "faithful and discreet slave"company is proved to be the only group administeringthese Kingdom interests, and Jehovah hasprospered them in this loving, obedient service .Under all conditions since this promotion in thedivine service this company have kept on givinghis "domestics", the fellow members, the spiritualfood at the proper time. They have widened outtheir service to feed this life-sustaining spiritualfood, or the Kingdom message, to a constantlyenlarging crowd of loyal people of good will thathave attached themselves to God's household . The21 . Why is the remnant appropriately spoken of asthe "discreet slave" class, and how has this slave acquittedhimself and widened out his service?

SURE EVIDENCES OF THE END'S APPROACH 261well-known presence and activity of this "faithfuland discreet slave" class fulfills Jesus' prophecy. It adds to the certain evidence that he nowreigns and the old world's end nears .22The "beginning of pangs of distress" of WorldWar I ended in an armistice in November, 1918 .But the distress of nations has not lessened . Worldleaders and peacemakers, with whom the clergy ofChristendom patriotically fell in line, spoke of apostwar world and of making it a new world oflasting peace and of democratic rule . All in vain!Peace has proved to be very broken and uncertain .Democracy has come under assault by newlyrising dictators backed by the religious clergy .Their new world has failed to materialize . It hasremained the old world, increasing its hostilityto God's kingdom and sinking deeper in moralcorruption . Earthquakes, famines and pestilenceshave kept occurring, besides other calamities andhorrors. Great disillusionment has taken place!The dissatisfaction and restlessness of the peopleover the failure of their rulers in power mountand spread . New and worse troubles threaten . Thedistracted rulers are at their wits' end, and thereligious clergy ignore God's Word and offer nolife-giving counsel to either rulers or people . Theprediction of Jesus for this time gets continuingconfirmation : "Also there will be signs in sunand moon and stars, and on the earth anguish ofnations, not knowing the way out because of theroaring of the sea and its agitation, while menbecome faint out of fear and expectation of thethings coming upon the inhabited earth ; for thepowers of the heavens will be shaken . And thenthey will see the Son of man coming in a cloud22. Since the end of World War I has distress of nationslessened, and how has Jesus' prophecy on thisreceived confirmation?

262 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"with power and great glory ."-Luke 21 :25-27,NW .23Not so, however, with the King's "faithfuland discreet slave" class and the people of goodwill whom the slave class feeds with spiritualfood from Jehovah's storehouse of truth, "food atthe proper time ." They are not pierced by theanguish of the nations, nor do they become faintout of fear and expectation of the things comingupon the worldly inhabitants of the earth . Insteadof slumping helplessly and giving way to desperation,they are courageous, they are happy . Theyare the biggest optimists for the future, for byattending to God's prophetic Word they understandwhat is taking place . They know that everlastingdeliverance of Jehovah's faithful peopleis getting nearer all the time, yes, is due withinthis generation . They heed Jesus' encouragementto his followers : "But as these things start tooccur, raise yourselves erect and lift your headsup, because your deliverance is getting near . . . .Note the fig tree and all the other trees : Whenthey are already in the bud, by observing it youknow for yourselves that now the summer isnear. In this way you also, when you see thesethings occurring, know that the kingdom of Godis near . Truly I say to you, This generation willby no means pass away until all things occur.Heaven and earth will pass away, but my wordswill by no means pass away ." (Luke 21 :28-33,NW) Deliverance from the heaven and earth ofSatan's world is what lovers of righteousness andtruth want. So we rejoice at the sure evidencethat their end approaches .23 . In comparison, how has it been with the "discreetslave" class and their companions, and what encouragingwords of Jesus do they heed?

CHAPTER VIIIThe Great Gathering for SurvivalHE prophet of Jehovah, looking ahead to theT great trouble at the world's end, told theeffect of the vision upon him : "Rottenness enterethinto my bones, and I tremble in my place ."(Hab . 3 :16, AS) Since the close of this "timeof the end" will be so disastrous to this world,will any creatures on earth survive it, that is,survive on earth and live on into the newworld of God's promise? Yes, for the earth willnever be desolate of inhabitants . God's Wordgives many assurances of marvelous preservationof survivors at the end of this world and showsthe requirements for being among the survivors .In his prophecy on the end of this system ofthings Jesus plainly stated that the terrific destructionthen due to take place would threaten tosnuff out all creature life on the globe, but thatAlmighty God in his great mercy and for hisname's sake would protect those taking refuge inhim . Jesus said to his followers : "Keep prayingthat your flight may not occur in wintertimenor on the sabbath day ; for then there will begreat tribulation such as has not occurred sincethe world's beginning until now, no, nor will occuragain. In fact, unless those days were cut short,1 . What question arises in view of the world's disastrousend, and what assurance did Jesus give thechosen ones in his prophecy?263

2 64 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"no flesh would be saved ; but on account of thechosen ones those days will be cut short ."-Matt .24:20-22, NW .2 In the year 1914, right after the birth of theKingdom by God's woman, great tribulation beganupon Satan's world, its heavens and itsearth . The war in heaven broke out that deposedSatan and his wicked angels from heaven andthis was accompanied by the "beginning of pangsof distress" on earth . Had that tribulation continuedwithout interruption to the immediate destructionof Satan's heavenly and earthly structure,no flesh would have been saved . Not evenGod's "chosen ones" yet on earth in the flesh? No ;for at that time they were under divine displeasurefor having succumbed to the fear of man and thepressures of this world, which led to their beingtaken captive by Satan's Babylonish organizationand carried away from their proper activity inGod's organization . So they might have been destroyedwith Satan's organization under whichthey were lying . But had that taken place, it wouldhave left incomplete God's foreordained numberof 144,000 chosen ones who are to reign with JesusChrist ; it would have cut off the remnant of thatelect company before they could render theircalling and choosing for the Kingdom firm . -2 Pet .1 :10, NW .3 This would have suited the Devil's fiendishpurpose well, to drag all creatures on earth downinto destruction with him, but it would have runcounter to Jehovah's purpose for the vindicationof his Word, his name and his universal sovereignty.The situation called for Jehovah's exerciseof mercy, forgiveness and deliverance accord-2, 3 . How were those days of tribulation cut short onaccount of God's chosen ones?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 265ing to the terms of his new covenant with his"holy nation", his "people for special possession" ;and Jehovah God exercised it through his KingJesus Christ . Like King Cyrus of old who conqueredancient Babylon and released Jehovah'scaptive people to resume their free worship oftheir God in their homeland, the King Jesus Christdelivered the captive remnant of his followersfrom 1919 onward from the Greater Babylon ofour day . In this behalf he did not carry throughthe war begun in heaven and which had dislodgedand toppled the invisible gods and rulers of modernBabylon . He suspended the war until Jehovah'sappointed "day and hour" when it must beresumed and finished with the total destructionof Satan's Babylonish world . In this way "thosedays" of tribulation upon Satan's organizationwere "cut short" on account of Jehovah's "chosenones" who were yet in the flesh .Jehovah by his prophet had foretold thismerciful sparing of his elect or chosen ones andhis deliverance of them from the power of theenemy and restoration of them to their homelandof activity . Referring to those who hadyielded to the enemy's influence, he said : `Behold,it is written before me : I will not keep silence,but will recompense, even recompense intotheir bosom, your iniquities, and the iniquitiesof your fathers together, saith Jehovah, who haveburned incense upon the mountains, and outragedme upon the hills ; and I will measure their formerwork into their bosom . Thus saith Jehovah : Asthe new wine is found in the cluster, and it issaid, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it ; so willI do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroythem all . And I will bring forth a seed a4 . How did Jehovah foretell this sparing of his chosenones, at Isaiah 65 :6-10?

2 66 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"faithful remnant out of Jacob spiritual Israel ,and out of Judah the Kingdom nation a possessorof my mountains ; and mine elect chosenones shall possess it, and my servants shall dwellthere . And the Sharon plain shall be a fold forflocks, and the valley of Achor a couching-placeof the herds, for my people that have sought me ."(Isa. 65 :6-10, Da) Interestingly, the Jews' AramaicTargum paraphrase of verse 8 above reads :"Thus saith Jehovah : As Noah was found righteousin the generation of the flood, and I promisednot to destroy him in order to establish the worldfrom him ; so will I do for the sake of my righteousservants, that I may not destroy them all ."5 Because the loyal remnant of his captive elector chosen ones were like a lone cluster of grapeswith a bit of new wine in it, Jehovah God sparedit out of the whole vineyard of people who professedto be Christians . He took it for making,as it were, "new wine that gladdens God and men ."(Judg . 9 :13, NW) During the interval of God'spatience and forbearance by which the days ofthe tribulation would be cut short their servicewas to be devoted to making glad both Jehovahand also hundreds of thousands of people of goodwill . With this gladsome end in view Jehovahspared his people in the flesh ; and by his Kingnow reigning in the midst of his enemies he restoredthem to the place of his visible organizationon earth pictured by the land of Judah withits Mount ion and other mountains and its fertileplain of Sharon and valley of Achor .6In this theocratic organization the remnant5 . During the interval for cutting short the tribulationwhat was the remnant's service to be for, and hencewhat did Jehovah do for them?6. Thus what were the remnant able to renew, by whomcould they be assisted, and how did they speak in appreciation?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 267were able to renew their proper worship of Jehovahand carry on their spiritual shepherdingactivities. In this activity they could be assistedby the strangers and foreigners of good will, asthe work of witnessing and shepherding grew. Thisvery thing was foretold to these spiritual Israelites: "And strangers shall stand and feed yourflocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen andyour vinedressers . But ye shall be named thepriests of Jehovah ; men shall call you the ministersof our God : ye shall eat the wealth of thenations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves." (Isa. 61 :5, 6, AS) Thus a spiritual landwas "born in one day", in Jehovah's day, and aspiritual nation was "brought forth at once" asrepresented by the remnant of His chosen ones .(Isa . 66 :8, AS) In appreciation the forgiven,spared and restored remnant spoke, just as theprophecy foretold they would : "And there shallbe a highway for the remnant of his people, thatshall remain, from Assyria ; like as there was forIsrael in the day that he came up out of the landof Egypt. And in that day thou shalt say, I willgive thanks unto thee, 0 Jehovah ; for thoughthou wast angry with me, thine anger is turnedaway, and thou comfortest me . . . . Jehovah, evenJehovah, is my strength and song ; and he is becomemy salvation ."-Isa . 11 :16 to 12 :2, AS.7 This regathering of the loyal spiritual remnanthas taken place in fulfillment of Jesus' prophecyat Matthew 24 :31 and Mark 13 :27 . But the timefor their regathering and for gathering thosestrangers and foreigners who will assist them inthe theocratic organization is limited ; it is a periodof divine patience and undeserved kindness . While7 . Despite the cutting short of the tribulation, whatremains to be faced, and so how does Satan conducthimself?

268 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"it cuts short the days of tribulation on Satan's organization,it still leaves to be faced the terribleend of those days of tribulation, the climax of this"time of the end". Definitely and unchangeablytimed by Jehovah God, it approaches ever nearer .One sure day it will be upon all who are upon theface of the earth and in its vicinity. Satan, castdown with his demons to the vicinity of thisearth, knows the time interval constantly growsshorter . So he vents his spitefulness by bringingwoes upon the people to interfere with and possiblystop the ever-increasing work of Jehovah'switnesses . Significantly, at the time of Satan'sousting from heaven a "loud voice in heaven"said : "Woe for the earth and for the sea, becausethe Devil has come down to you, having greatanger, knowing he has a short period of time ."-Rev. 12 :10, 12, NW.8 It is now a race with time for those who wantto seek safety and survive the final, fatal spasmof the tribulation. In God's matchless patience"this good news of the kingdom" has beenpreached as a witness for now close onto fortyyears . Now no further time should be lost to makean escape from the doomed system of things .With sharp discernment Jesus' followers see theabominable, detestable, disgusting thing thatcauses desolation to this old world, at the sightof which in the holy place Jesus urgently warnedhis followers to flee posthaste, saying :9 "This good news of the kingdom will bepreached in all the inhabited earth for the purposeof a witness to all the nations, and then theaccomplished end will come . Therefore, when youcatch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation,as spoken of through Daniel the prophet,8, 9. Why is it now a race with time for safety's sake,and what sight foretold by Jesus indicates this?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 26 9standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,)then let those in Judea begin fleeingto the mountains. Let the man on the housetopnot come down to take the goods out of his house ;and let the man in the field not return to thehouse to pick up his outer garment . Woe to thepregnant women and those suckling a baby inthose days! Keep praying that your flight maynot occur in wintertime nor on the sabbath day ;for then there will be great tribulation such ashas not occurred since the world's beginning untilnow, no, nor will occur again."-Matt. 24 :14-21,NW.10 Jesus had just foretold an appalling end toJerusalem's temple . Hence he used the above languagebecause he was taking the city of Jerusalemas a model of the great organization thatwas to be destroyed. This fact becomes clearerfrom Luke's account of Jesus' same prophecy inslightly different terms : "Furthermore, when yousee Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies,then understand that the desolating of her hasdrawn near. Then let those in Judea of whichJerusalem was the Jewish capital begin fleeingto the mountains, and let those in the midst ofher Jerusalem withdraw, and let those in thenearby regions not enter into her, because theseare days for meting out justice that all the thingswritten may be fulfilled. Woe to the pregnantwomen and the ones suckling a baby in those days!For there will be great necessity upon the landand wrath on this people, and they will fall by theedge of the sword and be led captive into all thenations, and Jerusalem will be trampled on by thenations, until the appointed times of the nationsare fulfilled."-Luke 21 :20-24, NW.10. Why did Jesus use the above language involvingJerusalem, and how does Luke's version of the prophecyshow this?

270 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"11This then unparalleled tribulation upon Jerusalembegan thirty-seven years from when Jesusspoke, or A .D. 70. It was a terrifying illustrationof the "great tribulation" to come at the oldworld's end. The complete, final fulfillment ofJesus' prophecy was not accomplished upon Jerusalemand her territory back there, for certainly"this good news of the kingdom" had not beenpreached in all the inhabited earth as a witnessto all the nations before the end came upon Jerusalemin 70 . The good news of God's kingdomborn A .D. 1914 is only fully preached in all theinhabited earth as an international witness beforethe accomplished end befalls Christendom and allthe rest of this old world .12A few days after Jesus uttered the aboveprophecy from the top of the Mount of Olivesoverlooking Jerusalem an abominable, disgustingthing did occur . It sealed the prophecies of a justdestruction for earthly Jerusalem, and it couldbe used as an illustration of the "disgusting thingthat causes desolation" in the present "time of theend". That loathsome thing occurred when thereligious, mob-inciting clergy of the holy city ofJerusalem led Jesus Christ to the palace beforeImperial Rome's governor and accused him, insistingthat he was a blasphemer deserving deathaccording to their own law and also a seditionistagainst Caesar! Their malicious purpose was tohave Jesus disgracefully executed like an accursedJew and a cheap criminal Roman slave . WhenPontius Pilate, detecting their malice and hypocrisy,made attempts to release Jesus, the Jewishclergy rejected him as their rightful, God-sent11 . Why was the tribulation upon Jerusalem A .D. 70only an illustration of that to come upon the old world?12 . A few days after Jesus' prophecy how was anabominable, disgusting thing set up as an illustrationof the one now?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 271King . They declared themselves Caesar's friendsin objecting to Jesus' release . Finally they flatlyabandoned him to impalement with the climacticwords : "We have no king but Caesar ." All right,then, let them have pagan Caesar as king! Letthem go the limit in rejoicing in Caesar as theirking till their false words have turned to teethbreakinggravel in their mouths! (John 18 :28 to19 :15, NW) Thus "both Herod and Pontius Pilatewith men of nations and with peoples of Israel"combined in a conspiracy against Jehovah and hisChrist. There at the holy city of Jerusalem theyunitedly set up an image of pagan sovereignty ofthe world and they called for the earth's dominationby the anti-Jehovah Gentiles to go on . A thingmost disgusting to Jehovah God and indeed meritingJerusalem's desolation by his executioners!-Acts 4 :24-28, NW .13The apostate, hypocritical, publicly proclaimedfriendship of the Jewish clergy and flockwith Caesar did not pay in the long run . AfterJesus' cruel death, resurrection, and ascension toheaven, the holy spirit was poured out upon thedisciples at Jerusalem on Pentecost . For yearsafterward the governing body of the entire Christiancongregation, including the twelve apostlesof the Lamb, continued at the doomed city ofJerusalem, even during the persecution conductedby the rabid Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus . James, thefleshly half brother of Jesus, became a memberof the governing body and even presided over aspecial conference at Jerusalem . And when theapostle Paul made his last visit to JerusalemA.D . 56, James was there as a pillar of the congregationand joined in giving organization instructions. Years later the governing body still had13 . Till a late date what did Jerusalem continue as forthe Christian congregation? What are the facts?

272 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"its headquarters at Jerusalem, for the Jewishhistorian Josephus tells us in his Antiquities,Book 20, chapter 9, paragraph 1, that James andother Christians were stoned to death at JerusalemA.D . 62 . Thus till a late date Jerusalemserved not only as the center of the old Jewishworship at the temple but also as the headquarterscity of the entire Christian congregation .14 But the time came for the Christians to moveout of Jerusalem, not because of Jewish persecutionbut according to Jesus' instruction . In 66(A .D .) the Jews revolted against their chosenfriend and king, Caesar . Cestius Gallus, the Romanpresident over Syria, led an army against Jerusalemand drove the Jews into its upper partand its temple precincts . But without finishingthe war at once, he soon withdrew his forces forsome unaccountable reason, and Caesar Nero appointedVespasian, father of Titus, to conductthe war. The Christians in Jerusalem, bottled upin the city by the Romans, recalled Jesus' direction,"When you see Jerusalem surrounded byencamped armies, then understand that the desolatingof her has drawn near . Then let thosein Judea begin fleeing to the mountains, and letthose in the midst of her Jerusalem withdraw."They must also have recalled Jesus' words whenhe wept over Jerusalem while on his triumphantride toward it : "If you, even you, had discernedin this day the things having to do with peace-but now they have been hid from your eyes .Because the days will come upon you when yourenemies will build around you a fortification withpointed stakes and will encircle you and distressyou from every side, and they will dash you andyour children Jerusalem's citizens within you to14 . When did the time come for the Christians to moveout of Jerusalem, and what must they have thenrecalled?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 273the ground, and they will not leave a stone upona stone in you, because you did not discern thetime of your being inspected ."-Luke 21 :20, 21 ;19 :41-44, NW .15So after the withdrawal of Gallus' army theChristian headquarters and disciples moved outwith haste, and headed for the mountains . Theydid not abide in Judea but crossed the Jordan andtook up residence in the mountains of Gilead,principally at Pella, one of the cities of the Decapolis,according to the report . Here they werespared the horrors of the siege and destructionof Jerusalem A.D . 70, when, reportedly, 1,100,000were killed and 97,000 were led away captive bythe Roman legions under Titus, who went on toravage all Judea . The Christians did not flee in thewintertime nor on the sabbath day of the Jews,which would have made their flight difficult . Jerusalemwas not besieged and destroyed in the wintertime,but its siege began suddenly while theJews were gathered in enormous numbers in the15 . What did the Christians then do, and what greattribulation befell the Jews?

274 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"city for the celebration of the passover in theirfirst spring month Nisan . Thus the great tribulationthat then befell the Jews that had enteredthe abominable, disgusting arrangement with theRoman governor A.D . 33 was not wintertime norsabbath day. It was the terrible siege and destructionof their holy city and temple, which destructionwas accomplished by the end of August,A.D . 70. By this the Jewish system of thingsended completely, and Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled: "And upon the wing of abominations shallcome one the Roman general Titus that makethdesolate ; and even unto the full end, and thatdetermined, shall wrath be poured out upon thedesolate."-Dan . 9 :27, AS .16That frightful destruction, without duplicationtill now, was but a small-scale prefiguring ofthe "great tribulation" that is to come upon antitypicalJerusalem, the modern Christendom, forher setting up of the "disgusting thing that causesdesolation", making it stand "in a holy place" .That abominable thing was foretold at Daniel11 :31 (Da) in these words : "And forces shallstand on his part the part of the totalitarian`king of the north' , and they shall profane thesanctuary, the fortress, and shall take away thecontinual sacrifice, and they shall place theabomination that maketh desolate ." During WorldWar I both sides profaned Jehovah's "sanctuary,the fortress" . How? By assaulting the remnantof his spiritual children who are part of the"temple of God" in which he dwells by his spiritto fortify and strengthen them . Both sides of thefirst total war took part in taking away the "continualsacrifice" by trying to suppress the worship16 . What did Jerusalem's tribulation prefigure? Howwas Jehovah's sanctuary profaned, the continual sacrificetaken away, and the move made toward setting upthe desolating abomination?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 2 75of Jehovah's witnesses and by causing them torefrain for a time from `offering to God a sacrificeof praise, that is, the fruit of lips which makepublic declaration to his name' . (1 Cor. 3 :16 ;Eph . 2 :21, 22 ; Heb . 13 :15, NW) Then the socalled"democratic" powers that had won the warjoined in setting up the League of Nations, whichwas provided for in the peace treaty . As soon asthe League was proposed, the clergy of Christendomcame out in favor of it, in traitorous rejectionof God's newborn kingdom . Before the peaceconference convened on January 18, 1919, at Paris,France, the Federal Council of the Churches ofChrist in America urged the adoption of theLeague and blasphemously called it the "politicalexpression of the kingdom of God on earth" .17The adoption of the League of Nations afterthe "seven times" of the Gentile nations hadended in 1914 was a rejection of Jehovah's universalsovereignty. The hypocritical calling of it theearthly political expression of God's kingdom-thevery opposite of what it actually was-made it a"disgusting thing" in God's sight. This called fordesolation to come from God's hand upon the nationsand religious systems of Christendom thathad thus rejected Jehovah's reigning King andhailed Caesar as their friend and only king, likethe Jews of Jesus' day . On January 10, 1920, theLeague of Nations began its existence with thesigning of the peace treaty, and the "disgustingthing that causes desolation" began standing inthe holy place, as a substitute for God's kingdomby his Son . Revelation 13 :14, 15 ; 19 :20 (NW)pictures the League of Nations as an "image ofthe wild beast" made for idolatrous worship, somethingdisgusting to Jehovah God . Revelation 17 :3-17 . When did the League of Nations begin, what makesit the "disgusting thing", and to what does it lead?

2 76 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"17 (NW) caricatures it as a scarlet-colored wildbeast with seven heads and ten horns, somethingabominable to God . Verses 9-11 declare it to bethe successor to the preceding seven world powersand hence to be the eighth world power . As theeighth it could begin a new series of world powers,but it does not . All anti-Jehovah world powersend with this eighth one, this wild beast that islabeled by Christendom's clergy with blasphemousnames. It is operating on borrowed time in defianceof the end of the "appointed times of thenations" in 1914. The idea of it is Babelic, Babylonish,in opposition to Jehovah's kingdom byChrist. It leads its dupes only one way : "it goesoff into destruction .""I By rejecting earth's rightful King and byadopting, supporting and depending upon this internationalconspiracy against God's kingdomChristendom's clergy and religious systems bringupon themselves sure desolation . (Isa. 8 :9-12)That desolation will come at the hands of thosesame worldly powers the leaguing of which theyapproved, sanctimoniously praying to God for hisblessing upon their League . Their adulterousfriendship with this doomed world will eventuallybackfire . Although men back there in 1920 set upthe "disgusting thing that causes desolation", yetthe surrounding of antitypical Jerusalem (Christendom)with armies, betokening her near desolationby her worldly friends and supporters, didnot then take place . The United States showeditself capable of turning against that which professesto represent God by persecuting Jehovah'switnesses amid World War I and then before andis, 19. By their part in this what do Christendom's religioussystems bring upon themselves? Despite settingup the disgusting thing, how was antitypical Jerusalemnot yet surrounded with armies?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 277during World War II letting violent mob actionagainst them run riot through forty-four of itsforty-eight States. But the United States did notdo this as a League member . As for Soviet Russia,it disestablished the State Church, confiscatedcertain classes of church properties, abused andinsulted clergymen of all ranks and denominations,and hoisted a flaming banner in Red Square, Moscow,proclaiming that "Religion Is the Opiumof the People" . But Russia was not then in theLeague, Russia first being accepted into it onSeptember 18, 1934 . At that time the Leagueof Nations had begun to disintegrate .19Shortly after seizing dictatorial power inGermany Adolf Hitler banned the Watch TowerSociety and Jehovah's witnesses on April 4, 1933,and threw them into prison and concentrationcamps and even guillotined them . But, then, Germanyquit the League of Nations that same year,on October 19, just as Japan had done on March 27 ;the third Axis partner, Mussolini's Italy, doing soon December 11, 1937. So the future desolatingpowers had not yet risen up against Christendomfrom among the ranks of her own clergysanctionedLeague of Nations, to encampagainst her and tear her topieces .20 When the totalitarian Axis partnerslaunched World War II in 1939,it caused the League of Nations to descendinto the abyss of helpless, deathlikeinactivity, like20. When did the disgustingthing cease tobe visible as a signalfor people to fleespeedily out of Christendom?

27 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the scarlet-colored wild beast at Revelation 17 :8 .As long as the wild beast, the League of Nations,was in the abyss, hence out of sight, the disgustingthing that causes desolation was not visibly inoperation . It had no armies. The sight of the disgustingthing in the holy place was thereforeinterrupted, blacked out, as a warning signal formen to flee out of Christendom, and that with theutmost speed.-Matt. 24 :15-21, NW.21But before World War II was over, the revivalof the League of Nations was proposed and arrangedfor in 1945, again by the United Statesof America ; and in the month following the endof the second world conflict the United Nationsorganization was founded, on October 24, 1945,by its ratification by the sufficient number ofCharter members, including Russia. By 1953 theUnited Nations had become established in its owncapital on the west bank of the East river in NewYork city and it had expanded to 60 members,including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia andmember republics of the Soviet Union, with CommunistChina claiming the right over NationalistChina to a seat in the United Nations . All theselast-named countries have openly pitched theircamps in hostility against Christendom, althoughthe United Nations gained its first real army forpolice warfare in 1950 by the outbreak then ofthe Korean war, in the middle of the pope's HolyYear with its prayers for peace and the "greatreturn" . By 1953 nineteen nations were fightingin the army of the United Nations in Korea,against the Communist menace .22By the emergence of the revived international21 . When was the international league revived, and towhat extent has it pitched camp against Christendom?22 . By the emergence of the revived league whatascended out of the abyss, and how have Christendom'sclergy come out with respect to it?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 2 79league in the form of the United Nations in 1945the scarlet-colored, seven-headed, ten-horned wildbeast ascended out of the abyss . The beast thatwas, and that then temporarily was not, is definitelynow present again . Certain of its horns arenow turning their piercing points ominously towardthe religious woman, "Babylon the Great, themother of the harlots and of the disgusting thingsof the earth," who rides upon the back of thewild beast. Again the clergy of Christendom havecome out in favor of the revived league, the UnitedNations, as the best means for world peace . Theypray for its success and offer church masses inits behalf . Even Vatican City's pope, as of October28, 1947, called upon the world to keep faithin the young United Nations and not renounce it,"even though many indications seem to demonstratethat its motives will not be more, for alonger or shorter time, than a `voice crying in thewilderness.'" That is, like the voice of John theBaptist. (New York Times, Oct. 29, 1947) TheVatican even believed it would be a good idea ifa spokesman for the religious systems of Christendomcould receive a sort of honorary nonvotingmembership in the United Nations, eachdenomination being permitted to assign a spokesmanon a rotation basis . Early in 1953 a proposalwas under consideration at the United Nationsfor a World Parliament of Religions, the purposeof which would be to increase understandingamong representatives of the various faiths andformulate a peace program that all could vigorouslypromote . (The magazine See of May, 1953,page 12) In behalf of this religious parliamentto work with the U .N . the World Parliament ofReligions, Inc ., was formed in New York in1952 .See What Has Religion Done for Mankind? pages 12-15,11118-12. The Certificate of Incorporation of WORLD PARLIAMENT

280 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"23Despite the approval and blessing of the clergyand religious flocks of Christendom, the UnitedNations wild beast of seven heads and ten hornsis exposed by God's Word as being absolutelyagainst the kingdom of his Son : "The ten hornsthat you saw mean ten kings, who have not yetreceived a kingdom, but they do receive authorityas kings one hour with the wild beast. Thesehave one purpose, and so they give their powerand authority to the wild beast . These will battlewith the Lamb Jesus Christ , but, because he isLord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb willconquer them . Also those called and chosen andfaithful with him will do so."-Rev . 17 :12-14,NW .OF RELIGIONS, INC ., approved on February 18, 1952, by aJustice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, says :"2. The purposes for which this corporation is formed are :(1) To affiliate the religions of the world in a united and cooperativeeffort to abolish war and extend the more abundantlife, spiritual and material, among all peoples of the earth .(2) To stress the essential harmony of all religions in theNatural, Moral, and Spiritual Laws of the Creator ; in the Fatherhoodof One God, in the Brotherhood of all Men, in the GoldenRule of Conduct, and in the Natural, Divine, and UniversalRights and Aspirations of all men and women everywhere .(3) To establish a permanent World Parliament of Religions towork with the UNITED NATIONS in the attainment of world peaceand understanding among all peoples ; to invite men and womenof all races, colors, nations, and religions, to become membersand participants in such World Parliament, including clergyand laity, as individuals, and to welcome accredited delegatesfrom churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other religiousgroups and organizations, thereby to inaugurate a Godwardmovement for a practical world way of life, inspired by theNatural Laws of God-Truth, Justice, and Love . (4) To encourageand voluntarily assist the organization of national, regional,sectional, and state parliaments of religions, within and amongall countries of the world, and to invite them to send individuals,men and women of all races, colors, nations, and religions,clergy and laymen, as well as accredited delegates of the differentchurches and religions, clergy and laymen, to participate inthe establishment of a permanent World Parliament of Religions ." Signed by the board of twelve directors, February 11, 1952,and notarized the same day.23 . Despite clergy approval, how is the United Nationsexposed as being?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 28124This adulterous friendship with the UnitedNations wild beast will not prove any more felicitousfor the Babylonish religious woman, includingChristendom, than the disgusting friendshipand conspiracy of the Jewish clergy with Caesaragainst the anointed Jesus . Revolt against the religiousharlot will spread to all ten symbolic"horns", and that will mean the desolation ofChristendom, antitypical apostate Jerusalem . Theprophecy will not fail, cannot fail : "And the tenhorns that you saw, and the wild beast, these willhate the harlot and will make her devastated andnaked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and willcompletely burn her with fire . For God put itinto their hearts to carry out his purpose, evento carry out their one purpose by giving theirkingdom to the wild beast, until the words of Godwill have been accomplished . And the woman thatyou saw means the great city that has a kingdomover the kings of the earth ."-Rev. 17 :16-18, NW .25The course now to be taken by those whosepowers of discernment are enlightened by God'sWord is clear. Jesus in his prophecy on the world'scatastrophic end said : "When you catch sight ofthe disgusting thing that causes desolation standingwhere it ought not (let the reader of Daniel'sprophecy use discernment), then let those inJudea Christendom's realm today begin fleeingto the mountains . . . . for those days will be daysof a tribulation such as has not occurred fromthe beginning of the creation which God createduntil that time and will not occur again . In fact,unless Jehovah had cut short the days, no flesh24 . Will adulterous friendship with the United Nationsprove a fortunate one, and on this what prophecy willnot fail?25 . So, according to Jesus' prophecy, what course isnow clear for those with enlightened powers of discernment?

