The Watchtower — October 1, 1953

Awakening the Sleepers

ONE of Jehovah’s witnesses was offering the Awake! magazine at a subway entrance situated in New York city’s largest hotel. Among the passers-by were two smartly dressed young women, one of whom, noting his slogans and the name of the magazine he was offering, jestingly remarked: “That’s right. I am sound asleep!” With a smile the witness replied, “Miss, you know, many a truth is spoken in jest.”

But no wonder the young woman joked about being asleep. Is it not ridiculous to call to people to awake in this, the fastest moving of all ages in history?

Nevertheless the fact remains, the vast majority of the people are asleep and do not know it. They may think they are witty by making such a remark, but actually they are stating a sobering truth. How so? Because they are asleep to the really important things, to the only things that really matter. They are sound asleep to the significance of the many momentous events that have taken place since 1914 in fulfillment of Christ’s great prophecy as recorded at Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. They are asleep to the fact that the time is fast running out for this old wicked system of things and that they must get out of it if they would not go down with it.—Rev. 16:14, 16; 18:4.

What has put them to sleep? Preoccupation with selfish concerns, dishonest commercial advertising, political propaganda, false religious teaching and the theories of a worldly-wise pseudo-science; all of which act as opiates to the people.

At the time of the great deluge only Noah and his immediate family were awake to the time they were living in and they showed it by their actions; not only by building that large chestlike boat, but also by sounding the warning to others to awake before it was too late. (2 Pet. 2:5) Today, we, as Christian witnesses for Jehovah, have a like privilege and responsibility, for did not Christ state that as it was in the days of Noah it would be in the days of the Son of man? If we fully appreciate these facts we warn: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and the Christ will shine upon you.”—Eph. 5:14, NW.

Surely if our neighbor’s house were on fire and we knew that he was not aware of that fact, perhaps even sound asleep, we would be very urgent about awaking him and his family to their danger. Yet the work that Jehovah has given to his witnesses today is far more important and urgent, for what is involved is not merely a spending of the remainder of our threescore years and ten in this wretched system of things, but the spending of an eternity in God’s new world of righteousness and happiness. In fact, unless we do our best to awaken these “dead” ones, we ourselves will share their “perpetual sleep.”

As properly trained ministers, at every opportunity let us sound the warning to awake.

New World Society Attacked from the Far North

“Say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwelleth securely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the uttermost parts of the north.”—Ezek. 38:14, 15, AS.

THE time gets nearer when all nations will witness a demonstration of power such as mankind has never witnessed in all its thousands of years of existence. It will be a sudden manifestation of overwhelming power from behind an outward appearance of weakness. Although meeting the combined strength of the nations when at its maximum, it will put them to everlasting shame and contempt. The more marvelous it will be because it will be in behalf of those who are apparently helpless and who have no physical might against those nations, when these attack them. It will expose a mighty foe who long has gone under a mystical name and whose identity was therefore a mystery. It will be a display of the devastating power of the only one able to cope with this foe and will win eternal glory for his name. It will exalt him to the highest in the estimation of all who are privileged to live through this awesome exhibition of divine power. It will have a lasting effect in behalf of the righteous, peaceful world for life in which a New World society is now being formed on earth. Shortly this society may expect to be the object of the attack by this terrible foe, but also to be witnesses to his defeat by their invincible God and to survive into the blessed new world.

² If an attack upon a peaceable, inoffensive, benevolent society was so important as to be foretold over two thousand five hundred years ago, it is more important for us to consider the attack now when it is about to be made. The attacker was foretold under the name of Gog.a It was Jehovah God who tagged this violent attacker with this cryptic name. Ever since, Bible students have puzzled over the application of the name. Now that the time has approached for us either to stand up against the attack as a member of the New World society or else to become enmeshed in the organization of attack, it is advisable for us to examine the features of this foe and identify who it is, while we look to the Giver and Interpreter of prophecy for guidance to the identification. It is really the obligation of the New World society to do this, because they must take up a stirring prophecy from the pages of God’s Word and pronounce it against Gog in this critical time. As it is written: “The word of the LORD [Jehovah] came to me, saying, ‘O mortal man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the great prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD [Jehovah].”’”—Ezek. 38:1-3, AT.

³ The New World society has long been associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which has been interested in the subject of Gog for years and has sought to understand it. Back in 1897 the Watch Tower Society published the fourth volume of the Studies in the Scriptures, first entitled “The Day of Vengeance” and later given a change of title to “The Battle of Armageddon.” In chapter eleven this book set forth that the nation of Israel restored to the land of Palestine would be the object of Gog’s attack, and, on page 554, it said: “Israel will finally be besieged by hosts of merciless plunderers, designated by the prophet as the hosts of Gog and Magog (Ezek. 38), and great will be the distress of defenceless Israel.” Over thirty years later the Bible prophecies were examined further in the light of events since A.D. 1914, to reveal that, not the Israelites according to the flesh, but the Christians who are Israelites inwardly, spiritual Israelites, are the people destined to be the target of Gog’s attack from the far north. In 1932 the Watch Tower Society published Book Two of a series entitled “Vindication.” This book took up part of Ezekiel’s prophecy and, without wanting to be dogmatic on Gog’s identity, page 311 set forth this conclusion about him: “Gog is one of the princes in Satan’s organization, invisible, of course, to human eyes, with a possibility of the power to materialize in human form. The land of Magog pictures the spiritual or invisible realm of Satan, and includes Gog and all the wicked angels within his division of Satan’s organization, and which ‘bear rule over all the earth’.” Since then twenty-one years have passed and much prophecy clarifying the Holy Scriptures has been fulfilled meantime; and is our conclusion today the same as the above? For a factual and Scriptural answer the following article should be read.

[Footnotes]

The Attack by Gog of Magog

1. What does the Bible disclose concerning Satan’s invisible organization, and how is Satan symbolized in Revelation to harmonize with that disclosure?

THE Holy Bible reveals many marvelous things to us about the invisible realm of spirit persons. It discloses that Satan the Devil has an invisible organization of demons and that there are spirit princes in it. Daniel’s prophecy reveals that there was one such spirit prince in unseen charge of the Persian empire, when it dominated the world, and also that there was a spirit prince in charge of the rising power of Greece, which was to overthrow Persia and succeed it as the dominant world power. (Daniel, chapter 10) The Bible’s last book, Revelation, indicates that up to a certain date there would be seven such world powers having to do with Jehovah’s witnesses, these, in the order of their rise to dominance, being (1) Egypt, (2) Assyria, (3) Babylon, (4) Medo-Persia, (5) Greece, (6) Rome, and (7) the Anglo-American world power of today. According to what Daniel’s prophecy suggests, each of these seven world powers has had a spirit prince in secret charge of it. In Revelation Satan the Devil, their ruler, is pictured as a great fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and upon its heads seven diadems. Thus the fact that Satan the Devil has headship over the seven princes of the seven world powers is pictured in that the great dragon in heaven has seven diademed heads. According to the facts of history, headship over Gog is not pictured in any of the dragon’s seven heads.

2. When did a change in the position of the Dragon and his spirit princes come, and how?

² Of course, that was while the symbolic Dragon was still up in heaven. Then came A.D. 1914, a year of war not only for the earth but also for the invisible heavens, because that year Jehovah God enthroned the newborn kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ and “war broke out in heaven.” The Dragon and its angels fought against the Kingdom but did not hold onto even a bridgehead in heaven. “So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.” (Rev. 12:7-9, NW) Thus the seven spirit princes were cast down, the Dragon’s headship over whom was indicated by its seven diademed heads.

3, 4. (a) How is Satan’s organization symbolized, and how its latest dominant member? (b) How is the League of Nations pictured, and do the Dragon and the wild beast develop each an eighth head because of it?

³ The Dragon has a visible organization, of which the seven world powers have been dominant members. This entire visible organization is pictured as a wild beast, it too having seven heads, to correspond with those dominant world powers. This wild beast came up out of the sea. But upon the scene another wild beast appears, rising out of the earth. Its one head has two horns like a lamb’s. After performing great signs it recommends making an image of the seven-headed wild beast for mankind’s worship.

⁴ Briefly, the two-horned beast out of the earth pictures the two-membered world power of one speech today, the Anglo-American world power. The image that this Anglo-American world power took the lead in recommending was the League of Nations, today the United Nations. In Revelation, chapter seventeen, this League of Nations or United Nations is itself pictured as a wild beast of scarlet color and with seven heads, upon which the prostitute woman Babylon the Great sits as rider. That seven-headed wild beast really results from the preceding seven world powers, but it acts like an eighth king or world power. It is so spoken of in these words: “And the wild beast that was [before World War II] but is not [during World War II], it is also itself an eighth king, but owes its existence to the seven, and it goes off into destruction.” (Rev. 17:8, 11, NW) In view of this eighth world power, the question now is, Did the seven-headed wild beast from the sea grow another head and become eight-headed? Did Satan the Devil then appoint an eighth spirit prince to supervise the League of Nations (now the United Nations) and thus did the great Dragon add another head to its seven? The Divine Record does not say so. When the Dragon is finally cast into the abyss at Armageddon and the wild beast from the sea is cast into destruction in the lake of fire, they are still understood as having each the same number of heads as before, just seven.—Rev. 19:19, 20.

5. In the relations between the seventh world power and the League beast, what fact does away with any need of an eighth demon prince? And so who still dominates?

⁵ One fact we must remember: The League beast or eighth world power is really under the seventh world power, for it was this Anglo-American combine that designed and then put breath of life into the League beast. Hence this eighth world-power beast is actually under the unseen control of the spirit prince of the seventh world power. This fact would do away with any need of an eighth demon prince. Despite the existence of the League or United Nations or along with its existence, the seventh world power and its spirit prince wield just as much power in Satan’s world as before the great Dragon was ejected from heaven and before the League of Nations was formed. Consequently there exists no eighth demon prince for the seventh prince to have a rivalry with or to be succeeded by. Such would be the case if Gog were a new and eighth spirit prince newly raised to power to act as Satan’s chief of staff on the battlefield of Armageddon. Since World War I Britain itself may have weakened, but her horn of power today is reinforced by the atomic bomb, and her partner America has become the world’s most powerful nation. In view of this fact the seventh world-power prince would still dominate in Satan’s unseen organization.

