1943 The Truth Shall Make You Free - A2Z.org

"THE TRUTHSHA MAKEYOU FREE"

PUB ISHERSWATCHTOWER BIB E AND TRACT SOCIETY, INC.lnternational Bible Students AssociationBrooklyn 1, New York, C. S . A.2,000,000 EditionCOPYRIGHT, 1943byWATCHTOWER BIB E AND TRACT SOCIETY, \C-Made in the United States of America

CHAPTERCONTENTSPAGEI . "The Truth Shall Make You Free" 9II . "A God of Truth" 25III . Spirit Sons of God 40IV. Earth's Creation 54V . Human Souls Created 69VI . oss of Freedom 81VII. Deliverance Promised 92VIII. Divine Mandate Suspended 103IX . Advocates of Freedom 114X . Deliverance Foreshadowed 128XI . The Count of Time 141XII . Enemies of Freedom 153XIII . The Covenant for Freedom 165XIV . Birthright of Freedom 177XV. A Free Nation Is Born .. 189XVI. Producing the Book of Freedom .. . . 202XVII . A Royal Theocracy 218XVIII . "Seven Times" 231XIX . Freedom's King Appears 242XX. From Death to Immortality 256XXI. The Church of Freemen 268XXII . "The Time of the End" 281XXIII. Manner of the King's Coming 293XXIV. Freedom-loving Witnesses 305XXV. "Men of Good-Will.' 317XXVI . "Abomination of Desolation" 328XXVII . Final War for Freedom 341XXVIII . Princes of a Free Earth 352XXIX . The Thousand-Year Reign 360XXX . Freedom Now! 371

"THE TRUTHSHA MAKE YOU FREE"CHAPTER IIT WAS the 22nd day of the monthEthanim, the month which the Romanscalled October . Great were themultitudes that thronged the areasfor the common people in the temple of Jerusalem.The seven-day feast of the harvest ingatheringhad just been celebrated, the mostjoyous event of the year to the people of thenation . Its celebration was a happy expressionof the people's conviction that there would befreedom from want for at least the year tocome .Today was the eighth day. The people hadnot yet dispersed to their homes throughoutPalestine and other provinces of the RomanEmpire, because this eighth day was a furtherlay of festive gathering, a sabbath of refrainingfrom work, and hence a holiday . It wascalled the "last day, that great day of the feast" .That morning one of the temple priests hadgone forth, trailed by a rejoicing multitudewaving branches of palm and other trees, andhad fetched water from the fountain of Siloam .The golden pitcher of water was brought intothe temple's court of the priests amid the shouts9

10 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"of the worshipers and the sound of cymbals andtrumpets, and was then poured over the greatcopper altar of sacrifice . The ceremony recalledthe time when their forefathers dwelt in tabernaclesin the wilderness for forty years anddivine power caused water to issue forth miraculouslyfrom a flinty rock to refresh the thirstcrazedpeople . More than this, now the seedtimeof the farmers was approaching, and theoffering of Siloam's water to the God who hadperformed that miracle was a petition for hisblessings of the rain upon the seed sown . Thedue season of the year for the early rain wasat hand. The people looked to the great Rainmakerto keep them free from want .Pontius Pilate was then Rome's governor ofits province of Judea . During the great feastsof these Judeans it was his custom as procuratorto remove from Caesarea, on the Mediterraneanseacoast, and to come up to Jerusalemand reside there . Pilate had taken up hisduties in Judea some six years previously, inA.D. 26. His family name, or cognomen, suggeststhat he was descended from a freedman,who had been given the pileus or cap of liberty.From the household of Tiberius Caesar, theRoman emperor, Pilate came, to govern for tenyears, trying to keep the Pax Romana in Palestine.He little understood the Jews . Underhim they appeared to enjoy freedom of religion .This, however, was not without a struggle, forPilate quarreled with them almost continuously .Hence they did not altogether enjoy freedom

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 11from fear . They remembered how at the verybeginning of his administration Pilate hadtransferred the headquarters of his army fromCaesarea to Jerusalem. Of course, the soldierstook with them their standards bearing theimage of the emperor and brought them into thehallowed city, whose God had given his peoplethe command "Thou shalt not make unto theeany graven image, or any likeness of any thingthat is in heaven above, or that is in the earthbeneath, or that is in the water under the earththou shalt not bow down thyself to them, norserve them ."' Cautiously the soldiers took intheir standards by night .No former governor had attempted such athing which to the Jews was a desecration ofthe sacred city . Their rage and indignationwere great on discovering those flags or imagebearingstandards in the midst of Jerusalem .In large crowds they streamed down to Pilate,then at Caesarea, and implored him to removethe -images . The fifth day of the discussionsPilate treacherously planted soldiers in placesof concealment . At a given signal he causedthem to surround the petitioning Jews and toput them to death if they refused to break offtheir entreaties . This only made them strongerin their determination . They declared themselvesready to die rather than to give in to suchidolatrous encroachment upon the sacred realmof worship . Only then did Pilate yield andorder the military standards cleared out ofi uoted from Exodus 20 4, 5, in the Holy Scriptures .

12 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Jerusalem and returned to Caesarea . Yet laterhe caused some inscribed shields to be hung upin Jerusalem, and it was finally by order fromEmperor Tiberius himself that those thingsesteemed defiling were removed from the city .These and other unwise moves stood out as sorespots in the struggle for freedom of worshipaccording to the dictates of Jewish conscience .Continual vigilance was the price of their libertyfrom defilement .Now another thing had appeared to disturb,and that from their own midst . A man had suddenlyrisen up from Galilee. "A Nazarene" theycalled him . For this reason the "holier thanthou" religious leaders despised him . It wasknown he had been baptized in Jordan river .It was thought that he had thereby acknowledgedhimself to be a sinner . For three yearshe had gone about Palestine, tramping fromplace to place and preaching and teaching in thesynagogues, in the homes of the people, in themountains, at the seaside, and in the temple .Indeed he was in the temple this very day .The whole nation was in a ferment religiously .This unusual man from "Galilee of the Gentiles"had come out for the worship of God clean andpure, not only from Gentile defilements such asimage-bearing standards and inscribed shields,but also from all religion . He had taken issuewith the religious practices of the Jewish elders,scribes, evites, priests, Sadducees and Pharisees. A number of these were members of theSanhedrin, the Supreme Court, having power

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 1 3over the Jews which was limited only by theRoman governor. These high-ranking men werestrong advocates for what one of them called"the Jews' religion", or "Judaism" . They wereever on the lookout for false prophets, subjectto trial before the Sanhedrin .One day a number of scribes and Phariseesfrom Jerusalem came to this wonder-workingpreacher from Galilee with the question "Whydo your disciples transgress the tradition of theelders by not washing their hands beforemeals " To this he retorted "Why do you, too,transgress God's commands for the sake ofyour tradition God said, Honour thy fatherand thy mother' and et him who reviles fatheror mother be put to death' but you sayIf a man says to his father or mother, "Thisthing is consecrated, otherwise you should havereceived it from me," he shall be absolved fromhonouring his father' and so you have renderedfutile God's word for the sake of your tradition." Then this Galilean made bold to call themreligious hypocrites and to apply against thema verse from God's prophet Isaiah . He said"Hypocrites ! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you,This people honours me with their lips, whiletheir heart is far from me in vain do they worshipme, while giving as doctrines the mereprecepts of men ."' YOn another occasion this Galilean openlytaught the people from a mountainside and ex-I uoted from Matthew 15 2-9, Weymouth's translation, 5thedition .

14 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"posed religion and its widely advertised worksof charity, self-inflicted fasts and other exhibitions. He said "Beware of doing your goodactions in the sight of men, to attract theirgaze if you do, there is no reward for you withyour Father who is in heaven . When you givein charity, do not blow a trumpet before youas the hypocrites do in the synagogues andstreets in order that their praises may be sungby men. I solemnly tell you that they have receivedin full their reward . But when you aregiving in charity, let not your left hand perceivewhat your right hand is doing, that your charitiesmay be in secret and your Father-Hewho sees in secret-will recompense you."And when praying, you must not be likethe hypocrites . They are fond of standing andpraying in the synagogues or at the corners ofthe wider streets, in order that men may seethem. I solemnly tell you that they have receivedin full their reward. But you, wheneveryou pray, go into your own room and shut thedoor then pray to your Father who is in secret,and your Father-He who sees in secret-willrecompense you . And when praying, do not useneedless repetitions as the heathen do, for theyexpect to be listened to because of their multitudeof words . Do not, then, imitate them foryour Father knows what things you need beforeever you ask him . . . ."When you fast,-do not assume gloomy looksas the hypocrites do for they disfigure theirfaces that it may be evident to men that they

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 15are fasting . I tell you in truth that they havereceived in full their reward . But, whenever youfast, pour perfume on your hair and wash yourface, that it may not be apparent to men thatyou are fasting, but to your Father who is insecret and your Father-He who sees in secret-will recompense you ."'Such speech was decidedly antireligious tothe high priests, scribes, and Pharisees ofJerusalem and the members of their SupremeCourt. To them, it was unreligious conductwhen this Galilean performed miraculous curesof sick and afflicted people on the weekly restday,the sabbath . The common people heard himgladly . This fact robbed the religious leaders oftheir freedom from fear more so when the peoplecame to look upon this ambulating teacheras one of God's prophets . The question thenarose, and was openly discussed, as to whetherthis was the mighty Prince that was foretold tocome, the Messiah, whom Greek-speaking Jewsat that time called "Christ" . It was hoped thatthe Messiah, or Christ, would destroy the yokeof Rome from off the necks of those who worshipedthe Most High God. He was to set up thekingdom of God, which would be a blessing tomen and women of all nations, the Gentiles, andwould usher in a free world without end . Nowon that "great day of the feast" the people wholistened to the Galilean teaching at the templewere heard to discuss among themselves . Somesaid "Of a truth this is the Prophet" that is,1 uoted from Matthew 6 1-18, Weymouth's translation .

16 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the prophet who should arise after Moses andbe like Moses . Others said "This is the Christ ."'The religious leaders began to think thatfreedom of speech was not a good thing for thisbold young man, who was "not yet fifty yearsold", only thirty-three years old, in fact . Theywanted to kill him, but were afraid to lay handsupon him because of the people . How they despisedthe people for listening to him! Theycalled such people am ha-arets people of theearth and said they were unworthy of a resurrectionto life eternal . That day, while the Galileanwas instructing the people, they said"This people who knoweth not the law arecursed ." So the chief priests and Pharisees sentout officers of the law to arrest him at the templeand break up his preaching in public . Theofficers were more honest than their religiousdictators and came back without the preacher .Asked why, they replied "Never man spake likethis man .""This man" did not ask the political or thereligious rulers for the right or guarantee ofthe freedom of speech to preach the messagehe gave. He already possessed that right as aright given to him by the One who had sent himto preach and teach "the kingdom of heaven" .That One, he said, was his Father above . Noone could, therefore, properly interfere with hisright of freedom of speech for the Kingdom .Fear of death-that he did not have for hesaid "When ye have lifted up the Son of man,' uoted from John 7 26,37,40,41 .

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 17then shall ye know that I am he, and that I donothing of myself but as my Father hathtaught me, I speak these things . And he thatsent me is with me ." 1Why did this Galilean speak thus boldly, withcomplete freedom from fear of religionists whoattempted to mob him, to arrest him and to killhim There he stands, speaking in the temple tothose believing on him . isten to him ! Hearfor yourself his own answer to the question "Ifye continue in my word, then are ye my disciplesindeed and ye shall know the truth, andTHE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE ."Here is the secret of the Galilean's courageto speak out plainly against religion and religioushypocrites and their sins . He had thetruth, and knew it, and spoke the truth uncompromisinglyfor the sake of the freedom of thepeople . He recognized that the religious leadersand their dupes were in a worse bondage thanthey realized, a bondage to their worst adversary,the Devil . Some of these religionists objectedand said that they were the seed or descendantsof the faithful patriarch Abrahamand hence were never in bondage and how,then, could the Galilean make them freeThe Galilean answered "Verily, verily, I sayunto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servantof sin . . . . If the Son therefore shall makeyou free, ye shall be free indeed . I know thatye are Abraham's seed but ye seek to kill me,because my word hath no place in you . I speak1 uoted from John 7 32, 45-49 also John 8 28, 29 .

1s "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"that which I have seen with my Father and yedo that which ye have seen with your father .. . . Ye do the deeds of your father ." Thereuponthe self-righteous religionists slurred theGalilean's birth and said "We be not born offornication we have one Father, even God ."They trusted in the "fatherhood of God", atleast for their nation out of all the nations .Who needed to be told the truth more thanthey, that they might realize their bondage andlearn the path to freedom Therefore the Galilean,this one named Jesus, said straightforwardlyto the religionists "If God were yourFather, ye would love me for I proceeded forthand came from God neither came I of myself,but he sent me. Why do ye not understand myspeech even because ye cannot hear my word .Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts ofyour father ye will do . He was a murderer fromthe beginning, and abode not in the truth, becausethere is no truth in him . When he speaketha lie, he speaketh of his own for he is aliar, and the father of it . And because I tell youthe truth, ye believe me not ."Jesus was not the servant of sin or the Deviland his lies Jesus was free . Therefore he askedthem "Which of you convinceth me of sin Andif I say the truth, why do ye not believe me Hethat is of God heareth God's words ye thereforehear them not, because ye are not of God ."Hence they were not free from blindness by thefather of lies, but were bound with his murderousspirit .

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 19Angered by the truth from this One whospoke with perfect freedom from fear, the religionistsaccused him of having a devil and beingin bondage to it . "Jesus answered, I have not adevil but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonourme . And I seek not mine own glorythere is one that seeketh and judgeth . Verily,verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying,he shall never see death ."Remarkable, this saying for here is promisedeverlasting freedom from death, and this bykeeping the saying of truth . Are there believingpersons now living on earth who will literallyexperience the fulfillment of this promiseThe religionists who heard Jesus rejected thetruth of his testimony concerning himself andhis Father . "Then took they up stones to cast at

2 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"him but Jesus hid himself, and went out of thetemple." To their sin of unbelief of the truththey would add the devilish deed of murder .They soon died in their willing bondage, as Jesushad warned them "I said therefore untoyou, that ye shall die in your sins for if ye believenot that I am he, y e shall die in your sins ." 1WHAT IS TRUTHToday, nineteen centuries removed from thetime of the utterance, "The truth shall make youfree," the world is not free . Who can honestlycontend that it is The very fact that, in the1940's, politicians of "Christendom" publish astatement to the world guaranteeing the socalled"Four Freedoms" is a blank admissionthat the peoples and nations are not free . Nevertheless"Christendom", which, according to herprofession of the name "Christian", ought to befree, claims to have continued in the word ofJesus and to be his disciple indeed . The factsbelie her claim. Instead of knowing the truth,"Christendom" is a confusion of religions, Catholic,Protestant, and Jewish, and pagan, and aconfusion of political systems, democratic andtotalitarian . All are now fearfully groping indarkness for some inter-religious and internationalarrangement whereby they can all surviveand get along together .This serious plight of "Christendom" standsas a condemnation that her political and religiousleaders during the sixteen centuries of her' uoted from John 8 24-50.

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 21existence have not continued till now in theword of Jesus and have not been his disciplesindeed. Today, in "Christendom", are fulfilledthe words of the ancient prophet "None callethfor justice, nor any pleadeth for truth theytrust in vanity, and speak lies they conceivemischief, and bring forth iniquity . . . . Judgmentis turned away backward, and justice standethafar off for truth is fallen in the street, andequity cannot enter . Yea, truth faileth and liethat departeth from evil maketh himself a preyand the ORD saw it, and it displeased him thatthere was no judgment ."'The most pressing need of all people who desirelife and liberty in a free world is for thetruth . To continue in the word of a mere manwho speaks out of his own wisdom makes one adisciple of such man, but also leads to bondage .Not so, however, with the word of Jesus . Tocontinue in His word makes us free as his disciples,knowing the truth, because his is not theword of one merely of human origin or possessedof mere human wisdom . He called uponhis hearers to be honest and to examine andrecognize his real identity and that of his Father. Why Because, said he, "this is life eternal,that they might know thee the only trueGod, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent ."2That truth is echoed by one of his disciples,who wrote "This is the true God, and eternallife."'I uoted from Isaiah 59 4, 14, 15.2 uotation from John 17 3 and 3 from 1 John 5 20.

22 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Jesus stuck to the word he preached, becauseit was the truth . He was finally arrested by religionists,held in custody and abused and derided,falsely accused, and then nailed to a treetill lifeless . But he died a free man . He died becausehe did not choose to fight back with powersthat were at his command . He yielded todeath because he knew more benefit would resultfrom his death than to fight for furtherlife in the flesh . He died because the interestsof the truth concerning himself and his Fatherwould be more fully served by suffering innocentlyunto death than by continuing to live asa man . As truth cannot for ever be crushed toearth, so neither could this faithful Truth-tellerfor his Father duly freed him from death'sbonds and ushered him into a freedom as wideas the universe and wherein he will "never seedeath" .What is his word, or doctrine, wherein wemust continue in order to be his disciples andknow the truth and be free We cannot turn toany of the many conflicting religions for Hisword, because he told the practicers of religionthey were guilty of "making the word of Godof none effect through your tradition, which yehave delivered". Thereafter the religionistskilled him, because his word found no place inthem. Jesus did not teach like the religionists,who referred to human authorities and traditionsof religious men. Hence, "the people were

"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE" 23astonished at his doctrine for he taught themas one having authority, and not as the scribes ." 1Jesus revealed the source of his word of truth .He said "My doctrine is not mine, but his thatsent me . If any man will do his will, he shallknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, orwhether I speak of myself." Privately he saidto his disciples "The word which ye hear is notmine, but the Father's which sent me ." Then,joining with his disciples in prayer, he said tohis Father "Sanctify them through thy truththy word is truth ." 2It is his Father's written Word that is thetruth which was why he repeatedly quoted it ashis authority and guide during his earthly life .If we would continue in his word and be his disciples,we must likewise turn to his Father'sword of truth . Then we shall come to know thetruth and be made free with a God-given freedomthat no human or devilish powers can takeaway. To find life eternal we must know intruth "the only true God, and Jesus Christwhom He has sent" . This knowledge we canrightly acquire only by means of the writtenWord of God . That Word instructs the truthseekersand freedom-lovers "Buy the truth,and sell it not also wisdom, and instruction,and understanding ." "Have not I written tothee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,that I might make thee know the certainty of1 See Mark 7 1-13 and John 8 43, 45, 47 and Matthew7 28, 29 .2 uotations are from John 7 16, 17 14 24 17 17 .

24 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the words of truth that thou mightest answerthe words of truth to them that send untothee 7" 1You must buy the truth at the cost of yourtime and effort spent in searching God's writtenWord, doing so without religious bias andprejudice . Otherwise you will be like the religiousleaders, "ever learning, and never able tocome to the knowledge of the truth ." The divineinstruction given through one of Jesus' faithfuldisciples who continued in His word andcame to know the truth is "Study to shew thyselfapproved unto God, a workman that needethnot to be ashamed, rightly dividing theword of truth ."To enable you thus to buy the truth andthereafter continue in it and "sell it not", thisbook is published . Through all the followingpages, this book will continue in His word, andthose pages will set out the scriptures in supportof the truth, as quoted principally fromthree versions of the Bible, the Catholic DouayVersion Douay , the King James or AuthorizedVersion A.V . , and the American RevisedVersion A .R .V . . Each such citation of Scripturewill set out the particular book of the HolyScriptures, then the chapter thereof, and thenthe verse or verses as, for example, 2 Timothy3 7 and 2 Timothy 2 15, for the two scripturetexts quoted in the above paragraph . Man'schief and most vital study is God and His pur-pose. Rightly our consideration begins with him .1 uotations are from Proverbs 23 23 22 20, 21 .

CHAPTER II"A GOD OF TRUTH"OPEN your copy of the Bible at thefirst book thereof, which is called"Genesis", and at the first verse . Itmatters not whether you use the CatholicDouay Version, or the Jewish eeser Version,or the Protestant versions, either the KingJames or the American Revised . They all translatethe same opening Hebrew words of theoriginal Bible, B'reshith' tiara' Elohim', and theyall read the same way "In the beginning Godcreated ."These inspired words put God first . They donot begin with raising the question posed byworldly scientists, Is there a God because, allthings considered, that question is foolish . "Thefool hath said in his heart, There is no God .Corrupt are they, and have done abominableiniquity there is none that doeth good . Godlooked down from heaven upon the children ofmen, to see if there were any that did understand,that did seek God." Psalm 53 1, 2 Thecourse of action of those who deny or doubt theexistence of God, and the outcome thereof, provethem fools . They deny the central truth, andare in bondage to error, which leads to destruction. To get free from such death-dealing errorand to come to the great Giver of life and truth,25

2 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"man must believe that God is . There is no endof proof that He is . "But without faith it is impossibleto please him for he that cometh toGod must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarderof them that diligently seek him ." Hebrews11 6 "The fear of the ord is the beginningof knowledge but fools despise wisdomand instruction ." "The fear of the ORD is afountain of life, to depart from the snares ofdeath ."-Proverbs 1 7 14 27 .He is a "God of truth". It is "impossible forGod to lie", and "he cannot deny himself" . Hencehe begins his inspired book of Genesis with theself-evident truth that God is "In the beginningGod created ." This could not mean there was abeginning to God but that he is the Beginnerof all things that exist . He is the Creator, theSource of all creation . The man whom God inspiredto write the book of Genesis also wrote"Before the mountains were brought forth, orever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,even from everlasting to everlasting, thou artGod ."-Psalm 90 2 .It is only fitting of God that his eternal existenceshould be beyond finding out by lowlyman with limited powers and who can not evensearch out to the bottom the secrets of the wonderfulworks of God round about him, and ofwhich works man himself is one . "For mythoughts are not your thoughts, neither areyour ways my ways, saith the ORD . For as theheavens are higher than the earth, so are myways higher than your ways, and my thoughts

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 2 7than your thoughts ." Isaiah 55 8, 9 Havingno beginning, God the Creator is therefore theone and only Being . He is the Supreme One ."Who only hath immortality, dwelling in thelight which no man can approach unto whomno man hath seen, nor can see to whom behonour and power everlasting. Amen."-1 Timothy6 16.There was a time when God began to create .Before that he was all alone in the universe, forimmeasurable time . He was not lonesome becausehe is perfect, being complete in himself .Hence his pleasure is absolutely independent ofcreatures, although he does find pleasure in theexercise of his boundless powers of creation .Those who worship him truthfully say in adoration"Thou art worthy, 0 ord, to receive gloryand honour and power for thou hast createdall things, and for thy pleasure they are andwere created ."-Revelation 4 11 .There was never a time when there was chaos,that is, a formless, disorganized and confusedstate, throughout the universe . It is only paganGreek mythology that claims that Chaos wasthe most ancient of the gods . Exposing the foolishnessof such idea of pagan science, the divineWord of truth says "God is not the author ofconfusion, but of peace ." "God is not a God ofconfusion, but of peace ." 1 Corinthians 14 33,A.V . and A.R.V. He did not bring order out ofchaos, because chaos never existed contemporaneouslywith "the true and living God" . Theuniverse was never out of his control . When

28 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"He, the sole inhabiter of the universe and ofeternity, began to create, he proceeded orderly .His processes of creation, whether instantaneousor progressive, operated under his regulationand according to laws which he establishedto govern the creative process to its perfection .Nothing can get beyond his control and mastery .As being undeniable proof of his existenceand his supremacy, unsearchable wisdom andalmighty power, God calls man's attention tothe works visible to man in the heavens, theearth, and the seas, which works operated beforeman's appearance on the earth and whichcontinue to operate without man's aid and beyondman's power to explain or control.-Readchapters 38 to 41 of the book of Job .The sensible man, marveling at such works ofdivine power and intelligence, exclaims "I haveheard of thee by the hearing of the ear but nowmine eye seeth thee . Wherefore I abhor myself,and repent in dust and ashes ." That man appreciatesthe inspired words of the psalmist"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thyfingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hastordained what is man, that thou art mindfulof him and the son of man, that thou visitesthim " Job 42 5, 6 Psalm 8 3, 4 To such honestman the heavens, though silent, testify thatGod is and is glorious "The heavens declarethe glory of God and the firmament showethhis handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,and night unto night showeth knowledge . Thereis no speech nor language their voice is not

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 2 9heard . Their line is gone out through all theearth, and their words to the end of the world .In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,. . . there is nothing hid from the heat thereof ."-Psalm 19 1-6, A .R .V .GOD, that is what the Almighty One is . Tothose who transgress against this truth he says"Remember the former things of old for I amGod, and there is none else I am God, andthere is none like me ." Isaiah 46 9 Religionistspoint to the fact that the word God here,as well as at Genesis 1 1, is the word Elohimin the Hebrew original, and that Elohim is theplural number of the Hebrew word Eloah .Hence they claim that here in these verses andin others Elohim means "gods" and that thisproves that God Almighty is a trinity of persons,all three being uncreated, having an eternityof existence together, and being equal inpower and glory . Not only is such teaching of atrinity of persons in one god unreasonable andbeyond the ability of these trinity-teachers toexplain, but not even the word "trinity", noreven the idea of such, appears in God's Word oftruth . The trinity of gods, however, does appearas a teaching of pagan religions in Egypt, Babylon,Greece, China, and elsewhere long beforeits adoption by the religionists of so-called"Christendom". The foolishness and unscripturalnessof such trinity doctrine, and its evidentpagan origin, will appear more plainly asthis discussion goes along . The brighteningtruth about the "true and living God" will make

30 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"you free of one of the greatest blasphemies andconfusing doctrines of religion .Here let it be sufficient to say that Elohim,though being plural in form, is accompanied bya singular pronoun and a singular verb when itrefers to The Supreme and Almighty One . Thisfact shows his unity and oneness of Being, thereexisting none besides him, none like him, noneequal to him in power and glory and eternity .Wherefore the plural form Elohim, as meaningGod Almighty, is merely the plural of excellenceand majesty and means one Person . Eloahsingular and Elohim plural are both enlargedfrom the original Hebrew noun El andEl is, in turn, drawn from the verb ool, whichmeans to be strong and mighty or to be beforeor ahead of. Hence the plural Elohim fits anddescribes the Supreme One as summing up allpower and might and as surpassing all and beingbefore all in His excellency and eternal existence.If GOD is what he is, what is his name Thatquestion was put long before this, even thousandsof years ago, in the days of Moses . By themiracle of the burning bush Almighty Godmanifested his presence to Moses for a very decidedpurpose . "Moses said unto God, Behold,when I come unto the children of Israel, andshall say unto them, The God of your fathershath sent me unto you and they shall say tome, What is his name what shall I say untothem And God Elohim said unto Moses,I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 31say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sentme unto you. And God Elohim said moreoverunto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the childrenof Israel, JEHOVAH, the God Elohim ofyour fathers, the God Elohim of Abraham,the God Elohim of Isaac, and the God Elohimof Jacob, hath sent me unto you this is myname for ever, and this is my memorial unto allgenerations."-Exodus 3 13-15, A.R .V .Elohim here is Jehovah, and there are notthree persons Jehovah only one . In the great-

32 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"est commandment of the law the ord God saysby his prophet Moses "Hear, 0 Israel Jehovahour God Elohim is one Jehovah andthou shalt love Jehovah thy God Elohim withall thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with allthy might." Deuteronomy 6 4, 5, A .R .V . Thusthe argument that the title Elohim supports thetrinity doctrine falls flat as foolish .By his prophet Isaiah the ord God announces"I am Jehovah, that is my name andmy glory will I not give to another, neither mypraise unto graven images ." Isaiah 42 8,A.R.V . At what time the ord God revealedthis name to mankind on earth is not definitelystated . It first appears in the Hebrew text ofthe Bible at Genesis 2 4, and occurs thereaftersix thousand six hundred times, from Genesisto Malachi. The English Bible versions, theCatholic Douay, the Jewish eeser, and theKing James or Authorized Version, hide thisimportant truth by translating Jehovah by thewords ORD, GOD, and The Eternal . The KingJames Version makes only four exceptions tothis practice which obscures the truth . However,the name Jehovah is found first on the lips ofthe first woman, at Genesis 4 1, A .R.V. Thefirst man shown to address Him by the name isAbraham the patriarch, "the friend of God," atGenesis 15 2, 7, 8 God "said unto him, I amJehovah that brought thee out of Ur of theChaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it .And he said, 0 ord Jehovah, whereby shall Iknow that I shall inherit it "-A .R.V.

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 33The ord God also revealed himself to Abrahamunder another title "And when Abramwas ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appearedto Abram, and said unto him, I am GodAlmighty ." Genesis 17 1, A .R .V . This titlewas to strengthen Abraham's faith in God'spromise to him of a miraculous birth of a son .That Abraham and others before Moses' dayknew the name but did not appreciate its inwardmeaning is stated by God himself "Godspake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovahand I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,and unto Jacob, as God Almighty but by myname Jehovah I was not known to them ." Exodus6 2, 3, A.R .V . Jehovah went on to statehis purpose concerning his chosen people, thenslaves in Egypt . His purpose was to fulfill acertain part of his covenant made with theirforefather Abraham and to make them his covenantpeople . That was the occasion of makingknown the inward meaning of God's name .From the emphasis laid upon it on this occasion,and from God's special choice of it in announcinghis purpose to vindicate himself andthe word of his covenant, it is plain that thename Jehovah means or signifies The Purposer,or His purpose toward his creatures . The namedoes not call notice to His being the EternalOne, which he is, of course. The name is thecausative form of the Hebrew verb havah tobe and literally means "He causes to be", thatis, he causes according to his purpose .

3 4"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"For many centuries, particularly after thedays of Jesus and his apostles, the meaning ofthe name Jehovah has been lost to sight, andeven the very name has been pushed into thebackground . Only in very recent years has Godcaused his name to be brought forth again to thelight and its meaning to be made known to hisfaithful servants, because it is the due time andthe vindication of his name Jehovah drawsnear .' et none now ignore that name !At Genesis 2 4 the designation "JehovahGod" first appears in Sacred Writ . Being GodElohim , Jehovah is divine . He is The Divinityor Divine One . "Being therefore the offspringof God, we must not suppose the divinity to belike unto gold, or silver, or stone, the gravingof art, and device of man ."-Acts 17 29, Douay .Jehovah is unseen to human eyes, but he givesmankind evidence of his divinity by his worksvisible to them. "For the invisible things of him,from the creation of the world, are clearly seen,being understood by the things that are madehis eternal power also, and divinity ." Romans1 20, Douay It would be improper to speak ofJehovah as having the "divine nature", becausenature means that which is born or produced,or, that which is according to birth and growthwhereas Jehovah is without birth or beginningor growth . He is ever perfect, and produces allthings righteous, good and perfect . However, tocreatures who prove themselves faithful disci-1 See The Watchtower, June 1, 1928, €5 January 1, 1933,114,5,6 .

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 35pies of Jesus, it is written by the disciple Peter"According as his divine power hath given untous all things that pertain unto life and godliness,through the knowledge of him that hath calledus to glory and virtue whereby are given untous exceeding great and precious promises thatby these ye might be partakers of the divine natureliterally a divine nature , having escapedthe corruption that is in the world throughlust ." 2 Peter 1 3, 4 Such faithful disciples,together with Jesus, become partakers of "adivine nature" by reason of being specially begottenby the invisible force of the Divine One,Jehovah God.God is invisible, beyond the power and capacityof man to see Him. To the prophet Moseshe said "Thou canst not see my face for thereshall no man see me, and live ." Exodus 33 20Hence human nature could never ascend toheaven and see God . In support of this a discipleof Jesus writes "No man hath seen Godat any time the only begotten Son, which is inthe bosom of the Father, he hath declared him .""And no man hath ascended up to heaven, buthe that came down from heaven, even the Sonof man ." John 1 18 3 13 This holds truebecause human nature is "of the earth, earthy",but God is spirit and is The Spirit . Concerningthe great Spirit and the manner of worshipingHim, Jesus said "The hour cometh, and now is,when the true worshippers shall worship theFather in spirit and in truth for the Fatherseeketh such to worship him . God is a spirit

36 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"and they that worship him must worship him inspirit and in truth ."-John 4 23, 24 .Is it now necessary to go to some religioustemple or cathedral in order to worship God,who is spirit His servant Paul gives the trueanswer "God that made the world and allthings therein, seeing that he is ord of heavenand earth, dwelleth not in temples made withhands neither is worshipped with men's hands,as though he needed any thing, seeing he givethto all life, and breath, and all things . . . Forasmuchthen as we are the offspring of God, weought not to think that the Godhead is like untogold, or silver, or stone, graven by art andman's device . And the times of this ignoranceGod winked at but now commandeth all meneverywhere to repent ."-Acts 17 24-30 7 48-50 .Is, then, anyone worshiping God when heoffers incense and bows down to an image ofany kind or material and says prayers on hisknees before such image That is the practiceof religion, but it is not the worship of God, theGod whom Jesus worshiped in spirit and intruth . John 20 17 All the faithful worshipersof God from Abel to Moses did not worshipGod in man-made temples or before images . AtMount Horeb, in Arabia, Jehovah God gave aterrifying manifestation of his power and thencalled Moses up into the mountain and gave tothat prophet the stone tablets of the Ten Commandmentswritten in His own hand, "writtenwith the finger of God ." The first two of thesecommandments read "I am Jehovah thy God

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 3 7Elohim , who brought thee out of the land ofEgypt, out of the house of bondage . Thou shalthave no other gods before me . Thou shalt notmake unto thee a graven image, nor any likenessof any thing that is in heaven above, orthat is in the earth beneath, or that is in thewater under the earth thou shalt not bow downthyself unto them, nor serve them for I Jehovahthy God am a jealous God."-Exodus 20 2-5,A.R.V . and 31 18 .A religionist may not excuse himself by sayingthat he merely gives the image "relativehonor and worship" and is not worshiping theimage itself, but the one for whom the imagestands . That is the very argument that thepagan heathen gave as an excuse for usingimages in their religion and worshiping thesun, moon and stars, and the "queen of heaven",as they called it . Jeremiah 7 18 44 17-25Such religious practice is self-deception, andGod does not excuse the use of images underthis pretext, but calls it a snare and expresslyforbids it to those who worship him in spiritand in truth . Even to wave the hand and give asalute and throw a kiss was forbidden by him asidolizing the image or thing .Therefore God inspired Moses to utter andwrite down this warning to God's covenant people"Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselvesfor ye saw no manner of form on theday that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb outof the midst of the fire lest ye corrupt yourselves,and make you a graven image in the

38 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,the likeness of any beast that is on theearth, the likeness of any winged bird that fliethin the heavens, the likeness of anything thatcreepeth on the ground, the likeness of anyfish that is in the water under the earth andlest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, andwhen thou seest the sun and the moon and thestars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawnaway and worship them, and serve them, whichJehovah thy God hath allotted unto all the peoplesunder the whole heaven ." Against such religiouspractices Jehovah God warned, saying"Neither shalt thou serve their gods for thatwill be a snare unto thee . The graven images oftheir gods shall ye burn with fire thou shalt notcovet the silver or the gold that is on them, nortake it unto thee, lest thou be snared thereinfor it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God ."Deuteronomy 4 15-19 7 16, 25, A .R.V. God'sWord of truth thus declares that religion is adeadly snare .'At Psalm 84 11 is the inspired statement"Jehovah God is a sun and a shield ." A .R.V .But that is no justification for worshipers ofJehovah God to kiss the hand to the sun or ashield or to salute them and bow down to thembecause they are used as symbols of God . Fromsuch obeisance to creatures and man-made thingsthe pure and true worshiper of God must holdback, as did the faithful man Job . Said he "If Ihave made gold my hope, or have said to the fine'Concerning James 1 26,27, see pages 87-89 .

"A GOD OF TRUTH" 89gold, Thou art my confidence if I rejoiced becausemy wealth was great, and because minehand had gotten much if I beheld the sun whenit shined, or the moon walking in brightnessand my heart hath been secretly enticed, ormy mouth hath kissed my hand this also werean iniquity to be punished by the judge forI should have denied the God that is above ."-Job 31 24-28 1 Kings 19 18 Hosea 13 2 .Nothing could be of greater importance thanto worship Jehovah God in spirit and in truth,as Jesus said . This is a God-given right of allHis creatures, and no human government, nomatter how high it is on earth, has any right tointerfere therewith and to dictate contrary tothe rule and commandment of the worship ofJehovah God . Jehovah is the Supreme Power .Ecclesiastes 5 8 The very life of intelligentcreation depends upon such true worship of theSupreme Power. "Therefore choose life, thatthou mayest live, thou and thy seed to love Jehovahthy God, to obey his voice, and to cleaveunto him for lie is thy life, and the length ofthy days ." Deuteronomy 30 19,20, A .R .V .32 47 "This is the true God, and eternal life ."1 John 5 20 "The gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our ord ."-Romans 6 23 .There came a time when the great Creatorand ife-giver began his creative work. Thiswas an expression of his love for "God is love" .1 John 4 16 What was his first creation, thebeginning of the creation of God And was itliving or inanimate

CHAPTER IIISPIRIT SONS OF GODSCIENCE of the men of this worldcannot solve the secret of the firstcreation of God . The secret is solvableand is, in fact, now revealed tothose who fear God and who therefore have the"wisdom that is from above" . The worldly andreligious scientists, worshiping their own brainsand the brains of other men, pass by the verysource of truthful information, God's Word, orthey reject its testimony. Thereby they denyGod its Author and make fools of themselves .They continue to gaze into the endlessness ofspace with their telescopes and to peer throughtheir magnifying glasses into the realm ofmicrocosms and to dig into the earth for fossilbones and remains, but never learn the sourceof life nor come to life-giving wisdom and truth .They never get free from the bonds of their misleadinghuman imaginations and suppositions .They go from one delusion to another, whilethose who trust in their theories fall into deeperdarkness and humankind continues to fightand suffer and die, and the old world faces aterrible end .The almighty, all-wise God who brought forthhis first creation at an unknown time in the pastis also able to create now a new world of right-40

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 41eousness wherein men who fear him and worshiphim in spirit and in truth may live freelyin light, peace and joy forever . His first creationhas an important and vital connection withthe establishment of the hoped-for new world .It is therefore no matter of idle speculation orimpudent curiosity for God-fearing men to examineinto this question . What God has causedto be recorded in his Word of truth is properfor man to desire and to seek to understand . Atthe due time God makes it understandable . "Thesecret things belong unto the ORD our God butthose things which are revealed belong unto usand to our children for ever, that we may doall the words of this law ."-Deuteronomy 29 29 .God's first creative work was no experimentalmodel . It was his best work of creation till nineteencenturies ago . It was a perfect work andperfectly showed forth the wisdom and knowledgeand praiseworthy workmanship of theCreator . It was deserving of bearing the nameof Jehovah its Maker . "For I will proclaim thename of Jehovah ascribe ye greatness unto ourGod . The Rock, HIS WORK IS PERFECT for all hisways are justice a God of faithfulness andwithout iniquity, just and right is he ." Deuteronomy32 3, 4, A .R .V . All Jehovah's works arean honor and credit to him, and the study ofthem in order the better -to know him leads towisdom and the understanding of the truth ."The works of the ORD are great, sought out ofall them that have pleasure therein . His work ishonourable and glorious and his righteousness

42 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"endureth for ever . The works of his hands areverity and judgment all his commandmentsare sure . They stand fast for ever and ever,and are done in truth and uprightness .-Psalm111 2, 3, 7, 8 .God's first creation was living and intelligentand was made to possess wisdom . "For Jehovahgiveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledgeand understanding ." Proverbs 2 6,A.R .V . Hence in the book of inspired proverbsthe Creator causes the one who is the beginningof His creation to speak under the symbolicfigure of Wisdom and to say "Jehovah possessedme marginal reading Jehovah formedme in the beginning of his way, before hisworks of old . I was set up from everlasting,from the beginning, before the earth was . Whenthere were no depths, I was brought forth, whenthere were no fountains abounding with water .Before the mountains were settled, before thehills was I brought forth while as yet he hadnot made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginningof the dust of the world. When heestablished the heavens, I was there when heset a circle upon the face of the deep, when hemade firm the skies above, when the fountainsof the deep became strong, when he gave to thesea its bound, that the waters should not transgresshis commandment, when he marked outthe foundations of the earth then I was by him,as a master workman and I was daily his delight,rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 43his habitable earth and my delight was withthe sons of men ."-Proverbs 8 22-31, A.R.V.Jehovah God had now set out on the purposeof endless creation. He now had beside him a"master workman" endowed with wisdom . Thisone had received life from God . This made himthe Son of God . In begetting this Son or bringinghim forth to life Jehovah was the onlyProducer or Creator, unassisted . His first livingcreature was therefore the "only begottenSon of God" . He was a spirit like Jehovah hisFather and could see Him and be with Him .Being a spirit and in the image of God, thisonly begotten Son was in the "form of God" .He was perfectly subject to his Father andCreator . Not once did he meditate upon a usurpationto be equal with his Father such equalityhe knew wisely is an impossibility . He recognizedJehovah as the Supreme Power and ashis Head . He never turned aside from that rule .Hence the only begotten Son is spoken of as theone "who, existing in the form of God, countednot the being on an equality with God a thingto be grasped" . Philippians 2 6, A .R .V . Jehovahthe Father dearly loved his only begottenSon, and the Son loved the Father and provedthat love by unselfish obedience to Him andkeeping His commandments . He feared Jehovah,not with a tormenting, selfish fear, butwith a dread of ever displeasing his Father andGod and not glorifying Him . The Son worshipedJehovah God, which means, not idle adoration

44 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"and admiration, but service actively to God andthereby honoring and exalting Him .Did this firstborn Son possess immortality,that is, deathlessness That he did not have thisquality and was not immortal at that time isproved by later facts as well as plainly stated inthe Bible . Endless life is dependent upon unendingobedience to God . By faithful and perfectobedience the Son would live by his Father'sapproval and could live with him forever .The time came, however, that Jehovah Godopened up to his Son the opportunity to gainimmortality. That the Father gave the Son suchopportunity is proved by the Son's statement"As the Father hath life in himself so hath hegiven to the Son to have life in himself." John .5 26 This also proves that Jehovah is the ifegiverto the Son .The Father, Jehovah God, made the Son hismouthpiece or spokesman, which in itself meantthat there were to be other creatures and thattoward these the Son of God would declare andexecute the word of God . Therefore in this positionthe Son was called "The Word of God" .This position of being the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Jehovah put the only begotten Son ina superior position with respect to all othercreatures that should be . The Father clothed theSon with power befitting his position, and thusthe Son, this "master workman" with God Jehovah,was a mighty one, and was before others,Jehovah only excepted. Concerning the Son inthe office of "The Word of God" it is written

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 45"In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God . Thesame was in the beginning with God . All thingswere made by him and without him was notany thing made that was made ."-John 1 1-3 .Does this mean that Jehovah God Elohimand the only begotten Son are two persons butat the same time one God and members of aso-called "trinity" or "triune god" When religionso teaches it violates the Word of God,wrests the Scriptures to the destruction of thosewho are misled, and insults God-given intelligenceand reason . Note first that the above quotationof John 1 1-3 mentions only two persons,not three . The very words of the text also showthat the Son, who receives life, could not becoeval or co-existent from eternity with theFather, who gives life to the Son and so beginshim. Though there is no beginning of GodElohim , or Jehovah, there was a beginning ofspeech or word and it was God who began orproduced speech or word . Thus the very titleshows that Jehovah God produced or began theone who is called "The Word" . "Thy word istrue from the beginning" or, according to themarginal reading of the Bible, "The beginningof thy word is true ." Psalm 119 160 God isthe origin of the Word . "And God Elohimsaid ."-Genesis 1 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26.The confusion is caused by the impropertranslation of John 1 1-3 from the Greek, inwhich the text was originally written, into theEnglish, such translation being made by reli-

46 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"gionists who tried to manufacture proof fortheir teaching of a "trinity" . This fact is madeplain in a book entitled "The Emphatic Diaglott",which sets out the original text of theScriptures in Greek letters and under each lineof the Greek text it presents a word-for-wordtranslation of the original Greek. This sublinearEnglish translation reads, as you will note inreproduction below "In a beginning was theWord, and the Word was with the God, and agod was the Word . This was in a beginning withthe God. All through it was done and withoutit was done not even one, that has been done ."You will also note that in the regular Englishin the right-hand column The Emphatic Diaglottemphasizes the distinction between the Creatoras THE God and the Word ogos as A god byprinting the word "GOD" when referring to theCreator and "God" when referring to the Wordor ogos .

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 4 7By remembering that the word "god", accordingto the Hebrew, means "mighty one" or "onewho is before others ", and by rememberingthe Son's power and position with reference toall the rest of creation, it is easily grasped thatGod's Son, the Word, was and is "a god" El ,or "mighty one", pre-eminent above other creatures,whereas Jehovah, the Producer of theWord, is "the God" Elohim , without beginningand "from everlasting to everlasting" .By referring to John 10 34-36 you will notethat Jesus quotes from the law at Psalm 82 6and says "Is it not written in your law, I said,Ye are gods If he called them gods, unto whomthe word of God came, and the scripture cannotbe broken say ye of him, whom the Fatherhath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thoublasphemest because I said, I am the Son ofGod " If those mighty men of earth againstwhom God directed his word of condemnationcould be called "gods", much more could and dothe true Scriptures speak of God's Son, theWord, as "a god" . He is a "mighty god", but notthe Almighty God, who is Jehovah . Isaiah 9 6Certainly, then, John 1 1-3, according to itsoriginal Greek text, is no proof that JehovahGod and his Son are "one in person, equal inpower and glory", as religious catechisms saywithout Scripture proof . The contrary is true .God the Speaker has power over the Word, andsends forth the Word to bear and fulfill God'smessage . In agreement with this John 1 18reads "No one hath seen God at any time an

48 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"only begotten God, the one existing within thebosom of the Father, He hath interpreted him ."-Rotherham's translation see also the A .R .V .translation, marginal reading .The question now arises as to the other creaturesthat were produced after God's firstbornSon, the Word. Were these other creatures eacha direct creation of God as his Son the Wordwas The firstborn Son's title "only begottenSon" indicates that the other creatures were notGod's direct creation without any agent in between. After Jehovah God created the Worddirect, then he used this only begotten Son asHis agent or "master workman" in the creationof everything else . To this effect John 1 3 testifiesconcerning the Word "All things weremade by him and without him was not anything made that was made ." John 1 14 also declaresthat God's only begotten Son, the Word,was the One who in due time became the "manChrist Jesus" it says "And the Word wasmade flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheldhis glory, the glory as of the only begotten ofthe Father, full of grace and truth ." Also1 John 1 1 reads "That which was from the beginning,which we have heard, which we haveseen with our eyes, which we have looked upon,and our hands have handled, of the Word oflife ."God's use of his Son the Word in the creationof all things after him is further stated atEphesians 3 9 "God, who created all things byJesus Christ." Also at Colossians 1 15-17 it is

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 49written concerning the Word or Jesus Christ"Who is the image of the invisible God, thefirstborn of every creature for by him were allthings created, that are in heaven, and that arein earth, visible and invisible, whether they bethrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powersall things were created by him, and forhim and he is before all things, and by him allthings consist." God's Word, Christ Jesus,would have to be the "firstborn of every creature",to be before all other creations and to beGod's "master workman" in producing them . Inproof of this Christ Jesus says concerning himself"These things saith the Amen, the faithfuland true witness, the beginning of the creationof God ."-Revelation 3 14 .Being the only begotten Son of God and "thefirstborn of every creature", the Word would bea prince among all other creatures . In this officehe bore another name in heaven, which name is"Michael". It means "Who is like God " andmarks its bearer as one who upholds the majestyand supremacy of Jehovah God and whowill vindicate Jehovah's name and word againstany possible false charges and misrepresentations. Other names were given to the Son incourse of time . In all the principalities whichwere created in the invisible spirit realm Michaelwas "one of the chief princes", and in duetime he became the invisible prince of God'schosen people of Israel . Daniel 10 13,2112Jude 9 Deuteronomy 34 5,6 As Jehovah'smighty prince and message-bearer, Michael has

50 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"angels under his command, and hence he is anarchangel. It is he whom Jehovah uses to clearout all rebellion from the universe, though it beattended by a time of trouble on earth such ashas never before been known .-See Revelation12 7-9 Daniel 12 1 Matthew 24 3, 21, 221 Thessalonians 4 16 .For how long Jehovah God and his belovedSon were together without other companionshipand enjoying each other's love the inspiredWord of truth does not reveal . However, Jehovahhas pleasure in the work of creation and inbestowing his loving-kindness upon creatures,and his time came for other creatures to bebrought forth . Now he worked jointly with hisSon, his only begotten Son being in completeharmony with his Father's purposes and actingin perfect unity and full co-operation with Him .Properly, then, the Son could say "I and myFather are one ." John 10 30 The Son underhis Father's direction proved himself a "masterworkman" and produced other spirit creatureswho were given various rank and power andauthority, namely, cherubim, seraphim, andangels .Cherubim is understood to mean the office ofbearers, that is, of God's throne they are anescort of His throne and uphold His majesty inthe throne as the Supreme Power of the Universe.Hence Jehovah God is addressed, atPsalm SO 1, in this manner "Thou that sittestabove the cherubim, shine forth ." A .R.V. AlsoPsalm 18 10 "And he rode upon a cherub, and

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 51did fly yea, he did fly upon the wings of thewind ." Also Psalm 99 1 "Jehovah reigneth letthe peoples tremble he sitteth above the cherubim."-A.R.V.On the lid of the ark of the covenant whichJehovah commanded Moses to make were twogolden representations of cherubim, one at eachend of the mercy seat . But the high priest andpeople of Israel were not permitted to worshipand adore these cherubic images . To preventthis, God commanded that, when the ark of thecovenant was carried about from place to place,the entire ark including the cherubim must becovered over with a cloth that they might noteven be visible to the people . Exodus 25 18-22Numbers 4 5 Man came in contact with livingcherubim early in human history .-Genesis3 24 Ezekiel 28 13, 14 .Seraphim means fiery or burning ones . Thedivine revelation shows them as attending uponGod's throne at his temple of judgment, andthey are used to purge away defilement as byfire . They declare God's holiness, and have beenused to foretell that all the earth will yet befilled with Jehovah's glory .-Isaiah 6 1-7 .Angels literally means messengers . It denotesnot only Jehovah's message-bearers butalso his heavenly deputies sent out on errandsof service . One placed as chief or first one overa body of angels would be an archangel in rank .All these are spirit sons, invisible to man andhigher than man in form of- life and organism .Of God's creation of angels it is written "Who

5 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"maketh his angels spirits his ministers a flamingfire ."-Psalm 104 4 Hebrews 1 7 .All these are bright and glorious creatures .Therefore they are likened in Scripture to thestars which man beholds in the heavens . Theywere all sons of God because of receiving lifefrom Jehovah and by his only begotten Son, theWord . The Word was brought forth first in themorning of creation . Then, while creation wasyet at its morn, Jehovah together with the Wordcreated another glorious spirit son, namedHeylel, which means shining one, day-star, orucifer. Being one of the early ones of God'ssons, he is called a "son of the morning" . Isaiah14 12 The Word and ucifer appear to havebeen the two described as "morning stars" .Up to this time in universal history all wasjoy, peace, and constructive work throughoutJehovah's realm of heavenly creatures . TheRecord, at Job 38 7, describes an occasion ofsinging and shouting for joy among them"When the morning stars sang together, and allthe sons of God shouted for joy ."All these glorious spirit sons of Jehovah werearranged in an orderly manner and assigned tocertain respective duties, to work in harmonywith one another without discord and friction .Thereby all would work together without confusionfor the carrying out of the righteous andholy purpose of their Creator, Jehovah . So arrangedand disposed in "thrones, or dominions,or principalities, or powers", they all made upthe heavenly part of a universal organization,

SPIRIT SONS OF GOD 53Jehovah's organization, over which He reignssupreme as King everlasting' . Jeremiah10 10 All were subject to Jehovah as SupremeHead. Even the Word, who became JesusChrist, was subject to the Father "The headof Christ is God ." 1 Corinthians 11 3 15 28The only begotten Son and all other spirit sonsof God worshiped Jehovah as God Most Highand Ancient as eternity. "And the Ancient ofdays did sit, whose garment was white as snow,and the hair of his head, like the pure woolhis throne was like the fiery flame, and itswheels as burning fire . A fiery stream issuedand came forth from before him thousandthousands ministered unto him, and ten thousandtimes ten thousand stood before him ."Daniel 7 9, 10 Blessed is their portion tobehold the majestic beauty of Jehovah and tobe his holy ministers!