282 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"would be saved . But on account of the chosen onesthat he has chosen he has cut short the days ."(Mark 13 :14-20, NW) The course now is, Fleewithout delay from doomed Christendom to whereJesus Christ directs . Flee to Jehovah God's providedplace of safety during the terrific finale oftribulation! There is no time to lose to make one'sflight there with a margin of safety and to prepareto meet the crisis of crises . The time intervalof God's patience and self-restraint for the sakeof his chosen ones steadily lessens . Do not temptGod too long with delay . "Boast not of tomorrow ;for you know not what a day may bring forth ."-Prov . 27 :1, AT .26To advocate and depend upon the United Nationsfor lasting peace and security means to staywith Christendom and to share in her desolationas a result of the "disgusting thing" . Seen as antichristian,that wild beast in sheep's clothing hasno real beauty to deserve our worship . Turn youreyes to the mountains where God's kingdom by hisreigning King offers sure refuge under divine approval.There His kingdom stands like a glorioussignal that beckons and guides life seekers tosafety. The remnant of God's chosen ones, forwhom the days of tribulation were cut short, arecalling attention world-wide to that Kingdom signal,in obedience to the Lord Jehovah's command :"Pass through, pass through the gates of thedoomed organization , prepare the way of thepeople ; grade up, grade up the highway, clear it ofstones ; raise a signal over the peoples . See! theLoRD has made proclamation to the end of theearth : `Say to the daughter of ion, "See! yoursalvation has come ; see! his reward is with him,26 . What does advocating and depending upon theUnited Nations mean? What signal has been raised up,and why?

THE GREAT GATHERING FOR SURVIVAL 28 3and his recompense before him ."' "-Isa. 62 :10,11, AT .27The Kingdom is in the hands of this Onewho comes as the "root of Jesse", the heir of theKingdom covenant with David. It is the signalforetold and promised for this day of Jehovah :"It shall come to pass on that day that the root ofJesse, who will be standing as a signal to thepeoples-to him will the nations resort, and hisresting-place will be glorious . On that day willthe LORD . . . raise a signal to the nations, and willgather the outcasts of Israel ; and the scattereddaughters of Judah will he assemble from the fourcorners of the earth ."-Isa . 11 :10-12, AT.28 The Lord Jehovah by his angels under theKing Jesus Christ has gathered to the Kingdomsignal all the outcast, scattered ones of spiritualIsrael out of all nations . Time has also allowedfor the gathering of a great crowd of people ofgood will to the Signal raised and held aloft bythe remnant of spiritual Israelites. Already agreat crowd of hundreds of thousands of thesehave been gathered and they are ascribing thepower of salvation to the Right Ones, in fulfillmentof the prophetic vision : "After thesethings I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which noman was able to number, out of all nations andtribes and peoples and tongues, standing beforethe throne and before the Lamb, dressed in whiterobes, and there were palm branches in theirhands . And they keep on crying with a loud voice,saying : `Salvation we owe to our God, who isseated on the throne, and to the Lamb."'-Rev .7 :9, 10, NW .27. In whose hands is the Kingdom, and how is heidentified with the Signal?28 . Whom has Jehovah by his angels gathered to theKingdom signal, and to whom is salvation being ascribed?

CHAPTER IEnd of the Heavens and EarthThat Are NowHE establishing of God's kingdom in the heavensin 1914 makes it impossible for the heav-Tens and the earth that are now to continue longafterward. God cannot long bear the sight of themnow that his day has arrived for ushering in thenew world . They must go into oblivion : "And Isaw a great white throne and the one seated on it .From before him the earth and the heaven fledaway, and no place was found for them ." (Rev .20 :11, NW) The first move to put them to flightwas when Jehovah's newly installed King with hisangels launched the war in heaven that thrust theDragon, Satan the Devil, and his angels down fromthe sacred courts of heaven and cooped them uphere in earth's vicinity . Satan and his demon angelsform the invisible superior powers, the "heavens",of Satan's world and in which he dwells as the"god of this system of things" . By this defeat inthe war in heaven the altitude of Satan's heavenssuffered a terrific drop, but they were not destroyed.World War I, which accompanied the warin heaven, radically changed but did not destroythe visible part of Satan's world, the "earth", thatis, human society organized and operated "accordi. Since the establishment of God's kingdom in 1914,what has happened to the heavens and earth that arenow, and for what are they still reserved?284

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 285ing to the system of things of this world" and overwhich Satan still tries to rule as the "ruler of theauthority of the air, the spirit that now operatesin the sons of disobedience" . (2 Cor . 4:4 and Eph.2 :2, NW) God cut short the days of the tribulationby reserving Satan's heavens and earth to the closeof the "time of the end" to be destroyed, till afterhe accomplishes his lifesaving purpose on theearth.-Mark 13 :19, 20 .2 Satan, "the original Serpent," senses that thetime is short till the awful moment for the seedof God's woman to bruise him at the head . Foreverbarred now from heaven, the place of JehovahGod's throne, Satan the Serpent knew hecould no longer get at God's woman and her reigningSeed up there, but he could belch out torrentsof destruction at the remnant of her spiritual childrenon earth, the "nation" that was brought forthat once to inhabit the "land" that was born in oneday . (Isa . 66 :8, AS) In that way he could carry ona persecution of God's woman still . "Now when thedragon saw it was hurled down to the earth, itpersecuted the woman that gave birth to the malechild. . . . And the serpent disgorged water like ariver from its mouth after the woman, to causeher to be carried to her death by the river. But theearth came to the woman's help, and the earthopened its mouth and swallowed up the river thatthe dragon disgorged from its mouth . And thedragon grew wrathful at the woman, and went offto wage war with the remaining ones of her seed,who observe the commandments of God and havethe work of bearing witness to Jesus ." (Rev.12 :13-17, NW) This explains the "cold war" thathas been carried on since 1919 against Jehovah's2 . How has the ousted Satan still carried on the persecutionof God's woman?

286 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"witnesses . It explains the flood of violence thatthe totalitarian dictators have let loose againstthem but which the "democratic" earth has absorbedwith some temporary relief to Jehovah'switnesses . It explains the mounting opposition tothem in all nations where they are objects ofhatred by all misguided people . In this warfare,however, the Dragon will not gain the victory .Watch!3 Even by Jehovah's witnesses on earth Satanthe Devil has been served with notice from theBible that he faces abysmal defeat at the decisiveconflict, the battle of Armageddon, in the nearfuture . Thousands of lectures have been deliveredand tons of literature has been distributed on thatsubject, world-wide . Whatever may be the realignmentof his spirit forces, Satan the Serpent has realignedhis earthly forces, human society, for moreeffective opposition against the established kingdomof God. This realignment has been mainlybehind the international conspiracy against theKingdom, the league of world powers now knownas the United Nations . How fragile, though, is theselfish tie that holds them together temporarily!See the dividing up of members of the United Nationsinto East and West blocs, engaging in a coldwar when not in a hot one! But whether unitedtogether by a written covenant and an internationalcapital within New York city or not, thereis one genuine common interest that binds andmoves them together more effectively than anythingelse . What? Their common rejection of theuniversal sovereignty of Jehovah God and theirsanctimoniously concealed opposition to the establishedGovernment of his Son . The United Nationscombine is no visible expression of God's kingdom3 . Behind what has Satan realigned his earthly forces,and what common interest binds them together?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 28 7on earth and is not patterned after that theocraticgovernment . It is prophetically described as an"image of the wild beast", an image of Satan'svisible organization, the symbolic "wild beast"that ascended out of the sea of untheocratic mankind. Revelation 12 :13 to 13 :15 definitely showsit was set up after Satan's ouster from heaven .4Writing history of mankind more than eighteencenturies in advance, Revelation 13 :11-15(NW) showed that the two-horned seventh worldpower,the Anglo-American empire system, wouldlead in proposing the League of Nations and itssuccessor, the United Nations, and would reallygive life and substance to this "image of the wildbeast" : "And it misleads those who dwell on theearth, because of the signs that were granted itto perform in the sight of the wild beast, whileit tells those who dwell on the earth to make animage to the wild beast that had the sword-strokeby the sword of World War I and yet revived.And there was granted it to give breath to theimage of the wild beast, so that the image of thewild beast should both speak and cause to bekilled all those who would not in any way worshipthe image of the wild beast." The two-horned"wild beast" that ascended out of the earth ofSatan's world was loud in its claims of what thedemocratic system and the League of Nationswould do for all mankind . So it put itself forwardas a prophet . But the League of Nations failed .The two-horned beast then took the lead in thefalse worship of the League's alter ego, the UnitedNations. This exposes the two-horned "wild beast"as a system of false aims, false hopes and falseprophecy, a "false prophet" . From then on Revela-4 . What did Revelation 13 :11-15 show the seventhworld power would do, and why does it thus play therole of a false prophet?

28 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tion 16 :13 ; 19 :20 ; 20 :10 speak of the two-horned"wild beast" as a pseudo prophet. Jesus warned ofthe coming of false prophets after the "beginningof pangs of distress" and after the "disgustingthing that causes desolation" appeared . He added :"Look! I have forewarned you ."-Matt . 24 :8, 11,15-25, NW.5The apostle Paul, too, warned that in the lastperiod of time men without faith in God's kingdomwould pay attention to "misleading inspired utterancesand teachings of demons" . (1 Tim. 4 :1,NW) This is what has been taking place in thistime of the end . Men who lean away from God'sWord to their own understanding imagine they areuttering messages of righteousness and enlightenment. They will resent the bare suggestion thatthey are voicing the expressions inspired by demons,all because they do not realize or admitthat "Satan himself keeps transforming himselfinto an angel of light . It is therefore nothing greatif his ministers also keep transforming themselvesinto ministers of righteousness" . (2 Cor . 11 :14,15, NW) But when men and institutions refuse tobe witnesses for Jehovah and the kingdom of hisChrist, they can do nothing else but lay themselvesopen as channels for utterances inspired bydemons . They pick these utterances up from allthe worldly agencies that God's great adversaryuses . Unveiling by what means the demon-inspiredutterances would come and the disastrous end towhich they would unavoidably lead, Jesus theRevelator said :e "And the sixth angel poured out his bowl5. What did Paul warn that men would pay attentionto in the last period of time? And why do men becomechannels for demon-inspired utterances?6. What symbols did Jesus the Revelator use to describeby what means the demon-inspired utteranceswould come?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 289upon the great river Euphrates, and its water wasdried up, that the way might be prepared forthe kings from the rising of the sun . And I sawthree unclean inspired expressions that lookedlike frogs come out of the mouth of the dragonand out of the mouth of the wild beast and out ofthe mouth of the false prophet . They are, in fact,expressions inspired by demons and perform signs,and they go forth to the kings of the entire inhabitedearth, to gather them together to thewar of the great day of God the Almighty . Look!I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one that staysawake and keeps his outer garments, that he maynot walk naked and people look upon his partsof shame . And they the demon-inspired utterancesgathered them together to the place thatis called in Hebrew Har-Magedon ."-Rev. 16 :12-16, NW.7 The inspired expressions from Satan the Dragonand through his visible organizations, the wildbeast and the false prophet, are unclean in God'ssight like slimy frogs . With big mouths they croakswelling words of peace and security . They producesigns such as the League of Nations and theUnited Nations and regional treaty organizations7 . What signs do the inspired expressions produce,where do they lead the world rulers, and what doesthat place spell for such rulers?

290 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"and ideological blocs. But where they really areleading the "kings" (the rulers) of the entire inhabitedearth is to the greatest war of all times,not a mere World War III with hydrogen bombs,but a universal war involving heaven and earth,the invisible and the visible . It is "the war of thegreat day of God the Almighty"! This will spellmournful defeat and disaster for Christendom andthe rest of the demon-worshiping world . That isominously indicated. How so? In that where thedemon-inspired expressions gather the fightingforces of all mankind is to the battlefield of Har-Magedon, or "Mountain of Megiddo" . Accordingto Bible history Megiddo in the valley of Esdraelonwas blood-saturated ground . There the forces ofpaganism suffered resounding defeats because Jehovahfought for his name-people, and there thewar-meddling forces of Jerusalem in the last fortyyears of her decline met a grief-bringing defeatthat led to foreign interference and dominationof her. At Armageddon the nations and the demonpowers invisibly behind them will meet upwith the Invincibles, the "kings from the risingof the sun", namely, Jehovah God and his SonJesus Christ. These were prefigured by King Dariusand King Cyrus, the joint conquerors of ancientBabylon on the Euphrates river .8In his description of the gathering for the warat Armageddon the divine speaker injects thewarning to alertness on the part of those whowalk in the garments of Christian identification :"Look! I am coming as a thief ." Other scripturesthere are that sound the same warning of thearrival of the day and hour for battle with aJosh. 12:21 ; 17:11 ; Judg. 1:27 ; 5 :19 ; 2 Ki . 9:27 ; 23 :29, 30 ;2 Chron. 35:22 .S . What warning did Jesus here inject, and in whatwill failure to heed it result?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 291stealthy suddenness. When on earth, Jesus himself,though Son of God, did not know Jehovah'sset time for the battle, for he said : "Concerningthat day and hour nobody knows, neither theangels of the heavens nor the Son, but only theFather . For just as the days of Noah were, so thepresence of the Son of man will be. For as peoplewere in those days before the flood, eating anddrinking, marrying and giving in marriage, untilthe day that Noah entered into the ark ; and theytook no note until the flood came and swept themall away, so the presence of the Son of man willbe ." (Matt. 24:36-39, NW) That was why he advisedhis followers, particularly those today : "Butpay attention to yourselves that your hearts neverbecome weighed down with overeating and heavydrinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly thatday be instantly upon you as a snare . For it willcome in upon all those dwelling upon the face of allthe earth . Keep awake, then, all the time makingsupplication that you may succeed in escaping allthese things that are destined to occur, and to holdyour position before the Son of man ." (Luke21 :34-36, NW) Not to keep watching and prayingmeans to lose one's garments of Christian identificationand to become shamefully naked like theself-engrossed world .9 Not that this world has not been given andwill not be given sufficient warning in advance .Recall how in August of 1952 the United Nationsarmy served notice on seventy-eight North Koreancities and towns that they were destined for destructionby bombing . After this warning to getout of the "danger areas", many of the populationsof the doomed cities and towns acted wisely andescaped before the bombings by planes began .9 . What illustration is there to show that sufficientwarning would be given to the world in advance?

2 92 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"(New York Times, Aug. 5, 1952) The Bible showsthat the merciful God always gave sufficient advancenotice before bringing his great judgmentcatastrophes . While Noah was building the arkover a period of years, this witness of Jehovahpreached righteousness . When at the unannouncedday and hour the flood poured in all of a sudden,the "world of that time", the "world of ungodlypeople", had been duly warned . (2 Pet . 2 :5 ; 3 :5,6, NW) So, too, the world has been warned today .10 Since 1919 Jehovah has revived his witnessesand made them his watchmen to cry out the warningof the sword of Armageddon's war . But tillnow, except for some hundreds of thousands ofpeople of good will, the vast majority of mankindhas turned a deaf ear to the warning but turnedan open ear to the froglike expressions inspiredby demons and that have poured out of the mouthsof the dragon, the wild beast and the false prophet .Therefore, to apostate Christendom God directsthis sobering word : "But ye that forsake Jehovah,that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a tablefor Fortune, and that fill up mingled wine untoDestiny ; I will destine you to the sword, and yeshall all bow down to the slaughter ; because whenI called, ye did not answer ; when I spake, ye didnot hear ; but ye did that which was evil in mineeyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not ."(Isa . 65 :11, 12 ; 66 :4, AS) They do not believethe Bible-interpreted evidences of the approachof the world's end . They turn to the devices offrantic rulers and statesmen and militarists tokeep the old world going, till finally they will getlulled to sleep by the deceitful cry, "Peace andsecurity!" They will not be able to say that Jeho-10. How has Jehovah given warning of Armageddon,what has been the response, and why will those overtakenby Armageddon not be able to charge unfairness?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 2 93vah God took unfair advantage of them whensudden destruction is instantly upon them likestabbing pains of a woman about to give birth .They could have known beforehand the times andthe seasons the same as Jehovah's witnesses, whokept dinning in their ears that Jehovah's daywas coming exactly like a thief in the night andthat it was coming within this generation .-1 Thess . 5:1-5, NW.I" Christendom must take the deserved consequencesof her own willing ignorance and preferreddarkness . The apostle foretold the ridiculeshe would heap upon Jehovah's witnesses of Noahlikefaith : "For you know this first, that in thelast days there will come ridiculers with theirridicule, proceeding according to their own desiresand saying : `Where is this promised presence ofhis? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleepin death, all things are continuing exactly as fromcreation's beginning .' For, according to their wish,this fact escapes their notice, that there wereheavens in ancient times and an earth standingcompactly out of water and in the midst of water bythe word of God, and by those means the world ofthat time suffered destruction when it was delugedwith water. But by the same word the heavens andthe earth that are now are stored up for fire andare being reserved to the day of judgment and ofdestruction of the ungodly men ." (2 Pet. 3 :3-7,NW) Christendom's religious ridicule is thereforeto be expected . In due time her ridicule willchange into consternation . "It is they that shall beput to shame . A voice of tumult from the cityantitypical Jerusalem, or, Christendom , a voicefrom the temple, a voice of Jehovah that renderethrecompense to his enemies."-Isa. 66 :5, 6, AS .11 . What has Christendom heaped upon the givers ofwarning, and what will be the consequences to her?

2 94 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"Y2 The fire for which the heavens and earththat are now are stored up is not necessarily oraltogether literal fire . It does not refer to thesearing explosion of hydrogen and atomic bombsand fiery corrosion of chemical warfare . Theselatter means of mass destruction are man's fiendish,demon-inspired invention . True, the Noachianflood was of literal water. But fire is a differentelement and the use of it as a symbol denotes thatGod will use a means different from a global inundationfor the "destruction of ungodly men" atArmageddon's battlefield. It will be more destructivethan all the hydrogen and atomic bombs thatthe possessors of such have stock-piled in theiratomic arms race, than all the forest fires thathave raged, than all the conflagrations that haveravaged cities . Even with the millions of degreesof heat of their fusion and fission bombs the nationscannot dissolve the invisible realms of Satanand the demons . But God's destructive forces, likeconsuming fire, will reach and envelop the Devil'sinvisible organization penned up at the earth aswell as his visible organization of human society .13 Using fire as a symbol of destruction to Satan'sheaven and earth that are now, the prophetIsaiah said long before Peter : "The hand of Jehovahshall be known toward his servants, and hewill have indignation toward his enemies . Forbehold, Jehovah will come with fire, and hischariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger withfury, and his rebuke with flames of fire . For byfire and by his sword will Jehovah enter into judg-12 . Since the Noachian flood was of literal water, howdo we know whether the fire at this world's end willbe literal or not?13 . How do Isaiah, Moses and Paul use fire as a symbolof destruction, and what did Lot's escape with hisdaughters from a fiery death picture?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 295ment with all flesh : and the slain of Jehovah shallbe many. They that sanctify themselves, and purifythemselves in the gardens behind one in themidst ; that eat swine's flesh, and the abomination,and the mouse, shall perish together, saith Jehovah." (Isa. 66 :14-17, Da) That fiery destructionwas foreshadowed by the fire and sulphur thatrained down from heaven upon the cities of Sodom,Gomorrah, Admah and eboiim . From their destructiononly righteous Lot and his two daughtersescaped under angelic guidance, making a fineprophetic picture of how the people of good willwho are companions of the remnant of Abraham'sseed today will escape the fiery destruction ofthe world at Armageddon . (Luke 17 :28-30 ; Gen .19 :1-29) Illustrating further how fire is a symbolof the complete destruction of those against whomJehovah has indignation and upon whom he executeshis judgment of destruction, Moses said inwarning : "For Jehovah your God is a consumingfire" ; and the apostle Paul repeated this warningto Christians.-Deut. 4 :24, NW; Heb. 12 :29 .14 Many persons may think that Jehovah of hostsis slow about beginning the battle of Armageddon ;but He is thinking not just of the destruction of hisenemies but also of the salvation of those who,like the Ninevites of Jonah's day, could repent atthe warning of coming destruction. Eventually,however, the day and hour, which Jehovah Godhas now doubtless disclosed to his Son, arrives, andthe gathering of the rulers of their earth withtheir armies to the battle site pictured by Armageddonis completed under the influence of thespurring expressions inspired by the invisible demons. Revelation 16 :14-16 describes that gather-14 . At what time and under what circumstances willArmageddon begin, and do Jehovah's witnesses onearth take part in it?

2 96 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"ing, but not the battle that follows . In the battleand its destructive operations the remaining onesof the seed of God's woman and the "great crowd"of their theocratic companions, all of them Jehovah'switnesses, have no part . Revelation 19 :11to 20 :3 (NW) describes the battle and those whotake an active part in it, in dramatic symbols :15"And I saw the heaven opened, and, look!a white horse . And one seated upon it is calledFaithful and True, and he judges and carries onwar in righteousness. His eyes are a fiery flamenot literally, but because looking to the enemy'sdestruction , and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knowsbut he himself, and he is arrayed with an outergarment sprinkled with blood, and the name he iscalled is The Word of God . Also the armies thatwere in heaven were following him on whitehorses, and they were clothed in white, clean, finelinen. And out of his mouth there protrudes asharp long sword, that he may smite the nationswith it, and he will shepherd them with a rod ofiron. He treads, too, the press of the wine of theanger of the wrath of God the Almighty . And uponhis outer garment, even upon his thigh, he has aname written, King of kings and Lord of lords."16Tremendous is the slaughter promised forbirds of carrion to gorge themselves on, of kings,military commanders, strong men, war horsesand cavalrymen, freemen, slaves, small personagesand great ones ; after which the vivid revelatoryaccount goes on to show that the wild beast andthe false prophet and all the political rulers andthe worshipers of the Devil's beastly organization15 . Who take part in it for Jehovah's side?16. Who take part in Armageddon against God's kingdom,and what does the promise to the birds of carrionindicate

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 29 7are in the anti-Kingdom line-up, saying : "And Isaw the wild beast and the kings of the earth andtheir armies gathered together to wage the warwith the one seated on the horse and with hisarmy . And the wild beast was caught, and alongwith it the false prophet that performed in frontof it the signs with which he misled those whoreceived the mark of the wild beast and those whorender worship to its image now the United Nations. While still alive, they both were hurled intothe fiery lake that burns with sulphur . But therest were killed off with the long sword of the oneseated on the horse and which proceeded out ofhis mouth. And all the birds were filled from thefleshy parts of them."17 The wild beast and the false prophet thatproposed the image of the wild beast will never getout of that sulphurous, fiery lake, symbolizingannihilation or second death . They are still in itat the end of the thousand-year reign of the victoriousKing Jesus Christ, at which time they receiveeven Satan the Devil himself as their everlastingcompanion.-Rev . 20 :10, 14, 15 ; 21 :8, CB ;NW .I'll But the destruction of these visible organizationsof Satan and of all the visible seed of theSerpent will merely do away with the earth thatis now, human society organized in support ofSatan's world . That still leaves the heavens of thisold world, "the wicked spirit forces in the heavenlyplaces ." However, after proving to be falsegods incapable of preserving their visible earthlyorganization of worshipers, Satan and his demonangels are reached by the fiery judgments of Je-17 . What happens there to the wild beast and the falseprophet?is, 19 . Destruction of the symbolic earth at Armageddonstill leaves what to be attended to, and what willJehovah's angel do to it?

29 8 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"hovah God . His most mighty angel, Jesus Christ,now proceeds to fulfill his prophetic role as thewoman's Seed who must bruise the Serpent at itshead. The common grave, Ha'des or She'ol, beingin the material earth and Satan and his demonsbeing, not human, but spirit, Jehovah's royal angeldoes not cast Satan and his demons into mankind'scommon grave; he hurls them into the "abyss",a confined, deathlike condition .19"And I saw an angel coming down out of heavenwith the key of the abyss and a great chainin his hand . And he seized the dragon, the originalserpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and boundhim for a thousand years . And he hurled him intothe abyss and shut it and sealed it over him,that he might not mislead the nations any moreuntil the thousand years were ended. After thesethings he must be let loose for a little while ."-Rev. 20 :1-3, NW .20 This confinement of Satan and his demons inthe prisonlike abyss completes the fiery destructionof this old world, "the heavens and the earththat are now ." For their failure to heed the warningof the Holy Scriptures and Jehovah's witnessesthe day of destruction comes upon them as a thiefupon a sleeping, unrepentant world : "Yet Jehovah'sday will come as a thief, in which the heavenswill pass away with a hissing noise, but theelements being intensely hot will be dissolved, andearth and the works in it will be discovered ."(2 Pet. 3 :10, NW) Things will hiss in the intenseheat of that world-consuming day ; and the earth,or human society, and its works will be searedbare of all disguise and be exposed as being pagan20. What will confinement of Satan and his demons finishup, how will the day of destruction come, and inwhat way will the earth and the works in it be discovered?

END OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT ARE NOW 29 9and against God's kingdom. The destruction ofall the elements and parts of this ungodly worldwill clear the universe for the triumphant entryof a righteous world of new heavens and a newearth.21Those who honestly desire to withstand theconsuming heat that will blaze against the oldheavens and earth and who want to be consideredworthy of being preserved into the new worldhave their present course clearly laid out forthem in the Scriptures : "Since all these thingsare thus to be dissolved, what sort of personsought you to be in holy acts of conduct and deedsof godly devotion, awaiting and keeping close inmind the presence of the day of Jehovah, throughwhich the heavens being on fire will be dissolvedand the elements being intensely hot will melt! Butthere are new heavens and a new earth that weare awaiting according to his promise, and in theserighteousness is to dwell . Hence, beloved ones,since you are awaiting these things, do your utmostto be found finally by him spotless and unblemishedand in peace ."-2 Pet . 3 :11-14, NW .21 . What course does Peter lay out for those who wantto be preserved through Armageddon into the newworld?

CHAPTERBaptism for Life in the New WorldERE will be a baptism of fire at the comingbattle of Armageddon . That will be a baptismin destruction for the old world and all this generationwho are a part of it . It was foreshadowedcenturies ago by the fiery destruction that waspoured out upon Jerusalem, both in 607 B.C . andA.D. 70. The prophet Jeremiah bemoaned the lamentabledestruction of the apostate city of hisday in these words : "He hath cut off in fierceanger all the horn of Israel ; he hath drawn backhis right hand from before the enemy : and he hathburned up Jacob like a flaming fire, which devourethround about. . . . in the tent of the daughterof ion he hath poured out his wrath like fire .""Jehovah hath accomplished his wrath, he hathpoured out his fierce anger ; and he hath kindleda fire in ion, which hath devoured the foundationsthereof." (Lam . 2 :3, 4 ; 4 :11, AS) John the Baptist,at the sight of Pharisees and Sadducees comingto his baptism in water, warned that rebuiltJerusalem would be destroyed in a baptism of firein these words : "Every tree, then, that does notproduce fine fruit is to be cut down and throwninto the fire . I, on the one hand, baptize you withwater because of your repentance ; but the onecoming after me is stronger than I am, whose1 . Where will there be a baptism of fire, and by whatwas it foreshadowed according to the words of Jeremiahand John the Baptist?300

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 301sandals I am not fit to take off. That one willbaptize you people with holy spirit and with fire .His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he willcompletely clean up his threshing-floor, and willgather his wheat into the storehouse, but thechaff he will burn up with fire that cannot beput out ."-Matt. 3 :7-12, NW; Luke 3 :7-9, 16, 17 .2 Millions in Christendom today have had awater rite performed upon them by priest or pastor. But this will not ensure them against destructionin the baptism of fire at Armageddon .Why not? Because they have not understood andreceived the true baptism for life, nor have thoseunderstood and given it who administered a waterrite, like the Roman Catholic priest that baptizedseven condemned Mau Mau men in Kenya, Africa,who had wrecked their specially built death cell,just a few minutes before they were hanged .(New York Times, Feb. 27, 1953) Such a waterrite may put one upon the register or membershiproll of a religious system of Christendom,but it will not asbestinize anyone against thefiery baptism of Christendom in the "war of thegreat day of God the Almighty" . The ungodlyworld of Noah's day were baptized just in deepwater, but it proved to be their destruction .3 It is according to God's express command byJesus Christ that those who receive the true baptismfor life should symbolize or give a public signof it by total immersion in water . In this respectthe one to copy is Jesus Christ himself, not thesinner Jews that came to John the Baptist . Johnsaid to them : "I am baptizing you in water to2 . Why will millions who went through a water riteby priest or pastor not be ensured against fire baptismat Armageddon?3, 4 . In being baptized, why should one copy Jesus insteadof those sinner Jews that came to John theBaptist?

302 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"picture your repentance ." (Matt. 3 :11, Ws) ThoseJews were born under the Law covenant that Godhad made with their forefathers through the mediatorMoses . They had sinned against that nationalcovenant and needed to repent of suchtransgression of God's law in order to preparethemselves for the coming of the Greater Moses,the Mediator of a new covenant, Jesus Christ .Jesus was in harmony with the Mosaic Law . Hecame, not to destroy it, but to fulfill it by introducingthe realities that the Mosaic law propheticallyforeshadowed . Hence to appreciate Jesusand his purpose those Jews must repent andcome into harmony with the Law. They mustsymbolize their repentance by water baptism .4 Jesus, the perfect man and Son of God, did notneed to repent . He was without sin even whenin the flesh subject to temptation by Satan andhis world . Yet he went to John the Baptist to bedipped beneath the Jordan river . Why? John didnot understand, but "tried to prevent him, saying :`I am the one needing to be baptized by you, andare you coming to me?' In reply Jesus said to him :`Let it be, this time, for in that way it is suitablefor us to carry out all that is righteous .'" ThenJohn baptized him . But still, why? It was to symbolizeJesus' coming as a full-grown man to do hisheavenly Father's will ; it was to symbolize hisdedicating of himself to serve God's purpose, whateverit was God's will for him to do from then on .5 The apostle Paul applies to Jesus at this particulartime the words of Psalm 40 :6-8 and writes :"It is not possible for the blood of bulls and ofgoats to take sins away . Hence when he comes intothe world he says : `You did not desire sacrificeand offering, but you prepared a body for me .s . How does the apostle Paul apply to Jesus Psalm40 :6-8?

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 30 3You did not approve of whole burnt-offerings andsin offering.' Then I said, `Look! I am come (in theroll of the book it is written about me) to do yourwill, 0 God."' On this the apostle Paul then makesthe comment : "After first saying, `You did notdesire nor did you approve of animal sacrificesand offerings and whole burnt-offerings and sinoffering'-sacrifices which are offered accordingto the Law-then he actually says, `Look! I amcome to do your will .' He does away with what isfirst animal sacrifices under the Law that hemay establish what is second the ransom sacrificeaccording to God's will . By the said `will'we have been sanctified through the offering ofthe body of Jesus Christ once for all time ."-Heb.10 :4-10, NW.6Jesus thus dedicated himself to do God's will,which will was for him to be bruised at the heelby the Serpent and to offer his perfect human bodyas a ransom sacrifice for believing mankind . Thismeant death for Jesus . Therefore his dedicatinghimself to God's purpose meant dying to his pastcourse that he might do God's will for the future :"Let, not my will, but yours take place ." (Luke22 :42, NW) Very appropriately Jesus was completelyimmersed in water to symbolize a dedicationthat meant all this . But when John raisedhim out of the water, it was for Jesus to enter upona new life according to God's will . "After beingbaptized Jesus immediately came up from thewater ; and, look! the heavens were opened up,and he saw descending like a dove God's spiritcoming upon him . Look! also, there was a voicefrom the heavens that said : `This is my Son, thebeloved, whom I have approved ."' (Matt . 3 :16, 17,NW) There Jesus became a spiritual son of God6. Why was it fitting for Jesus to be immersed inwater, and how was he baptized immediately afterthat?

304 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"again, and that by God's woman, for Jesus wasthere taken into the spiritual universal organizationof God again . That was what God meant bysaying, "This is my Son ." God then sent down hisholy spirit or active force upon Jesus, anointinghim with it . (Acts 10 :38) God his Father thusbaptized his spiritual Son Jesus with the holyspirit, this enveloping him, activating him and empoweringhim for his new duties according toGod's will. So, besides first a water baptism tosymbolize his dedication to God, there was a baptismof him with God's spirit to do God's will asa spiritual Son .THowever, in the last year of his public serviceJesus said to his disciples : "Indeed, I have a baptismwith which to be baptized, and how I ambeing distressed until it is finished!" (Luke 12 :50,NW) He meant his baptism into death, the offeringof his human body once for all time in vindicationof his God and Father and in sacrifice forobedient mankind . His baptism or complete immersioninto death for the vindicating of hisheavenly Father as the universal Sovereign whosewill is to be done by creatures-this was what hemeant when he asked James and John who wantedto be in the Kingdom with him : "Are you ableto drink the cup which I am drinking, or to bebaptized with the baptism with which I am beingbaptized?" When they answered Yes, Jesus said :"The cup I am drinking you will drink, and withthe baptism with which I am being baptized youwill be baptized ." (Mark 10 :35-39, NW) Consequentlythe apostles and all other followers ofJesus that will reign with him in his heavenlykingdom must share the same cup of God's willwith him . They must be baptized with him intodeath for the vindication of Jehovah's universal7. What was the baptism with which Jesus yet had tobe baptized, and when was it fully achieved?

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 3 05sovereignty, proving their unbreakable loyalty andallegiance to the bitter death . Jesus' baptism intodeath was fully achieved when God Almightyraised him out of death as a spirit Son to immortallife in heaven .8Water baptism alone is not sufficient for Christiansto gain the heavenly kingdom . There must bebaptism into Christ's death, a submitting to hiskind of death . The apostle Paul realized this andexpressed it, when he wrote : "On account of himI have taken the loss of all things and I considerthem as a lot of refuse, that I may gain Christ andbe found in union with him, having, not my ownrighteousness which results from law, but thatwhich is through faith in Christ, the righteousnesswhich issues from God on the basis of faith, soas to know him and the power of his resurrectionand a sharing in his sufferings, submitting myselfto his kind of death, to see if I may by any meansattain to the earlier resurrection from the dead ."-Phil . 3 :8-11, NW .aBut Jesus was also baptized with the holyspirit . So what about his followers? Those whoare to be spiritual sons of God's woman, the "Jerusalemabove", must also be baptized with the holyspirit . John the Baptist said that Jesus would domore than the water baptism that mere men couldadminister : "he will baptize you with holy spirit ."(Mark 1 :8, NW ; ED) Just before ascending toheaven Jesus said to his disciples : "Do not withdrawfrom Jerusalem, but keep waiting for whatthe Father has promised, about which you heardfrom me; because John, indeed, baptized withwater, but you will be baptized in holy spirit not8 . In harmony with that, what must there be besideswater baptism for Christians to gain the heavenlykingdom?9 . Like Jesus, with what else must they be baptized,and when did they begin to be thus baptized?

306 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"many days after this ." True enough, just ten dayslater, on the day of Pentecost, the holy spirit waspoured out upon the waiting disciples at Jerusalemand they were baptized with it. God used hisexalted Son to baptize them with it . The apostlePeter explained it this way : "Therefore becausehe was exalted to the right hand of God and receivedthe promised holy spirit from the Father,he has poured out this which you see and hear ."Peter told the listening multitude that if theybelieved the message, repented and were baptizedin water in the name of Jesus Christ, they toowould be baptized with the holy spirit, receiving itas a free gift.-Acts 1 :4, 5 ; 2 :33, 38, NW .10 A believer may be baptized in water in symbolof his unconditional dedication to Jehovah God,yet if he does not get the baptism with the holyspirit from God and through Christ, he will neverenter the kingdom of the heavens to reign withChrist . He will never be baptized into Christ'sdeath that he may live in the heavenly kingdomwith him in the new world . "Trustworthy is thesaying : Certainly if we died together, we shallalso live together ; if we go on enduring, we shallalso rule together as kings ." (2 Tim . 2 :11,12, NW)If a believer does not receive the baptism with theholy spirit he is not a member and does not becomea member of the "body of Christ", of whichJesus is the Head . "For just as the body is onething but has many members, and all the membersof that body, although being many, are one body,so also is the Christ . For truly by one spirit wewere all baptized into one body, whether Jews orGreeks, whether slaves or free, and we were allmade to drink one spirit . Now you are Christ'sbody, and members individually . And God has setlo . Why is baptism with the holy spirit necessary forone to enter God's kingdom, and who can administerthis?

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 30 7the respective ones in the congregation ." (1 Cor .12 :12, 13, 27, 28, NW) Not man, but only God byJesus Christ can baptize with holy spirit the onesHe chooses .11Jesus Christ and the body or congregationof which he is the Head are made a "royal priesthood"to God. That means they are to be kingsand priests of God. The High Priest is Jesus Christand he is also the Head King. Ancient Israel's highpriests and kings were anointed with holy oil tofulfill their priestly and royal office . God's royalpriesthood under Jesus Christ are anointed withthe holy spirit and they receive it through God'sHigh Priest . To them exclusively it is written :"You have an anointing from the holy one ; allof you have knowledge . And as for you, the anointingthat you received from him remains in you,and you do not need anyone to be teaching you ;but, as the anointing from him is teaching youabout all things, and is true and is no lie, and justas it has taught you, remain in union with him."(1 John 2 :20, 27, NW) This anointing with Jehovah'sspirit authorizes them to preach the goodnews of the Kingdom of deliverance and peace .(Isa . 61 :1-3 ; Luke 4 :16-21) They must keep thisanointing of the spirit faithfully until their baptisminto death with Christ is consummated .12 As these members of Christ's body are beingbaptized into his death, they must reckon themselvesnow while amidst this sinful world as deadtoward sin, not willfully and enjoyably engaging insin as a practice. Paul says to them : "Seeing thatwe died with reference to sin, how shall we keep11 . As a "royal priesthood" what is it appropriate forthem to receive, what does this authorize them to do,and how long must they keep it?12 . While being baptized into death, to what must theyreckon themselves dead? In what must they walk aspictured by their being raised out of the baptismalwaters?

308 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"on living any longer in it? Or do you not knowthat all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesuswere baptized into his death? Therefore we wereburied with him through our baptism into hisdeath, in order that, just as Christ was raised upfrom the dead through the glory of the Father,we also should likewise walk in a newness oflife . For if we have become united with him inthe likeness of his death, we shall certainly alsobe united with him in the likeness of his resurrection; because we know that our old personalitywas impaled with him, that our sinful body mightbe made inactive, that we should no longer go onbeing slaves to sin ." (Rom . 6 :2-6, NW) Theirwalking in newness of life now, a righteous lifeby the power of God's spirit, was symbolized bytheir being raised up out of the baptismal waterswhen they symbolized their dedication to God . Ifthey faithfully do this till they do down into death,obediently carrying out the preaching commissionto which they were anointed with Jehovah's spirit,they will attain to life in the new world .IMMERSION NOW INTO THE GREATER NOAH13Those who are baptized with Jehovah's spiritand thus baptized into Christ's body number finallyonly 144,000 faithful believers . Particularly sincethe year 1931 hundreds of thousands of othershave been receiving water baptism and have joinedthe anointed remnant in preaching "this goodnews of the kingdom" . Does that have God's approval?Yes . One of the last things his Son JesusChrist said to his disciples was : "Go thereforeand make disciples of people of all the nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of13 . Has the water baptism of hundreds of thousandsbesides the remnant had God's approval, what hasbeen its purpose, and what special baptism do theyalso now enjoy besides?

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 30 9the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observeall the things I have commanded you ." (Matt.28 :19, 20, NW) These hundreds of thousands haveby their water baptism symbolized their dedicationto God through Christ to do the divine will andto take whatever assignment to future life in thenew world God wills for them . As the facts show,they do not have a baptism and anointing withGod's spirit along with a baptism into Christ's bodyand into his kind of death, a death that partswith all prospect of perfect human life in thenew world . Nonetheless, they do enjoy a measureof God's spirit and they do enjoy a special baptismbesides their immersion in water . That baptismtoday is into the Greater Noah .14 The apostle Peter argues that Noah in hislifesaving arrangement typified or prefigured JesusChrist. He says : "Even Christ died once forall time concerning sins, a righteous person forunrighteous ones, that he might lead you to God,he being put to death in the flesh, but being madealive in the spirit. In this state also he went hisway and preached to the spirits in prison, whichhad once been disobedient when the patience ofGod was waiting in Noah's days, while the arkwas being constructed, in which a few people,that is, eight souls, were carried safely throughthe water . That which corresponds to this is alsonow saving you, namely, baptism, (not the puttingaway of the filth of the flesh, but the request madeto God for a good conscience,) through the resurrectionof Jesus Christ. He is at God's right hand,for he went his way to heaven, and angels andauthorities and powers were made subject tohim ."-l Pet. 3 :18-22, NW.14. As shown by Peter, whom did Noah in his lifesavingarrangement prefigure?

310 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"15The eight human souls "carried safely throughthe water" were Noah, his wife, their three sonsJapheth, Shem and Ham and the three wives ofthese . Since Noah pictured Jesus Christ, throughwhom obedient mankind will gain eternal life onearth in the new world, then Noah's wife picturedChrist's "bride", the Christian congregation of144,000 anointed members, and she is representedon earth now in this "time of the end" bythe remaining last members of "Christ's body" .Correspondingly, Noah's three sons and threedaughters-in-law pictured the "great crowd" fromall nations, tribes, peoples and tongues, who taketheir stand for God's universal sovereignty andpublicly ascribe their salvation to him and hisLamb Jesus Christ . (Rev. 21 :9 ; 19 :7-9 ; 7 :9-17)By following Jesus Christ in company with theremnant of his Bride class, this great crowd areimmersed or baptized into the Greater Noah .16This is not lacking a parallel . Jesus Christwas also foreshadowed by the prophet Moses.When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt andthrough the Red sea, not only the natural Israelitesfollowed him between those walls of waterwith the protecting cloud overhead, but a "mixedcompany", a "mixed crowd", of many friendlynon-Israelites did too. (Ex. 12 :37, 38; Num. 11 :4,NW) They were thus baptized into Moses asleader on the way to life and liberty, accordingto the apostle's words at 1 Corinthians 10 :1-4(NW) : "Our forefathers were all under the cloudand all passed through the sea, and all got baptizedinto Moses by means of the cloud and ofthe sea ; and all ate the same spiritual food and15 . Whom did the eight human souls in the ark picture?How are the antitypical sons and daughters-in-lawbaptized into the Greater Noah?16 . How does this find a parallel in the passing alivethrough the Red sea under Moses?

BAPTISM FOR LIFE IN THE NEW WORLD 311all drank the same spiritual drink . For they usedto drink from the spiritual rock-mass which followedthem, and that rock-mass meant the Christ ."In like manner the "great crowd" of dedicated believerstoday can be baptized into the GreaterNoah within the ark of safety and preservation,the same as the remnant of spiritual Israelites,the last on earth of Christ's "bride" .17 The ark pictures the new system of thingsaccording to the new covenant mediated by JesusChrist. By that new covenant forgiveness of sinsand a good, clean conscience before God are gainedthrough Jesus . Into that ark or lifesaving systemof things Jehovah's royal theocratic organization,the "bride" of Christ, moves, following the GreaterNoah . The "bride" is not a system of things butis an organization. Today the remnant of thatbridal organization find themselves within theark system of things . Into this "ark" the "greatcrowd" also now moves to be baptized into theGreater Noah, God's builder of the new systemof things . (Heb . 1:1, 2, NW) They do so, notthrough the "putting away of the filth of the flesh"by various formal rites and ceremonies of the religioussystems of Christendom, but by makinga request to God for a good conscience . How?By faith in the resurrected Jesus, who presentedhis sin-removing sacrifice to God in heaven .1 8 This baptism into the Greater Noah is whatwill save now and during the destructive fierybaptism of this condemned old world, providedthe ones baptized into him within the ark abidein him, keeping their good conscience throughfaith and loyal service to God . To survive Armageddonthey must stay in the New World society .17. What does the ark picture, and how do the "greatcrowd" enter it today along with the bridal remnant?is . On what condition will this baptism into theGreater Noah save them now and during Armageddon?

CHAPTERCreation of New Heavens anda New EarthTHOSE who are living on earth today as members of the theocratic New World society arenot terrified at the mounting evidence that the violentend of the present wicked heavens and earth ofSatan's world is getting closer . Strong in theirfaith in God's promise, they joyously say with theapostle Peter : "But there are new heavens anda new earth that we are awaiting according tohis promise, and in these righteousness is todwell ." (2 Pet . 3 :13, NW) Their faith and joy areenhanced by the evidences that the creating ofthe righteous new heavens and new earth is alreadyunder way in fulfillment of God's promise,"Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth ;and the former things shall not be remembered,nor come into mind . But be ye glad and rejoicefor ever in that which I create ; for, behold, Icreate Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people ajoy ."-Isa . 65 :17, 18, AS .2 The new heavens means the righteous, newspiritual governing powers that will rule the theocraticnew world . God's preparation for the newheavens really began when he begot his dedicated,i . What is the reaction of members of the New Worldsociety at the mounting evidence that the world's endis getting closer?2 . In connection with his Son, what steps did Jehovahtake in preparing for new heavens, and how did theSon become the First and the Last?312I

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 313baptized Son Jesus with his spirit at the Jordanriver. Thus he constituted him a spiritual son,anointed with the spirit to be the King of kingsin the heavens of the new world. To prove hisworthiness of that royal position in the heavens,Jesus kept his integrity and loyalty to Jehovah'suniversal sovereignty though he had to die for itin a cruel, disgraceful way. At the same time heproved his worthiness to be Jehovah's High Priestby laying down his human life in its perfectnessas a ransom sacrifice for all believing, obedientones on earth. As a further step in preparing fornew heavens, Jehovah himself directly resurrectedhis tested and worthy Son from the dead . Acceptingthe perfect human sacrifice of his High Priest,Jehovah God could not raise his Son to life as ahuman again, with the same mutilated fleshlybody. In harmony with his begetting of Jesus withhis holy spirit to spiritual sonship, Almighty Godrevived Jesus to spirit life in the invisible heavens,to life immortal, divine . Being the first and thelast one to be resurrected by Jehovah God withoutthe agency or co-operation of anyone else, the glorifiedJesus could rightly say : "I am the First andthe Last, and the living one ; and I became dead,but, look! I am living for ever and ever, and I havethe keys of death and of Ha'des ." (Rev. 1 :17, 18,NW; AS; Da) This is a personal testimony to hisdeathlessness .3"Christ, now that he has been raised up fromthe dead, dies no more ; death is master over himno more." (Rom . 6 :9, NW) Because of being beyondreach of death now by any creature, he cancarry through his service as God's High Priest tillhe has accomplished the cleansing of believingmankind from sin and their reconciliation to God :3 . What makes possible his thoroughly cleansing andreconciling mankind and his being like Melchizedekforever?

314 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH""He because of continuing alive forever has hispriesthood without any successors . Consequentlyhe is able also to save completely those who areapproaching God through him, because he is alwaysalive to plead for them ." (Heb . 7 :24, 25, NW)The Most High God swore that he should be a Kingand Priest like Melchizedek for all time, and thisJehovah God made possible by vesting him withimmortality and the divine nature at his resurrectionfrom the dead . His manifestation as immortalKing is now in progress : "The manifestationof our Lord Jesus Christ . This manifestationthe happy and only Potentate will show in its ownappointed times, he the King of those who rule askings and Lord of those who rule as lords, theone alone having immortality, who dwells in unapproachablelight, whom not one of men has seenor can see. To him be honor and might everlasting .Amen."-1 Tim. 6 :14-16, NW .4 Many have been the kings of ancient times thathave been deified and called "god" or "divinity",like Antiochus II and Antiochus (IV) Epiphanesof Syria, both of whom were called theos', "god,"and like the Roman emperors and the "prince ofTyre" . (Ezek . 28 :1, 2, 9, 10, AS) Men have alsotried to cloak modern dictators with the mantleof divinity, assigning to them the position of immortalsby attributing to them immortality afterhuman death . They have tried to render theseinaccessible to the common people, sometimes evento the point of invisibility, as when some ancientmonarchs would screen themselves from the publiceye and address the people through a spokesmanofficially called "The Word" . But among all creatureswho have ruled as kings or as lords, andwho have had divinity and immortality ascribed4. Why was he spoken of as "the one alone having immortality"and dwelling as the happy and only Potentatein inaccessible light?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 3 15to them, Jesus Christ is the only King and Lordthat truly has immortality, and this as a rewardfrom the incorruptible God Jehovah . Among allsuch rulers he remains the happy and only Potentate,with all God-given power in heaven andin earth . That is why he can defeat them all atthe battle of Armageddon . He is the best King,the best Lord, among them all . When the last ofthem have perished in Armageddon he remainsalone, without successor, the best King, the bestLord, King among kings and Lord among lords .No creature on earth has seen or can see himdirectly since his resurrection to heavenly glory,so unapproachable by frail humans is the light inwhich he dwells . He is the one to whom to ascribehonor and might according to God's will . Such isJehovah's King for the heavens of the new world .-Rev . 17 :14, NW .5 It was first when God's woman gave birth tothe Kingdom A .D . 1914 and God caught it up tohis throne that God planted or put the new heavensin power. Till then the King Jesus Christ had tokeep seated at his heavenly Father's right handuntil God's due time to make his enemies a stoolfor his feet, to be trampled upon and ruled with ashattering iron rod . So 1914 marks the proper datefor the creating of the new heavens . Jesus Christthe invincible King was alone in those heavenswhen he waged the war in heaven, although hewas attended by his holy angels, for he is theprehuman archangel Michael, who begins the greattrouble upon Satan's organization . "And at thattime shall Michael stand up, the great prince whostandeth for the children of thy people ; and thereshall be a time of trouble, such as never was sincethere was a nation even to that same time : and ats . What is the proper date for the creating of the newheavens, and what feature of the dream of the imageand the stone was then fulfilled?

3 16 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"that time thy people for whom the archangelMichael stands shall be delivered, every one thatshall be found written in the book ." (Dan. 12 :1,AS) At that time the royal stone was "cut out"of the mountain of God's universal organizationand it was hurled against the idolatrous image,Satan's world organization, to pulverize it : "Andin the days of those kings shall the God of heavenset up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed,nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to anotherpeople ; but it shall break in pieces and consumeall these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever ."-Dan . 2 :34, 35, 44, 45, AS .6Thus none of Jesus' faithful followers, theother spiritual children of God's woman, the heavenlyion, were associated with the newly installedKing in the war in heaven . Those that had diedfaithful to the end were still sleeping in death,awaiting God's appointed time to use him in raisingthem up to heavenly life. A parallelism ofevents helps us to determine when he did raise"those who are dead in union with Christ" andwho were predicted to "rise first" .-1 Thess.4 :13-16, NW.7 In Jesus' own case, he was baptized andanointed with God's spirit to be King in earlyautumn, A .D. 29 . Three and a half years later, atthe end of March, A .D . 33, he rode into Jerusalem,offering himself as King to the typical ion . Heproceeded to the temple and cleansed it of thosewho made it a "cave of robbers" and "house ofmerchandise", but was rejected as King by thenational leaders . Friday, April 1, he died, Jerusalembeing rocked with an earthquake and the cur-6. Why were Jesus' faithful followers not associatedwith him in the war in heaven?7. What parallelism of events helps us to determinewhen he began to raise those who died in union withhimself?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 3 17tain of the temple sanctuary being rent downthe middle, to signify that the way into the mostholy place, heaven itself, was being opened up .(Luke 19 :45 ; 23 :44-46 ; John 2 :13-16, NW; Matt .27 :50, 51 ; Heb . 9 :7, 8 ; 6 :19, 20 ; 10 :19-21) In atime parallel, Jesus Christ was installed as King inheaven at the close of the "appointed times of thenations", about October 1, 1914 . Three and ahalf years later would be the due time for himto come to God's spiritual temple, worthy of beingaccepted as King by those on earth who claimedto be his followers . World events loudly accuseChristendom of then rejecting him as her rightfulRuler, for in the spring of 1918 she in effect killedthe work of Jehovah's witnesses concerning theKingdom. While she was permitted to do this tobetray her rejection of the King, she could notprevent him from raising his faithful followerswho were sleeping in death .8 That the world trouble then was the due timefor the King to come to the temple and to resurrecthis dead faithful followers, Revelation 11 :18, 19(NW) indicates in these words : "'But the nationsbecame wrathful, and your own wrath came, andthe appointed time for the dead to be judged, andto give their reward to your slaves the prophetsand to the holy ones and to those fearing yourname, the small and the great, and to bring to ruinthose ruining the earth.' And the temple sanctuaryof God that is in heaven was opened, and the ark ofhis covenant was seen in his temple sanctuary ."It was before the ark of the covenant that Jehovah'shigh priest had to appear in ancient times . Sothe wrath of the nations against God's kingdom,then the opening of the temple to the King's entrance,and the resurrection of those in union withChrist who are to "rise first" are events that area . What connecting of events together at Revelation11 :18, 19 confirms the spring of 1918 as the due time?

