Golden Age, September 2, 1931
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The Golden Age
A JOURNAL OF FACT HOPE AND COURAGE
in this issue
COLUMBUS . . . it seems to have been more an act of God than a convention . . .
THE KINGDOM
THE HOPE OF THE WORLD
WARNING FROM JEHOVAH
BROADCAST, AND HOW
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
CONVENTION EXTENSIONS
SURPRISES
every other WEDNESDAY
five cents a copy one dollar a yeav Canada & Foreign 1.25
Vol. XII » No. 312
' September 2, 193
CONTENTS
The Kingdom, the Hope of
the World
Warning
Who 'Will Escape? .....
Hope
Who Will Deliver the Message . 776
Warning from Jehovah . . . 777
How the Message Was Received 778
Jehovah’s Kingdom and His Witnesses at Columbus . .779
Try to Picture the Scene . . . 779
How the Speech Was Uttered . 780
Hundreds of Transcription Stations........781
How the Message 'Was Projected 782
Some of the Responses . . . .783
The Columbus Convention
Extensions ....... 784
Jehovah’s Name for His People—Now . .
Resolution—A New Name
The Amenities of tpie Convention 789
Other Addresses and Other Speakers ......
The Highway of Holiness . . .790
Other Speakers of the Convention 792
The Big Surprises . . . . .-.793
A Surprise for the Colporteurs 793
The Real Convention . . . .794
God’s Care of the Colporteurs . 795
Miscellaneous Convention Items 796
Serving the King......798
The Hospital 'Was a Busy Place 798
We Note in Passing . . . . .799
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The Golden Age
Velums XII Brooklyn, N. Y., Wednesday, September 2, 1931' ' Number 312
The Kingdom, the Hope of the World
WHEN the people of the nations of the earth are confronted with a condition that threatens their very existence it is time for calm and sober thought that, if possible, the cause may be ascertained and that the true remedy may be embraced. To refuse to consider or publicly discuss such unhappy conditions for fear of provoking controversy is worse than folly. #
The truth is not controversial with those who are honest. Truth reveals what the people need to know.
The nations of the earth are now in sore need of the truth. The radio is one of the ways God has provided to get the truth to the people, and every radio station on earth should be diligent to broadcast the truth to the people in this very serious time in the affairs of men.
The economic conditions of America are bad. Similar distressing conditions prevail throughout all “Christendom”, yea, in fact, throughout the entire world. A few have grown very rich, while the numbers of the poor are increasing everywhere. It is claimed that there is an excess of production of food and of raiment, while at the same time there are millions starving and suffering from want of proper clothing.
The political conditions are bad everywhere. There is no ruling power or nation that feels safe and secure, and all are unable to cope successfully with the perplexing problems that confront them. Practically all the monarchies have perished from the earth, and democracy is more unsafe now than it was prior to the World War.
Moral conditions are also very bad. Crime is on the increase, particularly in the land called “Christendom”, and many women and even youths have fallen to a lower level than that of degraded men. Fear and perplexity grip the people and scarcely anyone feels secure in home, property or body.
Broadcast by Judge Rutherford at the Coliseum, Columbus, Ohio, July 26, 1931, on inconceivably the greatest radio hook-up In history. (Over five hundred stations carried this message.) The Warning with which this discourse concludes is the most astounding declaration ever made by man. Read carefully of earth’s only hope.
Regardless of who is the more reprehensible for these unhappy conditions, the indisputable fact is that fifteen centuries of the operation of “organized Christianity”, so called, has not lifted the human race out of degradation or given to the people hope.
The rulers and the people in all the nations called “Christendom” have claimed to believe that Jehovah is God, and have expressed faith in the Bible as His Word, and in Christ Jesus as the Savior of man. The question is now put squarely up to the rulers and to the people, to ■wit, Is that claim true and sincere? Jesus, with absolute authority, concerning God’s Bible said: “Thy word is truth.” If we believe that Jehovah is the true God, then why should we longer halt between His Word and the opinions or theories of imperfect men? I earnestly invite the rulers and the people to carefully consider the Bible in the light of present-day events, because therein is found the full information concerning the cause of the. world distresses and therein is plainly stated the only hope for man’s relief and deliverance.
Jehovah, the God of the Bible, is the only true God. He is the source of all life. Centuries ago He gave His word of promise that in His due time He would establish a government that would rule the world in righteousness and that under that government the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the Jews and Gentiles, the bond and the free, should all have an opportunity for the blessings of liberty, prosperity, happiness and life everlasting. (Gen. 22:18;
Isa. 9:6,7) That promise Being true, the day must come when those on earth would know that it is time for the establishment of God’s kingdom or government and for the blessings of the people to begin.
Satan the Devil has long been the invisible ruler of this world. He is the adversary or opposer of the true God, and the worst enemy of man, and has led the people into degradation that he might turn them all away from Jehovah. God could have restrained or killed Satan long ago, to be sure, but perfect wisdom marked out a different course. God first sent Jesus to the earth to provide redemption for the human race, and this Jesus did by the shedding of His own life-blood at Calvary.
When God raised up Jesus out of death and brought Him into heaven, He said to Him, as recorded in the 110th Psalm: ‘Wait until my due time comes to put the enemy Satan down, and to set up the righteous rule.’ In that period of waiting God has been taking out from amongst men a people for His name.
In that same time God has permitted the peoples of earth to try to form and carry on desirable governments. The nations called “Christendom” agreed and undertook to do that very thing. These agreed to accept the Bible as their guide, and during the past fifteen centuries have set up governments and claimed that such governments have ruled as the representatives of God on the earth. The facts, however, are that these nations in particular have forgotten God and have turned away from Him and have come completely under the influence of Satan, the enemy of God.
In 1914 the period of waiting named by Jehovah came to an end. Prior to that time Satan, the invisible ruler amongst men, had carried on without interference, but when God’s due time came He sent forth Christ Jesus to be the King of the world. He placed Jesus Christ upon the throne of authority. (Ps. 2: 6) In harmony with the Bible testimony of Revelation and other scriptures there immediately followed a war in heaven, with Christ and His angels on one side, and against Satan and his angels on the other side. That conflict resulted in Satan’s being cast out of heaven and down to the earth, and from then till now7 Satan the Devil is confining his operations exclusively to things of the earth. You wonder why the economic, the political and the moral conditions are so terrible in this day, and why they continue to grow worse. The answer is found in Revelation 12:12 in these w7ords: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
It was in 1914 that the Avar in heaven took place, and it was in that same year that Satan plunged the nations of “Christendom” into the great World War. Now call to mind that since the ending of that war conditions have continuously grown worse in the earth. The agencies of" Satan falsely charge Jehovah God with the responsibility for the calamities and crimes and wickedness that now afflict the nations and the people. Satan’s purpose in making this false charge is to cause the people to curse Jehovah God and to turn away from Him. Satan’s scheme is to induce the people to ignore the Bible and its authority and to look to men for aid and deliverance. Satan is thus practicing a great fraud upon mankind, and for this reason you see a studied effort to discredit the Bible and to keep the people in ignorance of its testimony.
Jehovah’s kingdom is already here. He has placed Christ Jesus, earth’s rightful Ruler, upon His throne of authority. Why then does not God destroy Satan and his organization and relieve the people? That is exactly what God is now about to do; but before so doing there is another work He will have done, and of this the people must now be informed.
God made man a free moral agent with the right to choose the course he will take. No man, however, could make such a choice without some knowledge. The World War ceased in 1918 for the very purpose of permitting a testimony to be given to the nations in order that the people might have an opportunity to choose the course they would take, that is to say, whether they would give their allegiance to God and His kingdom of righteousness or would continue to rely upon the feeble efforts of men. By the events of the World War, famine, and pestilences, and great distress that befell the nations during and after 1914, the second coming of Christ and His kingdom are clearly proven.
To those who have seen and believed these evidences, and who have devoted themselves to Jehovah, the commandment is given, in Matthew 24:14, to wit: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” “This gospel,” or good news, must be told to “Christendom” now in order that the people might choose to give their allegiance to God and His kingdom under Christ. In obedience to this commandment men and women, with the aid of the radio and of books containing the message of truth, have gone, and are still going, to the people with the facts. A few have heard and rejoiced, while others have opposed, and multitudes remain indifferent.
Warning
It is apparent that a universal government of righteousness could not be fully established in the earth until first Satan’s wicked power and his organization are destroyed. Until criminals are fully restrained or destroyed there could be no freedom from crime and no safety to the lovers of righteousness. Until political dishonesty is destroyed there could be no righteous rule of the people. Until economic injustice and oppression cease to exist there could not be complete relief to the people. Until religious hypocrisy is destroyed the light of truth cannot shine fully into the minds of the people.
Therefore the first work of God’s kingdom of righteousness under Christ the King is to destroy the wicked organization of Satan and clear the ground, that there may be fully and completely established in the earth the righteous and peaceful rule of the people. For this reason it is written, in Revelation 16:13-16, that the combined forces of wickedness, under Satan, and the combined forces of righteousness, under Christ, are marching to Armageddon, which will mark the greatest battle and be a time of the greatest tribulation the world has ever known.
By His prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel God has written Ills decree against “Christendom”, and she must fall. What is here said is not to be considered as a threat against any creature, but it is a warning to both the rulers and the ruled of “Christendom”. Upon those who are devoted to God the obligation is laid to give this warning, and if they should fail to do so Jehovah would make the very stones to cry out and tell the people.
“Christendom” is composed of the nations that call themselves “Christian”, and chief amongst these nations are those of America and the British Empire. Because “Christendom” has claimed to follow Christ Jesus such nations thereby entered info an implied contract, at least, to give heed to and to do the will of God; and for this reason greater responsibility rests upon these nations than upon the nations which are called “heathen”.
Today “Christendom” occupies a position corresponding exactly to that occupied by Jerusalem at the time of her destruction. Jerusalem was a type of “Christendom”; therefore the warnings given to Jerusalem by the prophets of Jehovah apply with stronger force to “Christendom” at this time. I wish that the rulers and the people might understand that nothing is here stated to provoke a controversy, but that the information is given as a ■warning because it is the will of God and because the people need to have this information before the greatest trouble that ever afflicted humankind falls upon them.
For “Christianity” there is just ahead the ■worst trouble that has ever befallen any nation. The reasons therefor are given by the Prophet Isaiah (24:3-5) in these words: “[Jehovah] hath spoken this word. . . . The world lan-guisheth, and fadeth away; the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth [organized peoples of the earth] also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
The laws of God are set forth in the Bible and define ail manner of crimes. The nations of “Christendom” have transgressed every one of these laws and been guilty of all manner of crime. The ordinances for the government of the church of God on earth were plainly announced by Jesus and the apostles and are set forth in the Bible. “Organized Christianity,” or “Christendom”, has changed these divinely provided ordinances and substituted therefor the idolatrous practices of men, thereby bringing great reproach upon the name of Jehovah God. To Noah God stated His “everlasting covenant”, in which is declared the sanctity of human life. Every nation of “Christendom” has broken the everlasting covenant by the unrighteous shedding of innocent human blood. ‘Therefore, says the Lord, His curse is upon the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burned and few left.’
The law of all civilized nations denounces adultery or harlotry as a major crime. There is another great crime committed by organizations that have taken the name of the Lord, and which crime God names and denounces as adultery or harlotry. That crime consists in mixing God’s truths with the wicked things of the Devil and following Satan’s practices. Addressing those who have thus done, and defining the crime, it is written, in James 4:4: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” The people are witnesses to the fact that “organized Christianity” today goes hand in hand with the oppressive rulers of the world and is in fact a part of the world.
True Christianity was founded by Jesus, together with His faithful apostles. Concerning it God declares it was planted by Him as a noble vine. The duty and obligation laid upon true Christianity was and is to have and to serve but one God and to faithfully follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus and to give full and unqualified allegiance to God’s kingdom.
Out from the “vine” of true Christianity have grown two great branches, to wit, the Catholic and Protestant religions. No one will attempt to deny the fact that both of these great religious branches have openly allied themselves with the political, commercial and military powers of the world. Today these two great religious organizations, together with their allies that rule the principal nations of the earth, constitute what is called “Christendom”, or “organized Christianity”. Both of these great branches of professed Christianity have opened their doors and their arms and invited and enticed men, regardless of impurity of faith or conduct, to enter their folds and partake of their delicacies. In order that they might make themselves more attractive, both have changed God’s ordinances of rule and worship in the church and have substituted therefor adulterous practices that have greatly reproached the name of God. Both have made the rich oppressor of the people and the cruel and harsh political ruler the chief or principal ones of their flocks and have pushed aside and oppressed the poor and the needy.
The ten tribes of Israel who built their capital city at Samaria foreshadowed the Catholic organization, while the two tribes that built their capital city at Jerusalem foreshadowed the Protestant religious organizations. What God said to those ancient nations through His prophets applies now with greater force and emphasis to modern “Christianity”.
The Catholic nations have had less enlightenment than-the Protestant nations; therefore the greater responsibility for the present world condition is upon the Protestant nations. As God punished the Israelites, so He has declared through His prophets that He will inflict great punishment upon “organized Christianity”, and the most severe part of that punishment will be upon the nations of “Christendom” that are called Protestant. Let the rulers and the people therefore take notice that shortly and within this generation there shall come upon the nations of “Christendom” the worst tribulation that has ever afflicted humankind, and this in order that all may know7 that Jehovah is the only true God and that His wrnrd and name shall be vindicated.
In more recent years there have been gathered together a company of Christian people who have been called by the name and title “Bible Students”. Among these there have been some who have disregarded God’s Word, rebelled against His commandments and opposed the public proclamation of His kingdom message and have followed their own selfish course and have brought great reproach upon the name of God. Such the Lord denounces as workers of iniquity who shall suffer destruction with the others of God’s enemies. (2 Thess. 2:1-9) To such a warning is now7 due and is now given.
There are those outside of professed “Christianity” and who call themselves atheists and who are against all who have taken the name of the Lord whether they be false or true Christians. Those who take the lead in this class are such as the nation of Russia, and "which class was foreshadowed by the ancient people of Ammon. These atheistic enemies of God and His people have brought great reproach upon His name and His kingdom and have used their powers to keep the people in ignorance of the truth. Now let their rulers and people take notice of what God says concerning all who reproach His name. By His prophet Jeremiah He now gives warning to the nations and peoples of the earth in these words, to wit: “For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name [that is, upon 'organized Christianity’, or ‘'Christendom’, that has taken the name of God and Christ], and should ye
[the heathen nations] be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.”—Jer. 25:29, 30, 33-35.
Jehovah God by His mighty “right hand”, Christ Jesus, makes it known that He will smite the hypocritical and oppressive nations and will completely destroy Satan’s organization, that the people may be free to know and to serve the righteous God and Hve. Concerning this terrible trouble that is just ahead Jesus said, in Matthew 24:21: “Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”; but there shall be some saved.
Who Will Escape?
Who shall be brought through that great tribulation and have the first opportunity to receive the blessings of the Kingdom? Jehovah’s answer is found in Zephaniah 2:1-3. Such are those who try to do right and who want to learn the truth, and for that reason they are undesirable in Satan’s organization, and to them Jehovah says: “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, 0 nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger corne upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” To those who at this time are kind and considerate to the poor the Lord Jehovah says: “Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.”—Ps. 41:1, 2.
In,the land of “Christendom” today there ara millions of people of good will and honest hearts. It is this class of people who, by obeying the above commandment of the Lord, will escape the terrible drubbing which God will give to “Christendom”, and they will be brought through and be the first recipients of the blessings of His government of righteousness.
Hope
The present unrighteous governments of the world can hold out no hope whatsoever to the people. God’s judgment against them declares they must go down. The hope of the world, therefore, and the only hope, is the righteous kingdom or government of God with Christ Jesus as invisible Ruler thereof. Immediately following the great tribulation which is just ahead Christ Jesus the King will begin the reconstruction of the world. He will rule in righteousness, and when His judgments are in the earth the people will learn righteousness. (Isa. 26: 9) He will judge the people in righteousness; which means that then all unrighteousness will be restrained and the people will be led in the right way. (Acts 17:31) As stated in 2 Timothy 4:1, He shall judge the living first, and then the dead. The millions of people that shall survive the terrible trouble and be brought through it will receive instruction, aid and comfort, and the sick 'will be healed and the weak be made strong.
Under the righteous reign of Christ there will be no multitudes of people starving for bread. By His prophet Isaiah (25: 6) God declares that in that kingdom shall the Lord of hosts make unto the people a feast of fat things, and they shall eat. There will be no bread lines 'where the poor wait for a hand-out while a few of the rich live wantonly and in luxury, because it is written in the Word of God that Christ shall reign in righteousness and with righteousness shall He judge the poor. (Isa. 11:4; 32:1) Then “the meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice”. —Isa. 29:19.
