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.

WHY NOW THE CALL TO REJOICE?

51. Why did the maliciously minded nations have reason to cry out and rejoice during World War I?

⁵¹ Once the maliciously minded nations did have reason to cry out loud and rejoice at the turn of human events. That was when Jehovah of armies let his Christian witnesses fall into their power during World War I and the nations were given the freedom to vent their spleen upon these Christian spiritual Israelites. At the time the nations were fighting over the issue of world domination, not domination by the Creator of heaven and earth, but domination by themselves, by either the democratic bloc of nations or by the autocratic, dictatorial bloc. They wanted to control the resources of the earth, exploiting these for commercial profit.

52. Why did those nations mistreat the spiritual Israelites for standing faithfully for God’s Messianic kingdom?

⁵² They were very nationalistic, with national patriotism running at fever heat. In their efforts at total mobilization of the people for their nationalistic goals, they became enraged at those who refused to be integrated with them because of standing for God’s Messianic kingdom that had been inaugurated in the heavens at the end of the Gentile Times in 1914. So, under war stress, the nations mistreated these champions of God’s kingdom. How they did rejoice at killing off the influence of these for God’s kingdom!

53. How does Revelation 11:7-10 describe the nations’ jubilation?

⁵³ The glee and self-congratulations that the beastly nations indulged in at this defeat for the advocates of God’s Messianic kingdom is foretold in Revelation, chapter eleven, which borrows figures of speech from Zechariah’s prophecy. In pictorial language Revelation 11:7-10 says: “And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them. And their corpses will be on the broad way of the great city which is in a spiritual sense called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also impaled. And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb. And those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and enjoy themselves, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those dwelling on the earth.” But their jubilation proved to be short-lived.

54, 55. (a) When, however, was it that the remnant of spiritual Israelites were called upon to cry out joyfully? (b) This was the same as calling to whom to cry out, with what reason for crying out?

⁵⁴ In 1919 C.E., just as portrayed in the Revelation vision, Almighty God resurrected these unburied witnesses spiritually and reactivated them in his Kingdom service. Dismay smote the nations and their religious prostitute Babylon the Great, but now the time had come for the revived remnant of spiritual Israelites to cry out loud and rejoice. Their heavenly Reviver and Liberator called upon them to do so. Inasmuch as they represented the heavenly New Jerusalem and were in line for membership therein it was as if God was calling out to that spiritual organization. Calling that organization Zion (the alternate name for Jerusalem), he said:

⁵⁵ “‘Cry out loudly and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for here I am coming, and I will reside in the midst of you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘And many nations will certainly become joined to Jehovah in that day, and they will actually become my people; and I will reside in the midst of you.’ And you will have to know that Jehovah of armies himself has sent me to you. And Jehovah will certainly take possession of Judah as his portion upon the holy ground, and he must yet choose Jerusalem. Keep silence, all flesh, before Jehovah, for he has aroused himself from his holy dwelling.”​—Zechariah 2:10-13.

56. (a) How did Jehovah show whether he let go his claim to the land of Judah at its desolation? (b) How did Jehovah take possession of the land again, and what miracle did he produce then?

⁵⁶ In seeing what that prophecy meant back there in Zechariah’s day we can discern what the fulfillment of it means in this remarkable twentieth century of our Common Era. Away back there did Jehovah let go his claim on the land of Judah and allow any territory-greedy nations to take possession of it or land squatters to move in upon it? By no means! Although he had his people deported from it to Babylon, he safeguarded that land and enforced a long sabbath of rest upon it. How? By keeping it desolate, without man or domestic animal, just as he had foretold. At the end of those seventy years of sabbath keeping for the land, he again took possession of the territory of Judah by freeing his exiled people and moving them back from Babylon onto their beloved homeland. Jerusalem he again chose as the capital of Judah by having the restored exiles build a second Jerusalem upon the old location. Thus a peopled land was brought forth as with childbearing labor “in one day.” Also, “at one time” a nation was “born” by having its capital reestablished at Jerusalem exercising governmental rule over the “holy ground” of Judah. (Isaiah 66:7, 8) It was miraculous!

57. So, when did Jehovah take up residence in the land of Judah, and when and how did his residence there become more evident?