318 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"here closely connected together . This confirms thespring of 1918."It was at that time, then, that Jehovah theCreator began to enlarge the new heavens by admittingto his royal Son's presence at the templehis followers that had been sleeping in death .They were "united with him in the likeness of hisresurrection" ; they got to "know him and thepower of his resurrection" and thus attained to the"earlier resurrection from the dead" and theyshared in the "first resurrection" : "Happy andholy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority,but they will be priests of God and of the Christ,and will rule as kings with him for the thousandyears." (Rom . 6 :5 and Phil . 3 :10, 11 and Rev.20 :6, NW) It is this resurrection that is first intime and importance that the apostle Paul discussesand describes at 1 Corinthians 15 :42-54(NW) with the words10"So also is the resurrection of the dead . It issown in corruption, it is raised up in incorruption It is sown in dishonor, it is raised up in glory .It is sown in weakness, it is raised up in power .It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritualbody . . . . The last Adam became a life-giving spirit .. . . the second man is out of heaven . . . . And justas we have borne the image of the one made ofdust the first Adam , we shall bear also the imageof the heavenly one . However, this I say, brothers,that flesh and blood cannot inherit God's kingdom,neither does corruption inherit incorruption .Look! I tell you a sacred secret : We shall not allfall asleep in death, but we shall all be changed,in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during9 . At that time what did Jehovah begin to enlarge,and by what means?10 . What resurrection does Paul discuss at 1 Corinthians15 :42-54, and with what description?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 31 9the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, andwe shall be changed . For this which is corruptiblemust put on incorruption, and this which is mortalmust put on immortality . But when this which iscorruptible puts on incorruption and this whichis mortal puts on immortality, then the saying willtake place that is written : `Death is swallowed upforever .' "11 The faithful followers who conquer this worldare by such a spiritual, heavenly resurrectiongranted to sit with Jesus Christ in his throne,even as he conquered this old world and sat downwith his Father in His throne . (Rev . 3 :21) However,those followers of his that are alive on earthat his coming to the temple and that are lefthere temporarily for the final witness work donot receive any seat in a throne yet . They are the"nation" that is brought forth at once, broughtforth in a "land" that is "born in one day", in the"day of Jehovah". They are visible representativesof the new heavens ; they are anointed "ambassadorssubstituting for Christ" . But they are ambassadorsto a hostile world the people of whichneed reconciliation with God, and they do not siton any episcopal or political thrones in this world,cheap material thrones . (2 Cor. 5 :20, NW) Neitherdo they sit on any material thrones in thenewborn "land", in the theocratic New Worldsociety . They do not pretend to reign now withJesus Christ. To reign with him they must endureas he endured on earth and must conquer the worldas he did, proving faithful to the death .-2 Tim .2 :11,12 ; Rev . 2 :10.11 . What privilege is granted to those having part inthat resurrection, but, in contrast, what is the privilegeof the remnant yet left on earth?

320 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"12Their admission into the new heavens and toa place on Jesus' throne follows immediately aftereach one dies faithful. They are the ones theapostle Paul meant by saying to his fellow disciples,"We shall not all fall asleep in death, but we shallall be changed, in a moment, in the twinklingof an eye, during the last trumpet ." They must dieas humans as Jesus did, becoming "united withhim in the likeness of his death" and undergoinga full "baptism into his death", for in flesh andblood they cannot inherit God's heavenly kingdom .(Rom . 6 :3-5 and 1 Cor. 15 :50-52, NW) But theydo not fall asleep in death as did those dying before1918 and who had to wait in death till theKing's coming to the spiritual temple . At mosttheir experience with actual death is but a winkof sleep, for at death they are changed from humanto divine, incorruptible, immortal, spiritual, in buta moment or twinkling of an eye, and that is fast .For the ones faithful to the death since the King'sinvisible coming to the temple in 1918 it is ahappy period, though it calls for endurance ontheir part to observe God's commandments andhold fast the faith of Jesus in the face of the raging"wild beast" and its "image" : "Here is whereit means endurance for the holy ones, those whoobserve the commandments of God and the faithof Jesus . And I heard a voice out of heaven say :`Write : Happy are the dead who die in union withthe Lord from this time onward . Yes, says thespirit, let them rest from their labors, for thethings they did go right with them.'" (Rev. 14 : 11-13, NW) Death halts their blessed work but . amoment .12 . When are those of the remnant admitted into thenew heavens, and why since 1918 is it a happy periodfor them, though also one calling for endurance?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 32113 When the last of the remnant of the spiritualchildren of God's woman dies as a human and experiencesan instantaneous resurrection change,then the creation of the new heavens will be completein its membership. Since a number of thisremnant will survive the battle of Armageddonjust as Noah's wife survived the flood togetherwith her sons and daughters-in-law, they will beon earth for a while after the thousand-year reignof Jesus Christ begins . The thousand-year reigndoes not have to wait until they are glorified inthe heavens, because they are not really essentialup there to help Jesus rule . He fought and castSatan out of heaven without their help and he willfight and win the battle of Armageddon and bindSatan for a thousand years without their help,and so he can begin his millennial reign withouttheir personal presence in heaven . During theirtemporary stay on earth after Armageddon theywill visibly represent him and his bride, and thusare associated with the King in his reign from itsstart .14Their eventual resurrection change and entryinto the invisible heavens will complete the visionat Revelation 20 :4, 5 (NW) : "And I saw thrones,and there were those who sat down on them, andpower of judging was given them . Yes, I saw thesouls of those executed with the ax for the witnessthey bore to Jesus and for speaking about God,and those who had worshiped neither the wildbeast nor its image and who had not received themark upon their forehead and upon their hand .And they came to life and ruled as kings with13 . When will the new heavens be complete in itsmembership, where will the remnant be associated withthe King in his reign from its start, and how so?14 . How will the vision at Revelation 20 :4,5 be completed,and also the marriage of the Lamb? What willthe Kingdom's earthly subjects receive therefore?

322 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the Christ for a thousand years . (The rest of thedead did not come to life until the thousand yearswere ended .) This is the first resurrection ." Itwill also complete the marriage of Jesus Christ,the Lamb of God, to his bride, the 144,000 spiritualchildren of God's woman who were espoused tohim as to "one husband" . Heaven will then overflowwith joy and with praise to Jehovah God ."Let us rejoice and be overjoyed, and let us givehim the glory, because the marriage of the Lambhas arrived and his wife has prepared herself .Yes, it has been granted to her to be arrayed inbright, clean, fine linen, for the fine linen standsfor the righteous acts of the holy ones . . . . Happyare those invited to the evening meal of the Lamb'smarriage." (Rev. 19 :7-9, NW) That means theearthly subjects of the Kingdom will receiveparental care.FOUNDING OF THE NEW EARTH15The creating of the new heavens at the Kingdom'sbirth A .D . 1914 was not accompanied by thecreating of the promised new earth, for Jehovah'switnesses on earth were desolated during the worldwar that then began . According to the appearanceof them by 1918 God's woman, the heavenly ion,their mother, was desolate and a rag-covered captivein the dust at Babylon's feet . But in 1919Jehovah had husbandly compassion on his womanand rescued the remaining ones of her spiritualchildren on earth . She brought them forth at onceas a new nation, and their land, or theocratic placeon earth, was born in one day, Jehovah's day, andit became Beulah land . (Isa . 66 :8 ; 62 :4, 5, AS;Da) With this event there begins the formation ofa new-world society on earth . For this reason the15 . What shows whether the new earth was createdin 1914? When was the new earth founded, and how?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 32 3founding of the righteous new earth took placethere and it has flourished under the blessing ofthe new heavens and attained to great spiritualbeauty and prosperity, to the great comfort ofJehovah God's woman ion . Her children he confessesas his people. With grandeur of language heforetold the new earth's founding :16"For Jehovah hath comforted ion ; he hathcomforted all her waste places, and hath madeher wilderness like Eden, and her desert like thegarden of Jehovah ; joy and gladness shall be foundtherein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody . . . .Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look uponthe earth beneath ; for the heavens shall vanishaway like smoke, and the earth shall wax oldlike a garment ; and they that dwell therein shalldie in like manner : but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished .. . And the ransomed of Jehovah shall returnfrom Babylon , and come with singing unto ion ;and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads : theyshall obtain gladness and joy ; and sorrow andsighing shall flee away . . . . The captive exile shallspeedily be loosed ; and he shall not die and godown into the pit in Babylon , neither shall hisbread fail . For I am Jehovah thy God, who stirrethup the sea, so that the waves thereof roar : Jehovahof hosts is his name . And I have put my wordsin thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadowof my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and laythe foundations of the earth, and say unto ion,Thou art my people . Awake, awake, stand up, 0Jerusalem, that hast drunk at the hand of Jehovahthe cup of his wrath ; thou hast drunken thebowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. . . .Awake, awake, put on thy strength, 0 ion ; put16 . In what sort of context or in connection with whatevents did Jehovah foretell the founding of the newearth?

324 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"on thy beautiful garments, 0 Jerusalem, the holycity : for henceforth there shall no more comeinto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean .Shake thyself from the dust ; arise, sit on thythrone, 0 Jerusalem : loose thyself from the bondsof thy neck, 0 captive daughter of ion ."-Isa .51 :3 to 52 :2, AS.17 The Kingdom has been born and the newheavens planted and they are over us to stay andshower down righteousness and blessing upon us!In the realization of this there is endless joy forthe remnant of ion's children whom Jehovah byhis King the Greater Cyrus ransomed from Babylon'spower in 1919 . And not only for their fewthousands, but for additional hundreds of thousandsof people of good will who continue forsakingmodern Babylon and flocking to the side of theremnant to join them in worshiping and servingthe living and true God . These fulfill the propheticpicture of the non-Israelite temple servants, theNethinim and children of Solomon's servants, wholoyally returned with the Israelites from exile andcaptivity in Babylon in order to build a new templeto Jehovah at Jerusalem . (Ezra 2 :43-58, 70 ; Neh.7 :46-60, 73 ; 1 Chron . 9 :2 ; Josh . 9 :17-27 ; 1 Ki.5 :15-18) For these there is no reason now to lookback and to sorrow over the former things, butthere is every reason to look forward and realisticallyrejoice in the new things that the Creatorof the righteous new world is creating . In thatway they share in Jehovah's own joy, and this isa strength to them : "For the joy of Jehovah isyour strength ."-Neh. 8 :10, AS; Isa. 65 :17-19.18 The Creator told prophetically of the marvel-17. In what realization and view of things is there endlessjoy, and that for whom? What is this joy to them?is . At Isaiah 65 :19-25 what reasons does the Creatortell prophetically why the New World society shouldnot weep now?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 325ous reasons why the New World society shouldnot weep now. Do we discern these reasons forus to weep no more now fulfilled? Let us see. TheCreator says : "And I will rejoice over Jerusalem,and will joy in my people ; and the voice of weepingshall be no more heard in her, nor the voice ofcrying. There shall be no more thenceforth an infantof days, nor an old man that hath not completedhis days ; for the youth shall die a hundredyears old, and the sinner being a hundred yearsold shall be accursed . And they shall build houses,and inhabit them ; and they shall plant vineyards,and eat the fruit thereof : they shall not build, andanother inhabit ; they shall not plant, and anothereat : for as the days of a tree shall be the days ofmy people, and mine elect my chosen ones shalllong enjoy the work of their hands . They shall notlabour in vain, nor bring forth for terror ; for theyare the seed of the blessed ones of Jehovah,and their offspring with them . And it shall cometo pass, that before they call, I will answer ; whilethey are yet speaking, I will hear . The wolf andthe lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eatstraw like the ox ; and dust shall be the serpent'smeat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all myholy mountain, saith Jehovah ."-Isa . 65 :19-25,Da .19 Since the founding of the "new earth" reallybegins with the restoring of the spiritual remnantfrom antitypical Babylon from 1919 forward, thefirst application of the above reasons to weep nomore is to these children of the "Jerusalem above"while they are yet in the flesh . The spiritual meaningof these reasons is this :20 The remnant will now, since the Kingdom's19. To whom is the first application of the above-givenreasons, and why to them?20. As respects the remnant, in what way has the infantnot been cut off underdeveloped?

326 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"birth, see and enjoy the fruitage of their labors .As to the number of their years of living yet on theearth, few, if any, of the members of the spiritualremnant have lived or may ever live to the age ofone hundred years in the flesh . But as a class orcompany, the remnant has remained on earthmany, many years longer than they had expectedat the time of their release in 1919 from Babylon .Instead of being cut off as infants in understandingand Christian growth due to any curse of Jehovah,the remnant have really grown to maturity inknowledge, understanding, ministerial ability andtheocratic organization . Back in 1919 there wereso many Bible doctrines that they needed to bestraightened out on ; there were so many Bibleprophecies that had to undergo fulfillment in this"time of the end" ; they did not clearly appreciatethe supreme issue of the universe and why AlmightyGod had permitted wickedness to go unrestrainedfor so long ; and they did not understandor rightly appreciate theocratic organization. Their being organized democratically ratherthan theocratically proved this .21It was in 1938 that theocratic organizationfirst went intelligently into operation among them .So it required many years for them to grow upinto this mature theocratic knowledge, understanding,viewpoint, capability and organization .Repeatedly by various vicious means, includingpolitical dictators, religious persecution and WorldWar II, the great Serpent and his seed have triedto destroy them and prevent this coming to unityand manhood under Jesus Christ their Head ; butthe enemy has failed . The true Christian congregationof Jehovah's witnesses, although associated21 . What shows it required many years to grow upto mature knowledge and organization? How will itbe true of the remnant that there will be no "old manthat hath not completed his days"?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 3 27with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societysince its incorporation in 1884 and therefore reputedto be a "new religion" and "one of theyoungest sects", is no longer in infancy . It doesnot need now the things of the Christian congregation'sinfancy, such as the spirit's miraculousgift of tongues, physical healings, etc . It is nowreally in its old age and it dignifiedly shows allthe development, soundness of mind, stability andintegrity of full maturity. It proclaims Jehovah'smight and strength to the generation to come,praising him yet more and more to this risinggeneration of the New World society. (Ps . 71 :12-18, AS ; Da; AT) By the time the remnant of theChristian congregation have reached the faithfulclose of their activity on earth they will by nomeans be an "old man that hath not completedhis days" .22Another thing : When the members of theremnant finish their earthly course in death theyare changed in the twinkling of an eye into incorruptible,powerful, glorious spirits clothed withimmortality, and the things they did go rightwith them into the new heavens. Consequently,their life and activity will go on forever, far beyondthe age of any tree on earth . Why, then,should there be heard the voice of weeping and ofcrying when a member of the remnant ends hisearthly days in the `likeness of Christ's death'?Those who turn apostate and become the "evilslave" class leave their name for a curse and arecast out to have their part with the hypocrites whoare executed finally at Armageddon . So their deathoccasions no sorrow among God's new-world society. By taking advantage of God's spiritual pro-22 . What change also extends their age beyond thatof any tree? Why should there be no sorrow over thedeath of any of the remnant, and for what other reasonis there none over the "evil slave" class?

328 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"visions and arrangements in this "time of theend", they too could have attained to endless lifein the new world . It is because of being accursedfor their hypocrisy, rebellion and disobedience thatthey are cut off from all future life . No matterwhat their age when they die, be it a hundredyears old, it would be mere youth in comparisonwith the eternity of life that the faithful will inherit.But respecting the remnant class, the "faithfuland discreet slave" class, it is written : "And nomore will there be any curse. But the throne ofGod and of the Lamb will be in it the New Jerusalem, and his slaves will render him sacredservice, and they will see his face, and his namewill be on their foreheads."-Rev . 22 :3, 4, NW ;Isa . 65 :13-15 ; Matt . 24 :45-51 .23On earth today the New World society isthe only group that is doing true constructivework. All others, being a part of this world andjoining in its schemes, programs and works, aresharing with "those ruining the earth". They arepursuing activities that are out of harmony withGod's established kingdom and that bring ruin anddestruction upon themselves in the day of God'swrath at Armageddon . The restored spiritual remnantare indeed building that which will endureinto the endless new world and are planting thatwhich produces joy of heart like vineyards plantedfor the production of wine . The joy-yielding organizationalwork that they are building will neverbe uprooted or overturned or be taken over andmisused by enemy invaders . In a world combinethe enemy will try to invade and take over thecontrol of the New World society and despoil andplunder it, as foreshadowed by the final assault ofGog of Magog and all his greedy hordes . But this23 . Who only today are doing true constructive work,and why? Also, why will these "long enjoy the workof their hands"?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 32 9final assault of the enemy will merely provokethe surprise outbreak of the battle of Armageddon .Jehovah God will then give a demonstration ofhis power in a supernatural way such as Satan'sworld has never before experienced, bringing ingloriousdefeat and ruin upon all the enemy andrescuing the New World society and vindicatinghis own universal sovereignty and holy name ."And my holy name will I make known in themidst of my people spiritual Israel ; neither willI suffer my holy name to be profaned any more :and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, theHoly One in Israel." (Ezek . 38 :1 to 39 :7, AS)Jehovah has given his word that the uncircumcisedand unclean enemy hordes shall never again successfullyinvade and overrun the theocratic organizationof the children of "Jerusalem above", buther children on earth "shall long enjoy the workof their hands" without interruption by foes.-Isa . 52 :1 .24 The spiritual remnant, the "faithful and discreetslave" class, are therefore not laboring invain as is this materialistic old world . Neither arethey bringing forth for terror, that is, bringingforth children for sudden terror and calamity, asis the case with the world . This very expressionfrom Isaiah 65 :23 (Greek Septuagint Version)the apostle Paul quotes and applies to his ownwork of preaching the good news and building upChristian congregations, like a father begettingchildren by the power of God's life-giving goodnews . (Phil . 2 :16 ; Gal. 4 :19) Not only has thehard work by the original remnant from 1919onward resulted in bringing forth other spiritualchildren for completing the membership of"Christ's body", but the entire remnant's labor24 . In what sense do the remnant not "bring forthfor terror"?

33 0 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"with the good news has resulted in a rising earthlygeneration for the new world, the generation tocome, made up of the "great crowd" out of allnations, tribes, peoples and languages who taketheir stand for Jehovah God and the Lamb JesusChrist.-Rev. 7 :9-17, NW .25The spiritual remnant know that the "warof the great day of God the Almighty" is aheadand will be a "great tribulation such as has notoccurred since the world's beginning until now,no, nor will occur again". (Matt. 24 :21, NW; Dan .12 :1) But knowing the times and the seasons ofGod's purposes as they do, that battle will notcome upon them as a thief, as a sudden terror andinescapable calamity for those outside the onlyplace of security and preservation . They know toothat the final, all-out assault upon the New Worldsociety by the prophetic Gog of Magog and hispolyglot, multinational army will immediately precedeand provoke the battle of Armageddon . Theyknow and are fully assured from God's unbreakableWord that neither Gog's murderous maraudersnor Jehovah's executioners under Christ theKing will destroy the New World society . Theyare under the new system of things with theGreater Noah, Jesus Christ. There they will survivethe overwhelming inundation of tribulationand destruction upon Satan's world just as reallyas Noah and his fellow ark-mates survived theglobal flood that spelt finis to the ungodly worldof that time. The New World society will be stillhere on earth after Armageddon has purged theearth, just as Noah's ark grounded safely and thendisembarked its full passenger list on one of Ararat'smountains for refilling the earth with manand beast .25 . Why will there be no sudden terror for them, andwhat assurance do they draw from Noah's experience?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 33126Thus God's woman by her spiritual remnanton earth will not bring forth children for calamityand sudden terror. Besides that, in a most literalsense after Armageddon and during the millennialrule of Christ there will be no infant of few daysborn to the survivors of the end of this old world .Being born of still imperfect parents, children willnot be born perfect . However, they will be bornof righteous parents and under the new heavens,and so they will be born in the way of righteousnessthat leads to eternal life on the cleansed earth .Jesus, in his prophecy on the old world's end, said :"Just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it willbe also in the days of the Son of man ." (Luke17:26, NW) This doubtless applies not only towhat immediately preceded the Noachian delugebut also to what immediately followed its subsidence.27 After the eight human survivors came out ofthe ark and Noah offered up a satisfying sacrificeto God, God restated a part of his Edenic blessing ."And God went on to bless Noah and his sons andto say to them : `Be fruitful and become manyand fill the earth . And as for you men, be fruitfuland become many, make the earth swarmwith you and become many in it.'" (Gen . 9 :1, 7,NW) In response, not the aged Noah and his wife,but their three sons and three daughters-in-lawproduced children . Within their lifetime they accomplisheda typical or token filling of the earthas represented by the seventy families listedin Genesis, chapter ten. Likewise after Armageddonthe survivors, who were baptized into theGreater Noah, may expect a mandate from God26 . Besides the foregoing, how and when will there beno infant of days in a most literal sense?27 . How, "just as it occurred in the days of Noah,"will Armageddon survivors give force and effect to themandate to Adam and Eve?

332 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"through Jesus Christ to reproduce their kind andthus give real force and effect to the Edenic mandateto Adam and Eve : "Be fruitful and becomemany and fill the earth and subdue it ." (Gen .1 :28, NW) In response they will reproduce childrenin righteousness and carry out a token fillingof the earth, so vindicating God's mandate.28 The new heavens of Jesus Christ, the "lifegivingspirit", and his "bride", the glorified congregation,will then be in complete control overthe earth . So there is nothing to hinder such childrenin attaining to a hundred years of age andeternity. And a man who attains to a hundredyears of age need not then die as if he had livedhis normal span of life. It is now, because of thecurse upon the sinners Adam and Eve, and theeffects of which all their offspring inherited, that"the days of our years are threescore years andten, or even by reason of strength fourscoreyears" . (Ps. 90 :10, AS; Rom. 5 :12) But then theopportunity to live forever lies before the "greatcrowd" of survivors and their post-Armageddonchildren, by faith and obedience to Jesus Christthe King . His words at the time of raising hisfriend Lazarus from the dead are very pertinenthere : "I am the resurrection and the life . He thatexercises faith in me, even though he dies, willcome to life by resurrection , and everyone thatis living and exercises faith in me will never dieat all ." (John 11 :25, 26, NW) Hence if anyonethen lived a hundred years and was executed forwillful disobedience to the "new heavens" King,he would be dying relatively a mere youth or childin view of the endless eternity he might have lived .If he did die at a hundred years of age, it would28 . Why will it then not be necessary for people onearth to die at a hundred years of age? Anyone thendying that old would be comparatively what in age?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 333not be then because of extreme old age and decrepitude.29One does not then have to die under a hundredyears of age, as the majority now do becauseof the curse on Adam. Adam's curse will not thenbe the determining thing . If one then dies eitherunder or at the age of a hundred years, it will bebecause of the curse that one may bring uponhimself because of steady, willful insubordinationto the King. At such an age, now considered extreme,this accursed sinner would be dying a comparativeyouth, for, as concerning the faithful andobedient earthly subjects of the King, the principlewill apply : "As the days of a tree shall be thedays of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoythe work of their hands ." (Isa . 65 :22, AS) Howmany days a tree will endure then, when even inthis evil world some have endured since the Flood,or over 4,300 years, we do not know. But theKing's faithful sub jects may live an eternity ofdays.PRINCES30 Great internal peace, harmony and harmlessnesswere predicted to obtain within the New Worldsociety. This was symbolized by the delightsomedescription, seemingly impossible of realization :"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, andthe lion shall eat straw like the ox ; and dust shallbe the serpent's food . They shall not hurt nordestroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah ."(Isa. 65 :25, AS) This pictures first the transformingeffect that the Kingdom good news and God's29. What will be the determining thing in the case ofone that dies a hundred or less years old? How mayone's day of life then be like or even better than atree's?30. Does Isaiah 65 :25 have a present application, and,if so, where and in what way?

334 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"holy spirit and the theocratic reorganization haveupon those who are now brought into the NewWorld society, which is at God's holy mountain,the "Jerusalem above", the heavenly ion . (Isa .66 :22) Isaiah foretold that on the highway ofescape from Babylon and of return to ion theunclean were not to be admitted, because it wasto be a way of holiness . Hence none were to beallowed upon it and admitted to ion's realmwho tried to exercise an injurious, beastly disposition: "And there shall be there a raised way-evena high road, and the Highroad of Holiness shallit be called, there shall not pass over it one whois unclean ; but He Jehovah Himself shall be oneof them, travelling the road, and the perverse shallnot stray thereinto . There shall be there no lion,nor shall ravenous beast go up thereon . It shallnot be found there,-thus shall travel the redeemed."(Isa . 35 :8, 9, Ro) Beastliness, animalismand all vicious disposition to be wild and hurtfulto their fellow man must be abolished from theNew World society. The influence of the greatSerpent among them must be killed ; dust must bethe serpent's food .31The King Jesus Christ, reigning since A .D.1914, brings this about through his just rule,reorganizing his restored remnant on earth in atheocratic setup. Over his sheep he appoints faithfulspiritual shepherds in a theocratic way, thesebeing ordered to serve in justice and to safeguardthe interest of the flock of the Chief Shepherd,the King. Isaiah 32 :1-3 (AT) speaks of thesespiritual shepherds as sarim, this Hebrew wordoften being translated "princes" ; and it says : `Behold!a king will reign in righteousness, and princeswill rule with justice ; and each of them will be like31 . How does the King Jesus Christ bring this about,as suggested at Isaiah 32 :1-3?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 335a hiding-place from the wind, and a shelter fromthe storm, like streams of water in a dry place,like the shade of a great rock in a wearisome land .Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,and the ears of those who hear will be attentive."32 Here prince is not to be understood in a politicalsense, for those here called "princes", orsarim, have no part in the old-world society and itsdoomed political systems. In the theocratic NewWorld society sarim is understood, according tothe sense of the word in Hebrew, to mean theprincipal one in a group or company, the chiefone among such . According to the Hebrew theprincipal baker or the principal cupbearer wouldbe a sar, or chief; so would a man in charge of agroup of a thousand or of a hundred or of fiftyor of even ten. Among the theocratic organizationof Jehovah's witnesses today there are brotherswho are in charge of congregations and groupsof them, even of service groups of ten, and havingproportionate responsibilities . According to theScriptural definition these act in the capacity ofsarim, although they are not called "princes" butare called "servants" . Thus the fulfillment ofIsaiah 32 :1-3 quoted above has already gone intoeffect .33Those who are selected as sarim within thetheocratic organization on earth now are not onlyfrom the remnant of the spiritual children of God'swoman but also from the "great crowd" of theirloyal earthly companions . These latter are fromthe Chief Shepherd's other sheep, whom he hasnow begun to gather . Addressing his early disciples,Jesus said : "Seek continually his kingdom,32 . How is the term "prince" here to be understood,and why does the use of the term "servant" not denythe existence of "princes"?33 . From whom living on earth today are such sarimselected, and why?

836 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"and these things will be added to you . Have nofear, little flock, because your Father has approvedof giving you the kingdom ." (Luke 12 :31, 32,NW) But when describing himself as the RightShepherd and after telling of the "little flock" ofKingdom heirs, Jesus said : "I surrender my soulin behalf of the sheep . And I have other sheep,which are not of this fold ; those also I must bring,and they will listen to my voice, and they will becomeone flock, one shepherd." (John 10 :15, 16,NW) These other sheep include all the rest ofobedient mankind for whom Jesus the RightShepherd surrendered his human soul or laiddown his earthly life . The majority of the othersheep are now in the graves, the memorial tombs,awaiting a resurrection from the dead . But nowfrom among living mankind the King, the RightShepherd, is gathering a "great crowd" of suchother sheep who are to live in the new earth .These he is bringing into the New World societyin company with the remnant of the "little flock"of Kingdom heirs. So he makes them "one flock"under "one shepherd" . Because of the world-wideexpansion of the New World society, more of thecapable ones of the other sheep are obliged toserve as sarim than there are members of the"little flock" available for such responsible service .s4 But princes or sarim will also be drawn fromthose of the other sheep who are now dead, awaitinga resurrection, particularly Jehovah's faithfulwitnesses of pre-Christian times . These includethe faithful forefathers of Jesus according to theflesh, such as Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham,Isaac, Jacob, and kings David, Hezekiah andJosiah. By receiving a resurrection through thelife-giving Spirit, Christ the King, they will be-34. From whom else will sarim be drawn, and how willPsalm 45 :16 be fulfilled in their case?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 337come his direct children and he their "new heavens"Father . And since by his ransom sacrificeand his thousand-year reign they may inhabit thenew earth everlastingly, he will become their"Everlasting Father" or "Father of Eternity",and not theirs only but that of all mankind whoare saved . "And the government shall be upon hisshoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful,Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace ." (Isa. 9 :6, AS; Da) In view ofhis becoming then the father of his own earthlyforefather King David, he becomes "the root andthe offspring of David, and the bright morningstar" . (Rev . 22 :16, NW) Since he today makessarim, or principal men of responsibility throughoutthe land, of the qualified men of the othersheep already gathered, it is only right to expectthat the King Father would make hisfaithful forefathers when resurrected also princes,or sarim, in the new earth . This was foretold inthe psalm prophetically addressed to the KingFather in these words : "Instead of your fathersshall be your sons ; you shall make them princesthroughout the land."-Ps . 45 :16, AT.35Such forefathers' being made princes in allthe earth does not depend upon their earthly,fleshly connection with Jesus' human birth . It isbecause of their having been faithful witnesses ofJehovah in positions of responsibility . Hence otherfaithful witnesses of Jehovah in old time who werenot the King's fleshly forefathers will also be elevatedto sarim, or princes, in all the new earth .Because of being resurrected to life on earth underthe new heavens and with no necessity to diea gain because of their forefather Adam's curse,35. Does their being made sarim depend upon theirearthly connection with Jesus, and for that reason whywill other resurrected ones be made sarim and withwhom will they loyally co-operate?

