14. The three times and half a time having ended, what other things must be ended in due time, and why has Daniel not received an understanding of the things heard, even till now?

¹⁴ The period of three times and half a time having ended in 1918, the other important things of the vision must “be ended” or be brought to accomplishment at their appointed time. The prophet Daniel away back there could not decipher the meaning of the things seen in vision. He confesses: “And I heard, but I understood not; then said I: ‘O my lord, what shall be the latter end of these things?’ And he said: ‘Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but they that are wise [the intelligent, Le] shall understand.’” (Dan. 12:8-10, JP) Daniel did go his way into death sometime after the writing down of the vision about 537 B.C., shutting up the words and sealing the book.

15. Who has been used to unstop the words and unseal the book for us, and what must we do in order to be among the intelligent who will understand?

¹⁵ Great understanding of the book of Daniel was displayed by Jesus Christ on earth. In this “time of the end” since 1914 he is the one whom God uses to open or unstop the words like a well of knowledge and information and to unseal the book in all its meaning. (Rev. 5:1-5) Do we want to understand the book with its marvelous references to our day? Then with Jehovah’s help through Christ we must purify ourselves from this world, we must make ourselves white with righteousness through the Lamb’s blood, and we must be refined in our sincere devotion to Jehovah God and his kingdom. Only the Scripturally intelligent ones will be allowed to understand the book of Daniel and all the rest of the Bible. However, none of the wicked can and will understand it and gain salvation. In these critical times hard to deal with they will go on in their wickedness, especially against Jehovah’s witnesses, until they are destroyed as unhappy fighters against God.—2 Tim. 3:1-5.

1,290 DAYS

16, 17. (a) For whom is this the “time of the end”? (b) From when is it the time to begin counting the 1,290 days?

¹⁶ The shattering or crushing of the power of Jehovah’s holy people in 1918 did not make an end of them. This is the “time of the end,” not of the holy sanctuary class, but of the king of the north and of the king of the south and of all the neutral nations. It is a time of deliverance for the sanctuary class and for the “other sheep” who worship with them. After saying that these spiritually intelligent ones would understand, Jehovah’s angel added: “And from the time that the continual sacrifice will be removed, even to set up the desolating abomination, there will be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”—Dan. 12:11, Le.

¹⁷ This taking away of the continual sacrifice of praise to God was already foretold in Daniel 8:11. It took place in 1918, when the time, times and half a time were fulfilled.c The taken-away condition of the daily or continual sacrifice lasted into the following year, until March 26, 1919, on which date the release occurred for the Watch Tower Society’s president, secretary-treasurer and six fellow prisoners, under bail. The setting up of the “desolating abomination” occurred when the worship of the “image of the wild beast,” that abominable makeshift for God’s kingdom, the League of Nations, was set up by the religious organizations of Christendom. By action of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America this was dated from the close of January, 1919.d By the time of this latter date both of these two mentioned things had taken place. Consequently this is the point of time from which to count.

18. With relation to the 1,290 days, when did Michael deliver his people, and how long a period in solar time do those 1,290 days equal?

¹⁸ After the 1,290 days had begun to count, Michael their great Prince delivered his people, in March of 1919. On April 13, 1919, there were more than 17,961 that celebrated the Lord’s evening meal earthwide.e During the rest of the 1,290 days the work of God’s holy organization was reorganized, improved and strengthened for the global witness that had to be given before the complete end should come upon this old system of things. In due time, what happened that outstandingly marked the end of those divinely numbered days? The 1,290 days must be treated from the standpoint of the lunar calendar. Hence divine prophecy treats a month as being thirty days long, on the average. The 1,290 days are just thirty days or one lunar month longer than 1,260 days in prophecy. Revelation 11:2, 3 definitely shows that 1,260 days equal forty-two months. Forty-two months amount to three years and six months. In prophecy these three years and six months are not affected by any leap year or by any Jewish Veadar year in which a thirteenth lunar month is added to the Jewish calendar to bring the series of lunar years up to the length of the series of solar years. Since 1,260 days in prophecy equal three years and six months, then 1,290 days equal three years and seven months. Counted from the close of January, 1919, where do those three years and seven months end?

19. Toward the end of those 1,290 days, what electrifying message was delivered, and what judgment work was called to our attention?

¹⁹ They bring us to the end of August and the beginning of September of 1922. It was in the first half of September, 1922, that the electrifying words rang out: “Be faithful and true witnesses for the Lord. Go forward in the fight until every vestige of Babylon lies desolate. Herald the message far and wide. The world must know that Jehovah is God and that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the day of all days. Behold, the King reigns! You are his publicity agents. Therefore advertise, advertise, advertise, the King and his kingdom.” This came on The Day (September 8) of the nine-day international convention of Jehovah’s witnesses at Cedar Point, Ohio, at the conclusion of the address of the president of the Watch Tower Society on the subject “The Kingdom.” In this address J. F. Rutherford proved from Scripture and fact that Jehovah’s “messenger of the covenant” had come to the temple, the spiritual sanctuary, in the spring of 1918 for judgment work. The judgment that was to “start with the house of God” was now in progress! (1 Pet. 4:17; Mal. 3:1-5, AS) In expression of this judgment upon Christians a resolution was adopted.

20. What expression of judgment upon professed Christians was then sent forth, and thus the series of what things began?

²⁰ Sunday afternoon, September 10, President Rutherford delivered his public address on the challenging subject “Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” At its conclusion he introduced a resolution entitled “A Challenge to World Rulers,” which was adopted with acclaim by the 18,000 to 20,000 present. This notified the nations that the “appointed times of the nations” had run out in 1914; that God’s kingdom by Christ had then been set up in heaven; that the League of Nations was a fraud and “must fail, because God has decreed it thus”; that the kingdom of Jehovah’s Messiah was the complete cure-all for the ills of humankind; and that by obeying the laws of that righteous kingdom men will continue to live and never die off the earth.f This bold resolution was the first in a series of seven resolutions adopted at annual general assemblies of Jehovah’s witnesses from 1922 to 1928. Like plagues, these resolutions were poured out upon apostate Christendom. Of the initial resolution, “The Challenge,” there were eventually 45,000,000 copies distributed worldwide in many languages.

(To be continued)

An Invitation to Praise Jehovah

WHAT could be a greater privilege than to serve Jehovah God, the Supreme Sovereign of the universe? There is nothing that could compare with it. To all who love him the invitation is extended: “Sing to Jehovah, all you of the earth! Announce from day to day the salvation he gives! Relate among the nations his glory, among all the peoples his wonderful acts.” Have you responded to that invitation to praise Jehovah?—1 Chron. 16:23, 24.

Jehovah is the Author of the provision for the salvation of humankind from sin and death. He “loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” He is also the One who safeguards his servants, holding back the enemy from overwhelming them. So to him his servant David cried out in appreciation: “You have proved to be a refuge for me, a strong tower because of the enemy.” He will continue to be such a refuge and strong tower to his people during the destruction at the battle of Armageddon, now near at hand. To all who would avail themselves of his provisions the command given: “Announce from day to day the salvation he gives!”—John 3:16; Ps. 61:3.

We are living at the time when God is taking action to bring the unrighteous world to an end, to vindicate his own misrepresented name and to shower endless blessings upon those who worship him. These things he will accomplish by his kingdom, which is now in full operation in the heavens under the Kingship of his anointed Son Jesus Christ. In response to the momentous announcement of the Kingdom’s establishment faithful ones in the heavenly courts worshiped God, saying: “We thank you, Jehovah God, the Almighty, the one who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and begun ruling as king.” Having heard the good news that God’s kingdom rules,