¹⁵ “‘And it must occur in that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘that I shall cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will no more be remembered; and also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I shall cause to pass out of the land.

Zechariah 13:2, 3.

16. What is the “land” out of which Jehovah has cut off the “names of the idols,” and what has this resulted in among the spiritual Israelites of today?

¹⁶ As regards our time since the year 1919 C.E., Jehovah of armies is here speaking about the spiritual estate of his restored remnant of spiritual Israelites. Because this God, who requires exclusive devotion to himself, has caused the “names of the idols” to pass out of the “land” of their relationship with Him, they now refuse to worship the “wild beast” out of the sea and also the “image” of that wild beast. Or, if we say it plainly without the use of those Bible symbols of political institutions, the spiritual Israelites refuse to worship the political state as a whole on a world scale and also the League of Nations and its successor, the United Nations. In this way they avoid suffering the divine penalty for carrying the “mark” of the “wild beast.” (Revelation 13:1-18; 14:9, 10) Because they have “approached a Mount Zion and a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem” and they are “enrolled in the heavens,” their “citizenship exists in the heavens.” (Hebrews 12:2, 23; Philippians 3:20) So they do not yield themselves to the delirium of earthly nationalism. They do not render any worshipful gestures or attitudes to nationalistic idols. Idol names are not remembered. The loyal spiritual Israelites praise the name of Jehovah as the true God, in heartfelt, full allegiance to Him.

17. In view of what warnings of Jesus Christ and the apostle John was it timely for Jehovah to cause false prophets to pass out of the “land”?

¹⁷ Jehovah has also caused the false prophets and “spirit of uncleanness” to pass out of the spiritual estate of his restored remnant. Jesus Christ forewarned us concerning this “conclusion of the system of things” that “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones.” (Matthew 24:3, 4, 24, 25) The apostle John warned: “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression [or, every spirit], but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.” (1 John 4:1) Accordingly, there would be need among the restored remnant of spiritual Israelites to guard against false prophets invading or rising up in the midst of their spiritual estate on earth.

18, 19. (a) What did Jehovah’s causing the false prophet to pass out of the land require the reinstated remnant of spiritual Israel to do? (b) What counsel of the apostle Peter concerning prophecy did they heed?

¹⁸ How, then, did Jehovah keep their “land” or spiritual estate pure in worship by fulfilling his promise: “Also the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness I shall cause to pass out of the land.”? (Zechariah 13:2) It was by causing any wrong understandings of the Bible prophecies that had been entertained before the remnant’s reinstatement in their “land” in 1919 C.E. to be corrected. The “time of the end,” the “conclusion of the system of things,” that began in 1914 at the end of the Gentile Times was God’s appointed time for the fulfillment of many prophecies. These could not be understood until they were just about to be fulfilled or after they had been fulfilled. So in the light of all that was taking place since 1914 the reinstated remnant looked anew into the prophecies that God had reserved for the “time of the end” for their fulfillment. (Daniel 12:4; Revelation 10:6, 7) This included a restudy of the books of Ezekiel and Revelation, an explanation of which had been attempted and published in July of 1917 in the book entitled “The Finished Mystery.” Thus the restored remnant heeded the words:

¹⁹ “We have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and a daystar rises, in your hearts. For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.”​—2 Peter 1:19-21.

With their full consent, such a false prophet would be expelled, disfellowshiped, from the Christian congregation. By such loyalty on the part of all members of the restored remnant, the “prophet” of falsehood would be made to pass out of their “land.”

21. How, too, was the “spirit of uncleanness” made to pass out of their spiritual “land”?

²¹ Yes, too, the “spirit of uncleanness” would thus be made to pass out of their spiritual “land.” If that spirit were an inspired expression of uncleanness by a would-be prophet or was any tendency, trend, or inclination to uncleanness, it would be disapproved and resisted by the loyal ones. As a consequence any uncleanness as to religious teaching or as to moral behavior would be forced to pass out, under the driving force of God’s holy spirit. The God-given spiritual estate must be maintained as a “land” where clean, Scriptural living is carried on. Persons spiritually and morally unclean must be disfellowshiped therefrom.​—2 Corinthians 6:14 to 7:1; compare Deuteronomy 13:6-18.