19. (a) Who did the prophet Zechariah say would join themselves to Jehovah “in that day” and entreat his favor? (b) As if a provision of such a thing, what additional courtyard did Herod’s temple at Jerusalem contain, and for what non-Israelites did Solomon pray when inaugurating the temple?

¹⁹ When God’s prophet Zechariah was prophesying in connection with the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem in the sixth century before our Common Era, he was inspired to say: “And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee.” “Yea, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah.” (Zech. 2:11; 8:22, American Standard Version) In harmony with that prophecy of the coming of non-Israelites to worship Jehovah at his temple, the temple that was built by King Herod, which replaced the temple that was built in the prophet Zechariah’s day, contained, not only a priests’ courtyard with its altar, and also the courtyard of Israel and the courtyard of the women, but additionally the courtyard of the Gentiles or non-Israelites. Even centuries before this, King Solomon, when inaugurating the first temple at Jerusalem, prayed for the foreigners who would come from distant lands to worship at Jehovah’s temple.​—1 Ki. 8:41-43; 2 Chron. 6:32, 33.

20. Since when, in particular, has that prophecy of Zechariah been undergoing fulfillment, and why do we see it from then on?

²⁰ The prophecy uttered long ago by Zechariah is already undergoing fulfillment in our day, particularly since the year 1935 C.E. That means a fulfillment while there is still a remnant of the spiritual underpriests on earth, who are serving in the Holy compartment of Jehovah’s spiritual temple. For that reason the “great crowd” of foreigners that are streaming from all parts of the earth to the courtyards of Jehovah’s one spiritual temple are having contact and association with these spiritual underpriests yet on earth. The date 1935 C.E. marks the year when that “great crowd” of nonpriestly worshipers of Jehovah began to be noticed coming to the temple, because in that memorable year the prophecy of Revelation 7:9-17 concerning the “great multitude” or “great crowd” was explained according to the facts of the day. (See The Watchtower as of August 1 and 15, 1935.) As we look at the Revelation vision seen by the apostle John, it is as if we are seeing the international “great crowd” of worshipers celebrating the antitypical Festival of Booths at Jehovah’s temple.

21. How does John describe this “great crowd” in Revelation 7:9-15?

²¹ Telling us what he sees, John says: “Look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ . . . ‘These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God; and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.”’​—Rev. 7:9-15.

22. (a) With relation to God’s spiritual temple, where is that “great crowd” serving Him day and night? (b) How does John’s vision show that the spiritual temple has survived the “great tribulation,” and what benefits do the “great crowd” there accept?

²² This beautiful vision presents the international “great crowd” as serving Jehovah in his temple, that is, in the earthly courtyards reserved for those who are not spiritual Israelites, as it were in the “courtyard of the Gentiles.”

COURTYARD OF THE GENTILES: Righteous standing to which all mankind must come in order to worship God acceptably