began to take place.k From then on by the hundreds of thousands the figurative “ten children” have come to the aid of the modern Job, the anointed remnant.—Isa. 2:2, 3; Zech. 8:23.

FORMER CLERGYMEN NOW WITNESSES

21, 22. (a) How does Job 42:8, 9 have application today? (b) What course have such repentant ones followed, according to modern experiences?

²¹ In Job’s day of restoration, Eliphaz, Zophar and Bildad took Jehovah’s advice to repent of their false religious stand, to accept the priesthood services of Job so that no “disgraceful folly” should come upon them. (Job 42:8, 9) Also after Jesus’ restoration by resurrection and exaltation to heaven, his effective priesthood services were accepted as “a great crowd of priests began to be obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7) Has there been a parallel development in these last days? Yes! In the decades of restoration since 1919, right-hearted clergymen of various religious sects in different parts of the earth have repentantly accepted the priesthood services of the anointed remnant of Job-like ones by becoming rebaptized and ordained as true ministers of Jehovah.l Even clergymen in prominent places have made this about-face, including one priest who had formerly been a Greek Orthodox bishop. No longer seeking worldly fame, these many reformed ministers now zealously preach the good news of the Kingdom right in the same places where they had functioned as sectarian clergymen. But instead of preaching from a pulpit in a church building they now have the doorstep as their right pulpit.

²² What has resulted to these former clergymen for following this right and humble course? From their former clergy “friends” they get much Babylonish hostility and reproach, which they have courageously and faithfully endured. From the Sovereign God Jehovah they get goodwill for worthily bearing the divine name, making known Jehovah’s Sovereign Godship from house to house even as Jesus Christ did. After years of right preaching activity, several of these former clergymen have become appointed as presiding ministers of local congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses. They, in turn, have had the privilege of attending the Watchtower Society’s Kingdom Ministry Schools for further ministerial training. Here, then, is another merciful reason for Jehovah’s permitting Babylon the Great to exist a while longer so that more of such humbled, right-hearted, captive clergy individually may follow the lead set by these earlier ones and get out soon before “disgraceful folly” comes upon all who are left in Babylon the Great.

CLERGY HOSTILITY STILL PERSISTS

23, 24. Explain why clergy hostility still persists as pictured in (a) Joseph’s case in Egypt and (b) a parable of Jesus.

²³ But why is it that the modern Job still experiences increasingly bitter hostility from the unrepentant Babylonish clergy, if this is the time of the restoration and ascendency for the anointed ones? The situation is similar to the antitypical seven years of famine and seven years of prosperity in Egypt during Joseph’s administration.a (Gen. 41:29-32) In their present-day application those two antitypical seven-year periods run concurrently. Upon Christendom’s land or realm there is great spiritual famine for the hearing of the Word of God. (Amos 8:11) While upon the land, realm or situation of the true anointed ones there is great spiritual abundance.

²⁴ Such concurrent fulfillment is confirmed in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19-31) Here the condition of both the “rich man” or the clergy class and that of the “Lazarus” group, the anointed remnant, takes place at the same time, namely, from 1919 to the present. The physical facts abundantly show that since 1919 the anointed witnesses of Jehovah have enjoyed spiritual prosperity as to their ministry while during the same time the clergy have been experiencing increased frustrations and spiritual failures as to their ministries. All this bears evidence of their “torment.” Earlier in this article there was presented another confirmation in that while Babylon the Great fell under the encircling power of Christ Jesus in 1919, it is permitted to exist with all its spiritual corruption and hostility until the rescue of her captives is concluded, at which conclusion she will then be totally destroyed.—Rev. 18:4; 17:15-18.

25. (a) What is another purpose for Jehovah’s permitting Babylonish hostility to continue in our time? (b) What can be expected in the next Watchtower article?

²⁵ In Jehovah’s wisdom he has permitted this continued Babylonish hostility to persist for another purpose. Why? Because it now gives the “great crowd” of the “other sheep” also an opportunity to support the anointed ones in giving an answer to Satan as to his tauntings and challenges concerning Jehovah’s Sovereign Godship. With all this background information, we are now ready to consider the physical evidences of the great religious controversy that has been raging between the anointed ones championing Jehovah’s Godship on the one hand and the Babylonish clergy of Christendom on the other hand. How remarkably the detailed experiences and arguments against Job in his day and against Jesus in his time are being duplicated in printed form today on an enlarged scale of hostility against the modern Witnesses!

Jehovah Taunted by Babylonish Hostility Against Anointed Witnesses

“Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.”—Prov. 27:11.

1, 2. (a) Who is being taunted, by whom and how? (b) In what way will the parallel experiences of today be demonstrated with those of Job’s time?

LIKE the taunting from wicked King Sennacherib of ancient Assyria, so today Satan keeps up his taunting of the true God Jehovah by speaking abusively of His anointed witnesses. (Isa. 37:21-33) By their faithfully enduring the Babylonish hostility against them, the Job-like anointed ones enable Jehovah, as He says, to “make a reply to him [Satan] that is taunting me.” (Prov. 27:11) In the meantime, in their championing Jehovah’s Sovereign Godship on earth they bear up under much reproach. “With murder against