the first century, who preached and taught “publicly and from house to house.” (Acts 20:20) In an advance description Joel 2:9-11 says:

⁴⁹ “Into the city they rush. On the wall they run. On the houses they go up. Through the windows they go in like the thief. Before it the land has become agitated, the heavens have rocked. Sun and moon themselves have become dark, and the very stars have withdrawn their brightness [because a locust swarm in flight blots out the heavens]. And Jehovah himself will certainly give forth his voice before his military force, for his camp is very numerous. For he who is carrying out his word is mighty; for the day of Jehovah is great and very fear-inspiring, and who can hold up under it?”

50. What prospects does the message hold out for Christendom, and why will she be unable to hold up under Jehovah’s day?

⁵⁰ Jehovah’s judgment message of vengeance offers no bright prospects for Christendom and her worldly allies either day or night. Her future is completely black. Christendom will not be able to hold up under Jehovah’s great, fear-inspiring day for executing his vengeance upon blasphemers, profaners and reproachers of his holy name, because he is mighty enough to carry out his prophetic word as proclaimed by his military force of symbolic locusts.

THE BIG CRUSH IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION

51. (a) What command to Jehovah’s people indicates that this must be a spiritual, not a carnal warfare by them? (b) Of what kind is his command to Christendom and all other nations?

⁵¹ All this is a spiritual warfare against Satan the Devil’s organization visible and invisible. It is not carried on with carnal weapons of warfare. Jehovah’s anointed remnant of spiritual Israel and the “great crowd” of their dedicated companions from all nations and peoples are all under Jehovah’s command to “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears” and not to lift up sword, nation against nation, and not to “learn war any more.” (Isa. 2:2-4) But for Christendom and all other nations Jehovah’s command is not a peaceable one. It is a challenging incitement to war. By his swarm of symbolic locusts Jehovah says, in Joel 3:9-11. “Proclaim this, you people, among the nations, ‘Sanctify war! Arouse the powerful men! Let them draw near! Let them come up, all the men of war! Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning shears into lances. As for the weak one, let him say: “I am a powerful man.” Lend your aid and come, all you nations round about, and collect yourselves together.’”

52. Against whom are the nations really fighting, and how much man power do they need to commandeer?

⁵² Inside and outside the United Nations organization the nations are fighting for their own national sovereignty, heedless of God’s Kingdom message. They are really fighting against God. They are now preparing for a final showdown fight. All their man power is needed. The weak and unfit need to be persuaded to join the fight.

53. As we approach the war, what is our prayer to Jehovah?

⁵³ Our prayer, as we approach the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” as nonparticipating bystanders, is, as expressed in Joel 3:11: “To that place, O Jehovah, bring your powerful ones down.” So down there he promises to bring Christ and his holy angels.

54. (a) To where are the nations challenged to come, and why is the place appropriately named? (b) Since 1919 how has Jehovah undone the effect of the nations upon his people, and why has he now sent them forth?

⁵⁴ In Joel 3:12 Jehovah’s judgment message to Satan’s world continues: “Let the nations be aroused and come up to the low plain of Jehoshaphat; for there I shall sit in order to judge all the nations round about.” This valley of battle is well called the “low plain of Jehoshaphat,” for the name Jehoshaphat means “Jehovah Is Judge.” Also, at that symbolic valley of battle Jehovah sits as judge and executes his judgment or judicial decision upon all the nations round about who have mistreated and scattered his dedicated people, his faithful witnesses. Since 1919 Jehovah has freed first his remnant and more recently his “great crowd” of “other sheep” from their spiritual or religious captivity and has brought them together in unity, as his one flock under his one Shepherd Jesus Christ. (John 10:16) Now as his united military force of symbolic locusts he has sent them forth against all the nations to challenge them to do battle against Jehovah, who is “God the Almighty.”

55. (a) Figuratively, where will Jehovah’s witnesses be at the time for beginning the battle? (b) Figuratively, what have the nations produced, and as what will the low plain of Jehoshaphat nicely serve?

⁵⁵ Joel 3:13-17 prophetically locates us at the valley or low plain for the execution of Jehovah’s judicial decision just when the battle of the universe is to begin. On the mountaintops flanking the valley stand the united witnesses of Jehovah as expectant bystanders, their work of serving notice upon the nations having been faithfully completed. The nations have been like a jungle of grapevines that have produced nothing but bitter wild grapes, the worst of fruitage, “the works of the flesh.” Like vines that encumber the ground they need to be cut down to clear the ground. Their huge bunches of grapes of wickedness need to be crushed. The valley or low plain of Jehoshaphat is a fine place to serve as an enormous wine-press trough. So dump the nations into it! To his angels God cries:

56, 57. (a) What does Jehovah cry to his angels, and why? (b) From where does Jehovah roar, and at his order what begins in the valley?

