The Watchtower, May 1, 1945
Download: PDF — The Watchtower, May 1, 1945
^1
w iwZ
watchtower
They shall know that I am Jehovah
-Ezekiel 35:15.
Vol. LXVI Semimonthly No. 9
MAY 1, 1945
CONTENTS
After the “Fulness op the Gentiles”, What! ............
The Good Oliva Tree ..............
Branches ......................................
No Room for Boasting ...........
“Fulness of the Gentiles” ...........
The Enemies and the Beloved.....
Kingdom Work ...........................
The Men op Whom Angels Sang David, from Shepherd to Outlaw Fin n Experiences...........................
Overcoming Language Barriers for Unity ..............................
“Watchtower” Studies .................
.. 130 _130
Uss Renewal Subscription Blank .... 130
Published Semimonthly By
WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY 117 Adams Street * - Brooklyn 1, N.Y., U.S.A.
Officers
N. H. Knobs, President W. E. Van Ambubgh, Secretary "And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” - Isaiah 54:13.
THE SCRIPTURES CLEARLY TEACH
THAT JEHOVAH is the only true God and is from everlasting to'everlasting, the Maker of heaven and earth and the Giver of life to his creatures; that the Logos was the beginning of his creation, and his active agent in the creation of all other things, and is now the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, clothed with ail power in heaven and earth, as the Chief Executive Officer of Jehovah;
THAT GOD created the earth for man, created perfect man for the earth and placed him upon it; that man willfully disobeyed God’s law and was sentenced to death; that by reason of Adam's wrong act all men are born sinners and without the right to life;
THAT THE LOGOS was made human as the man Jesus and suffered death in order to produce the ransom or redemptive price for obedient ones of mankind; that God raised up Jesus divine and exalted him to heaven above every other creature and above every creature’s name and clothed him with all power and authority;
THAT GOD’S CAPITAL ORGANIZATION is a Theocracy called Zion, and that Christ Jesus is the Chief Officer thereof and is the rightful King of the world; that the anointed and faithful followers of Christ Jesus are children of Zion, members of Jehovah’s organization, and are his witnesses whose duty and privilege it is to testify to the supremacy of Jehovah, declare his purposes toward mankind as expressed in the Bible, and to bear the fruits of the Kingdom before all who will hear;
THAT THE OLD WORLD ended in A. D. 1914, and the Lord Jesus Christ has been placed by Jehovah upon his throne of authority, has ousted Satan from heaven and is proceeding to the establishment of the “new earth” of the New World;
THAT THE RELIEF and blessings of the peoples of earth can come only by and through Jehovah’s kingdom under Christ, which has now begun; that the Lord’s next great act is the destruction of Satan’s organization and the complete establishment of righteousness in the earth, and that under the Kingdom the people of good-will that survive Armageddon shall carry out the divine mandate to “fill the earth’’ with a righteous race.
ITS MISSION
HIS journal is published for the purpose of enabling the people to know Jehovah God and his purposes as expressed in the Bible. It publishes Bible instruction specifically designed to aid Jehovah's witnesses and all people of good-will.
It arranges systematic Bible study for its readers and the Society supplies other literature to aid in such studies, it publishes suitable material for radio broadcasting and for other means of public instruction in the Scriptures.
It adheres strictly to the Bible as authority for its utterances. It is entirely free and separate from all religion, parties, sects or other worldly organizations. It is wholly and without reservation for the kingdom of Jehovah God under Christ his beloved King. It is not dogmatic, but invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures. It does not indulge in controversy, and its columns are not open to personalities.
YBAXLT SUBBCUPT1ON PklCB
Cmitzd Statu, 11.00; all other countries, 11.60, American currency; Oust Bbitaim, Avbtbalabia, amd Sooth Anics. 6b American remittances should be made by Postal or Express Money Order or by Bank Draft. British, South African and Australasian remittances should be made direct to the respective branch offices. Remittances from countries other than those mentioned may be made to the Brooklyn office, but by fntemational Postal Money Order only.
Foixion OmcBS
British 34 Craven Terrace, London, W. 2, England
Aiutralarian.................. 7 Beresford Road, Strathfleld, N. 3. W., Australia
South African - - - — - - Boston House, Cape Town, South Africa
Indian_______________________167 Lore Lane, Bombay 27. India
Please address the Society In every casa.
Translations of this journal appear in several languages.
ALL SINCERE STUDENTS OF THE BIBLE who by reason of infirmity, poverty or adversity are unable to pay the subscription price may hare The Watchtower free upon written application to the publishers, made once each year, stating the reason for so requesting it We are glad to thus aid the needy, but the written application once each year 1 required by the postal regulations.
Notice to Swbsoribers: Acknowledgment of a new or a renewal subscription will be sent only when requested. Change of address, when requested, may bo expected to appear on address label within one month. A renewal blank (carrying notice of expiration) will bo sent with the journal one month before the subscription expires.
Printed in the United States of Amerlcs
Entered as seeond-ctase matter at the poet office at Brooklyn, N. T., uniter the Act of March s, ISIS.
OVERCOMING LANGUAGE BARRIERS FOR UNITY
When God broke up unity in a wicked work he confused the common language. (Gen. 11:1-9) Now 13 the time for unity in a good work by Jehovah’s servants. Oneness of speech is a great aid to that end. In America are foreign-speaking brethren speaking many languages stemming from the confusion of tongues at Babel. Such language difference should not be let hamper the unity of organization and effort of His people. Foreign-language brethren should use every opportunity and means to acquire the national language of America, English. Such will greatly increase their scope and effectiveness as witnesses of Jehovah in this populous land. In each company, therefore, where foreign-language Bible studies are held, those attending should also assemble with the brethren at the English Watchtower study and service meeting, to use such as a steppingstone to learn English. It will also aid them to keep in closer touch with God’s visible headquarters and its local company organization in carrying on the field witness work. They may have their native-language Watchtower study some other evening, but should watch that no person of their own tongue ambitiously seize the opportunity to separate them from close co-operation with the main visible organization to draw away followers after himself like an electiveelder boss. To that end the Society will appoint the proper foreign-language study conductor.