⁵⁷ As ancient Israel was a theocratic nation, under divine rule and law, Jehovah God resumed his residence at Jerusalem when it was founded again and rebuilt. This became all the more evident when the temple of his worship was brought to its completion in 515 B.C.E. and his regular worship, on a full scale, began there. That rebuilt temple would be a symbol to all the surrounding nations that Jehovah of armies had taken up residence there, that he was now dwelling in Zion, in Jerusalem. He could be approached there.

58. How would honest-hearted people of nations round about make favorable observations, and so what would they do (Zechariah 2:11)?

⁵⁸ What effect was this to have upon the pagan nations round about? Many of the people in those nations would be rightly impressed with the evidence that Jehovah of armies was the God of truth; that he had displayed his perfect foreknowledge and his all-power by fulfilling the prophecies given over his own name. As he had resurrected his people of Israel from a national death and raised it out of its grave in Babylon and restored them to the land of the living in their own homeland, these observers with honest hearts saw that He was the one living and true God, the only One deserving to be worshiped. Sincerely they would desire to worship him and, if possible for them, they would come to his place of residence in Zion (Jerusalem) to do so. Zechariah 2:11 was not to be left unrealized: “And many nations will certainly become joined to Jehovah in that day, and they will actually become my people.” That indicated an increase of the worshipers of Jehovah world wide, and not just on the “holy ground” of Judah.

59, 60. (a) How did the like take place in connection with the remnant who were in line for a place in the New Jerusalem and who were like buried in Babylon the Great’s domain? (b) How has Jehovah shown that he has taken up residence with the remnant?

⁵⁹ Has not the like of this also become true in the case of the modern-day remnant of spiritual Israelites? Do they not have every reason to “cry out loudly and rejoice,” as the “daughter of Zion” was told to do in ancient times, in Zechariah’s day? Yes! This remnant of spiritual Israelites is like a bride, ‘promised in marriage to one husband so as to be presented as a chaste virgin to the Christ,’ and it is therefore in line for a part in the heavenly New Jerusalem. That New Jerusalem with Jesus Christ as its Head is the capital organization of Jehovah God over all his universal organization. (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2, 9, 10) During World War I the remnant’s unity as a “holy nation” was broken up, they were exiled from their God-given spiritual estate and were as if buried in a grave in Babylon the Great’s domain. After that first world conflict was over and its pressures were lifted, the amazing fulfillment of what was depicted prophetically in Revelation 11:11-13 startled the world!

⁶⁰ Jehovah revived the buried remnant spiritually, brought them up out of their grave in Babylon the Great, restored them to their rightful spiritual estate on earth, and reintegrated them as his united “holy nation.” He had again chosen this faithful remnant that was looking upward to citizenship in the New Jerusalem under Christ. (Philippians 3:20, 21) Jehovah turned his favorable attention to them, and he energized them with that mighty active force, his holy spirit, to undertake a worldwide witness to his Messianic kingdom, the like of which has never been realized before in all Christian history. (Mark 13:10; Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) They did not join the nations of Christendom in worshiping the idolatrous League of Nations as “the last hope of the world,” but fervently devoted themselves to the worship of the “God of hope” at his spiritual temple. (Revelation 13:14, 15; 14:9) They made known the name of their God, Jehovah, to an extent never before equaled. (Isaiah 12:4, 5) By all outward tokens, he had taken up his residence with them.

61. How has it become true, therefore, that “many nations will certainly become joined to Jehovah in that day”?

⁶¹ Can we see today that this had its effects upon the peoples of the world? The nations as political entities had their fears aroused. But among those nations there were sincere, honest-hearted individuals who were hungering and thirsting for a pure, true, sensible religion that really brought a person into touch with the true God, worthy of worship. As the faithful remnant of spiritual Israelites carried the preaching of “this good news of the kingdom” into more and more of the inhabited earth, more and more of these seekers for the true God were reached. They learned that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Messiah of Jehovah God and they took the steps of dedication to God and water baptism in order to become disciples of His Messiah. (Matthew 28:19, 20) It turned out to be just as foretold, “many nations will certainly become joined to Jehovah in that day.” (Zechariah 2:11) No nationalities or races were barred from doing so.

