grass and as copious showers upon vegetation. For I shall declare the name of Jehovah.” (Deut. 32:2, 3) O how refreshing this is to the people who are parched with thirst for God’s favor and kingdom! How life-giving it is, for this dew is really the “word of life”! (Phil. 2:16) It is no deadly fallout from the explosion of lethal atomic bombs or hydrogen bombs or the pouring out of poison gases and bacteriological doses. This life-giving dew from God results in the goodness and pleasantness of brotherly unity and peace. “It is,” says Psalm 133:3, “like the dew of Hermon that is descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there Jehovah commanded the blessing to be, even life to time indefinite.”

27. What responsive action do these take, and like what do they themselves become, and to what extent?

²⁷ The sheeplike peoples who gratefully accept the spiritual remnant as “dew from Jehovah” are revived. Their thirst for truth, righteousness and a perfect government is satisfied. They dedicate themselves to Jehovah God the great Dew Maker and Rain Maker. Then they join these “remaining ones of Jacob” in extending the “word of life” to others. In doing so they themselves become like drops of dew to other parched ones throughout the earth. Since there is an unnumbered “great crowd” of sheeplike persons who are doing this, they are becoming innumerable, like the dewdrops.—2 Sam. 17:11, 12.

28. How, then, do they share in fulfilling Psalm 110:3?

²⁸ In their hundreds of thousands today they have become as reinforcements to the spiritual remnant in proclaiming the Kingdom. They willingly offer themselves as the remnant have done in this day when Jehovah’s enthroned King rules in the midst of his enemies. In beautiful description of this, Psalm 110:3 says to Jehovah’s King: “Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day of your military force. In the splendors of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, you have your company of young men just like dewdrops [for number].”

29. (a) Till when must this life-giving work go on, and how? (b) What quality do we have to exercise now in doing this work, and when will we specially need to exercise it?

²⁹ Until the rising heat of Jehovah’s anger flames forth in the fire of the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” and devours all the foes of his kingdom by Christ, this refreshing life-giving work with the “word of life” must go on, as we invite the people to the symbolic “river of water of life,” saying: “‘Come!’ And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.” (Rev. 22:17) But in these days of international hatred and opposition this work that turns away the heat of God’s anger from sheeplike converts requires courage. So let us remember that this is the day of the anointed King’s military force. He faces the gathering armies of the nations who are being gathered by Gog of Magog, Satan the Devil, to the battlefield called Armageddon. (Rev. 16:14, 16) The final assault of the modern-day Assyrian under Gog of Magog will without fail be launched, when Almighty God permits it. Then we shall enter into a most trialsome test of faith and devotion. We must have courage now, but what about then? We will have courage then.

30. How is Micah 5:8, 9 an assurance of our having courage then?

³⁰ Micah 5:8, 9 is our assurance of this, in that it says: “And the remaining ones of Jacob [or Israel] must become among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of a forest, like a maned young lion among droves of sheep, which, when it actually passes through, certainly both tramples down and tears in pieces; and there is no deliverer. Your hand will be high above your adversaries, and all enemies of yours will be cut off.”

31. (a) How is the Ruler out of Bethlehem a match for the lionlike Assyrian aggressor? (b) How have Jehovah’s people since 1919 been like a lion among nations, and how must we keep our hearts in the future?

³¹ The modern-day totalitarian “Assyrian” comes from the lions’ capital prefigured by ancient Nineveh. (Nah. 2:11, 12) But our Leader is the Ruler out of Bethlehem, the King greater than David, who, as a shepherd boy, slew a lion with Jehovah’s help. (1 Sam. 17:34-37) He is himself the “Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,” and knows no fear. (Rev. 5:5) Since 1919 the remnant or “remaining ones” of spiritual Israel have been like a lion among nations. They have fearlessly obeyed Jehovah’s command through his Christ and have preached ‘this good news of His established kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.’ They have been undaunted by the hatred, opposition and persecution from both the prophetic “king of the north” and the “king of the south.” (Dan. 11:40-45) The hundreds of thousands of dedicated, baptized companions out of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues have likewise displayed lionlike courage and fearlessness by the spirit of Jehovah. In the future let our hearts never quail with fear at the maneuvers and the numbers of our ferocious enemies.

32. (a) For whom will the “day of Jehovah” be fear-inspiring? (b) According to Micah 5:9, what beckons us onward, and in moving onward what shall we still more become like?

³² As we enter shortly into the great day of Jehovah, it will be fear-inspiring for only our foes, because Jehovah’s execution of His judgment of destruction will be against them, not against us. His hand will be high in triumph above his adversaries, and all these enemies of His will be cut off. That means too that the hand of the fearless remnant and their companions will then be high in victory above our adversaries, and all these enemies of ours will be cut off. Victory beckons us onward in the further Kingdom ministry that lies before us in all the nations under the leadership of the “Lion that is of the tribe of Judah.” “Follow me,” he says. By following him we shall become still more innumerable, like the dewdrops, and be a refreshing blessing from Jehovah God among many peoples for their everlasting life in His righteous new world.

Spiritual Prosperity in Colombia

● The press of the United States, and particularly the Protestant press, has had much to say about the persecution of non-Catholics in the strongly Catholic country of Colombia. However, in spite of how strongly Catholic the people of Colombia may be, there are many of them sincerely hungering for the truth about Jehovah God, his Word and kingdom, as the following figures show:

At the last celebration of the Lord’s supper or evening meal, 7,700 were present in Colombia, or three persons of good will for every Witness. At the weekly Bible study of The Watchtower the attendance is 150 percent of the number of Witnesses in the country, or one person of good will for every two Witnesses, taking for granted that all the Witnesses attend every Watchtower study. As for increase in the number of Witnesses: in 1945 there were two in all Colombia, in 1961 a peak of 2,013. During the past ten years there has been an increase of from 11 to as much as 51 percent in a year. Truly there is spiritual prosperity in Colombia among the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses.