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Growth and Protection of God’s Capital OrganizationParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
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For here I am waving my hand against them, and they will have to become spoil to their slaves.’ And you people will certainly know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me.”—Zechariah 2:7-9.
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Growth and Protection of God’s Capital OrganizationParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
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42. (a) Jehovah’s waving of his hand was a warning of what reversal to the persecutor nations? (b) What was such a reversal for Babylon?
42 Accordingly, when he now waves his hand against those arrogant, presumptuous nations it is a threatening waving of the hand, like the shaking of the fist. It is no idle, meaningless gesture. It was to warn them that they the dispersers and despoilers would suffer reprisals. They would become a spoil to those who had been their slaves in Babylonian exile. What a reversal, and this from the hand of Jehovah of armies! Something of this kind of reversal happened when the Jewish exiles were freed by the conqueror Cyrus the Great to return to the location of Jerusalem and rebuild Jehovah’s temple. What a great humiliation it was for the conquered Babylon when, according to Ezra 1:7, 8, “King Cyrus himself brought forth the utensils of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from Jerusalem and then put in the house of his god. And Cyrus the king of Persia proceeded to bring them forth under the control of Mithredath the treasurer and to number them out to Sheshbazzar the chieftain of Judah.”—Daniel 1:1, 2; 5:3-23.
43. How was there a reversal for Babylon as in Daniel’s case?
43 In the course of time and in many ways the once enslaved Israelite captives had occasion to trample Babylon under their feet, she becoming a “place of trampling, like the mire of streets.” (Micah 7:8-10) At the fall of Babylon to Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, the prophet Daniel ceased to be a slave of Babylon and was made one of “three high officials” whom King Darius the Mede set up over the one hundred and twenty satraps that were over the whole Medo-Persian kingdom.—Daniel 6:1-3, 28.
44. How was there a reversal as regards the Babylonian worship and the worship by Jehovah’s people?
44 Also, because of the difference between religion of the Persian worshipers of Zoroaster and the religion of the old Babylonian cultists, the magic-practicing priests, conjurers, Chaldeans and astrologers became overshadowed religiously and finally felt obliged to move from the religious center of Babylon. It appears that they transferred westward to Pergamum in Asia Minor and then from there over to Italy. (Revelation 2:12, 13)
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Growth and Protection of God’s Capital OrganizationParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
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GOD’S REACTION TO TOUCHING “MY EYEBALL”
45. (a) How sensitive is Jehovah about anyone’s violently touching his people? (b) So why has he been waving his hand against the nations of today?
45 All this vividly illustrates that it is an outrageous thing for the nations of this world to touch Jehovah’s worshipers in a violent way. It pains Jehovah God. It is like touching his eyeball, a very sensitive part of a body. Long ago, as far back as the year 1473 B.C.E., the prophet Moses pointed out how sensitive Jehovah was over his chosen people, saying: “He began to encircle him, to take care of him, to safeguard him as the pupil of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10) He is just as sensitive about his Christian witnesses of today. But the nations of Christendom and of pagandom have chosen to ignore this fact in their handling of Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. Is it any wonder, then, that He has been doing as he foretold, “waving my hand against them, and they will have to become spoil to their slaves”? (Zechariah 2:9) How has He been doing this?
46. How, in 1919 C.E., did Jehovah make the spoilers of his people to become a spoil to them?
46 He has liberated his remnant of spiritual Israelites from religious bondage to Babylon the Great and restored them to their rightful God-given spiritual estate on earth. They do not bow in abject subservience to the political paramours of that international harlot, Babylon the Great, but say to worldly politicians that try to encroach upon the things belonging to Jehovah God: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) In the liberation year of 1919 C.E., they began to proclaim far and wide the adverse judgments of Jehovah God, especially against the international organization for world peace and security, namely, the League of Nations, saying that it would fail. The reason for this? Because the League of Nations was adopted and put in force in 1919 C.E. by the nations of Christendom instead of God’s Messianic kingdom, which had been born in the heavens at the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 C.E.—Revelation 12:5.
47. How did these adverse judicial decisions of Jehovah become more pronounced during the years 1922 through 1928?
47 These adverse judicial decisions of Jehovah of armies became more pronounced and comprehensive during the seven years of 1922 through 1928. During that period a series of annual international assemblies was held by the International Bible Students Association in America, Great Britain and Canada, in connection with which Bible commentaries were released that dealt with the divine prophecies concerning these religious and political matters. At each of these principal annual conventions of the International Bible Students resolutions or declarations were adopted, the first one of these, in 1922, being entitled “A Challenge” and the seventh and last, in 1928, being called “Declaration against Satan and for Jehovah.” These seven resolutions and the supporting public addresses, together with related Bible pronouncements, corresponded with things foretold in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, chapters 8 through 16.
48. These emissions corresponded to what in Revelation?
48 They corresponded with the seven trumpets that were sounded by the seven angels and that introduced seven prophetic tableaux. Also with the “seven last plagues,” which are poured out from bowls by the seven appointed angels.—Revelation 21:9; 15:1 to 16:21.
49. (a) What effect did the modern fulfillment of such things have on those concerned? (b) How long did the publication of such judgments of Jehovah continue, so that in effect he has been doing what to the nations?
49 The modern fulfillment of those tableaux introduced by trumpets and of the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues caused a great stir, uneasiness, and rebellious resentment both in Babylon the Great (including Christendom) and in the worldly political governments. The publication of those adverse judgments of Jehovah of armies was not confined to just those seven years of 1922 through 1928, but it has continued on down till the present in greater volume and strength and on a wider scale than back there in the 1920’s. By such publication world wide of his adverse judicial decisions against religious Babylon the Great and her political patronizers Jehovah of armies is in effect shaking his fist, waving his hand menacingly at the worldly organizations, religious and political, that have been despoiling his people. He is doing so by means of His witnesses, formerly slaves of such oppressors.
50. (a) When Jehovah finally executes those judgments, what will be known about the angel who was sent? (b) By the divine execution, the vindication of what persons is brought about, even in our day?
50 Shortly we shall see those divine judicial decisions executed upon those enemies who have pained the Most High God as if they were touching his eyeball. That will be the momentous time of which the angel spoke in Zechariah’s hearing, saying: “And you people will certainly know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me.” (Zechariah 2:9) But do we today have to wait until that time of complete fulfillment? Even now we have enough evidence at hand to prove that this angel has spoken the truth, like history written in advance. This, in turn, proves that only Jehovah of armies himself could be the One that sent this angel. In this way the prophet Zechariah is also being vindicated as being the recorder of true, infallible prophecy. And what about today? Today there is also a vindication taking place. Of whom? Of Jehovah’s Christian witnesses, who have been calling attention to Zechariah’s wonderful prophecies and to the modern fulfillment of them.
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