The same principle would hold in other countries, such as South American lands where Spanish is the principal tongue, or
Brazil, where Portuguese predominates. Persons speaking other languages should attend the Watchtower and service meetings conducted in Spanish or Portuguese in Latin-American countries for their own benefit, so as to learn the language and be better equipped to meet the people of good-will of those nations and witness to them.
“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES
Week of June 3: “After the 'Fulness of the Gentiles’, Whatf” fl 1-22 inclusive, The Watchtower May 1, 1945.
Week of June 10: “After the 'Fulness of the Gentiles’, Whatf” fl 23-43 inclusive, The Watchtower May 1, 1945.
USE RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION BLANK
The blank sent you one month before expiration of your Watchtower subscription should be filled out and returned to the Brooklyn office or to the Branch office in the country where you reside. Servants in the companies, and individuals, when sending in renewals for The Watchtower, should always use these blanks. By filling in these renewal blanks you are assured of the continuation of your Watchtower from the time of expiration, and without delay. It will also be a great help if you sign your name uniformly, and note any recent change of address, on the renewal slip.
ANNOUNCING JEHOVAH'S KINGDOM
Vol. LXVI May 1, 1945 No. 9
AFTER THE “FULNESS OF THE GENTILES”, WHAT?
"Blindness in part is happened, to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."—Rom. 11:25.
JEHOVAH is now bringing his great mystery to its completion. This means that the blessing of all the families and nations of the earth is near. The divine promise to that effect has waited over some thousands of years since Jehovah God swore to the faithful patriarch Abraham and said: “In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 22:17,18) That sacred solemn promise is generally known as “the Abrahamic covenant”. Under examination its terms will be seen to mean both war and blessing, the widespread blessing following upon the war.
2 The blessing foretold in the covenant applies both to God and to man. The blessing comes first to God, in that his name must first be vindicated. In this covenant Abraham, the man whose faith won him justification with God, was a type or prophetic picture of God himself. The name “Abraham” means “father of a multitude”. Before ever Abraham became a father of a multitude of descendants lie offered Isaac, his only begotten son by his wife Sarah, for a sacrifice to Jehovah God. It was after such a demonstration of faith and of obedience toward Jehovah God that God made the above statement of the covenant with Abraham. Abraham’s offering of Isaac was merely a typical foreshadowing of how Jehovah was to offer his beloved only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, as a sacrifice for the vindication of God’s name and for the blessing of all creatures on earth that blessed Jehovah’s name. (John 3:16) Hence God’s covenant that he would bless Abraham meant that Jehovah would bring blessing to his own name by causing it to be vindicated before all creation. His covenant that he would make Abraham’s seed like the stars and seashore sands meant that, besides the antitypical Isaac, or Christ Jesus, Jehovah God would bring
1. What is Jehovah now bringing to completion? and what does this mean according to his covenant ?
2. (a) How does the blessing foretold in the covenant apply, and why? (b) What did making Abraham's seed like the stars and sands mean? others into the royal family of God’s sons to be associated with Christ Jesus in his kingdom.
* Such seed would be innumerable, or uncountable, not because of being made up of so many sons of God, but because God had not declared or revealed their number and hence no human could tell what their number would be. Because unable to count the “seed” of the Greater Abraham, man had to wait until God himself sent Christ Jesus to give the revelation to the apostle John and therein count the number for us, fixing the number at 144,000. —Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1, 3.
4 Because these 144,000 are the seed of the Greater Abraham by the antitypical Isaac, Christ Jesus, therefore they are spoken of symbolically as taken out from “all the tribes of the children of Israel”, twelve tribes being named. This does not mean, therefore, that the 144,000 associated with Jesus in the Kingdom would be from the natural Jews exclusively, all Gentiles debarred. But it meant that, just as the twelve tribes of natural Israel were the chosen descendants of the patriarch Abraham, in like manner the Kingdom seed associated with Christ Jesus would be the children or sons of Jehovah God, the anti typical Abraham. On this basis the apostle Paul writes, at Galatians 3:26-29, to the consecrated followers of Christ Jesus: “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek [or Gentile], there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” One’s natural extraction does not count toward being a part of the seed now. Being a son of God is the determining thing.
11 God’s covenant said that Abraham’s seed should possess the gates of his enemies. This means that
X In what way was the seed uncountable?
4. Why are the 144,000 spoken of symbolically as taken out from “all the tribes of the children of Israel'*? and what is the determining thing that counts toward being of such?
6. (a) What Is meant by Abraham’s Seed's possessing the gates of hh enemies? (b) In whose blessing will that then result?
war would be waged against the organization of the enemies of Christ Jesus, which enemies are therefore the enemies of his Father, Jehovah God, the Greater Abraham. In that warfare between God’s organization and the enemy Satan's organization, which warfare culminates in the battle of Armageddon now approaching, Christ Jesus must win. He must violently seize the wicked organization and utterly destroy it; the enemy gates can not hold him off from doing so. Thereby Christ Jesus will vindicate Jehovah’s name at Armageddon. That will result in the blessing of all faithful creatures that live. Such blessing was foretold, in that God’s covenant promised that in Abraham’s seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed. This means the faithful and obedient ones out of all humankind, whether now dead or alive, outside of the 144,000 who were joined with Christ Jesus in the Kingdom. The 144,000 were themselves first blessed by the Greater Abraham through his Seed, Christ Jesus, the Greater Isaac. Now, after the fulness or full number of the 144,000 are brought into the royal family, further blessings must go to those of good-will who will become the earthly subjects of the Kingdom of the Seed of Abraham.—Acts 3: 25, 26.
