IN UNION WITH THE “VINE”

14. How, in John 15:4-6, does Jesus show that unbreakable union with him was necessary for the remnant of the “branches” to produce so much fruit?

¹⁴ Unbreakable union of the “branches” with the Christ “vine” has been necessary for the producing of so much fruit during these turbulent times since the outbreak of World War I in 1914. To the remnant of productive “branches” the words of Jesus have certainly applied: “Remain in union with me [the True Vine], and I in union with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, in the same way neither can you, unless you remain in union with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He that remains in union with me, and I in union with him, this one bears much fruit; because apart from me you can do nothing at all. If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is cast out as a branch and is dried up; and men gather those branches up and pitch them into the fire and they are burned.”​—John 15:4-6.

15. (a) If the apostles had not stuck to him, what would Jesus never have appointed them to in association with him? (b) Why could not the remnant come out for the League of Nations and remain in union with “the true vine”?

¹⁵ Jesus Christ would not appoint to these “branches” a kingdom in association with him in heaven unless they stuck to him even through hardships. (Luke 22:28-30) To retain their anointing with the spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, they have to remain in union with him, the “vine” stalk. Otherwise, their prospective place in the celestial kingdom would be taken away from them. (Rev. 3:5, 11) Consequently, when the Gentile Times ended in 1914 and it was revealed that God’s Messianic kingdom had been brought to birth in the heavens, what was the remnant of anointed “branches” obliged to do? Loyally hail the glorified Jesus Christ as God’s enthroned Messianic King! To remain in union with him, they could never renounce him in favor of a man-made substitute for the rightful kingdom over all the earth, such as the League of Nations. Since they remained in union with him, he did not break off union with them.

THE “GREAT CROWD” OF REVELATION 7:9-17

16. (a) How did World War II affect the relationship of the “great crowd” with the remnant of the vine “branches”? (b) With whom did the “great crowd” align itself as regards the United Nations, and why?

¹⁶ During the last four years of the life of the League of Nations as a peacekeeping organization the foretold “great crowd” began to form of men and women who were made glad by the Kingdom fruit that was held forth by the branches of “the true vine.” The cruel hardships and trials imposed on them during World War II because of their association with the anointed remnant did not force them to dissociate themselves from those bearers of Kingdom “fruit.” They knew that, to be loyal to the enthroned King who is “the true vine,” they had to be loyal to his “branches,” his spiritual brothers. (Matt. 25:31-40) Along with Christ’s “brothers,” they refused to accept the revived organization for world peace and security in the form of the United Nations organization. Instead of advocating this revived substitute for Jehovah’s Messianic kingdom, they kept on preaching along with the remnant of Kingdom heirs as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

17. (a) When it comes to dwelling under a “vine” in a figurative way, under which “vine” does the “great crowd” prefer to dwell on earth? (b) Under what “vine” had they been dwelling beforehand?

¹⁷ When it comes to dwelling safely on earth under one’s own vine and fig tree in a figurative way, what does that “great crowd” prefer? They prefer to dwell under “the true vine” and its “branches” because these represent Jehovah’s kingdom by Christ. (Mic. 4:1-4) Before learning the good news of Jehovah’s newly born kingdom under the control of Jesus Christ “the true vine,” they used to dwell under another vine​—“the vine of the earth.” (Rev. 14:19) What kind of “vine” is that? It is the earth-wide political organization by means of which human rulers defiantly try to hold onto world domination, thereby competing with Jehovah’s Messianic kingdom.

18. Why have the “branches” of the “true vine” urged those of the “great crowd” to get out from under the “vine of the earth”?