338 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"the resurrection of all the faithful witnesses ofpre-Christian times, men and women alike, willbe a "better resurrection" . It will be better thanthe resurrection of those sons whom the prophetsElijah and Elisha raised by God's power and restoredto their mothers who had faith . (Heb .11 :35, NW) The faithful witnesses of old that aremade princely representatives of the invisible,heavenly King, their Father, will loyally cooperatewith those of the "great crowd" of todaywho will prove themselves worthy of princelyoffice after Armageddon .36For as long as Jehovah God wills it after thebattle of Armageddon, the remnant of the "littleflock" will continue serving him on earth in behalfof the other sheep . Indeed, they look forward tomeeting the faithful witnesses of old who will beresurrected and made princes throughout the land .The New World society on earth really startedwith the remnant when restored from Babylon in1919. Since they will continue co-operating afterArmageddon with the heirs of the "new earth"and will turn over the affairs of the new earth tothose heirs when the time arrives for their changefrom earth to the kingdom of the heavens, thenew earth can rightly be said to have been foundedin this remnant, for the New World society continueson for eternity on earth . But Jehovah God isthe One that founded this new earth as well as theOne that planted the new heavens . After Armageddonhe will create it entirely of the other sheepthat have an everlasting earthly destiny . It willthen be human society organized theocratically, .and operating under and in faithful obedience tothe kingdom of God's Son .36. Why can it rightly be said that the new earth wasfounded in the remnant? Who founded the new earth,and of what will the new earth be created?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 33937 The restless sea of humankind roaring andlashing against the universal sovereignty of theMost High God Jehovah will be a thing of the horriblepast, dried up by the fierylike battle ofArmageddon. (Jer . 50 :38 ; Rev. 17 :15) The captivatingvision of the apostle John will then be apresent reality : "And I saw a new heaven and anew earth, for the former heaven and the formerearth had passed away, and the sea is no more .I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, comingdown out of heaven from God and prepared as abride adorned for her husband . With that I hearda loud voice from the throne say : `Look! the tentof God is with humankind, and he will reside withthem, and they will be his peoples . And God himselfwill be with them . And he will wipe out everytear from their eyes, and death will be no more,neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.' Andthe one seated on the throne said : `Look! I ammaking all things new .' Also he says : `Write, becausethese words are trustworthy and true .' Andhe said to me : 'They have come to pass!'"-Rev .21 :1-6, NW.38 Jehovah God seated on the throne of universalsovereignty is the One who creates all these shiningnew things. The holy city, New Jerusalem, thatdescends in bridal loveliness out of heaven fromhim is not Jehovah's woman, not his universalorganization of holy heavenly creatures . She israther his daughter, made up of the spiritualchildren of his woman, the "Jerusalem above",the heavenly ion . As such the New Jerusalemis destined to be the bride of Jehovah's sacrificedSon, the Lamb . An angel verified this fact to37 . In fulfillment of what vision will there be no more"sea", and how so?38 . What is the New Jerusalem, why is there no templein it, and what position does it occupy in the universe?

340 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"John : "He spoke with me and said : `Come here,I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife .' Sohe carried me away under the spirit's power to agreat and lofty mountain, and he showed me theholy city Jerusalem coming down out of heavenfrom God and having the glory of God . . . . And Idid not see a temple in it, for Jehovah God theAlmighty is its temple, also the Lamb is." (Rev .21 :9-22, NW) What need of a temple there tosymbolize God's presence when God himself andhis High Priest Jesus Christ are personally thereamidst the city? As the earthly Jerusalem wasthe capital of the nation of Jehovah's chosen people,likewise the holy city, New Jerusalem, withits King Jesus Christ, becomes the capital organizationof all the universe. God Most High createsit to be the new heavens not only over the earthbut over all the universal creation, visible and invisible. (Phil . 2 :5-11) By it and in it Jehovah Godrules forever over all else.89Reference to the holy city, New Jerusalem,as being the daughter of Jehovah God the universalKing is made at the afore-quoted Psalm 45 .The New Jerusalem is now represented on earthby the remnant of God's spiritual children whoare promised in marriage to his heavenly Son .Those who are now accompanying the remnant ofthis bridal company are the "great crowd" ofearthly companions, who rejoice with her in hermarriage prospects and who follow her as an escort,glad to be of assistance to her . Just as thosepromised in marriage to the King Jesus Christmust keep virgin purity respecting this world, sothese companions keep themselves virgins fromthis world, forming no compromising defiling allianceswith it but holding true and undividedly39 . In what condition must the companions of Christ'sbride keep themselves, and how far do they accompanyher?

CREATION OF NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH 341to the New World society . Continuing in thiscourse of virginity, this "great crowd" of companionswill escort the remnant of the engagedvirgin class through the cataclysm of Armageddon,yes, and on to the time for their passing fromthis earth to be really united with their heavenlyBridegroom in the abode of his Father's house .The psalmist writes effervescently of this associationof the remnant of the bridal company and the"great crowd" of virgin companions till the consummationof the marriage : "All glorious is theking's daughter within ; her clothing is embroideredwith gold. In brilliant colors she is broughtto the king ; the virgins in her train, her companions,are brought to you. With gladness andjoy are they brought in ; they enter the palace ofthe king ." (Ps . 45 :13-15, AT) This helps the virgincompanions to be faithful .40 As the holy city, New Jerusalem, the Lamb'swife, turns its motherly attention and newly acquiredheavenly powers down toward the newearth, it is said to be coming down out of heavenfrom God in bridal glory . By it God resides withmankind . Since he is personally the temple of thiscity by his residence in it with his Son the Lamb,the holy city is compared to a tent, the tabernaclethat Moses built in the wilderness of Sinai and inwhich Jehovah's presence was pictured by thegolden ark with its cherub-adorned lid . By thatancient tent the Israelites approached their God .But now by means of the new heavens in whichChrist is High Priest and King mankind may approachGod and eventually become his earthlychildren, the earthly members of his universalorganization. Thus they will be his peoples, andthat forevermore .40. In what way does the New Jerusalem come down,how does God tent with mankind, and how will theybecome his peoples?

CHAPTERIIThe Enduring Qualityof the New WorldY MEANS of the Kingdom, the new heavens,B the great Creator of the new world vindicateshis name and his universal sovereignty . By it here-establishes his sovereignty even over all creatureson the hotbed of the great rebellion, thistiny planet earth. The inhabited earth to come willbe in subjection, not to angels, but to his belovedroyal Son who tasted death on earth for everyman. "For it is not to angels that he has subjectedthe inhabited earth to come, about whichwe are speaking ." But it is to Jesus, one of whosehonorable titles is "the Son of man". (Heb. 2 :5-9,NW) By means of this kingdom of his Son JesusChrist Jehovah God will remove all that has causedall lovers of him to grieve at the blasphemous reproachingof his holy name and at the wickedflouting of his rightful universal sovereignty . Yes,by the Kingdom he will remove all conditions mental,physical, and social that have wracked thehuman family with pain and forced rivers of tearsto flow and filled this earth with horrifying soundsof war and tumult and the sad moaning and sobbingof the bereaved ones and ruined the face ofthis globe . Every trace of the mournful consequencesof Satan's rebellion and of the first man's1 . To whom will the inhabited earth to come be subjected,and what in general will be removed from it?342

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 3 43sinful disobedience must be erased . Even deathmust give way to the new world, passing awaywith all those former things .2 The righteous world with which mankind beganlife on this earth must be re-created, and itwill be. In assurance of this Jesus said to histwelve apostles who were called to his new-worldkingdom : "Truly I say to you, In the re-creation,when the Son of man sits down upon his gloriousthrone, you who have followed me will also yourselvessit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelvetribes of Israel ." (Matt . 19 :28, NW) All the unworthyold things must be removed and newthings must be made, even righteous heavens anda righteous new earth . Only by this will theCreator vindicate his original purpose to have anenduring righteous world here . Now he rejoicesbecause his new world is at the doors .3The "war of the great day of God the Almighty"with which he will righteously removethe old world will leave much desolation in theearth . (Ps . 46 :6-11) This desolation must be removedin order to have earth become the globalparadise that the great Gardener Jehovah Godpurposed when he planted the garden of Eden asthe beauty spot from which the paradise of Godshould spread out and robe all the earth withgrandeur, a praise to the Creator and a suitablehome for perfect man and his animal companions .The survivors of Almighty God's victorious warwill step out as pioneers into the new earth . Althoughspread all over the earth according to theirpre-Armageddon location, they will promptly cooperatetogether as a new-world society in har-2. What must be re-created, and in vindication of what?3 . After the war of God's great day, what will theArmageddon survivors do for beautifying the earth?

3 44 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"mony with the theocratic organization alreadyestablished among them. The reigning King willmanifest his will, and his sarim or princes on theearth will carry out his royal decrees. There willdoubtless be a distribution of land or an assignmentto working areas, to correspond with thedistribution of the land to the twelve tribes ofIsrael after they had crossed the Jordan river andentered the Promised Land and gained dominancein it while Jehovah fought for them . With unrestrainableeagerness, with courage and with aloving desire to vindicate God's purpose further,the Armageddon survivors will tackle the reconstructivework of everywhere beautifying theearth, subduing it in fulfillment of God's originalmandate to Adam and Eve .Opposite to being expelled from Paradise likeAdam and Eve, they will really be entering Paradise,the garden of God. The earth will not beunder any curse so as to run wild with thorns andthistles . But as God promised the Israelites in thePromised Land that their soil would have hisfructifying blessing if they worshiped him andkept his commandments, so the whole earth willhave the divine blessing as the Armageddon survivorsproceed with subduing it with theocraticmethods . Hence the bringing of the globe to aparadise loveliness and fruitfulness should nottake too long . Be it remembered that about 425years after the global deluge when Abraham andhis nephew Lot looked over the whole basin ofthe Jordan river it was well watered and "like thegarden of Jehovah", and this despite the occupancyof that region by demon-worshiping pagans . (Gen .13 :8-10, NW) So the restoration and extensionof paradise on this earth will proceed apace,4. Why will the restoration of paradise and its extensionon earth proceed apace and not take too long?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 345with proper climatic conditions, without drought,blights and pests, but all nature being broughtto a perfect balance.5Human marriage will then be what it shouldbe, a happy and fruitful union of righteous manand woman. The original paradise of Eden had thesingle-wife standard for man. Noah and his sonsfollowed the Edenic standard by having each onewife before, during and after the flood, as a patternfor those who survive Armageddon. Nineteen centuriesago Jesus restored human marriage to itsEdenic standard for his disciples. So Armageddonsurvivors entering paradise restored will followthat standard in the "new earth" . The prophetMoses, because of the hardheartedness of the fallenIsraelites, was allowed to grant them the provisionsfor divorce . But the Greater Moses, JesusChrist the King, will be lifting up fallen mankindto human perfection and he will make no allowancefor divorce in the new earth . He himself has butthe one wife, the Christian congregation of 144,000members, "Christ's body." As he is Head overbut the one wife, the one congregation, not twoor more such, so he the Everlasting Father willarrange and marry his earthly children each to butone marriage mate, no divorce provisions beingattached . (Matt . 19 :3-9, NW) The spirit of Godwill have softened the human hearts to a lovingcondition.6 The children that will be born to the Armageddonsurvivors and to their offspring will be a blessingfrom God . He promised to bless the wombs ofthe Israelites in the Promised Land if they remainedfaithful to him, and for the Armageddon5 . What will the marriage standard and arrangementsbe then?6 . What will be the condition of the children born toArmageddon survivors, and how far will childbearingproceed?

346 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"survivors it will likewise be true : "Lo, childrenare a heritage of Jehovah ; and the fruit of thewomb is his reward ." (Ps . 127 :3, AS) There willbe no stillbirths, no abortions, no cripples frombirth, no babes dying after a few days, nor anychildren dying before attaining to the age of responsibilitywhere they can choose their owncourse for themselves and take the recompense .Being born of not yet perfect although righteousparents, these children will not be born any moreperfect than their parents then . Consequently theytoo will be dependent upon the provisions forsalvation that Jehovah God makes through hissacrificed Son Jesus Christ ; they will have to exercisefaith and prove their faith by their loving,obedient works. Eventually the childbearing willcease, for it is not the Kingdom's purpose to fillthe paradise earth with the offspring of theArmageddon survivors to the saturation point .Childbearing will proceed to the point where thedemonstration has been made how it would haveproceeded in Eden for filling the earth, and thusGod's original mandate will have a vindicativeillustration in this respect . Allowance must bemade, room must be reserved for those who willbe resurrected from death for life on earth .However, animal life will teem in the earthfrom those family kinds that will survive the"war of the great day of God the Almighty" . Theywill produce their kind and live their normal lifespan in their appropriate habitats, but even thoseloving the open fields, the mountainous regions andthe forests will become tame and completely subjectto man . The spirit of the Creator who madebirds, fish, land animals and creeping things willrestore them to the state they had at the time7. What will be the state of lower animal life then,and to whom will it be in subjection?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 3 47that he gave the perfect pair in Eden the mandate: "Have in subjection the fish of the sea andthe flying creatures of the heavens and everyliving creature that is creeping upon the earth ."(Gen. 1 :28, NW) Jehovah God has put all thesecreatures under the feet of the Son of man JesusChrist the King, and the King will subdue thespirits of all these creatures to be in harmlesssubjection to his righteous, obedient children onearth . (Ps. 8 :4-8 ; Heb. 2 :5-9) Already, in a symbolicor figurative way, Almighty God has removedthe ferocious, vicious, predatory animalsfrom among the New World society of his spiritualremnant and their good-will companions, that is,as regards such dispositions to be found in thisselfish, beastly world and its systems . But thismiracle he will produce in a literal way with thelower creature life in the new world . Righteousmankind will then be enraptured by beholding theKingdom prophecy fulfilled with literalness :8 "And there shall come forth a shoot out of thestock of Jes'se the human forefather of JesusChrist the King , and a branch out of his rootsshall bear fruit . And the spirit of Jehovah shallrest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,the spirit of counsel and might, the spiritof knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah . And hisdelight shall be in the fear of Jehovah ; and heshall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neitherdecide after the hearing of his ears ; but withrighteousness shall he judge the poor, and decidewith equity for the meek of the earth ; and heshall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth ;and with the breath of his lips shall he slay thewicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle ofhis waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins .8, 9 . With beholding what Kingdom prophecy fulfilledliterally will righteous mankind be enraptured?

348 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"€ "And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, andthe leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and thecalf and the young lion and the fatling together ;and a little child shall lead them . And the cowand the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall liedown together ; and the lion shall eat straw likethe ox . And the sucking child shall play on thehole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put hishand on the adder's den . They shall not hurt nordestroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earthshall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as thewaters cover the sea ."-Isa . 11 :1-9, AS .RESURRECTION OF THE REST OF THE DEADto The King Jesus Christ can benefit not onlythe living but also all those who are dead in thememorial tombs. Almighty God will use him toraise the dead and has therefore given him the"keys of death and of Ha'des", that is, the power torelease men from the processes of death and frommankind's common grave in the earth . Jesus said"For just as the Father has in himself the giftof life, so he has granted to the Son to have alsoin himself the gift of life . And he has given himauthority to do judging, because Son of man he is .Do not marvel at this, because the hour is comingin which all those in the memorial tombs willhear his voice and come out, those who did goodthings to a resurrection of life, those who practicedvile things to a resurrection of judgment ." (John5 :26-29 and Rev . 1 :18, NW) On this basis theapostle Paul could say : "There is going to be aresurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous."-Acts24 :15, NW .i o . What keys has God given the King Jesus Christ,and hence what marvelous thing will take place bytheir use?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 3 4911The faithful witnesses of Jehovah, from themartyred Abel down to those of this day, havedone good. The 144,000 of the Christian congregationhave part in the "first resurrection" to immortallife in the spiritual "new heavens" . Theother witnesses that died come out of the memorialtombs as righteous persons in full tune with the"new earth", many of them to be chosen and installedas sarim, or "princes", in all the earth .They being in the way of life from the time oftheir resuscitation, life eternal as perfect humancreatures on a paradise earth will be what theywill work for. They will hope to attain the rightto this glorious prize by the end of the thousandyears' reign of their Everlasting Father .12 The resurrection of the unjust that havepracticed vile things will doubtless take placewhen paradise adorns the earth and can sustain allthose billions of mankind in general that will beraised to an opportunity for life in the new world .This is indicated by Jesus' words to the evildoerthat said while hanging beside him on Calvary :"Jesus, remember me when you get into your kingdom." "And he said to him : `Truly I tell you today,You will be with me in Paradise .'" (Luke23 :42, 43, NW; Ro; Lamsa; Cureton) The waythese will choose to go will be shown by theirworks during this thousand-year day of judgment .(2 Pet . 3 :7, 8) Like books, God's will for themand for all others on earth will be opened or disclosedto them by the King . What each and alldo under the established Kingdom will determinewhether their names will be entered on the book11 . Who are the righteous, the doers of good, that comeforth from the memorial tombs, and to what willthey come out?12, 13 . What indicates when the resurrection of theunjust will begin, according to what will they be judged,and how will worthiness of endless life be determined?

350 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"of life as of humans worthy of being gifted withendless life on the paradise earth . John writes :13"And I saw a great white throne and theone seated on it. From before him the earth andthe heaven fled away, and no place was found forthem . And I saw the dead, the great and the small,standing before the throne, and scrolls wereopened . But another scroll was opened ; it is thescroll of life. And the dead were judged out ofthose things written in the scrolls according totheir deeds . And the sea gave up those dead in it,and death and Ha'des gave up those dead in them,and they were judged individually according totheir deeds. And death and Ha'des were hurledinto the lake of fire . This means the second death,the lake of fire . Furthermore, whoever was notfound written in the book of life was hurled intothe lake of fire ."-Rev. 20 :11-15, NW."Those who died at sea will be brought backto life. Those who were buried in Ha'des, or mankind'scommon grave in the dry land, will bebrought back to human life . When the last of thesehas been restored from the memorial tomb, thenHa'des, mankind's common grave, will have beentotally emptied and will cease for all time . In thisway it will be hurled into the lake of fire, whichsymbolizes second death, a death without reversal .All, of course, will come out of the sea or Ha'desin an imperfect human condition and will requirehealing to attain to human perfection . Their healingand uplift will depend upon and be commensuratewith their continued obedience to the Kingdom.Jesus Christ is Jehovah's King and HighPriest . In Israel the priests inspected houses andpersons that were infected with disease, quaran-14 . How will Ha'des be hurled into the lake of fire, andhow will the healing and uplifting of mankind proceedunder Jehovah's High Priest?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 351tined them and afterward pronounced them cleanor unclean according to God's instruction . (Lev .13 :1 to 14 :54) On earth Jesus Christ the HighPriest performed marvelous cures on the blind,deaf, dumb, crippled, sick and leprous, even raisingthe dead. In applying the benefits of his ransomsacrifice for obedient mankind, he as High Priestwill not tolerate the continued existence of sin'sinfection among his subjects . He will clear out sintogether with all the marks of imperfection thatit has produced mentally, morally and physically .15By the end of the thousand-year reign theroyal High Priest will be able to pronounce allobedient humankind clean, for all trace of deathdue to Adam will be eradicated . Thus death, thatis, the death inherited by descent from Adam,will be completely counteracted and will cease, sobeing hurled into the lake of fire, the "seconddeath" . Adamic death will never be able to be revivedor be pleaded as the reason for the slightestsin . "For he must rule as king until God has putall enemies under his feet. As the last enemy,death is to be destroyed ."-1 Cor . 15 :25, 26, NW.THE FINAL TEST1The perfect Adam and Eve in the paradise ofEden were tested as to their willing obedience totheir Creator and Universal Sovereign . Obedientmankind, uplifted to human perfection in therestored earthly paradise, must likewise finally betested as individuals and as a new-world society.The great controversy that has ragedthroughout the universe has made Jehovah's universalsovereignty the chief issue before all crea-15 . How and when will death be hurled into the lakeof fire?16. On what great issue will uplifted mankind betested, and by means of whom? For what reason Isthis final test appropriate?

3 52 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"tion ; it must now be permanently settled with regardto the new earth . God is not afraid to testthe stability and enduring quality of each partof his new world of righteousness . The test onearth will not be by any replanted "tree of theknowledge of good and bad" . By the close of themillennium perfected humankind will have gonethrough good and bad by actual experience . Thetest will be by means of the same one that led mankindastray at the beginning of their history,Satan the Devil, together with his demons . Canhe do it again? He is confident that he can. Hewould not be satisfied unless he could try it . Willhe be able to do so? The universe would like toknow by actual demonstration for a final settlementof the great issue to Jehovah's everlasting,indisputable vindication . To this end Jehovah Godvoluntarily has his King release Satan and hisdemons from the abyss after the thousand years.17 "Now as soon as the thousand years have beenended, Satan will be let loose out of his prison,and he will go out to mislead those nations in thefour quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, togather them together for the war . The number ofthese is as the sand of the sea . And they advancedover the breadth of the earth and encircled thecamp of the holy ones and the beloved city . Butfire came down out of heaven and devoured them .And the Devil who was misleading them washurled into the lake of fire and sulphur, whereboth the wild beast and the false prophet alreadywere; and they will be tormented day and nightfor ever and ever."-Rev . 20 :7-10, NW .18 None of mankind will be privileged to escape17. How does Revelation 20 :7-10 describe the progressof the test?18. To what areas of earth and to whom will this testextend, and how will the demons try to appeal tohumankind?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 35 3this test, whether princes (sarim) or perfectedmankind in general, in whatever quarter of theearth . To the farthest reaches of paradise the testwill extend, as represented by the region that inthe apostle John's day or in the prophet Ezekiel'sday was inhabited by Gog, the prince of Magog,a region to the then extreme north . The test willbe very searching . Satan and his demons, unreformedby their imprisonment in the abyss for amillennium, will apply their usual subtlety towardperfect mankind . It will appeal to selfishness,which may be camouflaged as an enlightened selfishness; that is the way it was presented to Eve .Consideration of it for a brief moment will subjectperfect humans to being drawn out and enticedby their own desire . Such egocentric desireif given time and cultivation to become fertile willgive birth to sin, and sin will mean rebellionagainst the universal sovereignty of the greatTheocrat, Jehovah God. (Jas . 1 :13-15, NW) Thekingdom of God's dear Son and his bride will notinterfere with this final test, although Satan andhis demons have been cast down and made thefootstool of the King's feet . Having accomplishedthe perfecting of mankind and the removal ofinherited sin and Adamic death, the King stepsaside for the Supreme Judge, Jehovah God, tomake the test.19"Next, the accomplished end, when he handsover the kingdom to his God and Father, whenhe has destroyed all government and all authorityand power. For he must rule as king until Godhas put all enemies under his feet . As the lastenemy, death is to be destroyed . For God 'subjectedall things under his feet' . But when heDavid at Psalms 8 and 110 says that `all thingsi g. To show what will the King step aside for God tomake the test?

354 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"have been subjected', it is evident that it is withthe exception of the one who subjected all thingsto him. But when all things will have been subjectedto him, then the Son himself will also subjecthimself to the one who subjected all thingsto him, that God may be all things to everyone."-1 Cor . 15 :24-28, NW.20 In Ezekiel's prophecy Gog's assault wasagainst the restored people of Jehovah God in orderto plunder them and wreck their conditionof prosperity and heap reproach upon the name oftheir God Jehovah. Because the many who yieldto Satan's misleading influence at the end of themillennium will band together in conspiracy andmake an assault from all quarters against God'sloyal people and their theocratic organization inthe restored paradise, these rebellious hordes arelikened to Gog and his realm, Magog . Against the"camp of the holy ones," made up of the integritykeepingones of perfect humanity, and against the"beloved city", represented by the princes (sarim)that visibly represent the New Jerusalem above,the rebellious ones misled by Satan and his demonsmarch to the assault. This is now the last timethat Jehovah's universal sovereignty is challenged .While the faithful "new earth" stands stable, loyaland up in spiritual arms, Jehovah by his Kingrains down destruction upon the visible seed ofthe great Serpent. They show themselves undeservingof getting their names written in the bookof life . There is no memorial tomb or any Ha'desor She'ol for them to go to, for these are nowthings of the forever past . Therefore the rebels areconsigned to the lake of fire and sulphur, Gehenna,where death and Ha'des have been cast . That is,20 . To whom are the rebels on earth likened, againstwhat do they make an assault, and what happens tothem?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 3.55they are disintegrated, annihilated, as if they hadnever existed before . Their cursed name will rot .E 1 As for Satan the Devil, the original Serpent,and his demons, they also are cast into that lethallake of fire where the old-world "wild beast" andthe Anglo-American "false prophet" were plungedat the battle of Armageddon . That spells absoluteand endless destruction for them . Thus in a finaland lasting sense the Seed of God's woman willbruise the Serpent at his head . Satan and hisvisible agencies, such as the "wild beast" and the"false prophet", have been a challenge to Jehovah'ssupremacy and all-power, a test-stone by which toprove his universal sovereignty and display his irresistiblepower over the challengers and opposers .For all time, then, when the question of Jehovah'suniversal sovereignty comes up, reference to thetest-stone in the great controversy will alwayswork to the torment or embarrassment andsquelching of Satan's side of the issue . The issuewill have been settled for good to Jehovah'svindication .22By this final test the "camp of the holy ones"and their "princes" (sarim) will prove their inflexibleintegrity to Jehovah God and his "newheavens" . All these tried and tested ones of perfectedhumanity Jehovah will reward with writingtheir names in his book of life . That means theirjustification to life without end upon the paradiseearth . "God is the One who declares them righteous."(Rom. 8:33, NW) The "new earth" willhave endured the concluding, determinative testand come through to the vindication of Jehovah's21 . Where will Satan and his demons be cast, and inwhat way will they be tormented there forever andever?22 . What will be the reward of those who will standthe test, and into what relationship with God and hiswoman will they be brought?

356 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"rightful sovereignty over all creation . Though the"second death" is always within Almighty God'spower to administer to possible rebels, no creaturewill be able or empowered to destroy the faithfulmembers of the "new earth" in the endless newworld . No creature can cancel God's justifyingof them to eternal life. (Luke 20 :34-36) They willremain forever as the justified human sons of JehovahGod, now adopted as the visible children ofhis woman and thus made a part of his theocraticuniversal organization . They will alwaysserve him on earth as those who under test hada part in vindicating God Most High .23Forever the new earth and the new heavenswill remain in tune in the unifying worship of theonly true God and in the unswerving love ofrighteousness . Perfect mankind's home and its radiantsun and silvery moon will endure as long asGod's kingdom by Christ Jesus, the great Son andSeed of David, and that is forever . In assuranceof this God says : "Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David : His seed shallendure for ever, and his throne as the sun beforeme . It shall be established for ever as the moon,and as the faithful witness in the sky ." (Ps. 89 :35-37, AS) Materialistic scientists of this "presentwicked system of things", in utter ignorance orstubborn disbelief of the Creator's purpose, reasonout that such a thing will be impossible accordingto their godless conception of the universe . Leaningto their own understanding, the Creator Godnot being in any of their thoughts, they reason thatthe earth will come to a flaming end. They fancythat the sun, which is a huge hydrogen bomb inpermanent explosion, will reach an old age whereit will undergo a series of wild explosions, becom-23 . How long will the new earth and new heavensremain in tune, and against what philosophies respectingearth's destiny are Christians warned?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 3 57ing a super-nova, perhaps three to ten billion yearsfrom today. This will increase the sun's radiancea million times . What chance will creature life onearth have under such a sun, with the earth's sidetoward the sun becoming ablaze, and then thegases shooting out from the sun's exploded exteriorbaptizing the earth in fire? By these deaththroes of the sun the earth will be reduced toa cinder, without form and beauty and lifesustainingatmosphere, circling round its dyingsun until some unpredictable greater catastropherenders it to a great cloud of dust, which the scientiststhink it originally was . Christians are warnedagainst such philosophies, such "falsely called`knowledge' ".-1 Tim . 6 :20,21, NW .24 The new earth and new heavens make up therighteous new world for which Jehovah God hasexpressed love in an unusual way . "For God lovedthe world so much that he gave his only-begottenSon, in order that everyone exercising faith inhim might not be destroyed but have everlastinglife ." (John 3 :16, NW) His Son died on earth thathe might ransom believers who will become hisbride and compose the "new heavens" with him .He laid down his earthly life that he might alsoredeem those believing humans who will becomehis loyal subjects and compose the "new earth" .Is it reasonable, not to say, Scriptural, to expectthat eventually, in the dim, far-distant future,God will destroy what he has loved so much andwhat he has produced at the cost of his most-lovedSon? Having filled the earth with a perfect humanrace in his image and likeness and having transformedtheir earthly home into a paradise, willGod ever let cosmic forces reduce it to an ugly,24 . What world was it that God loved so much, andhow does this argue that he will never destroy it? Intestimony of what would he preserve it?