* A warning should be sounded to human creatures who want to enjoy such blessings under the Kingdom. Jehovah covenanted with Abraham: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Which fact puts all on notice that those who bless the Greater Abraham, Jehovah, will be blessed; and those who curse Jehovah will be cursed, that is to say, be destroyed. This is because in Jehovah God lies the original Source of all blessings for earth’s families. (Gen. 12:3) The treatment which persons of all families of the earth give to Jehovah’s witnesses, therefore, determines whether they are blessing or cursing Jehovah. It decides whether their destiny shall be that of blessing or that of destruction.
THE GOOD OLIVE TREE
’ The Israelites or Jews according to the flesh had Abraham as their natural ancestor. Their fleshly relationship to Abraham with whom the covenant was made led them to think they were sure of being of the promised “seed of Abraham”. It just naturally had to be that way, so they thought. Being confident according to the flesh, they failed to take it to heart that Ishmael also was a son of Abraham according to the flesh but was rejected; and also that Esau was a descendant of Abraham through Isaac accord-
6. What warning and notice should ba served on all humans expecting blessings under the Kingdom?
7. Why did the Jews think themselves sure of being the promised seed of Abraham? and what did they not appreciate, even as warned by John the Baptist? ing to the flesh, but, because of his unbelief, he was cast off. They did not appreciate that unbelief and disobedience could cause even members of the chosen nation of Israel to be cast away from entering into the great privileges of the Abrahamic covenant. Conversely, those who were not natural Israelites, if they showed the faith and faithfulness of Abraham, could be taken into the covenant. John the Baptist warned the natural Israelites of this, saying to the leading Jewish religionists: “Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, *We have Abraham for our forefather,’ for I tell you God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!”—Matt. 3:9, Goodspeed; Weymouth.
• What John warned of was what actually came to pass. Beginning with the sending of the apostle Peter to the Gentile centurion Cornelius to preach the Kingdom message, God began to raise up “descendants for Abraham”, not, of course, for the dead patriarch Abraham, but for the living Greater Abraham, Jehovah God. He there began to bring in sons into His royal household under Christ Jesus from among the Gentiles. Such ones he made “living stones” in the house or temple of God. The full effect of this change of procedure on God’s part is explained by the apostle Paul, who was especially chosen by Christ Jesus to be an apostle to the nonJews or Gentiles. Continuing from the last previous issue of The Watchtower the discussion of Paul’s argument at Romans, chapter eleven, we now take up his words at verse thirteen: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”—Rom. 11:13,14.
* Paul’s flesh was Jewish flesh, so that he could say of all the other apostles of the Lamb Christ Jesus: “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.” (2 Cor. 11:22) Why, then, did Paul honor, glorify or make the most of his office as “apostle of the Gentiles”? It was not because he was against the interests of the natural Jews. It was in order to stir them up to the privilege and opportunity which they were letting slip from their grasp. Jehovah God had prophesied that he would provoke the natural Israelites to jealousy by the Gentiles, who had not been his chosen people in times past. (Rom. 10:19) To help in the fulfillment of that very prophecy Christ Jesus converted Saul of Tarsus to be his follower, saying: “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.” And to the apostle himself
8. (a) How did what John warned of actually come to pa^a? (b) Who was made an apostle to the Gentiles, and what did be say about bls “office”?
9,10 (a) Of what flesh was Paul4 (b) How and why did he “magnify” bls office as apostle to the Gentiles? the Lord said: “Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. . . . Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”—Acts 9:15; 22:18-21.
10 While sincerely interested in the salvation of the Gentiles to the Kingdom, Paul never forgot his fleshly relatives. Hence, wherever his missionary work carried him he taught “publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, to repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. (Acts 20:20,21) By such zealous activity Paul glorified or honored his ministry (diakonia) as an apostle to the nations, not exaggerating it above what it was, but showing full appreciation of this office of service by making the most of it. While the using of this service to the full directly benefited the Gentiles, yet Paul’s hope was that those of his own flesh and blood might be provoked to imitate the Gentiles and might accept salvation through Jesus the Messiah. He looked for no conversion of the entire nation of Israel, but his desire was that he “might save some of them”.
11 Some religionists will argue, But do not the next succeeding verses of the apostle plainly say that he looked for the eventual turning of the entire nation of Israel to Christ, thus to become the leading Christian nation of the world! And does not such conversion of all Israel mean the second coming of Christ, the end of the world, and the resurrection of the dead from their graves! With a background from many other scriptures, the answer must be no. After telling of his efforts that he “might save some of them”, Paul adds: “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world [/cosmos], what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead!” (Rom. 11:15) Be here reminded, however, that not all the nation of Israel was cast away; for a remnant selected by God’s grace or mercy was recovered from Israel, of whom Paul was one. Neither did the casting off of the rest bring reconciliation to all the world, or kosmos. It brought or resulted in reconciliation to only so many of the world as were necessary to fill up the vacant places among the predestined 144,000 of the Kingdom company.
11 If the Gentile elements of the world benefit from the casting away of Israel, who, then, stood to benefit by the receiving or acceptance of Jews from among the nation of Israel! Why, themselves, of course; because it meant life from the dead for such Jews. Having rejected the God-sent Messiah, Jesus Christ, the natural Israelites were “dead in tres-
11. (a) According to Paul’s succeeding words, with wbat questions do religionists continue to argue? (b) Was all Israel cast away, and was all the world reconciled thereby?