6. How do the mouths out of which the frogs hop show there is no eighth spirit prince, but where, nevertheless, do we locate Gog?

⁶ This seventh world power becomes the “false prophet” of Revelation (16:13; 19:20; 20:10), and when we see frogs hop out to croak and urge the world rulers on to Armageddon, what? It is not out of the mouth of the eighth world power or “image of the wild beast” that a frog hops, but it is out of the mouth of the “false prophet” and out of the mouth of the wild beast from the sea with still only seven heads. (Rev. 16:13-16) So there is visibly nothing on earth for any eighth spirit prince to be represented by in Bible symbolisms. Hence the suggestion of twenty years ago that Gog was an eighth demon prince is now seen to be without proof. However, that suggestion was leading us in the right direction for locating Gog, namely, in the spirit world and not in the visible earthly, human society. Therefore Gog still represents, not a visible human ruler or nation, such as Russia, but a spirit ruler. Whom, then, does Gog symbolize?

IDENTIFIED

7. Of whom, then, is Gog a prophetic figure, and when, and where?

⁷ It is evident now that Gog is a figure prophetic of the ruler of all seven demon princes, namely, Satan the Devil. So Gog pictures that original Serpent, the Dragon, not when up in heaven but when down here at the earth. That is to say, after he has been cast out of heaven and been restrained at the earth with his seven demon princes. Thus Gog pictures Satan during the short period of time that he has left between the end of the war in heaven and the battle of Armageddon. After his ejection from heaven Satan the Dragon is angry with God’s woman who gave birth to the Kingdom. So it is the Dragon that goes forth to make war upon the “remaining ones of her seed” who observe God’s commandments and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus. It is the Dragon out of whose mouth the frog hops to gather the world rulers to Armageddon. It is the seven-headed Dragon itself that takes charge of the final attack and the ensuing war at Armageddon.—Rev. 12:7-17; 16:13.

8. Whom does Jehovah use to crush the Serpent’s head, and what, if anything, does this argue for Satan’s using an eighth spirit prince at Armageddon? Why?

⁸ True, Jehovah God does use Jesus Christ to fight as his chief of staff at Armageddon. But why is that so? Because Jehovah had foretold that, because the Serpent misled our first parents into sin in Eden, the Seed of God’s woman would bruise the great Serpent at the head. At Armageddon Jehovah has Jesus Christ, the woman’s Seed, do the crushing. (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20) This would not, however, call for Satan to mimic God in this respect and appoint a new, untried demon prince to fight as his chief of staff at Armageddon. The Dragon, having already tried out a full set of seven demon princes, now assumes charge personally to face Christ on the field. He now knows that Christ is the woman’s Seed assigned to bruise him at the head as a serpent. So would the Dragon trust some inexperienced spirit prince with this vital task of conducting field maneuvers to stave off the crushing heel of the woman’s Seed from “that original serpent,” the Dragon? Never! Armageddon is his big fight, like that of a roaring lion cornered in his lair. Furthermore, Ezekiel’s prophecy pictures this as Jehovah’s fight against Gog, hence against Satan the Devil, thus making it a fight between the true God and the false, between the God of the righteous new world and the “god of this world.” (2 Cor. 4:4) “Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog.”—Ezek. 38:3, AS.

9. In Ezekiel’s prophecy, why is it not unusual for Satan to be pictured by an individual like Gog?

⁹ It should not seem unusual that Gog is used to picture Satan the Devil. In the same book of Ezekiel the king of Tyre is used to picture the Devil from the time he was in Eden and when he became iniquitous and was cast out of God’s family and was abased as if being cast down to a Tartarus. But now, as Gog, Satan is pictured after he has been hurled from heaven down to the earth and is held in check here until at Armageddon he is transferred from his Tartarus condition into the abyss and put under a sealed cover there for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:1-3, 7) Incidentally, the allies of Gog in his final attack are nations that were heavy commercial traders with the king of Tyre.—Ezek. 27:2-25; 28:13-18.

10. Where is Ezekiel’s “land of Magog,” and how does it differ from Magog in Revelation?

¹⁰ Gog is said to be of the land of Magog. “Magog” was the name of one of Japheth’s seven sons, hence one of Noah’s grandsons. (Gen. 10:2) Where his land was is uncertain but it is usually located geographically in northeastern Europe and Central Asia, the land of the fierce Scythians and Tartars. However, this does not mean that in Ezekiel’s prophecy the “land of Magog” means now the land of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. At Revelation 20:8 Gog and Magog are mentioned, but there both are names of earthly lands and they have a different time-location from that of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel’s prophecy. In Ezekiel Magog is premillennial, whereas in Revelation Magog is located at the end of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. So, in Ezekiel’s prophecy, Magog corresponds with the realm of its chief ruler, Satan the Devil, and represents his spiritual realm. This agrees well with the fact that the Bible leaves the location of Magog indeterminate to man, hence a realm beyond man’s intimate knowledge. Magog is a limited spirit realm near the earth’s vicinity, for it is the location of Satan, the Dragon, after he and his wicked angels have been forced down there by the war in heaven. From that standpoint it is a degraded land, where the spirit inhabitants are subject to Jehovah’s disposition and held in reserve for him to express his further judgment.

11. How is the visible part of Gog’s organization pictured, and what title of his argues against Gog’s being a subordinate prince?

¹¹ The land of Magog, therefore, pictures the debased realm of the invisible part of Satan’s world since A.D. 1918. But Gog still has also a visible part to his world organization. He still has earthly allies and subjects, as is shown in Ezekiel’s prophecy, which addresses him as “Gog, the great prince of Meshech and Tubal.” (Ezek. 38:3; 39:1, AT) Some translations render this, “Gog, prince of Rosh,a Meshech, and Tubal.” (AS; Mo; Yg; Ro; LXX) And since the name “Rosh” really means, not Russia, but “head,” it was reasoned that Rosh meant Satan the “head” and so Gog was a mere prince of Satan the Devil, a “prince of the chief.” (AV, margin) But if we reason this way, it would also mean that Gog was a prince not of Satan the Devil only but also of Meshech and Tubal and subordinate to all three of them; which is not the case. However, other modern translations show that, instead of a subordinate prince, Gog is the “chief prince,” the great chieftain. (RS; Soncino; Fenton) Some call him the “great prince.” (AT; Bover-Cantera) Others call him the “sovereign prince.” (Lienart; Crampon; Maredsous) Calling Gog by these superior titles in translating the Hebrew text again strongly indicates that he is Satan, “the ruler of the demons,” and not an eighth subordinate prince who sallies forth to represent him on the field of battle. Gog, that is, Satan the Devil, does not stay back home in the rear in the land of Magog, to await the bursting in of God’s fire upon him there. No, he egotistically takes charge of his vast hordes of aggressors and madly leads them in attack upon the remaining ones of the Seed of God’s woman.

12. What other lands picture parts of Gog’s visible organization, and for what business were Meshech and Tubal distinguished?

¹² Meshech and Tubal, of which Gog is the sovereign prince, here picture a part of Satan’s visible organization. So do Persia, Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Gomer and the house of Togarmah, whose hordes form part of Gog’s final assault forces in the disastrous expedition that they are duped into undertaking by the symbolic frog, the “inspired expression,” that leaps out of the Dragon’s mouth. Ancient Meshech and Tubal were both Japhetic. Like Magog, they derived their names from the sons of Japheth. But the Bible reports Meshech and Tubal as doing a great business with human slaves and brass utensils in the markets of the king of Tyre, who is also a prophetic picture of Satan the Devil. Meshech and Tubal were situated to the north of Palestine. They represent those who do business with Satan the Devil for commercial profit. By the time of Gog’s attack Persia, which was once the fourth world power, has declined so far that its forces become a minor part of the mixed army of Gog. Hence Gog’s attack could not have been away back there several centuries before Christ in the days when Persia was the dominant world power. Persia was the one that let the Israelites, the captives of Babylon, return to the Holy Land. So Persia knew of the restoration of Israel’s remnant to the Land of Promise. Even today the good news of God’s kingdom is being preached to some extent in the modern land of Persia or Iran.

13. From what points of the compass are Gog’s visible forces drawn, and of what is this a warning to the New World society?

¹³ The troops of Cush (or Ethiopia) and of Put were Hamitic. Since Put was southeast of Cush in Africa and corresponded to Somaliland, it shows how far south Gog’s influence extended and how far his call to arms was sounded. The men of Put as well as those of Persia once served in the army of Tyre as its soldiers, so that they were experienced in fighting on the side of Satan the Devil. The hordes of Gomer and Togarmah were Japhetic, their names also being taken from the sons of Japheth. Gomer’s descendants spread as far over as western Europe, whereas the house of Togarmah occupied what is Armenia and was spoken of as being “in the far north.” (Ezek. 38:6, Mo) Thus when we look at the land they attack, the attacking forces of Gog are drawn from the far north and far south and hem their victim in, and they make up a conglomerate army of “many peoples.” This fact is a warning that Jehovah’s New World society will be put in the squeeze by the invisible and visible hordes of the sovereign prince Gog. It accords with the prophecy that the New World society will be hated by all worldly nations.

