While church membership and seminary enrollments have noticeably declined in recent years, Jehovah’s Christian witnesses from 1919 onward have enjoyed marvelous increases until today. The “mountains” of their spiritual estate have become alive with many devoted worshipers of Jehovah God. By the year 1935 the “great crowd” of the Fine Shepherd’s “other sheep” began to get associated with the anointed remnant of spiritual Israelites and thus became active upon the symbolic “mountains of Israel.” Even the worldwide persecutions during World War II did not bereave the symbolic “mountains of Israel” of its population or even reduce it. While back in 1928 only 44,080 were publicly proclaiming the “good news” of God’s kingdom, in 1972 the number of such proclaimers reached a peak of 1,658,990 in 28,407 congregations in 208 lands.

From 1919 C.E. onward the congregations of the restored remnant of spiritual Israelites were like the cities of ancient Israel. They became “fortified” especially by the better organization of them for activity in carrying out Jesus’ prophecy to preach the good news of God’s established kingdom. (Matt. 24:14) They became more fully fortified in the year 1938 when the centralized theocratic rule, rather than the local congregational rule, of organization was applied to all the congregations around the globe.

Truly Jehovah God has filled the spiritual estate of his Christian witnesses with a vast “flock of men.” (Ezek. 36:11, 37, 38) As the twelve tribes of Israel used to flock to Jerusalem and its temple during the three “festal seasons” (Passover, Pentecost and the Festival of Booths), so Jehovah’s Christian witnesses have enjoyed flocking together, not only to their local Kingdom Halls, but, in an amazing manner, to their regular circuit, district, national and international assemblies.

Pressures in this age of anarchy and violence have not caused the restored spiritual Israelites to disappear from their newly occupied spiritual estate, as if they were devoured, swallowed up by invading aggressors or by a famine in their land. Their experience has been like that described at Ezekiel 36:13-15, where Jehovah speaks further to the soil of Israel:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that there are those saying to you: “A devourer of humankind is what you yourself are, and a land bereaving your nations of children is what you have become,”’ ‘therefore humankind you will no more devour, and your nations you will no more bereave of children,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘And I shall cause no further humiliating talk by the nations to be heard concerning you, and reproach by peoples you will bear no more, and your nations you will no more cause to stumble,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

The land of Canaan had a bad reputation respecting the destruction of its peoples as if being devoured by the land. (Num. 13:32) When Jehovah brought the Israelites into the land of Canaan in 1473 B.C.E. and they proceeded to destroy seven nations, it was as if the land ate up, devoured those inhabitants.

In 607 B.C.E. the king of Babylon conquered the land of Judah and deported many hundreds of surviving Jews, and the land became desolate without man and domestic beast. It again appeared as if the land had devoured its inhabitants and had bereaved the nation of the Kingdom of Judah of its children. Earlier, in 740 B.C.E., it had bereaved the nation of the Kingdom of Israel of its children. But by Jehovah’s special blessing and protection the once desolated land was not to have another experience like this in connection with the remnant of faithful Israelites that were restored from exile in Babylon in 537 B.C.E. and thereafter. So too it has been with the spiritual estate to which a remnant were restored in the postwar year of 1919 C.E. They are still there, alive, fruitful, multiplying. The spiritual paradise enjoyed by God’s people is here to stay.

What Jehovah God has done in restoring his people in modern times has fulfilled the words of Ezekiel’s prophecy. (Ezek. 36:22-24) Jehovah has indeed sanctified his name among the nations by producing a dedicated people who regard his name as holy. (Ezek. 36:38) They are concerned about bringing glory to that name and in no way reproaching it due to any misconduct on their part. They choose to obey God as Ruler rather than men when there is any conflict between God’s law and laws framed by God-ignoring men.​—Acts 5:29.

Jehovah has cleansed his restored remnant from religious uncleanness by his cleansing agencies, like sprinkling clean water upon them. Cleansed from “dungy idols,” they refuse to idolize political, military or religious dignitaries or to make idolatrous gestures and attitudes toward images, statues or emblems. Jehovah has taken away from them any stoniness of heart and given them a “heart of flesh,” a heart moved by the love and affection to do his will. The “new spirit” Jehovah has put inside them is his holy spirit. This has caused them to produce the spirit’s fruitage​—“love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”​—Ezek. 36:25-28; Gal. 5:22, 23.