12. Who benefit by the “receiving” of the Jews? and bow does it mean “life from the dead"? passes and sins” the same as the Gentiles. Furthermore, such Israelites were under a special curse due to failing to keep the Mosaic law-covenant with God. (Gal. 3:10-13) The savable number of the Jewish remnant was not yet all in at the time that Paul wrote his epistle. Hence the receiving of these others of the Jewish remnant, that is, God’s acceptance of them because of their turning from the “Jews’ religion” and following in the footsteps of Christ Jesus, would mean bringing of such Israelites out from death in trespasses and sins and accursed condition and unto life as Christians. They would be redeemed from the curse of the law. To quote from the apostle elsewhere: “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”—Eph. 2:1,4-6.
11 Since Paul wrote, other natural Jews have turned from the course of wayward Israel and have been accepted of God unto the Kingdom, but this has been accompanied by no resurrection of the dead in the graves. Neither is the general resurrection of the dead in God’s appointed time to be preceded by the general conversion of the Israelites to Christ as a portentous sign. Any expectation of such a thing is based upon a misunderstanding of the Scriptures.
14 In harmony with the foregoing, the apostle continues: “For if the firstfruits be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.” (Rom. 11:16) Or: “If the first handful of dough is consecrated, the whole mass is, and if the root of a tree is consecrated, so are its branches.” (Oood-speed; see also Numbers 15:19-21) This could not mean that, because a consecrated remnant was gathered out from the. nation of Israel, therefore all other Jews were holy and consecrated. Certainly not those to whom Jesus said: “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ... ye bear witness against yourselves, that ye are sons of them who murdered the prophets. And ye, fill ye up the measure of your fathers! Serpents! broods of vipers! how should ye flee from the judgment of gehenna!” (Matt. 23:29-33, Rotherham) The fact, however, that such Jewish religious leaders were fit for destruction did not mean that all the rest of Israel were. Had it been so, God could not have procured a faithful remnant from among the Jews. But if the Jews that already came to God by consecration through Christ were a firstfruits to God, then it was possible for still others to come from the rest of
13. How do we know it does not mean a resurrection of the dead in the graves?
14. (a) “If the root be bolv," why did that not mean that all the Jew* were holy and consecrated? (b) How. then, were “the branebee” holy, like the root? the nation. This was because all the Jews had been shut up under one law-covenant arrangement with God; and no part of Israel was more holy to God than any other part thereof.
15 The apostle now begins to illustrate matters by an olive tree that is consecrated to God. God’s law to Israel was: “When ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised : three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal. And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof.” (Lev. 19:23-25) The proper purpose and expectation of an olive tree is to bear fruit. As fruit trees, which yielded income to the owner, were taxed in Palestine, olive trees not bearing fruit would be cut down with the ax. If in the fourth year of a newly planted tree the fruit thereof was holy to God Jehovah, the root of the tree must equally be holy to him. It is the root that hallows or makes holy the branches of the tree. The natural Jews that rejected Christ Jesus looked upon the patriarch Abraham as the root of their nation. They looked upon themselves as favored of Jehovah and as elected of Him because of being rooted in Abraham according to the flesh. Through Isaac they stemmed from Abraham and were branches off from Abraham’s natural seed. They were the twelve tribes of Israel.
” However, that natural view of their relationship to Abraham is not what is pictured by the holy olive tree used by Paul as an illustration. The stock and branches of the true “olive tree” picture the real seed of Abraham meant in God’s covenant with Abraham. The natural Israelites did not understand the mystery of God and thought it was to be a natural seed, all flesh-and-blood descendants of Abraham on earth. But the seed that was contemplated in the statement of God’s covenant to Abraham was and is a spiritual seed, a heavenly seed. It is not absolutely dependent upon the fleshly relationship. Therefore the real root of the Seed is Jehovah God himself, who is the Greater Abraham and of whom Abraham on earth was a type. Christ Jesus is the real Seed of this Abraham; in proof of which it is written: “Now the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say ‘and to seeds’ referring to many, but ‘and to your seed’ referring to one—and this is Christ.” (Gal. 3:16, Weymouth; also Gen. 12:7) The trunk of the olive tree which bears the branches consequently pictures Christ Jesus as the true Seed.
IS. la) What God'a law concerning a fruit tree, and What was the proper expectation concerning it? (b) Aa natural branches, whom did the Jews view as their root?
IS. Who are the root and the stock of the true "olive tree”, and why?
BRANCHES
irWhom, then, do the olive branches picture? In another parable, that of the vine, Christ Jesus said to his disciples: ‘1 am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bring-eth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he js cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5,6) It follows, then, that the branches in the olive-tree illustration are the faithful footstep followers of the true Seed of Abraham. They are adopted by Jehovah as his royal sons by being begotten of his spirit, and thereby they are brought into the household of sons under Christ Jesus the Seed. If the root of the symbolic olive tree is Jehovah, who is holy, necessarily those who are branches off the trunk of the tree would have to be holy. As the apostle Peter says: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”—1 Pet. 1:15,16.
“ From this Scriptural standpoint, let us consider Paul’s illustration of the fruitful olive tree: “If the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.” (Rom. 11:16-18) How can it be said that the natural Jews were broken off, if the root is Jehovah God and the tree pictures the spiritual offspring of the Greater Abraham?
” There should be no difficulty in seeing how so. Just remember that the Jews were in a unique relationship with Jehovah the Greater Abraham, a position not shared by any of the Gentiles. They were sustained by the root Jehovah God and received special favors and privileges from him because of his covenant with their forefather Abraham. Jehovah’s covenant promise to Abraham He passed down by special direction to the nation of Israel; as it is written, at Psalm 105: 8-10: “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.” The twelve tribes of Israel were therefore typical of the spiritual ones under Christ Jesus; and to them Moses said: “The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand 17. Who, then, are the “olive branches", and la what condition roust they be?