There will be no more burdensome taxation for war purposes, because God’s promise is that there shall be no more war. (Isa. 2:2-4) The
burdens of the government will be upon the shoulder of the Prince of Peace, and of His government and peace there shall be no end. (Isa. 9: 6, 7) There will be no more cruel landlords who by unfair means possess and hold the houses and the land and make serfs of the common people, because it is written in the Word of God that in the kingdom of God they shall sit every man under his own vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid. The people will then build their own houses and live in them and will plant their own crops and eat the fruits thereof and rejoice and be glad.—Isa. 65:21; Mic. 4:1-4. '
Worry and distress take millions early into the grave. In the Kingdom there will be no occasion for worry and distress. The knowledge of the glory of God shall fill the earth, and the people will know that by doing right they shall be made healthy and strong and shall live, because it is written: “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” (Jer. 33: 6) ‘Then the inhabitants shall no more say, We are sick.’—Isa. 33: 24.
Under Satan's ’wicked rule billions have died and gone into the tomb. Under the righteous reign of Christ these shall be brought out from the grave and given a hope of life. (John 5: 28, 29) Death has brought indescribable sorrows and crying upon the human race, but under the reign of Christ death and the grave shall be destroyed and all who obey the Lord shall live. (1 Cor. 15:25, 26) All the sorrow and suffering and pain that Satan has brought upon the human race God’s kingdom under Christ will take away, as it is written in Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”
Jehovah said to Abraham: Tn thy seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ That promised seed is His Christ, the instrument which God will use to extend to all humankind the blessings of life everlasting. (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 4:8,16, 27-29) The Word of Jehovah God is true, and Ue will fulfill every promise. Satan and his agents have denied the Word of God, reproached His name, and turned the people away from the path that leads to life. The time must come when the word and name of Jehovah will be vindicated; and this He will do in order that the people might know that Jehovah is the Almighty God, the Most High, “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort,” and the One alone from whom the blessings of life can come.
The nations of this world are hopeless, and the present governments can hold out no hope whatever to suffering humanity. Why then should the people continue to look to such vain and hopeless schemes as leagues, peace pacts, and hypocritical religion for help ? Why look to that which is doomed to a speedy and complete destruction ?
The hope of the world is the kingdom of God under Christ, the Prince of Peace. In this brief space I can call attention to but some of the important parts of the truth concerning that kingdom. I urge upon the people the necessity of informing themselves concerning the kingdom of God. Provide yourselves with the publications or books that w’ill enable you to find these truths in the Bible, and then learn and give heed to them.
The Kingdom is already here. God gives commandment that the time has arrived when information thereof must be given to the people. The day of God’s vengeance must be declared in the land, because Jehovah has so commanded. (Isa. 61:1, 2) Within a brief space of time and 'within the present generation “Christendom” and the nations that rule therein shall be completely destroyed. This will be done, not by the fighting of the common people against the rich, but will be done by Christ Jesus as the instrument of destruction in the mighty hand of Jehovah God. When this grea.t act is accomplished, and “Christendom” and all workers of iniquity lie as a heap of ashes, all creation will know that the hand of the Almighty God did it. This He will do for the vindication of His name and for the good of all those who love righteousness.
Who Will Deliver the Message
This is not a popular message. The leaders and rulers of “Christendom” will deny its truthfulness. They will dispute it and scoff at it. They will scorn and oppose it and denounce those who do deliver the message. It was even so when God’s prophet warned Jerusalem. Today there is but one class of men and women under the sun who have the faith and courage to deliver this message of truth concerning the fall of “Christendom” and of Satan’s entire organization and concerning the hope for the people in the kingdom of God, and that class or company of people is made up of those who are wholly devoted to Jehovah and to His kingdom. They seek not the approval of men, nor do they count their earthly lives dear unto them. Their endeavor is only to be obedient to- God’s commandments.
While they love Charles T. Russell for his work’s sake as a follower of Christ, they cannot properly be called “Russellites”. While they are students of the Bible, they cannot be rightfully called by the name “Bible Students” or “Associated Bible Students”. They are the followers of no man, nor do they take the name of any man. Having been bought by the blood of Christ Jesus, justified and begotten by Jehovah, and called to His kingdom, and being wholly and unreservedly devoted thereto, they delight to taka the name the Lord gave them, which is Jehovah’s witnesses.
I therefore offer this resolution and call upon every person who before God and men can truly and honestly claim the qualifications of full devotion to Jehovah and His kingdom to vote for its adoption and then to prove their devotion to Jehovah God, and their allegiance to His kingdom, by giving diligence in sending forth this message of the kingdom of God to the nations and to the peoples of the earth, and to thereby have some part in the vindication of Jehovah’s name.
(The resolution follows.)
Wamisig from Jehovah
To the Rulers and to the People :
Be it known: That there is but one true and Almighty God, whose name is Jehovah, the Most High; that there is but one Redeemer of man, whose name is Christ and whom God has anointed and installed as King of the world; and that His kingdom is now come, and is the hope of the peoples of the world.
That Satan, the Devil, is the great enemy of God and of man. For centuries he has been the invisible ruler of the world, and has brought great reproach upon the name of God and has led men into degradation; that the condition of suffering and distress now in the earth is due to the wickedness of Satan and his agents; that the time has come, as God declares, when Satan’s rule shall for ever end; that in 1914 Satan was cast out of heaven down to the earth; that within a short time from now Jehovah by Christ will destroy Satan’s power and organization in the earth; that before so doing, however, it is the expressed will and commandment of Jehovah God that His message of warning shall be delivered by His witnesses to the rulers and to the people in order that those who hear may have an opportunity to take their stand on the side of God and His kingdom and thereby find refuge in the time of trouble; that the testimony of warning that must be given is, in brief, the following:
The leading nations of the earth which claim to be Christian nations, and which are therefore called “Christendom”, have defamed and reproached the name of Jehovah God, and are a part of Satan’s organization and shall suffer destruction.