TIME OF THE ATTACK

14. How have we been alerted to know that the attack is due to occur shortly?

¹⁴ As a faithful Keeper of his people who bear his name, Jehovah is ever on guard for them and never slumbers nor sleeps. After these eighteen centuries since the days of Christ’s apostles he is not sound asleep but is now as keenly awake as ever, as this is His day, “the day of Jehovah,” and the time has drawn close for the awe-striking demonstration of his power against his combined enemies. Timelily he rouses his faithful witnesses and alerts them to what is now due to take place. He opens their understanding as to who the real Gog is and reminds them that the assault by this powerful foe is soon to occur, this foe who comes from the far north. We know from God’s illuminated Word that the time has come close. Jehovah God himself has timed Gog’s assault, for he notified Gog that it would be after many days and in the end of the years. Since Jehovah said his witnesses were to announce this to Gog, they have to know of it in advance, and they do. This is the inspired announcement they can now make to the real Gog:

15. What inspired announcement can we now make to the real Gog?

¹⁵ “Be ready, and keep ready, you and all your host mustered about you; keep yourself in reserve for me. For after many days you shall be called up for service, in the end of the years you shall march against a land restored from desolation, and inhabited by a people gathered from many a nation, against the mountains of Israel that were once a perpetual waste [or, once waste for a long time, Crampon], but are now inhabited by a people brought home from the nations, all of them living in security—you shall advance like a storm, you shall come like a cloud covering the land, you and all your hordes, and many a people with you.” (Ezek. 38:7-9, AT) It will take great faith for Jehovah’s witnesses to face the fulfillment of this prophecy. It means such a frightful horde of attackers under the sovereign prince Gog storming against them.

16. When must such prophecy apply, and why do we need to fortify ourselves now?

¹⁶ The prophecy must apply in this “time of the end,” particularly since 1919. From that year forward Jehovah began releasing his anointed witnesses, the remnant of his spiritual Israelites, from the power of this Babylonish world and restored them to the land that their enemies had desolated by persecuting them during World War I. Thus in 1919 a nation was brought forth at once and a land was born in one day, in the “day of Jehovah.” (Isa. 66:7, 8) After that years had to be allowed for the restored remnant to get settled in the land and learn to live in security, trusting in Jehovah’s protection, and to build up the condition of the New World society to one of great spiritual prosperity so as to command the attention of this old world, the organization of sovereign prince Gog. The attack would therefore be timed by Jehovah God to fall at the close of the years of the “time of the end.” This would be when Armageddon, “the war of the great day of God the Almighty,” would be scheduled to begin. Since the “time of the end” began at the birth of God’s Messianic kingdom in 1914, we can appreciate that we are well along in the “last days” of prince Gog’s world organization. How we need to fortify ourselves against the impending attack, which we ourselves are now commissioned to announce in obedience to Jehovah God!—Ezek. 38:1-3; 39:1-3.

REASON FOR THE ASSAULT

17. Knowing what thing helps us to appreciate more why the attack must come?

¹⁷ Those of the New World society know that the attack must come, for the prophecy they now declare foretells its coming and must have a fulfillment in vindication of the sureness of Jehovah’s Word. But if the New World society knows the reason for the attack, it helps them to appreciate all the more why the attack must come and why they must now never leave it out of their calculations for the future. Naturally the sovereign prince Gog would have some selfish reason for launching his attack, and this would operate as a driving force upon him to enlist the service of his invisible demon forces as well as his visible earthly allies in his expedition against the New World society. The Almighty God calls attention to this selfish driving force of greed and covetousness behind Gog in these prophetic words:

18. In what prophetic words does God call attention to the driving force behind Gog of Magog?

¹⁸ “Thus says the Lord GOD [Jehovah, AS; Da]: On that day shall thoughts come into your mind, and you shall plan a mischievous scheme, saying, ‘I will march against this land of open villages, I will fall upon these quiet people who live in security, all of them undefended by wall or bar or gates,’ to despoil them, and prey upon them, to bring down your hand against the re-inhabited wastes, and against the people gathered from the nations, who are peacefully acquiring cattle and goods, as they live at the center of the earth. Sheba and Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all her magnates [young lions, AS], shall say to you, ‘Was it to despoil them that you came? Was it to prey upon them that you mustered your host? Was it to carry off silver and gold, to seize cattle and goods, to take great spoil?’ Therefore prophesy, O mortal man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD [Jehovah]: On that day when my people Israel are living in security, shall you not bestir yourself and come from your place in the farthest north—you and many a people with you, all of them riding on horseback, a great host, a mighty army—and fall upon my people Israel like a cloud covering the land? It shall come to pass in the end of the days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when I reveal my holiness in their sight, through my dealings with you, O Gog.’”—Ezek. 38:10-16, AT.

19. Why does covetousness now ferment in Gog’s heart, and what, therefore, is his resolve?

¹⁹ The same covetousness that produced Satan the Devil in the paradise of Eden now ferments in the heart of this sovereign prince Gog and courses through every fiber of his being. Especially is this so in these “last days” when he can contrast the condition of Jehovah’s restored remnant and their good-will companions and the condition of his old doomed world. With resentful eyes Gog views the spiritual prosperity of Jehovah’s remnant. He begrudges them this flourishing paradise condition in which their theocratic society dwells and worships Jehovah, and particularly so when he beholds the distress of nations in his own world and realizes that its display of pomp, power and artificial prosperity can last now for only a “short period of time” until he and his seed shall have their heads mashed in at the battle of Armageddon. If his own world organization cannot prosper and if it cannot enjoy lasting prosperity religiously, economically and nationally, then no other organization shall enjoy it either! That is Gog’s envious resolve.

20, 21. (a) In what does the paradisaic prosperity that the New World society enjoys consist? (b) What do they have now to correspond with cattle and goods and silver and gold?

²⁰ However, Jehovah’s New World society is made up of faithful Christians who are persecuted world-wide. In the main they are poor in this world’s goods. What, then, could be the paradisaic prosperity that they are now enjoying and that this sovereign prince Gog could covet? This: that they have the precious possession of God’s name, by which they are called. For at least sixteen centuries Satan the Devil has apparently succeeded in keeping the adorable name of the true God out of the knowledge of people who professed to worship him. But now, since A.D. 1914, Satan the Dragon has suffered a great humiliation by being plummeted down from heaven to the degraded “land of Magog,” whereas the hated name “Jehovah” has come up and is destined to rise to the zenith of its glory at the battle of the great day of God the Almighty.

²¹ Not only that, but Jehovah’s remnant by their deliverance from the enslaving power of this Babylonish world have had nationhood conferred upon them; they are a people distinct from every other people on the face of this earth and are organized into a theocratic society that stands first, last and all the time for Jehovah’s new world. Moreover, they have the most powerful message of any on earth, the Kingdom good news, with an expansive force that all of Satan’s restraining forces cannot hold in and confine, but it swells to the ends of the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations in obedience to Christ’s command. Irresistibly powering it is Jehovah’s spirit that is poured upon his people. (Ezek. 39:29) The method of propagating it, “publicly and from house to house,” is most productive of results. (Matt. 24:14; Acts 20:20) It alone satisfies the yearning of those who seek happiness by the satisfying of the spiritual need, of which they are so conscious; and so hundreds of thousands of these are flocking to the land of the restored remnant to enjoy real and lasting spiritual prosperity. To the remnant these are like flocks and herds in their possession; also the restored old truths and the newly revealed truths concerning the new world are more precious than literal silver and gold. Nothing that Gog of Magog has compares with this spiritual wealth. Nothing that we have harmonizes with the propaganda and prosperity schemes of this old world. Operating theocratically in obedience to Jehovah, we carry on just counter to Gog’s old world, and yet we do not meddle in it by dictating to it or conspiring against it or planning armed violence against it.

22. How do the restored remnant “live at the center of the earth”?

²² As Jehovah God says, the restored remnant of the New World society “live at the center of the earth,” or, dwell at the navel of the earth. Spread out though they are all over the earth in their preaching activities, yet the restored remnant in their theocratic organization are the nucleus from which the New World society on earth finally spreads out to encircle all the globe. All the theocratic human society of the new world revolves around them, and in restoring them from mystic Babylon the foundations of the “new earth” were laid by Jehovah God, the Creator of the new world. (Isa. 51:16) They are the most interesting, worth-while thing God has on earth, and his attention is focused upon them. So, too, the malicious attention of Gog of Magog is centered upon them. He despises the idea of a “new earth” in a perpetual new world!

23. (a) How do Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Gomer and Togarmah show they feel like Gog about it? (b) What do the remarks by Sheba, Dedan and the magnates of Tarshish show?

²³ Those whom Gog enlists in his army, pictured by Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Gomer and Togarmah, feel the same way about it as Gog does. They are the active seed of the Serpent and have his selfish, envious, greedy spirit and are stimulated by the same motives. Readily they enlist in his assault forces and volunteer for his nefarious work. There are others also who view Gog’s plan of attack with selfish interests and these are pictured by Sheba, Dedan and the lionlike magnates of Tarshish. In ancient days these were great commercial people and kept up regular trade with Tyre, whose king was used to symbolize the commercially minded Satan. (Ezek. 27:12, 15, 20, 22) At that time they were at the ends of the known inhabited earth, Tarshish being at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea, in what is now Spain, and Sheba being at what Jesus called the “ends of the earth.”—Matt. 12:42, NW.

24. What does such selfish interest of Sheba, Dedan and Tarshish denote?

²⁴ This denotes that in our day all the nations to the four corners of the earth will know of Gog’s planned attack against the New World society and will be interested in it because of the selfish gain they hope to make out of it, even if they do not themselves take a direct, active part in the attack. All the same, they hope that the attack will be a success and that they can do profit-making business with the victors afterward. They want to see the remnant of spiritual Israel despoiled and reduced to poverty, not that they have a commercial competition with the remnant of spiritual Israel, but because these do not represent nor speak bright prospects for the commercialism of this world, but warn that it will perish. It is not pleasant to hear that the world organization of Gog of Magog will be bankrupted and that their partnership with the god of mammon and his system of things will be dissolved. Because they have such selfish sympathy with Gog’s policy of aggression and against the life interests of the remnant of the least of Christ’s brothers, they are “goats,” and they will perish with the Devil and his angels in the everlasting fire that is reserved for them.—Matt. 25:31-46.

