Fighters Against God Losing the Battle

“They will be certain to fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for ‘I am with you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘to deliver you.’”​—Jer. 1:19.

1. In what sense are those now losing the battle the fighters against God?

FIGHTERS against God! Not in the sense of fighting against the laws of God’s creation, such as the law of gravitation. But fighters against God in the sense of fighting against the visible organization of his chosen people and the work that he commands them to do. In modern times, men who highly respect the scientifically discovered laws of creation may thus find themselves fighting against the God of The Holy Bible. To their own chagrin, they are losing the battle.​—Acts 5:39.

2. How is the proof furnished that God has accepted the small organization under question and that he has not cast it off?

² To such fighters against God it doubtless seems presumptuous for a small organization on earth to consider itself the organization over which God has put his special protection in order to deliver it from fighters against him. But to what mental conclusions should actual experiences of that organization lead it? The evidence of 100 years ought to lead it to the right conclusion as to the identity of the organization that God has chosen and strengthened to withstand worldwide attacks till now. This small organization of dedicated persons stepped onto the stage of modern affairs in God’s name. All the evidence to date indicates that God chose to recognize and accept the organization and that he has not cast it off. The test of time, of as much as 10 decades, has furnished valid proof to this fact.

6. In whose name did Jeremiah come and speak, and how is this fact verified by statements from persons of that time?

⁶ Jeremiah was a member of a priestly family living in Anathoth, under the kingdom of Judah. Like Jesus Christ, Jeremiah did not come or speak in his own name, even though the obligations of a Levite priest fell upon him. As in Jesus’ case, Jeremiah’s prophesying roused opposition. His opposers, who desired to kill him, said to him: “You must not prophesy in the name of Jehovah, that you may not die at our hand.” (Jer. 11:21) Once, when feeling discouraged, Jeremiah said: “I am not going to make mention of him, and I shall speak no more in his name.” (Jer. 20:9) But he found himself so fired up with God’s word that he could not stop proclaiming it. His prophecies came true with the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E., and yet the Jewish survivors who were bent on their own ways said to him: “As regards the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah, we are not listening to you.” (Jer. 44:16) In time those fighters against God had to take the consequences.

7. What reassuring words did Jehovah need to say to Jeremiah at the start?

⁷ Little wonder that, 40 years earlier, in 647 B.C.E., Jehovah needed to say to the then young man Jeremiah: “You must . . . speak to them everything that I myself command you. Do not be struck with any terror because of them, in order that I may not strike you with terror before them. But as for me, here I have made you today a fortified city and an iron pillar and copper walls against all the land, toward the kings of Judah, toward her princes, toward her priests and toward the people of the land. And they will be certain to fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for ‘I am with you,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘to deliver you.’”​—Jer. 1:17-19.

8. What recollection strengthened Jeremiah to endure for so long, but what question do we now ask?

⁸ Think of the resistance that Jeremiah had to put up, the endurance that he had to display​—for more than 40 years! He was one of Jehovah’s spokesmen to whom the Christian disciple James directed our attention, saying: “Take as a pattern of the suffering of evil and the exercising of patience the prophets, who spoke in the name of Jehovah.” (Jas. 5:10) Jeremiah’s constantly reminding himself that he had not come in his own name, but that he spoke in Jehovah’s name, strengthened him to endure and defeat the purpose of his attackers, who were really fighting against God. Jehovah did not strike Jeremiah with terror before those assailants, for Jeremiah did not let himself be struck with terror at their menacing appearance and numbers. That was excellent for 26 centuries ago, but do we have anything to duplicate this today​—an up-to-date illustration? Yes, we do!

A MODERN JEREMIAH CLASS

9, 10. As prefigured by Jeremiah, whom do we have in mind, and why is such a one now due to be here?

⁹ We do not mean that Jeremiah himself has come back to life by a resurrection from the dead. That was what some first-century Israelites thought of Jesus Christ because of his coming in Jehovah’s name and enduring so much religious opposition there in Israel. (Matt. 16:13, 14) Today we mean someone who was prefigured or typified by ancient Jeremiah. We have in mind the servant or slave about whom Jesus Christ spoke in his prophecy concerning “the sign of [his] presence [or, parousia] and of the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matt. 24:3) Today, alert Bible students see the “sign” of the presence, or parousia, of the glorified Jesus Christ in heavenly Kingdom power. Hence, the servant or slave should now be here on earth to complete the “sign” in all its details. In Matthew 24:45-47, Jesus said:

¹⁰ “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.”​—NW; compare the Authorized Version.

15. Why should there be a Jeremiah class on earth today, and who compose it?

¹⁵ The period of Christ’s “presence” is the time for his judging of members of the “slave” congregation appointed 19 centuries ago to feed his domestics with spiritual food at the proper time. (Matt. 24:45-47; 25:14-30) So the final remnant of the spirit-begotten “slave” class are now due to be here on earth and to be undergoing judgment. Their faithfulness and spiritual wisdom in the Master’s service determines their worthiness to be put in charge of all the earthly belongings of their Master. Also, since our times correspond with the days of Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah, it is logical that there should be a class like Jeremiah today, coming in Jehovah’s name. There is such! It is composed of the approved remnant of the “slave” class. And till now the fighters against God have not prevailed against it!