The other nations, called “heathen”, have also reproached God’s name, are a part of Satan’s organization, and shall also fall. God has given “Christendom” more enlightenment and greater opportunities than the heathen, to all of which “Christendom” has proven unfaithful, and therefore she shall suffer the greater punishment at the hands of Jehovah. Within a short space of time there shall come upon “Christendom”, which is called by the name of the Lord, the greatest tribulation that has ever befallen any people.—Jer. 25: 29-35.
To enable the people to better understand God’s reason for bringing this tribulation upon the nations the history of the Jews was caused to be recorded in the Bible and is here mentioned. The Lord has declared that what happened to the Jews typified and foreshadowed w’hat shall come upon “Christendom”, or the professed “Christian” nations of the world. The Jews w’ere God’s covenant people, but they became unfaithful to their covenant and turned to idolatrous practices. God sent His prophets, who warned the Jews of His purpose to destroy their nation because of unfaithfulness. The leaders amongst the Jews ignored the warning, scoffed at the testimony of God’s prophets, and then falsely prophesied to the people that no harm was coming to that nation. But shortly thereafter the Jewish nation was swept out of existence. That history is being repeated.
JEHOVAH planted true Christianity as a pure and noble thing, but shortly after the death of the faithful apostles of Jesus Christ the commercial and political rulers of the -world, aided and abetted by the clergy, adopted “Christianity” and called it their religion, and then changed the ordinances of God to suit their own selfish purposes, broke the laws of God, and particularly “the everlasting covenant”, and have brought great reproach upon the name of the Most High. Today the leading nations of the world are called “Christian”, and they practice a formalism of religion -which is called “the Christian religion”, whereas the leaders thereof deny the inspiration and truthfulness of God’s Word, deny the blood of Jesus Christ as the redemptive price of mankind, and deny God’s kingdom as the means of restoring and blessing the peoples of earth. “Organized Christianity,’’ therefore, is an integral part of Satan’s organization and is against God and His kingdom, and hence must be destroyed in order that the kingdom of righteousness may rule the world.
The World War came in 1914, with its attending distressing conditions, and in exact fulfilment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ, and furnished the complete proof to all “Christendom” that the world had ended and. that Christ’s kingdom was at hand. (Matt. 24:3-14) These facts were especially called to the attention of the leaders of “Christendom”. Had “Christendom” then given heed to the counsel of God and stood in His Word she might have been spared from destruction. Not only did “organized Christianity” treat the counsel of God with contempt, but she openly endorsed the Devil’s makeshift and called it the political expression of God’s kingdom on earth. “Christendom’s” leaders and commercial, political and religious prognosticators now freely predict that the present condition of suffering and distress is but temporary and will soon pass away and that the nations ruled by unrighteous men will soon establish lasting peace and prosperity. Like the false prophets to the Jews, these present-day predictors prophesy falsely. (Jer. 28:1-17) Let the people take notice that “Christendom” will never recover, but soon will go down in the worst tribulation that has ever befallen any nation of the world. Her destruction will not come by the poor people fighting against the rich, but will result from the punishment inflicted by Jehovah God and His King.—Rev. 19:11-21.
Jehovah declares that there shall be such a great number of people slain in the time of trouble that the survivors will not bury them; but further states that some portion of the people will be spared, taken through the trouble and saved; and that the ones spared will be those who now seek to know and to do God’s will.
The hope of the world is God’s kingdom, and there is no other hope. Immediately following the great tribulation Jehovah’s kingdom will establish peace and prosperity in the earth. All order-loving people should therefore be diligent now to learn of and concerning the kingdom of God, and should take their stand on the side of His kingdom and give their allegiance to God and His King and thus put themselves in line for the everlasting blessings that shall come to those who are obedient and faithful to Jehovah and His King.
This testimony of warning is not given by “another religious cult that is engaged in propaganda or in proselyting”. It is given by Jehovah’s witnesses. .Those who give this testimony do not seek members or solicit money. Upon all those who have wholly devoted themselves to His kingdom, Jehovah has laid the obligation to give this testimony of warning. The responsibility is upon these witnesses to give the testimony and warning, and those who hear are responsible to God for what course they take.
We declare our allegiance is wholly to God and His kingdom, and we delight to be His witnesses and to bear His testimony to the honor of His name. Our faith forbids and precludes us from engaging in war or in any other enterprise that would work harm or injury to mankind. We are for Jehovah’s kingdom of. everlasting peace.
The time is due for th© vindication of Jehovah’s great name, and as His authorized witnesses, and in obedience to His commandment, we do now solemnly declare this warning and deliver this testimony.
Within a very short time God will destroy all of Satan’s organization, which includes “Christendom” and all the nations that oppress the people and defame His name. Immediately following that great destruction, God by Christ will fully establish His government of righteousness in all the earth. Let the people therefore cease to give heed to schemes of reform brought forth by men. The kingdom of Jehovah God is the hope of the world. Let all who love righteousness give full allegiance to Jehovah and to His kingdom and receive His blessings.
How the Message Was Received
We cannot say, and we do not particularly care, how Judge Rutherford’s extraordinary message of Sunday noon, July 26, was received by the world. Doubtless the Ohio State Journal, of Columbus, fairly illustrated the general attitude of friendly skepticism, coupled with a certain amount of respect, which will deepen as its editors come to see the fulfilments of the prophecies which were drawn to their attention. After speaking rather lightly of the opinions of those who foresee the collapse of civilization and the dawn of the Millennium, the Journal, in its issue of July 28, editorially said:
It is furthest from our purpose to discredit Judge Rutherford. By his devotion to his cause, by his sincerity to an ideal, by his fearless leadership which has taken him and his flock through ridicule and scorn, he has by his strength caused thousands to find a more comfortable niche in life. The religion he espouses is idealistic in the extreme, as witness his strong indictments of both the Catholic and Protestant arms of Christianity. But one must admit that he has the courage of his convictions, and angels can have no more. Whether with his doctrines it is possible to agree, his character and his fearlessness are attributes to be admired.