25. From what source does Gog’s scheme spring, and what would he like to do respecting Jehovah’s sanctuary?

²⁵ Thus Gog of Magog and his hordes and selfish backers are bared as having a bad heart out of which nothing good can come. (Matt. 12:34, 35) Out of his own wicked heart, of his own accord, he proceeds to “plan a mischievous scheme” against an inoffensive, peaceable, God-fearing people, to vent his spleen against Jehovah. So he chooses his own course of self-destruction. According to promise, Jehovah has set his sanctuary, his tabernacle, in the midst of his restored remnant, by restoring to them his pure, theocratic worship as in the days of Christ’s apostles. (Ezek. 37:25-28) Gog of Magog would like to despoil this temple of what riches it might contain that are dedicated to Jehovah and break up this temple worship, which is now being rendered by even a “great crowd” of people of good will from all nations and peoples.

26. How may Gog’s attack therefore be described, and what should the New World society now never let out of their minds?

²⁶ Gog’s attack is therefore nothing less than a low-down, premeditated outrage against Jehovah God, a violent expression of disesteem for Jehovah’s name and of sneering contempt for those who bear that sacred name and try to live up to it. Gog’s attack displays no respectful dread of Jehovah God, but, instead, a putting of him to the test just too far, beyond the point of further toleration. Gog likely remembers how, in the seventh century before Christ, Emperor Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came out of the north and assaulted Jerusalem and despoiled and destroyed the temple, and how, in our first century, the Romans repeated this performance, and they both got away with it. In fact, they were used to express Jehovah’s judgment upon the nation of Israel. So now Gog thinks he, too, can get away with it, and he would like to believe that his assault will serve as a divine judgment upon the restored remnant of spiritual Israel, for he comes out of the north, “the farthest north.” Is that not the proper direction from which a divine judgment should come against Jehovah’s people? So forward with his plans and preparations for the final, all-out attack he goes. Never, now, throughout the rest of this “time of the end,” should you of Jehovah’s New World society let out of your minds that Gog of Magog begrudges you your spiritual prosperity and covets your wealth of influence for the new world. Be sure of this: The New World Society Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Yankee Stadium, New York city, in 1953, will whet his greedy appetite still more. Consequently, be now on never-relaxing guard.

27. Does Jehovah do any maneuvering of Gog, and how does he inform Gog he has no fear of his attack?

²⁷ Gog schemes the final, do-or-die attack on the only part of Jehovah’s theocratic organization that he can get at, now that he has been permanently excluded from heaven. Regardless of Gog’s own self-induced motives, Jehovah God has his own supreme purpose to serve by permitting Gog’s attack. Without interfering with Gog’s own self-initiated schemes but, rather, working right along with them, Jehovah God maneuvers Gog into making the attack. Jehovah has no fear at all of this attack but, rather, welcomes it. To inform Gog of Magog so, he has his witnesses utter the prophecy: “Thus says the Lord GOD [Jehovah]: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the great prince of Meshech and Tubal; I will turn you round, and put hooks in your jaws; and I will lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them in full panoply, a mighty host, equipped with buckler and shield, all of them wielding the sword—Persia, Cush, and Put, all of them equipped with shield and helmet, together with Gomer and all his hordes, the house of Togarmah and all their hordes, from the farthest north—many a people with you. Be ready, and keep ready, you and all your host mustered about you; keep yourself in reserve for me. For after many days you shall be called up for service.”—Ezek. 38:3-8; 39:1, 2, AT.

28. In expressing hatred of the Serpent, what did Jehovah say six thousand years ago, and what in Pharaoh’s course illustrates how Jehovah draws Gog with hooks in his jaws?

²⁸ Jehovah’s hatred of the devouring Dragon, the original Serpent, is no less today than it was six thousand years ago. In the garden of Eden, after the treachery of Satan, the great Serpent, in luring Eve and Adam into sin, Jehovah published his hatred of the Serpent, advising him that Jehovah would put enmity between His woman and the Serpent and between her Seed and the Serpent’s seed; and that, although the Serpent would bruise her Seed at the heel, yet her Seed would bruise the Serpent at the head. (Gen. 3:15) Now, “after many days” and “in the end of the years,” the fixed time has come for the original Serpent, at present known as Gog, to be crushed at the head with all his seed. Hence Jehovah draws Gog of Magog to his destruction as with hooks in his jaws. How? By letting Gog harden his heart against Jehovah, just as Pharaoh of ancient Egypt did after Jehovah had poured out the tenth and last plague upon Egypt. Some days later Pharaoh learned that the departed Israelites under Moses were apparently trapped unarmed in the entangling wilderness and with the Red Sea blocking the escape route. Forgetting the lessons he should have learned from the ten plagues, he mustered his mobile fighting units and went in pursuit, to drag the Israelites back to his slavepen. Against Pharaoh’s horsemen and chariots the Israelites were militarily helpless. By this fact Jehovah deluded Pharaoh and maneuvered him without any injustice to Pharaoh, letting him harden his heart to make a desperate assault upon Jehovah’s people. Seeing that Pharaoh was already a human vessel fitted to destruction because of his unchangeably wicked heart, Jehovah let him ride at top speed to his own destruction.—Ex. 14:3, 4, 28-31.

29, 30. By what delusion are Gog and his allies drawn to the attack?

²⁹ So, too, with Gog of Magog. By a delusion Jehovah draws him on to the destruction which he deserves and to which he was sentenced six thousand years ago. To Gog the New World society of the restored remnant and their good-will companions seems to be in such an exposed state, being unarmed with carnal weapons and hated by all nations. Hence the invasion, conquest and spoiling of it seem just an easy matter that can be done with impunity as by a “hit-and-run driver.” Gog’s visible allies on earth have no faith in Jehovah’s purpose to step in in behalf of his spiritual Israel. So they are willing and ready to put him to the test just once more, not realizing that this time it may be tempting Jehovah too far and he might surprise them by intervening just as he used to do in the days of yore.

³⁰ As for their invisible sovereign prince, Gog of Magog, he painfully knows he has but a short period of time. But he is resolved that, if he has to go down, what a blow it would be to Jehovah’s prestige for him to destroy the remaining ones of the seed of God’s woman as his last act before being crushed himself! It would put a feather in his cap and would be to Jehovah’s eternal reproach. He would have satisfaction as he went down into the abyss. He would bruise the remnant at their heel by wiping them out and would prevent their surviving the battle of Armageddon. Necessarily, this would mean also that their good-will companions would fail to survive. That promised preservation act by Jehovah at Armageddon is something for Gog to prevent. If all of his own in heaven and on earth have to be ruined, then he will ruin everything else visible on earth and make it a desolation. There will be no repeating of Noah’s preservation! That is what Gog viciously decides.

31. In thus hooking Gog and leading him on, why does Jehovah still do Gog no wrong?

³¹ Therefore, when Jehovah holds out the hooks of delusion, by letting his people dwell in security in open villages with no city walls, bars or gates or other military defense, Gog yawns open his jaws wide and clamps them shut on the hooks and willingly, yes, even eagerly, submits to being led with all his army, horses and horsemen in full armor to the attack upon the New World society, to enrich himself at the expense of Jehovah’s people. By hooking Gog through this delusion and maneuvering him to an attack that merits having his head crushed, Jehovah does Gog no wrong. Gog is already a criminal with a long-deferred sentence of destruction dangling over his head, and Jehovah God does this long-condemned criminal no injustice by leading him with hooks out of the land of Magog to the execution to which he is justly sentenced.

32. How long ago, at least, was Gog’s attack foretold, and how was it appropriate when Jehovah said to him, “Keep yourself in reserve for me”?

³² This execution was long foretold and, accordingly, has long been held in store. This is denoted in these words: “Thus says the Lord GOD [Jehovah, AS]: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them?” (Ezek. 38:17, RS) This indicates that even Ezekiel, who delivered the original prophecy, spoke long in advance of it, twenty-five centuries in advance, not to mention also Joel (3:9-17) as possibly another prophet of Israel to tell of this final assault. How appropriate that Jehovah, in addressing Gog, really meaning Satan the Devil, should say to him: “Keep yourself in reserve for me”! (Ezek. 38:7, AT) “Hold yourself in reserve for me!” (Mo) “Hold yourself at my disposition.” (Maredsous; Lienart) “Put yourself at my service.” (L’École Biblique) Even after war was fought in heaven and the great Dragon was cast down to the earth, Jehovah’s holding of Gog of Magog in reserve for Armageddon has applied, for already it is thirty-five years since A.D. 1918, when World War I closed. Instead of destroying Satan and his demons and his earthly organization then, Jehovah cut the days of tribulation short and held Gog of Magog in store for final handling at Armageddon. This agrees with Jehovah’s words to Egypt’s Pharaoh after the sixth plague: “For this cause I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth.”—Ex. 9:16, NW; Rom. 9:17, 18, NW; Matt. 24:21, 22.

33. Through his dealings with Gog, what will Jehovah reveal in the sight of the nations?

³³ To Gog of Magog all these years of this “time of the end” seem like a short period of time, and he is now itching to begin his final attack upon the New World society. Let him now have his wish, for Jehovah’s time to lead the condemned criminal out to his execution has come, to show Gog His power. “So that the nations may know me, when I reveal my holiness in their sight, through my dealings with you, O Gog.” (Ezek. 38:16, AT) In this way Jehovah will vindicate his holiness, teaching all the universe that he is not to be mocked, but that what belongs to him is never to be mishandled, abused or treated as common, profane and free for misappropriation. Hence hands off the New World society bearing my name!

THE ASSAULT

34. To what location does Jehovah lead Gog and his hordes, and when does Armageddon begin?

³⁴ The hour of execution arrives! By means of hooks in Gog’s jaws Jehovah the Almighty leads him and his hordes down from the north, down through Gilead and along the east bank of the Jordan River and toward the plateau of Moab on the east coast of the Dead Sea, according to the symbolic language of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Gog now poises himself for the attack! His overt act is committed! Now the Almighty God has him where he wants him, caught in the act. Now Jehovah God moves to crush Gog by means of the great Seed of his woman, Jesus Christ. The battle of the great day of God the Almighty begins. The battle account, written long ahead, says:

35. How does the battle account, written long ahead, read?

³⁵ “And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him unto all my mountains, saith the Lord Jehovah: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And with pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgment with him; and I will rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.”—Ezek. 38:18-23, AS.