¹⁸ The fruit-bearing “branches” of the “vine” that Jehovah has planted have urged those of the “great crowd” to get out from under “the vine of the earth.” No longer should they partake of its poisonous, death-dealing grapes and wine. Why so? Because that “vine” is doomed to destruction, as foretold in Revelation 14:18-20:

“Still another angel emerged from the altar and he had authority over the fire. And he called out with a loud voice to the one that had the sharp sickle, saying: ‘Put your sharp sickle in and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, because its grapes have become ripe.’ And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and he hurled it into the great winepress of the anger of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress as high up as the bridles of the horses, for a distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs.”

Here it is the case of one symbolic vine against another, for the glorified Jesus Christ, who is “the true vine,” crushes the enemy vine, “the vine of the earth.” The “horses” used in the treading of the deep winepress 200 miles long are the war mounts of Jesus Christ and his angelic armies.​—Rev. 19:11-15.

19. (a) Why is there no “winepress” of God’s anger reserved for his spiritual “vineyard”? (b) Why would it be hurtful to the “great crowd” for them to introduce things like “thornbushes and weeds” into that vineyard?

¹⁹ The “winepress” of God’s “anger” is reserved for the anti-Christian “vine of the earth.” On the other hand, ever since God restored the remnant of spiritual Israelites to his favor in the postwar year of 1919, there is no “rage” that he has against this symbolic or spiritual “vineyard.” He has watched over this “vineyard” of spiritual Israel to make it productive to his glory. There is no proper place in it for things similar to thornbushes and weeds that hinder and take away from the fruitfulness of this “vineyard.” (Luke 6:44) Hence, the “great crowd” now associating itself with Jehovah’s “vineyard” should not want to bring improper things like thornbushes and weeds into the fruitful “vineyard.” This would result in hurt to the “great crowd,” for Jehovah, in his unchangeable purpose to make his spiritual “vineyard” productive to the full, would war against such “thornbushes and weeds.” He would step on such to crush them and then burn them as with fire.​—Isa. 27:4.

20. What kind of relationship should the “great crowd” seek with Jehovah, and what song to his “vineyard” should they join in singing?

²⁰ Now is the time for the “great crowd” to make peace with Jehovah and to take hold on his “stronghold” or reservoir of strength so as to be empowered to do what is pleasing to him. It is timely for them to keep in mind the words of the song that is now being sung to his “vineyard” of spiritual Israel: “In that day sing to her, you people: ‘A vineyard of foaming wine! I, Jehovah, am safeguarding her. Every moment I shall water her. In order that no one may turn his attention against her, I shall safeguard her even night and day. There is no rage that I have. Who will give me thornbushes and weeds in the battle? I will step on such. I will set such on fire at the same time. Otherwise let him take hold of my stronghold, let him make peace with me; peace let him make with me.’ In the coming days Jacob will take root, Israel will put forth blossoms and actually sprout; and they will simply fill the surface of the productive land with produce.”​—Isa. 27:2-6.

21. (a) To what extent must the remnant of spiritual Jacob, or Israel, show fruitfulness? (b) What shows that Jehovah has made the land productive for them?

²¹ Now is the “day” for the remnant of spiritual Jacob or Israel to show fruitfulness by filling the face of the earth with life-sustaining produce. Jehovah has made the land productive all around the globe, for hundreds of thousands have responded to the Kingdom witness given by the remnant and have sprung up in more than 200 lands to form a “great crowd” that hails Jehovah as Universal Sovereign and Jesus Christ as the one now authorized to rule as king over all the earth.​—Rev. 7:9-17.

22. How has the fruitfulness of the remnant of “branches” of the “true vine” had an effect with regard to God, and how also the fruitfulness of the “great crowd”?

²² The fruit bearing on the part of the “branches” of the “true vine” has indeed been glorifying to Jehovah God, the Cultivator. As a result of their Christian labors the “great crowd” gives glory to this God who planted and cultivated such a grand thing as this royal “vine” and its branches. Taking a lesson from the fruitful “vine” and its “branches,” those of the “great crowd” likewise shun all barrenness and seek to be fruitful in cultivating all the qualities of godly personality and in actively expressing and displaying them to Jehovah’s glory.