Jehovah’s Kingdom and His Witnesses at Columbus
THE convention which was held at Columbus, Ohio, July 24-30, 1931, cannot be compared with any other convention ever held on this earth. It was different. Thinking of it, in retrospect, it seems to have been more an act of God than a convention, because its outstanding feature was the most astounding statement ever addressed to the ruling factors of this earth, and it was given in a setting as unique as the message itself. Further, it was accompanied by the complete identification of those who shall take that address into every corner of the earth as a unique people, separated to the use of Jehovah God, a people in deed and in truth for His Name.
There have been many great conventions at the Ohio State Fair Grounds in Columbus. The International Bible Students Association held one there in July, 1924, at which was presented and adopted the Indictment found on pages 120-126 of Judge Rutherford’s Light, Bock One. There is every reason to believe that that Indictment, and the supporting discourse, “Civilization Doomed,” was the “third trumpet” of Revelation, eighth chapter, and that that particular Columbus convention was therefore foreseen by our heavenly Father, and provided for by Him.
Nevertheless, what took place in 1924 at Columbus was only leading up to what occurred there seven years later, and this would most certainly be agreed to by all who were present at Columbus in 1931 and had knowledge of what was going on about them.
The only thing that remotely compares with what took place in the Coliseum at Columbus on Sunday, July 26, is something that occurred, probably in the plains of Mesopotamia, more than four thousand years ago, and that was merely a picture of what was to occur in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirty-one.
There were only a few thousand people in the earth in the days of Noah. The families were small; the children were few and far apart; there was no need to roam; there was plenty of room for everybody in the neighborhood where the first man was ejected from the garden of Eden. When Noah warned the world of an impending flood he reached, directly or indirectly, about all the human family. And the good and evil angels knew about it. They knew that he was the divinely commissioned mouthpiece of Almighty God.
Noah’s declaration of the purposes of God came true. It was not because Noah uttered them; it was because they came backed with the authority of the Maker of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth. And it was the Son of God who said, ‘As it was in the days of Noah, even so shall it be in the days of the Son of man.’
If there was any doubt about just what that text meant in the past there is no doubt about it now. It was fulfilled at Columbus on July twenty-sixth, when Judge Rutherford told the whole world, Christendom, all the civilized nations, that because they have presumed to call themselves by the name of Jehovah God, and to call upon His name, and yet have declined to be governed by the laws 'which have come forth from the only fountain of authority in the universe, therefore their end draws on apace. The flood of God’s wrath, not a literal flood, but that which the flood represents, the righteous judgment of an indignant and offended Deity, is about to sweep them away.
Try to Picture the Scene
Try to picture the scene of Noah addressing all the sons of Adam and w'arning them that their end has come (unless they get into the ark of safety). Then, in a moment, swing your mind over four thousand years into the future, into the great day of Jehovah God, and see the antitype fulfilling before your eyes.
The radio was reserved by the Lord for just such a day; the loud-speaker was reserved for just such a day; the telegraph and telephone were reserved for just such a day. Before Christendom should fall, and be utterly destroyed, He would serve such notice, that future ages would know that every word of Jehovah God is true. What He says will be done will be done. And before He does it He gives such notice, that all are duly warned. Today we announce, for the first time in history, that this warning has been given to the world. Christendom totters on the brink of ruin. The Almighty God has decreed that ‘as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man’.
How the Speech Was Uttered
THE way in which' a thing is done is often of as much importance as the thing itself. The setting in which Judge Rutherford’s address at Columbus was given was equal to the magnitude of his theme. In more important respects than could truly be said of any other utterance of man, it was a message to the whole world, and virtually given to them at one time. No other message ever had so great an initial impetus. Let us consider the facts and we shall plainly see the hand of our God.
Our Lord had some great audiences when He was here in the flesh. We know that on one occasion He preached to at least five thousand men besides women and children, for He fed that many after He had preached to them the good news of the Kingdom. We know that on another occasion He preached to at least four thousand men besides women and children, for He fed them too.
These things show us that our Lord had a remarkable voice. There is only once in a while a man, here and there, that can make himself heard by an audience that runs into the thousands, and when it gets into the four and five thousands he is quite lost in the involuntary hubbub that accompanies a great concourse of people.
Barely ten years ago the public-address system was developed which enabled a speaker to reach any part of his audience, no matter how large it might be. This is done by amplifiers and loud-speakers, arranged so as to cover all parts of the auditoriums or grounds where the address itself is being delivered.
At the same time the radio began to come in. Wonderful beyond description are the things that have been done and are being done over the radio in proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom. The Lord is using it in the most stupendous way to break down prejudice and let the light of truth stream in.
Over a single radio station, if the people are listening, a man might address many times a million people at one time. Before such an opportunity previous privileges of proclaiming the truth fade into insignificance.
At first Judge Rutherford used one station, now and then. That was a great privilege. Then it was our own station, WBBR; then several such stations "were used more or less, and at length there were hook-ups, several stations tied together by telephone lines, all receiving and distributing the same message at the same time.
At Toronto, in 1927, the Watchtower hookup of 53 stations was, at that time, the largest in the history of radio; this was surpassed in 1928 at Detroit, where the Watchtower hookup of 103 stations was 26 more than in any other up to that time.
Concerning the great hook-up Sunday noon, July 26, 1931, that carried Judge Rutherford’s address “The Kingdom, the Hope of the World” to all of North America, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company said, in a nutshell, “This particular network is the largest individual network that has ever been on the air.”
As to the details: In the wire-connected group, in addition to the main pick-up point in the Coliseum at Columbus, the set-up embraced 156 service points on the Bell System lines, and 8 private line points in addition, making a total of 164 broadcasting outlets for the full Columbus program. This of itself was much the greatest radio hook-up in history. Of these broadcasting points, 147 were in the United States, 15 in Canada, 1 in Cuba, and 1 in Mexico.
To adequately care for the handling of the hour’s program from 12:00 to 1:00 Sunday, July 26, through these 165 broadcasting stations required 24,700 miles of program circuits and 50,000 miles of coordinating telegraph circuits. At 250 points along the way there were boosters or repeaters in which special amplifying apparatus was employed to maintain the high standard of transmission of the program, which was required.
At the time this Watchtower program was on the air there were between 900 and 1,000 telegraph operators, technical and repeater men, giving their personal attention to see to it that everything went smoothly in the particular section of the country in which they were located and in the particular portion of the work entrusted to them.
For the coordinating circuit, 12 telegraph coordinating circuits covering the country were used. For its own testing purposes the telephone company’s organization had 20 wires in use. At the time of the great lecture, the area under the speaker’s platform "was transformed into a beehive of dozens of telephone -and broad-
casting experts and telegraph operators who were there to make certain that the biggest hook-up in history would be the best; and it was.
The experts said that never had any big or little program ever gone out .on the air so perfectly. Everything wTas timed to the second and went off exactly as planned. The weather was perfect radio weather, which is unusual for midsummer. Apparently the Lord took the static out over nearly all the Western world.
To make sure that nothing would prevent perfect projection of the program, there was a duplicate layout of the whole transmitting apparatus from the point of origin in the Coliseum to the main control point at Cincinnati.
From Cincinnati the message went out to twelve different parts of the country, where it was again split up, so as to reach the transmitters of all the radio stations in the hook-up of those sections.
The telegraph operators in the Coliseum knew every moment just how the message was coming out through every station, receiving reports every few seconds. But there was nothing to report. Everything went through perfectly.
Never in its history has the professed enemy of the truth, the National Broadcasting Company, put on such a successful chain broadcast. There is no doubt that the angelic hosts of Almighty God were on the job.
In the providence of Jehovah, thousands in the Rocky Mountain region heard the address of Judge Rutherford on July 26 over the National Broadcasting Company’s own superpower station KOA of Denver, Colo. On the other hand, listeners in New York and New England, accustomed to hearing Judge Rutherford over WGY, turned their dials on July 26 to other stations to hear him, by reason of the fact that the Schenectady station, recently taken over for operation by the same National Broadcasting Company, had sheepishly yielded its facilities to the temporary dominance of the Satanic Protestant-Catholic-Jewish “shepherd” combine to which the Columbia Broadcasting System as well as the National Broadcasting Company have now surrendered complete responsibility for providing and controlling so-called “religious” broadcasting over their respective nationuvide networks. See Mark 3: 25, 26; Jer. 25:34,35. ■
Mention is made here of typical local arrangements to bring this program within reach of chose without radio receiving sets. In Boston, Mass., by means of the public-address system, Judge Rutherford, speaking at Columbus, addressed an audience estimated at between five and ten thousand persons gathered in Boston Common, around the loud-speakers installed in the Parkman bandstand. It is known that he addressed similar audiences at Bienville Park, Mobile, Ala., at Belle Isle Park and Palmer Park, Detroit, Mich., as well as in scores of other places elsewhere, including school auditoriums, public squares, bathing beaches, forest reserves, theaters, and in several churches.
Hundreds of Transcription Stations
Besides the 163 broadcasting outlets of the wire-connected group, more than three hundred forty stations served well their respective audiences by the wonderful electrical transcription method, which enabled other millions to hear the address over stations to which, for one reason or another, the program could not be delivered at the time it was given in Columbus.
The transcription stations were in every part of the world, Europe, British. West Indies, Hawaii, Alaska, Cuba, Canada, Australasia and the United States. In Australasia, fifteen of these transcription stations were in circuit at one time, constituting the largest Australasian broadcast yet made. The fifteen stations were connected by five thousand miles of land lines, constituting a marked achievement for that part of the world.
Prior to the broadcast, everywhere zealous, capable and determined men, women and children made it their business to see that the people were notified to listen in. Of six million folders distributed.from door to door, calling attention to the Sunday lecture, 100,000 were put out in St. Louis, Mo., the oldest 'worker being about 70, and the youngest 5.
On Friday and Saturday preceding the Sunday lecture the conventioners placed these folders in every home in Columbus and within a radius of sixty miles therefrom, covering seventeen counties in the heart of the Buckeye state.
In the streets of Columbus the “Sound Truck” of Station WHK of Cleveland slowly wended its way, with four great horns atop its roof sending out in as many directions the invita-
tion to hear the Sunday program. At Los Angeles, Calif., a blimp airship flying low over the city and surrounding communities, performed like service by means of public-address apparatus which it carried.
As it will be of interest to many, we publish here a map showing the location of the special chain stations of the big hook-up and the location of such of the transcription stations as were in North America. It can be modestly stated that every community on the continent was well served.
How the Message Was Projected
IT IS good to know that a message of such world-wide importance was well projected, speaking now from an entirely physical or technical point of view. The telegrams all show this, and we give a digest of the final comments of managers of radio stations that were in on the wire-connected part of the hook-up.
Havana, Cuba. “Reception marvelous, crystal clear; no interruptions.”
Reyno sa, Mexico. “Volume and quality OK.”
Mobile, Alabama. “Program fine, no interference, quality very good, overall handling at the job fine.”