36. What catastrophic horrors are all written into that advance battle-account, and why will none of the enemy escape?

³⁶ Shocking surprise, consternation, fright, collapse of government and management, panic, wild anarchy, fratricidal warfare, tremendous upheavals of earth, landslides, falling defense and protective edifices, cloudbursts, overflowing flash floods, rain of corrosive liquid fire, terror in the air, on land, in the sea, are all written in that advance battle-account and destined for Gog’s attacking forces. Even normally, the sun and the atmosphere, working together to stir up a storm, will generate and release millions of times more energy than modern science can by detonating a hundred atomic bombs at once. Let the nations then release all at one time all the atomic and hydrogen bombs they possess. The global storm that shall then strike the nations of Satan’s world will be far worse than that. The great trembling of the earth’s crust that the Almighty Creator will then cause over all the globe will prove more powerful than hundreds of millions of atom bombs, and He will not have to explode plutonium, either, to do it. Horrifying and awful, too, will be the insane, selfish, fruitless fight for survival, man against man within the ranks of this world, in a mad scramble to save self, every man becoming his neighbor’s enemy. But all in vain! Those who may thus triumph in the fight of survival against fellow man will finally be executed through supernatural means by the fighting forces of Jehovah’s King of kings, the Seed of his woman, Jesus Christ. None of them shall escape. (1 Thess. 5:3) What a lot it seems to require to make the nations of this world know that the living and true God is named Jehovah!

37. Will Satan’s invisible realm escape the release of Jehovah’s flaming fury, and how does the prophecy show whether it will?

³⁷ The nations of earth are only willing dupes. The invisible wicked spirit forces in Satan’s organization are the troublemakers behind them all. Will they, then, escape the destructive release of Jehovah’s flaming fury? No! In notification of this he says to Gog of the degraded demon realm of Magog: “And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” (Ezek. 39:6-8, AS) Yes, Magog will be consumed as with fire when Jehovah’s fighting Seed of his woman, Jesus Christ, crushes the great Serpent and his demon seed, casting them chained into the abyss under an officially sealed cover for the thousand years of his reign.—Rom. 16:20; Eph. 6:12; Rev. 20:1-3.

38. What does the sending of fire on those dwelling in the isles, or coastlands, mean?

³⁸ Not only Magog in the invisible rear but also the battle-remote coastlands, or isles, shall feel the fire of destruction. That means that not only those on the military fighting front in Gog’s attack forces but also those staying at home and making up the civilian front backing up Gog’s hordes will be reached by the destructive forces from on high. Their dwelling securely, easy-going and indifferently will be rudely broken up. Such civilian backers of Gog’s attack must bear their community responsibility for their representative armies at the front. Protest Gog’s attack? No, not they. So they are condemned as heart and soul a part of Satan’s world organization. Jehovah rightly sends his fiery destruction upon them. Thus Satan’s entire seed, seen and unseen, perish.

SHARERS OF THE VICTORY

39. As Gog musters his forces and moves in to the attack, what should those of the New World society do to witness Jehovah’s victorious demonstration?

³⁹ As the New World society see Gog of Magog mustering his forces should they get on the run? Eventually when they see Gog’s forces moving in to the attack like a growling, heavens-blackening storm cloud of living demons and human hordes, should they flee, at least, then? No! Never should they and never will the faithful remnant and their good-will companions abandon the newborn theocratic land of the New World society. This is the Beulah land of prophecy, to which the remnant are married, and never under any stress will they break their marriage ties, and their loyal companions will stick with them. (Isa. 62:4, 5) They will stand their ground, continuing to dwell in this theocratic land, trusting in Jehovah God for security and not in carnal weapons or in speed of compromising flight. Steadfastly doing so, they will witness his victorious demonstration of power over his combined old-world foes, the profaners of his holy name. They will glory in his triumph by Jesus Christ.

40. How will the birds and beasts share benefits of Jehovah’s triumph, and in compensation for what?

⁴⁰ Even the once-terrified birds and beasts of the field will share in the benefits of his triumph. Jehovah bids his prophet to invite those long-mistreated birds and beasts to feast upon His great sacrifice, his slaughter of all his foes, whose carcasses will lie strewn upon the ground like fertilizer, unlamented, unburied, abhorred by the New World society, who survive. Let the birds and the beasts pick the skeletons of these white and clean. Let the bird and animal kingdom thus be repaid for all the wanton slaughter that Gog’s old world has inflicted upon them during the past 4,000 years since the Flood.—Ezek. 39:1-5, 17-20; Rev. 19:17-21.

41. What indicates that the slaughter then will be enormous, and where will the bones be buried, and for what reason?

⁴¹ Enormous will be the mass slaughter of that day of days, for tremendous will be the forces lined up on Gog’s side in that battle. That will indeed be a global conflict if ever there was one, for not a section of the globe will escape the destruction. By the prophecy we are informed that the wooden parts that are left of the man-killing weapons of Gog’s mob will be so abundant that it will take seven years for the surviving Israelites to collect them and use them up as firewood. (Ezek. 39:9, 10) But what about the bones of Gog’s slain hordes? Will they be left to pollute the soil of the “new earth”? No; but Jehovah will assign them a burial place, pictured by the valley of Abarim, where Jehovah brought Gog’s mob to a dead halt in destruction. It lies east of the Dead Sea. As the Dead Sea is a Scripture symbol of everlasting destruction, or “second death,” this burial place pictures that those on Gog’s side are destroyed in second death. (Rev. 20:14, 15; 21:8, NW) So the burial of the bones is for cleansing the land and is not to symbolize any hope of a resurrection for Gog’s mob. The valley of burial will be called The Valley of Gog’s Mob, and the symbolic city nearby will be called Hamonah (that is, Mob), as a memorial of Jehovah’s victory over Gog’s mob.—Ezek. 39:11-16, AT; AS.

42. Why have we no need to fear, and how may we serve as everliving witnesses to Jehovah’s vindication victory?

⁴² Courage, then, every one of you of the New World society! If we keep trusting in Jehovah and proving our trust by holding loyal to his theocratic government and to the proclaiming of the good news of his kingdom by Christ, we have no need to fear, neither from the formidable appearance of Gog’s mob nor from the awesomeness of Jehovah’s supreme display of his battle might, for Jehovah is with us! Cowardly flight could, but Gog will never, dislodge us from our God-given land. Deliverance lies in not running! During this “time of the end,” this “day of Jehovah,” we have been witnesses to Jehovah’s name and kingdom. Shortly now we are to be made eyewitnesses of the most magnificent spectacle when Jehovah reveals his glory at Armageddon in vindication of his creation-wide sovereignty. As beholders of this the New World society can serve as an everliving witness to Jehovah’s vindication victory by relating it to all the children born in the new world, yes, to all those who will be brought forth to life on earth by the resurrection of the dead. So here, in the face of gathering enemies, we stand today in the land of restored theocracy. God grant us to maintain our stand here immovable by ceaseless activity and a vigilant guard until his sublime victory over Gog of Magog.

[Footnotes]

New World Society Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses

THE events occurring at Yankee Stadium, New York city, July 19 to 26, gave eloquent testimony that Jehovah has indeed a name-people in the earth. For eight days, Christian men, women and children associated in love, peace and unity as members of the New World society, entirely oblivious to the fact that they were of different races, tongues and nationalities. (John 13:34, 35) To make for ready introduction to one another, each wore a convention badge giving his name and his home congregation or his country, if from a foreign land. The preaching work of Jehovah’s witnesses is performed in 143 lands, by 510,228 witnesses. The assembly was truly international, some 22,000 from 95 lands outside of the United States came—by sea, air and land.

A not insignificant segment of the New World Society Assembly was located at Trailer City, near New Market, New Jersey, forty miles from the stadium. On its 200 acres 1,500 trailers parked and 6,000 tents sprang up practically overnight along theocratically named streets. Connected by direct wire with Yankee Stadium, its 80 buildings and meeting tents provided amply for both the spiritual and the physical needs of its 45,000 inhabitants.

The assembly was well organized. Its twenty-three departments, Attendant, First Aid, etc., staffed by upward of 20,000 volunteers serving freely and cheerfully, were marvels of efficiency that amazed outsiders. Nothing was overlooked: translation of lectures for deaf-mutes; tape recordings for the benefit of those who could not come; sessions in twenty foreign languages for those who could not understand English; and provision for visiting the Brooklyn Bethel and factory, WBBR, Staten Island, and the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead after the assembly.

The convention program itself was masterfully conceived. Each day had its “territorial” theme, Asia Day, Africa Day, etc., in the interesting and meaty branch servants’ and missionary reports. Themes of new truths were heard almost daily in the major hour lectures given by the president and vice-president. And finally there was the continual flow of new publications, 75 in all, from the first day to the last, in English and in many foreign languages. Truly Jehovah’s spirit and power was upon his people and to him went all the praise. But on to the first day’s program.

FIRST DAY FEATURES GRADUATION

Sunday morning, July 19, at Yankee Stadium was bright and sunny. Promptly at 9:30 a.m. the voice of F. S. Hoffmann, branch servant of Switzerland and assistant chairman, rang out sharp and clear over the convention’s own excellent sound system as he opened the New World Society Assembly with the call for a song, followed by brief discussion of the day’s text, and prayer.

It being Earth’s Four Quarters Day, eight interesting 4-minute reports were next heard from literally the four corners of the earth. Then followed G. Fredianelli with “Missionary Service as a Life’s Work,” a heart-to-heart talk to pioneer ministers to consider the missionary field by one who has been in it for many years. Modern Macedonia not only calls but actually shouts, “Come over and help us!” Instead of indifference, the missionary’s chief problem is to find enough time to take care of all the interest found. “You need the foreign fields to obtain the superlative happiness!”