18, 19. (a) What wax done with Home of the natural brancbea’ (b> How could that be. it the root is Jehovah God and not Abraham? times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)” (Deut. 1:10,11) Hence, in a typical sense, the natural Jews were in the great Root of the symbolic olive tree.
20 Moreover, Jehovah bound the Jews to himself by delivering them from Egypt and making his law covenant with them over the blood of the passover lamb. When inaugurating the law covenant with them at Mount Sinai he showed them what they were in line for, saying: “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” (Ex. 19:5,6) This proves they were in line, yes, first in line, for the privilege of being joined as kings and priests with Christ Jesus the true Seed of Abraham. Having such prior position in line for the kingdom of heaven, they are properly pictured as being in the symbolic olive tree which has Jehovah as its root, the Greater Abraham. By virtue of their descent from Abraham, and their covenant relationship with Jehovah God, they stood in the way of any of the Gentiles’ having a part in the Kingdom with Christ Jesus the Seed. However, their position in such symbolic olive tree was only conditional. This fact is sadly shown in that some of the “branches” were broken off from the “olive tree”. The “branches”, therefore, picture those who are in line for a place in the Kingdom and who are called thereto.
21 That is a sobering fact, one which should make all Gentile believers serious. It emphasizes the requirement of keeping faith and integrity toward Jehovah God. And Gentiles who come into the favor of God have no cause for boasting against the rejected Jews. Gentiles also must first pass the test to which those Jews were subjected in order to abide in the symbolic “olive tree”, The Theocratic Organization. For their own safety, let them ask: Why were those branches with a priority’ broken off from the Theocratic organization? Since the purpose of the tree is to bring forth fruit holy to God and to his glory, they were broken off because of not bringing forth fruits suitable for the Kingdom. This failure was because of their lack of faith in Jehovah God, the Greater Abraham. They displayed this lack of faith by rejecting his Messiah, the true Seed of Abraham, in whom the prophecies of the Word of God were fulfilled. That way, they could not draw any spiritual sustenance, the rich sap of the olive root, from Jehovah.
"Not accepting Jehovah’s anointed King, they in
20 (a) What tie with Jehovah and what priority of position further show they were natural branches in the tree? (b) How secure was their position, and what do the "branches” therefore picture?
21 . What serious fact does the foregoing emphasize? and have the accepted Gentiles nc cause for boasting against the rejected Jews?
22 . What privileges were taken from the unbelieving Jews, and bow did a remnant hold to their position? their unbelief could not bear the message of the Kingdom. To such fruitless, faithless Jews Jesus said: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matt. 21:43) The privilege of being witnesses of Jehovah concerning his King and kingdom was accordingly taken away from such Jews as continued in their unbelief. They were broken off from being branches in the spiritual olive tree. The believing remnant that accepted Jesus and followed his steps in bearing the Kingdom message to others, these were the Jews in line for the Kingdom that continued in the symbolic olive tree. They held to their position in line for the Kingdom with the Seed of Abraham.
22 It is very manifest that Jehovah God, the great Root of the Theocratic organization, purposed that there should be only a certain limited number of branches in the tree, namely, 144,000. Otherwise, many branches being broken off, he would not have grafted in other branches to replace the broken-off branches. He would have gotten along with the Jewish remnant whom he elected out from the nation, “the election of grace.” But the remnant not being sufficient in number to fill all in predestined places in the-Kingdom and thus be like the stars and sands for multitude, Jehovah God resorted to the unusual. He grafted in enough others from non-Jewish sources to take the places of the broken-off branches and thus completely fill up the Kingdom membership. The religionists of “Christendom” are wrong when they unscripturally claim that, even if all natural branches had continued in the symbolic olive tree, Jehovah God would nonetheless have grafted on the tree an indefinite number of Gentile branches, as many as could be converted before the end of the world. The whole reasoning of the apostle Paul is contrary to such a religious view.
“Being of non-Jewish sources not having relationship with God, the Gentile believers grafted into the Theocratic organization or “tree” were likened to shoots taken from a wild olive tree, a tree not producing fruit suitable for consumption by man. Because of now coming into God’s favor by establishing connections with him through Christ Jesus the Seed, the Gentile believers have no cause for boasting against the broken-off Jewish branches. Their being grafted in did not make the tree better. They do not support the tree, but the tree from its roots up is what supports them. It nourishes them, making them partakers of the “root and fatness of the olive tree”, or sharers in the rich sap of the olive root. This is the opposite of the process of grafting in the 23. Why did Jehovah graft on any branches after unfaithful branches were broken off? and what claim of religionists is therefore proved to be wrong?
24. To what are the believing Gentiles likened, and why have they no reason for boasting in regard to beneficial nets ? case of some natural trees, for example, the olive tree. Among men a graft-shoot is taken from a vigorous productive tree and grafted onto the trunk of a tree that is wearing out and losing its productive vitality. Thus the tree is benefited by the ingrafted shoot. Not so with the symbolic olive tree; for the grafted branch is the one that is made fruitful with Kingdom fruits by receiving the rich fat supplies from the Root, Jehovah, through the stem or trunk, Christ Jesus.
NO ROOM FOR BOASTING
” To any Gentiles inclined to boast and to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think the apostle then says: “Thou wilt say then, The [natural] branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well: because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear.” (Rom. 11:19,20) No Gentile should pride himself with the idea that any of the natural branches were broken off just to make room for him, as though Gentiles were superior to Jews. It was not a case of race superiority, or superior culture. Clinging to religion and hence stumbling over the Rock Christ Jesus and not believing God’s Word respecting him, this was why the rejected Jews were pruned from the symbolic olive tree. Hence the only reason why any ingrafted branch from the wild olive tree stands in the Theocratic tree is because of exercising faith, obedience and integrity, and not because of any personal merit over the Jew. It was because of becoming high-minded as to their exclusive national relationship to God that the majority of the nation fell. Instead of becoming conceited, those from the Gentiles should see the danger of self-admiration and should fear, yes, fear lest they fall into the snare of religion and lose out on faith and obedience. None should trust in that religious deception, namely, “Once saved, always saved.”
24 “God is no respecter of persons,” said the apostle Peter at the time that God began visiting the Gentiles with the Kingdom message and grafting believers from the Gentiles upon the Theocratic olive tree. (Acts 10:34) Hence he will not deal differently with Gentiles who do not maintain their integrity and fruitfulness in the tree from the way he did with the unbelieving natural Jews. “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." (Rom. 11:21,22) It was, because of no worthiness
25 Why were do branebee broken off specifically that Gentile branches might be grafted Id? and why have such Gentiles reason to fear?
26 Why will God not deal differently with unfaithful Gentiles than with natural branches? and in view of divine severity and goodness what does it behoove Gentile believers to do? on the creature’s part, but entirely because of the goodness and loving-kindness of God that the high calling to the Kingdom was opened to the Gentiles at all. This, too, was at the expense of the Jews who fell through unbelief and disobedience toward the Kingdom gospel preached by Christ Jesus. It behooves those in the Theocratic “olive tree” to examine why the severity of God came upon such Jews as to lop them off. Let them strive earnestly to measure up to Theocratic requirements in order that the same divine severity be not called for against them. Only so doing will they continue in this unspeakable goodness of God. They must endure in integrity unto the end.
" Even an ingrafted Gentile can yet lose out to a Jew by being cut off. How could such a thing be? Paul answers concerning the broken-off natural Jewish branches: “And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree!” (Rom. 11: 23, 24) The natural branches that were lopped off are therefore an admonitory example to us. It is imperative that we continually bear on our hearts the warning: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he stand-eth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry [religion].” (1 Cor. 10:11-14) Even with A.D. 193*1 past, let us beware!
“FULNESS OF THE GENTILES"
" To be grafted back “into their own olive tree” does not mean that such temporarily disconnected branches would be inserted back into the commonwealth of natural Israel, the organization of the natural Jews, Israel after the flesh. That typical organization was abolished by Christ Jesus, who nailed the law covenant of that organization to the tree on which he died. With Christ Jesus the spiritual Israel began. By shedding his blood for ratifying a new covenant he became the Mediator of the new covenant toward those who became spiritual Israelites. Just as Abraham’s grandson Jacob (or Israel) provided the foundations for the twelve 27. How can as ingrafted Gentile even lose out to a Jew? and what admonition should therefore be taken to heart, even since 1931?
28. Why could not the grafting back of a natural branch mean being inserted back into the commonwealth of natural Israel? tribes of Israel in his twelve sons, so Jesus did. He chose and taught and trained twelve apostles (including Paul) to be the foundations for the spiritual Israel, Christ Jesus himself being the basic, general Foundation.—Gen. 49:1,28, 33; Eph. 2:20-22; Rev. 21:12-14.
” It is therefore by means of the new covenant over Christ’s blood that any of the branches stand in this Theocratic organization; and those who are branches in it make up the spiritual Israel. Christ Jesus, the “one mediator between God and men”, is the stem or tree-trunk in which these branches are inserted. (1 Tim. 2:5,6; Isa. 11:1-5; Zech. 3:8; 6:12) The full number of these spiritual Israelites, that is to say, all spiritual Israel, must be saved to the heavenly kingdom. The predetermined number must be made up; and to that end Jehovah God extended his goodness to the Gentiles and set before those of them that believe an open door of opportunity. That was where God’s mystery broke open. —Eph. 3:3-8.
80 In agreement with the above, the apostle continues: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so ail Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Rom. 11:25, 26) When writing to the Corinthians Paul called attention to the same fact concerning the Jews’ blindness, saying: “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament [old covenant]; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.” (2 Cor. 3:14,15) But such blindness did not overtake all of natural Israel, for it is written: “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election [the remnant selected by God’s grace] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.”—Rom. 11:7.
" Such blindness by the larger part of natural Israel led to the opening up of the mystery. The mystery is not that religious “doctrine of the future restoration of the Jews, not fully known in itself, and not at all known as to the time in which it will take place”. (Clarke) The mystery, or the part of God’s purpose which was kept secret from even the Jews until God poured out the spirit upon the Italian centurion Cornelius in the presence of Peter, was that the Gentile believers should be taken in
29. (a) By what arrangement do any stand tn the Theocratic organization, and what holy nation do they constitute? <b) How many of them must be eared?
30. What blindness overtook the natural Israelites? and why not all? 31. (a) What is the religious view of the mystery here spoken of* (b) What actually is the mystery, and when did It break open? and made a part of spiritual Israel. The mystery was that such believing Gentiles should be grafted in as branches upon the symbolic olive tree and thus be put in line for a place in the heavenly kingdom. “The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26,27) Thus at Gentile Cornelius’ being grafted in upon the symbolic olive tree God began to make known to his consecrated ones “what is the glorious wealth of this sacred secret among the nations”.—Rotherham.
