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What Its “Right Condition” Means for Us TodayThe Watchtower—1971 | December 1
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10. As indicating what the Anglo-American Dual World Power would do, what did Daniel 8:10-12 say that the ‘small horn’ would do?
10 How, now, was the tremendously grown ‘small horn,’ the Anglo-American Dual World Power, going to react toward such a theocratic stand taken by Jehovah’s anointed remnant and their loyal dedicated companions? Unerringly the prophecy of Daniel 8:10-12 forevisioned it, saying: “And it kept getting greater all the way to the army of the heavens, so that it caused some of the army and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it went trampling them down. And all the way to the Prince of the army it put on great airs, and from him the constant feature was taken away, and the established place of his sanctuary was thrown down. And an army itself was gradually given over, together with the constant feature, because of transgression; and it kept throwing truth to the earth, and it acted and had success.”
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What Its “Right Condition” Means for Us TodayThe Watchtower—1971 | December 1
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11, 12. (a) What did such conduct of the ‘small horn’ mean regarding Jehovah? (b) What brief comment did the angel Gabriel make on this in explanation?
11 It is easy to see that the action thus described meant invading the rightful domain or interests of the Most High God, the Creator of the “army of the heavens” and the “stars,” and even taking away sacrifices regularly offered to Him as a “constant feature” of his worship. The brief comment on this by the angel Gabriel helps us to understand the prophecy correctly, for it says:
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What Its “Right Condition” Means for Us TodayThe Watchtower—1971 | December 1
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13. During World War II, how did the Seventh World Power act toward Jehovah, even casting down the “army of the heavens,” yes, “stars”?
13 During World War II the Seventh World Power of Bible history brought many to ruin, yes, even mighty ones. It paid no respect to true Theocracy. In the British Commonwealth of Nations and in America it put its martial law and its total mobilization for the success of its war aims and for world domination above God’s Messianic kingdom. Thus it put on great airs even as far up as against the Prince of princes, Jehovah the Sovereign “Prince” of all the universe. His “army of the heavens,” that is, Jehovah’s anointed remnant who were serving as underpriests in His spiritual “sanctuary,” these the Anglo-American World Power cast down, downgrading their being ambassadors for God’s Messianic kingdom. Even those who were like “stars” in the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses were considered as inferior, as not being spiritual light bearers to their congregations, not as being spiritual “overseers” entitled to exemption from military conscription, but as being just earthly laymen without theocratic appointments. (Rev. 1:20; 2:1) Because of war propaganda and high war fever and delirious nationalism the “people made up of the holy ones” were cruelly persecuted.
14. How was the “established place of his sanctuary” thrown down?
14 As these represented the “established place of [Jehovah’s] sanctuary,” this place was thrown down with their being thrown down. This affected their spiritual sacrifices to Jehovah God.
15. How was the “constant feature” taken away by the Seventh World Power?
15 Recall that in Jehovah’s temple sanctuary in ancient Israel there was a “constant feature” offered in the inner courtyard in the form of the sacrifice of a lamb to God each evening and morning. (Ex. 29:38-42) Likewise, by the spiritual remnant that worshiped at Jehovah’s “sanctuary” there were sacrifices of a spiritual kind that were offered to Him evening and morning, daily, constantly. Prominently among those constant “sacrifices” was the fruitage of their lips in publicly declaring Jehovah’s name and his Messianic kingdom, his theocratic government. This spiritual “constant feature” was taken away by the Seventh World Power through its war measures and restrictions and even putting bans upon Jehovah’s witnesses themselves or their house-to-house preaching. They were driven underground. Men and women were put in prison for holding to Christian neutrality.
16. How did the Seventh World Power strike hard throughout the British Commonwealth of Nations and hinder the offering of the “constant feature”?
16 The record plainly shows the extent of the wrath of the “king fierce in countenance.” He struck hard against Jehovah’s witnesses world wide during the dark days of World War II, especially so in countries associated with the British Commonwealth of Nations. On July 4, 1940, the Dominion of Canada, a part of the Commonwealth, banned the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. In that same year New Zealand banned the public declaration of Jehovah’s name. About that same time the work in Gold Coast (Ghana) was banned. From then on the sacrificial “constant feature,” the fruitage of the lips, was indeed interfered with. The work was banned in Australia and Fiji in January of 1941. South Africa, the southernmost country of Africa, took official action against the work in 1941. Bans spread throughout practically all of the British possessions in Africa, including Nigeria on June 17, 1941. The British possessions of Asia also took similar actions. The work was banned in Burma, Ceylon and India in 1941. In 1942 in Great Britain the question of neutrality came to the forefront. When conscription came into force young Christian witnesses of Jehovah refused to engage in war. The British Tribunals hearing the cases convicted 1,593 men and women, sending most of them to prison. Of these, 334 women served prison sentences. This had the effect of taking many active proclaimers from the service of offering the sacrifice of praise to God publicly.
17. Years before this how had the Nazi-Fascist-Catholic forces striven to throw down the “established place of his sanctuary”?
17 Just a few years before this the Nazi-Fascist-Catholic war drive stampeded throughout Europe. Legal restrictions and imprisonment came upon Jehovah’s witnesses, crushing branch office after branch office of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The pressure was on to throw down “the established place of his sanctuary.”b
18. What hardships did Jehovah’s witnesses in the United States of America undergo during the years 1940 to 1943?
18 In the United States, while the work of Jehovah’s witnesses was not officially banned, there were many attempts made to silence the witnesses. Throughout the then 48 states mob action was employed in many places. To fan the fires of violence and hatred, on June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court of the United States by a decision of 8-1 determined that the flag-salute ceremony was compulsory for citizens of the country. Any schoolchild refusing to perform the act was subject to being expelled from school. Persecution of Jehovah’s witnesses after that ran rampant. On June 16, 1940, the Solicitor General, in a broadcast over a coast-to-coast network of the National Broadcasting Company, said: “Jehovah’s witnesses have been repeatedly set upon and beaten. They had committed no crime; but the mob adjudged they had, and meted out mob punishment. The Attorney General has ordered a immediate investigation of these outrages.” It was not until June 14, 1943, when the Supreme Court of the United States reversed itself in the flag-salute matter that the intense persecution began to subside in the United States.c
19. As judged by the number of branch offices of the Society and the rate of increase of Kingdom publishers, how was it evident that the ‘offering of the constant feature’ was restricted?
19 It is also very interesting to note that in 1938, the year before the outbreak of World War II, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society had 39 branches established throughout the earth to give oversight to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses. By 1942 there were some 106,000 witnesses of Jehovah preaching the Kingdom good news around the earth, but the number of branches had dropped to 25. By then the pressures were great and the ban was on in most parts of the earth. The next three years of the most violent war in history saw the persecution against Jehovah’s witnesses further intensified. Because of the banning of the work more branch offices were closed, until by 1943 there were only 21 branch offices operating throughout the world. Jehovah’s witnesses were tenaciously holding fast to their God-given assignment of preaching the good news, but from 1942 when they had 106,000 publishers they only increased by about 4,000 by the end of 1944. Truly the ‘offering of the constant feature’ was restricted.
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