At 10:30 the chairman of the assembly, Percy Chapman, branch servant of Canada, gave the address of welcome. ‘Jehovah is a happy God; his people are a happy people; let nothing mar that happiness. We are all here for the same purpose, to worship Jehovah God. Get the most out of the assembly by attending all of its sessions.’ He closed by making the convention’s first release: the beautiful leather-bound edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

The afternoon saw the graduation of the twenty-first class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, presided over by its president, N. H. Knorr. Parting counsel to the 127 students, seated to the right and the left of the platform garden, was first given by the school’s five instructors: U. V. Glass, D. H. Burt, E. A. Dunlap, M. G. Friend and A. D. Schroeder, the school’s registrar. J. F. Markus, servant of Kingdom Farm, where the Gilead school is situated, also gave parting words of admonition. Further fine counsel was given the students by the school’s vice-president, F. W. Franz: “Do missionary work, thoroughly accomplish your ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:5, NW) Learn to understand the people as well as the language; take a personal interest in them; be as physicians visiting the spiritually sick. Be interested also in your fellow missionaries; you need one another. Keep reading Paul’s admonition on love at 1 Corinthians 13.

Climaxing the graduation program, Brother Knorr spoke for more than an hour on “Gathering Men of All Nations into One Flock,” in which he highlighted the role of shepherd of Jehovah God and his Son, the Shepherd-King Christ Jesus, and contrasted the pastoral activity of Jehovah’s witnesses with that of the selfish clergy. His forceful refutation of the charges made against the missionary activity of Jehovah’s witnesses was especially enthusiastically applauded.

During his remarks Brother Knorr digressed to give a striking demonstration of what Gilead has accomplished by asking all those of previous classes in attendance, as well as those comprising the next class, and who had been seated out in front, to rise, class by class. At the conclusion he handed out diplomas, together with a gift, the class picture and notice of foreign assignment to the students as they came, one by one, to the platform. The students, who had come from 28 different lands, were being sent to 44 different countries.

The afternoon’s thrilling proceedings had been witnessed by 77,634 at the Yankee Stadium; the 48,753 listening at the overflow tents and at Trailer City bringing the first day’s peak attendance to 126,387. During the afternoon Brother Knorr also expressed appreciation for the contributions that enabled the Society to bring so many to the assembly from distant lands, released the August 1 Watchtower containing the text of his talk and which introduced a new feature “Check Your Memory,” and announced an improvement in the method of studying The Watchtower congregationally.

The evening’s two-hour program, presented by the graduating class, consisted of a series of demonstrations in which certain visitors to Gilead were shown about the classrooms and library and told about the subjects studied and methods used. Results of their training were also interestingly and effectively illustrated. By way of diversion, beautiful as well as amusing musical numbers, chiefly folk songs, were rendered throughout the program.

The closing remarks, made a few minutes early because of showers, stressed the seriousness of attending Gilead to those contemplating it. It is a wonderful education, never to be forgotten nor regretted; it will even be taken with them into the post-Armageddon world, but—count the cost. And then, a closing prayer.

NORTH AMERICA DAY

The forenoon of Monday, July 20, gave conventioners opportunity to tell New Yorkers more about the New World society, they already having some knowledge of it from the friendly and well-illustrated reports appearing in their morning papers. And while eight foreign-language sessions were in progress in various sections of the stadium, pioneer ministers interested in foreign missionary service met for more information and to fill out preliminary applications. In a heart-to-heart talk with these Brother Knorr observed that missionary service is not just training at Gilead and an airplane trip to a foreign country, but also carries with it heavy responsibilities. However, the blessings are great.

Monday being North America Day, where in 12 lands 193,568 ministers are busy, the program featured the progress of the work in North America, of particular interest being the ten-minute branch servants’ reports. For example, in Costa Rica in seven years their numbers had increased twelvefold, from 155 to 1,825; and in Panama the numbers had increased fifteenfold in eight years!

The climax of the day was reached at 3:30 p.m., when the president of the Society, N. H. Knorr, delivered the keynote speech, “Living Now as a New World Society.” The New World society is here to stay and is growing; the nations of the world will not be able to stamp it out. It is God’s creation by his Word and spirit and will continue in spite of what may happen to the legal Society. Christians must abandon old-world habits; we cannot expect to take them into the new world.

At the close of his discourse, which repeatedly raised his audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm, Brother Knorr released a most practical ministerial aid, the 416-page pocket-sized Bible handbook, “Make Sure of All Things”, which quotes more than 4,500 Bible texts under 70 main themes and has a valuable index listing 287 religious subjects. Then he presented a resolution clearly outlining the position of Jehovah’s witnesses as a New World society in regard to Jehovah’s Word, to the Kingdom and its establishment in 1914, and their separateness from the nations of the world. The resolution, after being seconded by the assembly’s chairman, was adopted by the 125,040 present at Yankee Stadium, overflow tents and Trailer City, with thunderous applause.

The evening’s program featured a series of demonstrations that illustrated the many ways in which the Bible handbook, “Make Sure of All Things”, could be effectively used. Concluding the evening’s program, R. E. Morgan of the Brooklyn office spoke on “Getting the Full Value Out of Your Ministry School.”

ISLANDS OF THE ATLANTIC DAY

In addition to another series of foreign-language meetings, Tuesday forenoon, July 21, the third day of the assembly, saw a special meeting for branch, circuit and public-relations servants. At this meeting Brother Knorr stressed the value and purpose of maintaining good relations with the press; to project, not personalities, but the truth of God’s kingdom. Avoid antagonizing; get constructive ideas across; have information accurate. M. G. Henschel, a member of the Society’s board of directors, emphasized writing stories as news and not quibbling with the press over the amount of space or its location. U. V. Glass counseled on making the most of radio and TV possibilities. C. Quackenbush, of the Society’s editorial staff, gave pointers on writing style: stories must move fast, have current interest. Methods of contacting editorial agents were discussed by M. Cole. L. A. Swingle, also a member of the Society’s board of directors, gave helpful advice on the value and use of photographs in telling one’s story.

Tuesday noon the first issue of the Convention Report appeared and at 1:30 the program for the day began with reports on the progress of the work among the “Islands of the Atlantic,” the theme of the day, where 17,346 ministers are preaching in 29 islands.

The day’s feature was special instruction for branch servants. First speaker was Brother Knorr. Branch servants must be keenly interested in their country and its people and must be able to expand with the work. They must not be too busy to engage in the field service. “Quality, not quantity, is important! Might as well leave the sheep in the world as to bring them to an unclean organization!” At the close of his remarks Brother Knorr released a 32-page preaching aid, “Preach the Word”, containing a testimony regarding Jehovah and the Kingdom in 30 different languages.

Then M. G. Henschel gave counsel on treatment of Gilead graduates. Branch servants should warmly welcome missionaries, acquaint them with local customs and take them into the field at once. Next A. D. Schroeder spoke on “Keeping Up with the Truth.” Branch servants must fully familiarize themselves with the contents of The Watchtower. He recommended going over the main article three times. H. C. Covington, the Society’s legal counsel, stressed caution and perseverance in “Know Your Rights as a Citizen.” Spy out the land as did Joshua; avoid getting expelled; you cannot help them if you are not there. The world has a proverb, ‘Don’t butt your head against a stone wall.’ “But God’s Word says he has made our heads as flint. If we run up against a brick wall, flint is harder yet. So we will crash through if we butt against it long enough!” Counsel to “Recognize the Theocratic Organization” by F. W. Franz concluded the series. The “faithful and discreet slave” organization is appointed by Jehovah God. Above all others, branch servants under it should obey organization instructions. A count showed that 125,592 had heard all this valuable instruction.

In the evening, after more reports from the Islands of the Atlantic, E. C. Chitty, secretary of the International Bible Students Association, London, spoke on “The Fruitage of the Spirit,” basing his remarks on Galatians 5:22. Concluding the day’s program, answers were given to service and Scripture questions by two speakers, both members of the Society’s board of directors. First T. J. Sullivan dealt with questions relating to the Society’s policy on various aspects of disfellowshiping, and then H. H. Riemer answered a number of Scripture questions.

SOUTH AMERICA DAY

Wednesday, July 22, was a full day at Yankee Stadium. At 9:00 a.m. C. A. Steele began his discourse on baptism. He discussed the appropriateness of immersion, the need to dedicate oneself to Jehovah to gain salvation, and that it is indeed a dedication to a person, Jehovah, and not just to a work. ‘Remember the date, July 22.’ All together, 4,640 presented themselves for immersion, which took place at the Riverside Cascade Pool.

While candidates for immersion were leaving, those remaining centered their attention on the next feature, a discussion of “Will You Be an Irregular Praiser in the New World?” by L. E. Reusch, district servant. Having dedicated themselves to Jehovah, his witnesses must give him first place in their lives. Drawing an analogy from Malachi, chapter 1, he asked irregular praisers if they would think of treating their worldly employers the way they treat Jehovah God.

Then followed special instructions to the Society’s traveling representatives, known as district and circuit servants. Speaking on “Principal Work of All Servants” Brother Knorr thrilled his audience as, step by step, he outlined a great house-to-house training campaign, having as its goal the qualifying of every last one of Jehovah’s witnesses to give effective short sermons as occasion required at any doorstep. Varying aspects of the duties of the district and circuit servants, particularly in their relations with the branch offices, were then discussed by members of the Brooklyn and Canadian branch offices.