“ Had not blindness affected a part of natural Israel, the opportunity for Gentiles to come in would not have been afforded. In that case the royal family of the Greater Abraham would have been made up completely from among the natural Israelites. The dispelling of any ignorance concerning this point should keep Gentile believers from becoming presumptuous and conceited and looking upon things as running in an ordinary course. The matter is extraordinary. Furthermore, Israel’s blindness was to continue upon the major part of the nation until the fullness of the Gentiles came in. The expression, “fulness of the Gentiles,” is not to be confused with Jesus’ expression, “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) “The times of the Gentiles” refers to the time allowance which God granted to the Gentile ruling powers to rule without interruption from the heavenly kingdom. They began in 607 B.C. and ended A.D. 1914, the year World War I broke out. On the other hand, “the fulness of the Gentiles” refers to the full number of Gentiles to be grafted in upon the symbolic olive tree in order to occupy the places of all broken-off branches. At Romans 11:12 the apostle refers to the “fulness" of the natural Israelites brought in; but their fullness is not great enough to make up the 144,000 associates of Christ the Seed of Abraham. Hence the fullness of the Gentiles is needed to complete the membership of the body of Christ.
” What, then, is the consequence of bringing in the fullness of the Gentiles! This: All of spiritual Israel, the Kingdom class, will be saved; and thus Jehovah’s name will be vindicated and Satan will be proved a liar in boasting that he could prevent such an accomplishment. Note that the apostle, after speaking of the fullness of the Gentiles’ coming in, does not say, “And after that all Israel shall be saved.” Instead, he says, “And so,” that is, in such a manner, “all Israel shall be saved.” Jehovah God
32. (a) Why, then, abould Gentile belleven not be ignorant of this mystery? (b) Why if the Gentile fullneoo not to be conf need with the “tlm* of the Genuine”?
33. Whet. then. Is the consequence of bringing In the Gentile fullness, and, with that what opportunity passes for natural Jews? will save the full predetermined number of the spiritual Israel, though Satan the Devil fight to the contrary. When the fullness of the Gentiles is made secure in the “olive tree” of Jehovah’s Theocratic organization, then the natural Jews will fail of all further opportunity for the “so great salvation” to the heavenly kingdom. That was the salvation that the apostle Paul prayed they might share. —Rom. 10:1.
“ All the facts and Scriptures are against the religious idea that it is all natural Israel that shall yet be saved at some indefinite future time to mark the nearness of Christ’s second coming. Christ Jesus has already, in 1914, come into his authority as King in Jehovah’s Theocratic Government; and in 1918 he came to the temple for judgment of the house of God. The facts since those dates, fulfilling Scripture prophecy, prove his coming thus as a Spirit in the “express image” of his Father’s person. Yet no turning en masse on the part of the natural Jews unto Christ has taken place, either prior to his coming into the Kingdom and to the temple or since such coming. This, despite the greatest proclamation by Jehovah’s witnesses of the Kingdom gospel in America and in Europe and the British Commonwealth since 1914, and especially to the Jews from and after 1926. It is contrary to the Bible to expect that, after the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the Theocratic “olive tree” as spiritual Israelites, Jehovah God will begin showing respect to persons and that by mysterious means he will bring about the mass conversion of all the present-day Jews, and then make them the outstanding nation on earth from then onward.
35 Jesus prophesied on the end of the world and the judgment that he would then conduct. But he says nothing about separating out the natural Jews and making them a favored nation distinct from and superior to the Gentile nations. Jesus’ prophecy says he will separate the nations as “sheep” and “goats”. The “sheep”, whom he sets on his right hand for everlasting life on earth under the Kingdom, will be those who show good-will toward him as King by doing good unto the least of his brethren, to wit, the spiritual Israelites, associated with him as the Seed of Abraham. (Matt. 25:31-46) After the 144,000 of his associates have been sealed for membership in the Kingdom, that is, after the “fulness of the Gentiles” have come in, then, as Revelation 7:1-10 shows, the Lord’s “other sheep” come out from all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues and take their stand for Jehovah as Universal Sovereign and for
34. What facts sow prove that it is not all natural Israel that is to be saved to mark the second coming of the Messiah Christ ’
35. (a) What parable as to the world’s end further shows the Jewish nation will not be thus distinguished? (b> What does the prophecy concerning the ‘’great multitude” show concerning any distinct position for the Jews? and what would indicate that the Gentile fullness has come in?
his Lamb Christ Jesus as his anointed King. That means that such “other sheep” which will make up such “great multitude” of persons of good-will toward Jehovah and his King will also come from among the natural Jews as well as from other peoples. Those speaking Yiddish or Sephardic or the original Hebrew of Palestine will be given no separate and distinct outstanding place, as of special reservation. They will have to take, and some are now taking, their place among the ranks of the “great multitude” without respect of persons and are thus unitedly with all others praising and serving Jehovah and his enthroned King. Since 1931 these “other sheep” have been specially manifest, which would indicate that the “fulness of the Gentiles” has come into the spiritual “olive tree”.
THE ENEMIES AND THE BELOVED
” Coming back to the apostle’s words: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:26,27) These words further show it is spiritual Israel that will all be saved. The apostle quotes from what is written at Isaiah 59:20, 21 and at Isaiah 27:9 (Septuagint Greek Version). Doubtless he has reference also to Jeremiah 31:33, 34. It is the new covenant that is spoken of in these prophecies. The new covenant was made over Christ’s blood, not with the Jewish nation that rejected him, but with and in behalf of spiritual Israel. The remnant of believing Jews, by being taken into the new covenant, maintained their places in the Theocratic “olive tree”; but the rest of the Jewish nation was broken off. By the same new covenant the believing Gentiles are grafted into the “olive tree”. They are anointed with God’s spirit as his witnesses and preachers and as joint-heirs with the King Christ Jesus. But when Christ Jesus came to the temple for judgment in 1918, which was amid World War I, he found the Devil and his earthly agents trying to bring about the destruction of these consecrated followers spiritually and physically. By the judgments of divine truth and service, and by the spirit from God, Christ Jesus the Deliverer drove out the ungodliness of any traces of religion from among them. He freed them from the power of the religious political enemies. He cleansed them from doing the sins of religion, and turned them to the pure worship of God the Father.
