of the Word of God. (Amos 8:11) While upon the land, realm or situation of the true anointed ones there is great spiritual abundance.

²⁴ Such concurrent fulfillment is confirmed in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19-31) Here the condition of both the “rich man” or the clergy class and that of the “Lazarus” group, the anointed remnant, takes place at the same time, namely, from 1919 to the present. The physical facts abundantly show that since 1919 the anointed witnesses of Jehovah have enjoyed spiritual prosperity as to their ministry while during the same time the clergy have been experiencing increased frustrations and spiritual failures as to their ministries. All this bears evidence of their “torment.” Earlier in this article there was presented another confirmation in that while Babylon the Great fell under the encircling power of Christ Jesus in 1919, it is permitted to exist with all its spiritual corruption and hostility until the rescue of her captives is concluded, at which conclusion she will then be totally destroyed.—Rev. 18:4; 17:15-18.

25. (a) What is another purpose for Jehovah’s permitting Babylonish hostility to continue in our time? (b) What can be expected in the next Watchtower article?

²⁵ In Jehovah’s wisdom he has permitted this continued Babylonish hostility to persist for another purpose. Why? Because it now gives the “great crowd” of the “other sheep” also an opportunity to support the anointed ones in giving an answer to Satan as to his tauntings and challenges concerning Jehovah’s Sovereign Godship. With all this background information, we are now ready to consider the physical evidences of the great religious controversy that has been raging between the anointed ones championing Jehovah’s Godship on the one hand and the Babylonish clergy of Christendom on the other hand. How remarkably the detailed experiences and arguments against Job in his day and against Jesus in his time are being duplicated in printed form today on an enlarged scale of hostility against the modern Witnesses!

Jehovah Taunted by Babylonish Hostility Against Anointed Witnesses

“Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.”—Prov. 27:11.

 1, 2. (a) Who is being taunted, by whom and how? (b) In what way will the parallel experiences of today be demonstrated with those of Job’s time?

LIKE the taunting from wicked King Sennacherib of ancient Assyria, so today Satan keeps up his taunting of the true God Jehovah by speaking abusively of His anointed witnesses. (Isa. 37:21-33) By their faithfully enduring the Babylonish hostility against them, the Job-like anointed ones enable Jehovah, as He says, to “make a reply to him [Satan] that is taunting me.” (Prov. 27:11) In the meantime, in their championing Jehovah’s Sovereign Godship on earth they bear up under much reproach. “With murder against