353 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"uninhabitable cinder or shapeless cloud of dustmingled with gases? Having fulfilled his originalpurpose by the end of his great sabbath day, hisseven-thousand-year day of resting from earthlycreation, will he then stultify himself by destroyingall his work that he has pronounced very good?Forever No to that! Instead, he will make it remainforever. With undying love he will preserveit, to be an eternal monument testifying to thevindication of his universal sovereignty and holyname, this earthly site where the paramount issueof all the universe was settled to his honor .25Never fear, then, you who hope to live in peaceand happiness on a paradise earth . Jehovah God,who can never lie, has given his own Word thatthe much-loved new world will endure without anend . In words addressed to spiritual Israel of whichhis beloved Son is the Chief One, he says : "Foras the new heavens and the new earth which Iwill make shall remain before me, saith Jehovah,so shall your seed and your name remain . And itshall come to pass from new moon to new moon,and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall cometo worship before me, saith Jehovah . And theyshall go forth, and look upon the carcases of themen that have transgressed against me : for theirworm shall not die, neither shall their fire bequenched ; and they shall be an abhorrence untoall flesh ."-Isa . 66 :22-24, Da; AS.26The new heavens and the new earth, being allrighteous, will remain before Jehovah their Creator,who has exhaustless power to renew hiscreation and perpetuate it in its glorious perfec-25 . In view of whose statement and what statementneed those who hope to live on the paradise earth neverfear?26. Why will the new heavens and the name of itsmembers remain before Jehovah, and why also thenew earth?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 859tion . Just so, too, the name of his spiritual Israel,the people taken out for his name and who havenot borne his name in vain, will remain beforehim ; it shall not rot like the name of the wicked .By the power of the Kingdom the lovable inhabitantsof the "new earth" will become the seed oroffspring of spiritual Israel, and they will bebrought forth for no calamity or sudden terror ;they, too, will remain before Jehovah, their greatFather and eternal Provider . "Jehovah preservethall them that love him ; but all the wicked will hedestroy." (Ps . 145 :20, AS) At the battle of Armageddonhe will destroy all the wicked of thismodern generation .27The survivors of this "war of the great dayof God the Almighty" will be his lovers, the NewWorld society . After the battle they will go forthand look upon the carcasses of those whom Jehovahhas slain, unburied, the food of worms thatwill not die or cease from swarming over theodious carcasses until they have eaten the bonesclean, the food of fire mixed with sulphur thatwill not be extinguished until it has completed theconsumption of all remnants of the carcasses . Thiswill be their fate, because they will be objects ofabhorrence to all righteous surviving flesh, whowill not commit them to memorial tombs but willlet them perish in Gehenna, second death . (Matt .10 :28, Mo; NW; Mark 9 :43-48) Likewise thosewho make an uprising against Jehovah's newworld at the end of Christ's millennial reign willbe devoured with destruction from heaven, sobeing hurled into the symbolic "lake of fire", the"second death" .-Rev . 20 :9, 14, 15 ; 21 :8, AS; NW .27. What will happen to the carcasses of those whohave transgressed against Jehovah at Armageddon,and how will the rebels at the end of Christ's reignbe correspondingly treated?

360 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"28During the thousand-year reign of the "newheavens" for mankind's uplift and perfecting, allhuman flesh will learn and know of Jehovah, "forthe earth shall be filled with the knowledge of theglory of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea ."(Hab. 2 :14, AS) Throughout all seasons of theyear, from month to month, from week to week,they will worship Him, the praiseworthy God ofthe new world . They will enter into his greatsabbath of rest by their faith proved by obedience .Christ's millennial reign being the seventh andlast millennium of Jehovah's great sabbath day,what a day it will be for believing mankind! A dayof cessation from attempts at self-justification ;a day of rest in God's provisions through Christ ;and a day of mental, moral and physical recuperationand upbuilding to the grand ideal of humanperfection in God's image and likeness, in paradiserestored! Faithfully enduring the final test atthe close of Christ's millennial day and of Jehovah'sgreat sabbath day, those who have chosento serve the living and true God for all time willenter upon an eternity of paradisaic happinessin the ever-abiding new earth .29God will not need to transport them to otherplanets for any reason or to people heaven withthem. He is not interested in having a continualturnover of untried workers coming and thengoing from the earth, but wants his children hereto become proficient in attending to this planetarygem of creation . He will forever retain them onearth as expert gardeners to maintain it as aglorious paradise to His praise . Never will theirceaseless existence in peace on the same earth2s . How will the Armageddon survivors and obedientmankind worship Jehovah from new moon to newmoon and from sabbath to sabbath?29. Why will living forever on the paradise earth nevergrow dull and monotonous?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 361grow mechanical, dull and monotonous, like mereaimless existence in a mythical Shangri-la . Livingwill be perpetually warmed with love from Godand his King and from fellow man . Eternal lifewill be a continual perfect expression of love forothers that finds more happiness in giving than inreceiving . Perfect life in God's image and likenesswill be a daily delight, filled with admiration ofGod's beauteous creation and with gratitude forthe joyous privilege of being alive and with new,thrilling wonderment as mankind with perfectcapacities constantly inquire and learn of the unfathomableCreator, their great heavenly Father .Life in his beloved new world will always have aninspiring purpose, that of unselfishly serving one'sfellow creatures and worshiping and magnifyingthe adorable God who created the new heavens andnew earth by his Son Jesus Christ .YOUR PREPARATION NOW TO ABIDE FOREVER30What an inviting prospect, what a blessedopportunity, the loving Creator of the new worldhas set before us of this generation! What an upliftinghope it inspires in us for the future! Howit makes us want to live to enter into the enjoymentof all these blissful things that Jehovah Godhas promised in vindication of his love, his devotionto righteousness, his faithfulness to purpose,and his all-power and supremacy! Delighting tomake his creatures forever happy, he prepared allthe blessings of the new world for us to enjoy .It is properly our part to express our faith, ourthankfulness, our appreciation now by seeking toprove worthy of sharing in all the good things thathe has in reservation for those who love him . Thisevery sincere heart that longs to worship God30 . How is every sincere heart affected by this visionof the future, and what will it now do in response to thiswhich God has set before us?

362 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"with spirit and truth will do. In his forethoughtthe heavenly Father has provided for us everyhelp and advantage to do so, with assurance ofgood success.31 First of all, God has provided us with hiswritten Word. This is most vital to our livingforever in his new world . "For `all flesh is as vegetation,and all its glory is as a flower of the vegetation; the vegetation becomes withered, and theflower falls off, but the word spoken by Jehovahendures forever' . Well, this is the `word spoken',this which has been declared to you as good news ."(1 Pet . 1 :24, 25, NW) We sincerely desire to endureforever with that divine word, and to do sowe must feed upon it, study it, obey it, make itour guide, for it is not by material food whichperishes that man will gain life but by everyutterance coming through the mouth of the oneLife-giver. He has thoughtfully had his word writtendown and made available for us despite all theenemies' efforts to destroy that indestructibleWord . Today that Word still lives whereas its foesperish. By the message of the living Word we canlay firm hold on the eternal life promised . We maynot, we will not, if we are wise, neglect God'sWord . As we read and study it, we must pray tohim for his spirit to enlighten us .32It is necessary not only to make a privatestudy of God's Word but also to associate oneselfwith those who worship him with spirit and truth,to advance in knowledge and understanding bystudying with them, if possible. This means seekingthe company of the New World society that JehovahGod has now formed by Jesus Christ . Thisvery book that you have just read was provided31 . What is most vital to our living forever in God'snew world, and why? Hence what must we do with it?32. Besides a private study of the Bible, what else isnecessary for us to do?

THE ENDURING QUALITY OF THE NEW WORLD 363for you through that New World society to enableyou better to understand your copy of the Bibleand to find its jewels of truth that God by his spirithas made to gleam forth light in our dark day .33To company with the New World society ofJehovah's witnesses may require you to breakcompany with the old world . But what of that?It is a doomed world, and God's Word of life says :"If anyone loves the world, the love of the Fatheris not in him ; because everything in the world-the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyesand the showy display of one's means of life-doesnot originate with the Father, but originates withthe world. Furthermore, the world is passing awayand so is its desire, but he that does the will ofGod remains forever." (1 John 2 :15-17, NW) Itis solely in brotherly association with the NewWorld society that we can possibly survive whenthis old world passes away . The New World societyis dedicated to doing the will of God, and his promiseis that only those who do this will remain forever.It will strengthen and encourage you to dothe good and perfect will of God by regularlymeeting with those of his New World society, andnone of us may neglect doing this : "Let us considerone another to incite to love and right works,not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together,as some have the custom, but encouraging oneanother, and all the more so as you behold the daydrawing near ." (Heb . 10 :24, 25, NW) How rapidlythat desired day is drawing nearer!34 Help others to learn to know and do God's will .Share the knowledge of this book with them, startinga home Bible study with them . Aid them, aidyourself thus, to endure forever in happiness .33. Though causing a break with the old world, whyis it necessary to company with the New World society?34. How may we aid others to endure forever?

364 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"CHART OF OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL DATESAs followed by "New Heavens and a New Earth"Symbols : "a" for "after" ; "b" for "before" ; "c" for "circa or about"DATE4025 B .C .a4025 B .C .a4025 B.C .b3895 B.C .3403 B.C .3338 B .C .3151 B.C .b3096 B.C .3096 B.C .3039 B.C .2969 B.C .2490 B.C.2469 B.C.2468 B .C.o2420-2410 B.C .2370 B.C .2370 B.C .2370 B.C.2369 B .C.2369 B .C.2368 B .C.a2239 B .C.2020 B .C.a2020 B .C.2018 B .C.a1978 B .C.1943 B .C.b1933 B .C.1932 B .C.1919 B .C.a1919 B .C.1918 B .C.1913 B .C.x1893 B . C.1881 B .C.1878 B .C.b1869 B .C.1869 B .C.1858 B .C.1844 B .C.a1843 B .C .1818 B .C .1796 B .C .EVENTAdam's creation (in the fall)Adam writes Doe. No . I, Gen . 1 :1-2 :4Edenic covenant made, first prophecyREFERENCEGen :7Gen 2 :4Gen 3 :15Gen 4 :8Gen . 5 :18Cain slays AbelBirth of righteous EnochBirth of Methuselah Gen :21Birth of Lamech Gen . 5 :25Adam writes Doc. No . II, Gen . 2 :5-5 :2 Gen :1Death of Adam, within his 930th year Gen :5Transference of EnochGen . 5 :24Ends his period of prophesyingBirth of NoahGod's pronouncement as to mankindBirth of JaphethJude 14Gen 5 :28, 29Gen 6 :3Gen . 5 :32 ; 9 :24 ;10 :21Birth of Shem Gen. 7 :11 ; 11 :10Noah begins to build the ark Gen . 6 :14Noah's preaching of righteousness 2 Pet. 2 :5beginsMethuselah dies, within his 969th year Gen . 5 :27Flood waters begin to fall (in Nov .) Gen . 7 :11Noah 599 years old or in his 600th yearNoah writes Doc. III, Gen . 5 :3-6 :9Flood on earth-Noah 600 years oldMaking of the covenant after the floodGen . 6 :9Gen . 7 :6Gen . 8 :13 ; 9 :16Birth of Arpachshad Gen . 11 :10Building of the Tower of Babel Gen 11 :4Death of Noah, within his 950th year Gen 9 :28, 29Shem, Ham, Japheth write Document Gen . 10 :1IV, Gen. 6 :9-10 :1Birth of Abraham Gen 11 :26Terah writes Doc. No . VI, Gen . 11 :10- Gen . 11 :32 ; 12 :427Abraham enters Canaan . Abrahamic Gen. 12 :4, 7covenant madeEx . 12 :40 ; Gal.Beginning of the 430-year period3 :17Lot rescued. Abraham visits Mel- Gen . 14 :16, 18 ;chizedek 16 :3Ishmael born Gen. 16 :15,16Covenant of circumcision made Gen. 17 :1, 10, 24Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 19 :24Birth of Isaac the true heir Gen. 21 :2, 5Beginning of the "about 450 years" Acts 13 :17-20,NWWeaning of Isaac . Ishmael sent away Gen . 21 :8 ; 15 :13Beginning of the 400-year oppression Acts 7 :6Isaac offered up. God adds oath Gen. 22 :2,16Death of Sarah, age 127 Gen. 17 :17 ; 23 :1Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah Gen. 25 :20Shem writes Doc . V, Gen . 10 :2-11 :10 Gen. 11 :10Death of Shem, in 600th year Gen. 11 :11Birth of Esau and Jacob Gen. 25 :26Death of Abraham, in 175th year Gen. 25 :7Ishmael (and Isaac) writes Document Gen. 25 :12No . VII, Gen . 11 :27-25 :12Esau marries Judith, the Hittitess Gen. 26 :34Death of Ishmael, within his 137th yr . Gen. 25 .17

CHART OF OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL DATES365DATEEVENTa1796 B.C . Isaac writes Document No . VIII,Gen . 25 :13-191781 B .C. Jacob flees to Haran ; his vision atBethel1774 B .C. Jacob marries Leah and Rachel1767 B .C. Birth of Joseph1761 B .C. Jacob returns to Canaan from Haranc1761 B.C . Jacob wrestles angel, is named Israel1750 B.C. Joseph sold as a slave by his brothers1739 B .C. Death of Isaac, within his 180th yeara1739 B .C. Esau writes Doc. No. I , Gen . 25 :19-36 :1a1739 B .C. Esau writes Doc . , Gen. 36 :2-91737 B .C. Joseph made prime minister of Egyptb1728 B.C . Jacob writes Doe . I, Gen. 36 :10-37 :21728 B .C. Jacob with his whole family entersEgypt1712 B .C . Death of Jacob, within his 147th year1657 B .C . Death of Joseph, age 110Job's trialEgypt begins growth as 1st worldpower1593 B.C . Birth of Moses1553 B .C. Moses offers himself as a deliverer ;flees to Midianb1613 B.C .e1600 B .C .e1514 B.C . Moses at the burning thornbush1513 B.C . Passover ; Egypt's power shaken ; RedSea disaster ; Israelites leaveEgypt ; end of 400-year period ofafflictionGiving of the Law at Mt . SinaiEnd of the 430-year-periodMoses compiles Genesis in wilderness1512 B.C . Tabernacle construction completedConsecration of the Aaronic priesthoodMoses writes most of Exodus andLeviticuse1490 B.C . Moses writes the book of Job1473 B.C . Moses completes Numbers in MoabCovenant of the repeated Law in MoabMoses writes DeuteronomyMoses dies on Nebo in Moab, age 120Israel enters Canaan under Joshua1467 B.C . End of Joshua's war operations inCanaanEnd of the "about 450 years"b1454 B.C . Joshua writes the book of Joshuac1454 B.C . Death of Joshua, age 110e1192 B.C .c1173 B.C .b1137 B.C .Birth of SamuelJephthah's victory over AmmonArk removed from ShilohEli's judgeship endsSamuel continues judgingc1137 B.C. Jonathan, son of Saul, born1117 B.C . Samuel anoints Saul as king of IsraelREFERENCEGen . 25 :19Gen . 28 :2 , 13, 19 ;30 :25, 26 ; 31 :41Gen . 29 :23-30Gen . 30 :23, 24Gen . 31 :18, 41Gen . 32 :24-28Gen . 37 :2Gen . 35 :28, 29Gen . 36 :1Gen . 36 :9Gen . 41 :40, 46Gen . 37 :2Gen . 45 :6 ; 46 :26 ;47 :9Gen . 47 :28Gen . 50 :26Job 1 :8 ; 42 :16Ex . 1 .8Ex . 2 :2Ex. 2 :11, 14, 15Acts 7 :25Ex . 3 :2Ex 12 :12 ; 14 :27Ex . 14 :29, 30Gen. 15 :13,14Ex. 19 :3-8Gal . 3 :17 ; Ex.12 :40 ; John 5 :46Ex. 40 :17Lev. 8 :34-36Lev. 27 :34 ; Num.1 :1 ; Ex. 16 :35Num. 35 :1 ; 36 :13Dent. 29 :1Dent. 1 :1, 3Dent. 34 :5, 7Jos. 4 :19Jos. 11 :23 ; 14 :7,10-15Acts 13 :17-20, NWJos . 1 :1 ; 24 :26Jos . 24 :291 Sam. 1 :20Judg. 11 :26, 331 Sam . 4 :3, 111 Sam. 4 :181 Sam . 6 :1, 21 ;7 :1, 2, 151 Sam. 13 :1, 21 Sam. 10 :24 ;Acts 13 :21

3 66 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"DATE EVENT REFERENCE1107 B.C . Birth of David at Bethlehem 1 Sam . 16 :1 ;2 Sam. 5 :4c1100 B .C . Samuel writes Judges Judg. 21 :25c1097 B .C . Samuel anoints David as king designate1 Sam. 16 :13c1097 to David writes his many Psalms Ps . 72 :201037 B.C .c1090 B.C . Samuel writes the book of Ruth Ruth 4 :18-22b1082 B.C . Samuel writes 1 Samuel 1 :1-24 :22 1 Sam. 2-5 :11077 B.C . Death of King Saul 1 Sam. 31 :7David anointed king of Judah at 2 Sam. 2 :4Hebron1070 B.C . David's 3d anointing, over all Israel Sam. :3-51069 B.C . David takes Jerusalem ; makes it 2 Sam. 5 :6, 7capitala1069 B .C. The Ark brought into Jerusalem Sam. 6 :15Kingdom covenant made with David Sam. 7 :12-16c1040 B .C . Gad and Nathan write 1 Samuel 25 :1 2 Sam. 24 :18to 2 Samuel 24 :251037 B.C . Death of King David, age 70 Ki 2 :10, 11Solomon anointed as king of Israel Ki 1 :39 ; 2 :121034 B.C . Construction of Solomon's temple 1 Ki . 6 :1begun1027 B .C. Solomon's temple in Jerusalem1 Ki . 6 :38completedc1010 B .C. Solomon writes most of Proverbs Prov. 1 :1 ; 10 :1 ;25 :1 ; Eccl . 12 :9c1010 B .C. Solomon writes Song of Solomon Ca . 1 :1c1000 B .C. Solomon writes EcclesiastesEccl . 1 :1997 B .C. Rehoboam succeeds Solomon, kingdom 1 Ki. 11 :43 ; 12 :19split980 B .C. Abijam succeeds Rehoboam Ki. 15 :1, 2978 B .C. Asa succeeds Abijam Ki. 15 :9, 10938 B .C. Jehoshaphat succeeds Asa 1 Ki. 22 :41, 42917 B .C. Jehoram succeeds Jehoshaphat 2 Ki. 8 :16, 17c917 B .C. Joel writes the book of Joel Joel 1 :1910 B .C. Ahaziah succeeds Jehoram Chron . 22 :1, 2909 B .C. Queen Athaliah usurps throne Ki. 11 :1-3903 B .C. Jehoash succeeds Ahaziah Ki. 12 :1866 B .C. Amaziah succeeds Jehoash 2 Ki. 14 :1, 2c852 B.C . Jonah writes the book of Jonah Jonah 1 :1, 2837 B.C. An interregnum begins in Judah 2 Ki . 14 :1, 2 ;15 :1826 B .C. Uzziah becomes king 2 Chron. 26 :1-3c811 B .C. Amos writes the book of Amos Amos 1 :1c782 B .C. Assyria, second world power, begins 2 Ki . 15 :19to dominate Israel774 B.C . Jotham succeeds Uzziah Chron . 27 :1759 B .C . Ahaz succeeds Jotham Chron. 28 :1745 B .C . Hezekiah succeeds Ahaz 2 Chron. 29 :1c742 B.C . Hosea writes the book of Hosea Hosea 1 :1740 B .C. Assyria subjugates Israel, takes 2 Ki . 17 :6,13,18Samariaa732 B.C . Isaiah writes the book of Isaiah Isa. 1 :1c716 B .C. Manasseh succeeds Hezekiah 2 Ki . 21 :1c716 B .C . Micah writes the book of Micah Micah 1 :1661 B.C . Amon succeeds Manasseh Ki 21 :19659 B.C. Josiah succeeds Amon 2 Ki . 22 :19655 B .C. ephaniah writes the book ofeph . 1 :1ephaniahh633 B.C . Nahum writes the book of Nahum Nab. 1 :1

CHART OF OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL DATES367DATE EVENT REFERENCEc633 B .C. Nineveh falls to Chaldeans and Medes Nah . 3 :7628 B .C. Jehoahaz succeeds Josiah Ki. 23 :31628 B.C . Jehoakim succeeds Jehoahaz 2 Ki. 23 :36e628 B .C. Habakkuk writes the book of Hab. 1 :1Habakkuk626 B .C. Nebuchadnezzar defeats Neco of Jer . 46 :2Egypt at Carchemish625 B .C. Nebuchadnezzar rules as king of Jer . 25 :1Babylon620 B .C. Nebuchadnezzar makes Jehoiakim 2 Ki. 24 :1tributary king618 B .C. Jehoiachin becomes king after Jehoiakim2 Ki. 24 :6Nebuchadnezzar takes first Jewish Dan . 1 :1-4captives to Babylon 2 Chron. 36 :6, 7617 B .C. edekiah is made king 2 Chron. 36 :10609 B .C. Nebuchadnezzar attacks Judah 3d 2Ki. 25 :1timeHe begins 3-year siege of Jerusalem Ki. 25 :2607 B .C . Fifth month (Ab 7-10) temple razed 2 Ki. 25 :8-10Jerusalem destroyed Jer . 52 :12-14607 B.C . Seventh month . Jews abandon Judah 2 Ki. 25 :25, 26Babylon becomes the third worldpowerJeremiah writes LamentationsLam. preamble,Lc607 B .C. Obadiah writes the book of Obadiah Obadiah 1591 B.C . Ezekiel writes the book of Ezekiel Ezek . 40 :1 ; 29 :3.7a581 B.C. Jeremiah writes the books 1 and 2 Jer . 52 :31Kings and Jeremiah 2 Ki . 25 :27539 B .C. Babylon falls to the Medes andPersiansMedo-Persia becomes 4th world powerDan . 5 :30, 31537 B.C . Cyrus, the Persian, issues decree per- 2 Chron. 36 :22, 23mitting Jews to return to Jerusa- Ezek . 1 :1-3 ; 3 :1lem . Jerusalem's 70-year desolation Jer. 25 :12 ; 29 :10ends520 B .C . Haggai writes the book of Haggai Hag. 1 :1518 B.C . echariah writes the book ofech. 1 :1echariah516 B.C . erubbabel completes second temple Ezra 6 :14, 15474 B.C . Mordecai writes the book of Esther Esth. 3 :7 ; 9 :32468 B.C . Ezra and priests return to Jerusalem Ezra 7 :7e460 B .C. Ezra writes the books 1 and 22 Chron. 36 :22Chronicles and EzraEzra 1 :1455 B.C . Jerusalem's walls rebuilt by Nehe- Neh 1 :1 ;2 :1,11 ;miah 6 :i5Prophecy of 70 weeks begins fulfillmentDan. 9 :24443 B.C . Nehemiah writes the book of NehemiahNeh . 5 : 14e442 B.C . Malachi writes the book of Malachi Mal. 1 :1406 B.C . Jerusalem fully rebuilt to ancient Dan. 9 :25glory332 B.C . Greece, 5th world power, rules Judea Dan. 8 :21e280 B .C. The Greek Septuagint translation Dent. 32 :43begun165 B.C . Renewal of temple after desecration John 10 :22by Greek idolatry. Feast of Dedication

3 68 "NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH"DATE EVENT REFERENCE63 B .C. Rome, 6th world power, rules Jerusa- John 19 :15lem Rev. 17 :1037 B .C. Herod (appointed king by Rome)takes Jerusalem by storm17 B .C. Herod begins building the third John 2 :20temple2 B.C. Birth of John the Baptist and of Luke 1 :60 ; 2 :7JesusA.D . 29 John and Jesus begin their ministries Luke 3 :1, 2, 23A. D. 32 John the Baptist beheaded Matt. 14 :10A.D . 33 Nisan 14. Jesus provides sacrifice for Luke 22 :20 ; 23 :33the new covenant. Is impaledA. D. 33 Nisan 16. The resurrection of Jesus Matt. 28 :1-10A.D . 33 Sivan 6, Pentecost. Outpouring of Acts 2 :1-17spiritPeter opens the way for Jews to Matt. 16 :19Christian congregation, uses 1st Acts 2 :38keyA. D. 36 End of the 70 weeks of years Dan. 9 :24-27Peter uses 2d key, uncircumcised Acts 10 :1, 45people of the nations enter ChristiancongregationcA..D . 41- Matthew writes "Matthew" Matt . 28 :1550A .D . 49 Governing body rule against circum- Acts 15 :28cision for the believers from thenationsA .D . 50 Paul writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians Acts 18 :11, 12from Corinth1 Thess. 1 :1A .D. 51 Paul writes his letter to the Galatians Gal. 1 :1from Antioch Acts 18 :22, 23A .D . 55 Paul writes 1 Corinthians from 1 Cor . 15 : 32EphesusActs 19 :1A .D. 55 Paul writes 2 Corinthians from 2 Cor. 2 :12, 13PhilippiActs 20 :1A .D. 56 Paul writes his letter to the Romans Rom . 16 :1from CorinthActs 20 :2A .D. 56- Luke writes his history entitled Acts 23 :3358 "Luke" from CaesareaLuke 1 :1, 2A.D . 60 From Rome Paul writes : Ephesians Eph. 3 :1Philippians Phil . 4 :22Colossians Col . 4 :18Philemon Phm .IcA. .D. 60 James, Jesus' brother, writes "The Jas . :1Letter of James" from Jerusalem Gal. 1 :18,19A.D. 60- Mark writes his history entitled Col . 4 :10 ; 1 Pet.65 "Mark" 5 :13 ; 2 Tim. 4 :11A .D . 61 Paul writes "Hebrews" from Rome Heb. 13 :24 ;10 :34A .D . 61 Luke completes writing Acts in Rome Acts 28 :30A .D . 61- Paul writes Timothy from Macedonia 1 Tim. 1 :364 Paul writes Titus from Ephesus Titus 1 :5A.D. 62- Peter writes 1 Peter from Babylon 1 Pet. 1 :1 ; 5 :1364cA .D . 64 Peter writes Peter from Babylon Pet. 3 :15, 16A .D . 65 Paul writes 2 Timothy from Rome 2 Tim . 4 :16-18cA .D . 65 Jude, Jesus' brother, writes "Jude" Jude 1, 17, 18A .D. 70 Jerusalem and its temple destroyed by Dan. 9 :27the Romans Matt . 23 :37, 38Luke 19 :42-44

