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“They Will Be Certain to Fight Against You”The Watchtower—1977 | December 15
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of Jehovah’s prophetic message to the modern world. In many cases they back up their threats with suppression of the Jeremiah class and with various forms of punishment to try to deter this class. So it becomes necessary to imitate Jeremiah and obey Jehovah as “King of the nations” rather than men. That is what Christ’s apostles of the first century did.—Acts 4:19, 20; 5:29.
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“They Will Not Prevail Against You”The Watchtower—1977 | December 15
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“They Will Not Prevail Against You”
1, 2. Why, in this “time of the end,” is there no time to lose on the part of the Jeremiah class?
THE year 1919, the year of the Versailles Peace Treaty following World War I, marked a turning point for the anointed Jeremiah class. In no uncertain Bible terms they took up Jehovah’s message of destruction for this system of things during God’s approaching war at Har–Magedon.—Rev. 16:13-16.
2 Certainly now, when more than 57 years have passed by since 1919, there is no time to lose. In Jeremiah’s case, he had only a limited time—40 years—in which to declare Jerusalem’s impending destruction. His modern counterpart likewise has only a limited time. There is every reason for us to keep awake. Now, so many years after Jehovah commissioned the Jeremiah class, He is still awake to his purpose with special regard to this “time of the end” in which the nations find themselves. (Dan. 12:4) He is keeping awake as to what he has purposed to do when this “time of the end” terminates. Jeremiah 1:11, 12 makes this certain:
3, 4. How did Jehovah illustrate to Jeremiah his own wakefulness as regards his purpose, and now what question do we properly ask ourselves?
3 “And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: ‘What are you seeing, Jeremiah?’ So I said: ‘An offshoot of an almond tree [Hebrew, shaqéd] is what I am seeing.’ And Jehovah went on to say to me: ‘You have seen well, for I am keeping awake [shoqéd] concerning my word in order to carry it out.’”
4 Who, then, of us today, whether we belong to the anointed Jeremiah class or belong to those actively supporting that class, dares to discontinue his own personal wakefulness? We do the wise thing if we imitate Jehovah himself. To illustrate his own wakefulness he caused Jeremiah to see in vision the “offshoot of an almond tree.” Jeremiah knew that the word for “almond tree” (shaqéd in Hebrew) means “one awakening.” This tree is the first one to awake in the spring of the year by its blossoming. Jehovah was like the “offshoot of an almond tree” in his own awakening to the season into which the nations and kingdoms were entering. His prophetic Word applies at a certain time, and at that time he will carry it out. His word will never fail owing to any inattentiveness on his part. Do we believe that today when we are at the threshold of the year 1978?
5. How did Jehovah show his wakefulness toward the increasing urgency of his message, and how should we correspond with this?
5 Because Jehovah has kept awake during all these decades within this “time of the end,” he has continued sending forth the Jeremiah class to serve notice upon the nations and kingdoms. (Compare
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