CHAPTER IVEARTH'S CREATIONWONDERS passing human knowledgeand understanding the great God andCreator made for the use and joy anddelight of his spirit sons in the heavens. His beloved and only begotten Son was withhim in these grand creative works, and eachfresh new creation caused all living creaturesto praise and adore the Almighty One, "whichdoeth great things past finding out yea, andwonders without number ." Job 9 10 JehovahGod and his "master workman", the Word, wereThe Higher Powers, and under them the universalorganization of spirit creatures, seraphim,cherubim, and angels, lived and movedand served the purpose of God with perfect obedienceand all to his glory .-Romans 13 1 .Then the much diversified wisdom of God wasexpanded to those spiritual heavens by the beginningof a new form of creation, the materialcreation . There were vast, fathomless depths ofspace, and at God's command his mighty Son,the Word, began to adorn these with awesomematerial things . "By the word of Jehovah werethe heavens made, and all the host of them bythe breath of his mouth. For he spake, and itwas done he commanded, and it stood fast ."Psalm 33 6, 9, A.R .V . Glorious spiral nebulae54

EARTH'S CREATION 55were formed, and globular clusters of stars,suns and their planets and comets to move aboutthe suns in a well-defined orbit, all togetherbillions of milky ways, or galaxies of stars . Thevision of the omnipotent Creator could take inthe beautiful sight, and it was all well done inperfect agreement with his irresistible will .There was no chaos or wild confusion, but allthese heavenly bodies moved with orderlinessand regularity according to the hand of thegreat Former of all things . The formation ofeach spherical body went forward according tothe divinely fixed law . The Creator by his Wordheld in control all created, forming and developingthings . His invisible force, which the Biblecalls "the spirit of God", was sent forth fromhim to work and fulfill his pleasure toward allthese inanimate creations in the limitless reachesof space .There, in assigned places, were the heavenlybodies Ash and Cesil and Cimah and Mazzaroth,which men have misnamed Arcturus, Orion, andPleiades, and the zodiac, after the names offalse gods, or demons.-Job 9 9 and 38 31, 32,marginal readings .At this point the opening book of the HolyScriptures begins its matchless and truthful record"In the beginning God created the heavensand the earth ." Genesis 1 1, A.R.V . Whetherthe mass of matter composing the earth wasoriginally thrown off from the fiery sun aboutwhich it revolves, and just how long before thisthe earth mass was being formed, the Divine Rec-

56 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"ord does not say . Hence the Scripture recordthat follows, in Genesis, chapter 1, does not describethe creation of the earth mass itself, butthe ordering and preparing of it for the finalpurpose of its Creator .What was and is that final purpose TheCreator's answer is the answer of truth, whichtruth frees the human mind and heart of allfears concerning the destiny of the earth we inhabit"For thus saith Jehovah that created theheavens, the God that formed the earth andmade it, that established it and created it not awaste, that formed it to be inhabited I amJehovah and there is none else ." Isaiah 45 18,A .R .V . "One generation passeth away, and anothergeneration cometh but the earth abidethfor ever . The sun also ariseth, and the sungoeth down, and hasteth to his place where hearose ." Ecclesiastes 1 4, 5 "The earth whichlie hath established for ever ."-Psalm 78 69 .The preparing of the earth and the disposingof things upon it for inhabitation the Creator'srecord divides into six work periods . These sixperiods are followed by a period of rest or sabbathtoward earthly works, but not a sabbathtoward other parts of the universe and the workthere . That rest period of God toward the earthstill continues, as a comparison of his Word atGenesis 2 1-3 and Psalm 95 7-11 and Hebrews3 15-19 4 1-11 shows . Already about six thousandyears of that great rest or sabbath of Godhave passed, and his Word assures us definitelythat there is another thousand years thereof yet

EARTH'S CREATION 5 7to run . Hence this great rest day of the Creatortoward the earth appears to be about seventhousand years long . This seventh "day" beingof such length, it is but reasonable to concludethat the preceding six work-days were each ofthe same length, the six spanning a total periodof forty-two thousand years .The record of earth's creation, being of thingsbefore man's existence, is therefore inspired ofGod . God asks man "Where wast thou when Ilaid the foundations of the earth declare, ifthou hast understanding . . . . when the morningstars sang together, and all the sons of Godshouted for joy Or who shut up the sea withdoors, when it brake forth, as if it had issuedout of the womb when I made the cloud thegarment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingbandfor it ." Job 38 4-9 "Who makethhis angels spirits his ministers a flaming firewho laid the foundations of the earth, that itshould not be removed for ever . Thou coveredstit with the deep as with a garment the watersstood above the mountains ." Psalm 104 4-6These and other Scripture statements unite intestifying that the earthly sphere was once envelopedin a canopy of water and other materialssuspended above the surface of the globe .Great bands or belts of such enwrapped theearth and hid its face from view.Originally the earth was a fiery mass of matter. In this incandescent state it glowed like aminiature sun, like a star . No seas could existupon its surface then, but all moisture was

5 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"driven off as steam and its hydrocarbons werevaporized and its metal and minerals were sublimatedand thrown far out into space, about theboiling, burning earth-core . As the earth rotatedon its axis, this thrown-off matter graduallyformed into great rings about the earth at itsequator, where the centrifugal force of the spinningearth was most powerful. Yet the earth'spower of gravity held the rings in the vicinityof the earth's equator. According to the densityand specific gravity of the materials thrown offfrom the molten earth, they formed into ringsof water mixed with mineral substance, thedensest and heaviest being nearest the earthcore,the next heavy being immediately next outbeyond it, and so on, the lightest being thrownout farthest and being almost wholly a waterring . Thus an annular or ring system' existed,and the appearance to the eye of God was likethat of a great wheel, with wheels within wheels,and with the molten earth itself as the sphericalhub of them. The formation was exactly likethat of the planet which astronomers call "Saturn"and which still has a ring system about it,three rings concentric yet swinging about itsequator .The planet Saturn is progressing to its finalcreative form according to the same divine lawsthat governed the earth at its early stages ofcreation . The evidence tends to the conclusionthat these rings are composed of frozen snow1 See the book The Earth's Annular System, by Isaac N . Vail1886 .

EARTH'S CREATION 59particles . With the aid of a telescope it is noticeablenot only that Saturn has rings, but thatabout the sphere there are bands of variouswidths and brightness, and these are at variouslatitudes above and below Saturn's equator .However, at its north and south poles there areno canopies, but the poles are exposed . Therethe canopy belts are falling, those being theareas of least resistance to gravitational forces .Such belts are produced by the rings at theequator falling one after another and thenspreading out to form belts on either side ofthe equator . Each of these canopy belts revolvesabout Saturn at its own specific speed, graduallyslowing down as it nears the polar region .Unseen within and beneath these canopy beltsthe planet Saturn itself rotates on its axis likea central core at its own as yet unmeasuredspeed .ikewise with the early earth . As it cooled,its nearest and heaviest ring fell first towardthe equator . But the earth's centrifugal forceprevented its fall to the earth's surface, and thering flattened out and spread out like a belt, onepart to the north and the other to the south .Ring after ring fell, and belt after belt formed .The belts moved toward the north and the southpole and there to a final fall to the earth itself .At the polar points of least resistance theearth's gravity pulled down each belt as itreached such weak spot, and the waters andtheir valuable treasures took a Niagara-like'plunge. Reaching the earth, the watery deluge

60 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"swept as a terrific inundation or flood from thepoles toward the equator, carrying along itswealth of metals and minerals, together withice. This greatly enriched the surface of thecooling earth .At a certain stage, then, the surface of theearth, except at the poles, was completely envelopedin a canopy of mineralized and waterybelts, like swaddling bands, high in suspensionabout the earthly globe . There was yet a seriesof rings riding on high at its equator, and thusthe appearance of our planet was then like thatof Saturn at present, whose rings are 171,000miles across diametrically . The earth reachedthis stage of annular and canopy developmentmore quickly than Saturn, because, being asmaller body, it cooled more rapidly and itsexhalations condensed sooner . No form of a

EARTH'S CREATION 61continent then showed upon the earth, but therewas water directly upon the bosom of the earth,as well as a watery deep swirling high up above .Then the invisible force or "spirit" of Jehovahacted upon those exterior waters, moving uponthe outer face or surface of them . "And theearth was without form, and void and darknesswas upon the face of the deep . And thespirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."-Genesis 1 2 .The earth having now cooled and solidified,it no longer glowed like a star, but was dark ."And God said, et there be light and therewas light . And God saw the light, that it wasgood and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and thedarkness he called Night . And the evening andthe morning were the first day ."-Genesis 1 3-5 .This was not some electrical light created atthe earth itself, otherwise it would have shoneall around the earth at the same time and therewould have been no division between light anddarkness . Whence, then, came the light Fromthe sun, which had been created unknown timeprior to our tiny planet earth of the solarsystem .The sunlight shone only upon the upper surfaceof the frozen or watery canopy high upabove and around the earth. Only half of thiscanopy received the light of the sun at any time,the other half being away from the face of thesun and being in darkness . But, like the earthwithin, the belt canopy about it was also revolvs

62 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"ing around the earth's axis . Thus there was adivision between the daylight period and thenight period . However, the light of the sun didnot penetrate through those canopy belts andreach the surface of the earth itself or reach thewaters immediately upon the earth . The canopybelts were practically opaque, and between themand the earth the intervening space was densewith carbon, worse than a "pea-soup fog" inondon . Note, too, that in describing this firstday, as well as all following creative days, theCreator God puts the evening before the morning.He begins each creative day of seven thousandyears with the evening period . At eveningthe final form of stable things to come isseen only in dim outline at first, if at all andthen it becomes clearer and, at last, fully distinctat the climax or "morning" of the day ."And God said, et there be a firmament anexpansion in the midst of the waters, and letit divide the waters from the waters . And Godmade the firmament, and divided the waterswhich were under the firmament from the waterswhich were above the firmament and itwas so . And God called the firmament Heaven .And the evening and the morning were thesecond day ." Genesis 1 6-8 This appears tomean a clearing up to some extent of the expansebetween the waters under which earth'ssurface was buried and the watery belts suspendedabove the earth . The firmament or"heaven" was not holding up the canopy beltson high, but the establishment of the firmament

EARTH'S CREATION 63marked a clear separation between such watersabove and those under it. It was in this firmamentthat the winged creatures yet to be madewould fly, and which in time man himself wouldinvade with the airship, the airplane and therocket . At the close of the second creative daythe light from the sun had not yet piercedthrough the canopy and reached the firmament .All was still dark there ."And God said, et the waters under theheaven be gathered together unto one place, andlet the dry land appear and it was so . And Godcalled the dry land Earth and the gatheringtogether of the waters called he Seas and Godsaw that it was good ." Genesis 1 9, 10 Thusat the beginning of the third creative day ofseven thousand years there were great convulsionswithin the bowels of the earth, very likelycaused by the falling of more belts of the canopyat the poles of the earth and subjecting it tonew weights and pressures . At any rate, God'sdirective power was operating, and bodies ofland were forced up above the surface of thehitherto watery waste. Vast continents andislands pushed up . They were nude of all vegetationor plant life ."And God said, et the earth bring forthgrass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit treeyielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is initself, upon the earth and it was so . And theearth brought forth grass, and herb yieldingseed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit,whose seed was in itself, after his kind and

64 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"God saw that it was good . And the evening andthe morning were the third day." Genesis1 11-13 There was no evolution or developingof one form or specialty of plant life throughindefinite, indistinct changes into another formof plant life . God's manifold wisdom createdthe multitude of definite forms of plants andvegetation, each one bearing seed within itselfto reproduce and continue its own kind unchanged. All this bringing forth of the firstforms of plant life took place in the darknessthat still hovered in the firmament over theearth and within the dense watery canopy ."And God said, et there be lights in thefirmament of the heaven to divide the day fromthe night and let them be for signs, and forseasons, and for days, and years and let thembe for lights in the firmament of the heaven togive light upon the earth and it was so . AndGod made two great lights the greater light torule the day, and the lesser light to rule thenight he made the stars also . And God set themin the firmament of the heaven to give light uponthe earth, and to rule over the day and overthe night, and to divide the light from the darknessand God saw that it was good . And theevening and the morning were the fourth day ."Genesis 1 14-19 This does not say or meanthat first during earth's fourth creative day Godproduced the sun around which the earth revolvesand also produced the earth's satellite,the moon, and also the stars visible far beyondto the naked eye . These celestial bodies existed

EARTH'S CREATION 65long before the earth's "fourth day" began . Godhad made them and hung them in the space atvast distances out beyond the rings and canopycircling the earth, and hence high above thefirmament or "heaven" surrounding the earth,which "heaven" divided the waters on the earthfrom those above .Now, however, for the first time the light ofthe sun, moon and stars appeared in the firmamentof earth's heaven and that light penetratedthrough to the land surfaces and seas of theearth itself . Evidently by this time more of thecanopy's densely-laden watery belts had reachedthe poles and fallen, deluging the whole earthfor the time and wiping out the growing plantlife . After such floods subsided, more plantssprang up and covered the protruding land surfaceswith herbage . The canopy belt last fallingin the course of the fourth day left only thelightest rings of almost pure water to drop atthe equator and to spread out northward andsouthward like a tent or canopy over the earth .This remaining aqueous canopy was translucent. It therefore let the light of the sun, moonand stars far outside to stream through andlight up the firmament, the air expanse whichhad now become relatively free of carbon . Theeffect of this was to produce a hothouse stateupon the earth under its translucent canopy .This was very conducive to the luxuriant growthof plant life, even to the northern and southernpolar regions, in the intervals between the fallof canopy belts .

66 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Due to the aqueous canopy still envelopingthe earth above the firmament the definite outlineof the sun, moon and stars could not havebeen seen at the surface of the earth . Only theirlight diffused through the canopy . As time wenton, the canopy would become very thin immediatelyabove the equator of the earth, and thesunlight would penetrate through and be refractedwith unusual brilliancy . What creatureswould now inhabit the earthANIMA SOU SBecause the several versions of the Biblequoted from thus far do not convey the strictor inner sense of the original Hebrew in thefurther part of the creation account, we nowquote from an authoritative version which doesso. It is Rotherham's The Emphasised Bible,published in 1902 and based upon the most authenticof Bible manuscripts . uotations hereafterfrom this emphasized Bible version willbe marked Roth. . Accordingly, the Recordnow reads "And God said et the watersswarm with an abundance of IVING SOU , andbirds shall fly over the earth, over the face ofthe expanse of the heavens . And God createdthe great sea-monsters, and every IVING SOUthat moveth, with which the waters swarmedafter their kind, and every winged bird after itskind. And God saw that it was good . And Godblessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply,and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birdsmultiply in the land . So it was evening, and it

EARTH'S CREATION 67was morning, a fifth day ."-Genesis 1 20-23,Roth .God's Word of truth as above quoted provesthe existence of earthly souls thousands ofyears before man's appearance . God's inspiredRecord calls the sea monsters and other seacreatures, and also the birds, "'living souls," becausethey lived and had a measure of intelligence. In the original Hebrew of the Bible thisexpression is nephesh chayyah, the very sameexpression that is applied to man by his Creator. Keeping this truth in mind will help thestudent of God's Word to get free from thegreat religious confusion and darkness on thequestion, What is a human soul, and can it dielike the lower animals If your copy of theKing James Version or American StandardVersion has marginal reference readings, youcan prove the above by the references of verses20 and 30 to the margin .During this fifth creative day there may havebeen a falling of further belts of the aqueouscanopy at the poles, resulting this time in thedestruction of animal or creature life by theicy waters, some forms of animal life beingwiped out which do not exist today . This destructiveprocess, together with further upheavalsof the earth's crust, was, no doubt, responsiblefor those great limestone depositsknown as "shell-fish cemeteries" . However, asthis fifth day was thousands of years long, newerforms of creature life would be produced bydivine power after each such deluge .

68 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"The final work-day was now reached. "AndGod said, et the land bring forth IVING SOUafter its kind, tame-beast and creeping thingand wild-beast of the land after its kind . And itwas so. And God made the wild-beast of theland after its kind, and the tame-beast after itskind, and every creeping thing of the groundafter its kind . And God saw that it was good ."-Genesis 1 24, 25, Roth . -What forms or kinds of animal souls werefirst to be created on this sixth creative day isnot stated. Doubtless some forms whose fossilsor petrified remains have been found imbeddeddeep in the earth were destroyed by furtherfalling belts from the canopy and by the resultinginundations rushing down like tidalwaves from the poles . The creative day not beingtwenty-four hours long, but several thousandyears long, Jehovah's power would replenishthe earth with animal life of like or newkinds . It was doubtless after the last of suchdevastating deluges on the sixth day that thedescription at Genesis 2 4-6 applies "Theseare the generations of the heavens and of theearth when they were created, in the day thatJehovah God made earth and heaven . And noplant of the field was yet in the earth, and noherb of the field had yet sprung up for JehovahGod had not caused it to rain upon the earthand there was not a man to till the ground butthere went up a mist from the earth, and wateredthe whole face of the ground ."-A .R .V .

CHAPTER VHUMAN SOU S CREATEDGOD made the earth to be inhabited byman . The sixth creative day was closing. The masterpiece of God's earthlycreation was yet to come, to presideover all lower animal creatures and to do so inthe image of God, who presides over all creation.To this end this earthly masterwork mustbe intelligent above the subject animals . It mustbe in the likeness of the Creator by possessingthe needed measure of wisdom, power, love,and justice . Again the ord God used his onlybegotten Son, the Word, as a master workman,and to him Jehovah God spoke when finallyready to bring forth the climax of his earthlycreatures ."And God said, et us make man in our image,after our likeness and let them have dominionover the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of theair, and over the cattle, and over all the earth,and over every creeping thing that creepethupon the earth. So God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God created lie himmale and female created lie them . And Godblessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful,and multiply, and replenish the earth, andsubdue it and have dominion over the fish ofthe sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over69

70 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"every living thing that moveth upon the earth ."Genesis 1 26-28 Here the Creator gave to theman and his mate a mandate respecting theearth. The mandate included more than beingin the image of God by exercising dominion overall the earth and its living creatures . God byhis "master workman" had made the first humanpair by his direct power . He would make nomore of them directly. He gifted them with thepower to reproduce their kind by marriageunion unlike the angels, who "neither marry,nor are given in marriage", all of them beingGod's individual creations by his Word. Thereforethe most responsible part of that divinemandate to the perfect man and woman was to"be fruitful and multiply" their own human kindand to fill the earth with a Godlike offspring .The great Provider favored this beautiful humanpair with perfect freedom from want andfreedom from fear . There was plenty for all,man and beast alike . "And God said, o! I havegiven to you every herb yielding seed which ison the face of all the land, and every tree whereinis the fruit of a tree yielding seed to youshall it be for food and to every living thing ofthe land, and to every bird of the heavens, andto every thing that moveth on the land whereinis a IVING SOU , every green herb for food.And it was so . And God saw every thing whichhe had made, and lo! it was very good . So it wasevening, and it was morning, the sixth day ."Genesis 1 29-31, Roth . A period of about42,000 years had passed by now since God said

HUMAN SOU S CREATED 71toward the earth, " et there be light ." After allthe preparatory work of those thousands ofyears the loving Creator Jehovah had givenman and woman a start that was "very good" .Jehovah having pronounced it "very good",it was nothing short of a perfect start . By man'sfaithful continuance in the carrying out of thedivine mandate to him things could remain perfectfor man in that free original world in whichman was created . What more work of JehovahGod was needed in man's behalf None and sothe Creator turned over to man the dominion ofthe earth as God's visible earthly representative. Man's work and privileges must thenceforthproceed according to the divine mandate ."Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,and all the host of them . And on theseventh day God ended his work which he hadmade and he rested on the seventh day from allhis work which he had made. And God blessedthe seventh day, and sanctified it because thatin it he had rested from all his work which Godcreated and made ." Genesis 2 1-3 It is foolishto think this means that Almighty God was exhaustedor weary from his work on this smallplanet earth and that thereafter he was obligedto rest for personal recovery . "Hast thou notknown hast thou not heard The everlastingGod, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of theearth, fainteth not, neither is weary there is nosearching of his understanding . It is he thatsitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitantsthereof are as grasshoppers that

7 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, andspreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ."Isaiah 40 28, 22, A.R.V. Hence, when Exodus31 17 states that "on the seventh day he rested,and was refreshed", it means he had achievedthe work he had purposed toward the earth, andhe felt the refreshing exhilaration and joy ofachievement. He rested, too, in the knowledgethat nothing that might develop thereafter couldthwart or successfully block his purpose as tothe earth . He would be equal to any emergencythat could arise, and would overcome it .Man's time the moon would mark off intomonths . The statement at Genesis 2 1-3 doesnot say that God divided time for the perfectman and woman into seven-day periods andcommanded them to observe a rest or sabbathdayevery seventh day . As long as this perfectpair observed the divine mandate they wouldrest in their Creator and enjoy freedom of worshipand freedom from fear and want, andthereby they would enjoy God's sabbath restwith him. They would enjoy a perpetual sabbathby faith and obedience to him .The account of creation of man given in Genesis,chapter one, is a general one . That in chaptertwo is a detailed one, filling out the shorteraccount above . In this chapter two the name ofJehovah appears for the first time, becausethenceforth the name of the ord God becomesinvolved with man on the earth . The account isvery simple and revealing as to the human souland how it was created . Study the language

HUMAN SOU S CREATED 73"And Jehovah God formed man of the dust ofthe ground, and breathed into his nostrils thebreath of life and man became a living soul ."-Genesis 2 7, A .R.V.Notice here the same expression "living soul"as in connection with the lower animals whencreated. In the Hebrew text the expression isnephesh chayyah . Genesis 1 20, 21, 24, 30 Godmade the human creature, man, or Adam, to bea "living soul" by first creating the human bodyand then breathing into it, not a soul, but the"breath of life", the energizing power, and thencombining that life force with the body . A "livingsoul" means a living creature and on earth itmeans a creature that breathes while alive . Alan,or Adam, was a living soul like the lower animals,having a material body and breathing theatmosphere of the firmament the same as didthose animals only man, or Adam, was of ahigher order, having an upright form and beingof far superior intelligence . He was also inGod's likeness and image . The lower animalsouls die . Can the human soul die And if it candie, is it nevertheless possible for it under rightconditions to live forever The Bible gives answer.In the section of the earth called "Eden",which means "Pleasure", and in the easternpart thereof, Jehovah God planted a garden orparadise, and there he put the man, to "dress itand to keep it" . It was in truth a pleasant place,the only specially prepared place on earth, andits life-sustaining trees and watercourses are

74 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"briefly described at Genesis 2 8-15. Though butnewly created, Adam was fully matured andperfect in stature, and he could talk with intelligence. The Creator caused Adam to get acquaintedwith the animals in the garden, that he,as one having dominion over them, might namethem. Mark carefully the reading of the account"God had formed from the ground everyliving thing of the field, and every bird of theheavens, which he brought in unto the man, thathe might see what he should call it, and whatsoeverthe man should call it, any IVING SOU , thatshould be the name thereof . So the man gavenames to all the tame-beasts, and to the birdsof the heavens, and to all the wild-beasts of thefield but f or man had there not been found ahelper as his counterpart ."-Genesis 2 19, 20,Roth .Here the Record again applies the term "livingsoul" to the birds and other animals, thesame as to perfect man in God's image and likeness. The animals were mortal souls and hadbeen dying prior to man, either due to thelimited span of life or due to the creative processes'yet operating about the earth, such asfalling canopy belts from above the firmament .Is man also a mortal soul That is, can a humansoul die Does it perforce have to die, like thelower animals, or can it survive forever Is itimmortalTrue answers to these questions are revealedin Jehovah's law to Adam. "And the ORD Godcommanded the man, saying, Of every tree of

HUMAN SOU S CREATED 75the garden thou mayest freely eat but of thetree of the knowledge of good and evil, thoushalt not eat of it for in the day that thoueatest thereof thou shalt surely die ."-Genesis2 16, 17 .This proves the human soul to be mortal, evenwhen man is perfect and sinless as Adam wason receiving this command of God . If the humansoul were immortal God could not have saidthat man's disobedience to God's law wouldbring the penalty of death upon man . Adam, thehuman creature, was a soul . He had no soulwithin him that was separate and distinct fromhis human body and that could exist independentlyeven should the dissolution of the humanbody occur . God, who had made the human soulby the union of the earthly body with the breathof life, could unmake that soul if it proved rebelliousagainst God's law . Then that soul wouldcease to be . It would die, forasmuch as the livingcreature, the man, who is the living soul,would die . So reads Ezekiel 18 4, 20.-Psalm104 29 .Nephesh, the Hebrew term for soul, is alsomany times translated life in the English Bible,whether it means the life of a beast or life of aman . Therefore, if a creature is possessed oflife, it can be said of that creature that there isa living soul in him . For example, Genesis 1 30reads "And to every living thing of the land,and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that moveth on the land wherein is a livingsoul ." Roth., and the A .R .V ., margin Also,

7 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"2 Kings 4 27 reads "Her soul is vexed withinher." When the prophet Elijah miraculouslyrestored a child to life he said to God " et thischild's soul come into him again ." "And theORD heard the voice of Elijah and the soul ofthe child came into him again, and he revived ."-1 Kings 17 21, 22 .Because the blood circulating within the bloodvessels is the basis of human and animal life, thelife is said to be in the blood "Flesh with thesoul thereof, the blood thereof, shall ye not eatand surely your blood of your souls will I require." Genesis 9 4, 5, Roth., margin "As forthe soul of the flesh, in the blood it is, thereforehave I given it unto you upon the altar, to puta propitiatory-covering over your souls for theblood it is which by virtue of the soul makethpropitiation ." eviticus 17 11, Roth ., marginTherefore the life, or soul, can not survive andexist as an intelligent creature apart from thebody. ike the blood drained from the body, solife or soul does not exist apart from the body .When the life forces are withdrawn from thebody, the soul or living creature dies, and notmerely the body .In the warning to Adam of a death penaltyfor disobedience in eating the forbidden fruitJehovah God made no mention of a place of conscioustorment, either temporary or eternal,after death . In all the divine record of creationit says nothing of making a burning "hell" oftorment to provide for torturing human soulsthere. No such place ever existed, and it would

HUMAN SOU S CREATED 7 7be hateful to Jehovah and out of harmony withhis wisdom, justice and love for him to providesuch a place of everlasting torment for sinners .What is more, it is impossible for sinners to besent to such a place, because at death the sinnersoul dies and ceases to be . "The wages of sin isdeath ." Romans 6 23 If after the disobedientpartaking of the fruit God confined the humansoul at death in a torment hell, as taught byreligion, God would be changing the announcedpenalty by the enactment of an ex post factolaw, a law made after the committing of thecrime . However, Jehovah says "I change not ."-Malachi 3 6.Without wresting the Scriptures, it is seenthat the human soul is mortal and that AlmightyGod can put it to death for sin . Contrary toreligion's teaching that the human soul is immortal,God's Word of truth plainly states"The soul that sinneth, it shall die ." Ezekiel18 41 20 This does not mean, however, that thehuman soul cannot live forever on earth . Infact, God made provision for man to inhabit andlive in paradise on earth forever, by causing to"grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,and good for food the tree of life also in themidst of the garden, and the tree of knowledgeof good and evil" . Genesis 2 9 What if manforever held back from eating the forbiddenfruit of the tree of the knowledge of good andevil, or until God himself should lift the prohibitionon the tree after a sufficient test uponhumankind Adam and his offspring could then

78 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"live forever on earth . Hence, while under test,Adam's right to everlasting life was only conditional,dependent upon obedience . Doubtless,after humankind would prove faithful and obedientunder the test, God would lead man to the"tree of life also in the midst of the garden" andgrant man to eat thereof, so symbolizing andguaranteeing to obedient tested man the rightto life eternal .After publishing the law of obedience Godprovided Adam with a wife, that there mightbe human offspring. God by his Word had madeAdam direct from the elements of the earthbut with a rib taken from Adam's side as a foundationGod built up a perfect woman, a femalehuman, that they two might be one flesh . It wasthen that their Creator blessed them and gavethem the divine mandate to "be fruitful andmultiply and fill the earth" . Genesis 2 18-251 28, Roth. It is wrong to apply to the perfectAdam and Eve the scripture at Hebrews 9 27"It is appointed unto men once to die, but afterthis the judgment ." That scripture applied tothe Jewish high priest on the Atonement Dayand, later, to the Antitype thereof . As for Adamand Eve, a course of obedience which led to eternallife on earth was appointed to them . Thesearcher of the inspired Scriptures can thereforedetect the untruthfulness of the religiouscatechism which says, without Scripture proof"The chief blessings intended for Adam andEve had they remained faithful to God, were a

HUMAN SOU S CREATED 79constant state of happiness in this life and everlastingglory in the next ." Jehovah God heldout no hope to them of a "next life" supposedlyin heavenly glory. For Adam and Eve it was acase of either continuing their present life byreason of unceasing obedience to God or deatheternal for disobedience .Adam and Eve lived on earth in a free world,because there was no sin or unrighteousness init. They had the truth which makes the truthkeeperfree . They worshiped God in spirit andin truth amid the open paradise of Eden . Theyhad no tormenting fears, but only the godly fearwhich seeks to avoid displeasing God . Theywere given no law of the Ten Commandments .They were perfect, whereas 1 Timothy 1 9, 10states "The law is not made for a righteousman, but for the lawless and disobedient, for theungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane,for murderers of fathers and murderersof mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers,for them that defile themselves with mankind,for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons,and if there be any other thing that iscontrary to sound doctrine ."No definite time was set for them to begincarrying out that part of the divine mandateconcerning filling the earth with their offspring .They were under no appointment to death, andall eternity was before them and there was nopressing obligation or any undue haste required. Dressing and keeping the garden, and

80 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"exercising dominion over the lower animalcreation, filled their days with joyful activityand untiring interest and divine blessing .

CHAPTER VIOSS OF FREEDOMADAM and Eve, reflecting in perfectionthe image and likeness of their Creator,were the earthly, visible part ofthe universal organization of JehovahGod . At that time the man could be spokenof as "Adam, which was the son of God" . uke3 38 He and his wife were part of the universalfamily of God in heaven and in earth . Thefaithful spirit creatures were the heavenly, invisiblepart of God's universal organization .Some of these had dealings with the perfect manand woman while in Eden . Up to the time ofthe issuing of the divine mandate to this humanpair, God dealt with them through his Word,his only begotten Son, to whom lie said on thesixth day " et us make man in our image, afterour likeness ." And then through his Son Godstated to man, male and female, the terms ofthe mandate. This was truthful testimony tothem and was the law of truth . It was a Theocraticlaw, because it expressed God's rule ofaction and it came from Him . It marked outfreedom's course for humankind .One day error invaded the glorious garden .Such error was not from God's beloved Son,for he is the Word of God, and always God's81

82 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"utterances by his Word are faithful, reliable,founded on fact, and durable, and hence true .Adam and Eve had been given the truth andcould combat the error, if they relied upon God'sword in faithfulness . There was no need forGod to prevent the error from coming in contactwith them for a test . "His truth shall bethy shield and buckler," and by it they coulddefend their freedom . Psalm 91 4 The intrusionof error, therefore, betrayed that therewas another spirit presence operating unseenin the garden . How so"Now the serpent was more subtle than anybeast of the field which Jehovah God had made .And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath Godsaid, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden "Genesis 3 1,2, A.R .V . Adam was away, andEve was alone at the time . It could not havebeen the dumb creature itself, the serpent, thatthus spoke and raised the question about man'sfreedom in the garden . Someone was back ofthat serpent in thus speaking and audaciouslyraising a question over the truthfulness andrightness of God's law . It must have been anunseen spirit creature who was masking hisidentity behind that visible form of the serpent,that crafty beast which seemed to have knowledgeand insight more so than other beasts .Who was this one who would appear as a revealerof vital secrets We are not left in doubtthe answer, at 2 Corinthians 11 3, 14, is "Theserpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, . . .And no marvel for Satan himself is trans-

OSS OF FREEDOM 8 3formed into an angel of light ." Further evidencepoints to ucifer, the son of the morning .This circumstance calls attention to an arrangementinvisible to Adam and Eve that hadbeen established over the earth by their Creator.After the close of the sixth creative day,and after he gave the divine mandate to thehuman couple in Paradise, their heavenly Fatherset up a protectorate over them, a specialheavenly organization having the exclusive careof them . This invisible organization over themand higher than they served as a particularheavens, whereas Adam and Eve in their dominionover the animal creation were the visibleearth, figuratively speaking . These two parts,the heavenly and the earthly, constituted theoriginal world over this terrestrial globe . Itwas a clean, perfect and free world, a world oflight and truth . The invisible or heavenly partof the world was made up of holy angels whowere placed under ucifer, the cherub who wasresponsible to be always loyal to the DivineThrone and to uphold it without fail .The details of the above arrangement aregiven in later parts of the Divine Record . uciferproceeded to set himself up as a heavenlyking and to establish the organization underhim like a rock, like "Tyre", which means "rock" .His course of action became cause for a dirgeor lamentation over him, to this effect "Thousealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfectin beauty. Thou wast in Eden, the garden ofGod every precious stone was thy covering, the

84 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl,the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, theemerald, and the carbuncle, and gold the workmanshipof thy tabrets and of thy pipes wasin thee in the day that thou wast created theywere prepared . Thou wast the anointed cherubthat covereth and I set thee, so that thou wastupon the holy mountain of God thou bastwalked up and down in the midst of the stonesof fire . Thou wast perfect in thy ways from theday that thou wast created, till unrighteousnesswas found in thee ."-Ezekiel 28 11-15, A .R .V .ucifer's course became the "way of a serpentupon a rock". Proverbs 30 19 He observedthe worship that man accorded to God,and ucifer fell to lusting for that worship forhimself. To turn man against the true and livingGod, the Supreme One, ucifer must lie aboutHim and must stir up self-seeking in man andthen present himself as man's bright-shiningbenefactor . Then he could, under the guise ofgood and with a mock cry of freedom from allrationing of the necessities of life and freedomof opportunity for self-betterment, mislead maninto breaking God's righteous and reasonablelaw. After gaining the fear, gratitude and worshipof man, ucifer would set himself up abovethe angels of God and would deify himself as agod like unto Jehovah God . Such pride leads todestruction, and such haughty spirit leads to aterrible fall like as of a lofty tree cut down toearth . Prophetically it is written, at Isaiah14 12-14 "How art thou fallen from heaven, 0

OSS OF FREEDOM 8 5ucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cutdown to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!For thou hast said in thine heart, I willascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne abovethe stars of God I will sit also upon the mountof the congregation, in the sides of the northI will ascend above the heights of the cloudsI will be like the Most High ."By thus rebelling from under Jehovah Godand aiming to be equal with him or even superior,ucifer became blinded into thinking hewas making himself free and independent . Infact, though, he was enslaving himself to atraitorous ambition and he became the servantto sin of treachery and rebellion. Almighty Godallowed ucifer the liberty to take this course,but that wicked one became wrapped up in thetoils of lies and religion, of which lie became theauthor and inventor . ucifer thereby lost theliberty of the sons of God, became an outcastfrom the universal organization of Jehovah . Hecarne under the sentence of everlasting destruction,which he cannot escape but which mustovertake him in due time .Pretending innocence and surprise, he askedEve why she was not eating of the tree of theknowledge of good and evil . "And the womansaid unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruitof the trees of the garden but of the fruit ofthe tree which is in the midst of the garden,God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neithershall ye touch it, lest ye die ." Genesis 3 2, 3Eve had accepted that statement of truth from

86 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"her husband and had observed the warning inorder to continue living . They had felt and sufferedno want as a result of refraining fromeating the forbidden fruit in fact, eating of itwould mean to suffer the want of even life itself .Better life with something than death with lossof all ."And the serpent said unto the woman, Yeshall not surely die for God doth know that inthe day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall beopened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing goodand evil ." Genesis 3 4, 5 This was a directlie, the first one ever told, and it made JehovahGod appear to be a liar . It was the first sin, andit resulted in the murder or loss of life to thefirst human pair . ucifer, by this lie and slanderagainst God, became the Devil, or slanderer ofGod . "The devil sinneth from the beginning .""He was a murderer from the beginning, andabode not in the truth, because there is no truthin him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh ofhis own for he is a liar, and the father of it ."1 John 3 8 John 8 44 Jehovah's good namefor truth, righteousness, unselfishness, and supremacyas God now became at stake and musthenceforth be vindicated and the Devil beproved a liar .The statement of that old Serpent, the Devil,was a lie as to things divine and it affected thecreature's attitude of worship . Hence the utteringof that lie as a guide to conduct and worshipwas the introducing of religion, to ensnarehumankind away from the worship of Jehovah

OSS OF FREEDOM 8 7God in spirit and in truth . The Devil, in fact,was striving to set himself up as god like untothe Most High', and he held out the expectationto Eve and her husband of becoming "likegods", like Elohim, or, "as God ." A .R .V . Whathonest person can deny that such system of worshipand deification is religion and that theDevil was the one to introduce religion It isreligion because it is not the worship of JehovahGod, the worship which God's only begottenSon, the Word, practices . Religion is based onthe word of a creature rather than on the wordand commands of the true and living God . Noone can point to any religious ceremony orformalism that Adam and Eve performed inEden up to that time . In innocence they followedthe word and command of Jehovah God .Religionists, however, will point to James1 26, 27 and say Do not these texts call theworship of God religion ' According to someEnglish translations of the original Greek textit would appear so, because they read thus "Ifany man among you seem to be religious, andbridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his ownheart, this man's religion is vain . Pure religionand undefiled before God and the Father is this,To visit the fatherless and widows in theiraffliction, and to keep himself unspotted fromthe world ."Examination of these texts reveals that theGreek word translated "religion" is the wordthreskeia, and "religious" is threskos . These twowords, however, have no connection with the

88 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Thracians of ancient Greece, who were verysuperstitious religionists and devil-worshipersand therefore inventors of religious mysteries .Instead, threskeia is drawn from the Hebrewword darash, to seek, that is, to seek God, as at1 Chronicles 28 9 2 Chronicles 15 2 17 4Psalm 9 10 and elsewhere . Hence the SyriacVersion, which is a translation into the languageJesus Christ spoke, renders threskos andthreskeia properly and Murdock's Englishtranslation of the Syriac Version rendersJames 1 26, 27 as follows "And if any onethinketh that he worshippeth God, and doth notrestrain his tongue, but his heart deceiveth himhis worship is vain . For the worship that is pureand holy before God the Father is this to visitthe fatherless and the widows in their affliction,and that one keep himself unspotted from theworld ." Martin uther's Version translatedthreskeia as Gottesdienst, or God's service .At Colossians 2 18 the Authorized or KingJames Version translates threskeia as worshipping,but at Acts 26 5 as religion, wrongfully,because Paul the apostle there used threskeia tomean form o f worship. It is true that religion,such as the Pharisees of old practiced amongthe Jews, is a form of worship, but the worshipof God in spirit and in truth is not religion .True worship in spirit is of God religion is ofGod's opposer, who schemes to make himself"like the Most High" . The word religion is drawnfrom the atin word religio, which word, fromthe very beginning of its use long before Christ,

OSS OF FREEDOM 89was applied by the atin heathens of Italy totheir practice of demonism or religion . Will"more religion", as now clamored for, producea free postwar world For a right conclusionreflect on what religion's introduction did to theoriginal world .

90 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Prior to the religious doctrines of the Devilthrough the serpent, Eve had not felt any needof freedom from want . Human, needs were abundantlysupplied . Now, however, through entertainingthe serpent's suggestions, Eve's heartfelt moved with selfishness. She felt she wasmissing something, and that by adopting religiousdoctrines and following them she and herhusband would become Godlike and becomefree and independent, wanting nothing . "Andwhen the woman saw that the tree was good forfood, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, anda tree to be desired to make one wise, she tookof the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave alsounto her husband with her and he did eat ."-Genesis 3 6 .As to Adam's act it is written, at 1 Timothy2 13, 14 "For Adam was first formed, thenEve. And Adam was not deceived, but thewoman being deceived was in the transgression." Eve, though formed second, ran aheadof Adam and showed willfulness in sin . She wasdeceived in that, when she ate, she found shedid not get what she expected, but the serpenthad cheated her . Genesis 3 13, Roth ., marginNevertheless, her willful selfishness and her insubordinationto her head, her husband, madeher party to the transgression .Inasmuch as Adam was not deceived, he didnot enter into the transgression with any hopeof gaining what the serpent promised to Eve,but in order to keep her for himself . He wouldbecome a lawbreaker with her and suffer the

OSS OF FREEDOM 91same destiny with her, rather than be deprivedof her . He preferred her to such life as he hadknown before her creation . Neither Adam norhis wife maintained integrity, that is, soundness,blamelessness or perfection of obediencetoward God . Adam, being her earthly head,backed up her course of rebellion by joining inher trespass, and therefore the responsibilityfor the transgression falls chiefly upon his head .The condition of the future offspring was primarilyaffected by what he did rather than whatEve did . God could have created another perfectwife for Adam, if need be, in order that thedivine mandate to fill the earth might be carriedout . Hence the divine judgment declares "Byone man sin entered into the world, and deathby sin."-Romans 5 12 .Jehovah God had said to Adam that, if disobedient,"thou shalt surely die ." The serpentsaid to Eve "Ye shall not surely die." On theserpent's religious contradiction of God's Wordare based the doctrines of immortality of thehuman soul, and of temporary punishment ofchurch-members in a blazing "Purgatory", andof eternal torment of unconverted sinners in a"hell" of literal fire and brimstone . By the factswhich followed, whose word was vindicated astrue, sure and reliable, Jehovah's or the Devil's

CHAPTER VIIDE IVERANCE PROMISEDHE fulfillment of the divine mandateto multiply and fill the earth with arighteous offspring had been set beforethe perfect man and woman . Thatwas a joyful prospect . It was to be carried outunder conditions that would benefit the offspringand glorify God, fulfilling his purpose .At the time that ucifer was still faithful Godhad given him a special organization of holyangels and had placed ucifer over these, andthese all composed a righteous heavens over theman and woman in Eden .Being the "anointed cherub that covereth",ucifer was a righteous invisible overlord overthem, and under his righteous overlordship thedivine mandate was to be carried forward to itsgrand result, a populated Paradise earth . Adamand Eve were not authorized to bring forth andfill the earth with imperfect, unrighteous childrenbut, being perfect and in God's likeness,they were to be fruitful and multiply their kindin righteousness and thus to fill all earth withGodlike men and women, all worshiping Jehovah. Seeing the wonderful possibilities by meansof this human pair with reproductive powers,ucifer set out to block the fulfillment of the92

DE IVERANCE PROMISED 93divine mandate and to have the earth peopledwith humans practicing religion and worshipingucifer instead of Jehovah God .The divine mandate was a pleasant prospectfor the perfect pair to contemplate . The thoughtof their first baby must have been thrilling, aswell as the fulfilled mandate, an earthful ofstalwart men and lovely women, all descendedfrom themselves as the fountainhead and allbrought up by them "in the nurture and admonitionof the ord" . The powers of reproductionhad been implanted in their bodies, not becausethe human race was to be a dying race andhence reproduction would be needed to continuethe race in existence, but in order to people theearth with humans proving themselves worthyof the right to everlasting life . All would be onegrand human family, children of God . Therewould be no economic problems due to selfishcommerce nor political disputes and differences,because the rule of the earth would be Theocratic,God's rule through his righteous invisibleoverlord . So it would be all around theearth . There would be no need of wars, on thetheory that the earth was becoming too crowdedand it was necessary to fight with death-dealingweapons and kill off some millions in order torelieve the overcrowding. To the contrary, theearth would become more and more densely inhabitedas new generations were born, until theearth was entirely comfortably filled. Thengenerating of children would stop according tothe will of God .

94 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Having come to the perfect accomplishmentof the divine mandate, perfect humankind infull self-control and obedience to the commandof God would cease to reproduce . The racewould come to its full growth . During the timethat it was being expanded, more and more ofthe earth's surface would be subdued and theboundaries of the Edenic paradise extended out,until at length Paradise encompassed the wholeearth and made it a glorious sphere in God'sspacious universe . This earthly garden of delightthe full-grown perfect human family wouldoccupy forever and in it glorify God . His purposeto have this divine mandate realized inrighteousness will not fail . The time of its fulfillmenthas by him now been reserved for thefuture when the right conditions are established .As soon as Adam and his mate had eaten ofthe forbidden fruit and broken the Theocraticlaw, they realized within themselves their unworthinessand unfitness to carry out the divinemandate. "And the eyes of them both wereopened, and they knew that they were nakedand they sewed fig-leaves together, and madethemselves aprons . And they heard the voiceof Jehovah God walking in the garden in thecool of the day and the man and his wife hidthemselves from the presence of Jehovah Godamongst the trees of the garden ."-Genesis3 7, 8, A.R.V.Adam and his wife did not die immediatelyon eating the fruit . Their invisible overlord,ucifer, "the anointed cherub that covereth,"

DE IVERANCE PROMISED 95had induced them to sin against God, and healso refused to apply his power of death againstthem, in order that he might uphold his lie,"Ye shall not surely die ." There was one otherkind of tree in that Paradise, namely, "the treeof life also in the midst of the garden ." Reasonably,the unfaithful ucifer, who knew the locationof the "tree of life", would conduct them toit as early or quickly as possible . If they partookof its fruit, then apparently they wouldbe covered by a guarantee of life for ever . Thenif God would execute Adam and Eve, it wouldbelie the meaning and purpose of the "tree oflife" and would prove His word of guaranteeuntrustworthy. If, however, God did not executethem because he respected the meaning of the"tree of life" and their partaking of it, thenthe Devil's words would be upheld, "Ye shall notsurely die ." This would prove God's law unworthyof being kept and its penalties unableto be enforced by Him . It would cast doubt uponHis being almighty . The artful Devil thoughthe could corner God and put him into an impossibledilemma . God, though, was not slumbering. Alertly he blocked the traitor's scheme .Jehovah's trusted officer having failed him,he himself took charge of the case for judgmentwhich had now arisen . By his ever faithfulexecutive officer, the Word, Jehovah God madeknown to Adam and Eve His presence at thegarden . It was as if walking through the garden,and it approached them . They saw no one, butheard the evidence of the presence of the Judge .

9 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"They knew they were on judgment and that thefacts of the case were against them . Their figleafaprons were not enough to hide their embarrassmentthey hid among the garden trees .It was not necessary for the Judge to be visibleand for them to see the Judge with their nakedeye in order to be on judgment. This makesclear how in the judgment of the nations of theirdescendants it is not necessary for Jehovah'sJudge to appear in a visible body, neither forthe nations of earth to see him literally, in orderfor them to go on judgment . The ord's JudicialOfficer, being a divine Spirit, would be invisibleto all the nations gathered before him,and yet he would make his presence discernibleby the visible signs of his presence which liewould make appear.-Matthew 24 3-14 .Not that the ord failed to spot them hiddenbehind the trees, but, in order to grant them afair hearing, Jehovah by his Judge summonedthem out of hiding . "And the ORD God calledunto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thouAnd he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, andI was afraid, because I was naked and I hid myself." By reason of yielding to the religion of thatOld Serpent, the Devil, and committing the sinof disobedience, one of the great freedoms hadbeen lost to man, the freedom from fear . Theymay have felt also that God had neglected toprovide clothing for them, because now they experiencedfeelings of shame of nakedness ."And he said, Who told thee that thou wastnaked Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I

DE IVERANCE PROMISED 97commanded thee that thou shouldest not eatAnd the man said, The woman whom thou gayestto be with me, she gave me of the tree, andI did eat ." Genesis 3 9-12 This sounded likecasting reproach upon Jehovah God for givingAdam the woman, because God had made her tobe a helpmeet for man instead of a temptress ."And the ORD God said unto the woman,What is this that thou hast done And thewoman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I dideat ." Genesis 3 13 By the process of eliminationthe ord got down to the bottom of thematter, that all the evidence might point to thefirst starter of this outbreak of rebellion . Hemust establish whether this originated with humankind,or whether the invisible overlord ofman, the covering cherub ucifer, connived atman's sin or, worse still, was the inducer thereofand was himself a rebel and traitor, guilty ofmismanagement . All the evidence worked downto this last point . The father of lies' was detectedand exposed . On him God first expressedjudgment ."And the ORD God said unto the serpent, Becausethou hast done this, thou art cursed aboveall cattle, and above every beast of the fieldupon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thoueat all the days of thy life and I will put enmitybetween thee and the woman, and betweenthy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head,and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis3 14,15 With such fearful phrase JehovahGod was not addressing the mere serpentine

98 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"beast, but the wicked spirit person who had obsessedthe serpent and had caused it to speakthe devilish lie to Eve .With those words of curse Jehovah assertedhis supremacy over all creatures . He was answeringthe challenge of the Devil and wasdooming the purpose of that wicked rebel to disgracefulfailure . As it is written to the "seed"of the "woman" "The God of peace shall bruiseSatan under your feet shortly ." Romans16 20 There is no food in dust, but it is dryand lifeless . On suchlike the Old Serpent, theDevil, must feed and have no hope of eternallife . God's blessing was removed from him, andhe was humiliated from out of God's holy organization. This should have served as warningnotice to all the angels who had been servingunder ucifer .As Jehovah God was not here addressing theliteral serpent on the ground, so also he wasnot talking of the disobedient woman Eve, norof any other woman descended from Eve, includingthe Jewish virgin, Mary of Bethlehem .By the term woman He was designating somethinggreater, something symbolized by a pureand faithful woman, namely, God's universalorganization of holy creatures .God himself is Head over this organization .It is wedded or united to Him beyond divorcingand is subject to him . From it he brings forthsuch special servants as he wills . Thus, to use afigure of speech, his holy organization is God's"woman". It is so written, at Isaiah 54 5,13

DE IVERANCE PROMISED 99"For thy Maker is thy husband Jehovah ofhosts is his name . . . And all thy childrenshall be taught of Jehovah and great shall bethe peace of thy children ." A .R.V. With suchwords Jehovah speaks to the organization called" ion". Moreover, the angels of heaven do notmarry nor are any given as females in marriage,and there are no women in heaven . Hencewhen the symbolic book of Revelation speaks ofa woman in heaven, it could not mean a literalfemale from this earth, but must mean God'sorganization ion, his "woman", guided by hisheavenly light . "And there appeared a greatwonder in heaven a woman clothed with thesun, and the moon under her feet, and upon herhead a crown of twelve stars ." Revelation12 1 It is between this "woman" and that OldSerpent, the Devil, or Satan, that Jehovah Godputs enmity or hostility and hatred . It meanswar .That Satan would form an organization inopposition to God and to God's holy organization,Jehovah foretold by speaking to the OldSerpent regarding "thy seed" as in contrastwith "her seed", the offspring of God's organization. Between the two seeds must be oppositionand conflict . To this end the Old Serpent,the Devil, would build up an organization symbolizedby an unclean wicked woman, whosename is called "Babylon" in Holy Writ . Thisofficial organization of Satan the Devil wouldmimic God's organization and bring forth a sinful"seed" to fight against and persecute the

100 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE""seed" of God's devoted "woman" or organization.Who shall win in the long-enduring conflictReferring not to his "woman", but to her

DE IVERANCE PROMISED 101"seed", Jehovah served this unchangeable noticeon the Old Serpent, the Devil "It shallbruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel ."It is therefore a wresting of the Scriptures andis a religious attempt to support Mariolatrywhen the Catholic Douay Version Bible translatesGod's words "She shall crush thy head,and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel ."The footnote of the Douay Version says suchrendering is made according to "divers of thefathers" and "conformably to the atin" TheVulgate . Certainly, though, it is not conformablyto God's Word, which was here writtenoriginally in Hebrew . In the Hebrew text theword seed zera' is masculine, and the pronounwhich the Hebrew uses is not feminine,but is masculine, he hu . ikewise, the possessivepronoun thereafter used is not feminineher , but is masculine his . Hence all the accurateand non-Catholic translations read correctlywith the original Hebrew "He shallcrush thy head, but thou shalt crush his heel ."-Roth. A .R.V .Thereby the great Father of the "woman's"seed made known that He would lay open Hisand her "seed" to the hostile acts and operationsof the Old Serpent, the Devil, and hisorganization . God was also throwing open toSatan the Devil the liberty to attack and persecutethe "seed" of God's "woman", to let Satansee whether he could by such means break theintegrity of the promised "seed" to their GodJehovah, and whether Satan could thus drive

1 02 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"them out of God's organization and so provehimself superior to the Most High God . SuchSatanic action would cause this "seed" greatpain and some injury as if by a bruising of itsheel' by a snake lying hidden and striking behindone's back. However, there would be a limitto such liberty of uninterrupted action grantedto Satan and his "seed" . That fixed limit wouldbe when the "seed" of unbroken integrity wouldgain the victory by God's almighty power andwould crush the Serpent and its generation ofvipers lifeless .By talking to unfaithful ucifer under thesymbol of the serpent Jehovah God showed thatthe first devil had . now come into existence byslandering God. Devil means slanderer. ikeninghim to a serpent means the Devil is a deceiver.By raising up opposition the unfaithfulucifer became Satan, which name means opposer. Symbolizing him as a monstrous snake ordragon means that he is a great swallower, devourerand crusher, of God's righteous ones, ifpossible . Jeremiah 51 34 Revelation 12 3,4The issue of God's good name and supremacyhad now been raised by the Devil . God sentencedhim to destruction, but did not at oncedestroy him, that He might put the issue to thetest until the time limit arrived .