SUBJECT INDE 3 6 9DATE EVENT REFERENCEcA.D. 96 John on Patmos writes Revelation Rev. 1 :9tA . D. 98 John writes history entitled "John" John 21 :22,23and his letters 1, 2 and 3 JohnA .D. 1600 British Empire begins rise of 7th Dan . 7 :8 ; Rev.world power ; charters East In- 13 :11 ; 16 :13dia CompanyA .D . 1914 End of the "appointed times of the Luke 21 :24 ; Rev.nations", about October 112 :1-10 ; Isa.Birth of God's kingdom by enthrone- 66 :7ment of Jesus Christ2,520 years from 607 B .C .A .D . 1919 January, Church Council calls proposedLeague of Nations the politicalexpression of God's kingdomA .D . 1919 March 27, work of Jehovah's witness- Isa . 66 :8, 9es begins to be reorganizedSeptember 1-8, first internationalconvention of Jehovah's witnessesat Cedar Point, Ohio, U .S.A .A .D . 1920 January 10, League of Nations is Matt. 24 :15declared existentA.D . 1939 September 1, Germans invade Poland, Rev . 17 : 8precipitating World War IILeague of Nations is abyssedA.D. 1945 October 24, United Nations comes into Luke 21 :20 ; Rev.existence ; 8th world power 17 :8, 11It should be noted by the reader that many early Biblical eventsoccurred within years that ran from fall to fall . The Jews eventoday have a "civil year" that runs from fall to fall . After theExodus in 1513 B .C. "sacred years" were inaugurated whichcounted from spring to spring. "Regnal years" of the kings ofIsrael, Babylon and Persia, it appears, ran from spring to spring .Where a king died before he completed his last "regnal year" hissuccessor completed his term as an "accession year". However, thesuccessor did not reckon the beginning of his own first "regnalyear" until the next spring .Subject IndexNOTE : Numbers refer to pages, Roman numerals, to paragraphs on theindependent of the numbering of the paragraphs within each chapter .AAbel, 90, III ; 234, IIAbraham('s), blessed by Melchizedek,117,1circumcision started with, 174, Icovenant of, 118, I . II ; 175, IGod's promise fulfilled in,113, 1-114, Ihad clay-tablet record of Flood, 113, Ilocality of sacrifice of, significant,116, 1sacrifice of Isaac, 115, I ; 116, Iseed promised through, 113, Ison Isaac represented seed, 115, Iwife type of theocratic organization .114, I ; 115, I ; 128, IAbyss, 297, II ; 298, IAdam('s), as prophet, 73, Iblamed Eve, 85, Icondemned by conscience, 84, 11death sentence of, 88, I-90, Isinned willfully, 83, Itest of, 72,11-83, IIwife Eve deceived, 146 . IAngel (a), 26, I-32, I ; 130, Idisobedient, 91, I ; 99, I, II ;106 I ; 107,1materialized, 151, Imeaning of term, 26, Iwicked, had access to heaven,106, 1-108, Ipage,

370SUBJECT INDEAnimal(s), flesh for food, 102, Ilife classified, 58, 1-59, IIseventh, offered as sacrifice, 102, Ispirits of, subdued, 346, 1wanton slaughter of, forbidden, 103, IArmageddon, 286, I ; 288, 11-290, I ;294, I-298, II ; 300, 1 ; 311, II ;314, I ; 321, I ; 327, I ; 330, I ;338, I ; 339, I ; 343, II ; 358, IIAssemblies, 136, II ; 223, I ; 225, 1 ;233,1 ; 238,1BBabylon, beginning of, 110, 1-111, IIDaniel pronounced doom of, 134, Iforsake modem, 324, Ilanguage confused, 111, I ; 134, Iking of, took Jerusalem, 130,1rides wild beast, 112, I ; 278, IIrival of Jerusalem, 130, ISatan's woman, 130, I ; 238, IIBaptism, 301, 1-303, 1 ; 305, I ; 306Iinto death, 304, I ; 306, I ; 307, I ; ,320, Iinto Greater Noah, 308, 1-311, II ;331, IInecessary step, 164, I ; 301, 11of fire, 300, I ; 301, Iof Jesus, 152, I ; 156, I; 165, I ;CCain, 90, III ; 91, IIChildbearing, blessed by God, 345, IIChristendom Cs), claims of, 193, I ;195, Ihatred of witnesses, 197, I ; 293, Iopposes King and new world, 245, Iunclean diet of, 194, 11Christian congregation, defiled, 191,11-192, Icorruption of, 186, 11-188, Iflourishes, 185, 1James pillar in, 271, Ilaws applying to, 103, INoah's wife prophetic figure of, 95, 1Paul writes to, 161, Ipersecuted, 186, 1 ; 326, Ireaches maturity, 326, Irepresented woman, 185, 1 ; 186, ICitizenship, heavenly, 188, IIClergy, approve League, 276, Ibring desolation upon selves, 276, 1persecute witnesses, 250, Iresponsibility of, 193, 1took sides in war issue, 247, ICommunism, 278, ICosmos, 101, I ; 102, I ; 105, 1 ; 108, I ;112, IICovering cherub, aspired to be like God,79, Icoveted, 92, II ; 149, Idegraded, 86, Idid not converse directly, 81, Ifails under test, 146, 1-147, Ifall of, described by Ezekiel, 78, Iidentifies self with serpent, 85, ITlamentable course of, 75, Ilike a foundation, 146, Imade himself wicked, 79, Iraised issue in Eden, 146, ICreation, beginning of, 22, I-24, Iday of, 42, I ; 43, Ilength of "original", 43, Iof Day One, 39, 1-43, Iof Day Two, 43, 11-44, IIof Day Three, 45, 1-48, IIof Day Four, 50, 1-53, Iof Day Five, 54, 11-56, Iof Day Six, 58, I-70, ICyrus, 134, I ; 135, 1 ; 136, I301, II-305, IIDates, 1513 B.C ., 173, I740 B.C ., 129, Iwith holy spirit, 305, II ; 306, I ; 607 B .C., 130, I ; 137, II; 201, II;308, I 246, II ; 300, IBoast, pictures Devil's system, 109, I 539 B.C ., 134, Iseven-headed, powered by Devil, 109, I 537 B .C., 135, I ; 136, I ; 138, I ;two-homed wild, 287, I166, I ; 219, II ; 220, I ; 238, ISee World Power(s) 2 B .C ., 150, IBible, creation of God, 17, II ; 362, I A .D. 29, 154, IGod invites us to study, 18, I A.D. 33, 140, II ; 144, II ; 146, 1 ;Greek Scriptures written, 161, I 154, 1 ; 156, I ; 158, I ; 180, I ;Gutenbmg's, 195, 1185, I ; 273, IHebrew, completed, 139, II A.D. 70, 143, I ; 183, I; 184, I ;Blood, forbidden as food, 103, 1-104, ID270, I ; 273, I ; 300, IA.D. 98, 188, IA .D . 1884, 251, IA.D. 1914, 137, II ; 143, I ; 157, 1 ;206, 1 ; 213, II ; 214, II ; 220, I ;228, I ; 235, II ; 236, I ; 244, II ;245, I ; 246, II ; 247, I ; 249, I ;251, I ; 256, II ; 275, 1 ; 284, I ;315, I ; 316, II; 322, I ; 334, IA.D. 1918, 222, I ; 235, II ; 236, I ;316, II ; 320, IA.D 1919, 223, I ; 224, I ; 233, I ;236, I ; 238, I ; 254, 1I ; 256, I ;258, II; 259, 1 ; 274, I ; 285, I ;324, IA.D. 1931, 308, IA.D. 1938, 243, IA.D. 1950, 278, IA.D. 1953, 278, 1David, anointed, 124, IIcomposes psalm, 125, IIlocates ark, 125, IIDays of tribulation, 270, Icut short, 264, II ; 267, IDedication, 164, 1-165, I ; 306,1-307, ITDemons, 258, II

SUBJECT INDE 371disobedient spirits became, 99, IImen voice expressions of, 288, 1-289, Iobsess humans, 99, IIDisgusting thing, 2h2, I ; 2h4, I ; 2h6, I ;277, II ; 282, I ; 287, Ioccurred, 2h0, IIDistress of nations, 261, I ; 264, IDivine mandate, attempt to preventcarrying out of, 111, Irepeated to Noah's family, 102, I ;331, IIDragon, children of, 141, Idominates seven world powers, 108, Ififth head of, 139, Ifirst head of, 119, Ifourth head of, 135, IJohn writes of, 108, Isecond head of, strikes, 130, Iseeks death of man-child, 209, I ;210, Isixth head of, 140, IIthird head of, 111, II ; 130, IDualism, 22, I ; 24, IFrEarth, abides forever, 101, IIcreation of, 22, I ; 34, 1-35, Idestruction of symbolic, 99, I ; 101, Iideally adapted, 54, IIrrigation of, 52, Iman to be retained on, 360, IISatan's symbolic, 94, Istate of, before six days of creationbegan, 36, 11-3h, IIEgypt, 118, I ; 119, I ; 120, IElohim'," 35, I ; 36, I ; 61, I1-62, IEnd of old world, beginning of, marked,24h, 1-248, Iinevitable, 244, II ; 245, Ino need to fear, 244, 1survivors of, 263, Iwitness given before, 252, IEnoch, passes, 95, IEra, atomic, 9, Ihydrogen bomb, 9, I"Evil slave," 238, IFFaith, 115, I ; 163, I-164, I ; 361, 1"Faithful and discreet slave," appointed,259, 1-260, Ioptimists, 262, ISee Witness(es)False religion, claims God changedpenalty of law at Eden, 84, IIFamily kinds, 48, I ; 346, IFederal Council of Churches, favoredproposal of League, 8, I-9, IFire of destruction, 293, 1-294, IIFirst resurrection, 349, 1Flood, 291, Idate of, 101, Ieffect on earth, 98, I ; 101, IIhappening confirmed, 96, I ; 9h, 1record of, in clay tablets, 113, 1warning of, 95, IIFornication, spiritual, 112, IFossils, discovered, 55, IIFusion religion, 139, IIGGehenna, 359, IGentiles, declared righteous, 168, IIGentile Times, 109, I ; 13h, 11-139, I;206, I ; 246, I1-24h, IGifts of spirit, imparted, 185, IGod's woman, 112, Ibarren, 201, 11-202, Ibarrenness removed, 203, IIenlarges tent, 203, IIgives birth, 221, II ; 226, I ; 236, I;331, IJerusalem above, 181, II ; 21h, I ;229, II ; 236, I-23h, 1mother, 112, I ; 1h6, II ; 185, I ;201, 1name changed, 232, I, IIpersecuted, 285, Ipregnant condition of, 206, I-208, Irejoices, 199, Itravailed, 220, I ; 229, IGog of Magog, 330, I ; 354, 1Good news, 25h, IJesus gave prophecy of, 254, 1pr eached, 254, I, II ; 268, I ;1, IfGood-will people, 256, I ; 266, 11-26h, ISee Great CrowdGrave (Hades, Sheol), 29h, II ; 348, II ;350, I, II ; 354, IGreat crowd, 283, I ; 329, I ; 332, I ;33h, 1, 340, 1HHealing, 214, I ; 223, I, II ; 227, I ;232, IHeavens, creation of, 20, I, IIdefined, 19, Idestruction of symbolic, 99, I ; 101, Iestablished, 284, ISatan's symbolic, 94, I ; 106, I-107, Isymbol of, h1, IHell of torment, God did not sentencewicked one to, 86, Ino record of God's creating, h0, Inot Adam's sentence, 84, IIHiroshima, president orders bombing of,9 IHoly Year, 2h8, IHuman family, survival of, purpose ofGod, 104, ISee Man ; MankindHybrids, unnatural marriage produced,93, IHydrogen bomb, Atomic Energy Commissionordered to produce, 9, I, UIimmorality, spiritual, defined, 191, I, IIImmortality, of soul doctrine, 139, IIIntegrity, possible to keep, 148, ISee Jesus Ch ist ; Witness(es)Is aelis, 221, II

372SUBJECT INDEIs ael(ites), became Jehovah's people,122, 1-123, IIcong egation of, gathe ed at Je usalem,136, 1-137, IIente ule of judges, 124, IIfi st king of, 124, IIfo eshadowed new nation, 160, Igua dian angel of, 119, I ; 120, IIma ch out of Egypt, 120, IImust p ove faith and obedience, 123, IIpossess land, 123, 11-124, IIspi itual, 170, I ; 171, I ; 186, IIspi itual, defiled, 191, IIIssue, of God's sove eignty tested, 147, Ion wo ld domination, 246, IJJehovah('s), alone, 21, 1autho , 17, IIbecame a fathe , 24, I ; 201, Iblessing of, 56, I ; 361, Ichild en taught by, 181, IIcovenant with man, 104, Ic eated 35, 1 ; 50, 11 ; 54, 1 ; 55, 1 ;63, 1 ; 73, iC eato , 11, I, II ; 13, I ; 20, II ;158, I, IIexhibits ighteousness, 163, 1-164, IFi st Cause, 14, I ; 22, IHusband, 198, 1; 202, 1-203, 11 ;214, II ; 220, 1 ; 238, IIKing of Je usalem, 126, Imakes, 50, II ; 61, I, IIname of, 12, I ; 13, I ; 121, I ;139, II ; 231, 1not seen by man, 13, II ; 19, IO ganization pictu ed by Sa ah, 114, Ipe fo ms mi acle, 252, IP omise , 11, II ; 104, IRedeeme , 160, IIsove eignty of, 15, I ; 124, I ; 275, Ista ted impo tant dynasty, 124, IIunive sal Sove eign, 112, II ; 134, Iwithout beginning, 14, IJehovah's witnesses, emb ace name, 235, I ;241, ISee Witness(es)Je usalem, as p ophetic type, 126, I ;127, Ibecame Is ael's capital, 125, 1-126, 1"city of the g eat King," 126, Idesolation of ea thly, 132, I-134, I ;136, II; 269, 1-270, IIdest uction of, 142, 1-143, I ;273, 1-274, Iea thly Je usalem not meant byIsaiah's p ophecy, 229, IIheavenly, 127, 1-128, 1 ; 153, II ;165, 11-166, 1histo y of, 118, Iin slave y 142, IJe emiah laments ove , 131, IPaul testifies as to heavenly, 128, Iplace of pu e wo ship, 125, II ; 271, Iuined, 130, ISalem became, 117, Isite of, 126, Itypical, ejects Ch ist, 128, I ; 144, II"Je usalem above," 236, I-237, 1mothe of holy , nation,I299, IISee God's WomanJesus Ch ist, abolishes Law covenant,176, IIan angel, 26, I-30, Ianointed, 199, I ; 254, Iascension of, 179, I ; 198, I ; 203, I ;205, II ; 210, 1 ; 271, 1 ; 305, IIbaptism of, 154, I ; 156, I ; 160, II;301, 11-305, IIbegotten, 152, 11-153, I ; 154, I ;199, Ibet ayed, 172, 1 ; 270, 11-271, 1bi th of, 150, 1-152, II ; 199, 1 ;202, I"blood of the covenant," 172, I ;180, Ib uised at the heel, 303, IChief Witness, 154, I ; 160, IIc eato , 160, IIdeath of, 155, 1 ; 157, I ; 179, 1 ;199, 1 ; 271, 1 ; 316, IIdedication of, 152, I, II ; 302,1-303 . IGod's fi st c eation, 23, I-28, IG eate Noah, 95, I ; 308, 1-311, II ;330, Ihas immo tality, 314, IHigh P iest, 152, I-153, 1 ; 154, 1;160, II ; 163, 1 ; 182, 1 ; 307, 1 ;312, 11 ; 313, 1 ; 339, II ; 350, IIbow only-begotten, 24, 1 , 167, IIKing, 154, 1 ; 211, 1-211, II ; 229, II ;244, 11 ; 314, 1; 316, IILamb slaughte ed, 157, IMediato , 180, 1-181, IMessiah, 140, II ; 156, IPaul testifies to c eation of, 23, II ;24, Ipe fect in obedience, 153, IIp ehuman fo m of, 27, I-31, I ; 150, Iedeeme , 148, Iesu ection of, 156, 1-157, 1 ; 179, 1 ;199, 1-201, 1 ; 202, 1etu n of, 188, 11-189, Iule of, begins, 205, II ; 248, Isac ifice of, 116, I ; 117, I ; 148, I;151, 1-152, II ; 157, 1 ; 163, 1 ;172, Iseed of God's "woman" 115, Ise ves notice on Je usalem, 142,I-143, 1spi it, 23, II ; 162, II ; 303, 1su e foundation, 144, II ; 146, I :147, II ; 153, I, II ; 162, 1 ; 171, 1tested, 146, 1 ; 147, 11-148, 1 ; 153,1-156, 1 ; 160, II ; 169, 1 ; 181, 1validates new covenant, 175, IJew y, ejects stone, 155, IJews, faithless, eject Son, 142, Iesponsible fo Jesus' death, 141, Ise ve D agon, 141, Iwanted Caesa as king, 155,1See Law CovenantJohn the Baptist, 152, I, II ; 160, II ;164,1 ; 300,1 ; 302,1Joy, easons fo , 7, I ; 324, 1-325, IJudaism, developed, 139, 11-140, 1Justification, 163, I ; 180, I; 355, II

SUBJECT INDE 373KKingdom, begettal necessa y to becomepa t of, 162, IIbi th of, 206, 1-209, II ; 214, II ;224, I ; 226, I ; 228, I ; 240, II ;244, II ; 246, II ; 315, I ; 322, I-325, IICh istendom has no pleasu e ove ,245, Iconspi acy against, 276, Iestablished in heavens, 246, II ;249, I ; 256, I ; 284, Ifinal witness to, 256, 1, IIflee to, 281, IIGod calls to, 165, I ; 167, 1inte ests of, committed to emnant,252, 1-260, Iequi ements fo ente ing, 165, 1testimony of, weak, 217, Ivindicates, 342, Iwo ld-wide witness of, 240, II ;254, 11-256, IIKing of Ty e, 75, 1-80, IILLand, dist ibution of, 343, IILanguage, confused, 111, ILaw covenant, 173, Icanceled, 176, I, 11ci cumcision and tithes inco o atedinto, 174, IHaga symbolized, 176, IIJews in, 162, Imade at Mt . Sinai (o Ho eb), 122, I ;173, 11-174, I ; 181, Iatte n fo Ch istians, 189, IIe laced, 173, Isets Is ael against demon wo shi ,129 ILeague of Nations,as sign, 289, Ibegan to disinteg ate, 276, Iedicted as olitical ex ession ofGod's kingdom, failed, 9, Io osed, 8, I-IV ; 287, Ievived, 278, I, IIset u , 274, 1-275, Iwent into abyss of hel lessness,9, I ; 277, IILo d's Su e , 172, I ; 178, IMMan (men), a ea s, 61, 1-68, Iduties of, 69, I ; 73, Ifi st, unde test, 72, 11-74, II ;79, 1-83, Iof all kinds, 181, Iwoman bone and flesh of, 66, IMankind, tested, 351, 11-354, I ; 360, Iway to life made ossible fo , 25, IMa iage(s), child en of God's womanma ied to visible society, 231, 1 ;236, Idissolving of im o e , 99, I, IIhuman, 98, I; 345, 1esto ed to Edenic standa d, 345, IJose h and Ma y's, 150, Iof God's woman, 153, II ; 201, I-202,1of human daughte s to angels, 92, II ;93, Iof Noah's sons, 105, Iof Son, 232, IIof s i itual child en, 232, IIu ose of, 67, IISatan b eake of, 231, IMelchizedek, 157, I ; 182, 1 ; 313, Imeaning of name, 117, 1thought to be Shem, 117, IMilky Way, 37, IIMob action, 276, IMoses, called to be delive e , 119, I ;120, II-121, Ig anted divo ce, 345, IG eate , 177, I : 310, II : 345, Ivalidates Law covenant, 175, IMu de , fo bidden, 103, I ; 104, I ; 110, INName, God calls sons by, 233, IJehovah's witnesses eceive new,231, II ; 235, I ; 241, INational Council of Chu ches,fo med 1951, 8, INe hilim, d owned, 99, Imeaning of te m, 93, INethinim, 324, INew covenant, Ch ist mediato of, 175, 1in fo ce, 172, Inew c eation unde , 172, Iomised by Je emiah, 177, Iwhen made with s i itual Is ael,178, I-180, Iwho admitted into, 181, INew c eation, chief one of, 158, I ;160, IIJehovah fo eo dained, 158, IJesus fo ms, 158, 11-160, IInumbe of, fo eo dained, 169, Iunde new covenant, 172, 1See Witness(es)New Heavens, comes down to ea th, 341, Icom lete in membe shi , 321, Ic eated, 315, Iin owe , 315, I ; 332, Imeaning of te m, 312, II"New heavens and a new ea th,"c eation of, 7, I ; 8, I ; 10, I-11, IIIsaiah w ote omise of, 11, IJohn's vision of, 339, Iman not autho ized to c eate, 9, II ;10,1Pete fo etells, 10, Iealized within this gene ation, 7, Iwill emain in tune, 35666, INew nation, bo n in one day, 319, Ichild en of, 165, IIfo eshadowed, 160, Ihow could Jewish disci les fo m,162,1 ; 165,IJesus head of, 159, I ; 160, IImade witness, 160, Inot unde Law covenant, 176, IINew systems of things, 330, Ia k ictu ed, 311, IJesus oduced, 184, INew wo ld, Ch ist foundation of, 144, II ;146, 1 ; 147, II ; 152, II ; 183, 1

374SUBJECT INDEfoundation of, when laid, 156, 1-157,I ; 179, I, II ; 229, I ; 325, Iequi ements fo , 145, INew Wo ld society, 319, I ; 324, II'326, I ; 328, I ; 330, I ; 340, f ;343, II ; 351, II ; 359, I ; 862, II ;363, 1emblem of, 235, Ifo mation of 229I ; 322I , ; 323, Ige m of, 241, 1-243, IImembe s of, not te ified, 312, Io e ated theoc atically since 1938,243, INim od, in o osition to Jehovah, 110, Imighty hunte , 110, INoah, 291, Ibi th of, 91, IIday of, 91, IIdeath of, 112, IIhow long in a k, 102, Iinst ucted to build a k, 95, II ; 96, 1offe s sac ifice, 102, Io hetic figue of Ch ist, 95, Iseventy families of, 105, Isons o hetic of good-will eo le,95, Iwitness of God, 95, I ; 112, II0One hunded fo ty-fou thousand, 169, 1 ;171, I ; 205, II ; 264, I ; 308, I ;321, II ; 345, I ; 349, IPPaganism, 139, II ; 191, IIPa adise, 185, I ; 344, IPassove , 120, I ; 174, IPentecost, 180, I ; 203, I ; 271, IPlagues, 120, IP aye , 290, IP edestinated,individuals not, 159, IP ince(s), 120, I, II ; 333, 11-337, I ;343, II ; 349, I ; 352, II ; 354, I ;355, IIof Assyia attacks, 129, Iove seven wo ld owe s, 108, Is iit, of Pe sia, 136, IIs iit, of Rome, 140, IIten-t ibe kingdom attacked by, 129, 1P omised land, 122, I ; 123, II; 125, I,II ; 219, II ; 344, IDavid subdues 125, Is ecial lace in, chosen, 125, IIP o hecy, fi st, 144, I ; 147, II ; 149, I ;158, IPa e wo shi , Je usalem, lace of, 125, IINoah offe s sacifice of, 102, Inot c ushed, 137, Iesto ation of, 133, I ; 266, IIRRate, how death s ead to human, 89, Ihuman, not hyb id, 66, Ithee b anches of human, 105, ISee MankindRainbow, a ea ance of, 52, 1inaugu ates covenant, 104, IRemnant, 226, I, II ; 229, II; 235, II ;238, I, II ; 257, 1ambassado s, 319, Ichanged In moment, 320, I; 321, I ;327, Icontinued on ea th, 338, Idelive ed f om ca tivity, 264, 11-265, Ient usted with Kingdom inteests, 257,I ; 259, I-260, Ifaithful among ca tives, 133, Ilabo not in vain, 329, Inot cut off as infants, 325, II ; 326, Io ganization of, econst ucted,223, I, IIe a ed fo se vice, 239, 1-241, I ;266, Iegathe ed by angels, 258, II ;267, Ie esents New Je usalem, 340, 1esto ed, 266, Ietu n of faithful Jewish, 136, II-137, IIevival of faithful Jewish, 135, Isent fo th, 254, 11-256, Ist ange s assist, 266, IIRe entance, Adam and Eve did notex ess, 85, IJesus and John the Ba tist eached,164, IResolution, "A New Name" 234, I, IIResu ection, of the est of the dead,348, 11-350, IIof unjust, 349, 11-350, IIs iitual, 318, I-321, IIRoyal iesthood, 307, ISee SeedSSabbath, God's, 70, I ; 101, II ;171, IIIs aelites obse ved, 174, 1Salt of the ea th, disci les we e, 105, INoah and his family we e, 105, ISalvation, assu ed, 145, IJesus es onsible fo , 153, IISatan('s), cast out, 85, II ; 249, I ;257, I ; 284, Idest uction of, 297, II ; 355, Idisguised, 81, I, II"god of this system of things," 249, Iheavens, 228, I ; 284, Iint udes in heaven, 106, I-10S, Iknows time is sho t, 267, I ; 286, Iloosed, 351, 11-352, Ioffe s Jesus kingdoms, 109, Iule of the demons, 107, I ; 284, Iset in o osition to God, 81, I ; 107, Iwoman of, 112, ISatan's o ganization, built u , 106, Iis his woman, 112, I, IIPaul wa ns Ch istians conce ning,107, 1Scientists (wo ldly), 356, Ineglect C eato 's witten Wo d, 17, II ;34, IIscoff at Flood account, 96, ISecond death, 297, I ; 351, I ; 355, II ;359, ISod(,),, dest uction of Satan's, 297, IIenmity between, 112, II ; 129, I ;189, Ifi st of Satan's, named, 90, IIIfi st of t ue woman's, 153, II

SUBJECT INDE 375Isaac e esented woman's, 115, I ;128, Iof D agon, 141, Iof Se ent develo s, 86, I ; 90, III-99, II ; 112, Iof woman b uises Se ent's head,144, I ; 285, I ; 297, IIoyal, 166, IShem's line oduces t ue, 112, IIt ue, tested, 87, 1 ; 149, Iwhen Se ent develo ed his, 90, IIISe ent, b uises heel of Seed, 148, 1 ;154, Icu sed, 85, IIdeg aded, 86, Ihead b uised, 297, IIinvisible seed of, 99, IIe secutes woman's seed, 326, Ioduced, 83, IISatan oiginal, 285, Iused by Satan to s eak, 74, I, IIwhy not c ushed at once, 86, I-87, IISeventy, numbe , symbolic, 105, I"Sign," 104, I ; 225, I ; 238, 1-240, II ;251, I-252, I ; 256, II ; 258, 1, IIsign- eo le, 241, IISignal, witnesses call attention to,282, I-283, IISin(ne s), decla ed ighteous, 163,I-165, Idie at 100 yea s of age, 332, I ; 333, Idisci les, 162, I-163, IJesus' ule concening, 142, Iemembe ed no mo e, 227, Islave of sin, 142, ISociety of ministe s, 239, ISolomon, co u ted, 129, Item le builde , 125, IISons of God, c eation of, not dis oofof only-begotten Son, 24, Idemate ialized, 106, Idisobedient, 94, I ; 106, I ; 107, IGod calls and elects s iitual, 167, IHis es onsibility fo , 21, IJew and non-Jew become, 168, I, IIJude identifies, as angels, 93, I"mo ning sta s," 20, IIunishment of disobedient, 99, IIs i its in ison, 106, Itook wives, 92, I, IIwhy called, 26, ISoul, Adam became living, 88, IIGod's definition of, 55, I, IIliving, 66, Ihiloso hy of aganism ega ding,55, 1 ; 139, IIS i it (active fo ce), begets, 162, IIGod's, ove suface of wate s, 37, IIou ed out on Gentiles, 203, II"S i its in ison," 107, IStone(s), Jesus foundation, 154, I-156, Iliving, 182, Iejected, 155, Itested, 157, IStudy, 362, I-363, IISu vivo s, will oduce ighteous child en,105,1 ; 331,11System of things, Satan god of this,284,1theoc atic, 173, 1TTa ta us, disobedient sons of Goddebased in, 106, Iictu es debasement, 99, IITem le, Ch ist comes to s i itual, 316,11-318, IICh istians a e God's, 189, IIdec ee to ebuild, 136, Idest oyed, 132, I ; 183, I ; 184, Isac ifice of, esumed, 136, IISolomon's, 116, I ; 125, IIs i itual, 182, ITheoc acy, miniatu e; ove tu ned, 130, 1why need fo , 16 I ; 17, ITheoc atic o ganization, bo n, 223, IIchild en of, 328, Ihealing of, 214, Iheavenly, 221, IIinc ease of, 241, IIwent into o e ation 1938, 326, IThousand-yea eign, 321, I ; 360, I, IIT aditions, Jewish system of, 139, IIof Judaism, 139, IIT ee, of knowledge of good and bad,72, I, IIof life lanted, 72, I, II ; 90, I, IIT ibes, delive e fo , aised u , 119, Idevelo ment of twelve, 118, II ; 161, Ienslaved, 119, IJudah and Benjamin faithful, 129, Iten, secede, 129, Iten-tibe kingdom de o ted, 129, IT inity, doct ine efuted, 23, IImany cle gymen believe in, 36, I" u'ahh," not o e ation of thi d e sonof, 37, IITwelve, numbe , symbolic, 207, ITwelve a ostles, 207, Ichosen, 161, Idays of, 185, Ideath of, 186, II ; 189, Iwe e natu al Jews, 162, IUUndese ved kindness, 162, IUnited Nations, 281, I ; 282, I ; 286, I ;287, Iex osed, 280, 1succeeded League 1945, 9, I ; 278, IISee League of NationsUnive sal o ganization, 127, I ; 231, I ;241, I ; 244, II ; 315, I ; 339, IIJehovah's woman, 85, II ; 127, 1 ;165, IIjoy within, 205, IUnive se, cente15, Ide th ie ced, 13, IIof, at God's th one,VVegetable kingdom, soulless, 68, Ith ee divisions of, 48, IVindication, 117, I ; 221, II ; 331, II ;342, I ; 343, I ; 345, II ; 355, II;361, Ineed fo a ose, 83, Iof Jehovah's sove eignty, 130, I ;148, I ; 153, IISeed sacificed fo Jehovah's, 117, I

