Moab

The earliest verified symbolic identification of Moab appeared in 1918 under Rutherford, when the Moabites, together with the Ammonites, were interpreted as a class produced by the Great Company and its worldly churches. A different interpretation emerged in 1925, when Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir collectively pictured the Devil's army. In 1926 and 1928 this was developed into a picture of the three elements of Satan's organization: profiteers, politicians, and preachers. In 1932 Moab was identified more specifically with proud, wealthy, influential, militaristic opponents of Jehovah's servants, while a contextual application of Ezekiel's prophecy associated the Moabites with non-Christian elements of Satan's organization; the latter was repeated in 1933. The collective application to Satan's hostile organization appeared again in 1938. In 1940–1941 Moab was identified principally with commercial and financial interests, including big business and military profiteering, though a 1940 application also associated Moab with commercial powers cooperating with professional religionists. Under Knorr, the commercial identification continued in 1942. In 1943–1944 Moab received a broader identification with Satan's organization as a whole, including the religious, commercial, and political interests of Christendom. In 1952 the modern Moabites were identified particularly as professing Christians opposed to true worship. In 1958, 1960, and 1971, Daniel 11:41 was interpreted as referring to hard-set enemies of spiritual Israel, associated with organizations that would escape the Communist king of the north. Under Franz, a 1984 application of Jehoshaphat's battle associated modern Moab and Ammon with the remaining political and militarized forces of Satan's world after the destruction of false religion. In 1988 the earlier Daniel 11:41 identification of Moab with enemies of spiritual Israel was repeated. Under the Governing Body, the interpretation of Daniel 11:41 was expressed differently in 1993 and 1999: Moab, Edom, and Ammon represented nations and organizations the king of the north had failed to bring under his influence. In 2000, an application of Isaiah 25:10-12 especially compared Moab with Christendom. No verified explicit identification of Moab as a prophetic type or antitype was found during Russell's presidency. The changes reflect both shifts in identification and differing applications of separate Biblical prophecies.