” Thus the Deliverer came out from Zion, Jehovah’s royal capital organization, and did this purify-
36 (a> As to saving all Israel, what prophecies does Paul quote, and to what covenant do these appear to refer? (b) When did the Deliverer come, and how did he turn away ungodliness?
37. (a) Who, then, is the Jacob from whom ungodliness is turned away? (b> What obligation is henceforth upon such? ing, liberating work toward Jacob, that is, the spiritual Israelites, who, like Jacob of old, inherit the promise. At his coming to the temple Christ Jesus recovers only a remnant of such spiritual Israelites, like the Jewish remnant in the days of the apostle Paul. The Deliverer Christ Jesus having come out of Zion and unto the temple for judgment, now is no time for the spiritual Israelites and the “other sheep” to have anything further to do with religion. The obligation upon them that is of immediate, present importance is to preach the Kingdom gospel.
” Continues the apostle: “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling *of God are without repentance.” (Rom. 11:28,29) Certainly, today, a Gentile believer has no hard feelings against the natural Jews because these turned enemies against the Kingdom gospel. Why not? Because such Gentile believer sees that their sad misstep resulted in good for the Gentiles to whom the gospel was thenceforth preached and who accepted and acted upon it. Thus God’s treating such unbelieving natural Jews as enemies because of their contrariness against the gospel has been with benefit to the non-Jewish believers.
” But what about that believing Jewish remnant, whom the apostle calls a “remnant according to the election of grace", that is, the “election” that obtained the Kingdom privileges? Such selected remnant are beloved for the sake of their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their being of the Jewish nation that turned enemy to the gospel did not prejudice the case of such remnant. Because such remnant displayed the faith and obedience of those forefathers and thus proved themselves to be true descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God showed his love toward them by fulfilling the Abra-hamic covenant toward them. Thus God did not repent of having called Abraham, nor of having bestowed his gifts and blessings upon Abraham’s natural descendants through Isaac and through Jacob.
10 Because God’s gracious gifts and calling are not things to be repented of by )iim, the apostle illuminates how this fact works, saying: “Besides, as you once disobeyed God, but now obtained mercy by their disobedience; so also, now, these disobeyed, so that they may obtain mercy by your mercy. For God shut up together ail for disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.” (Rom. 11: 30-32, Diaglott) That is to say, those individuals who went along with the unbelieving, disobedient Jewish nation yet
3b. Why bar a Gentile believer do bard feelings against Jews because their nation turned enemies against the gospel9
39 (a) In what way are they ‘'beloved for the fathers' sakes"9 (b) Why are there no grounds for repentance by God as to bis gifts and callings in this respect?
40. Wbat mercy bad been shown to the Gentiles in tbls matter? and is such mercy yet open to the at present disbelieving Jews? had an opportunity to partake of the same mercy as the Gentiles. The Gentiles had been disobeying God all along and yet some of them repented, turned to Jehovah on hearing of his mercy through Christ, and were shown His mercy in being grafted in upon the Theocratic “olive tree". This came as a result of the disobedient course of the Jewish nation.
41 Since the Jews had come into a state of disobedience and hence were broken off from the “olive tree”, God’s precedent in showing mercy to the Gentiles, who were never attached to the tree, makes it proper for him to show to those disconnected Jewish “branches” the same kind of mercy as he showed you. The installed Gentiles are not the ones that show mercy to the Jews broken off, but it is God that shows such Jews the same mercy as he now does to the Gentiles, through Christ Jesus. He can justly do so, because he had concluded or shut up both Jews and Gentiles on the same level of disobedience. Since he no longer showed respect of persons toward the natural Jews, likewise he should show no prejudice against them as in favor of the Gentiles. All alike now need his mercy through Christ; and all, Jews no less than Gentiles, can have God’s mercy shown to them if they do not stay in their disobedience.
43 Who can complain about this divine arrangement? Who can say it is a case of favoritism or of prejudice? Who can dictate to God on the subject or find anything to correct in him? Viewing it ail clearly with the eye of understanding, no wonder the apostle burst out with the exclamation of awe and admiration: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! for who hath known the min’d of the Lord [Jehovah God]? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”—Rom. 11: 33-36.
*’ In all the afore-described outworking of God’s purpose as to the Abrahamic covenant, no creature in heaven or on earth directed Him or gave any counsel to Him. What wisdom and knowledge he displayed of how to deal with the situation as it developed, in order that he might vindicate his purpose with success! Who could have searched out in advance and traced out beforehand the way that the all-wise God would take or the judgments and decisions he would render? Throughout it all, he owed nobody anything, so that no one has a claim on him for anything whatsoever. Everything proceeds forth 11’ Ct<D show such mercy to the broken-off natural branches’’ 42. Viewing the whole matter with the eye of understanding, with what exclamation doe* the apostle Paul burst out?
43. What observations do we ourselves make respecting the afore-described outworking of God's purpose? and in what final expression do we join the apostle?
from him to creatures needing mercy. Everything is executed through him and by his only begotten Son, the Seed of Abraham. Everything is done for his name’s sake and for his glory and vindication for all time. No room is left for creatures, the recipients of his goodness and mercy, to become heady, conceited or haughty. But confessing our utter dependence upon Him through his King Christ Jesus, we join with the apostle in heartily saying: "Glory to him for ever! Amen.”
KINGDOM WORK
ATCHTOWER readers now appreciate the fact that The Theocratic Government is functioning in the earth in so far as those who are consecrated to Jehovah are concerned. Both the anointed remnant and the Jonadabs have the privilege, by the Lord’s grace, of participating in bearing the legitimate expenses for carrying forward the Kingdom work. Their contributions made direct to the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, at 124 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn 2, N. Y., will be assurance to them that the money will be used to the best advantage in advancing the Kingdom interests.
…