THE CALL OF THE LIBERATOR

34. Who is the rallying point for lovers of pure worship to assemble, and what call to assemble has rung out since 1919 C.E.?

³⁴ Is not the glorious God, Jehovah of armies, a rallying point to which all lovers of pure worship that is undefiled by politics, militarism and commercialism should gather in unity and brotherhood? Yes! And where His glory is seen, there is the place to assemble. He issues the call to assemble, and he liberates his people from religious bondage to Babylon the Great and calls to them to assemble. Since 1919 C.E. the words of his call have rung out: “‘Hey there! Hey there! Flee, then, you people, from the land of the north,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”​—Zechariah 2:6.

35. (a) What was called “the land of the north” in Zechariah’s day, and why so? (b) The fleeing from there foreshadowed what today?

³⁵ In the prophet Zechariah’s day the “land of the north” was Babylon, the city conquered by the Medes and Persians in the year 539 B.C.E. Babylon really lay to the east of Jerusalem, but, when sending its armies to bring about the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E., Babylon had its armies take the circuitous route and come down against Jerusalem from “the north.” (Jeremiah 1:14-16; Ezekiel 21:18-22) Also, the conquered territories under Babylon extended to the north of Jerusalem. When the Jews were carried into exile in the years 617 and 607 B.C.E., they were, so to speak, carried off to the “land of the north.” From that land they could be called to flee. This foreshadowed our modern times. During World War I the dedicated, baptized remnant of spiritual Israelites came into bondage to Babylon the Great, that is, to the world empire of false religion. From there it was that Jehovah of armies called the repentant remnant in the year of liberation, 1919 C.E. From there the remnant must flee, now that he had opened the way for them.

During World War I the dedicated, baptized remnant of spiritual Israelites came into bondage to Babylon the Great, that is, to the world empire of false religion. From there it was that Jehovah of armies called the repentant remnant in the year of liberation, 1919 C.E. From there the remnant must flee, now that he had opened the way for them.