The reports heard in the afternoon, from 1:30 to 3:30, made it clear that this was South America Day, the continent where at the present time 12,828 ministers are letting their light shine in 12 lands, lands where gross darkness prevails in spite of four centuries of domination by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. By 3:30 a vast audience of 132,811 was on hand to hear Brother Knorr’s powerful discourse on “Walk in the Name of Jehovah Our God for Ever.” After showing the importance of the name of Jehovah, the inconsistency of modern translators who exclude it from their versions and the insult they give Jehovah by so doing, he thanked God that provision had been made for a translation that does restore His name to its rightful place, and with this produced Volume I of the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, consisting of the Octateuch, the first eight books, from Genesis to Ruth inclusive. This news was received with prolonged and deafening applause.

In the evening, M. G. Henschel gave a stirring discourse on “The Day of Salvation.” Drawing a parallel between Daniel in the lions’ den and Jehovah’s witnesses today, he pointed out that leading an upright life is part of our giving testimony. Hated solely because of the message they bear, Jehovah’s witnesses do not break faith but keep on preaching and even baptizing right in prisons and concentration camps. The conventioners next heard another “fighting speech,” by H. C. Covington, on “They Oppose Freedom of Worship.” Tracing the Society’s legal battles through the years, both in the United States and in other lands, he highlighted the importance of prayer in these legal battles and admonished his audience of 125,000 to be cautious as serpents, as innocent as doves and as fearless as lions.

ASIA DAY

An unusually heavy rainstorm greeted the conventioners on Thursday, July 23, the fifth day of the assembly. But rain or no rain, the morning’s foreign-language sessions were held, circuit servants met to have their questions answered, and there was a special meeting for those interested in serving at the Brooklyn Bethel. The latter learned that requirements for Bethel service include, first of all, full dedication to Jehovah God; other requirements being that the applicant have good health, be without encumbrances and within the ages of 18 to 35. Serving at Bethel is not just one grand convention but means much hard work; but with it also comes much joy, as it is a great privilege to serve one’s brothers world-wide, and Bethel has many privileges peculiar to it. (Since members of the Bethel family at times find it necessary to leave, openings continue to occur and anyone interested should write the president’s office regarding such service.)

The entire afternoon’s program on Thursday was given over to the missionary work in Asia, earth’s largest and most populous continent, where in 20 lands but 2,620 ministers of the New World society are bringing comfort to men of good will. Particularly interesting was the two-hour feature, presided over by W. L. Thornton, of Brooklyn, in which missionaries, branch servants and native ministers answered the question: “How do you witness to Oriental people and cultivate interest in the Bible?” presented, incidentally, in native costume. Before the demonstration was fully over, the rain ceased for the day, to permit a beautiful ensemble in costume.

Among the points well made were that Oriental prejudice against the Bible as a Western book was ill-advised, as most of it was written in Eastern lands; that the Kingdom message should be judged on its merits and not on the basis of who brings it; that science does not conflict with the Bible but rather corroborates it. For the conclusion of the program Brother Knorr came to the platform and released the 64-page booklet Basis for Belief in a New World, a Bible aid especially prepared for use by missionaries in Oriental lands, containing all the arguments presented in the course of the afternoon’s demonstration and many more. Since prejudice against the Bible is not limited to the Orient, ministers throughout the world will find it a valuable aid, and those at the assembly enthusiastically registered their keen appreciation of it.

“What Did You Learn from The Watchtower Last Year?” was a question that A. D. Schroeder answered in the course of the evening’s program, which he did by reviewing a number of the leading articles that appeared in 1952. He particularly noted the emphasis these placed on Jehovah’s witnesses’ now being a New World society and the imperative need for it to keep clean if it would survive Armageddon.

F. W. Franz, the final speaker, in his discourse on “New World Society Attacked from the Far North” gave a detailed consideration of chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel, the text of which talk appears in this issue of The Watchtower. In spite of the bad weather some 87,000 had heard the afternoon’s assembly program and 112,700 the evening’s.

AFRICA DAY

The forenoon’s program provided for the final series of special meetings for foreign-speaking brothers and the circuit servants, and the last opportunity for regular field service. During the course of the afternoon many thrilling reports were heard from the “Dark Continent,” where 78,305 Kingdom publishers in 34 lands are teaching men of good will to drop polygamy and other tribal customs, to read and write and to worship Jehovah in holy array. A surprise feature was introduced by Brother Knorr: beautiful unaccompanied singing by our native African brothers in Northern Rhodesia, by means of a tape recording. Harmony and intonation seemed perfect although sung from memory and without benefit of instrumental accompaniment.

At 2:00 p.m. A. H. Macmillan, for many years traveling representative of the Society, discussed “Requirements Necessary for Ministry.” Not theological seminary training, but full dedication to Jehovah, knowledge of his Word and purposes, and a desire to teach others the truth, were required. Later in the program a symposium of three speakers gave suggestions on ‘How to Approach People at the Doors.’ The basic requirements are knowledge of God’s Word and love in one’s heart. A neat appearance is also essential. Opening remarks are very important; conversation should be pleasant and friendly.

“The Purpose of Our Witnessing,” noted L. A. Swingle, the final speaker of the afternoon, is to separate the “sheep” from the “goats,” but, above all, to vindicate Jehovah’s name. At the conclusion of his talk he released, to the great joy of his listeners, four new tracts: Do You Believe in Evolution or the Bible? “Which Is the Right Religion? The Sign of Christ’s Presence and Man’s Only Hope for Peace.

Programed in between African singing, missionary and branch servant reports was the evening’s first discourse, “The Living Word,” by Grant Suiter, secretary and treasurer of the Watch Tower Society. (Heb. 4:12, NW) ‘It divides between “soul and spirit” in that it distinguishes between actions and motives. It is powerful—provided we get the sense of it. Its most important feature is its revelation of the true God, Jehovah.’ Concluding the evening’s program was C. D. Quackenbush’s heartwarming talk on “Rearing Children in the New World Society.” Instruction must begin early in life and must be backed up by consistent example. “If you don’t want little Pharisees, then don’t be big ones!” Addressing his remarks to the children he showed from examples in nature that parents discipline for the child’s own welfare, because they love them. The close of the assembly’s sixth day found 124,150 conventioners returning to their places of rest happy and light of heart.

EUROPE DAY

The outstanding program feature for the forenoon of July 25, the seventh day of the assembly, was a five-part symposium, “Advancing the Interests of the New World Society by Being a Pioneer.” Pioneering, that is, spending 100 hours monthly in the ministry, is practical, the first speaker emphasized, as thousands have proved. Many more could be pioneers if they but had the faith and appreciation.

Next, “Meeting Your Financial Problems” was discussed. Pioneers do not evade financial responsibilities, they just are not enslaved by them. They meet their obligations by keeping expenses low, by finding part-time jobs and willingly adapting themselves to whatever work may be available, regardless of how humble it may be.

“Pioneering Is a Serious Business,” stressed the succeeding speaker. But “perhaps it is still more serious not to take it up if able to do so.” It means budgeting one’s time, making advance preparations, having something definite to say at the doors and varying one’s presentation so as not to get in a rut.

In “Covering Your Assignment in City and Rural,” pioneers were admonished to make time count and to arrange their activity so as to be able to spend fifty hours monthly in the basic house-to-house work. And finally, Scriptural and living examples were produced to show that pioneering is practical for septuagenarians and teenagers alike.

Reports from Europe, begun in the morning’s program, were continued in the afternoon. There in 23 lands, 174,257 happy servants of Jehovah are seeking to make others also happy, many thousands endeavoring to do this even behind the Iron Curtain. Then followed another meaty five-part symposium: “The Value of the Congregational Book Study.” Strategic location is important because of its being a service center; its conductor must set a good example in field service and be kind and patient. It serves as a training ground for new ones, to start out in the field and speak up at meetings. It is of special value in times of bans when only small groups can come together.

The climax for Europe Day came at 3:30 with the lecture, “Flight to Safety with the New World Society,” delivered by N. H. Knorr, the Society’s president. In this powerful talk Brother Knorr drew a parallel between Jerusalem A.D. 66, when Rome’s armies surrounding Jerusalem suddenly withdrew, permitting Christians in Jerusalem and in Judea to heed Jesus’ words and flee to safety, and Christendom, which is now surrounded by the armies of the anti-God forces within the “disgusting thing that causes desolation,” making it imperative that all flee before Armageddon makes it too late. The eager and intent audience of 134,333 hung on every word and was thrilled when at the conclusion Brother Knorr released the 384-page beautifully-blue-bound study aid, “New Heavens and a New Earth”.

More than half of the evening’s program was taken up by more European reports, after which the third symposium of the day, “Your Ministerial Manners,” brought excellent counsel to all the conventioners. District servant J. W. Stuefloten admonished: Proper manners are not inherited but must be cultivated by application of God’s Word and by much training and discipline. O. L. Pillars, a circuit servant, gave some plain talk on proper conduct between the sexes. It is proper for them to associate with each other but evil appearances must be avoided.

Colorful counsel that hit home time and again, judging by the response, was given by U. V. Glass on woman’s place in the organization. In the New World society woman must recognize her limitations. She has no authority to criticize congregational servants nor should she resent counsel given her by them. By serving faithfully within her sphere she will win the respect of all. District servant C. W. Barber discussed the validity of the ordination of Jehovah’s witnesses and pointed out that proper ministerial manners include being loving, humble and teachable. N. Kovalak, also a district servant, took for his theme ‘putting up a hard fight for the faith.’ It is necessary to put up such a hard fight because of imperfection within us, because of evil humans about us and because of the demons. Putting up a hard fight means regular study, faithful attendance at meetings and going in the service.

ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC DAY

On Sunday morning, July 26, the final day, interesting reports were heard from the Islands of the Pacific, in 13 of which 31,304 of Jehovah’s ministers are making disciples of all nations.

Brother Franz followed, thrilling his audience as he revealed, in the course of his remarks on “Filling the House with Glory,” that the “desire of all nations” of Haggai 2:7 that was to come in was not, as we once thought, God’s kingdom or even Christ Jesus, but the men of good will now associating themselves with the remnant of Christ’s body and that right now these are fulfilling the prophecy relative to ‘beating swords into plowshares.’—Isa. 2:2-4.