CHAPTER VlllDIVINE MANDATESUSPENDEDAS JEHOVAH sentenced Satan theDevil to extinction but permitted himto remain for a fixed time before executionof the sentence, so likewise theall-wise God did not immediately destroy therebellious Adam and Eve . It was within God'spower to kill them then and there in keepingwith the penalty, "Thou shalt surely die ." ThenGod could have created a new man and womanand issued to that innocent pair the divine mandateanew . Then the fulfillment of the divinemandate to populate the earth with righteousoffspring would have gone forward withoutfurther delay and interruption . However, suchdivine mandate must be carried out under arighteous invisible overlord, accompanied by aheavenly spirit organization . Man's first overlordhad turned traitor and wicked, but God wasnot then removing him or destroying him fromhis position of invisible power over the earthand its creatures . Hence, too, God let Adam andhis wife remain, but not to fulfill the divine mandate. Having become unrighteous, they were notsuitable to God's purpose and God withdrewfrom them that privilege . God let them remain103

104 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"that their offspring might serve for the purposeof the fiery test of integrity, and that at lasthis holy name might be declared throughout allthe earth and be vindicated .Having set up court in Eden and first of alldisposed of the Serpent's case by the judgmentrendered, Jehovah God then turned to the firsttransgressor of the guilty human pair . "Untothe woman he said, I will greatly multiply thysorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shaltbring forth children and thy desire shall beto thy husband, and he shall rule over thee ."-Genesis 3 16 .This was not an authorization to fulfill thedivine mandate, neither was it a restatement ofthe mandate . It . was not a saying that the carryingout of the mandate would be a painfulprocess, and that it should be speeded up . Foreknowingthe world-wide calamity that would betaking place about sixteen hundred years laterand almost completely depopulating the earth,God could not in the above words to the womanhave been authorizing a speed-up of the divinemandate . The world catastrophe to come wouldmake such a thing of no advantage whatsoeverand would completely neutralize the quickenedhuman generation . Jehovah's words to the womanprove that the mandate had been withdrawnfrom Adam and his wife and would be reservedfor worthy obedient ones later . For these deservingones the fulfilling of the mandate willbe no sorrow .

DIVINE MANDATE SUSPENDED 1 0 5God pronounced the disobedient woman imperfect,and hence her body would not functionas would that of a perfect woman or a righteouswoman when bearing children to fulfill the mandate. To the contrary, there would be suffering,and it would increase to womankind . Besides,the woman, without any expressed desire on herhusband's part, had run ahead and eaten of theforbidden fruit and then offered him some .Thereby she thrust upon him an inducement toselfish desire . Rebellion and fall into sin by theman resulted. Differently henceforth, the imperfectman should rule over the woman, andthe expression of her desire should be made tohim for satisfaction . Freedom from lust andpain was gone!"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hasthearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hasteaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,saying, Thou shalt not eat of it cursed is theground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eatof it all the days of thy life thorns also andthistles shall it bring forth to thee and thoushalt eat the herb of the field in the sweat ofthy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou returnunto the ground for out of it wast thou takenf or dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3 17-19 In this pronouncementof judgment upon the man the great Giver oflife declared the right of Adam to everlastinglife to be canceled, and also his right to enjoylife in the paradise of Eden . Out into the openfield he must now go!

1 06"THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"In what way was the field or ground outsidethe paradise garden cursed As yet in man'sexistence it had not rained upon the earth, "butthere went up a mist from the earth, and wateredthe whole face of the ground ." Genesis2 5, 6 Instead of those fields outside the gardenwhich God planted responding to this wateringby the mist and everywhere blooming as apark or garden, the fields would incline to producethorns and thistles . "For the earth whichdrinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it,and bringeth forth herbs meet for them bywhom it is dressed, receiveth blessing fromGod but that which beareth thorns and briersis rejected, and is nigh unto cursing whoseend is to be burned ." Hebrews 6 7,8 In viewof man's accursed rebellion God would not blessthe soil of the field and relieve it of the thornand thistle problem, but man would have tostruggle with it .Thenceforth man would not freely eat of thefruit trees of Paradise, but would be obliged toeat the herb of the field outside. No more dressingand keeping of the garden for him in pleasure,but working out in the wild-grown fieldsand tilling the soil, and that with sweat-producingexertions . He would now not be working forhis Creator, whom he had renounced as God oftruth in favor of the Serpent of religion . HenceAdam would not receive the reward of life unendingfor his efforts . His days were numbered,and would be comparatively few when comparedwith the eternity of life which he might

DIVINE MANDATE SUSPENDED 107have enjoyed in Paradise on earth . The end ofhis laborious efforts would be to go back to thecondition of the formless dust and earth whichlie was trying to cultivate ."The first man is of the earth, earthy ."1 Corinthians 15 47 For that reason, havingsinned and squandered away his life, he mustgo back to the ground for, said God, "dust thouart and unto dust shalt thou return ." God wasnot there speaking to the man's body, but he wasspeaking to the human soul, that is, the livingcreature, Adam . God did not say that Adam'sbody would return to the dust, and that an intelligent,intangible something inhabiting hisbody would separate itself from the body atdeath and go to an invisible realm to be tormentedwith flame . No but when Adam shoulddie, then the human soul would die, and therewould be left nothing intelligent, conscious orliving about the man . God's own decree declares"The soul that sinneth, the same shalldie ." Ezechiel 18 4, 20, Douay The intelligent,sense-possessing, conscious, breathing creatureceases to exist, and thus the soul dies . The body,which is the material foundation of the soul orliving creature, finally crumbles to the dust .At death Adam, or his wife Eve, or any otherhuman sinner, cannot go to any other place thanto the dust from which humankind is made . Thehuman soul does not continue a living, consciousexistence either to be tormented or to be madehappy eternally somewhere else . For truthfulcause, therefore, God's Word says, at Psalm

108 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"146 3, 4 "Put not your trust in princes, nor inthe son of man, in whom there is no help . Hisbreath goeth forth, he returneth to his earthin that very day his thoughts perish ."No contradiction to the above truth is foundin God's Word at Ecclesiastes 12 6, 7, whichreads "Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or thegolden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be brokenat the fountain, or the wheel broken at thecistern . Then shall the dust return to the earthas it was and the spirit shall return unto Godwho gave it." God's Holy Bible is completelyharmonious throughout its entire sixty-sixbooks . So this Scripture text can not mean thatat death Adam's body broke down to dust butan invisible conscious inner self left the bodyand ascended to heaven . Concerning Adam andall men down to his day Jesus Christ said "Noman hath ascended up to heaven ." Jesus knew,because he came down from heaven to bear witnessto the truth .-John 3 13 .No promise had been made to Adam of lifeat last in heaven, even if he should remain obedientand faithful . Truly, the spirit of the onedying returns to God who gave it . What was itthat God gave Adam, combining it with hisearthly body Read again the record, at Genesis2 7 "God formed man of the dust of theground, and breathed into his nostrils thebreath of life and man became a living soul ."God gave man the breath of life, that is, the lifeforces or the power of life which is sustainedby breathing . This is what is meant by "the

DIVINE MANDATE SUSPENDED 1 0 9spirit", and this is what returns to God whogave it. Regarding the spirit that returns, thesame book of Ecclesiastes, at 3 19-21, states"Therefore the death of man, and of beasts isone, and the condition of them both is equal asman dieth, so they also die all things breathealike, and man hath nothing more than beastall things are subject to vanity. And all thingsgo to one place of earth they were made, andinto earth they return together . Who knowethif the spirit of the children of Adam ascendupward, and if the spirit of the beasts descenddownward I" Douay By reason of the wordingof the Douay translation it is not discerniblethat the above words breathe and spirit translatethe same Hebrew word, roach which wordis also translated air and wind in still otherBible verses .-Job 41 16 1 19 Genesis 8 1 .In the light of the foregoing it is clear thatwhen Jesus, dying on the tree, said, "Father,into thy hands I commend my spirit," he wascommending to his heavenly Father his powerof life . He trusted that on the third day Godwould restore the power of life and would raisehim from the dead.- uke 23 46 .So, then, Adam and his wife having been personallyon trial and having failed therein andbeen sentenced to death, only death and extinctionawaited them . God's judgment having beenrighteously entered against them and being infallible,Jehovah God does not change on thematter . He does not deny or contradict himself .1 Samuel 15 29 No children having been born

1 1 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"to Adam and Eve at the time to share with themin the trial and judgment and sentence, thesituation with their offspring was therefore differentand their children were therefore not beyondredemption . God said nothing concerningtheir offspring except that they should be bornwith sorrow to the mother . "And Adam calledhis wife's name Eve Chavvah iving becauseshe was the mother of all living . UntoAdam also and to his wife did the ORD Godmake coats of skins, and clothed them ." Genesis3 20, 21, margin If this clothing of theirloins with skins of animals meant anything, itappears to say that their offspring, who wereyet unborn within their loins, could not be redeemedand have their sins covered except bythe sacrifice of a victim equal in value to theirfather Adam when perfect in Eden .The carrying out of the death sentence uponAdam and Eve must now begin . If they werepermitted to remain in Eden with the Serpent,the possibility remained that the Serpent wouldguide them to the "tree of life also in the midstof the garden" and identify it to them . Theywould thee eat of it and, although unworthy ofeternal life on earth, they would claim immunitiesagainst death and guarantees of life forever, thus bringing reproach upon God's name,word and law. "And Jehovah God said, Behold,the man is become as one of us, to know goodand evil and now, lest lie put forth his hand,and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and livefor ever-therefore Jehovah God sent him forth

DIVINE MANDATE SUSPENDED 111from the garden of Eden, to till the groundfrom whence he was taken." Genesis 3 22, 23,A.R.V . God thereby showed his supremacyover the Devil and prevented a condition fromarising where God would appear to be boundto let rebellious sinners live forever . God's perfectrighteousness and justice could not permitsuch an inconsistent thing . This is proof that hewill not permit sin or Devil to exist for ever ."So he drove out the man and he placed atthe east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim,and the flame of a sword which turned everyway, to keep the way of the tree of life ." Genesis3 24, A .R .V . ucifer, who had for a timebeen the "anointed cherub that covereth", hadbetrayed his trust, and only further treacherycould be expected of him . Therefore JehovahGod, who "sitteth above the cherubim", stationeda guard of these cherubim at the entranceway of the garden, and also a flaming, fierysword of execution . Adam and Eve thereby becameacquainted with such heavenly creaturesas representatives of God . No man could getpast those cherubic guards to seize the meansof life contrary to God's will and judgment .Much less can any man ascend up to heaven andget past the faithful cherubim who bear up andare loyal to God's throne, in order to gain lifefor the descendants of Adam .Those cherub guards ever barred Adam'spath and enforced his exile to the fields outsideEden, till the day of his death. "And all thedays that Adam lived were nine hundred and

112 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"thirty years and he died ." Genesis 5 5 Hedid not live out a full thousand-year period . OfGod it is written "One day is with the ord asa thousand years, and a thousand years as oneday ." 2 Peter 3 8 Thus computing a thousandyears as one day, Adam died in the same lay

DIVINE MANDATE SUSPENDED 113that he ate of the prohibited fruit . Furthermore,in the twenty-four-hour day during which heate the fruit at his wife's hand the great Judgepronounced sentence of death upon him andAdam's right to life was canceled . So, in God'ssight, Adam became a dead man that very dayin Eden more so when God drove out Adamand Eve and made it impossible to get to thetree of life amidst the garden . Though centurieslong in reaching the climax, God's word wasfinally vindicated upon Adam "In the day thatthou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die ." Satanfailed to prove his religious contention to Adamand Eve, "Ye shall not surely die ." The majesty,immutability and supremacy of God's law wasupheld, whereas religion failed to give Adamand Eve wisdom, or knowledge, or godlikeness,or immortality .There is not a scrap of evidence that Adamrepented . He was a willful rebel and was beyondrepentance, and his sentence is beyondrecall . Eve's death is not even mentioned . Adamdied and went nowhere but to the dust fromwhich he had been taken .

CHAPTER IXADVOCATES OF FREEDOMTHE sentenced man and his wife tookup existence outside their erstwhileParadise home. The free world theyhad known was passed away . Theylived in a corrupt world . The Old Serpent, theDevil, was permitted by God to remain in power. He was therefore still their invisible overlord,but an unrighteous one . They were in hisclutches, in bondage on his side of the greatcontroversy lie raised against Jehovah God .They were no longer the free children of God,but were the servants of the one whose wordthey had chosen in preference to the true wordof God. They had defied His law, which is a lawof freedom to do good, and were thenceforththe slaves of the law of sin and death . Theywere no longer free of human weakness, passionand selfishness . Having no longer access tothe life-sustaining fruits of Eden's garden, theybegan to degenerate from perfection of bodyand mind . Having accepted religion at thetongue of that Old Serpent, Jehovah God permittedthem to have freedom of religion but dispensedno more truth to them. Why should he,when in Eden they had doubted and contemnedthe divine word of truth The earth was nolonger subject to them in any part, but they114

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 115were subject to earthly conditions . The tillingand cultivation of the soil was not a part of themandate to "subdue it", but was to stave offwant and eke out an existence .The prospect of bringing children into theworld was not altogether a joyful one . Therewere now the inescapable sorrows of childbearing. Also the children would not be born perfect,but in a dying condition, and would be sinnersbecause of their parents' fault . The natural rulecould not be side-stepped, which rule is set outat Romans 5 12 "By one man sin entered intothe world, and death by sin and so death passedupon all men, for that all have sinned ." The humansource having been defiled, "Who can bringa clean thing out of an unclean not one ." Job14 4 By man came death, . . . In Adam alldie ."-1 Corinthians 15 21, 22.Adam's living for more than nine centuriespermitted him to become father to a large family."And Adam lived an hundred and thirtyyears, and begat a son in his own likeness, afterhis image and called his name Seth and thedays of Adam after he had begotten Seth wereeight hundred years and he begat sons anddaughters and all the days that Adam livedwere nine hundred and thirty years and hedied ." Genesis 5 3-5 Before Seth there wereother sons, and also daughters, born to Adamand Eve, and the birth of the firstborn is describedfor us . "And the man Adam knewEve his wife and she conceived, and bare Cain,and said, I have gotten a man with the help of

1 1 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Jehovah ." Genesis 4 1, A .R.V. Was Eve doingcredit to Jehovah God in thus tying him inwith the responsibility for the birth of this imperfectchild Cain Most evidently not, in thelight of Cain's turning out to be the first violentmanslayer. Eve was presuming upon God, andby her claim she was bringing reproach uponGod's name, so suiting Satan's purpose well .Since Cain billions of children have beenborn, all sinful, all diseased, many crippled,many idiot, many blind, and many stillborn .Can the Righteous God be justly charged withthe responsibility for the producing of suchbabes Is religion true and doing honor to Godin claiming that at the time of their emergingfrom the womb God implanted an immortal soulin the bodies of such babes to make them liveOnly the Devil, religion's author, could originatesuch false charges to heap reproach uponJehovah's name and to create bitterness in humanhearts against the God of perfection andlife . Only gross ignorance or religious perversionof the Bible teaching concerning what thehuman soul is' could blame God for the givingto human offspring such a woeful start in existence,with frightful handicaps at their verybeginning.None of these children have been born accordingto the divine mandate issued in Eden, andhence none such have been born according tothe divine will . The fact that God has permittedthem to be born does not make him accountable'See pages 72-78 .

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 1 1 7for the peopling of this earth with the diseased,the imbecile, the misshapen, the immoral, andthe dying. All such were born according to thewill or the passion of their sinful parents, andthe responsibility for the whole situation tracesback to that mimic god, Satan the Devil, whotries to shift the blame onto Jehovah God . Theonly humans for whose birth Jehovah admitsand assumes the responsibility are such onesin whose birth he intervened by a miracle or bya guiding providence that these might be hisspecial servants . Among such are Isaac,' Samson,'Samuel,' Jeremiah,' John the Baptist,'and Jesus .'As to the difference between those of ordinaryhuman birth in sin and those who become God'schildren it is written, at John 1 12, 13 "Asmany as received him, to them gave he power tobecome the sons of God, even to them that believeon his name which were born, not ofblood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the willof man, but of God ." Not according to the willof God, but according to the will of sinful fleshand according to the will of fallen man, wasCain born to Adam and Eve under sentence ofdeath .The Devil would lead Eve to think that shewas the "woman" meant in Jehovah's prophecy,at Genesis 3 15, and that therefore she wouldbe favored by Jehovah with bearing the son or"seed" who must bruise the serpent's head . In, Genesis 18 9-14 Romans 4 17-21 Galatians 4 28,29.2 Judges 13 2-5 . 31 Samuel 1 11,19,20. 4 Jeremiah 1 4, 5.5 uke 1 5-20 . 6 Matthew 1 18-25 uke 1 26-37.

1 1 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"fact, the Devil himself watched against thatvery possibility . Under this delusion it was possiblefor Eve to think that her firstborn son wasa gift from Jehovah and that this son was thepromised "seed" . In keeping with this, sheclaimed Jehovah's co-operation with her in thebirth of the boy and called his name "Cain",which means "acquired gotten" . The individualbirth of a daughter is rarely mentioned inthe Scriptures, and it is possible that after Cainthe birth of a girl or girls took place, for Adamhad many daughters before he died .The birth of the next son, however, is recorded"And again she bare his brother Abel ."Genesis 4 2, A .R.V. There is no statementthat Eve gave God credit for this son . The nameshe gave him shows she did not have high hopesconcerning him, to be the promised "seed", whichhonor she had picked out for Cain . So she calledher second son "Abel", which means "breathvanity transitoriness unsatisfactoriness" .Cain and Abel grew up to be mature men. Meanwhiledaughters, as well as other sons, wereborn to Adam and Eve . Cain married one ofthese daughters, his sisters . His father hadmarried the woman who had been made fromhis own rib and whom he called "bone of mybones, and flesh of my flesh" . It is likely thatAbel also married a sister, but the Bible doesnot say .Agreeable to her hopes, Eve told Cain aboutthe prophetic promise made in Eden regardingthe "seed" of the woman and the divine mission

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 1 1 9of that "seed" . Cain grew up believing himselfto be a "man of destiny" . The invisible overlord,Satan the Devil, saw to it that suchthought was formed in Cain's mind and hismother, assuming to make a private interpretationof divine prophecy, would be a suitableone to start such thought in the son's head .Cain envisioned himself as crushing the serpentand thereby gaining the indebtedness ofAbel and all his other brothers and sisters andhis parents, and so becoming the leading figureon earth able to exercise world domination . Itwas a selfish political ambition with Cain . SinceJehovah God had foretold the "seed" and itsmission, Cain sought after His co-operationand backing of his ambition and began offeringup gifts by fire to God, just as religious chaplainsoffer up prayers at political functions andin legislative chambers today . Cain was followingthe Devil's religious misinterpretation concerningthe "seed", and hence his form of worshipwas religious and not acceptable to God ."And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cainwas a tiller of the ground. And in process oftime it came to pass, that Cain brought of thefruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah .And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings ofhis flock and of the fat thereof . And Jehovahhad respect unto Abel and to his offering butunto Cain and to his offering lie had not respect."Genesis 4 2-5, A .R .V . It is likely thatCain and Abel offered their gifts near the entranceof the garden of Eden and in view of the

1 20 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"cherubim there stationed as representatives ofGod and implemented with that revolving swordof fire .Abel also knew of the promise respecting thewoman's seed . He had faith in the raising up ofthe seed, but did not ambitiously assume to bethe seed . He confessed himself a sinner beforeGod and remembered the animal skins withwhich God had clothed his parents . He saw theneed of such covering for himself, and discernedthat it must be by the shedding of theblood or offering of the life of a victim . In picturethereof Abel offered up a slain lamb, afirstling of the sheep . By this he attested hisfaith and he was a witness concerning the trueway of approach to Jehovah God . His worshipof God was not for selfish reasons, but in gratitudefor the promise of the "seed" of deliverance.His worship of God was not religious, butwas of faith and adoration, and according totruth . Hence God accepted it .Cain saw the evidence of God's acceptance ofAbel and took him to be an obstacle in his wayof becoming the seed promised . Not repentingnor seeking to copy the correct and acceptedway of worship of God, Cain caught Abel alonein the field where evidence of crime would notbe detected and then slew his faithful brother .How much he had previously persecuted thiswitness for Jehovah is not specified . Explainingand warning concerning this "way of Cain", itis written "Not as Cain, who was of that wickedone, and slew his brother . And wherefore slew

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 121he him Because his own works were evil, andhis brother's righteous ." 1 John 3 12 In thismanner the first human witness of Jehovah onearth was put out of the way, in order to providefreedom of religion without anyone to criticizeor expose it . This, however, was done atthe expense of denying freedom of speech tobear witness to the truth, and denying freedomof worship of Jehovah in spirit and in truth .Even by murder the witness to God's truthcould not be suppressed . The martyrdom of Jehovah'sfaithful witness stood as a testimony ofintegrity toward God and for a vindication ofhis name. "By faith Abel offered unto God amore excellent sacrifice than Cain, throughwhich he had witness borne to him that he wasrighteous, God bearing witness in respect of hisgifts and through it he being dead yet speaketh."Hebrews 11 4, A.R .V . Not alone doesthe bloodstain testify to the crime due to religion,but it cries out to God for his vengeanceupon the religious criminals and that cry ofspilled blood, from that of Abel onward, shallnot go unheeded by Jehovah . Said Jesus to thereligionists who were about to duplicate againsthim the crime of Cain against his brother"Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets,and wise men, and scribes and some of themye shall kill and crucify and some of them shallye scourge in your synagogues, and persecutethem from city to city that upon you may comeall the righteous blood shed upon the earth,from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood

122 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"of acharias son of Barachias, whom ye slewbetween the temple and the altar . Verily I sayunto you, All these things shall come upon thisgeneration ."-Matthew 23 34-36 .After exposing the religious criminal and hiscrime, Jehovah did not kill Cain, nor did he appointanyone of Adam's family to act as avengerof blood and to serve as executioner of God .There was none worthy to represent God in thiscapacity. Vengeance is God's, and he reservedfor himself the execution of it upon the slayerof His witness . Though he permitted Cain toremain and rear a progeny, God had anotherway of bringing to nought Cain's generationand wiping out his offspring, at the end of thatold ungodly world . Hence God uttered his decreeas a sign lest anyone take the law into hisown hands and execute Cain. Then Cain tookhis wife and moved away to territory called the

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 123"land of Nod or Wandering ", and there heraised a family . Possibly in agreement with hispolitical ambitions, possibly because of notfeeling freedom from fear,Cain built the first cities onearth. His descendants distinguishedthemselves, notfor worship of Jehovah, butby engaging in cattle-raising,musical entertainment,mining and metal industries,and in murder . -Genesis4 16-24 ."And Adam knew his wife again and shebare a son, and called his name Seth For God,said she, hath appointed me another seed insteadof Abel, whom Cain slew ." Genesis 4 25Since Seth was born when Adam was a hundredand thirty years old, then if Seth was born immediatelyafter Cain's murder of Abel it showsCain and Abel must have been men of some ageand experience at the time of the crime . Abelwas the beginning of what Hebrews 12 1 calls"so great a cloud of witnesses", but there is norecord that Seth stood out prominently as aman of faith and a witness of Jehovah . Hebrews,chapter eleven, does not list him as oneof Jehovah's witnesses ."And Seth lived an hundred and five years,and begat Enos" which name means "mortalstrong man". Genesis 5 6 Adam was stillalive, being now two hundred and thirty-five

124 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"years old. Therefore what is next reported astaking place could not mean anything honoringto Jehovah God, but rather bringing reproachupon his name . The Catholic Douay Version ofGenesis 4 26 reads "But to Seth also was borna son, whom he called Enos this man began tocall upon the name of the ord ." Such a translation,however, denies that, before Enos, Abelcalled upon Jehovah's name in worship . TheHebrew text literally reads "Then it was begunto call by naive of Jehovah ." Roth . Thisdid not mean that men became "sons of God",for such a thing was not possible among menuntil after Jesus' coming . John 1 11-13 Itdid not mean men began to "walk with God", becausethe next one after Abel who is testifiedto as walking with God is Enoch, the son ofJared and the great-great-grandson of Enos . Itdid not stop the degeneracy of the human raceand turn them to repentance and stave off thegreat catastrophe that was preparing to come .The calling by name of Jehovah from Enos'time forward must have been hypocritical, areligious movement to the further reproach ofGod's name and it confused men as to God'spromise of the "seed" .It was first three hundred and eighty-sevenyears after Enos' birth that a man was bornwho received God's approval as showing a pleasingfaith toward God and worshiping Him intruth. "And Jared lived an hundred sixty andtwo years, and he begat Enoch. And Enoch livedsixty and five years, and begat Methuselah and

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 1 2 5Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselahthree hundred years, and begat sons anddaughters and all the days of Enoch were threehundred sixty and five years and Enoch walkedwith God and he was not for God took him ."-Genesis 5 18, 21-24 .Enoch's name means "trained consecrated" .His course proves he was fully consecrated toGod by his faith in Jehovah . His walking withGod meant he had fellowship with God by thetruth which God revealed to him and by hisgoing in the way of righteousness in harmonywith such truth . He was not of that old, ungodlyworld, but looked forward in faith to a newworld wherein the "seed" of God's "woman"would rule the earth, having judged the OldSerpent and its seed and crushed the Serpent'shead.In line of descent Enoch was the seventh fromAdam . Jehovah made faithful Enoch his witnessand prophet, to foretell of that day of judgmentat the end of the Devil's uninterrupted rule . Itis written "And Enoch also, the seventh fromAdam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, theord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,to execute judgment upon all, and to convinceall that are ungodly among them of all theirungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed,and of all their hard speeches which ungodlysinners have spoken against him ." Sucha prophecy by Enoch proves that the world inwhich lie lived was ungodly, despite the callingby men upon the name of Jehovah . Such

1 26 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"prophesying put Enoch's life in danger atthe violent hands of the "seed" of the Serpent .-Jude 14, 15 .In a time when ungodly men were living to anage of over seven hundred years, Methuselahreaching even nine hundred and sixty-nine years,why did this godly man of faith and integrity,Enoch, live to an age of only three hundred andsixty-five years Was he cut off by religious intolerance,persecution, and violence as in Abel'scase Enoch had good reason to expect to bebut Almighty God preserved him from such adeath . The record on Jehovah's witnesses, atHebrews chapter eleven, 'reads By faithEnoch was translated that lie should not seedeath and he was not found, because God translatedhim for he hath had witness borne to himthat before his translation he had been wellpleasingunto God and without faith it is impossibleto be well-pleasing unto him for hethat cometh to God must believe that he is, andthat he is a rewarder of them that seek afterhim ."-Verses 5, 6, A.R .V .Enoch received a good report from God forhis faith and faithfulness . He held fast his integrityunder test and honored and upheld thename of Jehovah amid the ungodly world, andin the face of the enmity of the seed of the Serpent. When Jehovah had determined that Enochhad finished his work of witness, then God gavehim a final vision of the new world to come,wherein death shall be wiped out by God's powerthrough the Seed of his "woman" .

ADVOCATES OF FREEDOM 127Thus God translated Enoch, or put him in atrance, somewhat like the trance an apostle ofJesus Christ experienced thousands of yearslater . 2 Corinthians 12 1-4 What Enoch sawand heard while he was held bound and entrancedwith that new world vision of Paradiserestored, he was not permitted to utter to men .While Enoch was in the trance, "God took him,"that is, God let Enoch's life expire peaceably .He felt no pangs of death he did not see orrealize he was dying. At the same time, up tillthis final vision of glorious things to come, hewas comparatively young and had not begun tofeel the ebbing strength, growing pains, anddeadening stiffness of old age nearing death'sdoor .So Enoch "died in faith", and his body hisenemies were never able to find to use it forany purpose . He "was not found" he "was not" .God disposed of his body . Enoch died with thenew world vision gripping his attention . WhenGod actually brings him to life again at theportals of that new world, that vision will bethe first thought of his mind, and his eyes willlook forth to see the vision come true on earth .

CHAPTER XDE IVERANCEFORESHADOWEDAFTER Enoch's sudden disappearance,whether that caused any stir or senseof loss or not, men kept on toiling andworking with their hands, fighting thethorns and thistles of the cursed earth . Enochhad been like the "salt of the earth", exercisinga wholesome influence among men but men ingeneral were bent on corruption . Such were gladthat Enoch was gone and his preaching andprophesying against the ungodly sinners weregone with him. Selfishly they continued to eattheir food and to drink their wine and to marryand be given in marriage, and humankind multiplieddue to the multiplied conception of women .Enoch's grandson amech felt keenly thehard living conditions . He did not stand outamong men as a witness for Jehovah as hisgrandfather had . Enoch's warning of comingjudgment had likely impressed amech that atime of judgment was drawing near and that achange in human conditions was soon due .amech's name meaning "powerful overthrowerdestroyer", it fitted in with Enoch's prophecythat the God of all power would overthrowthe power of the ungodly and destroy them and128

1 30 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"ment . The Divine Record abruptly says, "Therewere giants in the earth in those days ." Or, bettertranslating the Record, "The Nephilim werein the earth in those days." Genesis 6 4,A.R .V . Who were those giant Nephilim Theywere not some freakish misgrowth of humankinddue to a glandular ailment. They weresuperhuman . They were demons from the spiritworld, materialized in flesh but of gigantic sizeto prove their superior origin, because man ismade a "little lower than the angels" . Theirsudden appearing among men became visibleproof that things had been proceeding for worsein those heavens under man's invisible overlord,Satan .God had not cast Satan the Devil out of heavenafter pronouncing judgment upon him atEden, but let him remain there for a test ofthe integrity of the spirit sons of God . Indeed,the Bible relates that, more than two thousandyears after Satan's rebellion, "it came to passon the day when the sons of God came to presentthemselves before Jehovah, that Satan alsocame among them . And Jehovah said unto Satan,Whence comest thou Then Satan answeredJehovah, and said, From going to and fro inthe earth, and from walking up and down in it ."Job 1 6, 7, A .R.V. Evidently, then, many ofthose angels, if not all of them, in the organizationthat God had put under ucifer in his officeof "covering cherub" over man in Eden, yieldedto Satan's persuasion after he caused the fallof man . They also rebelled against the Most

DE IVERANCE FORESHADOWED 131High God and forsook his holy organization andtook Satan's side of the controversy .Those unfaithful angels became devils, inthat they joined renegade ucifer in slanderingJehovah God and bringing reproach upon hisname. They became demons who were laterworshiped by men, but whose worship JehovahGod forbids his chosen people to practice, saying"So shall they no more offer their sacrificesunto demons after whom they are unchastelygoing away." eviticus 17 7, Roth . "Theysacrificed to mischievous demons, to a No-God,gods whom they knew not, new ones lately comein." Deuteronomy 32 17, Roth . also 2 Chronicles11 15 Psalm 106 37 ucifer, of cherubrank, thus became the "prince of the demons",also called "Beelzebub" .-Matthew 12 24 1 27,2S,A.R.V .The angels that so sinned came under sentencefrom Jehovah God. He degraded themfrom their blessed position in his lofty organizationof light and truth, and debased them tothe state or condition symbolically called "Tartarus". Not having the light of the truth ofGod's purposes, they are not free, but are underGod's continual surveillance as his opponents.Thus they are as in chains . They cannever break free from His sentence of destructionupon them, but in their state of Tartareandegradation they await the execution of thatsentence with Satan the Devil at the judgmentday. The inspired revelation concerning thissays "Whose sentence now from of old linger-

132 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"eth not, and their destruction slumbereth not .For if God spared not angels when they sinned,but cast them down to Tartarus, and committedthem to pits of darkness, to be reserved untojudgment." 2 Peter 2 3, 4, A.R.V ., margin"And the angels which kept not their first estate,but left their own habitation, he bath reservedin everlasting chains under darkness unto thejudgment of the great day ."-Jude 6 .The demons that materialized in the days ofNoah terrorized men who did not have faith inGod as did Noah . They spread violence . Theirvery name Nephilim means fellers, who causemen to fall by violence and other means . Soterrible an impression did they make that almosta thousand years later when the Israelitespies were spying out the land of Canaan andsaw the unusually tall sons of the CanaaniteAnak, they came back and reported, falsely"And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons ofAnak, who come of the Nephilim and we werein our own sight as grasshoppers, and so wewere in their sight." Numbers 13 33, A.R.V.The book of Genesis tells what next took placeafter the Nephilim appeared on earth .Man became so corrupt that the great Spirit,Jehovah, determined that he would grant themonly 120 years of grace before he executedjudgment upon them, thereby settling the controversyof supremacy with that long-lived generationof men . "And,it came to pass, when menbegan to multiply on the face of the ground, anddaughters were born unto them, that the sons

DE IVERANCE FORESHADOWED 133of God saw the daughters of men that they werefair and they took them wives of all that theychose. And Jehovah said, My spirit shall notstrive with man for ever, for that he also isflesh yet shall his days be a hundred and twentyyears ."-Genesis 6 1-3, A .R.V.The "sons of God" who intermarried withdaughters of men were angels who had thus farcontinued faithful to Jehovah God . "For whoin the skies can be compared unto JehovahWho among the sons of God is like unto Jehovah"Psalm 89 6, A.R.V ., margin Psalm88 7, Douay Still in Jehovah's organization asmembers of his family of sons, these angelsmaterialized, doubtless with good intent to benefitthe straying human race. Nevertheless it wasnot by authority of God their Father and wasnot his way to produce the "seed" who wouldbe heaven-sent to crush the Serpent's head .Hence it was a disobedient step . It served Satan'spurpose instead, and produced an offspringwho were "mighty men of renown",angelic-human hybrids, who made a name forthemselves and not for God and who whippedup the violence in the earth . The brief recordreads "The Nephilim were in the earth in thosedays, and also AFTER THAT, when the sonsof God came in unto the daughters of men, andthey bare children to them the same were themighty men that were of old, the men of renown."-Genesis6 4, A.R .V .Amid this wickedness Noah followed Enoch'sexample and walked with Jehovah God . He

1 34 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"married a chaste, uncontaminated woman, andafter Noah was 500 years old God blessed himwith three sons . He brought them up in thefaith of God and led them in obedience to God'srighteous will . Noah kept himself unspotted anduncorrupted from that old, ungodly world, andthe inspired testimony concerning him reports"These are the generations of Noah . Noah was arighteous man, and perfect in his generationsNoah walked with God . And Noah begat threesons, Shem, Ham and Japheth." Genesis 6 9, 10,A.R.V . These three sons married uncorruptedwomen .The earth at that time was in the conditiondescribed at 2 Peter 3 5, and of which conditionthe people outside of Noah's family choseto remain willingly ignorant "For this theywillingly are ignorant of, that by the word ofGod the heavens were of old, and the earthstanding out of the water and in the water."By God's dynamic word the waters on earthhad been collected into great seabeds, and thedry land had been made to appear, on the thirdcreative day. In course of time the rings of matterexhaled by the earth in its molten state hadfallen one after another to form canopy beltsaround the earth but up above earth's firmamentor atmospheric expanse . The belts hadmoved slowly toward the poles, north and south,and there at the areas of least resistance theyhad fallen, subjecting the earth to great delugesdestructive to all existing forms of life . Now,one thousand years after the close of the sixth

DE IVERANCE FORESHADOWED 135creative day, on which God made man, the lastring, almost pure water, had fallen towardearth's firmament and had enveloped the earthin a . canopy . It was sustained aloft by centrifugalforce as it rotated . It constituted a greatdeep of water in suspension, but still envelopingthe earth .Adam's descendants, now multiplied over theearth, were out of the water, being on dry land .At the same time they were in the water, beingwithin the water canopy which had been theresince before Adam's creation . To the ungodlymen of the earth, since Adam had fallen asleepin death, all things seemed to continue as theywere from the beginning, of the creation . Not atall did they see what God saw, that the movementof the waters of the great canopy far overheadwas toward the poles that as a result thethickness of the canopy out above the earth'sequator was becoming very thin, almost admittingdirect sunlight through, and that the edgesof the canopy nearing the poles were growingdangerously weak, rotating with growing slownessto the point of having little centrifugalforce to resist the downward pull of earth'sgravity . The fall of the canopy was imminent,awaiting God's removal of his restraining powerat the end of the 120 years . But before thecanopy belts dropped God mercifully chose towarn earth's inhabitants of the dreadful cataclysmof waters and to declare to the people theway of escape, if they would heed .

1 3 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Jehovah God made Noah his witness to soundthe warning. Doubtless first to Noah JehovahGod gave the account of the creation of earthas -described in the first chapter of the Bible,thereby revealing to him the existence of themighty deep above earth's firmament, and thatit must shortly plunge to earth, causing anearth-wide flood and destroying all corrupt humankind. To escape through it, - a great boatmust be built and Noah and his sons and thewives of all four must take refuge in it, bringingin also a select number of birds, cattle andcreeping things not insects . Such a catastropheas ever visiting the earth was unreportedof before, yet Noah believed God . By faithNoah, being warned of God of things not seenas yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to thesaving of his house by the which he condemnedthe world, and became heir of the righteousnesswhich is by faith ."-Hebrews 11 7 .All the ungodly on earth, the Nephilim, themighty men of renown, and the race in general,scoffed at Noah and his sons while building thebig boat, 450 feet long, 75 feet broad, and 45feet high, with three inner stories. How washe ever to launch it from the land on which itwas built Noah and his sons held their integrityunder the scoffing . Noah warned the people ofthe flood and preached the righteousness ofGod, which righteousness called for the flood ofdestruction as the execution of God's just condemnationof the world . Asked by the skepticalwhen it should come, Noah replied he did not

DE IVERANCE FORESHADOWED 137know the day or hour, but it would not comebefore the boat was finished, with his familyinside .The great float was completed, while the mistsstill continued to exhale from the earth and towater the face of the whole earth . No sign ofrain or flood was apparent to the people . Whatnow Jehovah's word came to Noah telling himto move into the ark with his family, bringingalso the birds and animals "For yet seven days,and I will cause it to rain upon the earth fortydays and forty nights and every living thingthat I have made will I destroy from off theface of the ground ." Noah obeyed . No childrenor babies were taken into the ark . Althoughmarried, Noah's sons had so engrossed themselvesin preparing for the flood and witnessingfor Jehovah that they had no time to considerthe rearing of families . It was not the occasionfor such . Moreover, their refraining from havingchildren showed their conviction it addedweight to their testimony respecting the worldcalamity at hand. When the people beheld Noahand his household moving into the ark and takingthe creature life with them, did they suddenlyrepent and turn from their corrupt ways,believing that world disaster was near The Sonof man, Christ Jesus, answers "As in the daysthat were before the flood they were eating anddrinking, marrying and giving in marriage, untilthe day that No'e entered into the ark, andknew not until the flood came, and took them all

138 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"away so shall also the coming of the Son ofman be."-Matthew 24 38, 39 .Noah was 600 years old when he turned hisback on that old ungodly world and entered theark containing its precious cargo . "And theythat went in, went in male and female of allflesh, as God commanded him and Jehovah shuthim in." Genesis 7 6, 16, A.R.V . Then theflood descended, in Noah's six hundredth year,the seventeenth day of the second month . Allthe fountains of the great deep suspended abovethe earth broke forth with gushing waters andthe aqueous canopy, which had shielded theearth from the direct beams of the sun, moonand stars like a window pane, opened its floodgates.Forty days the downfall of water con-

DE IVERANCE FORESHADOWED 139tinued, and the rising waters on the earth liftedup the ark and finally raised it on their surfacefifteen cubits above the highest mountains then .Earth now looked like a watery globe, withinits firmament of now well-washed atmosphere,much like when God commanded, 29,000 yearsbefore that, saying " et the waters under theheavens be gathered together unto one place,and let the dry land appear." It was thereforeno new thing for God to issue a like commandafter the floodwaters had prevailed upon theearth for 150 days for then the ark's keelstruck land. "After the end of a hundred andfifty days the waters decreased. And the arkrested in the seventh month, on the seventeenthday of the month, upon the mountains ofArarat ." Genesis 8 3, 4, A.R.V. That was exactlyfive months since the flood began . Dividingfive months into 150 days shows that each monthcounted as 30 days long, about the length of alunation of earth's moon . A year of twelvemonths in Noah's day, therefore, equaled about360 days . Such being a lunar year, it would benecessary to regulate it, when necessary, to thespring equinox, in order to bring the calendarinto line with the solar year and not get aheadof the seasons of the year which now set in .-Genesis 8 22.In the six hundred and first year of Noah'slife, and "in the second month, on the seven andtwentieth day of the month, was the, earth dried .And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth ofthe ark ." Genesis 8 13-16 Noah and his family

1 40 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"and the animals were therefore in the ark forexactly one lunar year and ten days, the ordhaving shut them in the ark the seventeenth dayof the second month of the previous year . Whilethese were safe inside, what had happened withoutThis God "spared not the old world, butsaved Noah the eighth person, a preacher ofrighteousness, bringing in the flood upon theworld of the ungodly" . Jehovah's word of judgmentwent into effect, "whereby the world thatthen was, being overflowed with water, perished." 2 Peter 2 5 3 5, 6 The wicked organizationof men on the earth, together with theinterference of the Nephilim and the disobedient"sons of God" from the invisible heavens,ended . The old world ended, "perished," but theearth continued abiding . Concerning it God nowsaid "While the earth remaineth, seedtime andharvest, and cold and heat, and summer andwinter, and day and night shall not cease ."Genesis 8 22 This truth frees all believersfrom the fear that the end of the world meansdestruction of the literal earth, sun, moon andstars . God's preservation of Noah and his familyconfirms the truth that God will preserve Hisservants through the end of this world .

CHAPTER XITHE COUNT OF TIMEthe old world of the ungodly andbrought it to an end exactly 120 yearsafter lie had expressed his judgment .Genesis 6 3 With the exhibition of his almightypower in the deluge Jehovah God wipedout the wicked creatures who filled the earthwith violence . By the raging floodwaters he notonly rendered the earth clean of them, butcleansed the earth itself which had been defiledby the blood unrighteously spilled by theungodly. The defiled earth , could justly becleansed only by the blood of those who shedblood.-Numbers 35 33 .The heavenly spirit creatures who had materializedin bodies of flesh and exercised a directcontrol in earth's affairs were required to returnto the spirit world . In that way such mannerof direct meddling by spirits from heavenin human matters was brought to an end . Thespirit "sons of God" who had disobediently marriedthe daughters of men were not permittedto return to the holy courts of God's presence,but God delivered them over to the custody ofSatan, who brought them into a virtual imprisonment. Being so dealt with, they became"the spirits in prison which sometime were dis-141

142 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"obedient, when once the longsuffering of Godwaited in the days of Noah, while the ark was apreparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls weresaved by water".-1 Peter 3 19, 20 .The Nephilim, however, who had rebelledopenly with Satan, joined again the ranks of thedevils and demons under Satan their prince, andall these Satan now arranged according to anew pattern, symbolized in Bible prophecy as"another wonder in heaven" . "And behold agreat red dragon, having seven heads and tenhorns, and seven crowns upon his heads . Andhis tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven."-Revelation12 3, 4 .The evidence is clear, then, that the symbolicpre-Flood heavens and earth passed out of existence,but our globe, the earth, remained . Religionhad been cleared off the face of the earth,by the destruction of all religionists . Into thecleansed earth Noah and all other occupants ofthe ark came forth at God's command . The firstthing that was done outside the ark was to institutethe worship of Jehovah God by Noah,who is a prophetic picture of the woman's "seed"destined to bruise the Serpent's head . "AndNoah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and tookof every clean beast, and of every clean bird,and offered burnt-offerings on the altar . AndJehovah smelled the sweet savor and Jehovahsaid in his heart, I will not again curse theground any more for man's sake, for that theimagination of man's heart is evil from hisyouth neither will I again smite any more

THE COUNT OF TIME 1 4 3everything living, as I have done."-Genesis8 20, 21, A.R.V .Besides being prophetic of greater things yetto come, this transaction was a small-scale orminiature fulfillment of amech's words atNoah's birth "This same shall comfort us concerningour work and toil of our hands, becauseof the ground which the ORD hath cursed ."Jehovah had cursed the earth at the time ofEden because a perfect man had gone wickedbut now, all his descendants being born sinnersand hence their heart imaginings being inclinedto evil from youth on, Jehovah God did notcurse the earth because of the condition in whichthey were helplessly born . Only, thereafter,when the human race showed a choice of wickednessdeliberately and defiled the earth with innocentblood would God bring upon them acurse.-Isaiah 24 3-6 Malachi 4 6 .For the time being, to serve the prophetic picturehere made, the earth was clean, undefiledand uncursed . Its sole inhabitants were righteousin God's sight through their faith and obedience,and the worship of Jehovah prevailed tothe exclusion of all demonism or religion. True,the invisible demons under Satan had not beendestroyed, but were permitted to reorganize .However, at this point of time Jehovah God wasdealing through the Word, his heavenly representative,direct with Noah and his righteoushousehold. Righteous heavens were then intouch with a righteous earth . Under such conditions,which were prophetic of the conditions

1 44 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"of the new world now near at hand, God restatedthe divine mandate . "And God blessedNoah and his sons, and said unto them, Befruitful, and multiply . . . bring forth abundantlyin the earth, and multiply therein ."-Genesis 9 1, 7 .About a year later, or two years after theflood began, the first child was born in fulfillmentof this restated divine mandate . Genesis11 10 In course of time the mandate was fulfilled,not in a complete sense, but in a typicalor pictorial sense, when the seventy generationsfrom Noah and his descendants were broughtforth, as named in Genesis, chapter ten . Seventyor seven times ten, both numbers symbolizingcompleteness represents fulfillment or accomplishmentas respects the mandate . Nimrod, dueto wickedness and childlessness, is not reckonedin, because he does not picture any having partin the real, permanent fulfillment of the divinemandate in the new world. Genesis 10 8-1010 32 iving for 350 years after the flood,Noah saw the divine mandate typically carriedout. Though the mandate was restated primarilyto him, he had no more children . His sonsand daughters-in-law did the multiplying . Soit will be under the Greater Noah .To show that the carrying out of the divinemandate was not meant to breed babies undertotalitarian rule for purposes of selfish warfareand to pollute the earth with blood, JehovahGod established with Noah and his sons,hence with all their descendants to this day, the

THE COUNT OF TIME 1 45everlasting covenant respecting the sanctity ofblood, the basis of life. By this covenant orsolemn declaration of the ife-giver's will, manmight kill animals for his needed food, butmight not engage in robbing animals of theirlife or soul . Also, the blood of a manslayer couldbe shed only by the one whom God delegated toact in His image, that is, as God's representativeand executioner . Said God to those worshipingHim "As for every moving thing that hathlife yours shall it be for food like the greenherb have I given you all things . Yet flesh withthe soul thereof, the blood thereof, shall ye noteat and surely your blood of your souls will Irequire, from the hand of every living creaturewill I require it, and from the hand of manfrom the hand of each one's brother will I requirethe soul of man he that sheddeth man'sblood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in theimage of God made he man ."-Genesis 9 3-6,Roth ., marginal reading according to the Hebrew.If humankind kept this everlasting covenantof the sanctity of creature life, they would notdefile the earth, but would escape the bringingof a curse from God upon them, with destructionto follow the curse . As a visible sign of thiscovenant of blood the great ife-giver set therainbow in the sky, the rainbow never havingbeen visible to man before the flood . "And Godsaid, This is the sign of the covenant, which Iam granting betwixt me and you, and everyliving soul nephesh chayyah that is with you,

146 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"to age-abiding generations . . . . This is thesign of the covenant which I have establishedbetween me and all flesh that is on the earth ."Genesis 9 12-17, Roth . The truth of this rainbowcovenant, being duly applied by God's powerin his own time, will free the earth of unrighteouswars which have plagued humankind .MEASURING TIME TO OUR DAYAs to human relations, God is an accurateTimekeeper in the fulfillment of his purposes .Until God reveals it to his devoted servants, itis impossible for creatures to "know the timesor the seasons, which the Father hath put in hisown power" . He appoints the time for each ofhis purposes to mature, and at the fullness ofthe time he acts . "When the fulness of the timewas come, God sent forth his Son, made of awoman, made under the law, to redeem themthat were under the law, that we might receivethe adoption of sons ." Galatians 4 4,5 "Toevery thing there is a season, and a time toevery purpose under the heaven ."-Ecclesiastes3 1 .The Divine Word of truth shows up as foolishthose teachers of "science falsely so called",who teach that man has been upon this planetand in a state of development toward perfectionfor millions of years, the exact number of whichthese so-called "scientists" cannot agree uponamong themselves. After the Flood God's Wordcounts the time through the generations ofNoah's son Shem . Before the Flood the time

THE COUNT OF TIME 147was counted from Adam through the line ofSeth. By this it is easy and simple to prove thatthe time from Adam's creation to the Flood was1,656 years, as followsFrom Adam's creation to thebirth of Seth wasThen to the birth of EnosTo the birth of CainanTo the birth of MahalaleelTo the birth of JaredTo the birth of EnochTo the birth of MethuselahTo the birth of amechTo the birth of NoahTo the Flood130 years105 years90 years70 years65 years162 years65 years187 years182 years600 yearsFrom Adam's creation to theFlood, according to Genesis5 3-29 7 6, was 1,656 yearsFrom the beginning of the Floodto the birth of Shem's sonArphaxad was2 yearsTo the birth of Salah35 yearsTo the birth of Eber30 yearsTo the birth of Peleg34 yearsTo the birth of Reu30 yearsTo the birth of Serug32 yearsTo the birth of Nahor 30 yearsTo the birth of Terah29 yearsTo the death of Terah, atwhich time his son Abrahamwas 75 years old and then

148 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"crossed the Euphrates riverinto the Promised and205 yearsFrom the Flood to God's covenantwith Abraham in Canaan,according to the recordat Genesis 11 10-3212 1-7, was 427 years

THE COUNT OF TIME 149Exodus 12 40-43 and Galatians 3 17 are inagreement that from the Abrahamic covenant toJehovah's law covenant with the nation of Israelat the time of their exodus from Egypt was 430years . Thereafter there was a trek of the Israelitesthrough the wilderness to the land ofCanaan for 40 years, followed by 6 years offighting with the Canaanites before apportioningout all the land to the Israelites by JudgeJoshua. Joshua 14 5-10 Numbers 1 1 10 11,12 12 16 13 1-30 After Joshua's death therewas a broken period of judges, on the timelength of which the Bible is not definite . Concerningthis the apostle Paul says, at Acts13 19-22 A .R.V. "And when lie had destroyedseven nations in the land of Canaan,he gave them their land for an inheritance, forabout four hundred and fifty years and afterthese things he gave them judges until Samuelthe prophet . And afterward they asked for aking and God gave unto them Saul the son ofKish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for thespace of forty years . And when he had removedhim, he raised up David to be their king ." AfterDavid's reign of forty years, his son Solomonbecame king, and in the fourth year of his reignhe began building the temple at Jerusalem .In the record concerning the temple's constructionthe great Timekeeper supplies thatwhich fills the gap between the Israelites' exodusfrom Egypt to beginning work on the temple. "And it came to pass in the four hundredand eightieth year after the children of Israel

150 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"were come out of the land of Egypt, in thefourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, inthe month iv, which is the second month, thathe began to build the house of Jehovah ." ThereafterSolomon reigned thirty-six years . 1 Kings6 1, 2, A.R.V. 11 42 In the original Hebrewtext of these verses the numbers of years arewritten spelled out in full . It was first hundredsof years after Christ that alphabetic letters beganto be used as symbols of numbers, and thenthese were used merely to number the chaptersand verses, but NOT to change the original Hebrewtext . Without any other definite Scripturetime statement we accept 1 Kings 6 1, 2, andproceed with measuring the time .From God's covenant withAbraham to the exodus wasFrom the exodus to the beginningof the templeTo Solomon's death andRehoboam's reignTo Abijah's reignTo Asa's reignTo Jehoshaphat's reignTo Jehoram's reignTo Ahaziah's reignTo Athaliah's reignTo Joash's reignTo Amaziah's reignTo Uzziah's reignTo Jotham's reign430 years480 years36 years17 years3 years41 years25 years8 years1 ye a r6 years40 years29 years52 years

THE COUNT OF TIMETo Ahaz's reignTo Hezekiah's reignTo Manasseh's reignTo Amon's reignTo Josiah's reignTo Jehoahaz's reignTo Jehoiakim's reignTo Jehoiachin's reignTo edekiah's reignTo Jerusalem's desolationTo the end of seventy years'desolation in the first yearof King Cyrus of PersiaTo the end ancient timeof the year B .C . 116 years16 years29 years55 years2 years31 years3 months11 years3 months11 years70 years536 years151From the Abrahamic covenantthrough B .C . 11,945 yearsThe above figures are based upon the recordof Israel's kings as given in 2 Chronicles, chapters12 to 36 . Both 2 Chronicles 36 19-23 andEzra 1 1-6, and Daniel 5 28-31, agree that itwas in the first year of Cyrus' reign that he permittedthe Jews to depart from Babylon andreturn to Jerusalem to build the temple, thusending the seventy years' desolation of the landof Judea . It is well established that two yearsafter the overthrow of Babylon in 538 B .C . byDarius the Mede and his nephew, Cyrus thePersian, the first year of Cyrus' exclusive rulebegan, which year was 536 B .C. So, putting

152 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"together the three great periods of time fromAdam's creation onward, we get the followingtableFrom Adam's creationto the Flood was 1,656 yearsFrom the Flood to theAbrahamic covenant was 427 yearsFrom the Abrahamic covenantto end of B .C . 1 was 1,945 yearsFrom Adam's creation tothe end of B .C . 1 was 4,028 yearsThereafter the so-called Anno Domini or A.D.period began.From the beginning of A.D . 1, or Year of theord 1, to the beginning of A .D. 1944 is 1,943full years, which, being added to the abovetable, give the time measurement from Adam'screation to dateFrom Adam's creation tothe end of B .C . 1 was 4,028 yearsFrom beginning of A .D . 1to the end of 1943 is 1,943 yearsFrom Adam's creation tothe end of 1943 A.D . is 5,971 yearsWe are therefore near the end of six thousandyears of human history, with conditionsupon us and tremendous events at hand foreshadowedby those of Noah's day .- uke17 26-30 .