Messages of like import, all without a word of adverse comment came from: Fort Worth, Tex., Dallas, Tex., Abilene, Tex., El Paso, Tex., Sacramento, Calif., Long Beach, Calif., San Jose, Calif., Birmingham, Ala., New York, N. Y., Brooklyn, N. Y., Los Angeles, Calif., Stockton, Calif., Binghamton, N. Y., Fall River, Mass., Pittsburgh, Pa., Dayton, Ohio, Williamsport, Pa., Indianapolis, Ind., Fairmont, W. Va., Charleston, W. Va., Toledo, Ohio, Hamilton, Ont., Portland, Oreg., Colorado Springs, Colo., Salt Lake City, Utah, Pocatello, Idaho, Boise, Idaho, Reno, Nev., Wichita Falls, Tex., Phoenix, Ariz., Norfolk, Va., Richmond, Va., Sydney,
N. S., Spartanburg, S. C., Louisville, Ky., Gloucester, Mass., St. John, N. B., Columbus, Ga., Atlanta, Ga., Brownsville, Tex., Worcester, Mass., Superior, Wis., Jackson, Mich., Milwaukee, Wis., Racine, Wis., Hollywood, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., Oakland, Calif., Edmonton, Alta., Alexandria, Va., Wilmington, N. C., Lincoln, Nebr., Janesville, Wis., Asbury Park, N. J., Davenport, Iowa, Madison, Wis., Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis, Tenn., South Coffeyville, Oida., St. Joseph, Mo., Columbia, Mo., Oklahoma City, Okla., Shreveport, La., Houston, Tex., Amarillo, Tex., Topeka, Kans., La Crosse, Wis., Harrisburg, Pa., Reading, Pa., Altoona, Pa., Emory, Va., Knoxville, Tenn., Charlotte, N. C., Scranton, Pa., Denver, Colo., Grand Junction, Colo., and Casper, Wyo.
The following stations reported slight differences in time of starting, varying from a few seconds to four minutes ahead of time, while a few others had it that the program v/as a few seconds late. The Lord cannot be held responsible to see that all the second hands on all the watches and clocks in the world are in exact agreement. Barring time differences everything ■was OK at New Orleans, La., Fort Wayne, Ind., Albany, N. Y., San Antonio, Tex., Youngstown, Ohio, Great Falls, Mont., Billings, Mont., Bismarck, N. Dak., Wheeling, W. Va., St. Paul, Minn., Spokane, Wash., Fargo, N. Dak., and Calgary, Alta.
There was a slight hum at the following stations, which otherwise reported excellent reception. The hum was of but two or three minutes duration. Victoria, B. C., Eugene, Oreg., Vancouver, B. C., Wilmington, Del., Bellingham, Wash., Medford, Oreg., London, Ont., Akron, Ohio, Philadelphia, Pa., Wenatchee, Wash., Boston, Mass., Roanoke, Va., Sioux City, Iowa, St. Louis, Mo.
’ And there were slight hums, hits, scratches, Morse clicks or other trifling disturbances for a minute or so at Tacoma, Wash., Washington, D. C., Augusta, Ga., Miami, Fla., Tampa, Fla., San Diego, Calif., Orlando, Fla., Seattle, Wash., Portland, Oreg., Bay City, Mich., Syracuse, N". Y., Buffalo, N. Y., Asheville, N. C., Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, Oil City, Pa., Rochester, N. Y., Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Ill., Yakima, Wash., Jacksonville, Fla., Raleigh, N. C.? Atlantic City, N. J., and Pueblo, Colo. In midsummer, the season of thunderstorms, it is astonishing that there was so little trouble of any kind; no trouble anywhere interfered with the message’s going over perfectly.
Some of the Responses
IT IS the ones that are with Judge Rutherford in his fight whose opinions as to the value of his great discourse of Sunday noon are really worth the most. Better than any others they know the sure foundation upon which it was built. When, at the conclusion of the address, he put the motion that the Warning should be endorsed by the convention, every man and woman in the great audience arose and shouted “Aye” in a volume of sound that made the rafters of the Coliseum ring. We have not room to give the many supplementary responses that came in by wire.
Fresno, Calif., wired: “Greetings to you and all of the ‘servant’ assembled. Fresno ecclesia, assembled tonight in special testimony and thanksgiving to Jehovah, wishes to acknowledge the reception of your wonderful message over the radio and thank you for arranging our participation in this world-wide witness. We wish to go on record that by unanimous vote we have adopted the resolution presented by you and pledge herewith our continued cooperation and joyful collaboration with the Watchtower and you our dear president and fellow brother in Christ. We are pledged to know no remedy but “The Kingdom, the Hope of the World”.
Saskatoon (Sask.) ecclesia wired: “Reception wonderful; we vote ‘Aye’ with you in declaration.”
Other groups here and there over the world wired as follows:
Glens Falls, N. Y. “Full allegiance Jehovah only hope; no other; four listening WOKO, Albany; splendid message, no interference.”
Washington, D. C. “Congratulations. Lecture most encouraging and thrilling; every word distinct, Christian love.”
London, Ont. “Greetings. Lecture came in fine; best ever. Friends here thrilled with joy.”
Houston, Tex. “We gladly vote for the adoption of the resolution you read, which we have just heard over the radio. God bless you.”
Hallowell, Me. “Hallowell class appreciate your wonderful warning to the world. Reception splendid over WHDH. We are with you.”
Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Greetings. Ecclesia resolved to send message of love and assurance of loyalty and cooperation and prayers that Lord’s richest blessing will rest upon worldwide broadcast.”
Zurich, Switzerland. “We declare ourselves joyfully ready to stand for Jehovah and His King in the day of decision.”
Jacksonville, Fla. “A wonderful message; truly the only hope of the world.”
Pittsburgh, Pa. “We pray Jehovah’s richest blessings for your wonderful testimony.”
Seattle, Wash. “Your marvelous message received perfectly here with great enthusiasm.”
Jacksonville, Tex. “Lecture came in clear and strong.”
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