John O. Groh, convention servant, then gave “Some High Lights on the Assembly.” He reviewed the vast preconvention activity, gave interesting statistics regarding Trailer City and the various convention departments, and noted the fine publicity the press had given. In conclusion he thanked the 15,000 to 20,000 volunteer workers for their excellent co-operation and expressed appreciation to the New York city police, health and sanitation departments, the unions and the management of Yankee Stadium for their cooperation.

Between the morning and afternoon’s English sessions a Spanish public lecture was given by R. M. Gonzalez, vice-president of the Watch Tower Society of Cuba, in one part of the stadium. An audience of 4,075 heard the discourse “It Is Time to Consider God’s Way,” and afterward received the Spanish edition of God’s Way Is Love.

At 3:15 a musical program was presented featuring excellent arrangements of Kingdom songs beautifully performed by the 77-piece convention orchestra under the able direction of the assembly’s musical director, V. R. Duncombe of Canada, and vocal selections. At 4:00 o’clock the chairman of the assembly, Percy Chapman, introduced the speaker of the afternoon, N. H. Knorr, to speak on the subject, “After Armageddon—God’s New World.”

With due deliberation and sustained power the speaker logically and Scripturally developed his theme, being applauded from the first two sentences. Armageddon was not to be a mere political or international conflict but Jehovah’s war of universal proportions. (Rev. 16:14, 16) The march to Armageddon is on. The question today is not, Which bloc will yield? but, Will the nations yield to the King of kings? After Armageddon God’s new world will take over, bringing with it health, everlasting life and even the resurrection of the dead. In conclusion he urged, “Prepare now for that eternity of all new things, to live in it and be forever happy. Get ready now to live AFTER ARMAGEDDON in GOD’S NEW WORLD!”

Two free copies of the booklet containing the lecture were offered to all in attendance. The official count showed that 91,562 had jammed into Yankee Stadium, 25,240 heard the lecture in the overflow tents around the stadium and 49,027 listened at Trailer City, making a total of 165,829. WBBR broadcast it to many more thousands.

The sun gradually lowered behind the stands to the west. The closing moments of the assembly were stealing on apace. Just a short intermission, and then the convention lifted its voice in songs of thanksgiving to Jehovah, after which came the “Closing Remarks by the President.” For the next hour he gave earnest admonition to praise Jehovah, basing his remarks on Psalm 145, during which he announced that the 1954 yeartext will be Psalm 145:2, “Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.”—CB.

Then speaking informally Brother Knorr told about plans for Brothers Franz, Henschel and himself to visit the brothers in Central and South America. He commended the assembly on its good behavior, and announced that during 1954 district assemblies will be held and in 1955 a series of conventions, spreading across the country from the west coast of the United States to England and the continent’s mainland. Then, with a song and a prayer of thanks to Jehovah, the greatest assembly of Christians ever to be held ended.

IN CONCLUSION

Truly, here are a people separate and distinct, a New World society based on the principles set forth in the Bible. Its principles work, for those at Yankee Stadium could look about them each day and see scores of thousands, all dedicated to Jehovah and living by those principles. Truly the world saw a powerful demonstration of the spirit of Jehovah at work!

[Picture on page 585]

The platform at Yankee Stadium

[Picture on page 589]

Aerial view of part of Trailer City

[Picture on page 592]

Above: View from bleachers of an afternoon session

[Picture on page 593]

Below: Yankee Stadium during public talk, July 26

“Czech Reds Persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses”

UNDER the heading, “Czech Reds Persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses as Well as Catholics,” the United States Catholic weekly, Our Sunday Visitor, May 17, 1953, published the following London dispatch:

“In Czechoslovakia the heavy hand of Communist repression has fallen with impartial ruthlessness on the Catholic Church and a group which has ranked as one of the Church’s most vehement opponents—the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Reports here disclosed that 2,260 Jehovah’s Witnesses—460 of them women—are under arrest in Czechoslovakia. Among them is their leader, Bohmil Miller, who was sentenced recently to 15 years at hard labor. Another is Jan Sebin, former leader, who has been condemned to 18 years’ imprisonment. Sebin spent six years in the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps in Germany under the nazis. The illness and physical disabilities he suffered as a result forced him to relinquish his post of command in 1950. The Jehovah’s Witnesses—known in Europe as the International Bible Students’ Association—has also been severely persecuted in other Iron Curtain countries, especially Eastern Germany. Leaders of the movement here said they believed the measures taken by the Prague authorities have all but eliminated the sect in Czechoslovakia.”

It is of interest to note that the foregoing report, while stating that the Reds are persecuting Catholics and Jehovah’s witnesses with an impartial hand, fails to give the figures for the number of Catholics in prison. Based on the latest published figures, 1951 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this report would indicate that 90 per cent of the witnesses in Czechoslovakia are now in prison.

Questions From Readers

● Acts 14:14 (NW) speaks of “the apostles Barnabas and Paul.” Why was Barnabas, not one of the twelve apostles, here called an apostle?—H. B., Canal Zone.

“Apostle” means an envoy or one who is sent forth. Acts 14:14 speaks of Barnabas as an apostle because he was on a missionary tour with Paul and he had been sent forth by the Christian congregation at Antioch under instructions by the holy spirit. (Acts 13:1-4, NW) At 2 Corinthians 8:23 (NW) Paul speaks about “our brothers” and says that they are “apostles of congregations,” which means, according to the footnote, that they were “envoys; men sent forth.” They were sent forth by the congregations to represent them and at their expense. At Philippians 2:25 (NW) Paul speaks of Epaphroditus as their envoy, or, according to the footnote, their apostle. Even Christ Jesus is spoken of as God’s apostle because he was sent forth from God on an earthly mission.—Heb. 3:1.

This understanding clears away what some thought a discrepancy between Acts 9:26, 27 and Galatians 1:17-19. In Acts it states that when Paul arrived in Jerusalem and sought to associate with the disciples they were afraid of him, not having positive assurance of his conversion; “so Barnabas came to his aid and led him to the apostles,” detailing to them Paul’s conversion and his later Christian conduct in Damascus. (NW) In Galatians when Paul tells of going to Jerusalem, three years after returning to Damascus from a trip to Arabia, he says: “I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. But I saw no one else of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.” (NW) The only one of the twelve apostles Paul saw on this trip to Jerusalem was Cephas, or Peter. Yet this does not contradict the fact that at this time Barnabas “led him to the apostles.” It does not say Barnabas led him to the twelve apostles, or the committee of twelve. Peter was the only one of the twelve Paul met then. Any other apostles he may have met there were merely envoys or sent-forth ones. In this sense James the brother of the Lord could be called an apostle, as Paul seems to call him.

Announcements

AWAKENING THE SLEEPERS

Does it not seem strange that, despite the extensive media of publication and information in the world today, millions of people are asleep to the vital issues that confront mankind? Awake! magazine, basing its course upon the Holy Scriptures and endeavoring to present the truth no matter where it strikes, stands in position to awaken you to the real meaning of things that are happening in the world today. Awake! gathers the facts and, without fear of commercial boycott or religious threats, gives you a true picture of the whys and wherefores of current and past happenings. (Eph. 5:14, NW) During the month of October, Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world will go from house to house offering Awake! on a subscription of $1 a year (24 issues), with three small booklets free. Why not join in this good work and help your friends and neighbors keep awake by receiving Awake! regularly. Write us if you wish to help in this subscription campaign.

“MAKE SURE OF ALL THINGS”

Here is a Bible handbook of 416 pages that provides ready proof of what the Scriptures teach on seventy different major topics. “Ancestor Worship,” “Faith,” “Marriage,” “Races of Mankind,” “Return of Christ,” “Sign of Last Days,” and “Spiritism”—these are but a few of the many subjects considered. First, the subject is defined and its origin shown. Then, under subheadings dealing with various aspects of that subject, Scripture texts are quoted (without comment) that show what the Bible teaches regarding the subject. Eleven different versions of the Bible are quoted from. “Make Sure of All Things” also contains an alphabetical listing of 287 “Subjects for Study” in addition to the seventy principal themes. This listing serves as a cross reference, directing the reader to pages throughout the book that also deal with these many additional subjects. The book measures 6 5⁄8ʺ x 4 1⁄2ʺ x 1⁄2ʺ and has a brown cloth binding. Remit only 75 cents per copy.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES

Week of November 8: The Attack by Gog of Magog, ¶1-21.

Week of November 15: The Attack by Gog of Magog, ¶22-42.

Check Your Memory

After reading this issue of “The Watchtower”, do you remember—

✔ How some who think they are awake are actually asleep? P. 579, ¶3.

✔ When war broke out in heaven, between whom, and with what result? P. 582, ¶2.

✔ How the Bible pictured and foretold the League of Nations and the United Nations? P. 582, ¶4.

✔ What is pictured by Gog? P. 583, ¶7.

✔ How widespread is the preaching work of Jehovah’s witnesses? P. 584, ¶1.

✔ How many new publications were released at the New World Society Assembly? P. 584, ¶4.

✔ To how many countries the graduating missionaries of Gilead’s twenty-first class are being sent? P. 585, ¶4.

✔ How many were immersed at the New World Society Assembly? P. 587, ¶6.

✔ What release has special significance relative to the name Jehovah? P. 588, ¶3.

✔ How many attended the public lecture on the closing day of the assembly? P. 595, ¶1.

✔ What fact blasts the false charge that Jehovah’s witnesses are Communists? P. 595, ¶6.

✔ In Ezekiel’s prophecy, what Magog pictures? P. 596, ¶10.

✔ What is represented by Meshech and Tubal? P. 597, ¶12.

✔ What spiritual wealth of the New World society Gog covets? P. 600, ¶21.

✔ How Jehovah hooks, maneuvers and leads on to destruction Gog of Magog? P. 603, ¶31.

✔ The violences in store for Gog’s attacking forces? P. 605, ¶36.

✔ Why some were called apostles who were not of the twelve apostles? P. 607, ¶3.