CHAPTER XIIENEMIES OF FREEDOMBY THE Flood Jehovah God made agreat name for himself in the mindsof the eight survivors . Through themhe gave a righteous start again to thehuman family, though not a perfect start . Allhuman creatures then worshiped Jehovah, whohad so marvelously delivered them from thebaptism of destruction which came upon theungodly demon-worshipers in the Flood . All humancreatures were now under the terms of theeverlasting covenant of the sacredness of life,both human and beast . All wanton slaughter ofman or beast and the needless spilling of bloodwas forbidden and subject to God's vengeanceby his executioner in his due time . Wicked enemiesof freedom had been cleared out of theearth .Such new conditions did not mean that thetest of man's integrity toward God was at anend . Jehovah still permitted the Old Serpent,Satan, the Devil, to remain, together with hishost of demons, and the craving of Satan andhis demons to be worshiped by men on earthstill rankled in their hearts . They had no feelingof tolerance for the pure and undefiled worshipof the true God, Jehovah Most High, whohad delivered such a smacking rebuke and de-153

154 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"feat to them by the Flood . Being still alive andactive, Satan and his demons, his "seed", knewthat the Seed of God's "woman" who will dashin the head of the Serpent had not yet beenproduced and gone into action against them .They were on the watch for him, to destroy himon sight, if possible . They were determined tocorrupt and overthrow the worship of Jehovahon earth and to make men forget the namewhich Jehovah had made for himself in the Deluge. This would bring great reproach uponGod's name and would turn men away from Himand to the Devil as supreme one . The test ofman's integrity was bound to go on . It did ."And the sons of Noah, that went forth of theark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth andHam is the father of Canaan . These are thethree sons of Noah and of them was the wholeearth overspread ." Genesis 9 18, 19 No moresons being born to Noah, the human familywhich descended from him became divided intothree great branches, the Semitic, the Hamitic,and the Japhetic . They were and are all of oneblood, and the everlasting covenant concerningblood forbids and condemns the wanton exterminationof one branch of the race by any familyof the other branches, as when anti-SemiticNazis try to blot out the Semite Jews . It isplainly declared, at Acts 17 26, 27, that God"hath made of one blood all nations of men forto dwell on all the face of the earth, and hathdetermined the times before appointed, and thebounds of their habitation that they should

ENEMIES OF FREEDOM 1 5 5seek the ord, if haply they might feel afterhim, and find him, though he be not far fromevery one of us."Only by acting under the direct appointmentof Jehovah God to be his instrument to destroythe wicked may anyone execute the wicked . Aninstance of this was when Jehovah brought theIsraelites into the land he had promised theirforefathers . Then God commanded them to destroythe demon-worshiping inhabitants, andwipe out their religion. Almighty God, by miracles,aided the Israelites to carry out the executionof such devil-worshipers .Noah lived 350 years after the Flood beganand witnessed the typical fulfillment of the divinemandate . About a year after the mandatewas issued Noah's son Shem became the fatherof a son whom he called Arphaxad or Arpachshad. Genesis 10 22 11 10, A.R.V. The nameis understood to mean "land of the Chasdim orChaldeans", that is, "land of the conquerors orencroachers ." Hence it seems to apply to thework of Shem and his brothers in conqueringthe land by cultivation, continually encroachingupon the uncultivated parts . Shem's son Arphaxadwould continue such conquest of thesoil . He was the cousin of Canaan, the son ofHam. Noah himself set the example by turningto farming . He built no cities, as Cain, who lostfreedom from fear, had done .Noah planted a vineyard, and was one dayovercome by the wine therefrom . He lay uncoveredin his tent. The Devil was watching for a

1 56 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"chance to bring reproach upon this faithful witnessof Jehovah and to cause the impressionthat Noah was a habitual victim of wine . "AndHam, the father of Canaan, saw the nakednessof his father, and told his two brethren without."Genesis 9 20-22 Ham neglected to coverover his father's exposed condition until heshould recover . Instead, Ham yielded himself asan instrument of the Old Serpent who reproachedJehovah and his servants, and henoised his father's state abroad to Shem andJapheth . These two, however, did not seize theoccasion to humble and reproach Jehovah'sprophet and servant, this "preacher of righteousness".They respected him whom the ordhad honored for his faithful course . They didnot judge the ord's servant and join in misrepresentingand reproaching him . They fearedJehovah, the God whose obedient servant theirfather was . "And Shem and Japheth took a garment,and laid it upon both their shoulders, andwent backward, and covered the nakedness oftheir father and their faces were backward,and they saw not their father's nakedness ."Genesis 9 23 In their eyes their father boreno shame .Whose course was the right one in Jehovah'seyes now became apparent . Noah, awaking fromthe deep sleep induced by the wine, learnedwhat had occurred and how Ham had shownneglect and shamelessness and had brought reproachupon Jehovah's servant . Then the spiritof inspiration from God came upon Noah and

ENEMIES OF FREEDOM 1 5 7he uttered prophetic words "Cursed be Canaana servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."Ham, who had failed of his duty towardGod, was neglected and passed by, and the cursedescended upon Canaan, who is listed as thefourth son of Ham . Canaan's descendants, theCanaanites, came under this curse. In courseof time they felt it when God rained down fireand brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah, andalso when he brought the Israelites into Canaanland and commanded them to destroy the Canaaniteinhabitants and their religion. TheEthiopians or Cushites are not Canaanites, butare offspring of Cush, "he first listed son ofHam . There is no basis for the religious claimthat the native inhabitants of Africa becameblack-skinned because of God's curse pronouncedupon Canaan by Noah .Then Noah pronounced God's blessing uponhis two faithful sons "and he said, Blessed beJehovah, the God of Shem and let Canaan behis servant. God enlarge Japheth, and let himdwell in the tents of Shem and let Canaan behis servant ." Genesis 9 26, 27, A.R.V. TheIsraelites and their forefathers to . whom Godpromised Canaan land for a possession descendedfrom Shem and were Semites . Such Canaanitesas were not executed at God's commandbecame servants to the Israelites who worshipedJehovah, the God of Shem . The blessingupon Shem gave another clue as to the woman'sSeed foretold in Eden . It showed that the Seedwould come through the line of Shem, and that

1 5 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"in this Seed the descendants of Japheth wouldbe blessed and that the descendants of Canaan,as pictured by the Gibeonites, would becomeservants of the Seed .-Joshua 9 3-27 .Satan the Devil did not fail to note this trendof God's purpose . Filled with enmity, he wasbent upon destroying the Seed . It was his consumingdesire to invade again the human racewith religion or demonism and thereby deceivethem and turn them from Jehovah . By meansof religion he would capture control of his victimsand would use them to build a visible organizationon earth, and over it Satan and hisdemons would be a spiritual or heavenly controllingpower. Jehovah's action at the Floodhad destroyed both the spirit organization andthe human organization that then existed . TheseSatan purposed to replace with another heavenlyorganization and another earthly organization,a second "heavens" and "earth", symbolicallyspeaking . Since Ham had come underGod's disfavor Satan proceeded to use his descendantsas the spearhead of religion and tolay the foundation of another devil-controlledearth . Particularly in Ham's grandson Nimroddid Satan find his instrument .Cush was Ham's firstborn . "And Cush begatNimrod he began to be a mighty one in theearth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovahwherefore it is said, ike Nimrod a mighty hunterbefore Jehovah . And the beginning of hiskingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, andCalneh, in the land of Shinar." Genesis 10 8-10,

ENEMIES OF FREEDOM 1 5 9A .R.V. Noah was still alive, and, although beingthe patriarch of all humankind then, he didnot set himself up over them as a king or dictator.He recognized the Theocratic rule of theord God, his Deliverer and Savior . He exaltedJehovah's name, the name which God had madefor himself by the Flood. To overshadow God'sname among men and to turn man's dependenceand worship away from God, Satan the Devilbrought Nimrod prominently to the fore .Nimrod showed himself rebellious . Feelingrestrained by God's everlasting covenant, hestruck for freedom, as he thought, but actuallyhe merely exercised self-will and served Satan'spurposes and thereby became the slave of theDevil. For the sport of it he became a wantonslayer of beasts of the field and forest, andfinally of weaker humankind . He willfully brokethe covenant concerning the sanctity of blood .The sight of the rainbow meant nothing to him .He pushed God's name into the background andmade himself popular, making a name for himself.He, and not Jehovah's witness Noah, becamethe human standard for comparison"wherefore it is said, ike Nimrod a mightyhunter before Jehovah ." This meant, "superiorto and in opposition to Jehovah ." 1Men feared hunter Nimrod rather than God,and therefore were unwise . Under him they didnot gain freedom, but became ensnared in religionand enslaved to dictatorship . "The fear of1 The Hebrew preposition here liphnei is like that at 1 Chronicles14 8 2 Chronicles 14 10 20 12 Deuteronomy 31 21.

1 6 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"man bringeth a snare but whoso putteth histrust in Jehovah shall be safe." "The fear ofJehovah is the beginning of wisdom ." Proverbs29 25, A.R.V . Psalm 111 10, A .R.V. Turningfrom fear of Jehovah, men hailed, exalted andworshiped Nimrod, and thereby religion was reinstatedon the earth . Men who trusted in manmisinterpreted God's prophecy and looked uponNimrod as the promised liberator, the woman's"seed", and followed him as their leader. Afterhis death they deified him as an immortal god,whereas Nimrod was dead . Hence Satan theDevil was the demon who received such worship .ike the fear-stricken murderer Cain, Nimrodgathered the religious people together andbuilded cities . Babel was his first city. Thereinhe established himself as a king ruling with violence,thus ruling as a dictator and terrorizingthe people. With him organized politics began,and the state set itself up over Jehovah God,because the state's head was its religious head .Union of state and religion held sway and keptthe people in the darkness of error and bondage .The true worship of Jehovah God was not tolerated,but was denied freedom in Nimrod's domain. Nimrod was a Cushite, not an early Chaldean,and he extended his territories of hisrealm by violent aggressions . Genesis 10 11,12,margin He believed in a master class over aslave class, and not family equality . Noah andShem held to the truth and continued to worshipJehovah . They remained free from the religionand tyranny of Nimrod . They became no

ENEMIES OF FREEDOM 161part of the demon-controlled "earth" which Satan,the mimic god, succeeded in foundingthrough Nimrod .Jehovah God early showed his supremacyover that religious-political capital Babel, thebeginning of Nimrod's totalitarian rule . At thetime there was no family of languages, but allmankind spoke one language . This was an advantagebut, instead of using this to unitethemselves in the worship and service of God,they set out to turn it to selfish interest in ajoint conspiracy against the true and livingGod. "And the whole earth was of one languageand of one speech. And it came to pass, as theyjourneyed east, that they found a plain in theland of Shinar and they dwelt there . And theysaid one to another, Come, let us make brick,and burn them thoroughly . And they had brickfor stone, and slime had they for mortar . Andthey said, Come, let us build us a city, and atower, whose top may reach unto heaven, andlet us make us a name lest we be scatteredabroad upon the face of the whole earth ." -Genesis11 1-4, A .R.V.Jehovah's Theocratic rule was here disregarded.A political rule was proposed for all theearth, and this city was to be the political capitalaround which all the rabble people wouldrally and be held together in subjection, in acommon allegiance to this supergovernment .Men laid the foundation of this city, representingpolitics . Men's hands were its makers andbuilders, using kiln-burnt or sun-dried brick . The

162 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"lofty tower they started building amid the citywas not a watchtower, but was a tower of religiousworship . It would tower above the cityheavenward, showing that religion was the dominantpart of the government . Its head wasdesigned to reach to heaven, that is, toward thesymbolic "heavens" of Satan and his demons .On this tower astrology would be carried on andthe worship of the host of the visible heavens,the sun, moon, and the stars, which man choseto worship as symbols representative of the demons.Religion, or demon-worship, speakingthrough the medium of a language common toall the people, would be the binding tie of theworld. This would save the world . Thereby menwould make a name for themselves, exalting andglorifying the achievements of men, rather thanthe name of Jehovah, whose name had beenmade glorious by the Flood .Again it became necessary for the Most HighGod to bring his name prominently before men,who so soon after the flood were forgetting andreproaching his name . The supremacy of theTheocratic Ruler of the universe must be displayed,that honest men might learn and knowthe truth and be free from religion and worlddictatorship or a totalitarian world . JehovahGod did not come down bodily from his heavenlythrone to inspect, but he turned his notice andattention downward to that religious-politicaleffort of self-exalting men . Jehovah could alsosend down his representative, his beloved Son,the Word, if he chose . "And Jehovah said, Be-

ENEMIES OF FREEDOM 163hold, they are one people, and they have all onelanguage and this is what they begin to doand now nothing will be withholden from them,which they purpose to do . Come, let us go down,and there confound their language, that theymay not understand one another's speech ." Jehovahthen directed his power downward .

164 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE""So Jehovah scattered them abroad fromthence upon the face of all the earth and theyleft off building the city . Therefore was thename of it called Babel because Jehovah didthere confound the language of. all the earthand from thence did Jehovah scatter themabroad upon the face of all the earth ." Genesis11 5-9, A.R .V . Almighty God blocked theirselfish aim and broke up their organized unitedeffort to establish a world domination by meansof religion, politics and commerce, and in defianceof Jehovah . lie manifested his supremacyfor the benefit of those who feared him and worshipedhim . Because Noah and Shem kept themselvespure and unspotted from that worldlyregimentation of men by religion and politics,God did not confound their language . They continuedto worship him and to be his witnesses,now to the new nations .This Bible record was written aforetime toadmonish us now when men propose to makecommon cause and jointly set up a "new andbetter world" with all earth as one neighborhoodand mankind as one big family under aninternational government with "more religion" .

CHAPTER XIIITHE COVENANTFOR FREEDOMT0 MEN th time seemed to be longsince Jehovah's covenant at Eden,that the seed, or offspring, of his"woman" should crush the Serpent'shead . God's covenant is his agreement, alwayssolemn, whereby he expresses his purpose . Thisdeclaration of purpose, when made solely onGod's part and without taking into considerationany creature or creatures, or without dependingupon creature actions, is a unilateralor one-sided covenant .The covenant at Eden was stated directly tothe serpent representing Satan, but it was riotmade with Satan the enemy, nor was it madewith Adam or Eve, each of whom had joinedSatan in rebellion . Moreover, the covenant wasnot made dependent upon what any of theseunfaithful creatures, devil or human, should do .Hence the covenant was one-sided, or unilateral .Its fulfillment depended entirely and absolutelyupon Almighty God alone . This made it sure ofbeing carried out perfectly. The purpose of Jehovahas declared in the hearing of the enemycould not fail, in spite of the enmity expressedby such foe. God-fearing men may accordingly165

166 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"exercise full faith in God that he will vindicatehis word or uphold it as true . He will therebyvindicate his name as attached to that word . Inforetelling the destruction of unfaithful ucifer,Satan, who was back of building the cityof Babel, or Babylon, the covenant-keeping Godsays "Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying,Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come topass and as I have purposed, so shall it stand .For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and whoshall annul it and his hand is stretched out, andwho shall turn it back "-Isaiah 14 41 12 1 24 1 27,A.R.V .About four hundred years after the FloodJehovah God gave more information in anothercovenant concerning the promised "Seed" . Shem,one of the eight Flood survivors, was still living,and also Arphaxad or Arpachshad ,whose name means "Chaldean's land" . Accordingto Noah's blessing upon Shem, the "seed"was to be expected in his line of descent, andGod chose to have that line run through Arphaxad. In course of time a city named "Ur ofthe Chaldees" was built on the southern bankof the river Euphrates, near where it emptiedinto the Persian Gulf. The Euphrates was oneof the four rivers that had run out of the gardenof Eden . When Shem was 450 years old and hisson Arphaxad was 350 years old, a babe wasborn in Ur of the Chaldees, and his fatherTerah named him "Abram" . His name means"lofty father" . He was of the line of descentfrom Shem through Arphaxad . Abram's father

THE COVENANT FOR FREEDOM 1 67Terah had three sons, the first being born whenTerah was seventy years old . Abram was theyoungest, being born seventy-five years beforeTerah died, but because of Abram's prominencein the purpose of God he is named first ofTerah's sons .-Genesis 11 26, 32 12 4 .Abram grew up in Ur of the Chaldees . AsAbram's and Shem's lives overlapped for 150years, Abraham could learn direct from Sheman account of the Flood and the conditions precedingit, and also about Jehovah's promise inEden of deliverance by a "seed". Abram manifestedfaith in these matters and hence in JehovahGod, and he looked forward to the day ofthe "seed", the day of freedom . This pleasedGod . He had respect to Abram for his faith .One of Abram's descendants tells what followed,saying "The God of glory appearedunto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia,before he dwelt in Haran, and saidunto him, Get thee out of thy land, and fromthy kindred, and come into the land which Ishall show thee . Then came he out of the landof the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran andfrom thence, when his father was dead, God removedhim into this land, wherein ye nowdwell."-Acts 7 2-4, A .R .V .The account by another of Abram's descendants,Moses, reads "Now Jehovah said untoAbram, Get thee out of thy country, and fromthy kindred, and from thy father's house, untothe land that I will show thee and I will makeof thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and

1 6 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"make thy name great and be thou a blessingand I will bless them that bless thee, and himthat curseth thee will I curse and in thee shallall the families of the earth be blessed ." -Genesis12 1-3, A .R.V.This fixed it, that the seed of God's "woman"should be through this faithful man, this witnessof Jehovah . This declaration of divine purposeto Abram was a unilateral covenant of Jehovah,further foretelling the channel throughwhich the "seed" should come, and also guaranteeingthat a blessing should come to all familiesof the earth, not indiscriminately or automatically,but only to all those that blessedAbram, whereas those that cursed him shouldbe cursed. In harmony with this covenant Godlater changed the name of the 99-year-oldAbram to that of Abraham, meaning "father ofa multitude" .One of Abraham's descendants became anapostle of the "seed" and declared under inspirationthat Abraham was used as a type orprophetic figure of Jehovah God . God is himselfthe " ofty Father" and is the Father ofthe "seed" and of the multitude of those whoget life and freedom through the "seed" . Romans4 16, 17, margin Therefore to AbrahamGod really promised that He would make thename of Jehovah great and that in Jehovahshould all the families of the earth be blessed, ifthey blessed Jehovah's name. Those that cursedJehovah should be cursed like the Serpent . Bythis fact Abraham's wife would also become a

THE COVENANT FOR FREEDOM 1 69type, a prophetic picture of God's "woman",who brings forth the "seed", God's "woman"being his holy organization named ion . Forthis reason God changed the name of Abraham'swife from Sarai to Sarah, meaning"princess" .Whether Abraham would be a party to thiscovenant depended upon his faith as proved byworks . When he did leave the land of the Chaldeansand moved into the land which Godshowed him, namely, the land of Canaan, nowPalestine, then the covenant applied to him, hebecame party thereto, and it became a twosidedor bilateral covenant . However, the unilateral-covenantpurpose of Jehovah God asgiven at Eden still stood and depended upon noman, but would go through regardless of anyindividual creature . Whether a creature willhave a part while that covenant is undergoingfulfillment rests upon the faith and faithfulnessof such creature . Abraham showed faith andfaithfulness to the end, and hence was used asa party to the covenant .Abraham did not settle down in Canaan andbuild a city with his own hands and lay claimto the country . The Canaanites worshiped falsegods, demons, but Abraham worshiped Jehovah.Once Abraham was obliged to go down intoEgypt. Then Satan the Devil, in his enmityagainst the promised seed, tried to bring aboutthe defilement of Abraham's wife Sarah byPharaoh, Egypt's king, and thus make Sarahunfit to be the mother of Abraham's offspring .

170 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Jehovah God, the Greater Abraham, frustratedSatan's move and kept Sarah clean and pureand fit to be used as a picture of God's "woman" .In the politics of Canaan land Abraham tookno part, and as to the local controversies, orthe controversies with outside nations, he stoodabsolutely neutral. He believed that God wouldgive him and his offspring the land in His owntime and way .At that time in Canaan there was an outstandingking, one who did worship JehovahGod . His name was Melchizedek . He was rulerof the city of Salem, which later became Jerusalem,some think . The Bible gives no record ofMelchizedek's father or mother or of his descendants,nor of his age, nor of the end of hislife . He and Abraham met, in the following wayAbraham's nephew ot had come with him toCanaan . For economic reasons ot separatedfrom Abraham and pitched his tents nearSodom in the Jordan river plain . Thereby otwas near the scene of a fight between five localkings and four aggressor kings from outsideCanaan . ot and his household were scooped upamong the captives taken by the victorious aggressorkings and were carried away . Not becauseot was his flesh-and-blood relative, butbecause ot was one of the faith of the sameGod as Abraham worshiped, Abraham armed318 of his trained servants and pursued theplunderers . He smote them and recovered hisfellow believer ot and his household and property. On his way back, as Abraham approached

THE COVENANT FOR FREEDOM 171Salem, its king came forth to meet him, andoffered him refreshments ."And Melchizedek king of Salem broughtforth bread and wine and he was the priest ofthe most high God. And he blessed him, andsaid, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,possessor of heaven and earth and blessed bethe most high God, which hath delivered thineenemies into thy hand . And he gave him tithesof all." Genesis 14 18-20 This priest-kingblessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him atenth of all he had recovered .This happening was maneuvered of JehovahGod and was prophetic . It foretold that the"seed" of God's organization would be Jehovah'shigh priest and also a king of righteousnessand peace, and that he would vindicateJehovah's name and bless it. Hence God madethis declaration concerning the "seed", saying"Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent Thouart a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." Psalm 110 4, A .R.V. This gives usa hope of a government of righteousness andpeace over earth by God's "seed" . "Which hopewe have as an anchor of the soul, both sure andstedfast, and which entereth into that withinthe veil whither the forerunner is for us entered,even Jesus, made an high priest for everafter the order of Melchisedec . For this Melchisedec,king of Salem, priest of the most highGod, who met Abraham returning from theslaughter of the kings, and blessed him towhom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all

172 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"first being by interpretation of the name MelchisedecKing of righteousness, and after thatalso King of Salem, which is, King of peacewithout father, without mother, without descent,having neither beginning of days, nor endof life but made like unto the Son of Godabideth a priest continually . Now consider how

THE COVENANT FOR FREEDOM 173great this man was, unto whom even the patriarchAbraham gave the tenth of the spoils ."-Hebrews 6 19, 20 7 1-4.Abraham grew to ninety-nine years of age,and it now seemed hopeless that he would haveoffspring by Sarah, ten years younger than himself.Then Almighty God by his messenger appearedunto Abraham and promised that almightypower would duly give Abraham andSarah a son, whose name should be called Isaac .Before the birth of Isaac the destruction ofSodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstonetook place, and ot and his two daughters weresaved from that fate. Once again Satan theDevil tried to contaminate Abraham's offspringby the action of the Philistine king Abimelech,but God delivered Sarah from defilement bythis devil-worshiper and restored her to Abraham.Thereafter Isaac was born, when Abrahamwas one hundred years old, hence by amiracle of God and by His spirit or active force .He was not "born after the flesh", but was "bornafter the spirit" .-Galatians 4 28, 29 Romans4 17-22 .Isaac was Abraham's only begotten son by hiswife Sarah, and he loved Isaac most dearly . Inthis relationship of these three Abraham typifiedor pictured Jehovah God as Father of thepromised "seed" . His wife Sarah pictured God'sholy organization from which Jehovah bringsforth the "seed", and which organization is symbolizedin Scripture as a chaste, holy "woman"of God and named ion . The "woman" is God's

174 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"universal organization composed of his faithfulcreatures who are in covenant relationship withhim, being consecrated and devoted to him . Theentire universal organization is united to himby holy bonds like the bonds of wedlock, fromwhich there is no divorce except with destructionto the unfaithful creature thus separatedfrom God. Isaac pictured God's only begottenSon, the Word, the Head of God's universalorganization . God's only begotten Son was takenout of that organization to become the "manChrist Jesus" and thereafter become a king andpriest for ever "after the order of Melchizedek" .Abraham brought up Isaac in the faith andobedience of Jehovah, as God had said "ForI have known him, to the end that he may commandhis children and his household after him,that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to dorighteousness and justice to the end that Jehovahmay bring upon Abraham that which hehath spoken of him ." Genesis 18 19, A .R .V .When Isaac had grown to be a young man withfaith like his father's, then God put both fatherand son to a great test of their integrity orsoundness of faith and devotion toward God .By faithfully performing their parts throughHis grace and help, the father and son wouldhave part in a prophetic drama foreshadowingevents of highest importance to come . God commandedAbraham to take Isaac and travel athree days' journey northward to the land ofMoriah and there offer him up as a wholeburnt-offering to God on one of the mountains .

THE COVENANT FOR FREEDOM 1 7 5Abraham, by obeying and proceeding to the sacrifice,proved his love for his Creator was greaterthan his love for his only begotten son .When they reached the place of sacrifice andreared an altar therefor, Abraham revealed toIsaac that God had designated him to be thevictim . Isaac did not run away, but with devotionto Jehovah God he determined to keep hisintegrity toward his God faithfully to the death .He submitted to being bound and laid upon thewood of the altar . Abraham raised the knifein his hand and was at the extreme point ofstriking Isaac dead before lighting the altarfire . At that instant Isaac was as good as deadfor his faithfulness. To Abraham he was asgood as dead and fully sacrificed . Another instantand-but in a flash Jehovah's angel calledand halted the death-thrust and declared Abraham'stest of his fear of God was sufficient . ThenGod provided a ram caught in the thicket byhis horns, and Abraham offered it up in symbolof Isaac ."And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abrahama second time out of heaven, and said, Bymyself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, becausethou hast done this thing, and hast not withheldthy son, thine only son, that in blessing I willbless thee, and in multiplying I will multiplythy seed as the stars of the heavens, and asthe sand which is upon the sea-shore and thyseed shall possess the gate of his enemies andin thy seed shall all the nations of the earth beblessed ." Genesis 22 15-18, A .R .V . With this

176 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"utterance God's covenant with Abraham wascomplete . It showed that freedom from the enemiesof God and man would be won by the victoryof the promised "seed" . God pointed outthat others should be associated together withthe "seed" as sons of God, but that the numberof them all was not yet to be disclosed but waslike the stars and the grains of sand, beyondman's power then to number .By the "seed" all nations blessing and obeyingJehovah God should be blessed . Accordingto the Hebrew text "So shall all the nations ofthe earth bless themselves in thy seed ." Roth .The blessing would not be automatic, but byexercising faith and obedience the people of allnationalities would receive blessing .In this prophetic drama of Abraham andIsaac on Mount Moriah it was correctly foreshadowedthat the Son of God would keep hisintegrity toward God faithfully to the death forthe vindication of his Father's name, and thatout of love for the righteous new world JehovahGod would give this Son to be the Seed andthe King like Melchizedek . "For God so lovedthe world, that he gave his only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,but have everlasting life ."-John 3 16.

CHAPTER XIVBIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOMT0 WHOM would the precious birthrightto the promise or covenant madewith Abraham descend Jehovah God,who was typified by Abraham, determinedthat for He is the Author and Finisherof the covenant. He guided Abraham in thetypical drama .When Abraham was 137 years old his faithfulwife Sarah died. Word had come from the cityof Haran in Mesopotamia, near the headwatersof the Euphrates river, where Abraham's olderbrother Nahor took up residence . It told that toNahor's son Bethuel had been born a daughterRebekah, and that she was now a mature woman.Abraham's son Isaac was now going onforty, but still single . He refused to marry anyof the daughters of the land, who were Canaanites,descendants of the accursed Canaan . Isaacwaited upon his father Abraham to provide hima wife and thus arrange for the handing on ofthe covenant of promise . The wife must be aGod-fearing woman and of Abraham's immediaterelationship . Neither did Abraham returnto the land from which Jehovah God had ledhim forth, nor did he permit his son Isaac togo there, but he sent his oldest servant of hishouse there to procure a wife for Isaac from177

178 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"among his kindred. Outside the city the ordGod brought this servant Eliezer at once intouch with the prospective wife, Rebekah, atthe well where he stopped to water his camels .After giving his camels drink and then learningEliezer's identity Rebekah ran home and reportedAbraham's servant as outside the city .Her brother aban hastened forth at once andbrought the man into the home .Before accepting a meal, Eliezer without delaymade known his errand to Rebekah's father,Bethuel . Both Bethuel and aban said"The thing proceedeth from Jehovah we cannotspeak unto thee bad or good . Behold, Rebekahis before thee, take her, and go, and lether be thy master's son's wife, as Jehovah hathspoken ." After a feast and the night's restEliezer asked to be let return with Rebekah tohis master's abode . Rebekah agreed to go, as thecase was urgent from the ord . "And theyblessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister,be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands,and let thy seed possess the gate of thosethat hate them." Genesis 24 50, 51, 60, A.R.V .As the camels neared the destination, bearingEliezer and Isaac's betrothed, Isaac was in thefield and saw them coming . The caravan washalted, and Rebekah alighted and covered herselfwith her bridal veil . "And the servant toldIsaac all things that he had done . And Isaacbrought her into his mother Sarah's tent, andtook Rebekah, and she became his wife and heloved her and Isaac was comforted after his

BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM 179mother's death ." Genesis 24 66, 67 There isno record that a religious clergyman was presentor took any part in these proceedings forthe whole matter was according to the arrangingand law of Jehovah God .This delightful part of the prophetic dramacarries farther the picture that Abraham's seedshould be as the stars and the sands for multitude. It pictures that the only begotten Son ofGod as the "Seed" would not be alone, but thatJehovah God would give him associates in God'spurpose, over whom the Son would be the Headas a husband is head over the wife . 1 Corinthians11 3 Accordingly, Isaac continues totypify Christ Jesus as the Seed, while Rebekahtypifies the company of Christian associateswhom Jehovah God in his purpose gives as a"bride" to Christ Jesus. They are the "body ofChrist", of which Jesus Christ is the Head . Bymarriage to Isaac, Rebekah became the daughter-in-lawof Abraham and became one withIsaac, the typical seed of the promise . This pictureshow those who make up Christ's bride, or"the amb's wife", would by adoption of Godbe united with the Seed Christ Jesus and therebybecome part of the Seed of the GreaterAbraham .This is not the "private interpretation" ofany man . The Scriptures remove all doubt ofthat . Under heavenly inspiration it is written"Know therefore that they that-are of faith, thesame are sons of Abraham . And the scripture,foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles

1 8 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"by faith, preached the gospel beforehand untoAbraham, saying, In thee shall all the nationsbe blessed. Now to Abraham were the promisesspoken, and to his seed . He saith not, And toseeds, as of many but as of one, And to thyseed, WHICH IS CHRIST. " Galatians 3 7, 8, 16,A.R.V. This proves that Christ Jesus is theSeed of the Greater Abraham, Jehovah . ByChrist Jesus Jehovah blesses those showingfaith and proving it, and then he adopts themas his sons and makes them one with ChristJesus, The Seed, so making them part of the"seed". "For ye are all the children of God byfaith in Christ Jesus . . . . For ye are all one inChrist Jesus . And if ye be Christ's, then are yeAbraham's seed, and heirs according to thepromise ."-Galatians 3 26-29 .Just how many were thus to be associatedwith Christ Jesus as his "bride" God's covenantto Abraham did not reveal they were left withoutnumber, like the stars and sands . In duetime God chose to make known the exact number.Revelation 7 4-8 14 1, 3 In proof thatIsaac typified the promised Seed who unites the"bride" class with himself as children of Godand of his organization, and in proof thatIsaac's mother Sarah pictured God's "woman",his organization ion or the heavenly Jerusalem,it is written to Christ's body of followers"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which isthe mother of us all. Now we, brethren, as Isaacwas, are the children of promise . So then, brethren,we are not children of the bondwoman, but

BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM 181of the free ." Galatians 4 26, 28, 31 God's organizationis one of truth, and hence is free .God foreknew clearly and he also predeterminedor predestinated who was the One to behis instrument for making His name great andblessing believers among men . This fact becomesclearer as the prophetic proceedingsmove on . Never is it to be forgotten that theOld Serpent, in his bitter enmity toward thepromised Seed, was ever alert and ready tospring in order to thwart the fulfillment of Jehovah'scovenant and so prove himself mightierthan God. After twenty years of barrennessIsaac's wife became fruitful, by God's mercy .The ord revealed to her that she was bearingtwins, and that the one born second would becomestronger than the one born first, and Goddecreed that "the elder shall serve the younger" .Genesis 25 21-23 This meant that the youngerwas God's choice for the birthright to hiscovenant with Abraham. The Old Serpent, however,immediately set himself to sabotage thisdivine decision and to bring reproach uponGod's choice .When Rebekah's time was full, the firstbornwas called Esau, and the second twin, whosehand took hold on his brother's heel, was namedJacob, or "Supplanter" . The twins grew to manhood.Esau became a hunter . Jacob engaged inmanagerial and constructive work about his fatherIsaac's tents, and in learning of God's covenants,the fulfillment of which he desired . Esaucared not for the covenant with Abraham, and

1 8 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"hunted and interested himself in the accurseddaughters of Canaan, looking for wives amongthem. Yet he claimed the right to the Abrahamiccovenant by virtue of the law of the land concerningfirstborn sons . Not knowing that Godhad decreed that the birthright belonged to theyounger twin, Jacob, but showing his contemptfor God's word and loving his belly, Esau soldhis birthright claim to Jacob for a savory messof pottage . For this God's Word calls Esau afornicator and a profane person and rightlyGod judged the twin sons, saying "Jacob haveI loved, but Esau have I hated." Romans9 10-13 Malachi 1 2, 3 Jacob now possessedthe birthright by two things, by God's decreeand by right of purchase of all claim thereto .-Genesis 25 27-34The Devil hated Jacob and watched to destroyhim while childless . At Gerar, in Palestine, Godhad restated the terms of the Abrahamic covenantto Isaac. Genesis 26 1-6 The time camefor Isaac, as receiver from Abraham, to passon the birthright blessing to his successor . Esaukept his father ignorant of the sale of his claimto the birthright. He acted hypocritically as ifit was rightfully his and, at his father's bidding,went out hunting before coming to receive theblessing. God caused Rebekah to learn of Esau'splot and guided her in harmony with what Godhad told her before the birth of Esau and Jacob .As a result Isaac bestowed the blessing uponGod's choice, Jacob, and said " et thy mother's

BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM 183sons bow down to thee cursed be every onethat curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseththee ." Genesis 27 27-29 Isaac, due to age,had become sightless and did not see uponwhom he was bestowing the blessing . Hence thecourse of the blessing was not of man's will,but of God's will, that the purpose of Jehovah

1 84 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"might stand . Romans 9 11 He never misplacesblessings .Afterward Esau came in, presumptuously toclaim and receive the birthright blessing, onlyto learn that Jacob had acted in keeping withthe sale made years previous to him . Grievedbecause he had failed to cheat his brother, therightful heir of the promise, Esau planned tokill Jacob at their father's death . Meantime liemarried Canaanite women . His whole courseshows lie was unworthy to inherit the blessingwherefore God ruled against him .Jacob was now past seventy years of age .His mother Rebekah, hearing of Esau's murderouspurpose, instructed her faithful son toavoid Esau and flee to her brother aban's homein Syria . Ere he departed, blind Isaac counseledJacob as heir of the promise not to imitateEsau's unclean conduct, but to go to his cousin'shome in Syria or Padan-aram and take awife from his household. Then, and this timeknowingly, Isaac repeated God's blessing uponJacob, showing that this one was the approvedheir .Jacob departed for Syria . On the way he wasobliged to sleep out in the open field, near aplace called uz . He arranged stones for hispillow, and lay down to sleep . Jehovah sent adream to the sleeper and assured Jacob he haddone right and was a man of faith pleasing toGod and was chosen of him . "And he dreamedand, behold, a ladder set up on the earth, andthe top of it reached to heaven and, behold, the

BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM 185angels of God ascending and descending on it ."From the top thereof Jehovah spoke to Jacoband extended the terms of the Abrahamic covenantto him, and said "And in thee and in thyseed shall all the families of the earth beblessed ." On awaking early next morning Jacobmade a pillar of his pillow stones and anointedit and called the name of the place "Bethel",meaning "House of God". Jacob also vowed thatif God would guide him and provide for himand bring him safely home again, then "Jehovahwill be my God".-Genesis, chapter 28, A .R.V .Reaching the city of Haran in Syria, Jacobwas well received by aban his uncle and wasmade at home . He contracted for marriage tohint of aban's two daughters, eah and Rachel .By them, and their maidservants who representedtheir mistresses in childbearing, Jacobbecame father to eleven sons and a daughter .He also acquired large herds of domestic animalsand a large body of servants . This causedjealousy in aban's household, and God commandedJacob to leave and return to the promisedland . Esau, hearing of his coming, went outto meet him, and Jacob sent gifts ahead to him .The night before meeting Esau Jacob wasvisited by an angel of Jehovah, and Jacobwrestled with the angel, in human form, for adivine blessing before he faced Esau . Then thisdeputy of God changed Jacob's name to Israel,saying, "For thou hast striven with God andwith men, and hast prevailed ." For this reason"Israel" is understood to mean "Ruling with

1 86 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"God soldier wrestler with God" . This wasthe reward for his unbreakable faith .The meeting of Jacob and Esau passed offwithout Esau's carrying out his threat of twentyyears previous . Esau returned to the countryof Seir, and Jacob moved on and pitched tentfor a time near Shechem, and he set up an altarof worship and called it "El-e-lo-he-Israel",meaning "God, the God of Israel" . This Godwas Jehovah, as Jacob had so said at Bethel,the site of his ladder dream . In process of timeGod commanded Jacob to make a return visitto Bethel . There God made an appearance toJacob and confirmed the change of his name tothat of Israel, and also the promise respectingthe seed of Abraham . On the journey fromBethel, and as they neared Ephrath later calledBethlehem Jacob's dear wife Rachel gave birthto her second son, Benjamin, but she died fromher hard childbirth . Her other son was Joseph .Jacob now was father to twelve sons . With themhe was privileged to visit his father Isaac beforethis blind old patriarch died at 180 years .Regarding Isaac's death the record at Genesis35 29, according to the King James Version,reads "And Isaac gave up the ghost, anddied, and was gathered unto his people, beingold and full of days and his sons Esau andJacob buried him." The Douay Version of thesame verse reads "And being spent with agehe died, and was gathered to his people." TheRotherham version reads "And Isaac breathedhis last and died and was added unto his people ."

BIRTHRIGHT OF FREEDOM 1 87Comparison of these three authoritative renderingsexplodes the false doctrine based on theSerpent's lie in Eden, that an immortal soulinhabits man's body and that as a ghost itescapes from the body at death and hoversabout in a spirit world, awaiting a reunion withthe body in the resurrection time . Such is nothingbut the demonic religion of the ancientEgyptians, who made mummies by embalmingthe dead bodies and encasing them in coffins inthe belief that at judgment day the soul wouldre-enter the body and the person would liveagain. It is a foolish effort of the demons todisprove God's sentence upon Adam, "Dust thouart, and unto dust shalt thou return ." As forIsaac, he died and was buried, and to him Jesus'words apply "No man hath ascended up toheaven ."Isaac's son Jacob continued to dwell in tentsas a sojourner in an alien land, taking no partin this world's doings, but looking forward tothe new world of righteousness . Esau and hisdescendants, however, built cities in the territoryof Seir and set up kingdoms and duchies .Jacob looked for the setting up of God's kingdomthrough the promised Seed . He erected nocity or cities built with man's hands . ike Abrahamand Isaac he held fast his integrity towardJehovah's promise and was a faithful witnessfor him .In approval of these three forefathers of thepromised Seed, Jehovah caused this record tobe written "By faith Abraham, when he was

188 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"called to go out into a place which he shouldafter receive for an inheritance, obeyed andhe went out, not knowing whither he went . Byfaith he sojourned in the land of promise, as ina strange country, dwelling in tabernacles withIsaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the samepromise for he looked for a city which hathfoundations, whose builder and maker is God .These all died in faith, not having received thepromises fulfilled , but having seen them afaroff, and were persuaded of them, and embracedthem, and confessed that they were strangersand pilgrims on the earth . For they that saysuch things declare plainly that they seek acountry . And truly, if they had been mindful ofthat country from whence they came out, theymight have had opportunity to have returned .But now they desire a better country, that is, anheavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to becalled their God for he hath prepared for thema city."-Hebrews 11 8-10, 13-16 .That "city", or organized government, theyshall occupy as princes on earth under the heavenlykingdom of the Seed of God's "woman" .For such reason Christ Jesus, the Seed, saidregarding their faith "Abraham rejoiced to seemy day and he saw it, and was glad ." John8 56 For their faith and works they are listedby name with Jehovah's "so great a cloud ofwitnesses" .-Hebrews 12 1 .

CHAPTER XVA FREE NATION IS BORNA NAME placed upon a man by God,who knows the end from the beginning,throws light upon the part suchman will play in the purpose of AlmightyGod . This rule holds true of Jacob . "AndGod said unto him, Thy name is Jacob thyname shall not be called any more Jacob, butIsrael shall be thy name and he called his nameIsrael . And God said unto him, I am God Almightybe fruitful and multiply a nation anda company of nations shall be of thee, and kingsshall come out of thy loins ."-Genesis 35 10, 11 .The nation of Israel was foretold, composedof Israelites, or descendants of the man Israel .It was to be a free nation, not a part of thisworld and its religion, commerce and politics,but free of the world and subject only to thelaw of Jehovah, the God of Israel . Its king wasto sit representatively upon the throne of JehovahGod and to rule as His servant and in thefear of God . The nation was to be a typicalTheocracy, that is, a nation administered byGod and governed by his commandments . Thusit would foreshadow a greater nation to comeand its King, namely, the kingdom of God byhis Seed. This latter nation is the everlastingTheocratic Government by which obedient men189

190 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"of all nations and families will be for everblessed . How God proceeded to fulfill this covenantpromise to Jacob is of universal interest .God's great opponent, Satan the Devil, sethimself to cause the divine covenant to collapseand thereby prove God unable to make goodhis word . Noting the special favor that Jacob,or Israel, bestowed upon his beloved son Joseph,the Devil stirred up jealousy in his ten halfbrothers . This was aggravated when God favoredJoseph with dreams foretelling his exaltationin God's due time and way . To defeatthe divine purpose Joseph's brethren sold himinto slavery in Egypt, the first world power ofBible record .The enmity of the Devil further pursuedJoseph as a slave in the land of Ham, and theyoung man was framed, falsely accused, andthrown into the dungeon of the state's prison .Joseph, however, did not lose faith in God, whohad sent him the dreams . He maintained his integritytoward Jehovah and was given the privilegeof being a witness for Jehovah . After anumber of years God caused Joseph to bebrought forth from the prison and before themighty ruler of Egypt to interpret Pharaoh'sdreams . By God's power Joseph interpreted thedreams, foretelling seven years of plenty uponall Egypt, followed by seven years of dire famine. The situation required to be taken in handimmediately, and Pharaoh appointed Joseph ashis prime minister to prepare for famine reliefand to safeguard Egypt's freedom from want .

A FREE NATION IS BORN 191When the seven years of abundance were up,the seven-year famine set in . But Egypt wasready .The famine affected the rest of the earth, andJoseph's ten half brothers came to Egypt forsupplies, but failed to recognize Joseph in hisexalted position . Using his power, Josephobliged them to bring his young brother, Benjamin,on their return trip for provisions . Thenafter feasting his eleven brothers Joseph privatelyrevealed to them who he was . They werein fear for their lives, but Joseph assured themthat Jehovah God had permitted all things forgood of his faithful servants and had defeatedthe Devil's purposes . Then Joseph sent themback to Canaan to bring their father and alltheir households down to Egypt, to live in thatland for the remainder of the famine period .Joseph arranged with Pharaoh for them to besettled in the land of Goshen, and there theywere well taken care of . The Egyptians, however,ran out of money and of other things togive in exchange for foodstuffs and finally soldthemselves and their lands to Pharaoh for lifesustenance. Consequently the people were nowdependent upon their ruler by his prime ministerfor living support, and Joseph disposedthem and their matters throughout Egypt fortheir security against want and unemployment .All the outside countries also came to Josephfor living supplies .-Genesis, chapters 37 to 47 .Almighty God, who staged this powerful propheticdrama and preserved the record of it till

1 92 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"now, purposed that it should mark out for menthe course that leads to everlasting life in thissupreme world crisis . All who seek freedomfrom death, want and fear must obey the instructionsand laws of the Supreme Ruler,greater than Pharaoh . ,They must come to God'sChief Servant, the Seed of his "woman", ChristJesus . They must "sell" or devote themselves toJehovah God and accept at the hands of hisgreat Servant the life-giving supplies of thetruth now released through God's Word, theBible . Unless this is done, any world conferenceon material food and any machinery establishedby world rulers to deal with the food problemand other postwar problems are vain . Such humanexpedients will not usher in permanent relief,social security, good order, peace, prosperity,and the desired freedoms . "Man doth notlive by bread only, but by everything that proceedethout of the mouth of Jehovah doth manlive ." The One who is greater than Joseph repeatedthat truth .-Deuteronomy 8 3, A.R.V.Matthew 4 3, 4.In Egypt Israel's relationship grew to numberseventy souls . The time came for him to die,at an age of 147 years, the last seventeen yearsthereof being spent with Joseph in Egypt . UnderGod's guidance Israel assembled his twelvesons about his bed and gave them a witness concerningJehovah and his covenant . Then asGod's instrument he bestowed the divine blessingupon these twelve pillars of the coming nationof Israel, made up of twelve tribes .

