A Christian Organization

8. What organization did the book The New Creation describe, but what organizational work did it not envision?

⁸ In the outworking of the divine purpose, a new organization has preceded those blessings by centuries. Regarding that organization, we read: “If anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation.” “Neither is circumcision anything nor is uncircumcision, but a new creation [a new creature, King James Version] is something.” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15) Back in 1904, the book The New Creation called attention to this new organization that came into existence in the first century C.E. (Studies in the Scriptures, Series VI, Study V, entitled “The Organization of the New Creation”) Owing to its view of what the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 would mean, that book did not envision the remarkable organizational work that was due to take place after the crippling effects of the first world war of human history.​—Luke 21:24, KJ.

9. To what occasion did the remnant of the new creation rise?

⁹ The preservation of the remnant of the spiritual new creation to the end of World War I in 1918 and their being kept alive in the flesh into the postwar year of 1919 came as a wondrous surprise. But millennial conditions had not set in. Evidently, then, there was more work for the remnant of the new creation to do on earth before realizing its heavenly hope of sharing with Jesus Christ in the millennial work. Therefore, the great need was for the revival and reorganization of the remnant. So, with unshattered faith and eagerness for the thrilling work ahead, they rose to the occasion.

10. What questions arose with regard to the millions expected to survive into the new system of things?

¹⁰ Survival on earth by some of mankind through this wicked system’s catastrophic end and on into Jesus Christ’s Millennial Reign was expected by the anointed remnant. Especially was this so after the public talk “Millions Now Living May Never Die” was given at Los Angeles, California, in the war year of 1918. Were these millions of future Har–Magedon survivors to be organized? (Revelation 16:14-16) Before being ushered into the Millennium to become part of the “new earth,” would they engage in the Kingdom-preaching work along with the remnant? (2 Peter 3:13) These questions would be answered by postwar developments.

11. (a) What would have to be done with the other sheep due to become one flock with the remnant? (b) Why was a difference in hopes no reason for division between the remnant and the other sheep?

¹¹ The following words of the Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ, duly came to the fore: “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16) If the anointed remnant needed to be organized for the postwar work from 1919 onward and if later the other sheep were to become one flock with the remnant in this fold, then what? Why, those other sheep would also have to get organized in conjunction with that remnant! The fact that the other sheep had a different hope​—that of life in an earthly paradise of pleasure—​was no cause for division between them and the remnant. All were following just the one Shepherd, and there would be no separation between the two groups until the glorification of the anointed remnant in the Kingdom.

12. (a) What is of far greater importance than the salvation of humankind? (b) When and why did it become of prime importance to advertise the Kingdom?

¹² The salvation of humans from sin and death, the end of domination by Satan’s world, and the restoration of obedient mankind to Paradise reestablished earth wide are outstanding features of Jehovah’s loving purpose. However, there is something of far greater importance to all the universe. What is that? It is the vindication of Jehovah God’s universal sovereignty along with the sanctification of his holy name. The timeliness of advertising Jehovah’s Kingdom by the reigning King, Jesus Christ, was emphasized in 1922 at the second Cedar Point, Ohio, convention of the International Bible Students. Since the Gentile Times had ended in 1914, it was due time to carry out Jesus’ prophetic words: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) The Kingdom that would vindicate Jehovah’s universal sovereignty and sanctify his holy name had been established in heaven in 1914, and Jesus Christ was ruling in the midst of his enemies. This was the grand good news to be preached with all available means for advertising the King and his Kingdom!

13. For the work of Kingdom proclamation, what did God provide, and why?

¹³ Jehovah is an organizer on a universal scale, for he is the Most High, the Supreme One. He now saw to the thorough organization, here on earth, of the work of proclaiming his Kingdom internationally before the end of this system comes. Members of the surviving remnant of anointed ones were welded, therefore, into an international organization to accomplish his will. These must proclaim to the world that in view of Satan’s having challenged Jehovah’s universal sovereignty, both the reality and the rightfulness of that sovereignty must be vindicated, justified, for all time.

16. (a) Whom did the vast mixed company prefigure? (b) What must these do to survive this system’s end?

¹⁶ That vast mixed company from Pharaonic Egypt prefigured a great crowd of the 20th century. They are not spiritual Israelites but are other sheep of the Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ. With the anointed remnant, they look forward to complete deliverance from antitypical Egypt, the world system of things of which the Greater Pharaoh, Satan the Devil, is the god. (John 10:16; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 7:9) But what must they do to survive the violent destruction of Satan’s old world and enter the promised new world under the Greater Joshua, Jesus Christ? (2 Peter 3:13) They must keep in line with the organizational arrangements of the nucleus of Jehovah’s visible organization, the anointed remnant.

17. In this disorganized world, how do those of the great crowd act, and to what do they look forward?

¹⁷ Especially since the middle of the fourth decade of the 20th century has the great crowd of other sheep been brought into the organized one flock under the glorified one Shepherd, the reigning King, Jesus Christ. In a world that continues getting more and more disorganized despite the existence of the United Nations organization, those of this great crowd wholeheartedly support the anointed remnant and thus give evidence of the unifying power of Jehovah’s holy spirit. Determinedly, they keep organized with the remnant while looking forward to special service on earth during Jesus Christ’s Thousand Year Reign.