62. To what extent has this become true since 1935 C.E., and how have they become Jehovah’s “people”?

⁶² This markedly became true from 1935 C.E. onward, four years after the anointed remnant had embraced the designation, Jehovah’s witnesses. World War II did not stop these genuine seekers of the true God from becoming “joined to Jehovah” as disciples of His Messiah. In comparison with how many they were back there in 1935, yes, and in comparison with the anointed remnant, these thus “joined to Jehovah” have become a “great crowd” without a fixed number set for them in the Bible. (Revelation 7:9-17) And as Jehovah said, “they will actually become my people.” They do not profess to be of the anointed remnant of spiritual Israelites. This is because God has not begotten them with his holy spirit to become his spiritual sons, even though he has accepted their joining of themselves, their dedicating of themselves, to Him through His High Priest, Jesus Christ. It is the merit of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice that makes them acceptable to Jehovah God. Thus these dedicated, baptized ones He counts as “my people,” attached to Him. So these, as “other sheep,” become “one flock” with the anointed remnant under the Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ.​—John 10:16.

63. As such “sheep,” how have they become “joined to Jehovah”?

⁶³ These “other sheep” have heard the voice of the Fine Shepherd and have responded to his call and come forth from “many nations.” They join with the anointed remnant of spiritual Israelites in the worship of the true God at his spiritual temple. (Revelation 7:15) In such a way they become “joined to Jehovah.”

64. (a) What hope has been set before them, and why? (b) How has Jehovah, because of them, filled his house with glory (Haggai 2:7)?

⁶⁴ Since Jehovah has not begotten these “other sheep” with his spirit to become part of the heavenly New Jerusalem, he sets before them the hope of eternal life on His “footstool,” that is, this earth, but then transformed to a beauteous Paradise. (Genesis 2:8; Luke 23:43) Jehovah God has rocked all the nations by the way that he has dealt with human affairs since 1914 C.E., and thereby these “other sheep” have become aware of His Messianic kingdom. In appreciation of His kingdom they have come into his house of worship, and He receives them as desirable worshipers. In fact, they are the “desirable things of all the nations” that were foretold to “come in,” and by means of them at his place of pure worship Jehovah fills his house or temple with glory.​—Haggai 2:7.

65. The evidence today shows what as to the sender of the ones by whom we got the third vision of Zechariah, and this strengthens our conviction as to what further?

⁶⁵ Today, nearly forty years since that memorable year of 1935 C.E., which called our attention to the “great crowd” of Revelation 7:9-17 in a right understanding thereof, we see the things foretold in the third vision to Zechariah being grandly realized. Already, therefore, we have enough evidence to know that it was the God of truth, Jehovah, and not some false prophetic source, that sent the angel to Zechariah and his people. This same Jehovah also sent Zechariah as a prophet to record the vision for us today. This strengthens our conviction that all further visions to Zechariah will come true.

66. What are we rightly commanded to do now, and in order to do what has Jehovah “aroused himself from his holy dwelling”?

⁶⁶ Should we not, then, keep silent so as to hear what Jehovah has to say? Indeed so! Highly appropriate, therefore, is the inspired command with which the third vision to Zechariah closes: “Keep silence, all flesh, before Jehovah, for he has aroused himself from his holy dwelling.” (Zechariah 2:13) He has aroused himself from his holy dwelling in the heavens to fulfill his Word.

Chapter 10

Satan’s Failure in Resisting the High Priest

1. Religiously, the whole world of mankind needs what today, and why just that?

THROUGHOUT the earth today there are to be found high priests of various religious cults. The mightiest of such priestly chiefs is the Pontifex Maximus, the Supreme Pontiff, located at Vatican City. But what the whole world of mankind needs is just one high priest. Why so? Because there is just the one living and true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sovereign of all the universe. He needs just one high priest to represent him to the people and to deal with Him for the people. This comports with the fact that there is just the one true religion, just the one pure worship of Him “with spirit and truth.”​—John 4:24.

2. What one high priesthood did Jehovah recognize down to Nisan 16 of 33 C.E., when what one spiritual high priest appeared?

² For more than fifteen centuries, from 1512 B.C.E. to 33 C.E., there was just one high priesthood that this living and true God recognized. That high priesthood was established in the line of Aaron the brother of Moses the prophet, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron was installed