A FREE NATION IS BORN 1 9 3With God's spirit of inspiration upon himIsrael indicated the tribe through which thepromised ruler of the kingdom of God, TheTheocratic Government, should come . He said"Judah is a lion's whelp . . . The sceptre shallnot depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from betweenhis feet, until Shiloh come and unto himshall the gathering of the people be ." Genesis49 9, 10 The coming King should be "The ionof the tribe of Juda" . Of the twelve channelsissuing forth from Jacob, the royal Seed ofpromise would proceed through Judah, whosename means "praise", praise to God . Judah andhis brethren are now spoken of as tribal heads"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel andthis is it that their father spake unto them, andblessed them every one according to his blessinglie blessed them." Genesis 49 28 Twelveis a Scriptural symbol of complete, balanced organizationand the twelve tribes of Israel areused as a type of the complete organization ofthe coming great Theocratic nation under theSeed, Shiloh, "the Prince of Peace ."-Revelation7 4-8 5 5 Isaiah 9 6, 7.The twelve tribes of the children of Israel enjoyedfreedom of worship and freedom fromwant, fear and oppression till the death ofJoseph, Egypt's prime minister . Under God'sblessing in harmony with his irresistible purposethey multiplied greatly . With Joseph dead,Satan thought he had God's chosen people nowwhere he wanted them . Egypt had not takenup the worship of Joseph's God, Jehovah, but

1 9 4 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"continued in religion, doing homage to the demons. Satan tried to pollute the Israelites withsuch religion and by it turn them to unfaithfulnesstoward Jehovah . Then he raised up aPharaoh on Egypt's throne who knew not oracknowledged not the debt the nation owed toJoseph and his God Jehovah . Moved by nationalismand ideas that the Egyptians were amaster race, this Pharaoh served the Devil wellby issuing decrees of state for the wiping outof the alien Israelites and to work them to deathas slaves . Not all the Israelites became defiledby religion, but some few held to their faith inJehovah and resisted such mischief framed bylaw against Jehovah and his people . Underthese devilish conditions in Egypt Moses wasborn to a man of the tribe of evi, named Amram,and his wife, Jochebed .Jehovah, moving ahead with his purpose,preserved this evite child from Pharaoh'sbloody sword, and even caused him to be adoptedinto Pharaoh's household and brought up byPharaoh's own daughter . Until turning him overto his adopted mother, Moses' parents raisedthe child up in the nurture and admonition andfaith of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob .At Pharaoh's court Moses grew to manhood,while his people ceased-not to multiply in spiteof the cruel oppression of Nazified Egypt .Moses did not adopt Egypt's religion, but clungto his faith in Jehovah and sought the freeingof his people . In his effort to start their deliverancean Egyptian slave-driver was killed . In

A FREE NATION IS BORN 195danger now of his own life and seeing that thetime was not ripe, Moses left Egypt and tookrefuge in Arabia with a Midianite prince, whowas a descendant of Moses' own forefather,Abraham. Moses married the prince's daughterand took up shepherding . Forty years passedthus .Jehovah's foretold time came to make hischosen people a free nation . From the time ofAbraham's entrance into the promised land andbecoming party to God's covenant 430 years hadpassed, and the groaning of the Israelites underoppression of a new Pharaoh increased . Oneday, at a miraculously burning bush at the footof Mount Horeb, God's angel called to Mosestending his flocks and ordered him to return toEgypt and lead the Israelites out of bondageand bring them to this mountain to worshipGod. Moses asked in whose name he was to goon this mission . "And God said unto Moses, IAM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou sayunto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent meunto you . And God said moreover unto Moses,Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God ofAbraham, the God of Isaac, and the God ofJacob, hath sent me unto you this is my namefor ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.Go." Exodus 3 14-16, A .R .V . Mosesmust be Jehovah's witness in Egypt .Moses then met with the Israelites in Egyptand presented his credentials and God's declarationof purpose, symbolized by the name

1 96 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE""Jehovah" . With his brother Aaron Moses nextappeared before Pharaoh and demanded in Jehovah'sname the release of the Israelites andtheir freedom to worship Jehovah at the holymountain . In defiance Pharaoh retorted "Whois Jehovah, that I should hearken unto his voiceto let Israel go I know not Jehovah, and moreoverI will not let Israel go ." Exodus 5 2,A .R .V . Thereupon Jehovah through Moses ashis servant and prophet afflicted Egypt with tenplagues demonstrating Jehovah's supremacyand all-power . Pharaoh's priests of religion resisted,but in vain. Pharaoh was serving theDevil, and thus stood as a symbol of the Devil .Hence, in a message to Pharaoh Jehovah toldwhy He has permitted the Devil to continue existingand wickedly opposing God . Jehovahsaid "But for this cause have I allowed thee toremain, in order to show thee my power and inorder that they my witnesses may proclaim myname throughout all the earth ." Exodus 9 16,eeser The last four plagues followed thisrevelation .The tenth plague was the destruction of all ofEgypt's firstborn children and beasts . In orderto have their firstborn children passed over duringthis last plague the Israelites were commandedto kill the passover lamb and to eat itin their houses behind doors sprinkled with itsblood. In God's ancient typical arrangementshis covenants became in force and active overthe blood of a sacrificial victim . The sprinklingof the passover lamb's blood was therefore the

A FREE NATION IS BORN 197beginning of God's special covenant of the lawwith the nation of Israel . Thereby they definitelycame into covenant relationship with him andsubject to his law . So they became a Theocraticnation, and their birth or bringing forth to freedomimmediately followed . All this was a propheticdrama, in which the passover lamb becamea symbol or type of a greater Sacrifice bywhich a new covenant with God is broughtabout. This Sacrifice is the antitypical Isaac,"the amb of God which taketh away the sinof the world" and which is Christ Jesus .-John1 29, 36 .That passover night, the fourteenth day ofthe first month according to God's calendar,Pharaoh was bereaved of his firstborn and he

198 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"sent and begged Moses and his people to get outof Egypt . The Israelites congregated togetherand moved out . As they went Jehovah's pillarof cloud appeared before them and led them .It became a pillar of fiery illumination by night .To the shore of the Red sea they were led . Inhardened bitterness Pharaoh and his armedhosts took up the pursuit of them, hoping totrap them at the seashore and drag them backto bondage . Then Moses raised the staff in hishand, and Jehovah parted the waters of the Redsea and His people marched through dryshod .When Pharaoh's hosts rashly advanced into theseabed in hot chase, God caused their militaryequipment to drag and bog down . He broughtthe parted waters together and engulfed Pharaoh'selite troops . Safe on the other side Mosesled God's people in singing the song of victory"I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphedgloriously the horse and his rider hath liethrown into the sea . Jehovah is my strength andsong, and he is become my salvation this is myGod, and I will praise him my father's God, andI will exalt him ." Exodus 15 1, 2, A .R.V.Thus Israel became a nation of Jehovah's witnesses,obligated to publish his name throughoutthe earth .On their journey now as a free nation it becamenecessary to provide food miraculously tofeed the Israelites in the wilderness of Arabia .It was called "manna", and was provided eachmorning for six days, but not on the seventhday. When the people asked why not, Moses

A FREE NATION IS BORN 1 99told them "Six days ye shall gather it but onthe seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it thereshall be none ." "So the people rested on theseventh day." Exodus 16 26,30 This is thefirst record where a people observed a weeklysabbath or rest day . It is the first time that Godcommanded his servants to keep a sabbath day .This proves that the Israelites were now underthe aw Covenant with Jehovah . For fortyyears thereafter, while in the wilderness, theywere faithfully fed with this miraculous manna .In the third month after leaving Egypt theIsraelites reached the foot of Mount Horeb orSinai . There Jehovah said to the newborn nation"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,and how I bare you on eagles' wings, andbrought you unto myself . Now therefore, if yewill obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant,then ye shall be a peculiar treasure untome above all people for all the earth is mineand ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,and an holy nation." Exodus 19 4-6 The Israelitesagreed to keep covenant . The third daythereafter God caused a terrific demonstrationof power and glory on Mount Sinai . Then hecalled Moses up the mountain and declared tohim the basic law, the Ten Commandments, andalso many other detailed laws of the covenant .The first four of the Ten Commandments commandedHis covenant people to have no otherthan Jehovah as God and to make no idols andworship them, and not to take his name uponthem in vain, and to keep the seventh day of

2 00 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"each week holy as a sabbath to Him . The othercommandments declared how they must conductthemselves aright toward their fellow man,especially those in the covenant with God .Moses came down from the mountain . As mediatorbetween God and the nation of Israel, heinaugurated the law covenant toward the Israelitesover the blood of sacrificial animals, andsprinkled both the written book of the law andalso the people with the blood . Again Jehovahcalled Moses into the mountain and detainedhim there forty days without food or drink . Hegave Moses two stone tablets engraved with theTen Commandments and also a larger statementof the law. He also instructed Moses to inductthe family of Aaron as a priesthood and theentire tribe of evi as servants of the priest .Moses must also have a sacred tabernacle madeand set up where sacrifice to God could beoffered and where atonement for the sins of theentire nation could be made on a yearly atonementday.During Moses' absence of forty days theDevil weakened the faith of the people and inducedthem to break the Ten Commandmentsand set up a golden calf for worship . Mosescame down upon them amidst their wanton idolatryand broke the two tablets of the law in displeasure,and then ordered the idol destroyed .The whole tribe of evi took the side of Jehovahin the matter and executed three thousand idolaters. Then Moses again ascended the mountainto intercede as mediator in behalf of the people

CHAPTER XVIPRODUCING THE BOOKOF FREEDOMWRITE this for a memorial in a book,and rehearse it in the ears of Joshuathat I will utterly blot out the remembranceof Amnalek from under heaven."So Jehovah God commanded Moses afterthe victory which God gave to Captain Joshuaover the attacking Amalekites, a victory whichfurther established the Israelites in their freedomso recently gained from authoritarianEgypt.-Exodus 17 14, A .R .V ."WRITE thou these words for after the tenorof these words I have made a covenant withthee and with Israel ." So Jehovah God againcommanded Moses, when he was with God inMount Sinai and God delivered to him the laws,commandments and ordinances of his holy covenantwith the nation of Israel.-Exodus 34 27 .When the all-wise God gave such commandsto write, he had in mind our perplexing daywhen mankind sorely need true guidance and asound hope . "For whatsoever things were writtenaforetime were written for our learning,that we through patience and comfort of thescriptures might have hope ." Romans 15 4202

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 203Respecting the events in the career of God'scovenant people it is stated under inspiration"Now all these things happened unto them forensamples or, types and they are written forour admonition, upon whom the ends of theworld are come ."-1 Corinthians 10 11 .The writing of the Book of freedom, the Bookof truth, the Bible, was not left to the inclinationof some worldly historian . It was written at thecommand of Jehovah God to his devoted servants,who were God's free men and subject toHis guidance. Moses is the first according to therecord who received divine command to makea sacred written account of God's purposes anddoings .Almighty God knows man's frame and feeblenessof memory, and knows too the Devil's aimto destroy the record and pervert and blot it outof men's minds . Hence God did not leave theeducation of the people subject to the processof tradition and to the power of religious clergymen,but caused a faithful record to be writtenfor reading and consultation, that the true factsand teachings might be searched out . Since hecommanded the record to be written expresslyfor those in need of vital information at theworst crisis of the nations in the end of theworld, Almighty God would safeguard thesacred Scriptures and see to it that they wouldbe preserved till the needed time, in the face ofall efforts of the freedom-haters to destroy themand keep mankind in ignorance . "The word of

2 0 4 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the ord endureth for ever . And this is theword which by the gospel is preached unto you .-1 Peter 1 25 Isaiah 40 8.The first mention of a book is at Genesis 5 1,which states "This is the book of the generationsof Adam ." Whether written records weremade and preserved back that far is not shown,as the first writing and reading is mentioned inthe time of Moses when God authorized him towrite . It is therefore reasonable that fromAdam till Moses the record was handed downby oral tradition from generation to generation .Evidence to this effect is God's statement aboutAbraham "I know him, that he will commandhis children and his household after him, andthey shall keep the way of the ORD, to do justiceand judgment that the ORD may bring uponAbraham that which he hath spoken of him ."-Genesis 18 19.Abraham could learn the facts directly fromNoah's son Shem, as Shem's life overlapped onAbraham's life 150 years . Shem could gatherinformation direct from his great-grandfatherMethuselah, who died in the year of the Flood,when Shem was 98 years old . In turn, Methuselahhad much time to collect facts straight backto man's creation for Adam's life overlappedon Methuselah's for 243 years . The facts thushanded down from Adam to Methuselah, thento Shem, and then to Abraham, this "friendof God" could pass direct on to his grandsonJacob, whom he knew for 15 years . Jacob couldtransmit the truthful record to his son evi, the

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 205great-grandfather of Moses, or even to evi'sson Kohath . Kohath the evite could deliver thefacts of the book of Genesis to his son Amram .Though Kohath lived 133 years, he died beforehis grandson Moses' birth . Amram lived 137years in Egypt, and his son Moses was born80 years before Jehovah set the Israelites freefrom Egypt .Almighty God, in whom is no lie, would see toit that the oral record, or tradition, was correctlyremembered and passed down through theline of the above men . This he would do by hisspirit, or invisible energy . It is the "spirit oftruth", which acts that we might have the "comfortof the scriptures" . Said Jesus in regard tothe "spirit of truth", the "comforter", and thehelp it gives to memory "The helper, the holyspirit, which the Father will send in my name,shall teach you all things, and remind you of allthings which I said to you ."-John 14 17, 26,Emphatic Diaglott .Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses wereprophets . As to the operation of God's invisiblepower or spirit upon them to bring forth a correctrecord, it is written "No prophecy evercame by the will of man but men spake fromGod, being moved by the holy spirit ." 2 Peter1 21, A.R.V . At least with Moses God calleda halt to oral tradition, when he commandedMoses to write . Hence with Moses the producingof the written Bible begins . Moses wrote hispart of the Bible in the language which God indicatedto him. It was the language in which

206 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"God wrote the Ten Commandments on stonetablets . It was the Hebrew language .-Exodus24 12 31 18 .Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible .These made up just one book originally, but thiswas doubtless broken up into five volumes tomake rolls or scrolls suitable for handling . Thebook of Genesis alone can make a scroll at leastthirty feet long . These writings were called "thebook of the law of Moses" . Joshua 1 88 31-35 Joshua wrote the book bearing his ownname. Joshua 24 26 God by his power orspirit of inspiration moved others of his servantsto write, such as David, Solomon, Isaiah,Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Nahum, andEzra.' At 1 Kings 14 19, 29 another writermentions the book of the chronicles while at1 Chronicles 29 29 the writer mentions the bookof Samuel . At 2 Chronicles 16 11 32 32 thebook of the kings and the vision of Isaiah arementioned, such showing that at that time thosebooks existed . Daniel, 538 years before Christ,writes "I Daniel understood by books the numberof the years, whereof the word of the ORDcame to Jeremiah the prophet ." Five years laterthe angel of Jehovah said to Daniel "I will shewthee that which is noted in the scripture oftruth." Daniel 9 2 10 21 This proves thatin Daniel's day there was a body or collectionof books of inspired Scripture .1 See 2 Chronicles 35 4 26 22 Jeremiah 36 2, 27 51 60Ezekiel 37 16 Habakkuk 2 2 Nahum 1 1 Ezra 4 87 11, 12, 21 .

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 2 0 7From the days of David especially scribesare mentioned who were priests and evites .2 Samuel 8 17 20 25 After Daniel, thescribe Ezra the priest became prominent . Ezra7 1,6,10-12 Doubtless from Ezra's time onthere was increased rewriting or making ofcopies of the sacred inspired books. Why Becausethe Israelites or Jews had then becomescattered among many lands and synagogueswere established to hear and study God's Word .Hence copies were needed for each synagogue .So, when Jesus went into the synagogue atNazareth and was asked to preach, there couldbe delivered to him the book or scroll of theprophecy of Isaiah to read. uke 4 17 aterhis apostle James commented on this spread ofcopies of God's Word, saying "Moses of oldtime hath in every city them that preach him,being read in the synagogues every sabbathday ." Acts 15 21 Jesus' disciples quoted to himfrom Malachi's prophecy concerning the comingof an Elijah, and Jesus acknowledged the inspirationof Malachi's prophecy, saying "Elijahindeed cometh, and shall restore all things ."Matthew 17 10-13, A .R.V . This proves thatthe book of Malachi's prophecy, the last book ofHebrew scriptures of the Bible, existed in Jesus'day and that the canon or collection of inspiredbooks in Hebrew was then complete, from Genesis,through Chronicles, and to Malachi, inclusive.Such canonical books were openly displayedfor reference on the library shelves of the Jew-

208 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"ish priests and scribes. Other books which plainlywere uninspired and hence not truthful orfrom God were hidden away from the public .Therefore they came to be called "Apocrypha",which means "hidden", because spurious, false,not genuinely of divine inspiration . The apocryphalbooks are not included in the Hebrew canonto this day. Nowhere in the Bible itself are thecanonical Hebrew Scriptures called "The OldTestament" . It is grossly wrong for men to designatethem as such and to split them off fromthe scriptures which were later written in Greekafter Christ and to call these Greek Scriptures"The New Testament". In the Hebrew Scripturesa new testament or covenant is both foretoldand typified, but this testament does not referto the collection of Greek Scriptures writtenby Christian writers .' The whole Bible of Hebrewand Greek Scriptures, from Genesis toRevelation, is one book, from one Author, God,and is not two "testaments" .The unauthorized dividing of the Bible into"testaments" has led to the religious error thatthe Old Testament has been fulfilled and allthat is necessary for Christians is to read theNew Testament' . By this error the Devil haskept many self-styled "Christians" in bondageto ignorance and spiritual blindness .Religionists who uphold traditions of menand who put priestcraft before the written Wordof God defend themselves by saying that Jesus1 Jeremiah 31 31-33 2 Corinthians 3 6-15 Hebrews 8 5-1310 16,17 .

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 209Christ gave no command to his disciples towrite and hence a written Bible is not necessaryor indispensable . To claim this would mean thatJesus' apostles did not write under inspirationof God. Since, however, they did write under Hisinspiration, then it was at His command . Thetypes and prophetic dramas and prophecies ofancient times Jehovah God did not leave to behanded down by oral tradition, but commandedsuch life-giving truths to be committed to writingfor accurate preservation . Reasonably,therefore, he would not leave the facts of thefulfillment of many such types, shadows andprophecies by Jesus and his apostles to dependon mere oral tradition subject to priestcraft .He would likewise have such newly revealedfacts and truths preserved in writing . "For I,Jehovah, change not ."-Malachi 3 6, A.R.V .As Jehovah commanded the writing of thecanonical Hebrew Scriptures, so he commandedthe writing of the sacred Scriptures in Greekby the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ .The apostle Peter wrote two epistles and gaveas the reason this "I will endeavour that yemay be able after my decease to have thesethings always in remembrance ." 2 Peter 1 15He also spoke of the writings of the apostlePaul with approval, saying "Our beloved brotherPaul also according to the wisdom given untohim hath written unto you as also in all hisepistles, speaking in them of these things inwhich are some things hard to be understood,which they that are unlearned and unstable

2 1 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, untotheir own destruction." 2 Peter 3 15,16 Whenthe apostle John was an old man, having outlivedall the other apostles, the ord JesusChrist appeared to him in a vision and twelvetimes" commanded him to write . "What thouseest, write in a book, and send it unto the sevenchurches which are in Asia ." And the apostleintroduces the book of this Revelation, saying"Blessed is he that readeth." -Revelation 1 3 .With John the writing of the inspired or canonicalbooks of the Scriptures in Greek wasfinished. Thereby the canon the authoritativeScriptures was closed, not only of the GreekScriptures but also of the whole Bible . At firstthe sixty-six books of the Bible were inscribedon rolls of fine-grained skins or on papyrus .Being written by hand and not printed by lettertype,these copies are called manuscripts, whichmeans written by hand . None of the originalautographed writings of these scribes inspiredof God are extant or existent today, but thegreat Author of the "scripture of truth" causedcopies to be made in close agreement with theoriginals . The Hebrews or Jews used the mostscrupulous care in the faithful copying andpreservation of the Hebrew Scriptures . Faithfulcopies thereof survive to this day, althoughthe Roman Catholic crusades and Inquisitiondestroyed and caused to be destroyed innumerablecopies of God's Word in the Hebrew. VainI Revelation 1 11, 19 2 1,8,12,18 3 1,7,14 14 13 19 921 5 .

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 211such effort ! "Surely the people is grass. Thegrass withereth, the flower fadeth but the wordof our God shall stand for ever," in spite of religiousfrenzy to destroy it.-Isaiah 40 7, 8 .Not only were many copies made of the Greekwritings of Christ's inspired apostles and disciples,but also many translations thereof weremade into other languages, in harmony withJesus' command "Go ye therefore, and teachall nations, . . . teaching them to observe allthings whatsoever I have commanded you ." "Yeshall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto theuttermost part of the earth ." Matthew 28 19,20 Acts 1 8 On the day of Pentecost, ten dayslater, the disciples were anointed with the spiritor active force of God and were enabled tospeak many foreign tongues . Many of thosewho then accepted Christianity were GreekspeakingJews . Acts 2 1-11 6 1 Shortlythereafter the disciple Philip preached the gospelto a Jewish proselyte who was an Ethiopian,and baptized him. Acts 8 26-39 The translationsof the Holy Scriptures from the Hebrewand Greek into these various languages arecalled versions . The making of manuscriptcopies of the original-language Scriptures andof such versions of them continued until thefifteenth century, toward the middle of whichprinting from movable type was invented .Today the number of manuscripts of theGreek Scriptures written since Christ is over4,000 in the original Greek . Besides this there

2 1 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"are at least 8,000 manuscript copies of the atinVulgate translation . There are also about athousand extant manuscripts of the early versions,the Ethiopic, Armenian, Syriac, Coptic,Gothic, Persian, Arabic, and the rest . It is thereforesafe to say that there are now in existence12,000 manuscript copies of the Scriptures writtenby Christ's apostles and disciples, of which,however, there are no two copies precisely thesame .'The Christians were the first ones to specializein manuscripts put up in book form withpages and lids like this book in your hand, andnot in rolls . Such a manuscript book is called acodex. In the latter half of the fourth centuryA.D. such a codex was written, and which isknown today as Vatican Manuscript No . 1209 .The evidence is that it was written in Egypt . Incourse of time it found its way into the Vaticanlibrary at Rome, where for the first time it appearsin the library's catalogue of books of1481 . It originally contained, in Greek, not inatin, the whole Bible, but has lost parts thereof,including the last book, the Revelation, orApocalypse. It never included the spuriousbooks of the Maccabees . It has three columnsto the page .The Vatican long begrudged to Bible researchers,such as Count Tischendorf, a briefsight of this Vatican MS . No . 1209 . Finally, in1868, the papal authorities issued an edition of1 For proof of data in this chapter see Textual Criticism of theNew Testament, by Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, K.C.B ., F.B .A .

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 213the so-called "New Testament" part of the MS .,which was followed in successive years by volumescontaining the so-called "Old Testament" .In 1889-1890 all previous publications thereofwere backed up by a photographic facsimilecopy of the whole original manuscript .Facsimile of Greek Bible text Novum Testamentum E CodiceVaticano 1209 page 1441 original Manuscript from 1 John 4 13to 1 John 5 16 .Second to Vatican MS . No . 1209 in rank is anotherone written in the fourth century, theSinaitic Manuscript. It was found in the GreekCatholic monastery at Mount Sinai in Arabia,

2 14 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"by Count Tischendorf, in 1859, and is now at theBritish Museum in ondon since 1933 . It is inGreek, and originally contained the whole Bible,of which the "New Testament" part of it is practicallycomplete, including the Revelation, orApocalypse, four columns to a page .The next manuscript in rank is the AlexandrineMS ., written in the fifth century, in Egypt .By the Greek Catholic patriarch Cyril ucar,who brought it from Alexandria to ConstantinopleIstanbul in 1621, it was presented toKing James I of England, the monarch whocaused the King James Version of the EnglishBible to be produced . The MS . was actually receivedby King Charles I in 1627, King Jameshaving died before the gift took effect . It is inthe British Museum. It once contained the wholeBible in Greek .In A.D. 382 Eusebius Hieronymus, known forshort as Jerome, began his revision of the oldatin versions of the Bible. He undertook totranslate first from the original Greek and fromthe Septuagint Greek Version, but finally turnedalso to the original Hebrew. The atin versionwhich Jerome produced, and which has beenrevised since, is called "the atin Vulgate" .When printing was invented, in the fifteenthcentury, it was this atin Bible that was firstcommitted to the press, at Mainz, Germany, in1456, resulting in Gutenberg's edition known asthe "Mazarin Bible" .John Wycliffe was the first to translate theBible into English, in 1382-1384 . It was hand-

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM215written . The first complete English Bible everprinted was that by Myles Coverdale, in 1535,who included therein the work hitherto done byWilliam Tyndale, then in prison awaiting executionby the Roman Catholic Inquisition . OtherFacsimile of Greek Bible text of Codex Alexandrinus page 145original Manuscript from 1 Timothy 3 14 to 1 Timothy 5 13 .

2 1 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"English Bible translations followed, but the onethat has proved the most popular is the KingJames Version, or Authorized Version, publishedin 1611 . The Catholic Douay Version, inEnglish, was first completed and published in1610 .Much scholarly investigation and criticism ofthe original Greek manuscripts of the Bible followedin succeeding centuries, to get at thestraight or accurate text as the apostles andtheir fellows wrote it. In 1774 J . J . Griesbach,who ranks high in textual criticism, producedthe first of his three editions of the Greek "NewTestament" . Griesbach proceeded on the understandingthat the most ancient manuscripts arethe most genuine and correct in their text, suchas the Alexandrine MS . known in his day .Early in the 1800's English Bible Societies beganto be formed, both the British and ForeignBible Society and the New York Bible Societyin 1804, the Philadelphia Bible Society in 1808,and the American Bible Society in 1816 . In 1884the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society waschartered, but already since July, 1879, the magazineThe Watchtower had been published . TheWatch Tower Society also distributed Biblesand a Bible help entitled "The Emphatic Diaglott",by one Benjamin Wilson, from whomlater the plates and right to publish the Diaglottwere bought .The Diaglott contains the original Greek text,from Matthew's gospel to Revelation, which textis according to the revised text or recension by

PRODUCING THE BOOK OF FREEDOM 217Dr. J . J . Griesbach . The lines of the Greek areinterlined with an English translation followingthe Greek text word for word . To the right ofthis there is a column containing a new and emphatictranslation into fluent English . Seepage 46 herein . This emphasized Englishtranslation by the author of The Emphatic Diaglottdoes not follow strictly or exclusively Dr .Griesbach's Greek text, but follows preferablythe older text of Vatican MS . No . 1209, the mostancient and valuable MS . in existence and whichwas not published in Dr . Griesbach's time .Where the Vatican MS . No . 1209 is lacking, theDiaglott follows Vatican MS . No . 1160 and theAlexandrine . In 1942, the Watchtower edition ofthe Bible began to be published . This edition isthe favorite King James Version Bible unchanged,but with special helps for students .From the foregoing account the blasphemousclaim of religionists is proved to be unfoundedand foolish, namely, "If it were not for the RomanCatholic religious organization Christianswould not have the Bible today, for the RomanCatholic organization was made God's repositoryof the truth and its preserver ." Such selfconceitedclaim not only is untrue to fact, buttakes the credit from God, who is the Author ofthe Holy Bible and who depends upon no manor group of men for its preservation . He haspreserved His written Word and caused it to bespread world-wide despite the opposition anddestructive efforts of all the religionists .

CHAPTER XVIIA ROYA THEOCRACYFOR forty years Jehovah God led thechildren of Israel through the wildernessby the hand of Moses . In the lastyear of the journey he brought themto the plains of Moab, opposite the city of Jerichoin the Promised and . The ord designatedthe faithful servant of Moses, Joshua, to be hissuccessor . Moses bestowed an inspired blessingupon the twelve tribes of Israel, and then ascendedto the top of Mount Nebo to die . On themountaintop God permitted him to survey allthe land of promise . Then Moses died, and theord God buried him, but no one knows whereand how God disposed of Moses' body . At thattime occurred what is spoken of at Jude 9 "YetMichael the archangel, when contending withthe devil lie disputed about the body of Moses,durst not bring against him a railing accusation,but said, The ord rebuke thee ."Moses did not go to heaven . The transfigurationscene which took place on a mountaintopfifteen centuries later and in which Moses andElijah were seen in a vision does not prove thatMoses was alive and in heaven . Matthew17 1-9 Jesus' words must be taken as truewhen he said "No man hath ascended up to218

A ROYA THEOCRACY 2 1 9heaven, but he that came down from heaven,even the Son of man ." Moses' visionary appearancewith Jesus at the transfiguration merelytestified that Christ Jesus is a prophet like butgreater than Moses as well as Elijah . As Mosessaid on those plains of Moab not many days beforehis death "Jehovah thy God will raise upunto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, ofthy brethren, like unto me unto him ye shallhearken ." Deuteronomy 18 15-19, A .R.V. Theapostle Peter was with Jesus at the transfigurationand later confirmed this truth that Jesusis the Greater Moses .-Acts 3 20-23 .By Jehovah's miracle of dividing the floodwatersof the Jordan river Joshua led the Israelitesacross the torrent bed dryshod, andthen the conquest of the promised land began .Jehovah had promised their forefathers to givethem the land . Now he commanded his chosennation that they should destroy the accursedCanaanites in the land and wipe out their religion,else religion would prove a snare to them .God had sentenced those demon-worshipers todeath, and he made the Israelites his executioners,"in the image of God ." The war which theIsraelites waged upon the Canaanites was at thecommand of the great Theocrat, Jehovah . Itwas Theocratic warfare and righteous, for thecleansing of the land which had been polluted bythe idolatry and bloody deeds done in religion'sname . God was with the Israelites in this warfareand performed miracles for the victory ofhis nation and the destruction of the enemies .

2 20 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"At the end of six years of constant warfarethe Gentile nations in the Promised and werenot yet all cleared out, nevertheless the divisionof the land among the tribes of Israel began. The tribes continued faithful to the God ofIsrael during the life of Joshua and the eldersof the nation that outlived him, and they wereblessed . As it is written "Blessed is the nationwhose God is Jehovah, the people whom he hathchosen for his own inheritance ." Psalm 33 12,A.R.V. Joshua's name means "Jehovah saves" .The Greek version of the Bible renders Joshua'sname as "Jesus" . Acts 7 45 Hebrews 4 8 Inhis faithful leadership of Israel and in the victorieshe gained by faith in God over the Gentilenations of Canaan Joshua was a type or figureprophetic of Jesus Christ, the Seed who shallcrush the Serpent's head . At his final meetingwith the people of Israel before his deathJoshua exhorted them to keep covenant withGod and worship Him who had made them afree nation. Joshua bade them decide betweenreligion and the true and living God, saying"And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah,choose you this day whom ye will serve whetherthe gods which your fathers served that werebeyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites,in whose land ye dwell but as for me and myhouse, we will serve Jehovah ." Joshua 24 15,A.R.V . Who will deny Joshua was a Jehovah'switnessOne circumstance remained after Joshua'stime which endangered Israel's remaining a

A ROYA THEOCRACY 221free nation that was the presence in parts ofthe land of Canaanites who had escaped beingdestroyed together with their religion. Such religionproved to be the besetting sin againstwhich the warning is given to those who need tobe free and unhampered in the race for lifeeverlasting "Wherefore seeing we also arecompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight, and thesin which doth so easily beset us, and let us runwith patience the race that is set before us ."Hebrews 12 1 The Old Serpent lurked about,to entice continually with religion the chosen nationthrough whom the royal Seed must come .Again and again the Israelites grew carelessand neglected and forgot their worship andservice of Jehovah . They fell victim to religion .As many times as the nation broke its covenanttoward Him Jehovah sold them into the handsof their Gentile enemies, the worship of whosedemon gods the Israelites took up . When Hispeople cried to him in their affliction and turnedaway from demonism and sought him, then Jehovahraised them up judges to deliver themfrom their enemies and the snare of religion .This period of judges saw the raising up andthe exploits of faith of such witnesses of Jehovahas Ehud, Barak and Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah,Samson, and the prophet Samuel . Hebrews11 32-34 The record in the book ofJudges closes with this statement "In thosedays there was no king in Israel every man did

222 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"that which was right in his own eyes ."-Judges21 25 .Then the Israelites desired to imitate the Gentilenations round about and came to the judge,the prophet Samuel, and asked him to set upover them a king, to visibly lead and governthem . They ignored that Jehovah was their invisibleTheocratic King and would not forsakethem if they did not forsake their worship ofhim. Samuel was displeased and prayed to God ."And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken untothe voice of the people in all that they say untothee for they have not rejected thee, but theyhave rejected me, that I should not be king overthem. According to all the works which theyhave done since the day that I brought them upout of Egypt even unto this day, in that theyhave forsaken me, and served other gods, so dothey also unto thee ."-1 Samuel 8 7, 8, A .R .V .At the people's insistent request God designatedSaul of the tribe of Benjamin to be king,and Saul was anointed with oil upon his headto this royal office . Saul became thus the anointedof Jehovah' . 1 Samuel 10 1 12 3, 5 In theHebrew the name for "anointed one" is "Messiah"but King Saul did not prove himself tobe a type of the great Messiah to come, theroyal Seed of God's organization ion. Earlyin his forty-year reign Saul started out on acourse of arbitrary acts in disobedience to God .Samuel told him he had done foolishly, "for nowwould the ORD have established thy kingdomupon Israel for ever . But now thy kingdom shall

A ROYA THEOCRACY 223not continue the ORD hath sought him a manafter his own heart, and the ORD hath commandedhim to be captain over his people ."1 Samuel 13 13,14 That man proved to beDavid, born ten years after Saul's reign began .When David was yet a young shepherd lad Godsent his prophet Samuel to anoint David privatelyas king designate. Thereby David of thetribe of Judah became the ord's "anointed" .He proved himself to be a type of the comingMessiah, "the ion of the tribe of Juda ." ByDavid's vanquishing the Philistine giant Goliathwith but a shepherd's sling and stone, Godbrought David prominently before the nation'snotice and King Saul made him a captain in hisarmy.

224 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"The ord's spirit was no longer upon Saul,and the Devil stirred up in him the spirit ofjealousy against David. The Devil furthercaused Saul to persecute and seek to destroyDavid in order to prevent the promised Seedfrom coming through David's line . But Jehovahdelivered his anointed from Saul's persecution. Confronted with disaster at the handsof the Philistine army, Saul finally sought thewitch of Endor, and shortly thereafter God permittedSaul to be killed for his disobedientcourse in demonism .David then became king of Israel and wasanointed to office at Hebron in the tribe ofJudah . He reigned for forty years . A numberof times he was overreached by the Devil andsuffered for it, but his heart always remainedtrue to Jehovah, whom he worshiped, and he repentedand was restored to God's favor . At thebeginning of his rule over the twelve tribes theGentile Jebusites were yet occupying part of thecity of Jerusalem, particularly the hill of ionand the stronghold thereon . David led his armiesagainst it and wrested ion from the heathenand then made it the seat of his throne . In thisway Jerusalem became the capital city of Israel,especially the hill thereof called " ion" . Inasmuchas David typified the Messiah, Jehovah'sAnointed King to come, ion became a type ofJehovah's capital organization under His MessianicKing . Hence God's capital organizationor Theocratic Government by Messiah is called" ion" in Bible prophecy .

A ROYA THEOCRACY 2 2 5Then the Philistines tried to overthrow David,but Jehovah gave David two miraculous victoriesover them, at Mount Perazim and atGibeon. And David composed a psalm underGod's inspiration and wrote "Why do the nationsrage, and the peoples meditate a vainthing The kings of the earth set themselves,and the rulers take counsel together, againstJehovah, and against his anointed, . . . Thenwill he speak unto them in his wrath, and vexthem in his sore displeasure Yet I have set myking upon my holy hill of ion . . . . Jehovahsaid unto me, Thou art my son this day haveI begotten thee." Psalm 2 1-7, A .R .V . ThisPsalm, while based on historical facts backthere, is a prophecy applying to the Messiah,Christ Jesus, since A.D . 1914, and hence at thistime . The prophecy had a partial or miniaturefulfillment at the coming of Messiah or Christnineteen centuries ago . Acts 4 24-28 It musthave a complete or final fulfillment in our day .Revelation 11 15-18 In the Greek text of theBible Christ stands for Messiah.-John 1 41 .David was intent on promoting the true worshipof his invisible Theocratic Ruler . Due to avictory of the Philistines over Israel aboutseventy years previous the sacred golden arkof the tabernacle of worship had been removedfrom the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle andlodged at the home of a evite at Kirjathjearim. King David raised a special tent forthe ark on Mount ion and had the ark carriedup and placed there. So the worship of Jehovah

2 2 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"became inseparably connected with the capitalcity ion . At the time of installing the sacredark on ion's hill, which now became "the hill ofJehovah" and "his holy place", King David sangpsalms and said " et the heavens be glad, andlet the earth rejoice and let them say amongthe nations, JEHOVAH REIGNETH . Then shall thetrees of the wood sing for joy before Jehovahfor he cometh to judge the earth ." 1 Chronicles16 31, 33, A.R.V . Here, at last, the typicalroyal Theocracy presented itself in faithful likenessto the coming Theocratic Government byMessiah . Jehovah, as represented by the sacredark, reigned on ion, and his anointed King,David, whose name means "Beloved", sat uponthe typical "throne of Jehovah".-1 Chronicles29 23, A .R.V .In time David's heart was moved to build asubstantial house, palace or temple for the arkof the ord and the service of his priests andevites . Then the ord sent his prophet Nathanand notified David that such a privilege wasreserved for his son, seeing that King Davidhad been a man of war and blood . At the sametime, however, Jehovah God entered into a covenantwith David . It was a covenant for the kingdom.By it God promised that the kingdomshould continue in the line of David "And thinehouse and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee thy throne shall be establishedfor ever." 2 Samuel 7 1-16 This covenant forthe kingdom guaranteed that the royal Seed, theMessiah, or Christ, should come from the house

A ROYA THEOCRACY 227or lineage of David and that Jehovah would giveThe Theocratic Government to him . ThereforeMessiah or Christ came to be called "The sonof David".-Matthew 1 1 .In keeping with the kingdom covenant Davidwas succeeded by his son Solomon, whose namemeans "Peaceful" . David being old and the enemiestrying to prevent Solomon's rule, Solomonwas enthroned before his father's death . In thefourth year after being anointed to rule Solomonbegan the building of the temple for whichhis father had made great preparations .1 Kings 6 1 This was typical of future events .It corresponds with the history of Christ theMessiah . In the fourth year, or three and a halfyears after being anointed with God's spirit atthe Jordan river, Christ came to the temple atJerusalem and presented himself both as Kingand as the Foundation Stone upon which thegreat spiritual temple of Jehovah God shouldbe built . Concerning himself the anointed Jesussaid "Behold, a greater than Solomon is here ."Thereby he proved that Solomon was a type ofthe Messiah, who builds God's true temple ofliving stones .-Matthew 12 42 1 Peter 2 4-9 .Solomon was seven years in building the templeon Mount Moriah at Jerusalem . When theark was brought from Mount ion and put withinits Holy of Holies and the priests and eviteswere installed in their services, the glory of JehovahGod filled the temple before the eyes ofall the people present . In the ark was nothingexcept the two tablets of stone bearing the com-

2 2 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"mandments of God and which Moses put in theark at Mount Horeb . 1 Kings 8 9-21 So now,for a time, the typical Theocracy of the MostHigh God displayed its greatest glory . Peoplefrom all the world came to worship at His templeand to hear the wisdom of Solomon . Regardingthe popular benefits of his peaceful reign,such as freedom from fear and want, it is written"Judah and Israel were many, as the sandwhich is by the sea in multitude, eating anddrinking and making merry . And Solomonreigned over all kingdoms from the river untothe land of the Philistines, and unto the borderof Egyp t . . and Judah and Israel dweltsafely, every man under his vine and under hisfig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all thedays of Solomon ." 1 Kings 4 20-25 This is aprophetic picture of New World conditions underChrist's rule .When Solomon waxed old Satan the Devilbeset him with the ensnaring sin of religion . Theonce-wise king fell to idolatry, and died underdivine disapproval, in 999 B .C . After his reignof forty years the nation of twelve tribes wassplit in two, the northern kingdom of ten tribesof Israel, and the southern kingdom of twotribes, Judah and Benjamin . The northern kingdomimmediately forsook Jehovah's worshipand established a state religion to turn the peoplefrom Jehovah's typical Theocracy and worshipat Jerusalem . The unfaithful kingdom wasfinally destroyed by the king of Assyria nearlythree centuries later . In the southern kingdom,

A ROYA THEOCRACY 2 2 9that of Judah, the descendants of King Solomonheld the throne . Jehovah's covenant with Davidfor the everlasting kingdom remained in force,but he shifted the line through which the MessianicSeed should come from Solomon's lineto that of David's other son named Nathan .uke 3 21, 22, 31 2 Samuel 5 14 The lastking of Solomon's line to occupy the throne atJerusalem was edekiah .King edekiah became unfaithful and idolatrous. Before his overthrow the God of the kingdomcovenant inspired his prophet Ezekiel todirect these words against him from the land ofBabylon "Thou, profane wicked prince of Israel,whose day is come, when iniquity shallhave an end, thus saith the ord GOD Removethe diadem, and take off the crown this shallnot be the same exalt him that is low, and abasehim that is high . I will overturn, overturn, overturnit and it shall be no more, until he comewhose right it is and I will give it him ."-Ezekiel21 25-27 .In 606 B .C . the heavenly Theocrat caused thetypical Theocracy in Israel to be overturned byKing Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon . Yet Jehovahdid not forsake his covenant people, of whom aremnant kept faithful to him, such as Ezekiel,Daniel and his three Hebrew companions, andJeremiah . By his prophet Jeremiah God foretoldthat after seventy years of desolation ofJerusalem and its domain he would restore thefaithful remnant from captivity in Babylon tothe Promised and . Furthermore, Jehovah's

230 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"covenant with David for the everlasting kingdomdid not fail . It continued on, awaiting thecoming of a worthy one, whose right the kingdomor Theocratic Government should be . Tohim Jehovah would give the kingdom at hiscoming. As Jacob on his deathbed in Egypt hadforetold, the scepter of right to rule would notdepart from the tribe of Judah, David's tribe,until Shiloh, "the Prince of Peace," should comeand receive the kingdom right . Then unto himthe gathering of all the people of good-willshould be .-Genesis 49 10 .King edekiah was taken captive by KingNebuchadnezzar, and Jerusalem and its templewere pillaged and razed to the ground . The landof Judah was denuded of all its Jewish inhabitants,and seventy years of desolation began .With the typical Theocracy overthrown, thelong period known as "the times of the Gentiles"set in. Satan the Devil now became "thegod of this world" . -2 Corinthians 4 4 .

CHAPTER XVIII"SEVEN TIMES"AT THE overturning of Israel's typicalTheocracy in the year 606 B .C . byKing Nebuchadnezzar Babylon becamethe third world power noted inBible history, Egypt and Assyria having precededthe Babylonian empire . The SupremePower, the Most High God, then used Nebuchadnezzaras His instrument to execute upon thebacksliding Israelites the judgments whereof hehad long warned them by his faithful prophets .Almighty God, who can use even the inanimate,unintelligent forces of creation to carry out hispurpose, thereby used Nebuchadnezzar as hisservant . Jeremiah 25 9 27 6 43 10 Thefirst siege Nebuchadnezzar laid against Jerusalemwas eleven years before its destruction, andat that time he carried many captives away toBabylon, including the faithful young men Danieland Ezekiel . Both men became prophets andhence witnesses of Jehovah . Daniel, because ofhis wisdom from God, became Nebuchadnezzar'schief consultant and adviser . Though God usedthis Gentile king as his instrument, this doesnot mean that Jehovah was the God he worshiped. Nevertheless, because of the vast imperialrule which Nebuchadnezzar exercised by231

232 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Almighty God's permission, Jehovah used himas the basis or background by which Danielcould deliver prophecies of the highest importanceconcerning the setting up of Messiah'skingdom .Therefore the king wrote "Nebuchadnezzarthe king, unto all people, nations, and languages,that dwell in all the earth Peace bemultiplied unto you . I thought it good to shewthe signs and wonders that the high God hathwrought toward me . How great are his signs !and how mighty are his wonders ! his kingdomis an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion isfrom generation to generation ." Daniel 4 1-3Accordingly, to men and women of "all people,nations, and languages" who desire peace to bemultiplied to them, it is of deepest interest toconsider the revelation which an earthly king,so high and mighty, saw good to relate, as followsHe had a dream that troubled him . None ofthe religious wise men and counselors of hiscourt could explain it . Remembering how Danielhad recalled and interpreted the king's forgottendream concerning the terrible image and itsdestruction, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehovah'switness and related to him the dream"Thus were the visions of mine head in mybed I saw, and, behold, a tree in the midst ofthe earth, and the height thereof was great .The tree grew, and was strong, and the heightthereof reached unto heaven, and the sightthereof to the end of all the earth the leaves

"SEVEN TIMES" 2 3 3thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much,and in it was meat for all the beasts of the fieldhad shadow under it, and the fowls of the heavendwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh wasfed of it . I saw in the visions of my head uponmy bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy onecame down from heaven he cried aloud, andsaid thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off hisbranches, shake off his leaves, and scatter hisfruit let the beasts get away from under it,and the fowls from his branches nevertheless,leave the stump of his roots in the earth, evenwith a band of iron and brass, in the tendergrass of the field and let it be wet with the dewof heaven, and let his portion be with the beastsin the grass of the earth let his heart bechanged from man's, and let a beast's heart begiven unto him and let seven times pass overhim. This matter is by the decree of the watchers,and the demand by the word of the holyones to the intent that the living may knowthat the Most High ruleth in the kingdom ofmen, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, andsetteth up over it the basest of men ."-Daniel4 10-17.Daniel interpreted the dream to foretell thatseven years of madness would overtake Nebuchadnezzar,during which he could not personallycarry on his imperial government but would becomewild like a beast and live out in the openfields . After that his sanity would return, andhe would be restored to his kingdom, which, likethat banded tree stump in the ground, was held

234 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"pending his return. By this experience he wouldknow that the Most High God is all-powerfuland has ordained who will reign in the Governmentover man .Twelve months later Nebuchadnezzar gaveway to boasting over great Babylon which hehad built . Then there fell upon him a voice fromheaven speaking the same message as in thedream, and he was instantly seized with mentalunbalance and brutishness . He was let loose inthe field to live and eat like a brute beast . Whenseven years had passed over him in this debasedcondition, God had mercy upon him and let hisreason return, and he praised the Most HighGod . Then he resumed his throne . By such dealingsJehovah God, who had forewarned him bythe prophetic dream and by Daniel, used himboth to make a picture in miniature fulfillmentof the dream and so to illustrate the great andcomplete fulfillment thereof .About 150 years before this strange occurrenceIsaiah was inspired to declare a prophetic"proverb against the king of Babylon". Isaiahlikened him to a great tree, and then said "Howart thou fallen from heaven, 0 ucifer, son ofthe morning! how art thou cut down to theground, which didst weaken the nations ! Forthou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend intoheaven, . . . I will be like the Most High ."Isaiah 14 4-14 At Eden the Most High Godmade the beautiful, shining spirit creature, ucifer,to be the invisible overlord over the earthand its creatures . To ucifer the prophecy

"SEVEN TIMES" 235says "Thou hast been in Eden the garden ofGod . . . Thou art the anointed cherub thatcovereth and I have set thee so . . . Thouwast perfect in thy ways from the day that thouwast created, till iniquity was found in thee ."Ezekiel 28 13-15 Therefore the great treereaching unto heaven that Nebuchadnezzar kingof Babylon saw pictured ucifer's heavenlyoffice, namely, the invisible overlordship overAdam and Eve and the lower animal creatures .That overlordship was then righteous .When ucifer gave way to iniquity and revoltedagainst the supreme rule of the MostHigh God, he forfeited the right to be God's representativein the overlordship, and God debaseducifer, who had become Satan, or God'sopposer. God sentenced Satan to destruction,but permitted him to remain alive for a limitedtime till the controversy over Jehovah's nameand supremacy should be fought out and finallysettled . True, Satan continued in control overman, but not over righteous man, neither asGod's righteous overlord over men . The officeof righteous overlord no longer operated orgrew, but was in suspension or abeyance untilHe should come who would prove right thereto,and then the Most High would give it to him,even though he be esteemed by this world as the"basest of men". This situation, therefore, wasnow as in the dream picture when the great treewas cut down and the earthly creatures werecleared out from under it, and only the stump of

236 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the tree was left in the ground, with bands ofiron and brass about it .The tree was not a dead issue . Its livingstump testified that it would shoot forth a newstein and would grow up again, when God's duetime should come and he would release the bindingrestraints from it . ikewise the invisibleheavenly righteous overlordship over humankindwould be revived or made operative again .This means that the kingdom of God, The TheocraticGovernment, would be set up over humankind,but only when God released the restraintsin his appointed and declared time . WhenNot before "seven times" had passed over thesymbolic tree stump could God, according tohis own decree, establish the kingdom over menin the hands of a righteous invisible overlord .The prophetic dream does not indicate that the"seven times" began at Eden immediately withthe rebellion of ucifer and his loss of the rightand authority of righteous overlordship . Thefacts in fulfillment show they did not begin then .The dream merely announces that in the treestump's experience there would pass over it aperiod of "seven times" and that this would immediatelyprecede the unbanding of the stumpand its free growth again . In the miniature fulfillmentof the dream upon Nebuchadnezzar hebecame like a beast, without human understanding,for seven years, after which he regained sanityand exercised his lordship over the empire .This makes it clear that the "seven times" beganwith Nebuchadnezzar's overturning of Jeho-

"SEVEN TIMES" 237vah's typical Theocracy at Jerusalem, in 606B .C . As long as the typical administration ofGod at Jerusalem operated at all, even imperfectly,in his name, that long there was somemeasure of national sanity and a partial exhibitionof right rule among nations on this earth .But with the overthrow of the typical Theoc-

238 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"racy there was then no restraint at all to theunreason and bestiality of human governorsand humankind . The Gentile powers or governmentswere now exclusive in the field . God'scovenant people no longer held any nationalsovereignty in the midst of this world, independentlyof the Gentile nations . What rulingnations then functioned were Gentile nations,with Babylon supreme on earth . Thus wholly"Gentile" times began . These must therefore bewhat Jesus Christ referred to, at uke 21 24,as "the times of the Gentiles" . Beginning in606 B .C ., and being seven in number, whenwould these "times" end and the righteous overlordshipof God's kingdom be establishedAt Revelation 12 6,14 there are 1,260 daysreferred to, after which the same period of daysis described as "a time, and times, and half atime", or three and a half times, which is thehalf of seven times . Hence "seven times" wouldbe twice 1,260 days, or 2,520 days . In the arkduring the flood Noah counted the 150 days thatthe waters prevailed upon the earth before subsidingas 5 months, averaging 30 days to amonth. Genesis 7 11, 24 8 3, 4 Therefore,2,520 days would equal 84 months, which equals7 years . This agrees with the miniature fulfillmentof the dream where Nebuchadnezzar'smadness of "seven times" was seven years long .In the major or complete fulfillment the"seven times" must be larger than 2,520 literaldays . Ezekiel, who prophesied at the same timeas Daniel, was likewise inspired to give some

"SEVEN TIMES" 239time measures, and he gave this divine rule forcalculating the time "I have appointed theeeach day for a year ." He also was banded untilthe time measures were up . Ezekiel 4 6, 8Hence each of the 2,520 days, according to propheticcalculation in Daniel's prophecy, equalsone year, solar time . By the same rule the"seven times", or "times of the Gentiles",amount to 2,520 years . In Nebuchadnezzar'stime the year began counting from the fall ofthe year, or about October 1, our time. Since hedestroyed Jerusalem in the summer of 606 B .C .,that year had its beginning in the fall of 607 B .C .and its ending in the fall of 606 B .C .Inasmuch as the count of the Gentile "seventimes" began its first year at the fall of 607 B .C .,it is simple to calculate when they end . Fromthe fall of 607 B .C . to the fall of B .C . 1 is exactly606 years . From the fall of B .C . 1 to thefall of A .D . 1 is one year, do not forget . Hencefrom the fall of B .C . 1 to the fall of A .D. 1914is 1,914 years . Add now 606 years and 1,914years, and the sum total is 2,520 years, endingin the fall of A.D . 1914 . By this method Jehovah,who is an accurate Timekeeper as to hispurposes, symbolically foretold that the "timesof the Gentiles", that is, the "seven times",would continue and extend to the fall of A .D .1914. Before that date, therefore, the true TheocraticGovernment of Messiah, which was foreshadowedby the typical Theocracy at Jerusalem,could not be set up .