⁵⁶ “Thrust in a sickle, for harvest has grown ripe. Come, descend, for the wine press has become full. The press vats actually overflow; for their badness has become abundant. Crowds, crowds are in the low plain of the decision, for the day of Jehovah is near in the low plain of the decision. Sun and moon themselves will certainly become dark, and the very stars will actually withdraw their brightness. And out of Zion Jehovah himself will roar, and out of Jerusalem he will give forth his voice. And heaven and earth certainly will rock; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for the sons of Israel. And you people will have to know that I am Jehovah your God, residing in Zion my holy mountain. And Jerusalem must become a holy place; and as regards strangers [hostile nations], they will no more pass through her.”—Joel 3:13-17.

⁵⁷ Dark indeed will be the period, both day and night, when Jehovah as Judge causes his judicial decision to be executed upon the nations who have been gathered together for being crushed out of existence. From his heavenly habitation, Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, he roars with a battle shout loud enough to set heaven and earth rocking at the shock waves. He orders his King, Jesus Christ, to tread his enemies, who have been made as a foot stool for his feet. Into the valley of decision, as into a vast wine-press trough, the King leaps with his army of holy angels. SQUASH! The treading of the nations, including Christendom, begins. The “low plain of Jehoshaphat,” “the low plain of the decision,” becomes the “great wine press of the anger of God.” His royal Son, Jesus Christ, leads in the crushing. “He treads too the press of the wine of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty,” says Revelation 19:15.

58. How vast will be the slaughter, and how does Revelation 14:20 indicate this?

⁵⁸ Never before in all human history will so many human creatures have been slaughtered. Blood, as representing human lives poured out, will run deep and over a vast distance. Revelation 14:20 paints the appalling picture, saying: “And the wine press was trodden outside the city [God’s organization], and blood came out of the wine press as high up as the bridles of the horses, for a distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs [or, 200 miles].”

59. (a) What flesh will not have its lifeblood trampled out there? (b) What fact does Jehovah say they will have to know, and how will they?

⁵⁹ To a completion Jehovah’s judicial decision will be executed. The nations and their grapes of wickedness will be trampled out of existence, to leave the earth a cleansed place for the righteous to occupy and enjoy. Not all flesh will be in that symbolic wine press. Not all flesh will have its lifeblood trampled out of it. There are those who make Jehovah their refuge and their fortress. These will be kept safe and be preserved, while Jehovah by his King Jesus Christ crushes their enemies and His enemies in the wine press or “low plain of the decision.” These preserved ones are the remnant of spiritual Israelites and the “great crowd” of their dedicated companions who unite with them in calling upon the name of Jehovah for salvation. (Joel 2:32) They are the ones to whom he has prophetically said: “And you people will have to know that I am Jehovah your God, residing in Zion my holy mountain.” With breathless awe they will have looked down from their safe heights into the valley of decision and witnessed how Jehovah gains his magnificent victory by Christ over all the combined nations of Satan’s visible organization.

60. At his victory what will be therefore do, but till then what will we do in obedience to orders?

⁶⁰ At His victory in vindication of his universal sovereignty we witnesses will sing his praises exultantly and will acknowledge him as our God for all time and eternity. We are near the time of his battle and transcendant victory. Till that time his orders for us are to continue united in our service of him. This we will do while we declare his day of vengeance and while we preach and teach the good news of everlasting salvation by his kingdom of his Christ.

The Galilean Paradise

JEHOVAH GOD himself assured the Israelites that the land to which he was bringing them was one that flowed with milk and honey. And Moses, in his parting address to his people, extolled the virtues of the land to which they were about to go. Of the entire land of Palestine Galilee was the most beautiful and fertile, and of Galilee the plain of Gennesaret, northwest of the sea of Galilee, was the choicest. Concerning it the historian Josephus wrote:

“Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty; its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for the temper of the air is so well mixed, that it agrees well with those of several sorts. Particularly walnuts, which require the coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty; there are palm trees also, which grow best in hot air; fig trees also and olive grow near them, which yet require an air that is more temperate. One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together; it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this country; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruits beyond men’s expectation, but preserves them a great while; it supplies men with the principal fruits, with grapes and figs continually, during ten months of the year, and the rest of the fruits as they become ripe together through the whole year; for besides the good temperature of the air, it is also watered from a most fertile fountain.”—Wars, Book 3, 10:8.