36. As proved by Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, what meaning did this Greek verb have in the apostles’ days?

³⁶ In proof of this latter meaning of appointing without votes by others in the congregation, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote his Antiquities of the Jews in the common Greek in the days of Christ’s apostles, in the last half of the first century. In Book 6 and in Chapters 4 and 13, Josephus uses the Greek verb kheirotoneîn when saying that King Saul of Israel was ordained by God. The Bible does not show that the congregation of Israel stretched forth their hands and voted King Saul into office. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul to be king and he became the anointed one ordained (kheirotoneîn) by Jehovah God.d Consequently, in the apostles’ days, the Greek verb used in Acts 14:23 and in 2 Corinthians 8:19 had come to mean ordain or appoint by even an individual without any supporting or guiding votes of others by hand-stretching.

37. As having a bearing on the meaning of Acts 14:23, what did Paul tell an individual to do, in Titus 1:5, and by what method, and hence how may Acts 14:23 not rightly be interpreted?

³⁷ Whereas Acts 14:23 says “they appointed older men to office for them in the congregation” and uses the Greek verb kheirotoneîn, the apostle Paul instructed an individual, Titus the overseer, to “make appointments of older men in city after city, as I gave you orders.” There was no election of those older men to office by having Titus get the majority vote of any congregation by resorting to their stretching out the hands for or against candidates. That was the democratic method. But the appointment according to orders from Paul, who was an inspired member of the Christian governing body, was the theocratic method. (Titus 1:5) Hence the Greek text of Acts 14:23 may not be rightly interpreted in support of the democratic or congregational method as against theocratic appointments.

38. Why is the democratic method not the right way for Jehovah’s living sanctuary on earth, but for faithfully serving on earth how will the holy ones be rewarded?

³⁸ The spiritual Israelites, who are in the new covenant to be a people for Jehovah’s name, are his “holy ones.” They form a living sanctuary for him to dwell in by his spirit. They must be organized upon Jesus Christ the “rock-mass” and his twelve apostles, in harmony with the theocratic arrangement and not the democratic method. The democratic way calls for the rule of an organization from the people up as the source of one’s powers and authority. The theocratic way calls for the rule of the organization from the top down, from the Supreme Being down. It is the clean, peaceful, efficient way for Jehovah’s living “sanctuary” of his holy ones. It is the blessed way for them to be organized for serving on earth as Jehovah’s witnesses. Serving faithfully till death, they will reign and govern with Jesus Christ in heaven. Thus the covenant for the Kingdom into which they have been anointed by God will be fulfilled.

CHAPTER 8

THE “LITTLE HORN” IN OPPOSITION

1. Why was the vision that Daniel had in King Belshazzar’s first year timelily given in that year, and how did it affect Daniel?

FROM being mercilessly worn down to finally being given the everlasting kingdom over this entire green earth—this sums up the astounding experience of the holy ones of the Most High God, as seen in vision by the prophet Daniel. The golden glory of the Babylonian world power was about to lose its luster. The last one of its dynasty of Chaldean kings was on the throne of world government. It was the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. The dream and visions of Daniel’s own head in that year of the time of the end of Babylon as the third world power had to do partly with that passing world power. So it was timely and suitable that the dream should be sent to Daniel before Babylon came down from its lofty throne. The remnant of Jehovah’s holy ones, such as Daniel, Zerubbabel and the Jewish high priest Jeshua, were still held down as captives and slaves in Babylon. The dream and its brief angelic interpretation greatly alarmed Daniel. His color changed. But, seeing as we do the almost completed interpretation of it today by the unfolding facts of history for the past two millenniums and a half, with some highly dramatic features yet to be fulfilled, we can well appreciate why Daniel was so alarmed.

2, 3. What was Daniel’s description of the terrible dream?

² Here is Daniel’s description of the dream in its terribleness:

³ “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand upon two feet like a man; and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side; it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.”—Dan. 7:2-8, RS.

(To be continued)

“We Have Glorified War”

Discussing Christendom’s worldly religions and their use of the Bible, cleric Harry Emerson Fosdick writes in The Modern Use of the Bible: “Our Western history has been one war after another. We have bred men for war, trained men for war; we have glorified war; we have made warriors our heroes and even in our churches we have put the battle flags. . . . With one corner of our mouth we have praised the Prince of Peace and with the other we have glorified war. So well have we succeeded in blending Christ and carnage, the Gospel and organized slaughter, that recently a missionary in an Oriental country, after an address upon Christian goodwill, was taken aside by a native, who said, ‘You must know that the educated people of this country look upon Christianity as a warring, blood-spilling religion.’”

The Bible shows that false Christianity can be recognized by its fruitage: “They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works.”—Titus 1:16.