240 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Said Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar in interpretingthe meaning of the banded tree stump "Andwhereas they commanded to leave the stump ofthe tree roots thy kingdom shall be sure untothee, after that thou shalt have known that theheavens do rule ." Daniel 4 26 This picturedthat God had not abandoned his original purposeto have a righteous overlordship overrighteous men. Instead, the actual operation ofthe invisible overlordship by His appointed onewas held in suspension until the "seven times"of Gentile domination of the earth had run out .Then Jehovah God's new appointee would assumethe vacant overlordship in place of the unfaithfulucifer and would start its operation .This would mean that the "kingdom of heaven",or God's kingdom by his anointed King, hadbeen established and had come, regardless ofwhether the Gentile powers discerned and recognizedthat fact or not . It would mean that thetime had come for them to get out of power andto give place to the Theocracy's rule over allthe earth .To whom does Jehovah give the heavenlyoverlordship over all men of good-will in A.D .1914€ Daniel 4 17 answers "To the intent thatthe living may know that the Most High rulethin the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoeverhe will, and setteth up over it the basestof men." "One low among men he setteth upover it ." Roth . God has not given the "kingdomof men" to totalitarian and religious dictators,who are wicked, demonized men . Jeho-

"SEVEN TIMES" 241vah God has given the heavenly kingdom of thenew world to the one whom politicians, commercialtraffickers and religious clergy despiseas the "basest of men", namely, Christ Jesus,who was nailed to a tree between two thieves .Isaiah 53 1-12 This One foretold that at theend of the world, beginning in A .D . 1914, histrue followers "shall be hated of all nations formy name's sake" . Jehovah's witnesses are nowso hated . Matthew 24 9 Concerning the governmentof the new world of righteousness theprophecy of Revelation 11 15-18 came true inA .D . 1914, at the end of the "seven times""The kingdom of the world is become the kingdomof our ord, and of his Christ and he shallreign for ever and ever . . . . We give theethanks, 0 ord God, the Almighty, who art andwho wast because thou hast taken thy greatpower, and didst reign . And the nations werewroth, and thy wrath came ." A .R .V . Now,therefore, we can understand why Christ theMessiah did not set up God's kingdom at hisfirst advent or at once of ter ascending to heaven .

CHAPTER XIXFREEDOM'S KING APPEARSTHE time for the appearance of theMessiah, or Christ, was foretold toDaniel and by him recorded hundredsof years before the appearing of thatAnointed One. For Daniel's comfort the angelGabriel informed him "Know therefore and understand,that from the going forth of the commandmentto restore and to build Jerusalem,unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be sevenweeks and threescore and two weeks the streetshall be built again, and the wall, even introublous times . And after threescore and twoweeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself."Daniel 9 25,26 Such commandmentconcerning Jerusalem's rebuilding was issuedto Nehemiah in 454 B .C ., and 69 weeks of yearsor 483 years from that date points to A.D . 29as the year bearing watching . Would Messiahthen appear -Nehemiah 1 1-3 2 1-8.Centuries later the same angel Gabriel wassent to the rebuilt Jerusalem to foretell to thefaithful priest acharias at the temple the birthof a son who should precede and announce theappearing of the Messiah . Six months later"the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto acity of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin242

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 243espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, ofthe house of David and the virgin's name wasMary ." Gabriel said to this descendant of KingDavid of the tribe of Judah "Behold, thou shaltconceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,and shalt call his name Jesus . He shall be great,and shall be called the Son of the Highest andthe ord God shall give unto him the throne ofhis father David and he shall reign over thehouse of Jacob for ever and of his kingdomthere shall be no end ." Mary asked "How shallthis be, seeing I know not a man " Gabriel repliedA.R .V . " The holy spirit shall come uponthee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadowthee wherefore also the holy thingwhich is begotten shall be called the Son of God .. . . For no . word from God shall be void ofpower." uke 1 5-37 In such phrase, thoughMary understood it not, God's messenger toldthat the life of Jehovah's beloved and only begottenSon would be transferred from the heavenlyrealm and glory to the womb of the Jewishvirgin by the wonder-working power of God .Some time thereafter the ord's angel advisedJoseph, Mary's betrothed, in a dream, saying"Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wifefor that which is conceived in her is of the holyspirit. And she shall bring forth a son and thoushalt call his name JESUS for it is he that shallsave his people from their sins ." Matthew1 20, 21, A.R.V. This event was to be in fulfillmentof the prophecy of Isaiah 7 14 "Now

244 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"all this was done, that it might be fulfilled whichwas spoken of the ord by the prophet, saying,Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shallbring forth a son, and they shall call his nameEmmanuel, which being interpreted is, God withus."-Matthew 1 22, 23 .Joseph and Mary were obliged to move toBethlehem in the land of Judah before the eventoccurred, and one night the child was born thereand was laid in a manger . It was thirty yearsbefore the prophesied date of A .D . 29 . It wasabout six months after the spring passovercelebration of B .C . 2, and hence about October 1,when the winter rains had not yet begun andthe shepherds were out in the fields near by,watching their flocks by night . The shepherdssaw no so-called "star of Bethlehem" or "starof the east" to call their notice to the importantevent . They were not astrologers like the magior "wise men from the east", demon-worshipers .These Jewish shepherds feared the God ofAbraham and of David ."And, behold, an angel of the ord stood bythem, and the brightness of God shone roundabout them and they feared with a great fear .And the angel said to them Fear not for, behold,I bring you good tidings of great joy, thatshall be to all the people for this day is born toyou a Saviour, who is Christ the ord, in thecity of David. And this shall be a sign unto you .You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddlingclothes, and laid in a manger . And suddenlythere was with the angel a multitude of the heav-

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 245enly army, praising God, and saying Glory toGod in the highest and on earth peace to menof good-will ."- uke 2 9-14, Douay .Religionists called "trinitarians" say that thiswas the incarnation of God and that here theso-called "God-roan" was born . To such unscripturalteaching is due the religious practice ofcalling Mary "the mother of God", thereby blasphemingAlmighty God, who had no beginningor source and no female parent . Mary was nottold she would be the "mother of God", but theangel Gabriel told her "That holy thing whichshall be born of thee shall be called the SON ofGod ." uke 1 35 Moreover, if a mere incarnationof the Son of God had been intended, thenit would not have been necessary for him to havehis life transferred to an embryo in the virgin'swomb and to be developed there and finally bornas a helpless infant . He could still have remaineda spirit person and materialized a fullydeveloped fleshly body and clothed himself withit, just as the sons of God did in Noah's dayand as the angel Gabriel did when appearingvisibly to Mary .Instead of describing an incarnation thescripture John 1 14 says "And the Wordwas made flesh, and dwelt among us, and webeheld his glory, the glory as of the only begottenof the Father, full of grace and truth ."His mission on earth was to be temporary, andthat is why it is said he "dwelt" or tabernacledamong us, just as the apostle Peter speaks ofhimself as "in this tabernacle", and Peter was

246 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"no incarnation . 2 Peter 1 13, 14 That the Sonof God born on earth was no mighty spirit personclothing himself upon with a baby's fleshlyform and pretending to be absolutely ignorantlike a newborn infant is proved by the scripturePhilippians 2 5-8 , which shows he laid asidecompletely his spirit existence "Christ Jesus,who, though being in God's form, yet did notmeditate a usurpation to be like God, but divestedhimself, taking a bondman's form, havingbeen made in the likeness of men and beingin condition as a man, he humbled himself, becomingobedient unto death, even the death ofthe cross ."-Diaglott .It is contended that the scripture, "And theyshall call his name Emmanuel which being interpretedis, God with us," proves that this babewas "God incarnate" himself . That, however, isa wresting of the Scriptures and is contrary toall other Bible texts bearing on the subject . Thename "Immanuel" merely meant that God's representativeand servant was with his covenantpeople and thus representatively Jehovah Godwas with them and was for them, on their side,and favoring and helping them, as foretold atIsaiah 8 10. Nor does the fact that the name"Jesus" means "Jehovah saves" signify thatJesus and Jehovah God are one and the sameperson . "Jesus" is merely the Greek form forthe Hebrew "Joshua", and the fact that Moses'successor was named Joshua does not signifythat he was Jehovah God .-Numbers 13 16,17Acts 7 45 .

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 247The oft-quoted prophecy at Jeremiah 23 5, 6can not be used as proof that JeSuS is JehovahGod himself and one in person with him, namely"Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, thatI will raise unto David a righteous Branch, andhe shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shallexecute justice and righteousness in the land .In hiS days Judah shall be Saved, and ISraelShall dwell Safely and this is hiS name wherebyhe Shall be called Jehovah our righteousneSs ."A .R .V . The mere calling of a creature by acognomen that includes the name Jehovah doesnot mean the unity in person of that creaturewith Jehovah . This is proved by the Scripture,at Jeremiah 33 16 "In those days Shall Judahbe Saved, and Jerusalem Shall dwell Safely andthis is the name whereby SHE Shall be calledJehovah our righteouSnesS ." A .R.V. CertainlyJerusalem is not one in person with Jehovahand not equal with him in power and glory andnot a member of a supposed "trinity" .The Scripture at 1 Timothy 3 16 is likewisecited by religionists in their argument that JesuSwas "God incarnate" . This claim is upset bythe reading of all modern revised versions ofthe text, as follows "And without controversygreat is the mystery of godliness He who wasmanifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,Seen of angels, preached among the nations, believedon in the world, received up in glory ."1 Timothy 3 16, A .R.V . Douay DiaglottRotherham Weymouth etc . In the above passagenearly all the ancient manuscripts and all

248 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the versions,, including the atin Vulgate, have"He who" instead of "God" . Moreover, the religiousidea of "God's blood", as based on Paul'swords at Acts 20 28, is punctured by the emphasizedrendering of the original Greek textby the Diaglott and Rotherham, as follows"Take heed to yourselves, therefore, and to allthe flock among whom the holy spirit made youoverseers, to feed the church of God, which heacquired by the blood of his own ." It is by theblood of his own Son or amb of God thatJehovah God purchased his church .Joseph and Mary were authorized to call thechild "Joshua", or "Jesus", for, said the angel,"it is lie that shall save his people from theirsins ." Matthew 1 21, A .R.V. Only those whobecome his faithful and obedient people hesaves, and not those remaining willful unbelieversand rebels . If Jesus had been AlmightyGod Jehovah he could not save his people fromtheir sins by his blood, because Jehovah Godis immortal, "from everlasting to everlasting .""Who only hath immortality, dwelling in lightunapproachable whom no man hath seen, norcan see to whom be honor and power eternal ."1 Timothy 6 16, A .R .V . Almighty God cannotdie, but Jesus could die and did die, as testifiedby the Scriptures hence lie could not be God hisFather, but was God's mortal Son . In due time,after proving his faithfulness to death and providingredemption from sin, the Son was rewardedwith immortality as he said "As the

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 249Father hath life in himself so hath he given tothe Son to have life in himself."-John 5 26 .The divine decree is "The wages of sin isdeath but the gift of God is eternal life throughJesus Christ our ord." Romans 6 23 ThatJesus might save his people from their sins itwas necessary that the Son of God be horn as ahuman creature and grow to become "the manChrist Jesus". 1 Timothy 2 5, 6 He thus becamethe full equal of the perfect Adam in Eden,sinless and possessed of the right to perfect humanlife in the earthly Paradise . God's lawshows the perfect balance to divine justice,saying "And if any mischief follow, then thoushalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth fortooth, hand for hand, foot for foot ." Exodus21 23, 24 The perfect man Adam sinned, causingmischief to follow, and was sentenced todeath . He forfeited his right to life and hencecould not bequeath the right to everlasting lifeto his children .For the right to life to be recovered for thoseof Adam's offspring who believe and obey God,it was necessary that another perfect man offerhis own human life and his right to such lifeover to God as a purchase price . Thereby heredeems or recaptures for those believers thelife right which Adam forfeited by sin, andthe life right can then be bestowed upon thoseproving worthy according to God's terms. Noneof Adam's offspring being sinless or havingright to life to offer as a redemptive price, itwas necessary for the Son of God to lay aside

2 50 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"his spirit existence and become the needed perfectman . To meet the exactness of God's perfectlaw, Jesus must be a perfect man, no more, noless . Thus Jesus could die, not as a spirit creature,but as a perfect human creature, for humankindneeding redemption . For these andother reasons Jesus was not a "God-man", forthat would be more than the required price ofredemption . Had he been immortal God or animmortal soul he could not have given his life .According to the Scriptural facts, he was mortalon earth, and in him the prophecy of Isaiah53 12 was fulfilled "He hath poured out hissoul unto death and he was numbered with thetransgressors and he bare the sin of many, andmade intercession for the transgressors ." Hissoul was then "exceeding sorrowful, even untodeath".-Matthew 26 38 .Seeing that Jesus did not receive his life fromthe sinner Adam through the imperfect manJoseph, he was not the son of Adam . Seeing thathe was born of a woman by God's power andbecame the perfect man without sin and undefiled,the exact equivalent of the perfect man inEden, Jesus was properly called "the Son ofthe man". iterally in Greek By his ransomsacrifice he redeemed the right to life and allearthly privileges possessed by the perfect manin Eden . With this the Scriptures agree, saying"When the fulness of the time was come, Godsent forth his Son, made of a woman, made underthe law, to redeem them that were underthe law, that we might receive the adoption of

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 251sons ." "The Son of man came not to be ministeredunto, but to minister, and to give his lifea ransom for many ."-Galatians 4 4, 5 Matthew20 28.Joseph and Mary were not instructed to callthe child Christ, for that is a title meaningAnointed . However, the child was destined tobecome the Christ or Messiah . That would bewhen God anointed him to be the kingly Prince .At that anointing would be the time when "Messiahthe Prince" would first come and appear .Jesus' very destiny to be Messiah or Christproves that his chief or primary purpose in comingto earth was not to ransom and save humankind. Such salvation of human creatures, whileimportant to men seeking eternal life, is onlysecondary in God's lofty purpose. Jehovah'spurpose is to establish a righteous government,a Theocratic government, upon the shoulder ofhis faithful Son, and by that government to vindicatehis name before all living creatures ofthe universe . This will prove the Devil a slandererand liar and false god. The title Messiahor Christ designates, not the Redeemer, but theprincely King whom Jehovah anoints to be theRuler in that Theocracy or kingdom of God .The primary purpose of the Son of God incoming to earth was to meet and decisively answerSatan's false charge that God cannot puton earth a creature who will keep his integrityand abide faithful till death under the test ofpersecution from the Devil and his demons .Job 1 8-12 2 3-5 The Serpent must be per-

2 5 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"mitted to bruise the heel of the Seed of God's"woman" . By keeping his integrity under themost fiery test Christ Jesus would vindicate hisFather's name and would prove his worthinessto be the Seed or King of God's capital organization,ion .In A .D. 29, on reaching the age of thirtyyears, Jesus consecrated himself to Jehovah'spurpose and he openly symbolized his death toself-will and his aliveness to God's will by beingdipped beneath Jordan's waters in baptismand then being raised therefrom . Immediatelyafterward John the Baptist saw a representationof God's spirit or active force descendingupon Jesus. This was in the form of a dove .uke 3 21-23 Religionists childishly arguethat here is proof of a "trinity", Father, Son andholy spirit . In fact, only two persons were here,each separate and distinct, and a dove as a tokento John the Baptist that God's invisible powerwas being poured out upon the Son of God .John heard God's . voice announcing Jesus asHis Son . This proves that God there begot Jesusby his spirit or active force, by virtue ofwhich Jesus now became the spiritual Son ofGod, possessing the right to spirit life in heaven.God so begot him, because Jesus' right tohuman life was henceforth to be dedicated toredeeming humankind . His earthly life was tobe laid down as a ransom for repentant sinners .This meant that God took Jesus into the "covenantby sacrifice" . Psalm 50 5 His human lifewas devoted beyond recall to buy back for be-

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 2 53lieving men the right to eternal life that hadbeen lost to them by being born sinners .On such grounds Jesus could thereafter sayto a palsied man who was brought to him forhealing "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee ." Andconcerning a sinner woman who bathed his feetwith her tears and wiped them with the hair ofher head he said "Her sins, which are many,are forgiven ." "And he said unto her, Thy sinsare forgiven ." The religious scribes and Phariseesaccused Jesus of claiming to be God orequal with God by forgiving sins . uke5 18-24 7 37-50 Jesus could thus forgive sinsbecause he was and is The Word of God, andhe was then in the covenant with God by sacrifice.By reason of this his perfect, sinless humanlife was bound by contract to be used toransom repentant, believing ones and relievethem of the disability of sin . For like reasonJesus could later give the following commissionto his faithful apostles "Whose soever sins ye,remit, they are remitted unto them and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained ." John20 23 The apostles were his representativeson earth .God's prophecy, at . Psalm 2 7, was directedto Jesus "Thou art my Son this day have Ibegotten thee ." When Jehovah begot the baptizedJesus and made him the spiritual Son ofGod with right to life in the heavenly spiritrealm, Jesus became a "new creature" . ThenJehovah took his begotten Son into the covenantfor the Kingdom, as pictured by the kingdom

254 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"covenant God made with King David centuriesbefore that . Jesus became heir to the Messianickingdom and was in truth "the son of David",to destroy whom the Serpent was lying in wait .In accord with this Jehovah anointed Jesus withthe holy spirit or divine force, as symbolized bythe descent of the dove upon Jesus' head . Hewas anointed to be the King, "The Prince ofPeace," the Seed of God's "woman" ion . Byvirtue of this anointing he became the Messiah,Christ. Henceforth he was Christ Jesus or theAnointed Jesus .-Acts 10 36-38 .At that event, "Messiah the Prince" came, andthe sixty-nine weeks of years, foretold at Daniel9 25, came to their end . Why had Messiah thePrince come Christ Jesus himself answered,when Governor Pontius Pilate asked him "Artthou a king then 7" "Jesus answered, Thou sayestthat I am a king. To this end was I born, and

FREEDOM'S KING APPEARS 255for this cause came I into the world, that Ishould bear witness unto the truth . Every onethat is of the truth heareth my voice ." John18 37 Human salvation is subordinate to thatwork of witness in vindication of God's name .In faithfulness to the covenant for the Kingdomand to his anointing to preach the KingdomJesus resisted the temptations of the Devil duringthe forty days in the wilderness . He refusedto accept from the Devil thekingdoms of this world inreturn for his worship ofthe Devil. He was determinedto gain the Kingdomand then with Kingdompower crush the head of"that old serpent, called theDevil, and Satan", andthereby vindicate God'sname . Matthew 4 1-11 The Messiah is freedom'sKing, for by his glorious reign he bringsin for ever the freedoms desired by man .

CHAPTER XXFROM DEATHTO IMMORTA ITYWE HAVE found the Messiah whichis, being interpreted, Christ ." Of thisdiscovery the Jewish fisherman Andrewcame hastening to tell his brotherSimon Peter. John 1 40, 41, A .R.V. Andrewhad heard John the Baptist identify Jesusas "the amb of God, which taketh away the sinof the world", and then he followed Jesus andheard him preach the Messianic kingdom .Christ Jesus told his disciples to seek first thekingdom of God and its righteousness . He didthat very thing himself . He did not indulge inthe political affairs of this world, but appliedhimself exclusively to proclaiming the kingdomof the new world of righteousness . In the synagogueat -his home town of Nazareth in Galileehe publicly declared his commission from Godto preach, and he was always diligent to dischargehis obligation to bear witness to thegreatest truth of God's written Word, the Kingdom. uke 4 16-21 He was the anointed Rulerof that Theocratic Government, and he waspresent . So he was right in preaching, "Repentfor the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Mat-256

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 257thew 4 17 He did not build a synagogue or areligious building and install himself therein aspastor and ring a bell in a steeple and invite thepeople to come and hear him preach, and thentake up a money collection. He went to the peopleand freely preached to them, at their privatehomes and at the synagogues where they congregatedand also at the temple in Jerusalem ."And it came to pass afterward, that he wentthroughout every city and village, preachingand showing the glad tidings of the kingdom ofGod and the twelve were with him ."- uke 8 1 .Of those that heard and followed Christ Jesushe chose and appointed twelve apostles . He didnot select learned scribes and doctors of the lawand astute lawyers and Pharisees and Sadducees.Such men taught the traditions of meninstead of God's commandments and practicedwhat one of their number called "the Jews' religion". They challenged Jesus' authority andcommission, and rejected him . Jesus said newwine could not be put in old bottles without disaster.He chose humble, teachable, honest, Godfearingmen . He came in his Father's name, andtherefore lie declared Jehovah's name to them .He taught them that the vindication of God'sname by his kingdom is of first importance . Sohe taught them to pray "Our Father which artin heaven, Hallowed be thy name . Thy kingdomcome . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."Matthew 6 9, 10 He commissioned themand sent them forth to preach from city to cityand from house to house . His instructions were

2 5 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE""As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom ofheaven is at hand . . . . And when ye come intoan house, salute it . And if the house be worthy,let your peace come upon it but if it be notworthy, let your peace return to you . . . . Andye shall be hated of all men for my name's sakebut he that endureth to the end shall be saved .But when they persecute you in this city, flee yeinto another."-Matthew 10 1-23 also uke9 1-6 10 1-16 .Satan the Devil discerned that Jesus wasGod's Heir to the kingdom he was preaching .He was the foretold Seed of God's "woman",and also the promised Seed of Abraham . Satan'senmity knew no bounds, and he was determinedto destroy Jesus and to maintain his owndomination of the wicked world . Again he usedreligion as the pretext for opposing Jehovah'switness, this time the Chief Witness . The religiousclergymen came out against him, andslandered him, and sought to kill him . The reasonwas, as Jesus told them "Ye are of yourfather the devil, and the lusts of your father yewill do . He was a murderer from the beginning,and abode not in the truth ." John 8 44 Thosereligious clergymen of Jewry nourished selfishhopes in their hearts as regards the Messianickingdom . They felt envious at Jesus' proclamationof the Kingdom and refused to join in bearingthe Kingdom fruits to the common people,who heard Jesus gladly .-Mark 12 37 .Three and a half years after his anointing asKing at the Jordan river Jesus rode trium-

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 259phantly on an ass's colt amid jubilant crowdshailing the kingdom of God. Into Jerusalem herode and went to the temple, where of old thekings of the nation of Israel had been anointedand acclaimed . At the temple Christ Jesus theAnointed King judged the nation by offeringhimself then and there as God's appointed King .The Jewish religious leaders refused the opportunityand objected to the people's demonstration. So doing, they rejected him as King at thisjudgment at the temple . Hence Jesus said tothem "Did ye never read in the scriptures, Thestone which the builders rejected, the same isbecome the head of the corner this is the ord'sdoing, and it is marvellous in our eyes Thereforesay I unto you, The kingdom of God shallbe taken from you, and given to a nation bringingforth the fruits thereof . And whosoevershall fall on this stone shall be broken but onwhomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him topowder ." Matthew 21 23-46 The religionistsnow plotted to kill him .The passover feast of A .D . 33 came a few daysthereafter, and Jesus assembled with his apostlesto eat the passover. On that occasion alsohe took bread and wine and instituted a memorialto God's name and in symbol of his ownfaithful course unto death for the vindication ofGod's name . To the eleven faithful apostles whotook the memorial he said "You are they whohave continued with me in my trials . And I covenantfor you, even as my Father has covenantedfor me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink

260 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones,judging the twelve tribes of Israel ."- uke22 28-30, Diaglott Rotherham .Then, emphasizing that he had faithfully representedhis Father Jehovah as his witness onearth, he said to them "He that hath seen mehath seen the Father." John 14 9 He toldthem his going away to the Father was causefor rejoicing "For my Father is greater thanI." John 14 28 On an earlier occasion he haddeclared his perfect agreement with Jehovah inHis purpose and work, by saying "I and myFather are one." Now, on this passover night,Jesus led his disciples in prayer and prayed thatthe same agreement and unity might be establishedamong his disciples, by means of thetruth . He said to God "They are not of theworld, even as I am not of the world . Sanctifythem through thy truth thy word is truth . . . .Neither pray I for these alone, but for themalso which shall believe on me through theirword that they all may be one as thou, Father,art in me, and I in thee, that they also may beone in us that the world may believe that thouhast sent me. And the glory which thou gayestme I have given them that they may be one,even as we are one I in them, and thou inme, that they may be made perfect in one . . .And I have declared unto them thy name, andwill declare it that the love wherewith thouhast loved me may be in them, and I in them ."-John 17 16-26 .

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 261Having thus spoken, Jesus led them forth tothe Garden of Gethsemane . His betrayal byJudas, then trial before the Jewish religiouscourt, then a hearing before Pontius Pilate andKing Herod, and, last, a rehearing by Pilate,quickly followed. All the while the Jewish chiefpriests and other clergymen led the people inhowling for Jesus' execution on a tree to hangthere till dead . "Shall I crucify your King "

262 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"asked Pilate . "The chief priests answered, Wehave no king but Caesar."-John 19 6,15 .What, then, was the issue over which ChristJesus was tried and tested and on which theJewish religionists made their decision Was itthe salvation of humankind No, not that primarilyit was God's kingdom, the King of whichmust vindicate God's name by keeping his integrityfaithfully toward God even to the most reproachfuldeath . God's kingdom is of first andhighest importance, because His holy name anduniversal domination are bound up with it .Therefore Jesus chose to die on the tree, hiskingship mocked at by the superscription abovehis head . He died in outward disgrace to theeyes of religionists and politicians, but he diedin the truth and for the truth of the Kingdom .His was the death of a free man . He died withclean hands, free from the bondage to man, devilor religion. He died honoring Jehovah God . Inthe fight of the Devil to make him break his integrityJesus had won !"And calling out with a loud voice Jesus said,Father ! into thy hands I commend my spirit .And this saying, he ceased to breathe ." uke23 46, Roth . Diaglott He knew he was dyingfaithful, and hence was worthy to commend hispower of life to the great ife-giver in hope ofa resurrection . He knew the scripture, at Psalm16 10, which read "Thou wilt not leave my soulin hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy Oneto see corruption ." While he was living in theflesh and looking ahead to this death, he was

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 2 6 3€ never disturbed, but his flesh rested in hope andwas at ease . He knew there would be a resurrectionto life in the spirit, to which life he had beenbegotten at the Jordan river .Satan the Devil had heard Jesus speak privatelyto his disciples of a resurrection and ofreturning to his Father . In his uneasiness theDevil caused his religious agents to have aguard thrown about the sepulcher where Jesus'body was laid, and the great stone in front tobe officially sealed . Matthew 27 57-66 Foolishprecaution that! On the third day from theburial Jehovah's mightiest miracle took place,the resurrection of his dear Son out of deathand unto life divine, unto immortality .No human eye saw that resurrection earlythat first day of the week. The sepulcher guardsexperienced an earthquake and were terrifiedat the sight of a dazzling angel who rolled awaythe stone, exposing to view the sepulcher'sempty interior . The resurrected Jesus they sawnot, nor were any of the Devil's servants thereaftermade witnesses to the fact of Jesus' resurrection. What had happened to the fleshly bodyof Jesus It was not "spiritualized" for that isimpossible according to Jesus' own words"That which is born of the flesh is flesh andthat which is born of the spirit is spirit ." John3 6 Paul, who had a vision of the resurrectedJesus, also says "Now this I say, brethren, thatflesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom ofGod ." 1 Corinthians 15 50 According toPsalm 16 10 and Acts 2 27-31 the body was not

264 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"permitted to corrupt . Hence Jehovah God disposedof that body in his own way, just ashe disposed of the body of Moses, who was atype of Christ Jesus but no one knows how .-Deuteronomy 34 5, 6 .At the resurrection Almighty God answeredJesus' prayer "And now, 0 Father, glorifythou me with thine own self with the glory whichI had with thee before the world was ." John17 5 That was glory in heaven, or the unseenrealm, and in a spirit body whose glory was notveiled or shrouded with a fleshly body bearinga spear gash in the side, nail prints in hands andfeet, thorn scratches on the brow, and welts andstripes on the back from the scourge lashing .The fleshly body is the body in which Jesus humbledhimself, like a servant, and is not the bodyof his glorification, not the body in which hewas resurrected . The apostle Peter, who sawhim after his resurrection, testifies "Christ alsodied once for our sins, the just for the unjustthat he might offer us to God, being put todeath indeed in the flesh, but EN IVENED IN THESPIRIT, in which also coming he preached to thosespirits that were in prison ." 1 Peter 3 18, 19,Douay A.R.V . He was raised to life divine ina spirit body. The resurrection of his faithfuldisciples will be like his concerning which it iswritten "If we have been planted together inthe likeness of his death, we shall be also in thelikeness of his resurrection ." "It is sown a naturalbody it is raised a spiritual body . . . .We shall be changed . For this corruptible must

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 265put on incorruption, and this mortal must puton immortality."-Romans 6 5 1 Corinthians15 44,52-54 .Beginning with his resurrection day Jesusshowed himself alive to his faithful disciples atintervals during forty days . Since a spirit doesnot have flesh and bones, how, then, did Jesusappear or make himself visible to them Bymaterializing fleshly bodies on the occasions ofhis appearances, bodies fully clothed, not withhis burial clothes, but with clothing suitable tothe time and purpose of his appearing . This wasnothing new or unusual for the angel Gabrielappeared thus to priest acharias inside thetemple, and six months later to Mary, Jesus'mother. That very resurrection morning twoangels fully clothed in white appeared to MaryMagdalene at the sepulcher . So now Jesus madehis presence visible to his disciples, even withinthe room behind closed doors . Examine everyone of the accounts of his resurrection appearances,and you will observe that he materializedbodies of different form, and hence it becamenecessary for him to disclose his true identityby various signs and tokens.Mark 16 12 reads "After that he appearedin another form unto two of them, as theywalked, and went into the country ." This verseis today understood to be no part of the originalbook of Mark, yet the authentic accounts by otherwitnesses bear out that the risen Christ usedhis all power in heaven and in earth' to appearunder various forms of body, thereby to prove

266 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"that he is glorified and is no longer an earthly,fleshly creature . On at least one occasion, likelytwo, he appeared in a form like that of the bodyin which he was crucified, so as to identify himselfto doubting Thomas.- uke 24 36-43,A.R.V. John 20 19-30 .Due to these different manifestations MaryMagdalene mistook her resurrected ord as agardener. The two disciples whom he joined onthe road to Emmaus did not know him till reachingthe house and he disclosed himself at themeal . When he appeared in familiar form tosatisfy Thomas, that disciple, now convinced,broke out with an exclamation of amazement"My ord and my God!" not meaning thatThomas was claiming that Jesus was AlmightyGod or Jehovah himself. "But these signs arewritten, that ye might believe that Jesus is theChrist, the SON of God ."-John 20 28-31 .When Jesus manifested himself to seven disciplesat the sea of Galilee while fishing andthey came ashore to the fish breakfast he miraculouslyprovided for them, at first "the disciplesknew not that it was Jesus" . But afterthe miracle "none of the disciples durst ask him,Who art thou knowing that it was the ord" .John 21 4, 12 Thereafter, when he appearedat a mountain in Galilee, "they worshipped himbut some doubted ." Matthew 28 16,17 Yearslater he appeared without a fleshly body to Saulof Tarsus, the future apostle Paul for Saul'scompanions saw no one, but heard the sound ofthe voice . Jesus miraculously permitted Saul to

FROM DEATH TO IMMORTA ITY 2 6 7see some of his heavenly glory as a divine spirit .To Saul, who did not identify him by any printof the nails in his hands and his feet', the ordsaid in reply to his question "I am Jesus, whomthou persecutest ." The vision cost Saul his eyesightfor three days . Hence for the forty daysafter his resurrection Jesus did not appear inthis way to his disciples, but in fleshly form .Christ Jesus truly is risen . In resurrectionglory he said "I am he that liveth, and wasdead and, behold, I am alive for evermore,"because clothed now with immortality . Revelation1 5, 18 He is the "firstborn from thedead", the "firstfruits of them that slept" .Colossians 1 18 1 Corinthians 15 20 He isthe first one to be resurrected to life eternal .His resurrection is the beginning of "the firstresurrection", in which his faithful disciples arepromised to share . Revelation 20 5, 6 He isGod's firm and immortal Foundation for a newand free world without end .

CHAPTER XXITHE CHURCH OF FREEMENTHE gates of hell did not prevailagainst Jehovah's greatest Martyr,"whom God hath raised up, havingloosed the sorrows of hell, as it wasimpossible that he should be holden by it ." Acts2 24, Douay "Whom God raised up, loosingthe pangs of death, inasmuch as it was not possiblefor him to continue held fast by it." Roth.This strengthens the declaration made to hisdisciples by Christ Jesus "And upon this rockI will build my church and the gates of hellshall not prevail against it ." Matthew 16 18After his resurrection he announced "Behold,I am alive for evermore, Amen and have thekeys of hell and of death ." This gives promiseto his disciples that, as his soul or life was notleft a prey forever to hell or the abode of thedead, likewise the souls of his faithful followerswould not be abandoned for ever to the grave .Christ Jesus has the power to release from"hell" and "death", and he declares "Every onewhich seeth the Son, and believeth on him, mayhave everlasting life and I will raise him up atthe last day."-John 6 40 .268

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 2 69The Rock upon which the church is foundedis heavenly . It is Christ Jesus . Forty days afterhis resurrection to life as a heavenly "new creature"he ascended to heaven, not immediately tobegin reigning, but to sit at God's right hand ofpower and build his church . Acts 1 1-9 Hebrews10 12,13 12 2 His Father, Jehovah, ishimself the great heavenly Rock, upon which allcreation rests "Proclaim the name of Jehovahascribe ye greatness unto our God . The Rock,his work is perfect." Deuteronomy 32 3, 4,A.R.V . Jehovah's Son, Christ Jesus, is "the expressimage of his person, and upholding allthings by the word of his power" . As to thisSon and his important place in the heavenly organizationion Jehovah said "Thus saith theord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in ion for a foundationa stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstoneof sure foundation he that believeth shallnot be in haste ." Hebrews 1 3 Colossians 1 15Isaiah 28 16, A.R.V. Upon himself as AnointedKing and Son of the living God, Christ Jesusbuilds his royal organization, the church. Theapostle Peter, who believed in the "Rock", boldlyproclaimed to enemy and to church alike thatChrist Jesus is the Foundation, The Rock, uponwhich the church of Christ is built .-Acts4 8-12 1 Peter 2 3-10."Church" means a congregation called outfrom the world for God's purpose, and as suchthe congregation of the twelve tribes of Israelunder Moses as prophet was a "church" . Acts7 37, 38 The first members of the church built

270 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"on Christ Jesus were taken from the "church"of such natural Israelites, or from "Israel afterthe flesh" . On the other hand, all members ofGod's church in Christ become a new creationand hence are spiritual Israelites, "the Israel ofGod ." 1 Corinthians 10 18 Galatians 6 15,16When Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel,blessed his twelve sons before his death,he left twelve foundation pillars upon whichthat typical nation of Israel might rest . WhenChrist Jesus was laid as the Foundation Stonein ion he also raised up twelve foundation pillarsfor the organization of his church, namely,his twelve apostles, of whom Peter was one .This is symbolically pictured at Revelation21 14 "And the wall of the city had twelvefoundations, and in them the names of thetwelve apostles of the amb ." Galatians 2 9The final number of the heavenly church will beonly 144,000, according to God's decree . Becausethey were foreshadowed by the faithfulof the twelve tribes of Israel, therefore thechurch of God is likened to twelve tribes of12,000 members each . Revel a t i o n 7 4-814 1, 3 They are under a "new covenant", mediatedby the Greater Moses, Christ Jesus . Thenew superseded the old law covenant made withnatural Israel .-Hebrews 8 6-13 .Christ Jesus, when on earth, did not put salvationof human creatures first and franticallytry to convert the world . He confined his preachingand activities to the nation of Israel and toldhis disciples then to do likewise "I am not sent

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 271but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel .""Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and intoany city of the Samaritans enter ye not but gorather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."Matthew 15 24 10 5, 6 Had a sufficient numberof the Jews abandoned the "Jews' religion"and displayed faith in God's Word and turnedto Jesus about whom God's Word prophesied,the entire body of the church would have beenselected from among the Jewish nation . TheScriptures, however, foretold that it would notbe so, but that the houses of Israel would stumbleover Christ Jesus as the Rock and only aremnant of natural Israel would accept him andbe built into the church upon Christ . The ordJesus foreknew this by means of the prophecies,and said to Peter "And I will give unto theethe keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoeverthou shalt bind on earth shall be boundin heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose onearth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew16 19 How, then, did Peter use the two keysBefore his ascension to heaven Jesus said tohis disciples "It behoved Christ to suffer, andto rise from the dead the third day and thatrepentance and remission of sins should bepreached in his name among all nations, beginningat Jerusalem . And ye are witnesses ofthese things ." uke 24 46-48 Acts 1 7, 8 Tendays after his ascension the witnessing beganon the day of Pentecost, at Jerusalem . Jesus hadsaid aforetime to his disciples "Fear not, littleflock for it is your Father's good pleasure to

272 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"give you the kingdom" and he took his thenfaithful apostles into the Kingdom covenantwith himself. uke 12 32 22 28-30 At Pentecostit was due time for other Jews to be giventhe opportunity to be taken into the covenant f orthe kingdom of heaven . How would this opportunitybe opened up to such Jews By the "keyof knowledge" and this knowledge would beimparted by preaching.- uke 11 52 Acts2 21 Romans 10 11-17 .On the day of Pentecost heaven let loose theopportunity, and Peter used the first key of thekingdom of heaven' and let loose . That day,while the apostles and other disciples were assembledtogether in Jerusalem a sound camefrom heaven, and God's spirit or invisible forcewas poured out upon the faithful disciples . Theywere begotten by the Father's power and wereanointed for the Kingdom by his spirit . Thisdefinitely was their commissioning to preach orbear witness to the Kingdom. Due to the demonstrationmade by all those disciples' speakingin foreign languages, a crowd of Pentecost celebratorsfrom many lands and tongues gatheredoutside. Then Peter, the receiver of the Kingdomkeys, rose up and preached to them Christthe King, and concluded, saying "For David isnot ascended into the heavens but he saithhimself, The ORD said unto my ord, Sit thouon my right hand, until I make thy foes thyfootstool . Therefore let all the house of Israelknow assuredly, that God hath made that sameJesus, whom ye have crucified, both ord and

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 273Christ ." Acts 2 34-36 So starting off theKingdom witness, Peter used the first of the"keys", and thousands were that day admittedinto the Kingdom privileges . "Then they thatgladly received his word were baptized andthe same day there were added unto them aboutthree thousand souls ." Then they engaged inhouse-to-house preaching activity, being well receivedby the people .-Acts 2 41 1 46, 47 .The prophecy of Daniel 9 26,27 indicatesthat a half of a week of years, or three and ahalf years, passed after this Pentecost . Duringthat time the conversion to Christianity was restrictedto Jews and Samaritans, as Jesus hadsaid Be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem,

274 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"and in all Judaea, and in Samaria," before goingto the uttermost parts of the earth . Acts 1 8For that length of time heaven bound the Kingdomprivilege down to these and away from theGentile nations in general hence Peter wasbound from any use of the second of the Kingdom"keys" .The time limit was at last reached . Down tillthen only a remnant of the Jews, together withsome Samaritans, had acted on the Kingdomopportunity . Then heaven loosed the privilegeto the Gentiles, and Peter was released fromrestrictions for this service. Forthwith he usedthe second key. Did God send him to Rome touse it No but to an Italian who had been convertedfrom heathenism to faith in Jehovah Godand who was living in Caesarea on the Mediterraneanseacoast, about seventy miles fromJerusalem . God sent him a vision of an angelwho bade Cornelius to send for Simon Peter,who was then at Joppa not far away . Just aboutthe time that Cornelius' messengers arrived Godsent a vision to Peter showing that the way wasnow open for other nations than Jews, and soPeter returned with the messengers to Cornelius'home . Then Peter preached to him and hisassembled kinsmen and friends concerning theChrist or Anointed Jesus "And we are witnessesof all things which he did, . . . And liecommanded us to preach unto the people, andto testify . . . through his name whosoever believethin him shall receive remission of sins ."-Acts 10 1-43 .

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 275Did heaven confirm what Peter was doingwith the second "key of knowledge" "WhilePeter yet spake these words, the holy spirit fellon all them that heard the word . And they ofthe circumcision Jews that believed wereamazed, as many as came with Peter, becausethat on the Gentiles also was poured out thegift of the holy spirit. For they heard themspeak with tongues, and magnify God ." ThereafterCornelius and other Gentile believers werebaptized, not with John the Baptist's baptism,which was for Jews, but "baptized in the nameof Jesus Christ" . Acts 10 44-48, A.R.V .Thereby believers from among the Gentileswere taken into the covenant for the Kingdom .Now Peter had finished his exclusive work withthe "keys of the kingdom of heaven" . There wasno need for him to have a successor to suchwork, and God has not appointed or raised upany successor . The door remains open to theGentiles .-Acts 14 27 1 Corinthians 16 9 .Why did Jehovah God use Simon Peter andvisit these non-Jews with his Kingdom favorAfter Peter, or Simeon, had made a report onthis the apostle James said "Simeon hath declaredhow God at the first did visit the Gentiles,to take out of them a people for his name ."Acts 15 7-14 That is the purpose of the "newcovenant", namely, to take out and bring forthsuch a people. The Christians from among theGentile nations as well as those from among theJews must be together a "people for his name",that is, God's name, which is Jehovah . There

276 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"was now no racial or national distinction allmust be one in Christ their Head, an undividedchurch, without schism . "For as we have manymembers in one body, and all members have notthe same office so we, being many, are one bodyin Christ, and every one members one of another."Romans 12 4,5 "For as many of youas have been baptized into Christ, have put onChrist . There is neither Jew nor Greek, thereis neither bond nor free, there is neither malenor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus .And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham'sseed, and heirs according to the promise ." Galatians3 27-29 "Wherefore, henceforth know weno man after the flesh yea, though we haveknown Christ after the flesh before being resurrectedas a spirit , yet now henceforth know wehim no more after the flesh . Therefore if anyman be in Christ, he is a new creature oldthings are passed away behold, all things arebecome new."-2 Corinthians 5 16,17 also1 Corinthians 12 12 9 27.Jesus is the Head member of the church . Theother members constitute the church body . "Andhe is the head of the body, the church ." Colossians1 18 Ephesians 1 22, 23 To the membersof Christ's church-body it is written "Thatye would walk worthy of God, who hath calledyou unto his kingdom and glory ." 1 Thessalonians2 12 Since God's kingdom under Christis heavenly and flesh and blood cannot inherit it,how may human creatures find entrance into it

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 277By the following steps outlined in the ScripturesBeing conceived in sin and shapen in iniquityand being hence under condemnation from birthon, there must be a making right or justificationof the human creature first, to relieve him of divinecondemnation. This is accomplished afterthe human creature shows his faith, not only bybelieving in Jehovah as God and in Christ Jesusas the ransom sacrifice for sins . Additionallyhe must confess to being bought by ChristJesus' sacrifice and must make a full and completeconsecration of himself to God, to be Hisand to do His will forever. The believer symbolizeshis consecration by baptism in water .The opportunity being open for the Kingdomand also a part with Christ Jesus in the "covenantby sacrifice", Jehovah God justifies the humancreature and counts him as possessing theright to human life . That human life right, however,is at once sacrificed that the consecratedone may be taken into the "covenant by sacrifice". God begets the justified one by his Wordsymbolized by water and by his spirit, andthus brings that one forth as a spiritual son ofGod . This acknowledged son of God manifestingfaithfulness, God calls him to the Kingdom andtakes him into the covenant for that TheocraticGovernment and then anoints him with his holyspirit . By such anointing the consecrated one isbaptized into the "body of Christ" .

278 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"If you will read the scriptures below" in theirorder you will see for yourself that the aboveis the Scriptural order .All thus anointed are in line for the Kingdom .Although yet in a body of flesh, they are a "newcreation" . They must now copy their Head andKing Christ Jesus and bear witness to God'skingdom in the manner he did . They must maintaintheir integrity toward God and keep covenantwith him through all the suffering of reproachesand persecution, even unto death .They are not "saved" to life eternal as soon asthey believe and start following Christ Jesus,but only after proving faithful to death . Theymust give all diligence to make their calling andelection sure . If before death they turned asideand proved unfaithful, they would prove deservingof everlasting destruction . But for them toendure faithfully to the end means their ultimatesalvation . The Scriptures of truth listedbelow prove these facts correct .'Such are not yet immortal otherwise theycould not keep the "covenant by sacrifice" anddie the death of faithfulness and be made conformableto Christ's death . By their integrityand loyalty till death they have a part withChrist Jesus in the vindicating of his Father'sname. Therefore God will give "to them, whoI Romans 4 24,25 5 1,9,12,16 8 1,33 James 1 18 John3 3, 5 1 Peter 1 3 Titus 3 5-7 1 Corinthians 1 9 2 Thessalonians2 14 2 Corinthians 1 21 1 John 2 20,27 Romans6 3,4 1 Corinthians 12 12,13 .2 2 Corinthians 5 17 1 Peter 2 21 Romans 8 16-18, 28-302 Timothy 2 11,12 2 Peter 1 4-11 Hebrews 10 38,39 Romans1 31, 32 Revelation 2 10 Matthew 10 22 24 13.

THE CHURCH OF FREEMEN 27 9by patient continuance in well doing, seek forglory and honour and immortality, eternal life ."-Philippians 3 10, 14 Romans 2 6, 7 .When do they receive immortality Thosewho die before the setting up of the kingdom ofGod and the coming of the King to the templemust sleep in death, unconscious, inactive,awaiting those events . First at the arrival ofthe King at the temple for judgment do thesleeping members of Christ's body or church receivethe "crown of life" . Speaking of the resurrectionof the church-body the apostle Paulwrites "It is sown a natural body it is raiseda spiritual body . . . . Behold, I shew you amystery We shall not all sleep, but we shallall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling ofan eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shallsound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,and we shall be changed. For this corruptiblemust put on incorruption, and this mortalmust put on immortality . So when this corruptibleshall have put on incorruption, and thismortal shall have put on immortality, then shallbe brought to pass the saying that is written,Death is swallowed up in victory ." 1 Corinthians15 42-54 The members of Christ's bodyare given a spiritual resurrection, to heavenlylife in the spirit, in the Kingdom .The remnant thereof who are yet on earth inthe flesh when the King comes to the templemust fulfill the covenant by sacrifice by faithfulnessto death . However, they do not sleep indeath, but are instantly "changed" into the heav-

280 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"enly likeness of their present King and Head .1 John 3 2 Colossians 3 1-4 The "gates ofhell" do not prevail against God's church onthe Rock.The apostle Paul warned that immediatelyafter his death a falling away of men from thetrue faith and into religion would occur . Theapostle John warned of the same effect of Satan'swork. Acts 20 29-31 2 Thessalonians2 1-3 1 John 2 18-23 The apostle Peter saidof such ones "Promising freedom to them, theythemselves being all the while slaves of corruptionfor by whom one hath been defeated, bythe same hath he become enslaved ." 2 Peter2 1-3,19, Roth . It was even so . ess than ahundred years after John died there arose aman named Tertullian A .D. 155-222 , whotaught there is a trinity of three persons of onesubstance in one God . So centuries after hima religionist wrongfully inserted the text at1 John 5 7 to give seeming Bible support tosuch a doctrine .' Then Augustine A .D . 354-430used his powerful influence to fasten the pagandoctrine of "immortality of human souls" uponthe religious congregations, contrary to the Bibledoctrine of Christ's ransom sacrifice . Onsuch basis other blasphemous errors were introducedand adopted, such as eternal tormentof souls in a fiery hell, Purgatory, prayers forthe dead, the mass, etc .1 Kenyon's Handbook to the Textual Criticism of the New Testament,page 270 and footnote also page 133, 13, and page138, 14. Note Diaglott and A .R .V. as to 1 John 5 7, 8.

CHAPTER XXII"THE TIME OF THE END"EMPEROR Constantine, as pontifexmaximus of the Roman Empire, calledthe first ecumenical council, at Nicaeaor Nice in Asia Minor, in A .D . 325 .He was unbaptized at the time, and in the followingyear 326 lie ordered the execution ofhis oldest son and then his wife . Constantinemeddled in the reputedly "Christian" council .He decreed that the "trinity" doctrine shouldthenceforth be the faith of the religious community.He backed it up by the sword of the state .The Nicean council gave way to the rule thatthe state might use its secular arm to bring professing"Christians" of the Roman world-empireinto line with the newly codified belief . Itmarked the development of the so-called "statechurch" . It laid the foundation for the establishmentof "organized religion" which has beenmiscalled "Christendom" .In the parable of the wheat and the taresChrist Jesus foretold this production of multitudesof imitation Christians. He likened themto tares . Then he explained "He that soweththe good seed is the Son of man the field is theworld the good seed are the children of thekingdom but the tares are the children of the281

282 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"wicked one the enemy that sowed them is thedevil the harvest is the end of the world andthe reapers are the angels . As therefore thetares are gathered and burned in the fire soshall it be in the end of this world ." Matthew13 24-30, 36-43 Under such picture languageJesus predicted the showing up and separationof the counterfeit Christians from the real ones,followed by the destruction of the hypocriticalreligionists . This parable the clergy have usedto teach that our literal earth and the sun, moonand stars will be destroyed by universal fire .As further support to such an interpretationof the "end of the world", the religionists quoteJesus' words "Till heaven and earth pass, onejot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from thelaw, till all be fulfilled." "Heaven and earthshall pass away, but my words shall not passaway." Matthew 5 18 24 35 To this are addedthe words of the apostle Peter "But theheavens and the earth, which are now, by thesame word are kept in store, reserved unto fireagainst the day of judgment and perdition ofungodly men . But the day of the ord will comeas a thief in the night in the which the heavensshall pass away with a great noise, and the elementsshall melt with fervent heat, the earthalso, and the works that are therein, shall beburned up . Seeing then that all these thingsshall be dissolved, what manner of personsought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,looking for and hasting unto the comingof the day of God, wherein the heavens, being

"THE TIME OF THE END" 283on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shallmelt with fervent heat " 2 Peter 3 7,10-12Say the religionists The world's end in Noah'sday was by literal water, and so the end of thisworld will be by literal fire, consuming all materialthings, and leaving only the spiritualthings to remain .'Such "private interpretation" of prophecyfails to consider that, whereas the water of theFlood was literal, the literal earth was not destroyed,and the sun and stars were not eventouched by the Flood nor were their fires putout. It is placing far too much importance uponpuny mortal man to insist that, because ofAdam's fall and the wickedness of his descendants,God the Creator will destroy his wonderfulhandiwork of earth, moon, sun and stars,and stellar nebulae, which He spent countlessmillenniums of time in creating . Man is unimportant. God could easily have wiped out theunfaithful pair in Eden and started a new andperfect race ."Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket,and are counted as the small dust of the balance. . . All nations before him are as nothing andthey are counted to him less than nothing, andvanity." Jehovah will not destroy his glorioushandiwork, the earth, for the sake of all suchnations, but will destroy the nations instead,that his handiwork may be fit for occupancy byhis righteous servants . "He hath established it,he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited."Isaiah 40 15-17 45 12,18 "Thus

284 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"saith the ORD, The heaven is my throne, andthe earth is my footstool ." It is to this footstoolthat Christ Jesus has taught his disciples topray for God's Theocratic rule to come, saying"Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done, as inheaven, so in earth ."-Isaiah 66 1 uke 11 2 .Although many scripture texts indicate therewill be a display of much literal fire upon theearth and in the atmospheric firmament aboutthe earth at the final end of "this world", theScriptures are nonetheless plain that "the earthabideth for ever", and that there will be survivorssafely carried through this world catastropheas surely as Noah and his family werecarried through the end of the old world . Theungodly pre-Flood world consisted of the visibleearthly organization of humankind and thewicked heavenly organization of demons whichcontrolled corrupt humankind . Such were the"earth" and the "heavens" that made up the"world that then was", and that perished in theflood .-2 Peter 3 6 .The superficial appearance of our literalearth was greatly changed by the addition ofthe flood from the fallen water canopy, but uponthis same earth another visible organizationof ungodly men was built up . It dates particularlyfrom the time of the founding of Nimrod'skingdom at Babel, or Babylon, and it has spreadover all the earth . This human, visible organizationof religion, commerce and politics makesup the symbolic "earth", and men think it willendure just as long as our earthly planet does .