376 INDE TO SCRIPTURES CITEDwWa In heaven, 212, 1-213, I ; 214, H ;221, 11 ; 264, 1 ; 284, 1 ; 316, IIWatchtowe , 206, Isociety, 235, 1 ; 241, 1 ; 251, I ; 260, 1society banned, 277, IWitness(es), Abel fi st, 90, 111begotten by s i it, 180, Ieight, su vived Flood, 100, Ifi st, 90, III ; 234, IIinc ease of, 256, I, IIJesus, Chief, 154, Inew nation made, 160, INoah, a faithful, 102, Ie secuted, 251, 1 ; 276, I ; 285, Iay fo cleansing, 222, I ; 223, Isent fo th, 254, II ; 255, 1; 259, I ;292, Isu essed, 252, Itaken ca tive, 216, 1taunted, 215, I ; 216, Iwo k of, killed, 316, IIWoman, seed of, b uises Se ent's bead,144, Icity s oken of as a, 127, 1falls, 82, Igives bi th, 166, IGod's, a ea ed childless, 132, 1God's, ejoices, 134, Imothe of begotten ones, 165, IISee God's WomanWo ld, antediluvian, ended, 98, 1beginning of esent, 101, Iend of co u t, 100, 1 ; 229, I ;298, I, IIend of ighteous, 83, IIexistence of co u t, 84, I ; 106, Ifoundation of ighteous, 144, I-146, I;153, 1 ; 154, 1 ; 156, 1God loved ighteous, 357, Iighteous, existed, 71, I ; 146, Iighteous, e-c eated, 343, Iwa ned, 290, 1-292, IWo ld Pa liament of Religions,inco o ated, 278, IIWo ld owe (s), commit s iitualfo nication, 111, IIEgy t fi st, 118 . Ieighth, 275, Ififth, 139, Ifou th, 135, Igove ned by Devil, 108, Isecond, 129, 1 ; 130, Iseventh, 287, 1sixth, 140, IIthi d, 134, IWo ld Wa 1, 248, 1-252, I ; 259, I ;274, 1 ; 276, 1 ; 284, 1ended, 261, IWo ld Wa II . 277, II; 278, 1ze ubbabel, com leted second tem le,136, IIion('s), child en esca e, 238, IIea thly, ejected Stone, 144, IIheavenly, 144, II ; 156, I ; 162, I ;166, 1 ; 205, 1 ; 217, 1 ; 218, 1 ;220, 1-221, 11 ; 226, 1 ; 322, 1 ;339, IIIndexto Sc i tu es CitedGENESIS 1:31 69 5 :21 364 9 :24 3641 :1 34, 35,45, 2:1-3 41 5 :24 364 9 :26 11351, 56 2:1-4 70 5 :25 364 9 :28, 29 3641 :2 37, 38 2:4 34, 41, 5 :27 364 Cha . 10 1051 .3 39 114, 364 5 :28, 29 364 10:1 114,3641 :4 39 2:5, 6 52 5 :32 364 10 :6, 8-12 1101:5 40 2:7 68, 364 6 :1-4 92 11:1-9 1121:6 44 2:7-9 64 6:3 364 11:4 3641:7 44 2 :15-17 72 6 :8-10 95 11:10 110, 114,1:8 45 2 :18-23 67 6 :9 114, 364 3641:9 45 3:1-5 74 :11, 12 94 11 :11 3641:10 46 3:6, 7 82 6 :13-22 96 11 :26 3641:11 47 3:8-13 85 6 :14 364 11 :27 1141:12, 13 49 3 :14,15 86 6 :17 96 11 :32 3641:14, 15 50 3 :15 32,112, 7 :1-10, 13-16 971:16-19 51 129, 144,148 7 :6 36412 :1-3 1141 :2054 3 :16 207 7:6, 7, 10, 17 9612 :4 3641 :21 55 3 :16-19 88 7:11, 12, 17-20 14 :16, 18 364:22, 23 56 3:22-24 90 98 14 :18-20 117,1 :24 58 4:1-16 91 8:13 364 1751 :25 59 4:8 3641 . 26 629:1-3 103 15 :13, 14 3654:17 921 :27 63,64 5:1 114, 3649 :1, 7 331 15 :13-16 1181 :28 332, 347 5 :4, 5 929 :4-6 69,103 16 :3 3641:28-30 68 5 :5 364 9 :8-17 105 16 :15, 16 3641:30 59,68 5 :18 364 9 :16 364 17 :1, 10, 24 364

INDE TO SCRIPTURES CITED 37717 :17 364 LEVITICUS I SAMUEL 1 CHRONICLES19 :24 364 8 :34-36 365 1 :20 365 9:2 32421 :2, 5 364 13:1-14 :54 351 4 :3, 11 365 11 :4-7 12521 :8 364 21 :1 89 4 :18 365 16 :31 12621 :8-14 142 27 :34 365 6 :1, 21 365 17 :1-15 13822 :2, 16 364 7 :1, 2, 15 365 21 :18-22 :7.9 11622 :15-18 115 NUMBERS 10 :24 365 29 :23 127,21023 :1 364 1 :1 365 12 :12 12425 :7 364 13 :1, 2 365 2 CHRONICLES25 :12 364114 31 1 016 :1 366 3:1 11625 :17 364 22:21-33 74 16 :13 366 7:14 22325 :19 36535:1 365 25 :1 366 22 :1, 3 36625 :20 36436 :13 365 31 :7 366 26 :1-3 36625 :26 36427 :136626 :34 364 2 SAMUEL366DEUTERONOMY 28 :128 :2, 13, 19 3652 :4 366 29 :1 36629 :23-30 365 1 -1,3 3654 :24 295 5 :3-5 366 35 :22 29030 :23, 24 3655 :4 366 36 :6, 7 36730 :25, 26 365 5 :1-4 122 36 :10 36731 :18, 41 365 5 :2, 3 174 5 :6, 7 36631 :41 365 7 :16, 25, 26 190 5 :1176 36 :22 36712 :4, 5, 11,6 :15 366 36 :22, 23 36732 :24-28 365126 7 :1-17 12935 :28, 29 365 7 :12-16 366 E RA36:1 365 18 :15-18 1771:1 36736 :9 365 18 :16, 17 14 7 :23, 24 12224:18 366 1:1-3 13637:2 365 19 :21 1522:43-58, 70 32437:9 5126 :2 1262:64-67 13640:1 36 28 :10 123 1 KINGS3 :1-6 13741:40, 46 365 29 :1 122, 174, 1 :39 366 3:7-6 :18 13745 :6 365 365 2 :10, 11 366 4:18 6246 :26 365 32 :4, 5 70 2 :12 366 6 :14, 15 36747 :9 365 32 :43 367 5 :1-9 :27 76 7 :7 36747 :28 365 33 :5124 5 :15-18 32449 :28 119 34 :5, 7 365 6 :1 366 NEHEMIAH50 :26 365 6 :23-35 90 1 :1 367JOSHUA 6 :38 366 2 :1, 11 367E ODUS 1 :1 365 9 :1-3 1265 :14 3671 :8 365 4 :19 365 11 :43 3666 :15 367:2 365 10 :14, 42 124 12 :19 3667 :46-60, 73 3242 :11, 14, 15 365 11 :23 365 14 :21 1268 :10 3243 :2 32, 365 12 :21 290 15 :1, 2 3669 :16 147 14 :7, 10-15 365 15 :9, 10 366 ESTHER12 :12 365 15 :63 125 22 :41, 42 366 3 :7 36712 :29, 30 32 17:11 290 9 :32 36712 :37, 38 310 19 :29 75 2 KINGS12 :40 364,365 23 :3, 10 124 8:16, 17 366 JOB12 :40, 41 120 24:26 365 11 :1-3 366 1 :1-2 :7 14714 :19, 20 32 24 :29 365 12 :1 366 :6 2614 :27 365 24:31 187 14 :1, 2 366 1 :8 36514 :29, 30 365 15 :1 36615 :1, 2 121 JUDGES 15 :19 366 26:7 22, 3916 :35 365 1 :27 290 17 :6, 13, 18 366 38 :4-7 2019 :1-24 :8 122 2 :10-12 1873 66 38 :7 26,9219 :3-8 365 8 :23 124 2 :19 38 :8, 9 3820 :4, 5 46 9 :13 266 22 :1 366 38 :39-39 :30 5920 :7 13 11 :26, 33 365 23 :29, 30 29020 :18, 19 14 16:23, 24 36 23 :31 367 PSALMS23 :20, 21,23 27 19:10-12 125 23 :36 367 2 :1-7 20024 :5-8 174 19:11, 12 3624 :1367 2 :4 2225 :18-22 9024 :6367 2 :8, 9 21132 :34 2721:25 366 25 :1 367 Ps . 8 31,35333 :2 27 25 :2 367 11 :4 22RUTH33 :20 1425 :8-10 367 24 :2 4634 :12-16 190 1 :20, 21 236 25 :25, 26 367 33 :6 3540 :17 365 4 :18-22 366 25 :27 367 36 :9 47

378 INDE TO SCRIPTURES CITED40 :6-8 152, 302 14 :12-14 132 66:8, 9 369 8:16 2845 :13-15 19 :4 36 66:8-10 221 8 :21 365.1 337 28:16 145 66:10-14 238 9 :1, 2 13546 :6-11 343 32:1-3 334, 335 66:14-17 295 9:21 28,3148:1, 2 127 33:17-24 227 66:17 195 9:24 36735 :8, 9 334 66-18-21 240 9 :24-27 36871 :12-18 327 40:18, 22 39 6622 334 9:25 36772 :20 366 40:22 22 6622-24 358 9:27 274,36876 :1, 2 118 42:6 12 10:1, 12-20 13683 :17, 18 16 43 :1 160 JEREMIAH10 :13, 20, 21 2989 :35-37 356 43 :1, 10, 11 123 4 :23-31 220 10:20,21 13990 :2, 4 15 43 :10 260 10:10-12 15 11 :31 27490 :10 332 43 :10-12 234 23 :3 137 12 :1 29,316,96 :10, 11 71 23:5-8 230 330104 :1, 2 21 44:1, 2, 8, 21 160 23 :11 , 14,15, 12 :7 15104 :4 31194104 :5-9 102 44:8 234 25 : 36 HOSEA104 :24-28 58 44 :26-45:6 134 25 :11, 12 132 1 :1 366Ps. 110 353 45 :6, 7 38 25 :12 367 4 :9 194110 :1 157,188 45 :8 146 29 :10 367110 :1, 2 200 45 :11, 12 18 30 :17 232 JOEL110 :2 245 45 :18 61 31 :31-34 178110:4 152, 1821 :1 36646 :10 158 33 :4-9 224113 :9 2042 :23 12751 :1-3 114 33 :14-18 225:4-8 76118:25, 26 155 51 :3-52 :2 324 33 :16 231 3 :6 127118 :26 27 52 :1 329 46 :2 367127:3 34652 :7 241 52 :12-14 367 AMOS54 :1 128, 166 52 :31 367145:20 359 54 :1-10 13 2051 :1 366147:4 28 54 :1, 13 128 LAMENTATIONS 1 :9, 10 76147:12, 13 127 54 :1, 13 127 P eamble 367OBADIAH148:1-6 53 54 :5, 6 32 1:1-9 131149:2 127 55 :919 2:3, 4 300 1 :1 36757 :15 15 4:11 300PROVERBS 57 :20, 21 109 4:20 131 JONAH1 :1 36661 :1-3 180, 239 5:1-21 131 1 :1, 2 3664 :18 4361 .5, 6 26710:1 36662 :1-5, 12 232 E EKIEL MICAH25 :1 36662 :2 234 1:1-3 367 1 :1 36627 :1 28262 :4, 5 322 3 :1 367 2:12 13729:25 21762 :10, 11 283 9 :3 90 4 :9-12 21865 :2-7 195 18 :4, 20 88 4 :1013365 :6-10 266 21 :25-27 138 7 :7-11 134ECCLESIASTES65 :8 266 21 :26, 27 210 7 :8-10 2191 :1 366 65 :11, 12 292 28 :1, 2, 9, 101 :4 100 65 :11-17 233 314 NAHUM7 :29 71 65 :13 12 28 :1-9 79 1 :1 36612:7 88 65 :13-15 328 28 :11-19 75,777 3 :7 36712:9 366 65 :17 1165 :17, 18 312 28 :13-16 so HABAKKUKSONG OF SOLOMON 65:17-19 229, 28 :15-19 79 1 :1 3671 :1 366 324 29 :17 367 2 :14 3606518 242 38 :1-39:7 329 3 :16 263ISAIAS 65 19-25 325 40 :1 3671 :1 366 6522 333 EPHANIAH1 :15 197 6523 329 DANIEL1:1 3666 :8 241 6525 333 1:1-4 3677 :14 160 66:116 2:34, 35, 44, 45 HAGGAI8 :9-12 276 66 :3-5 1978:18 239 66 :4 292 4:16, 23, 25, 326 1 :1 3679 :6 337 66 :5, 6 293 137ECHARIAH10:21, 22 137 66:5-8 215 5 :5-31 13411:1 348 66:7 221,369 5 :30, 31 367 1 :1 36711 :10-12 283 66:8 267,285 7 :2, 3, 7 218 9 :9 14111:16-12 :2 2677 :9-14 212 12 :10 179

INDE TO SCRIPTURES CITED 3 7 9MALACHI 1 :15 164,254 6 :57 26 6:3-5 3201 :1 367 10:17, 18 69 8 :34, 35 142 6:5 3183 :1 26 10:35-39 304 8 :44 82,141 6:9 3133 :6 84 11:1-18 156 10 :15, 16 336 8:14-17 167MATTHEW 13:10 253 10 :22 367 8:15 20311 :25, 26 332 8:28-30 1683 :7-12 30113:14-20 2823 :11 30213:19, 20 285 12 :12-16 156 8:33 165, 3553 :13-17 15313:27 267 12 :12, 13, 28 27 9:14-24 873 :16, 17 303 12 :14-16 141 9 :16 165LUKE4 :17 225, 25412:31 208, 250 9:17 1475 :13 1061:13681 : b,2 14:30 208 10:14, 15 241,26 28 15 :16 1616 :9, 10 2441 :30-35 151 15:19 242 15 :8-12 1681 :60 368 17:14, 16 242 16:1 3689 :34 1072 :7 368 18:28-19 :15 271 16:20 8710 :7 254 3 :1, 2, 23 368 18:28-19 :22 15610 :253 :7-9, 16,17 1 . 210 1 CORINTHIANS359 301 19:12-15 142 2 :12 24312 :12 171 338 66 19:15 368 3 :16 27512 :24-26 107 4 :5 .8 110 19:33-37 179 10:1-4 27,31014 :10 368 4 :16-21 307 21:22, 23 369 10 :11 18716:18 185 4 :16-22 239 11 :30 19216 :19 368 6 :12-16 161 ACTS12~ , 13, 27,16 :24 164 10 :9 254 1 :4, 5 30630719 :3-6 67 12:31, 32 3362 :1-17 36819 :3-9 345 12:50 3042 :1-38 203 15:24-28 35419:28 343 13 :33, 34 116:33, 38 306 15 :25, 26 35120:28 6917 :21 254 2 :38 368 15 :32 36821 :4, 5 14117 :26 3314: 24-28 271 15 :39, 40 6221 :42, 43 159 19 :41-44 143, 7 :6 364 15 :42-54 31821 :42-44 155 7 :23 365 15 :45 6522 :41-45 157, 19:42-44 3687 :56 201 15 :47, 48 78201 21:10, 11 24910 :1, 45 368 15 :50-52 32023 :13, 33 141 2 20 36910 :1-48 16923 :37 368 21:20, 21 273 10 :38 304 2 CORINTHIANS23 :37, 38 142 21 :20-24 269 13 :17-20 364, 2 :12, 13 36824 :3 246 21 :24 138, 215, 365 3 :3-18 18224 :4, 5 188 226,369 13 :21 365 4 :4 63, 112,24:4-6 246 21 :25-27 262 13 :32, 33 200 208, 250,28524 :7, 8 248 21 :28-33 262 13 :38, 39 163 5 :16, 17 17024 :8, 11, 15-25 21 :34-36 291 15 :1418 169 5 :20 31922 :20 176,368 15 :22-39 104 6 :14-16 19024 :9-12 251 22 :42 30323 :33 368 15 :28 368 11 :3, 13, 14 7524 :13, 14 25324 :14-21 269 23 :42, 43 34918 :11, 12 368 11 :14 25718 :22, 23 368 11 :14, 15 28824 :15 369 19 :1 368 12 :2-4 186JOHN24 :20-22 26420 :1 36824 :21 330 1:1-4 25, 18420 :2 368 GALATIANS24 :27-31 25820 :29, 30 191 1 :1 161,36824 :36-39 291 1:14 2420 :29-31 187 1:18, 19 36824 :37 95 1 :29-51 16123 :33 368 3:8 16924 :45-47 260 2:13-16 317 24 :15 348 3:13 15524 :45-51 328 2:20 368 28 :30 368 3:16, 29 16224 :48-51 238 3 :3-6 16326 :26-28 172 3:16 115,3573:17 364, 365ROMANS3 :17-19 12226 :28 176 3 :18 2427 :25 142 4:24 20 1 :19, 20 14 3:17-19, 24 17527 :32-66 156 5:17 171 1 :23 21 3 :28 24227 :50, 51 317 5:23, 24, 30, 263 :30, 24 26,4:4, 5 20223, 164 4 :6, 7 20328 :1-10 368:9164 4 :19 32928 :15 368 5 :26-29 348 5 :12 89, 332 4:21-25 14028 :19, 20 309 5:43 275 :15-19 89 4 :21-31 114,129MARK 5 :46 365 5 :19 90 4 :22-31 2051 :8 305 6 :38-40, 44 26 6 :2-6 308 4 :24-26 177

380 INDE TO SCRIPTURES CITED4 :26 166 2 TIMOTHY 1 :18 165 4 :11 224 :26, 27 32, 166 2 :11, 12 33 4 :4-8 191 7 :4-8 1714 :26-31 230, 7 :9, 10 2834 :31 185 3 :1-5 193 1 PETER 7 :9-17 310, 3305:16-24 191 4 :11 368 1 :1 368 10:6 55:22, 23 63 4 :16-18 368 1:19-21 158 11 :1-3 2136:15, 16 171 1 :24, 25 362 11 :3, 7, 8 217TITUS 2 :4, 5 183 11 :7-10 252EPHESIANS 2 :5, 9 242 11 :11-13 2551 :3-6 1591 :5 3682:9 230 11 :15-18 2501:5 166 2:9, 10 170 11 :18, 19 3171 :20, 21 228 PHILEMON2:21 164 Cha . 12 2122:2 285 1 368 3:18-20 91 12 :1, 2 2072 :13-15 177 3:18-22 309 12 :1-10 3692 :13-16 169 HEBREWS 3:19 107 12 :1-12 2592 :21, 22 275 1 :1, 2 184, 311 3 :21, 22 201 12 :3, 4 2093:1 368 1 :1-3 28, 201 5 :13 368 12 :3, 4, 9 1083 :4-6 168 :4-13 28 12 :5 2093 :10 48 1 :7 31 2 PETER 12 :6, 14 2136 :11, 12 107, 1 :1432258 2 :5-9 342, 347 1 :10 26412 :7-9 21212 :7-10 302 . 6-9 2 :1-3 18812 :10, 12 268PHILIPPIANS 2:8, 9 206 2 :4 91,107 12 :10-12 2131 :12-18 186 2:9-17 151 2 :4, 5 9912 :13-17 2852 :5-11 150, 340 2:10 154 2 :5 292, 36412:13-13 :15 2872 :9-11 228 2:13 239 3 :3-7 29313 :1, 2 1092 :16 329 3:1 183 3 :5, 6 94,292 13 :1-7 2173 :8-11 305 4:3-11 41 3 :6 9813 :8 1573 :10, 11 318 5:8-10 154 3 :7 101,22913:11-15 2873 :20, 21 189 6 :19, 20 317 3 :7, 8 349 13 :14, 15 2754 :22 368 7:1-17 117 3 :8 42 14:1, 3 1697:1-28 182 3 :10 298 14:11-13 320COLOSSIANS 7:16 184 3 :11-14 299 16:12-16 2891 :13 206 7 :17 242 3 :13 8, 9,312 16:13 2881 :13-17 63 7:24, 25 314 3 :15, 16 162, 17:3-17 2751 :15 63 8:13 173 368 17:8 278, 3691 :15-19 24 9 :7, 8 317 17:9, 10 1081:18 24, 200 9 :15-17 178 1 JOHN17 :9-11 2762 .8 191 9 :18-20 174 1 :1, 2 25 17:10 3682:13, 14 176 9 :22 178 1:5 40 17:12-14 2803 :11 242 9 :23, 24 180 2 :15-17 363 17 :14 3153:14 243 9 :25, 26 183 2 :18, 19 188 17:15 3394:10 368 303 2 :20, 27 307 17 :16-18 2814:18 368 10:5-10 152 3 :11, 12 91 19 :7-9 310, 32210 :12, 13 157, 5 :19 109,185 19 :11-20:3 2961 THESSALONIANS 188, 206 19 :13 281:1 36810 :19-21 317 JUDE19 :20 275, 2881:9, 10 18910:24, 25 363 1, 17, 18 368 20 :1-3 2984:13-16 31610 :34 3683 191 20 :4, 5 3215:1-5 29311:4-12 :1 2355-7 93 20 :6 31811 :4-12 :2 9111 :7966 107 20 :7-10 3522 THESSALONIANS 9 29 20 :9, 14, 15 3592:6, 7 18611 :10 116, 1451 .33814 364 20 :1020 :10, 14, 15 28812 :18-24 1811 TIMOTHYREVELATION 297112 :18-25 175:3 36820 :11 28412 :29 295 :5 2001:17 1520 :11-15 35013 :15 275 1 :9 3692:5, 6 89, 18121 :1-6 33913 :24 368 1 :17, 18 3132:13, 142183:8 297,3591 :18 3483:62179:9 310JAMES4:12 :10 319 21288:9-22 3404:1-3 193 1 :1 368 2:17 234 21 :14 1856:14-16 314 1 :5 18 3:14, 21 23 22 :3, 4 3286:20, 21 357 1 :13-15 83, 353 3 :21 201, 319 22 :16 337

"MAKE SURE OF ALL THINGS"Here is a handbook of 416 pages that will delightthe heart of every Christian who wantsready proof from the Scriptures for the thingshe believes . Do not take someone's word for it,but "make sure of all things ; hold fast to whatis right". (1 Thess. 5 :21, NW) Seventy differentmajor topics are considered, ranging from "AncestorWorship" to "Worship of Mary" . In betweenyou will find "Confession", "Creation,""Faith," "Healing," "Jews' Return to Palestine,""Marriage," "Races of Mankind," "Return ofChrist," "Sign of Last Days," and "Spiritism"among the many other subjects brought underexamination.First, the subject is defined and its originshown . Then, under subheadings dealing with variousaspects of that subject, Scripture texts arequoted (without comment) that show what theBible teaches regarding the subject . Eleven differentversions of the Bible are used . This bookis not a commentary on the Bible, but it bringstogether for convenient reference the principaltexts of Scripture that deal with the theme underconsideration ."Make Sure of All Things" alsocontains an alphabetical listingof 287 "Subjects for Study", inaddition to the seventy principalthemes . This listing serves as across reference, directing thereader to pages throughout thebook where texts are found thatalso deal with these many additionalsubjects . The book has abrown cloth binding and measures61" x 4l" x l" . It is availableon a contribution of 75 cents acopy, sent postpaid .For ordering the above see addresses on last page .

.WATCHTOWER BIBLE EDITIONSNew Wo ld T anslation of theHeb ew Sc i tu esThis is an enti ely new t anslation of the fi steight books of the Heb ew Sc i tu e canon,Genesis to Ruth. Ref eshingly unde standable, becauseit uses moden English idiom, you will findthat it gives you a "new look" at the Bible . Thet anslation contains an extensive fo ewo d thatsets fo th the basis u on which the task was unde -taken and the method of wo k . Co ious chain efeences and c oss efe ences on eve y age and ana endix add to the value of this t anslation .Extensive footnotes se ve as a c itical a a atus,as well as funish alte native ende ings andothe valuable data . Ma s, d awings and otheexcellent info mation com lete the volume . TheNew Wo ld T anslation of the Heb ew Sc i tu es,containing 864 ages, is bound in g een leathe etteand measu es 7 5 16" x 5" x 7 ". Title is gold embossed.Sent, ost aid, anywhe e fo 1 .50 a co y .New Wo ld T anslation o f theCh istian G eek Sc i tu esHe e is a volume of 800 ages that containsthe enti e G eek Sc i tu es, Matthew to Revelation,in moden English. A fo ewo d and extensivea endix add value to the t anslation. Thea endix is ima ily concened with commentand discussion on texts f equently the subject ofdis ute. Footnotes a e of g eat hel in com a a-tive and technical study . Thousands of c oss efeences and chain efe ences ovide a means ofesea ch on outstanding Bible subjects, doct ines,wo ds and o e names. Size 7 5 16" x 5" x W'Bound in g een leathe ette, gold embossed . Sent,ost aid, anywhe e fo 1 .50 a co y.Fo o de ing the above see add esses on last age.

"Let God Be T ue"He e is a 320- age Bible study aid that enjoyswide acce tance among e sons inte ested inSc i tu e doct ine. Mo e than 11 million co iesa e al eady in ci culation . Its 26 cha te s discussa va iety of subjects, including the end of thewo ld, aye , use of images in wo shi , evolution,a new ea th, and the eliability of the Bible itself .Bible texts a e quoted and many efe ences givento su o t what is stated . This book should be ineve y e sonal lib a y. Remit 50 cents a co y ."This Means Eve lasting Life"Did it eve occu to you that man might someday live fo eve on ea th? Well, the Sc i tu esshow this as man's su e ho e. In 30 cha te s"This Means Eve lasting Life" devotes 320 agesto showing what God has omised and what hisequi ements a e fo gaining life . It oves thatJehovah will soon make this lanet a a adiseand e fect home fo all those who choose tose ve Him. Read this book and com a e it withyou Bible . You will be ha ily su ised andgain new ho e . Remit 50 cents a co y .What Has Religion Donefo Mankind?A volume of 352 ages that esents thoughtovokinginfo mation conce ning eligion's effectsu on humanity. Sha cont ast is d awn betweent ue eligion and false, and the bases andfundamental teachings of many widely acce tedeligions a e set fo th . Even the " ed" eligion ofCommunism is ex osed . In conclusion the ultimatet ium h of t ue wo shi ove all false eligionis edicted, with the ha y esults that itwill b ing fo all the ea th . Remit 50 cents a co y .Fo o de ing the above see add esses on last age.

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