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The Integrity-Keeping NationThe Watchtower—1995 | January 1
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The Integrity-Keeping Nation
“Open the gates . . . that the righteous nation that is keeping faithful conduct may enter.”—ISAIAH 26:2.
1. Why may Isaiah’s statement about a “righteous nation” be surprising?
TODAY, there are all kinds of nations. Some are democracies, some dictatorships. Some are wealthy, some poor. One thing they have in common: All are part of the world of which Satan is god. (2 Corinthians 4:4) In view of this, the words of Isaiah may come as a surprise to some when he says: “Open the gates, you men, that the righteous nation that is keeping faithful conduct may enter.” (Isaiah 26:2) A righteous nation? Yes, there is a righteous nation, since the prophecy points to its existence in our day. How can this unusual nation be identified?
2. What is “the righteous nation”? How do we know?
2 In the New World Translation rendition of Isaiah 26:2, the nation is said to be “keeping faithful conduct.” The King James Version (margin) renders the verse, “the righteous nation which keepeth the truths.” Both are apt descriptions. In fact, the righteous nation is easy to recognize because it is the only nation on earth that is subject to Christ the King, hence not part of Satan’s world. (John 17:16) As such, its members are known for ‘maintaining their conduct fine among the nations.’ They follow a life-style that glorifies God. (1 Peter 2:12) Moreover, wherever they are in the world, they are part of “the congregation of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) Supporting the truth, they reject the pagan philosophies taught by Christendom, and they champion “the unadulterated milk belonging to the word”—God’s Word, the Bible. (1 Peter 2:2) Further, they zealously preach the Kingdom good news “in all creation that is under heaven.” (Colossians 1:23) Can there be any doubt that this nation is made up of the remaining ones of “the Israel of God,” the congregation of anointed Christians? Not at all!—Galatians 6:16.
The Nation Is Born
3. Describe how “the righteous nation” came to be born.
3 When was “the righteous nation” born? Its beginning was prophesied in the book of Isaiah. At Isaiah 66:7, 8, we read: “Before she [Zion] began to come into labor pains she gave birth. Before birth pangs could come to her, she even gave deliverance to a male child. . . . Zion has come into labor pains as well as given birth to her sons.” Most unusually, Zion, God’s heavenly organization, was to bring forth “a male child” before she suffered labor pains. In 1914 the Messianic Kingdom was brought forth in the heavens. (Revelation 12:5) After that, the first world war engulfed more and more nations, and anointed Christians suffered severe distress and persecution. Finally, in the year 1919, the spiritual nation, the “male child,” was brought forth on earth. Thus Zion ‘gave birth to her sons’—the anointed members of the new “righteous nation”—and these were organized for an ever-expanding witness work.—Matthew 24:3, 7, 8, 14; 1 Peter 2:9.
4. Why has God’s righteous nation had to struggle to maintain integrity?
4 Since its inception, this nation has met up with severe tests of its integrity. Why? When the heavenly Kingdom was brought to birth, Satan and his demons were cast from heaven down to the earth. A loud voice proclaimed: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death.” Satan reacted to this turn of events with great anger “and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of [the woman’s] seed, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.” Faced with the onslaughts of Satan, anointed Christians stood firm. To this day, zealous members of God’s righteous nation exercise faith in Jesus’ ransoming blood and continue to give Jehovah an answer for the great taunter by keeping integrity “even in the face of death.”—Revelation 12:1, 5, 9-12, 17; Proverbs 27:11.
5. What fine attitude of modern-day Witnesses has helped them to keep integrity?
5 In 1919, when the modern-day witness to God’s Kingdom got under way, the Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called, were few in number but strong in faith. They became foundation members of ‘a strong city, with salvation set for walls and rampart.’ Their trust was in “Jah Jehovah [who] is the Rock of times indefinite.” (Isaiah 26:1, 3, 4) Like Moses of old, they proclaimed: “I shall declare the name of Jehovah. Do you attribute greatness to our God! The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.”—Deuteronomy 32:3, 4.
6. In what way has Jehovah blessed his people in these last days?
6 Since then, the gates of God’s Kingdom arrangement have remained wide open as first the remaining ones of the 144,000 anointed Christians were gathered and now a great crowd of “other sheep” are joining in the declaring of Jehovah’s Kingdom purposes. (John 10:16)
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The Integrity-Keeping NationThe Watchtower—1995 | January 1
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Thus, it can be announced joyfully: “You have added to the nation; O Jehovah, you have added to the nation; you have glorified yourself. You have extended afar all the borders of the land.” (Isaiah 26:15) As we survey the world field today, we see how true those words are! By power of holy spirit, the witness to Christ’s incoming Kingdom has been given “to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The extent of that expansion may be gauged from the 1994 Service Year Report of Jehovah’s Witnesses Worldwide, appearing on pages 12 to 15.
A New Peak of Publishers
7, 8. (a) What evidence is there that God’s people have ‘lengthened their tent cords’? (b) Looking at the 1994 Service Year Report, what areas do you see that are ‘extending their borders’ outstandingly?
7 Consider some of the highlights of this report. The peak of Kingdom publishers in the field reached 4,914,094! How thrilling to observe the constant ingathering of the “great crowd . . . out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes”! Yes, these too have proved to be integrity keepers. “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” being counted righteous because of exercising faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice.—Revelation 7:9, 14.
8 Particularly since 1919, the call has gone forth to Jehovah’s organization: “Make the place of your tent more spacious. And let them stretch out the tent cloths of your grand tabernacle. Do not hold back. Lengthen out your tent cords, and make those tent pins of yours strong.” (Isaiah 54:2) In response, the preaching work goes on unabated, even in the icy Yukon, bordering on Alaska, where a hardy group of pioneers endure temperatures that can sink to 50 or 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit [-45° to -50° C.] for weeks at a time. In recent years crowds are flocking ever faster to Jehovah’s integrity-keeping nation. The gates have opened wider to receive these from Asian lands outside Christendom, from former Communist strongholds, from many African lands, and from Catholic domains, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America. Displaced persons have opened up another field. In England, for example, Witnesses are caring for the needs of 13 foreign-language ethnic groups.
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