"THE TIME OF THE END" 285Our planet earth is surrounded by an invisibleair mass, which is the "firmament" or expanseof atmosphere extending up about one hundredmiles higher than man . In like manner the symbolic"earth" has invisible spirit powers in controlof it, namely, the demons under Satan theDevil . This organization of wicked spirits withSatan as their prince is both higher than manand unseen to him . Hence that demon organizationconstitutes the "heavens" with relation toman's present earthly organization . Man onearth can no more get rid of these demonic"heavens" than man can by airplane or rocketsor other means get up above the air envelopewhich is about our earthly globe and in whichman breathes . God alone can and will deliverhumankind from such demon powers of control .The symbolic "heavens and the earth whichare now" make up "this world" and its "elements"and "works" . Christ Jesus said "Mykingdom is not of this world ." He repeatedlycalled Satan the Devil "the prince of this world" .-John 18 36 12 31 14 30 16 11 .The world's destruction as described by Peterapplies to the symbolic "heavens" and "earth" .Hence the "fire" which shall dissolve and burnup the invisible and visible parts of Satan'sworld must be symbolic rather than literal .Since literal fire is destructive of combustiblethings and purifies away the dross, so the "fire"in which this present world passes away "with agreat noise" pictures the destruction which Godin his hot wrath brings upon Satan's mighty

286 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"organization, visible and invisible, thereby purifyingthe universe of wicked demons and wickedmen .It is written "Our God is a consuming fire ."Hebrews 12 29 This God says to religious"Christendom", which misrepresents Christianityand brings reproach upon God's name"Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, untilthe day that I rise up to the prey for my determinationis to gather the nations, that I mayassemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mineindignation, even all my fierce anger for allthe earth shall be devoured with the fire of myjealousy." ephaniah 3 8, A.R.V. To thegreat Babylonish organization under the unfaithfulucifer God says "And I will punishthe world for their evil, and the wicked for theiriniquity . . . Therefore I will make the heavensto tremble, and the earth shall be shakenout of its place, in the wrath of Jehovah of hosts,and in the day of his fierce anger ." Isaiah13 1,11-13, A .R.V. 14 4,12 The world's endwill be by an act of God .It is clear, therefore, that the destruction ofthis demon-ruled "world" does not mean the destructionof the earth which Jehovah God was"six days" in preparing for man's habitation .How, then, shall we know when we are at theend of the world By signs, by evidences orproofs visible and perceptible to our senses .Said Jesus in his astounding prophecy on theend of the world "So likewise ye, when ye shallsee all these things, know that it is near, even

"THE TIME OF THE END" 287at the doors ." Matthew 24 33 "So likewise ye,when ye see these things come to pass, know yethat the kingdom of God is nigh at hand ." uke21 31 The establishment of the kingdom ofGod marks the end of Satan's world, for Jesussaid that his Messianic kingdom is not a partof this Satanic world .Daniel, chapter four, showed that God's kingdomwould not be set up until the end of the"seven times" of the Gentile nations under theirinvisible overlord Satan . Because of the controversyover Jehovah's supremacy and universaldomination God delegated to Satan the Devila limited period of time . In that period God'sadversary would have uninterrupted rule overthe world. Such period without interruption byGod would terminate with the end of the "seventimes" of the Gentile powers . Its end must thereforemark the end or consummation of Satan'sworld of uninterrupted rule. The Greek text ofthe Bible uses the word aion eon to designateSatan's uninterrupted rule which must endwhen the "seven times" run out . Those "seventimes" ended in the fall of A .D . 1914.However, the end of Satan's aion, or uninterruptedrule, does not mean the destruction atonce of his organization visible and invisible .It simply means that the "time of the end" hasbegun for his organization . Daniel 11 40 predictedwhat would occur "at the time of the end" .From then on the demonic-human organizationof Satan would move rapidly to its end in utterdestruction . That is the fin-al end of Satan's

288 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"world organization, which organization theGreek Bible text calls the kosmos translated"world" . As to such final end Daniel's prophecysays "At the time appointed the end shall be ."Daniel 8 19 11 27 It is Jehovah God whohad appointed the day and hour of such finalend, respecting which Jesus said "But of thatday and hour knoweth no one, not even theangels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Fatheronly." Matthew 24 36, A .R.V. Mark13 32 These words, by the way, prove thatJesus is not one in person with his Father . Inorder to discern that the final end is soon uponus Jesus stressed the need to watch the signsof the times . Jehovah God knows the appointedtime, and by the signs he gives us warning, thatwe may take the proper course and not be overtakenin a state of sin at that day and hour .When Christ Jesus ascended to heaven andinto God's presence the "seven times" had over1800 years yet to go . Naturally he had to waitat God's right hand until the time to beginreigning and taking action against Satan'sworld organization or kosmos . When the periodof Satan's uninterrupted rule ended, thenGod would empower Jesus to proceed againstthe enemy organization . The prophecy of Psalm110 1, 2 must be fulfilled "Jehovah saith untomy ord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I makethine enemies thy footstool . Jehovah will sendforth the rod of thy strength out of ion rulethou in the midst of thine enemies ." A .R.V."But he, when he had offered one sacrifice for

"THE TIME OF THE END" 289sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of Godhenceforth expecting till his enemies be madethe footstool of his feet." Hebrews 10 12, 13,A.R.V . Thus the end of Satan's uninterruptedrule must mark the "beginning of sorrows" uponhis world organization .Have we passed that "beginning of sorrows",and are we now approaching the final end ofSatan's organization kosmos The answer tothat question is of the utmost importance anddeserves the most serious consideration . Satanthe Devil is invisible and, since likewiseGod's kingdom is invisible, it being heavenly,what proof have we that the "seven times" andSatan's uninterrupted rule ended in A .D . 1914and that Jehovah's Theocratic Government byChrist was set up at that time Jehovah's greatProphet, Christ Jesus, foretold the visibleproofs or signs .Jesus had just predicted the destruction ofJerusalem and its temple . So several of his disciplescame to him privately and put this questionto him "When shall these things be andwhat shall be the sign of thy coming, and of theend of the world aion 6" Matthew 24 3 Mark13 3, 4 Jesus then briefly foretold events toprecede the end of Satan's uninterrupted ruleand the birth of God's kingdom, and then added"But the end is not yet ." What, pray, wouldmark the beginning of sorrows at the end of theDevil's unhindered rule of humankind Jesusanswered "For nation shall rise against nation,and kingdom against kingdom and there shall

290 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,in divers places . All these are the beginning ofsorrows . Then shall they deliver you up to beafflicted, and shall kill you and ye shall be hatedof all nations for my name's sake ."-Matthew24 7-9 .The year A .D. 1914, in which the "seventimes" ended, marked the beginning of WorldWar I, a war different from previous wars inthat regimentation of whole nations and kingdomsfor war purposes was there instituted .Famine and food shortages afflicted the world,and it was necessary to organize relief forstricken areas in order to prevent revolutionand anarchy. Pestilence broke out, notably theso-called "Spanish flu". In just a few monthsthat plague, raging from the frigid polar regionsto the equatorial tropics, laid low in deathmany more millions than the four and a halfyears of World War I did . Earthquakes, forexample, the one which struck Japan in 192and killed 99,331 persons, added to the destructionand human misery and more such seismicdisturbances of the earth have been recorded inthese few years since 1914 than in all previoushistory of man . During all this time hatred wasexpressed by all worldly nations against Jehovah'speople by persecution upon them forpreaching Christ's kingdom .World War I was not from God . Jehovah'scovenant people had nothing to do with it . Itwas, though, the visible, tangible proof thatJehovah by his now enthroned King had taken

"THE TIME OF THE END"291due action against Satan's invisible organization,whose uninterrupted rule had then expired.It was evidence to men that Jesus' prophecyhad been fulfilled "The powers of the heavensshall be shaken ." Matthew 24 29 uke21 26 It meant that Jehovah had now commandedhis King "Rule thou in the midst ofthine enemies ." It proved that Christ Jesus didso and took action against the invisible demonorganization of that Old Serpent, the Devil . Sa-

292 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"tan and his demons were no longer to be toleratedunhindered in their heavenly position, andChrist Jesus, the Seed of God's "woman", madewar against the demon organization . A fight ensuedin heaven, unseen to mankind, and Satanand his wicked angels were defeated . They werecast out of heaven and down to the vicinity ofthe earth, where the visible part of Satan's organizationwas in the sorrows of World War I .By enabling Christ Jesus to gain this victoryover his mighty enemies Jehovah God fulfilledthe promise to his King to "make thine enemiesthy footstool" .-Revelation 12 7-13 Psalm110 1 .Thus the heavens of Satan's organizationwere shaken out of their high position of powerand no longer tolerated in the midst of God'sholy heavens. That was a most maddening sorrowto Satan . His "world" aion of uninterruptedrule was at an end . The destruction of hisworld organization kosmos must follow shortly.That final end shall be at God's inescapableappointed time .

CHAPTER XXIIIMANNER. OF THEKING'S COMINGAMONG the meaningful events markingthe "time of the end", which began inA.D . 1914, Jesus predicted this "Andthe powers of the heavens shall beshaken, and then shall appear the sign of theSon of man, in heaven and then shall a11 thetribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see theSon of man coming in the clouds of heaven,with power and great glory ." Matthew 24 29,30 This disproves that the conversion of theworld to Christ and the making of the earth afit place for him to come to is to be broughtabout before the final end of Satan's world organizationkosmos . Otherwise, why should"all the tribes of the earth mourn" instead ofrejoice How, then, does the King comeThat Christ Jesus would leave the midst ofthis world of Satan and would in due time comeagain, he openly declared . Comforting his disciplesafter he instituted the memorial of hisdeath, Jesus said "In my Father's house aremany mansions if it were not so, I would havetold you . I go to prepare a place for you whichproves that Moses, David, John the Baptist,and others had not gone to heaven . And if I293

2 94 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"go and prepare a place for you, I will comeagain, and receive you unto myself that whereI am, there ye may be also ." John 14 2,3 Afew hours later, when the Jewish high priestdemanded of him "I adjure thee by the livingGod, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ,the Son of God," Jesus replied "Thou hast saidnevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall yesee the Son of man sitting on the right handof power, and coming in the clouds of heaven ."-Matthew 26 63, 64.Does this mean that the King Christ Jesuswill bodily come again and appear in a fleshlyform so that all the tribes of earth will be ableto see him in the sky Religionists who teach thedestruction of our terrestrial globe by literalfire at the end of the world say yes . They quotethe words of the angels who appeared at thetime of Jesus' ascension to heaven "Ye men ofGalilee, why stand ye gazing up into heavenThis same Jesus, which is taken up from youinto heaven, shall so come in like manner as yehave seen him go into heaven ." Acts 1 11 Atthat time a "cloud received him out of theirsight". The disciples could not see him furtherfor the cloud which obscured him . The angels'words, "in like manner," do not say or mean, "inlike body ." The body in which Christ Jesus wasseen ascending heavenward was not the bodywhich was nailed to the tree . It was a body whichhe had materialized for the time being in orderto appear to his disciples . When the cloud hidhim from their sight, then he dissolved that

MANNER OF THE KING'S COMING 295body as he had done to the other bodies he assumedduring the forty days previous . At hisresurrection he was "made alive in the spirit",and he is now spirit and hence invisible . "Andthe ord is the Spirit and where the spirit ofthe ord is, there is freedom."-2 Corinthians3 17, Diaglott Roth .As to his "manner" of ascending, it should notescape notice that he did not manifest himselfto "all the tribes of the earth", but only to hisconsecrated disciples . ater, on the road toDamascus when he gave a miraculous vision ofhis glory, it was exclusively to Saul, who becamehis apostle Paul . It was not to any of the religiousmen who were with Saul. They heard thesound of the voice, but saw no speaker . Acts9 7 All such was in full keeping with Jesus'words before his death "Yet a little while, andthe world seeth me no more but ye see me becauseI live, ye shall live also ." John 14 19It is a settled Scriptural truth, therefore, thathuman eyes will not see him at his second coming,neither will he come in a fleshly body . Whenhe came in flesh at his first presence among menit was a humiliation . He "made himself of noreputation, and took upon him the form of aservant, and was made in the likeness of men" .The flesh was necessary in order that he mightbe a perfect man and provide the ransom sacrificeor sin-offering but not so at his glorioussecond coming . "So also the Anointed One, havingbeen once for all offered for the many tobear away sin, will appear a second time without

29 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"a sin-offering, to those who are expecting him,in order to salvation ." Hebrews 9 28, DiaglottYoung Even to his disciples it was only duringthe forty days after his resurrection, and beforehis ascension to heaven, that he appeared infleshly form .His second coming will accordingly be unobservedby human eyes, except for what eventswill accompany his coming as visible signs tomake his believing followers aware of his unseenpresence. Describing his coming at the timeof the battle of Armageddon, the glorified Jesussaid " . . . to the battle of that great dayof God Almighty . Behold, I come as a thief .Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth hisgarments, lest he walk naked, and they see hisshame ." Revelation 16 14-16 A thief comeswithout previous notification, unannounced,quietly, and keeping himself unseen to those inthe house. This is further proof that Christ'scoming is invisible, as a spirit, and must be detectedby signs, proofs .All facts considered, then, the only way inwhich men on the earth will see him at his gloriouscoming is with the eyes of understandingor powers of discernment . This is further supportedby the words at Revelation 1 7 in avision to the apostle John "Behold, he comethwith clouds and every eye shall see him, andthey also which pierced him and all kindredsof the earth shall wail because of him . Even so .Amen ." As at his ascension, when he disappearedfrom his disciples' eyes behind the cloud,

MANNER OF THE KING'S COMING 297so here the clouds render him invisible, but atthe same time they stand as a symbol of hisinvisible presence . ong ago, when the Israeliteswere journeying through the wildernessforty years the pillar of cloud which went beforethem symbolized and represented the invisiblepresence of the ord .-Exodus 13 21, 22 .So, in the above prophetic text, the "clouds"symbolize the manifestations of his powerwhereby he makes apparent his unseen presence.He will be present before his presence isdiscerned first by his faithful followers whowatch for his coming. In their case the "clouds"betoken his presence with showers of rich blessingfor them. The world in general will not believethe announcement of his presence, but allnations will hate his true footstep followers andwill "pierce" them, in this manner piercingChrist Jesus . Did he not say that what they doto the least of his brethren they do to himThen, by the great storm of trouble and destructionwhich the "clouds" will let loose upon thesewicked ones and unbelieving kindreds of theearth, "every eye will see," that is, will discern,him. Realizing their guilt and the penalty ofdestruction in store for them, they "shall wailbecause of him".What, then, is the "sign of the Son of man"that he said would appear "in heaven" after "thepowers of the heavens shall be shaken" Revelation12 1-10 A .R.V. describes it as follows"A great sign was seen in heaven a woman arrayedwith the sun, and the moon under her feet,

2 98 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"and upon her head a crown of twelve stars andshe was with child and she crieth out, travailingin birth, and in pain to be delivered . Andthere was seen another sign in heaven and behold,a great red dragon, having seven headsand ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. And his tail draweth the third part of thestars of heaven, and did cast them to the earthand the dragon standeth before the woman thatis about to be delivered, that when she is deliveredhe may devour her child. And she was deliveredof a son, a man child, who is to rule allthe nations with a rod of iron and her childwas caught up unto God, and unto his throne .. . . And there was war in heaven Michael andhis angels going forth to war with the dragonand the dragon warred and his angels and theyprevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in heaven . And the great dragon was castdown, the old serpent, he that is called the Deviland Satan, the deceiver of the whole world hewas cast down to the earth, and his angels werecast down with him . And I heard a great voicein heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation,and the power, and the kingdom of our God,and the authority of his Christ ."By thus "comparing spiritual things withspiritual" and letting God's Word interpret itself,it becomes manifest what the sign of theSon o f man is . It is the evidence appearing fromGod's Word and from its fulfillment that theKingdom of God has been born or brought forthfrom God's "woman", ion, his holy universal

MANNER OF THE KING'S COMING 299organization . The purpose of the Devil's organizationis to prevent or destroy the Governmentat its birth in A.D . 1914, at the end of the "seventimes" . Yet Christ Jesus, who is the "woman's"Seed, is brought forth as the "man child" in thecapacity of King, and he is at once safely enthronedand commanded by Jehovah God to rulein the midst of his enemies. War immediatelyfollows in heaven, and the Devil is ousted . Notuntil after Satan and his demons had been castout, namely, not until after A .D . 1918, was thissign seen .' Then it was discerned only by thosewho had spiritual vision of the things in theheavens . The religionists did not see it, no morethan their religious prototypes in Jesus' daysaw that he was King and the kingdom was athand . Wherefore Jesus said to them "The kingdomof God cometh not with outward shewneither shall they say, o here! or, lo there ! for,behold, the kingdom of God is among you ."uke 17 20, 21, margin The King was amongthem, and their selfish eyes could not discernthat fact because of the lack of outward show .ikewise, the kingdom of God was born andset in action in A .D . 1914, but the religiousclergy do not see or discern the sign in heavenand they choose "Caesar" as king instead . Thetime will come when they shall see it, but thenonly to mourn .Jerusalem was the capital of Jehovah's typicalTheocracy in Israel. When it began to betrodden down of the Gentiles, in 606 B .C ., God1 See The Watchtower, the issue of March 1, 1925 .

3 00 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"began fulfilling his word, "I will overturn, overturn,overturn it and it shall be no more, untilhe come whose right it is and I will give ithim." Ezekiel 21 27 In A .D . 1914, at the closeof the "seven times" of the Gentiles, ChristJesus, whose right it is to be God's King in thetrue and everlasting Theocracy of heaven, cameand God gave the throne of The TheocraticGovernment to him. That real Theocracy suffersno treading under foot by Gentiles . Instead,the Devil and his demons are thrown out ofheaven and all enemies of The Theocracy aremade the footstool of its King, The Seed ofGod's "woman" . In this way Christ Jesus cameto the Kingdom in A.D . 1914, but unseen to men .By another prophet Jehovah had furtherprophesied "Behold, I will send my messenger,and he shall prepare the way before me andthe ord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come tohis temple, even the messenger of the covenant,whom ye delight in behold, he shall come, saiththe ORD of hosts ." Malachi 3 1 When Jesusrode the ass into Jerusalem and went to thetemple and cast out the money changers andcommercial vendors and then offered himselfas King to the Jewish nation, it was a half of aweek of years, or three and a half years, afterhis anointing with God's spirit to be King andto preach, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand ."That was merely a small-scale or miniature fulfillmentof Malachi's prophecy. The major orcomplete fulfillment is in the great "day of Jehovah",which began in A.D . 1914. When, there-

MANNER OF THE KING'S COMING 301fore, does the great King-Priest, like Melchizedek,come to the templeBear in mind that the fall of A .D . 1914, whenChrist Jesus received the Kingdom, parallels orcorresponds with his anointing for the kingshipat Jordan, in the fall of A .D . 29. Since lie cameto the temple three and a half years thereafter,then three and a half years after the fall ofA.D. 1914 marks the time when lie came to thetemple as King . After that "Christendom" mustcome under judgment as to whether she wouldaccept him as King or choose "Caesar" worldlypolitics instead . This agreement between the

3 0 2 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"minor and the major fulfillment of Malachi'sprophecy fixes the spring of A .D . 1918 as thetime when the King Christ Jesus came to thetemple . This harmonizes also with the fact thatin the fourth year of Solomon's reign, or lessthan four years after he was anointed and enthroned,Solomon came to the temple foundationand began building it . Christ's coming tothe temple in 1918 was entirely unexpected, evento his devoted faithful followers . The truth ofhis coming then was first discerned by the Scripturesand by the fulfillments of prophecy afterthe event, namely, first in 1922 .All power in heaven and in earth has beengiven to the glorified Christ Jesus . For a divineperson like him a personal bodily comingto earth is not necessary in order to fulfill theprophecies and promise of his second coming .The Bible speaks many times of Jehovah's comingdown to earth, not meaning, however, thathe literally leaves his heavenly throne and bodilycomes down and stands upon our smallplanet . "Do not I fill heaven and earth saithJehovah ." Jeremiah 23 24, A .R.V. WhithersoeverJehovah turns his notice and attentionand thither directs his power of operation, therein effect he is present or makes a visit . ikewisewith Christ Jesus, "the image of the invisibleGod." He works even as his Father does . Oncehe healed a nobleman's son by remote control,without coming near the nobleman's house, Jesusbeing then in Cana and the dying child inCapernaum . John 4 46-54 At another time

MANNER OF THE KING'S COMING 303he cured the sick servant of a Gentile centurionin like manner at a distance from the centurion'shouse. uke 7 1-10 He healed the demonizeddaughter of a Syrophoenician woman by likewisesending forth his power through space .-Mark 7 24-30.Before ascending to heaven he said to his disciples" o, I am with you alway, even unto theend of the world ." Matthew 28 20 He wouldbe with them, not bodily, but by his continualhelp and care and guiding power . So when hecomes to the temple in 1918, he does so by directinghis attention to the temple work to be doneand then applying his power . His presencethere, first discerned by his watching disciples,is not kept secret . ike the lightning whichshines from one quarter of the heaven to theother, so the ord causes the enlightening informationon his coming and presence at thetemple to be shone abroad by his disciples toall on earth .-Matthew 24 27 uke 17 24.In the light of this Scriptural revelation wemust understand 1 Thessalonians 4 15-17 "Wewhich are alive, and remain unto the comingGreek text parousia presence of the ord,shall not prevent them which are asleep . Forthe ord himself shall descend from heavenwith a shout, with the voice of the archangel,and with the trump of God and the dead inChrist shall rise first then we which are aliveand remain shall be caught up together withthem in the clouds, to meet the ord in the air ."

304 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"This comforting scripture proves that, asChrist Jesus was resurrected from the deadseven days after presenting himself as King atJerusalem's temple, he will, by God's power,raise from the sleep of death those faithfulChristians sleeping in death at his coming tothe temple . Since Christ's church-body is "sowna natural body it is raised a spiritual body",the resurrection of such sleeping ones was tolife in the spirit . Hence it was invisible to humaneyes, as when Jesus himself was resurrected. They are now with him at the temple,that is, in the condition of unity with him in theplace invisible to human eyes, which place issymbolized by the "air".-Contrast Ephesians2 2 .Those spirit-begotten Christians who diefaithful after he comes to the temple do not needto sleep in death awaiting his coming . At deaththey are "changed, in a moment, in the twinklingof an eye", from human to spirit . 1 Corinthians15 51, 52 The remnant yet alive on earth afterthe ord's arrival at the temple are "caught up"or separated from this worldly organization .Amid the evidences of his blessed presence"clouds" they are brought into the temple conditionof unity with him, the condition not outwardlydiscerned by natural men . There theymust await their "change" after their work onearth is done. Concerning this more appears onfollowing pages.

CHAPTER XXIVFREEDOM- OVING WITNESSESAMONG other signs which Christ Jesusdetailed as due to appear during the"time of the end" and after "the powersof the heavens shall be shaken"is this "And lie shall send his angels with agreat sound of a trumpet and they shall gathertogether his elect from the four winds, from oneend of heaven to the other ." Matthew 24 31Mark 13 27 Inasmuch as the gathering is bycommand of the reigning King and by means ofhis angels, this work cannot be blocked by governmentson earth even though they may banthe work and may decree that the gatheredelect ones are an illegal organization" . ThatJehovah's King would have angelic servants engagedat work when he exercises his royal functionsat the temple, lie makes clear, saying"When the Son of man shall come in his glory,and all the holy angels with him, then shall hesit upon the throne of his glory and before himshall he gathered all nations ." Matthew 25 31,32 Such angels do not have to be seen by menin order to do their work of gathering .Christ Jesus is God's Elect One for the Kingdom."Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mineelect, in whom my soul delighteth I have put305

306 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgmentto the Gentiles ." Isaiah 42 1 Matthewapplies this prophecy to God's beloved Son .Matthew 12 15-21 The fact that God designateshim as his servant shows that the Son isnot "equal in power and glory" with the Father,but that Jehovah God is the Supreme Power,and that He and Christ Jesus his Son constitutetogether "the Higher Powers" . Romans 13 1The members of the church-body of the GreatServant are with him in the covenant for theKingdom and accordingly are elect with him ."Elect according to the foreknowledge of Godthe Father, through sanctification of the spirit,unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood ofJesus Christ." 1 Peter 1 2 Why should hegather together the elect remnant of his bodyyet on earth at his coming to the temple inA.D . 1918The need for gathering indicates that thefaithful ones of his elect had been scattered asa consequence of World War I . This was due to"Christendom's" persecution of them, as Jesusforewarned, saying "Then shall they deliveryou up to be afflicted, and shall kill you and yeshall be hated of all nations for my name's sake .And then shall many be offended, and shall betrayone another, and shall hate one another .And many false prophets shall rise, and shalldeceive many. And because iniquity shallabound, the love of many shall wax cold . But hethat shall endure unto the end, the same shall besaved ." Matthew 24 9-13 Such persecution

FREEDOM- OVING WITNESSES 307during the war period reached its climax in theyear 1918, at the time of the ord's coming tothe temple for judgment and before the WorldWar had ended. In the United States the hatred,which was fanned by the religionists, venteditself in the mobbing and imprisoning of Jehovah'scovenant people and the banning of theirliterature and the co-operation of these Christiansin America with Jehovah's people inforeign lands was broken up . Under the greatstress and trial of their integrity only a remnantkept faith and held true to their covenantobligations to the ord and hoped for a reopeningof His work on earth .Of whom was this remnant composed Truespiritual Israelites . They had dedicated themselvesto the Most High God and were thenbrought by Him into the new covenant to be a"people for his name" and also into the Kingdomcovenant with' the King of kings, and ordof lords". Impelled by a love of the truth theybegan to assemble - together, particularly fromabout the year 1878 forward . Realizing thebondage to superstition, religion and priestcraftin which all "Christendom" lay bound, theymade a break for freedom and came out fromall religious sects, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish,and others . They gathered together freely todiscuss and be instructed in the truths whichthe ord's great "Messenger of the covenant"then began to make known . In July, 1879, themagazine The Watchtower began to be publishedin this behalf, and in 1884 the Watch

308 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Tower Bible and Tract Society was incorporatedand chartered in the state of Pennsylvania .The truths they learned from the storehouse oftruth, the sacred Bible, they published to othersin many lands and languages, by books, freetracts, free public lectures, and all other validmeans .Thousands became free by the truths exposingthe falseness of such religious doctrines asa fiery hell of conscious torment of human souls,Purgatory, divine ordination of clergymen, trinity,etc . The clergy of all denominations weredisturbed and embittered . They conspiredamong themselves to overthrow this educationalwork and prevent the people from learning thetruth and getting free of their power . Thencame 1914 and the outbreak of world war. Thereligious clergy used this emergency to layfalse charges against these publishers of truthand freedom, and succeeded in having their publicactivities practically stopped in all nations .Nevertheless, the greatest work of Jehovah'scovenant people was yet to be done . The "timeof the end" had begun in A .D. 1914, the Devil'sworld-organization was doomed and was headingtoward its final end, and the people were indanger of destruction in the coming "battle ofthat great day of God Almighty" . According toGod's rule of action prior to the Flood and alsoJerusalem's destruction in 606 B .C. and againin A .D . 70, he would warn the people of the impendingworld catastrophe and give them an opportunityto escape perishing with the nations .

FREEDOM- OVING WITNESSES 309The Kingdom had been established as the "newheavens" in 1914, and it must be advertised .overs of truth and righteousness must beshown the way to flee to the Kingdom for deliveranceand salvation .Jesus prophesied that this work must be done .Immediately after foretelling the World Warand the persecution of his faithful elect oneslie stated distinctly what work they must dowithout fail after that world struggle . His wordis both a prophecy and a command, namely"And this gospel of the kingdom shall bepreached in all the world for a WITNESS unto allnations and then shall the end come ." -Matthew24 14.For Jesus' own faithful testimony on eartheven to a martyr's death he was honored withthe title "The Amen, the faithful and true witness".Revelation 1 5 3 14 19 11 As hisFather's Elect Servant it was incumbent uponhim to see that the Kingdom witness was givenbefore the final end of Satan's oppressive organization. He had cast the invisible part ofthat wicked system out of heaven and down tothe earth, and the prophecy was now in effect"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, and of thesea! for the devil is come down unto you, havinggreat wrath, because he knoweth that hehath but a short time ." Revelation 12 12 Itis at the most but a short time until the decisivebattle at the earth is fought in which the sevenheadeddragon organization is wiped out . God'skingdom will triumph, and man's only hope of

3 1 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"salvation is in it . The woe-stricken people mustreceive witness .For these urgent reasons the mighty KingChrist Jesus broke the bonds of his faithfulremnant of the elect after his arrival at the temple"to open the blind eyes, to bring out theprisoners from the prison, and them that sit indarkness out of the prison house ." Isaiah42 1, 6, 7 49 9 He used his angels in gatheringthe dispersed elect ones, and this by theloud, wide-sounding proclamation of the establishmentof the Kingdom, like the "great soundof a trumpet" . He gathered these elect by bringingthem into unity with himself at the temple,by making known his presence at the temple forjudgment and setting forth clearly before themGod's will and his work for them before thefinal end . He revealed to them that the issue isGod's supremacy and name .Then the commission of the Christians accordingto their anointing received at the templewas made clear . "Ye are my witnesses, saithJehovah, and my servant whom I have chosenthat ye may know and believe me, and understandthat I am he before me there was no Godformed, neither shall there be after me . I, evenI, am Jehovah and besides me there is nosaviour . I have declared, and I have saved, andI have showed and there was no strange godamong you therefore ye are my witnesses, saithJehovah, and I am God ." Isaiah 43 10-12,A .R.V. After long and hard years in whichJehovah used them in this commissioned work

FREEDOM- OVING WITNESSES 311in the face of international hatred and persecution,the elect remnant perceived that God hadconferred upon them a "new name" . It is differentfrom all the abusive, contemptible and unscripturalnames which the enemies were callingthem . Such "new name", which God's own mouthnamed, was and is "Jehovah's witnesses" . Isaiah62 2 65 15 Revelation 2 17 Fearlesslyand joyfully they received the name unto themselvesin July, 1931, and let it be known to allthe nations . They continue trying to live up tothat God-given name .During World War I those spiritual Israelitescame physically under the power of theBabylonish political systems of this world . Itwas as when the typical Israelites of old experiencedthe desolation of their land and werecarried off captive to Babylon for seventy years .In A.D . 1918 the spiritual Israelites yielded tothe world's political interference in their Christianactivities. They withdrew from their publiceducational work largely because of the religiousdoctrine which still prevails, namely, thatthe political officials of Satan's visible organizationare the "higher powers" to whom all Christiansouls are to be subject, as commanded atRomans 13 1 . By such perversion of Scripturethe religious Hierarchy in control have beenable to act as the "spiritual advisers" of thepolitical powers and to use the arm of the stateto take away and suppress freedom of speech,of press, of assembly, and of worship of God .Such religious misapplication of Scripture con-

312 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"cerning the "higher powers" has long caused theignorant bondage of professing Christians toworldly officials at the expense of the interestsof God's work and of true freedom .After the ord's coming to the temple andfreeing the faithful remnant of spiritual Israelitesfrom captivity to modern-day Babylon hebegan to open their eyes gradually to the truth .In 1929 the clear light broke forth . That yearThe Watchtower published the Scriptural expositionof Romans chapter 13 . It showed thatJehovah God and Christ Jesus, rather thanworldly rulers and governors, are "The HigherPowers" and that the Christian souls must"obey God rather than men" and that "everyordinance of man" to which they must submitis every Scriptural ordinance of men who areservants within God's organization under theKing Christ Jesus . 1 Peter 2 13 This revelationof vital truth freed the spirits of God'sconsecrated people as never before .Such truth enabled them to remain as "theord's freeman", even though physically fallinginto the clutches of worldly officers and beingimprisoned and reduced to the condition ofbond-servants or slaves . Armed with such truththey could hold fast their unqualified allegianceto God and not bow their necks in servitude toany parts of Satan's organization, religious,commercial, or political . This truth made themrealize their God-sanctioned freedom to pushon with his "strange work" of witnessing to hisKingdom, regardless of all the opposition and

FREEDOM- OVING WITNESSES 3 1 3all the mischief framed by a law' against them .Psalm 94 20-22 To them it is written "Youindeed, brethren, were called to freedom" andthey do not use this freedom for selfish gratificationof the flesh with the worldly pleasures,but for the loving service of God and the proclamationof his name and Messianic kingdom .-Galatians 5 13, Weymouth Diaglott Rotherham.The remnant of Jehovah's witnesses endeavorto spread the spirit of freedom throughout theentire earth . This they do by the spread of thetruth as contained in God's written Word . Theireader, Christ Jesus, said "If ye continue inmy word, then are ye my disciples indeed andye shall know the truth, and the truth shall makeyou free ." By continuing in his word and by beingdoers of the word as his disciples, they have,by God's grace, come to know the truth . Theyhave come to the freedom enjoyed by the trueChristians in the days of the apostles . It wasChrist's apostles who told the worldly rulers"Whether it be right in the sight of God tohearken unto you more than unto God, judgeye. For we cannot but speak the things whichwe have seen and heard . . . . We ought to obeyGod rather than men ."-Acts 4 19, 20 5 29 .So now Jehovah's witnesses refuse to sacrificeGod's gift of freedom . They continue to speakthe things they see in His Word despite all demonicand human efforts at interference . Theyfollow the example of Christ Jesus and his apostlesas to the manner of speaking the Kingdom

3 1 4 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"message, by going from house to house as wellas in public places, not shunning to declare thewhole counsel of God . ike the apostle Paul theymay say "I kept back nothing that was profitableunto you, but have shewed you, and havetaught you publicly, and FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE,testifying both to the Jews, and also to theGreeks ." Acts 20 20, 21, 27 also 2 46 5 42uke 9 4-6 10 5-9 Because this is not theeasy-going "orthodox way" of religion's clergyto preach, whose way requires the people tocome to religious edifices to hear preachingfrom a pulpit, the religionists look upon the educationalactivities and message of Jehovah'switnesses as a "strange work" . They do not heedthe warning that this "strange work" precedesand will be followed immediately by Jehovah's"strange act" at Armageddon .-Isaiah 28 21 .Many sincere persons continue under bondageto "organized religion" because their clergyhave mistaught them to think that "Christendom's"religion and Christianity are the samething. In due time the exposure of this came out .In 1928 this statement was published and spreadthroughout "Christendom" "Satan is the godof this world, and therefore the nations of theworld can not properly be designated as Christiannations . THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CHRIS-TIAN RE IGION, BECAUSE TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS NOTA RE IGION ." The book Government, page 139,€ 1 published 1928 This truth was made moreprominent from 1936 forward, and the religionistseverywhere manifested great indignation

FREEDOM- OVING WITNESSES 3 1 5at this exposure and at the public pronouncementthat "religion is a snare and a racket" .Both sixteen centuries of history till now andthe present way of religion back up the foregoingstatements as true .The remnant of Jehovah's witnesses are comparativelyfew and weak in themselves, as duringall past centuries . Hence they are fearedonly because of the mighty truths they possessand fearlessly proclaim under commission fromGod . Vicious endeavors are made by religioniststo destroy them and their message of Christianfreedom . Revelation 12 13,17 makes it plainthat the remnant of Jehovah's witnesses are themain target of the attacks by Satan and his demons. It is with the demons, and not with creaturesof flesh and blood, that the remnantwrestle and fight, having their "loins girt aboutwith truth" and flashing the "sword of the spirit,which is the word of God" .-Ephesians6 12-17 .Satan's wicked design is to regiment all thepeople of the earth under a totalitarian formof world government and thereby hold all menin bondage, ignorant of freedom-giving truth,and away from Jehovah God and his kingdomof the new world of righteousness . To this endhe used religionists to promote . the establishmentof Fascism in 1922 and of Nazism in 1933,working together with Vatican City by concordats. In Germany the Nazi dictator at once suppressedJehovah's witnesses as a "subversiveorganization" and broke up their meetings .

316 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Eventually 6,000 of them were thrown into concentrationcamps, isolated and distinguishedfrom others by a violet badge, and most brutallytreated. Still they remain free in spirit, refusingto come into bondage to totalitarian rule . Alsoin democratic lands, Jehovah's witnesses mustresist totalitarian-religious aggressions andfight . for freedom of worship

CHAPTER XXV"MEN OF GOOD-WI "THE march to complete freedom is onNothing that the desperate organization of Satan in its "last days" doecan halt the forward march . At thihead of the procession is the irresistible eaderto whom the ord God points, announcing Behold,I have given him for a witness to the peoples,a leader and commander to the peoples .Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowestnot and a nation that knew not thee shallrun unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, andfor the Holy One of Israel for lie hath glorifiedthee . Seek ye Jehovah while he may be foundcall ye upon him while he is near ."-Isaiah55 4-6, A.R.V .When the ord's appointed eader came tothe temple in 1918 he found the covenant peopleof Jehovah in grievous captivity within thegates of modern-day Babylon. He gave the command"Go through, go through the gates prepareye the way of the people cast up, cast upthe highway gather out the stones lift up astandard for the people ." Isaiah 62 10 Thestones which impede the march over the highwayof truth must be removed the standard ofKingdom truth, which is the standard of free-317

318 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"dom, must be held aloft for all captives to seeand follow it unto the security, prosperity andpeace of God's kingdom by his Son . Before theKing's coming to the temple the war in heavenwas fought out and Satan the Devil was givena great fall from his lofty heavenly seat of power.Now his organization, great Babylon, facesdestruction in the final war of Armageddon .Those who would live as God's freemen underhis Theocratic Government must at once makea break for liberty, heeding the heavenly warning-call"Fallen ! fallen ! is Babylon the Great, andhath become a habitation of demons and aprison of every impure spirit and a prison ofevery impure and hated bird because by reasonof the wine of the wrath of her lewdness have allthe nations fallen, and the kings of the earthwith her did commit lewdness, and the merchantsof the earth by reason of the power ofher wantonness waxed rich . . . . Come forth,my people, out of her, that ye may have no fellowshipwith her sins, and of her plagues thatye may not receive ."-Revelation 18 1-4, Rotherham.Nations, kings, and merchants, all having tiesand connections with religious Babylon, aredoomed to overthrow with her. Many sincerepersons of good-will toward God and his kingdomare held captive to Babylon, not knowingthe truth which shows them the way of escape .To continue in Babylon means to die slaves,giving moral endorsement and support to her

"MEN OF GOOD-WI " 3 1 9sins and therefore tasting with her the plaguesfrom the hand of God . His kingdom is the onlyrefuge to which to flee from destruction at thefinal end.At the human birth of the Savior who was tobe the King of that Theocratic Government agreat heavenly host appeared praising God andsaying "Glory in the highest unto God! and onearth peace, among men of good-will ." uke2 14, Roth. Now the Kingdom has been establishedin the heavens, and the choice must bemade between that Righteous Government andworldly Babylon . Only those who forsake Babylonas doomed and who fearlessly come out anddemonstrate their good-will toward Jehovahand his kingdom enjoy God's peace that passesall human understanding in this restless anddistressed world. Such enjoy freedom from fear,now, when there is "upon the earth distress ofnations, with perplexity the sea and the wavesroaring men's hearts failing them for fear,and for looking after those things which arecoming on the earth for the powers of heavenshall be shaken" .- uke 21 25, 26 .Those who gather out the stumbling-stones ofreligious errors and traditions of men and wholift up Jehovah's standard of truth are not theenemies of the people, Catholic, Protestant,Jew, or pagan . When the apostle was brandedby the religionists as dangerous to the people'sinterests, he asked "Am I therefore becomeyour enemy, because I tell you the truth "Galatians 4 16 He warned that in this world

3 2 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the precious liberty would ever have to be safeguardedjealously and fought for against allBabylonish encroachments . Having exposed thereligious "fifth column" of that day, he wrote"My action was on account of the false brethrensecretly introduced, who had stolen in to spyout the freedom which is ours in Christ Jesus,in order to enslave us again . Not for an hourdid we give way and submit to these, that thegospel might continue with you in its purity ."-Galatians 2 4, 5, Weymouth .Since 1918 the religious "fifth column" has infiltrateditself among all democratic and liberalnations and is sneakily intruding upon therights, privileges and immunities of lovers ofdemocracy. Its ultimate aim is to enslave thepeople and crush the truth of God's kingdommessage . Therefore the words of the apostlering out with compelling force in these periloustimes "For freedom did Christ set us freestand fast therefore, and be not entangledagain in a yoke of bondage ." Galatians 5 1,A.R.V. The fight against religious encroachmentand for freedom to worship Jehovah mustgo on as in the time of Judge Jephthah .Jephthah's daughter, his only child, was firstto come out of his house and praise Jehovah Godfor the victory in pushing the totalitarian Ammoniteaggressors back and out of the domainof Jehovah's typical Theocracy. Judges 11 34-36 During these recent days a class of peopleof like mind and action as Jephthah's daughterhave been manifesting themselves . This has

"MEN OF GOOD-WI " 321been particularly so since 1938 . In that year theTheocratic rule and procedure were put in operationwithin the visible organization of God'scovenant people on earth who are under a greaterfighter than Jephthah, namely, Christ Jesus .The class like Jephthah's daughter have beengrowing up since Christ's coming to the temple .They have observed the remnant of His bodymembers preaching "this gospel of the kingdomin all the world for a witness unto all nations"and have observed the religious opposition andpersecutions these endure in all lands . Theyhave marked, too, how the faithful remnant refuseto give in to the encroachment on their libertyas servants of the Most High God, but beatback those religious-political enemies of freedomof worship and victoriously carry on declaringthe day of God's vengeance againstBabylon and comforting all that mourn. Particularlysince the outbreak of total war in 1939has this fight for the liberty of worship of Jehovahwaxed most fierce, but his witnesses triumphby Christ Jesus over all opposition . At this thepresent-day class like Jephthah's daughtergreatly rejoice, and they hail Jehovah's Judgeand King, Christ Jesus, and take their standon his side . He offers them to God, as Jephthahoffered up his daughter, and sets them to workwith his temple company.-Revelation 7 15 .To these persons of good-will the great ifegiverdoes not grant hopes of life in heaven anda place in the Kingdom, The Theocratic Government.The hope of life on the earth in the new

322 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"world is set before these . It is the Father's goodpleasure to give the Kingdom to the "little flock"of Christ's body members, but as for these peopleof good-will the Good Shepherd says "Andother sheep I have, which are not of this foldthem also I must bring, and they shall hear myvoice and they shall become one flock, one shepherd." John 10 16, A.R.V . These who becomethe "other sheep" hear the Good Shepherd'svoice in the Kingdom message proclaimed byJehovah's remnant . They recognize the messageas genuine Bible truth, and they come to ChristJesus as their eader, Guide and Redeemer .Through his meritorious sacrifice they givethemselves in full consecration to Jehovah Godto do His will and serve His kingdom ever thereafter. ike their eader they publicly symbolizetheir heart-act of consecration to God by beingbaptized in water . God's will now for his consecratedones is to declare His name throughoutall the earth and to publish the good news ofHis kingdom. Hence the "other sheep" join withthe remnant of the "little flock", because theseare doing exactly that work . Thereby both companies"become one flock" under "one shepherd" .The remnant are of the temple class, havingbeen gathered to Christ Jesus as "living stones"of the temple under him, the Chief CornerStone. Thus in joining with the remnant, the"other sheep" serve at God's temple, as didJephthah's daughter.Continuing faithful in their integrity towardGod, the "other sheep" will form the "great mul-

"MEN OF GOOD-WI " 3 2 3titude" foreseen at Revelation 7 9-17 . In thatvision the apostle John, after seeing the gatheringof the 144,000 members of the twelve tribesof spiritual Israel, then says "After this I beheld,and, lo, a great multitude, which no mancould number, of all nations, and kindreds, andpeople, and tongues, stood before the throne,and before the amb, clothed with white robes,and palms in their hands and cried with a loudvoice, saying, Salvation to our God, whichsitteth upon the throne, and unto the amb .. . . These are they which came out of greattribulation, and have washed their robes, andmade them white in the blood of the amb .Therefore are they before the throne of God,and serve him day and night in his temple andhe that sitteth on the throne shall dwell amongthem." With such freedom of worship the freedomfrom fear and freedom from want alsobecome their portion "They shall hunger nomore, neither thirst any more neither shall thesun light on them, nor any heat . For the amb,which is in the midst of the throne, shall feedthem, and shall lead them unto living fountainsof waters and God shall wipe away all tearsfrom their eyes ."This vision guarantees that there shall be anearthly class that will be carried alive throughthe world's final tribulation foreshadowed bythe Noachian flood . Jesus' prophecy on the endof the world included this comparison "Forjust as the days of Noah, so will be the presenceGreek text parousia of the Son of Man ."

3 24 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Matthew 24 37, Roth . Diaglott A .R.V., marginDuring the antediluvian presence or parousiaof Noah not only was there great self-indulgenceon the part of the people, together withgreat violence in the earth, but there was alsoa preaching of righteousness by Noah, togetherwith his building of the ark at Jehovah's command. Noah's three sons, together with theirwives, responded to Noah's preaching andjoined with him in building the great boat . Is itnow as in Noah's days 7 No answer is better thanthe facts .The King's presence or parousia began in1914, and then his appearing or epiphaneia atthe temple came in 1918. Since then the GreaterNoah, Christ Jesus, has been building the Theocraticorganization of security and preservation.He has also caused a preaching of righteousnessand a declaration of the coming ofGod's wrath to be done by his remnant of theelect throughout the earth . . The selfish peopleof the world have gone on in their pursuits andviolence has increased in the earth, but the loversof righteousness have taken the Kingdommessage to heart . Many have come, and an unnumberedmultitude will yet come, out fromdoomed Babylon, to seek refuge and safety underJehovah's Theocratic Government and toput themselves in subjection to its King . Therebythey are baptized unto the Greater Noah,Christ Jesus . 1 Peter 3 20, 21 They becomeloyal companions of His remnant in the giving

"MEN OF GOOD-WI " 325of testimony to the nations, and share theirsufferings .Seven days before the deluge broke upon the"world that then was" Jehovah notified Noahand his sons and the wives to get into the completedark and bring the animals in with them .The entering of the ord's "other sheep" intothe "one flock" under the "one shepherd" is now

3 2 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"taking place . This is one of the most certainvisible signs or evidences that 1914 marked theend of Satan's uninterrupted rule or worldaion and that the final end of his organizationinvisible and visible is drawing near . The"other sheep", together with the remnant, takeheed to their course to keep themselves unspottedfrom this world, lest "that day come uponyou unawares . For as a snare shall it come onall them that dwell on the face of the wholeearth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always,that ye may be accounted worthy to escape allthese things that shall come to pass, and tostand before the Son of man" . uke 21 34-36There is no other way for them to escape destructionat the hands of Jehovah's Executionerin the oncoming world disaster .Noah's days and presence or parousia werenot over with at the end of the flood, but he andthe other flood survivors went forth from theark into the cleansed earth and worshiped JehovahGod in perfect freedom and peace . Thewords of the divine mandate to multiply and fillthe earth were then heard, and Noah's sons andtheir mates were privileged to obey that mandateto a miniature fulfillment thereof . In thesecorresponding days of the presence or parousiaof the Son of man, and after the terrific baptismof fiery destruction upon the wicked world atthe final end, the remnant and the "other sheep"will come forth from God's provided covert ofsafety and preservation . They will have obeyedHis command "Before the day of Jehovah's

"MEN OF GOOD-WI " 3 2 7anger come upon you . Seek ye Jehovah, all yemeek of the earth, that have kept his ordinancesseek righteousness, seek meekness itmay be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah'sanger ." ephaniah 2 2, 3, A.R .V . They will atonce devote themselves to the worship of theirdivine Savior and Preserver, without any fearof molestation or interference .Then will come an unspeakably joyful rewardto the "great multitude" of the ord's "othersheep", foreshadowed by Noah's sons and theirwives . To them will be issued the divine mandateto multiply and fill the earth with righteousoffspring . The righteous invisible overlord,Christ Jesus, will be in full control and will becometheir "everlasting Father" . Their regenerationto perfection of human life will then begin .Because of their faith and obedience to Godwith unbroken integrity they have been countedrighteous . Hence they will beget and bring forththeir offspring in righteousness . Paradise willbe restored to the earth and be made earth-wide,and this shall be the everlasting abode of faithfulmen and women.-Isaiah 9 6 Matthew19 28 .

CHAPTER XXVI"ABOMINATION OFDESO ATION"THE proclamation of the good newsthat God's kingdom has been establishedand will stand for ever wasforetold by Jesus . It was to be doneby those who should be hated of all nations forhis name's sake . Matthew 24 9,14 Inasmuchas the proclaimers are abominable in the nation'ssight, so also is the good news they proclaimabominable, because the news glorifiesJesus' name or office as King . The worldly nationsrefuse to have any king but "Caesar" .Hence the proud course that the nations adoptin the face of the proclamation of God's kingdomthrough Christ is abominable to JehovahGod . "Every one that is proud in heart is anabomination to Jehovah though hand join inhand, he shall not be unpunished ." "He thatjustifieth the wicked, and lie that condemneth therighteous, both of them alike are an abominationto Jehovah." -Proverbs 16 5 17 15, A .R.V.ong ago, in the typical Theocracy, whenKing David had made the hill of ion his capitaland brought the sacred ark of the covenant ofJehovah into the tent he pitched there, Mountion became holy to Jehovah and lie inspired328

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 329David to write these words "The earth is Jehovah's,and the fulness thereof the world, andthey that dwell therein . . . . Who shall ascendinto the hill of Jehovah and who shall stand inhis holy place He that hath clean hands, anda pure heart who hath not lifted up his soul untofalsehood, and hath not sworn deceitfully ."Psalm 24 1-4, A .R .V . Do "Christendom's"rulers and governors measure up to those divinerequirements Secular and religious history answersno! even though the ruler of Vatican City"blessed" the rebellion against Spain's republicin 1936 and called the false-swearing traitor todemocracy a "Christian gentleman" . The rulersand governors who turn away their ears fromhearing the good news of God's established kingdomand who at the same time make religiousprayers and sacrifices to Him do not meet hisrequirements . Instead, "he that turneth awayhis ear from hearing the law, even his prayeris an abomination . The sacrifice of the wicked isan abomination to Jehovah but the prayer ofthe upright is his delight . The way of the wickedis an abomination to Jehovah but lie loveth himthat followeth after righteousness ."-Proverbs28 9 15 8, 9, A.R.V .Ancient Mount ion with its holy ark of thecovenant and with its anointed king who "saton the throne of Jehovah" as his Theocraticrepresentative was the "holy place" . Its kinghad to meet the ord God's holy requirements .Mount ion as the "holy place" typified the kingdomof God. Christ Jesus ascended into that

330 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"holy place of the Messianic kingdom because heperfectly met the divine requirements and hisFather gave him the right thereto in A .D . 29at his anointing . He gave him the Kingdom inA.D. 1914, at the end of the "seven times" .Christ's lowly footstep followers keep theirhands clean and unspotted from this world ofpolitics, commerce and religion and keep theirhearts pure in devotion to God's Righteous Government. These ascend with their Head, ChristJesus, into the royal hill of the great King ofEternity and are permitted to stand as approvedin the holy place of his kingdom as "heirsof God, and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus" . Revelation2 10 3 21 14 1 20 4,6 By followingthe requirements stated at 2 Peter 1 5-11 theymake their calling and election sure . At theirresurrection out of death they are granted anabundant entrance into the heavenly kingdom .The apostle Paul, who was in the Kingdomcovenant, spoke of professed Christians whowanted to set aside the searching requirementsand to run ahead and start reigning beforeGod's time, right down here on earth withoutChrist Jesus. He reproved these proud, selfexaltingones, saying "Now ye are full, nowye are rich, ye have reigned as kings withoutus and I would to God ye did reign, that we alsomight reign with you . . . . For the kingdom ofGod is not in word, but in power ."-1 Corinthians4 8-20 .Such attempt by professing Christians toignore the ord's rules and time and to estab-

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 331lish themselves as kings in the ord's name andwithout his Anointed King is an attempt to ascendthe hill of ion and to stand in the holyplace . It is antichrist, because it is a setting upof a counterfeit kingdom of God in the placeand stead of the true kingdom of Jehovah'sChrist . It is confusing and blinds mankind tothe truth . It prevents their belief and hope inGod's power to erect his promised Government,and hence leads to destruction . It brings contemptand reproach upon God's name and kingdom. It is all an abomination of desolation inGod's sight . For this cause it is said to "Christendom",as it was said to unfaithful Jerusalem"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate ."Matthew 23 38 She is not a holy place.The prophet Daniel foretold the setting up ofjust such an "abomination that maketh desolate"after A .D . 1914, in the "time of the end" . Daniel11 31 12 11 Christ Jesus declared thatthe fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy would followWorld War I and would be one of the proofsof the end of the world, aion , and that theabominable thing would be stood up in spite ofthe preaching of the good news of the Kingdom .Hence it would be showing the height of disdainand disbelief for the glad message . Immediatelyafter foretelling the preaching of the Kingdomgospel in all the habitable earth for a witness tothe nations Jesus said "When ye, therefore,shall see the abomination of desolation, spokenof by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,whoso readeth, let him understand then let

332 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains ."Matthew 24 15,16 But when ye shall see theabomination of desolation, spoken of by Danielthe prophet, standing where it ought not, lethim that readeth understand, then let them thatbe in Judaea flee to the mountains ."-Mark 13 14 .Do we have this added proof today that thefinal end will soon overtake Satan's organization,including "Christendom", and that it istherefore high time to flee to God's "mountain"of the Kingdom and take refuge under it Honestexaminers of the facts will admit that wedo. As far back as its issue of June, 1880,page 6 The Watchtower pointed forward tothe ending of the "seven times of the Gentilesin 1914 . After that date was reached, and WorldWar I came, proving that it was the time for theMessianic rule to begin and all human governmentsto yield their power and control to theRightful Ruler, the testimony to this effect waspressed with greater force and publicity thanever by Jehovah's people . The answer of the nationsof "Christendom" to the testimony thesewitnesses gave was hatred, unbelief, persecution,imprisonment, banning of their literatureand stoppage of their Christian work . In fact,the work of Jehovah's consecrated people wasleft like the "two witnesses" or "two prophets"symbolically pictured at Revelation 11 3-10 ."And when they shall have finished their testimony,the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesspit shall make war against them, andshall overcome them, and kill them ." A few days

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 333afterward the dead witnesses' were revived andwork was resumed .Shortly after the World War ended in 1918the remnant of the faithful witnesses of theord were revived and gathered together forhis service . Then the testifying to the reign ofGod's Son went forward with increased zealand vigor. The governments of "Christendom"observed it with astonishment . At the PeaceTreaty conference at Versailles, France, in 1919,a league of nations was proposed and urged uponthe nations, especially by the American presidentin attendance . The proposal was adoptedand incorporated into the Peace Treaty, andthe treaty was thereafter submitted to the governmentsof the victorious Allies . The UnitedStates Senate refused to ratify the treaty witha league of nations included .While the eague issue was being threshedout both at the Peace Conference and in thelegislative chambers of governments the religiousclergy of "Christendom" preached in favorof this international organization and itsPermanent Court of International Justice asthe only means for maintaining world peace,security, and prosperity. On May 9, 1919, theso-called "Council of the Federation of Churchesof Christ in America" came out with a reportadvocating the eague and blatantly declaring"The eague of Nations is the politicalexpression of the Kingdom of God on earth ."The pope of Rome tried to get atop the eagueas a most opportune vehicle to ride, but failed .

334 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"On January 16,1920, the eague of Nations heldits first meeting, at Geneva, Switzerland .That was the first manifestation and establishmentof the predicted "abomination of desolation". It was a counterfeit kingdom of God, apresumptuous substitute for the government of"the Prince of Peace". The clergy of Americatried for years with might and main to shove theUnited States into it, and an American associationcalled " eague of Nations, Incorporated"urged American entry, saying, "In a world asdark as this, why blow out the only light thereis " To this blasphemous makeshift for the divineGovernment which descends from God outof heaven "Christendom" pinned her hopes . Atlength 57 nations had joined this super-nationalgovernment . By rejecting the message concerningthe end of the Gentile times and the establishmentof the Messianic kingdom, "Christendom"rejected Christ as King and worshiped acreature of her own hands as the image of hiskingdom. But it was in fact not an image of thatdivine Government . The typical Theocracy inthe days of King David and Solomon was a propheticpre-imaging of the Rule of Jehovah Godby his Son. "Christendom's" monstrous creationwas an "image of the beast" . Revelation13 14,15 She set it up over earth, which is theord's, to take the place of Jehovah's TheocraticGovernment. Hence she made it to stand "whereit ought not" . Where is that "In the holy place,"in the place and stead of God's Theocratic ruleby his Messiah. What an "abomination" indeed !

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 335The eague was definitely not the Rule of"the ion of the tribe of Juda" . Being a collectiveorganization of over fifty governments ofthe Devil's world, and incorporating representativeparts of the seven world-powers whichheld successive world dominance from ancientEgypt down till the "time of the end", theeague of Nations is likened in the Scriptures toa "scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,having seven heads and ten horns" . Interpretingthis symbolic vision to provide a keyfor its understanding, God's angel said "Thereare seven kings five are fallen, and one is, andthe other is not yet come and when he cometh,he must continue a short space . And the beastthat was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and isof the seven, and goeth into perdition ." Revelation17 10, 11 When the "seven times" of theGentiles ended, in 1914, the seventh "king" ordominating world power had come. Profane historyidentifies it as the Anglo-American worldimperialism, the bulwark of Protestantism .Since the seven-headed "beast" is the eighthruling creature and is of the seven, being composedof them and incorporating them, it is theprophetic picturization of the eague of Nations. Being full of names of blasphemy, thisroyal-colored beast is not of Jehovah's origination. It is of the "god of this world", and isantichrist . It blinds men to the truth and keepsthem in bondage to the mimic god and awayfrom Jehovah and his glorious kingdom . Thosewondering at it and admiring it, heedless of

336 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"God's warning Word, will not gain life in thenew world . Revelation 13 8 Jesus said "Thatwhich is highly esteemed among men is abominationin the sight of God."- uke 16 15 .The sight of the "abomination of desolation"standing contrary to divine law in the place thatis "holy" or set apart for God's Righteous Governmentis a sign, Jesus said a sign that thegreat tribulation is dangerously near . It is asignal to flee with utmost haste out of the dangerzone. In the January 1, 1921, issue of TheWatchtower the eague of Nations was pointedout both as the "image of the beast" and as the"abomination that maketh desolate" . From thenon Jehovah's witnesses used every means ofpublicity to call public attention to the dangersignal, the desolating abomination, and to soundthe alarm for the people to flee out of Babylonish"Christendom" and all other parts of Satan'svisible organization and to take refuge inthe mountain of God's organization . The ord's"other sheep" heeded the warning and fled tohis Theocratic mountain, which shall never bemoved . They join in sounding the warning . Asthe features of the "abomination" become moreand more distinct, the flight of the "other sheep"speeds up .The seven-headed "abomination" was patchedtogether for the preservation of the peace andsecurity of the world that Satan the Devil mightcontinue his domination thereof . Concerning itsfortunes the prophetic account says "The beastthat thou sawest was, and is not and shall as-

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 337cend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perditionand they that dwell on the earth shallwonder, whose names were not written in thebook of life from the foundation of the world,when they behold the beast that was, and is not,and yet is ." Revelation 17 8 The time whenthis "peace and security" beast "is not" is whenit has descended into the "bottomless pit" or theabyss of inaction, inoperativeness and frustrationof its announced purposes . In 1928 theworldly governments, including America, endeavoredto reinforce the "peace and security"armor of the eague by producing the ParisPeace Pact outlawing war . But such human devicesdid not prevent the fulfillment of divineprophecy . Because the papal Vatican could notget astride this eague "beast", which was dominatedby Protestant Britain, the papacy promotedtotalitarian movements in order to forgea so-called "sword of the church" and to remakethe eague and alter its form to suit papal designsfor world domination .In harmony with its ambitious scheme theVatican established itself as a political state in1929, known as "Vatican City" . It signed concordatswith the totalitarian dictators, and itwelcomed to the papal court the representativesof all countries, including Japan, that turned totalitarianafter the Nazi-Fascist pattern .As a result totalitarian aggression began,without any reproof or condemnation from theVatican . In September, 1939, total war brokeout. Thereafter more than thirty members the

3 3 8 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"majority of the eague of Nations became activelyinvolved in the struggle between totalitarianand democratic political powers, symbolizedin Daniel 11 40-43 as war between the Romecontrolled"king of the north" and "the king ofthe south" under Anglo-American control .Thereby the essential functions of the eague ofNations and its Permanent Court of Arbitrationwere forced to suspend operations, and theseven-headed "beast" took a fall down into thebottomless pit or abyss, but not to stay down .The prophecy says that the international"collective security" beast will "ascend out ofthe abyss" and "shall be present" . Revelation17 8, Diaglott Roth . This must come at theclose of the total war and at the internationaleffort then to restore peace and security . Evenduring the dark hours of the total war the revivalof such a mechanism of international cooperationwas widely and soberly discussed, especiallyamong the United Nations, and an internationalpolice force was proposed to safeguardthe peace and enforce the decrees of the"beast" . Hence the beast must have horns, andthe Revelation prophecy shows it has "ten",which is a complete all-embracing earthly number. This police force will encompass the earth,but particularly "Christendom", as foreshadowedby unfaithful Jerusalem, who rejectedChrist Jesus as King and whose house was leftunto her desolate . During the global war theearth was encompassed with armies . It wasdeemed necessary also to continue thus encom-

"ABOMINATION OF DESO ATION" 3 3 9passing the globe with armies permanentlyafter the total war as a protective device againstaggressors and disturbers of man-made peace .The scheme is pushed under the seemingly goodpretext of maintaining the "Four Freedoms"but, contrary thereto, the prophecy shows thatgreat political pressure and regimentation willbe applied to the people to make all support thepolitical-religious "new world order" .It is written "As many as would not worshipthe image of the beast should be killed . And hecauseth all, both small and great, rich and poor,free and bond, to receive a mark in their righthand, or in their foreheads and that no manmight buy or sell, save he that had the mark, orthe name of the beast, or the number of hisname ." Revelation 13 15-17 Though this hada measure of application before the scarletcoloredbeast, which is the "image of the beast",went into the abyss, it will apply still more soafter the scarlet beast ascends out of it . Thisbeast has learned quite a few totalitarian tricksduring the total war, and it will not unlearnthem or discard them in the postwar "neworder" .The "peace and security" beast ascends outof the abyss, but not to freedom, for a blooddrunk"woman" gets on the beast's back andrides it and reigns over it as mistress . Writesthe apostle John "I saw a woman sit upon ascarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,having seven heads and ten horns ." The"woman" does not have any nauseating feelings

340 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"at riding this "abomination of desolation" . Sheherself is described as "having a golden cup inher hand full of abominations and filthiness ofher fornication and upon her forehead was aname written, MYSTERY, BABY ON THE GREAT,THE MOTHER OF HAR OTS AND ABOMINATIONS OFTHE EARTH ."-Revelation 17 1-5 .The "woman" is the "great whore" having internationalrelations . She symbolizes Satan'soffspring, namely, "organized religion ." Itsmost blasphemous and deceptive and powerfulexpression on earth is the religion of "Christendom"under the dominance and lead of theRoman Catholic Hierarchy . With so many discordantselfish elements making up the postwarassociation of nations, Babylonish religion underthe Vatican's leadership will serve as thebinding tie, but only for a time . The Vatican willact as a supranational power over the postwarconfederacy of nations . She will assume to mediatebetween God and man and thereby insurethe blessings from on high upon the internationalagency of control and stability .The "woman" will ride the "abomination ofdesolation", and will call the arrangement the"restoration of the Kingdom of Christ on earth" .Thereby "Christendom" will make the abominationto stand once again "where it ought not","in the holy place." Because of this blasphemousanti-Christ abomination, "Christendom" willbring irreparable desolation upon her own selffirst, and upon all nations of the earth shortlythereafter, at Armageddon .

CHAPTER XXVIIFINA WAR FOR FREEDOMTHE final war will come as a most suddenand complete surprise . Christ Jesuslikened it to the descent of theflood upon a rainless earth in Noah'sdays, and also the descent of fire and brimstonefrom heaven upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrahin ot's day, at a day and hour when theworldly peoples were at their eating, drinkingand normal selfish activities . uke 17 26-30Nevertheless, the appearing of the desolatingabomination in the holy place' is an unerringproof that the unknown day and hour of the beginningof the final war is dangerously near .In view of world developments there is no timeto delay further one's flight to the "mountains"of God's handiwork, his kingdom . Take yourstand immovably for Jehovah and his Theocracynow. Why Jesus' prophecy answers "Forthen shall be great tribulation, such as was notsince the beginning of the world to this time,no, nor ever shall be . And except those daysshould be shortened, there should no flesh besaved but for the elect's sake those days shallbe shortened ."-Matthew 24 21, 22 .In order to induce humankind to worship theidolatrous "abomination of desolation", post-341

342 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"war "Christendom" will urge the people to takesanctuary in that man-made structure for freedomof religion and freedom from want andfear. Contrariwise, God's Word of truth exhortsus "Neither fear ye their fear, nor be indread thereof. Jehovah of hosts, him shall yesanctify and let him be your fear, and let himbe your dread . And he shall be for a sanctuary ."Isaiah 8 12-14, A.R.V . It is gross folly to puttrust in "Christendom" . In her refusal of God'skingdom she is foreshadowed by rebelliousJerusalem with her temple, to whom Jesus said"Your house is left unto you desolate ." ikeJerusalem, so "Christendom" is doomed to desolation,after the beast or "peace and security"creature gets out of the abyss of total war . Jesusso foretold, saying "And when ye shall seeJerusalem compassed with armies, then knowthat the desolation thereof is nigh ."- uke 21 20 .In the postwar "new order" Jerusalem's moderncounterpart, "Christendom," will surroundherself with armies of an international policeforce for her continued world domination. TheRoman Catholic Hierarchy will attempt to actas the . spiritual police force of the entire earth ."Christendom" will then feel she can cry "Peaceand safety" . This international police force, orthe stationing of order-preserving armies accordingto the mutual understanding betweenallied nations, will be for the maintenance of the"abomination of desolation" in the "holy place" .Hence those armies will be really maintainedagainst God and his kingdom . And when you see

FINA WAR FOR FREEDOM 343this, said Jesus, then you may be certain that"Christendom's" astounding "desolation" isnigh . Religion will not save her .Organized religion will lead all nations directlyinto the final war with God and hisAnointed King . It will thereby bring desolationand perdition upon all nations . In proof, notethe course of the scarlet beast after the "woman"Babylon seats herself on its back after it getsout of the abyss . "And the beast that was, andis not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,and goeth into perdition . And the ten hornswhich thou sawest are ten kings, which havereceived no kingdom as yet but receive poweras kings one hour with the beast. These haveone mind, and shall give their power andstrength unto the beast . These shall make warwith the amb, and the amb shall overcomethem for he is ord of lords, and King ofkings and they that are with him are called,and chosen, and faithful ." Revelation 17 11-14Organized religion is thus seen sanctioning ablasphemous anti-Christ arrangement and willtherefore suffer perdition with the "beast" sherides .Since religion and the beast try to dominatethe earth to the exclusion of "the ord of lords,and King of kings", she and the beast persecutethose on the side of His kingdom, namely, the"called, and chosen, and faithful" with Him .These are the remnant of Jehovah's witnesseswho insist that Christ Jesus is the Rightful Rulerand who proclaim Jehovah's Government by

344 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"Christ . Organized religion and her beastly politicalpet prove beyond contradiction that theyfight against God and Christ, not only by strivingto rule in the stead of Christ Jesus himself,but also by trying to overthrow the work ofJehovah's anointed witnesses on earth and tosilence their Kingdom testimony . Matthew25 40 Acts 5 39 Before the ten horns of theseven-headed beast turn upon her in retribution,organized religion will turn the horns againstJehovah's witnesses and will ride the beast in afinal savage charge against them .Therefore "Christendom" will use her postwar"new order" and her encompassing armiesJesuitic as well as military for the suppressionof the Kingdom message . She will claim itis treasonable and disturbing and unsafe to thepostwar rule. Jehovah, however, will not permithis "strange work" by his witnesses to stop un-

FINA WAR FOR FREEDOM 345til it is finished and all his "other sheep" aregathered out from this world and are safe in the"one fold" . Then he will permit the "woman"and the beast seemingly to triumph as if havingstopped the work . John 19 11 Only at thatstage of developments will "Christendom"astride her beastly abomination cry out that atlast in the fullest sense she has peace and security. What next Jehovah's faithful witnessesknow what then to expect "For yourselvesknow perfectly that the day of the ord socometh as a thief in the night . For when theyshall say, Peace and safety then sudden destructioncometh upon them, as travail upon awoman with child and they shall not escape .But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that thatday should overtake you as a thief ." 1 Thessalonians5 1-4 "Christendom's" religious machineryfor permanent peace will fail disastrously.Her prophecy concerning its destinywill prove false ."Christendom" is being pushed irresistiblyinto that course which spells horrifying desolationfor herself and the rest of Satan's visibleorganization . How can that be Because by religionshe has exposed herself to the demons underSatan, "the prince of the demons ." By thedemons she and all rulers of the inhabited earthare being gathered into a conspiracy and a lineupagainst the only lawful ruler of the earth,which is the ord's . The demons are the invisiblepart of Satan's great dragon-organization .The revelation of the unseen things unveils

346 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"this "And I saw coming out of the mouth ofthe dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast,and out of the mouth of the false prophet, threeunclean spirits, as it were frogs for they arespirits of demons, working signs which go forthunto the kings of the whole world, to gatherthem together unto the war of the great day ofGod, the Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief .Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,lest he walk naked, and they see hisshame. And they gathered them together intothe place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon ." -Revelation 16 13-16, A .R .V .Har-Magedon, or Armageddon, means "mountainof the assembly of troops" . It is derivedfrom the Hebrew words "liar" meaning "mountain",and "gadad" meaning "to troop" . DaviesAt Micah 5 1 God's organization ion is addressedas follows "Now gather thyself introops

FINA WAR FOR FREEDOM 347rulers take counsel together, against Jehovah,and against his anointed, saying, et us breaktheir bonds asunder, and cast away their cordsfrom us . He that sitteth in the heavens willlaugh the ord will have them in derision . Thenwill he speak unto them in his wrath, and vexthem in his sore displeasure Yet I have set myking upon my holy hill of ion."-A .R.V.Scripturally interpreted, then, the place "Armageddon"does not mean a literal place named"Megiddo" in Palestine . It refers to Jehovah'skingdom, to which his Ruler, Christ Jesus, hascome, with his heavenly troops for the waragainst Satan's world-organization . Thesetroops he used in throwing Satan and his demonsout of heaven . At his coming to the templehe raises the sleeping saints and unites themwith himself in heavenly glory . The faithfulremnant yet on earth he gathers to himself intothe temple condition of unity with him and offellowship with him in God's service. This hasbeen accomplished since A .D . 1918, therefore,and God's covenant people now stand at Armageddon,awaiting the final war . For years sincethen they have observed the gathering of the nationsagainst God's King and kingdom . "Whenthe Son of man shall come in his glory, and allthe holy angels with him, then shall he sit uponthe throne of his glory and before him shall begathered all nations ." Matthew 25 31, 32 Concerningthe gathering of the wicked nations thequestion is raised "Shall the throne of wickednesshave fellowship with thee, which throne

348 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"frameth mischief by statute They gather themselvestogether against the soul of the righteous,and condemn the innocent blood ."-Psalm94 20, 21, A .R .V .Because the approaching battle will be foughtat the holy place of the assembly of God's troops,Armageddon, therefore the "battle of that greatday of God Almighty" is commonly called "thebattle of Armageddon", or, for short, simply"Armageddon" . There, at the ord's side, is theplace of security and preservation to which his"other sheep" must flee, even though it is underassault by the enemy . There they must join theremnant of the "little flock" of called, chosenand faithful' ones in singing the praises of JehovahGod and his kingdom in defiance of thefoe .At the day and hour chosen by God, his Kingbegins the final battle against Satan and his demonsat the earth and all nations on earth . Theconflict that follows is no mere fight on thisplanet between democratic forces and totalitarianpowers, a mere international struggle. Itis a combat between God's organization underChrist Jesus and Satan's invisible and visibleorganization . The two opposing line-ups aresymbolically described at Revelation 19 11-21 .The Hebrew books of the Bible record many battleswhich Jehovah fought with miraculous exhibitionsof power against the violent enemiesof his covenant people . Those battles foreshadowedhis marvelous victory at Armageddon ."Then shall Jehovah go forth, and fight against

FINA WAR FOR FREEDOM 349those nations, as when he fought in the day ofbattle ." echariah 14 3, A.R.V . Jehovah's witnesseson earth will have no part in the violenceof that battle . Why not "For the battle is notyours, but God's ."-2 Chronicles 20 15 .Because "Christendom's" desolating abominationwill then be standing presumptuously in theholy place God will cause desolation to bewreaked upon her . He will strike confusion intothe enemy ranks . The hitherto docile politicaland commercial powers will awake to realizehow organized religion has befooled them . Theywill take vengeance upon the religious organization."And the ten horns which thou sawestupon the beast, these shall hate the whore, andshall make her desolate and naked, and shalleat her flesh, and burn her with fire . For Godhath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, andto agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast,until the words of God shall be fulfilled ." Revelation17 16,17 Organized religion's desolationwill thus come first .Desolation of the oppressive political powersand greedy commercial traffickers and falseguides of humankind will come next . Their destructionwill be permanent as if by being "castalive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone",and all humankind who have disregarded thedivine warning to flee to the side of God's kingdomwill be destroyed with them . Revelation19 19-21 Jeremiah's prophecy, chapter twentyfive,foretells that not a nation will escape drinkingthe cup of the deserved divine wrath, and

350 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"that "the slain of Jehovah shall be at that dayfrom one end of the earth even unto the otherend of the earth" . A .R.V. Jesus declared thatexcept those days of the final tribulation shouldbe shortened for the elect's sake, no flesh shouldbe saved . By the proclamation of the Kingdommessage since the ord's coming to the temple in1918 Jehovah God has shortened the final tribulation,and all flesh that is approved by him willbe saved through the battle of Armageddon andsurvive in the new world to follow .ast of all, at Armageddon, Jehovah's Kingof the new world will crush the Serpent Satanand his demon "seed", who have been cast outof heaven and down to the earth . "And he laidhold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is theDevil and Satan, and bound him for a thousandyears, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it,and sealed it over him, that he should deceivethe nations no more, until the thousand yearsshould be finished after this he must be loosedfor a little time ." Revelation 20 1-3, A.R.V .Aforetime, when Satan and his demons stirredup the religionists to have Christ Jesus killedand he lay in the depths of death, God's Wordsaid "Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascendinto heaven that is, to bring Christ downor, Who shall descend into the abyss that is, tobring Christ up from the dead ." From this text,at Romans 10 6, 7 A .R .V . , it is understoodtherefore, that the abyss into which Satan theDevil is cast for a thousand years is the same

FINA WAR FOR FREEDOM 351condition as that in which Christ Jesus was forthree days, namely, death .-Hebrews 2 14 .Such is the great day of Jehovah's vindication"in the which the heavens shall pass awaywith a great noise, and the elements shall meltwith fervent heat, the earth also and the worksthat are therein shall be burned up ." 2 Peter3 10 Hidden in the protecting shadow of God'shand, his faithful remnant, together with theirloyal companions of the "other sheep", will lookforth and behold this glorious, yet terrifying,demonstration of Jehovah's power throughChrist Jesus . They will rejoice in this vindicationof God's holy name .-Isaiah 26 20,21Habakkuk 2 14 3 2-16 .

CHAPTER XXVIIIPRINCES OF A FREE EARTHNEVERTHE ESS we, according to hispromise, look for new heavens and anew earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." This is the glorious outlookwhich the God of truth gives to those whotrust in his Word of promise . The realizationof that promise will far exceed in grandeur andblessedness all that our eyes of faith can nowvisualize. -2 Peter 3 13 .The apostle John, after seeing in symbolicscenes the destruction of "the heavens and theearth which are now", writes "And I saw anew heaven and a new earth for the first heavenand the first earth were passed away andthere was no more sea . And I John saw the holycity, new Jerusalem, coming down from God outof heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for herhusband. And I heard a great voice out of heavensaying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is withmen, and lie will dwell with them, and they shallbe his people, and God himself shall be withthem, and be their God . And God shall wipeaway all tears from their eyes and there shallbe no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,neither shall there be any more pain for theformer things are passed away . And lie thatsat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all352

PRINCES OF A FREE EARTH 3 5 3things new . And he said unto me, Write forthese words are true and faithful."-Revelation21 1-5.Political and religious promises to build a newand finer and free world by men's hands aretherefore ridiculous and presumptuous . Theyprove that the promisers forget God and holdhis Word as untrue . But it will be their so-called"new order" that will pass away at Armageddon,and God's Word will stand vindicated astrue. The new world of righteousness will befashioned by Almighty God through his MasterWorkman, The Word, Christ Jesus . "For, behold,I create new heavens and a new earthand the former things shall not be remembered,nor come into mind . But be ye glad and rejoicefor ever in that which I create for . . . thenew heavens and the new earth, which I willmake, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah ."-Isaiah 65 17,18 66 22, A .R .V .By the enthronement of his King at the endof the "seven times" in A .D . 1914 the great Creatorcreated the "new heavens", the capital organizationof his universe . The "war in heaven"that followed ended in the overthrow of thewicked heavens of Satan and his demons, althoughthe destruction of those wicked creatureswas not carried out at once after theirdebasement to the earth but awaits the final endof Satan's organization at Armageddon . The"new heavens" are symbolized by the "new Jerusalem"which descends from heaven . That is,it extends its power down from heaven to the

3 54 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"earth for the creating of a new governing organizationsymbolized as "the new earth". The"new Jerusalem" rules in the midst of its enemiesuntil Armageddon is fought out and theenemies, are destroyed . The Righteous Ruler ofthe "new Jerusalem" is the amb of God "AndI saw a great white throne, and him that sat onit, from whose face the earth and the heavenfled away and there was found no place forthem ." Revelation 20 11 3 21 Then the Kingand the city, which represents his bride, thewife of the amb', reign as the "new heavens"over the cleansed terrestrial globe, and the establishmentof the "new earth" takes place . Whowill compose that new earthly organizationThe "new earth" will be the official visible representativesof the invisible heavenly Ruler, thenew righteous Overlord over humankind . Theord's "other sheep" are being gathered into the"one fold" first since the "new heavens" werecreated, and hence will not be made the earthlyrepresentatives of their invisible Overlord, eventhough they survive the great tribulation at theworld's end . The office of representatives willbe granted to faithful men who preceded Jesus'earthly ministry in the flesh . Such men wereprivileged to foreshadow him and his faithfulcourse and sacrifice by their own deeds of faithand devotion to God . Many of them were in thehuman line of descent down to his birth in theflesh, being thus his forefathers according to theflesh. Having served as Jehovah's witnesses andas prophetic representations of Jehovah's com-

PRINCES OF A FREE EARTH a 355ing King, they will again serve as his trustworthyrepresentatives on earth under the Kingdomactually established . That is no unjustifieddiscrimination against the "other sheep" and isno cause f or complaint by them. Everything is ofGod's mercy and loving-kindness, and is for theglory of him who does all things according tohis own unselfish will .-Romans 9 14-16 11 29.One of those faithful men of old prophesiedof the destruction of the totalitarian world arrangement,pictured by the king of Assyria andhis princes . He then said "Behold, a king shallreign in righteousness, and princes shall rule injudgment . And a man shall be as an hiding placefrom the wind ." Isaiah 31 6-9 32 1, 2 ChristJesus, "the Son of man," will reign as King inion, the "new Jerusalem" and the 144,000members of his church-body "shall be priests ofGod and of Christ, and shall reign with him athousand years" . Revelation 20 4,6 Theyreign with him in the invisible heavens, but thefaithful men of old will rule in judgment on theearth under the Kingdom . They receive theirlife from Christ Jesus the King . When put inofficial position on earth, they will as the King'ssons be "princes" visible to humankind . This isdefinitely stated in Psalm 45, which is addressedto God's King .After a description of the King's queen, thewife of the amb,' and then of her virgin companions,the ord's "other sheep", Psalm 45 16says to the King "Instead of thy fathers shallbe thy children, whom thou mayest make princes

3 5 6 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"in all the earth ." Among such ones are Mosesand John the Baptist, both of whom died beforethe day of Pentecost and hence were not begottenof the spirit . Accordingly, in proof thatthese foremost prophets of old will not reignwith Christ in heaven but will be princes onearth inferior to the Kingdom, Jesus said"Verily I say unto you, Among them that areborn of women there hath not risen a greaterthan John the Baptist notwithstanding, lie thatis least in the kingdom of heaven is greater thanhe."-Matthew 11 11 .Where are those future "princes" now Notin any imaginary place called "limbo", neitherin heaven . They are dead, in Sheol, or hell, theplace of unconsciousness and non-existence indeath . Faithful Jacob expected to go there, andthought that his beloved son Joseph was therealso . According to Genesis 37 35 Jacob said"I will go down to my son into HE , mourning ."Douay Version Or, "I will go down to SHEOto my son mourning ." A .R .V . Or, "I will godown into the GRAVE unto my son mourning ."Auth . Ver. Also patient Job, while being tormentedwith bodily afflictions by the Devil,prayed to go to the dead's abode, saying "Whowill grant me this, that thou mayst protect me inHE " Job 14 13, Douay Or, "Oh that thouwouldest hide me in SHEO !" A .R .V . Or, "0that thou wouldest hide me in the GRAVE!" AX .The transfiguration scene in the holy mountain,in which Moses and Elijah appeared talkingwith Jesus, does not deny the fact that they

PRINCES OF A FREE EARTH 357are dead . Jesus said that what his disciples sawthere was a "vision" just as John, when receivingthe Revelation, saw visions in which liehimself talked and also saw and heard othersspeaking. But such visions were not realities .Matthew 17 9 Acts 12 9 Had the prophetsMoses and Elijah actually been raised from thedead and appeared in fleshly bodies in thattransfiguration scene, then it would have deniedthe Scripture truth that Jesus Christ is"the first-begotten of the dead" . Revelation1 5 Colossians 1 18 Some time before thattransfiguration Jesus plainly said "No manhath ascended up to heaven, but he that camedown from heaven, even the Son of man ." John3 13 And with this fact Peter agreed on theday of Pentecost.-Acts 2 34.Such men of old need a resurrection . Thisthey expected to receive through the woman'sSeed who should bruise the Serpent's head . Theapostle Paul writes to the Christians in the covenantfor the kingdom of heaven and gives thema narrative account of those faithful men of old,from Abel to John the Baptist . He tells of theirrefusal to compromise and bargain their wayout of suffering, and adds "And others weretortured, not accepting deliverance that theymight obtain a better resurrection ." Hebrews11 35 Though not sharing in the reward of the"first resurrection" with the "kingdom of heaven"class, yet they do obtain a resurrection betterthan that of the remainder of redeemed humankind.Why Because they kept covenant

358 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"with God and maintained their integrity againstthe Devil, and thereby they have "done good" .Hence Jesus said they come forth to a "resurrectionof life". In their awakening out of deaththey will come forth as perfect men and to thestation of "princes in all the € earth" .-John5 28, 29 .They could not, however, receive this resurrectionbefore Christ's coming to the temple,at which time the "dead in Christ" must risefirst. On this matter the apostle writes to Christianscalled to the heavenly calling and to the"first resurrection" and says to them "Andthese all, having obtained a good report throughfaith, received not the promise God having providedsome better thing for us, that they withoutus should not be made perfect ." Hebrews11 39, 40 Now that the King has come to thetemple and resurrected the sleeping saints andgathered his faithful remnant into the templecondition of unity with him, there is hope thatthese faithful men of old may be resurrected inthe near future . Some Scripture texts and propheticdramas suggest that they may be raisedto life before the battle of Armageddon and maymeet the faithful spiritual remnant and withthem see the mighty battle and the glorious victoryof which they prophesied . The Revelationconcerning the destruction of Satan's "woman",Babylon, says "Rejoice over her, thou heaven,and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophetsfor God hath judged your judgment on her ."Revelation 18 20, A .R.V. The faithful rem-

PRINCES OF A FREE EARTH 3 5 9nant have a hope that, like as Joseph met hisaged father Jacob before the seven years offamine in Egypt were up, so they may have thejoy of welcoming these faithful prophets andwitnesses of old back from the tomb before thisdire period of spiritual famine ends at "the battleof that great day ."-Genesis 46 26-30.Christ Jesus is the Foundation of the newworld of righteousness . "And his name shall becalled Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God,The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace .Of the increase of his government and peacethere shall be no end ." Isaiah 9 6, 7 When heraises those ancient witnesses from the dead bygiving them life and thus becoming their "EverlastingFather" and when, after Armageddon,he installs them in office as "princes in all theearth", then the "new earth" as well as the "newheavens" will have come indeed . That new worldwill be established that it cannot be moved forever . Hence the divine command is now given"Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneththe world also is established that it cannot bemoved he will judge the peoples with equity .et the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoicelet the sea roar, and the fulness thereoflet the field exult, and all that is therein thenshall all the trees of the wood sing for joy beforeJehovah for he cometh, for he cometh to judgethe earth, he will judge the world with righteousness,and the peoples with his truth ."-Psalm 96 10-13, A .R .V .

CHAPTER XXIXTHE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGNG IMPSES of life on earth in the newworld of righteousness are graciouslygiven in the Scriptures of truth . Aftera victory song such as Moses and theIsraelites sang on the east shores of the Red seaafter Jehovah had engulfed the hosts of Pharaohin destruction, the "great multitude" ofthe ord's "other sheep" will receive instructionswhat to do . "For out of ion shall go forththe law, and the word of Jehovah from thenew Jerusalem and he will judge betweenmany peoples, and will decide concerning strongnations afar off," at the battle of Armageddon .The Armageddon survivors will convert the instrumentsof mortal combat of the destroyednations to purposes glorifying God . "And theyshall beat their swords into plowshares, andtheir spears into pruning-hooks nation shallnot lift up sword against nation, neither shallthey learn war any more . But they shall sitevery man under his vine and under his fig-treeand none shall make them afraid for the mouthof Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it . For all thepeoples walk every one in the name of his godand we will walk in the name of Jehovah ourGod for ever and ever."-Micah 4 2-5, A.R .V .360

THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN 361The prophecy of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39,supply a vivid account of the final, all-out warfareof Satan's organization under his chiefspirit-prince Gog against Jehovah's faithfulremnant of spiritual Israelites and their companionsat Armageddon . With an awe-inspiringdemonstration of almighty power the Most HighGod destroys the wicked spirit and human enemiesand vindicates his name . "And my holyname will I make known in the midst of mypeople Israel neither will I suffer my holy nameto be profaned any more and the nations shallknow that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel." Ezekiel 39 7, A .R.V. Then the prophecydescribes how God's surviving people willdispose of the bloodstained combustible instrumentsof the enemy and will dispose of theirbones scattered about and thus cleanse the earth .The God of righteousness and holiness will nomore curse the ground . Paradise will not be restoredearth-wide immediately, but the ord's"other sheep" will go ahead with subduing theearth under divine guidance and blessing ."Truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousnessshall look down from heaven . Yea, theORD shall give that which is good and ourland shall yield her increase ." "Then shall theearth yield her increase and God, even our ownGod, shall bless us ." Psalms 85 11, 12 67 6With no wars to ravage the land the earth willspeedily become a Paradise, just as Jesus foretoldin his comforting words to the friendlythief on the tree alongside him "Verily I say

362 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"unto thee this day With me shalt thou be inParadise." uke 23 43, Roth . In this blessedearth under Kingdom rule the "great multitude"of "other sheep" from all nations will enjoypeace and fellowship with the faithful men ofold, the princely representatives of the kingdomof heaven. Matthew 8 11 uke 13 28,29 Inobedience to the divine mandate these righteouschildren of "The everlasting Father, The Princeof Peace", will marry and bring forth children,not for trouble and death-dealing war, but to fillthe earth . They will rear them with completefreedom from fear and "bring them up in thenurture and admonition of the ord" . Isaiah65 20-25 Ephesians 6 4 There will be no overcrowdingof the earth . Just how long the fillingof the earth to a comfortable extent will requireis not stated . It was 427 years from the Flood toGod's covenant with Abraham, and long beforethat covenant the typical fulfillment of the divinemandate by Noah's sons was accomplished .The truth concerning the divine mandate wasrevealed in 1938 . Now a question arises respectingthose of the ord's "other sheep" who die beforethe battle of Armageddon . Many of these intotalitarian Nazi-Fascist lands have died asfaithful martyrs for Jehovah's name's sake, andmany in other lands have died for other causes,but all standing the test of faithfulness and preservingtheir integrity toward God and hisTheocracy . Will these have a part in the carryingout of the divine mandate in the new world

THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN 363It suggests itself as reasonable that, God havingheld this hope before them, and they havingdied faithful and blameless to him, he would notdeny them the privilege of the divine mandate .Concerning God's judgment Christ Jesus said"He gave him authority to execute judgment,because he is a son of man . Marvel not at thisfor the hour cometh, in which all that are in thetombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forththey that have done good, unto the resurrectionof life and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of judgment."-John 5 27-29,A.R.V. Douay.The faithful witnesses and prophets of ancienttime have an early resurrection to lifebecause they have done good and passed judgmentwith God's approval . Those "other sheep"who since the ord's coming to the temple forjudgment prove their integrity to God and diefaithful have likewise "done good" and henceappear to be in line for a "resurrection of life" .Since 1918 Christ Jesus on his throne at thetemple has been judging the nations and dividingthe people as "sheep" and "goats" . He pronouncesfavorable judgment upon the "sheep"and ushers them into life everlasting under theKingdom. The "other sheep" do not come intojudgment with the rest of humankind, who have"done evil". Reasonably, then, such "othersheep" as die faithful under judgment test beforeArmageddon is fought to the finish will befavored like the faithful men of old and will receivean early resurrection unto life' and before

3 6 4 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the divine mandate is completely fulfilled . Thiswill privilege them to share in that joyful hopeand service. Such favor to the resurrected "othersheep" will not be contrary to Matthew22 28-32 . It will be no part of the coming forthof the unjust unto a "resurrection of judgment"because such unjust ones have "done evil" .It is written, at Proverbs 10 7 "The memoryof the just is blessed but the name of the wickedshall rot ." The place of the rebellious wicked isnot in the memory of God, but is in Gehenna,symbolized by the "lake which burneth with fireand brimstone", where Almighty God destroysboth their body and soul . Matthew 10 25,A .R.V., margin Revelation 21 8 Their everlastingdeath is not due to condemnation anddeath inherited from Adam, but is for personal,willful wickedness against God. Hence theirdeath is called "the second death", to distinguishit from that which is inherited . For such reasonthey are not spoken of as "in the tombs" or "inthe graves", which is to say, in the memory ofGod as having an opportunity for redemptionby Christ's blood . They cannot "escape the judgmentof Gehenna". Matthew 23 33, A .R .V .,margin Therefore God will not remember themin the time of "resurrection of the dead, both ofthe just and unjust". Acts 24 15 He will rememberthe redeemable ones like the thief who,before dying unjust upon the tree, asked that hebe remembered by Jesus in the Kingdom .The divine mandate will be carried out inproof that God's word does not return to him

THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN 365void but that his purposes are never frustratedor defeated . Thereafter the rest of the dead inthe graves will hear the voice of the King andcome forth to the "resurrection of judgment" .The symbolic vision of that resurrectionreads "I saw the dead, small and great, standbefore God and the books were opened and

366 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"another book was opened, which is the book oflife and the dead were judged out of thosethings which were written in the books, accordingto their works . And the sea gave up the deadwhich were in it and death and hell margindeath and the grave delivered up the deadwhich were in them and they were judged everyman according to their works . And death andhell were cast into the lake of fire . This is thesecond death . And whosoever was not foundwritten in the book of life was cast into the lakeof fire ."-Revelation 20 12-15.They do not come forth all in a twenty-fourhourday or to a judgment day of twenty-fourhours' length . The reign of Christ is a thousandyears long, and it provides sufficient time inwhich to judge them according to the works theyperform on earth after awakening out of death .The apostle Peter speaks of the "day of judgmentand perdition of ungodly men" and says"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,that one day is with the ord as a thousandyears, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter3 7, 8 At that, this judgment day is not aslong as one of God's creative days . It comes duringthe last thousand years of the "seventh day",the day of God's sabbath or rest .-Genesis 2 1-4.These, that have "done evil" due to being conceivedin sin and shapen in iniquity during thispresent life, will not come forth to a reward, butaccording to God's mercy through Christ theRansomer. They will not come forth to take partin the divine mandate, because that will have

THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN 367been completed by the ord's "other sheep" .Hence to these the words of Christ Jesus apply,at uke 20 34-38 . There he says that Abraham,Isaac and Jacob live in the purposes ofGod, which is proof that there will be a resurrectionof them and others . "And Jesus said untothem, The sons of this world marry, and aregiven in marriage but they that are accountedworthy to attain to that world, and the resurrectionfrom the dead, neither marry, nor aregiven in marriage for neither can they die anymore for they are equal unto the angels andare sons of God, being sons of the resurrection ."-A .R.V.This does not mean they attain to immortality.The angels are not immortal, but are subjectto Christ . Jesus, who has been rewardedwith immortality . Man is a "little lower thanthe angels" and hence being "equal unto theangels" means that these resurrected humansdo not marry . Psalm 8 5 By obedience andfaithfulness during the judgment day they areregenerated by Christ Jesus, "The EverlastingFather ." Then God approves and justifies themand grants them the right to everlasting life inthe Paradise on earth. Therefore they cannotjustly "die any more", because they continuefaithful . They attain to "that world", the newworld, a "world without end". God guaranteesthem endless life and protects their right to it .They do not attain unto this justification andlife-right till the end of the thousand years ofChrist's reign . As it is written "But the rest of

368 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"the dead lived not again until the thousandyears were finished ."-Revelation 20 5.Christ Jesus the King, having been entrustedwith the "keys of hell and of death", dischargeshis responsibility with them . He releases thosein hell by awakening the dead, and then upon theworthy and obedient ones he undoes the effectsof the death which passed upon all men becauseof the sin by the one man in Eden . In this wayhe destroys "death and hell", casting them totheir destruction or abolition in the "lake of fireburning with brimstone" . "For he must reign,till he hath put all enemies under his feet . Thelast enemy that shall be destroyed is death ."This is by God's power and by God's appointmentof him to that mission . 1 Corinthians15 25-27 Then the effects of Adam's sin, whichbrought a heritage of death to his descendants,will have been obliterated completely and forever . In this respect "there shall be no moredeath, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shallthere be any more pain for the former thingsare passed away".-Revelation 21 4 .Those who die during or at the end of thethousand-year judgment day will perish, notbecause of an inheritance of death, but becauseof self-chosen disobedience and wickedness andrebellion against Jehovah and his reigningKing . When these are executed by Jehovah'srighteous Judge Christ Jesus, their deserveddestruction in Gehenna will not occasion anysorrow, crying or pain on the part of the righteousones who support Christ's righteous judg-

THE THOUSAND-YEAR REIGN 369ment . Such rebels experience the "second death",destruction as in a "lake of fire". They do notgo down into the hell of which Christ the Judgehas the key, but into Gehenna, "everlasting punishment,"because the "second death" meanseverlasting destruction.-.Matthew 25 46 .Upon those who come forth "unto a resurrectionof judgment" the final judgment test comesat the end of the thousand years. Then "Satanshall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go outto deceive the nations which are in the fourquarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gatherthem together to battle the number of whomis as the sand of the sea . And they went up onthe breadth of the earth, and compassed thecamp of the saints about, and the beloved cityand fire came down from God out of heaven anddevoured them . And the devil that deceivedthem was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone".-Revelation 20 7-10 .The thousand years of confinement in theabyss does not reform Satan or cause his salvation.Though his head was bruised by theSeed of God's "woman" at the battle of Armageddona thousand years previous, he is stilldefiant toward God and is bent on overturningJehovah's Theocratic Government, "the belovedcity" or "new Jerusalem" . The covetous desirefor universal domination still moves him to theattack on the Government and its subjects onearth and its princely representatives . Duringhis detention in the abyss the earth has beenfree of religion or demonism . The truth has had

3 7 0 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"full sway on earth, and has made the people freefrom the bondage of error and of sin, and freefrom fear and want .Following his unchangeable tactics, Satan theDevil tries to reintroduce religion on earth andhence goes forth to deceive, to deceive everyone,if possible, to the four corners of the earth ."Gog and Magog" picture a farthermost extremityof the earth. The searching test of integritywill be upon all such, without exception . Thosewho yield selfishly to the deception, forsakingtruth, shall suffer destruction in Gehenna .Those who keep integrity toward God and his"beloved city" will prove that God can put menon earth who remain true and faithful to himunder the wily test of Satan the Devil . They receivethe gift of the right to everlasting life.Satan will fail again, and Jehovah God willreceive this final vindication . The wicked onewill be cast, not into an abyss, but into everlastingdestruction in Gehenna, where he and hisfalse and beastly organization will remain inabhorrence "for ever and ever" . Revelation20 10 Ezekiel 28 19 The righteous One, Jehovah'sbeloved Son Christ Jesus, shall reign inlife immortal and will forevermore reflect thelight and glory of his Father to all creaturesthat live . Truth will have triumphed, and thefreedom of the new world will continue undiminishedand without end .

CHAPTER XXXFREEDOM NOW!HIS vision of a free world withoutend is to be credited to Jehovah Godalone. It has been made plain by hisreigning King at the temple, ChristJesus . Its marvelous details are written downin His "word of truth". The brightening lightthat is now shed upon its sacred pages, illuminatingthem, is proof that we are in the"time of the end", the time when the meaningof the Bible's pages should be unsealed to thoserunning to and fro through them .-Daniel 12 4 .By the spending of your time and effort to applyyour mind to the study of the vision youhave bought much truth . Proverbs 23 23 Donot now sell such truth at any price this worldand its "new world order" can offer . The truthis your most precious possession, for it is thetruth that makes you free. The freedom thatChrist Jesus the Great Master promised to thedisciples of truth is not freedom as a civilianof this world . The freedom as a citizen of anynation of this world is now greatly endangered .It is fast being swallowed up in totalitarianrule, and will pass away completely in thatidentical postwar arrangement which the creatorsthereof hold forth as the stronghold of the371

372 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE""Four Freedoms" . All deceived thereby will bebitterly disillusioned .The freedom which the truth through Christbestows upon you endures for ever . If you continuein His word, no human or demon powercan take the true freedom away from you . It isa foretaste of that new world from God's hand,in which "the creation itself will be emancipatedfrom the slavery of corruption, into the freedomof the glory of the children of God . For weknow that the whole creation groans togetherand travails in pain together till the presenttime" . With your possessing the truth and livingaccording to its light, your freedom beginsnow.-Romans 8 21, 22, Diaglott .Those of the world who boast of its freedomsare slaves without being aware of it or withouthonestly acknowledging it slaves of sin . Theyare the slaves of error, superstition and religion.They are the slaves of the invisible, superhumandemons who rule -the darkness of thisworld, and no discoveries of "science falsely socalled" can make these spiritistic forces subjectto human control. The world is organized sinand error it is rebellion against God organizedand is hopelessly under demon domination ."The friendship of the world is enmity withGod . Whosoever therefore will be a friend ofthe world is the enemy of God." James 4 4 Itcan never be a free world . Its friends are boundup with it, to suffer the wrath of God upon itand to die chained to it at its destruction .

FREEDOM NOW! 3 73Dictatorial and totalitarian powers may takeaway from you your personal liberty and yourcivic freedoms, but they can not take from youthe freedom wherewith the truth makes youfree. The truth makes you free from sin, fear,religion and demon rule . The truth makes youfree to serve Jehovah God and to follow hisChrist . In that course lies the way to everlastinglife in the new world of righteousness . The truthfrees you from credulity, uncertainty and instability"that we henceforth be no more children,tossed to and fro, and carried about withevery wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in waitto deceive but speaking the truth in love, maygrow up into him in all things, which is the head,even Christ ."-Ephesians 4 14,15 .Having now begun, you must continue inChrist's word. You must be a doer of it, keepingthe law of truth . "He who looks intently intothat which is the perfect law of freedom, andcontinues in it, not becoming a forgetful hearer,but a doer of its work, this man will be blessedin his deed ." James 1 25, Diaglott If youhave the truth, God grants you the liberty topublish it to others . The preservation of thetruth and of liberty is not by keeping it to yourself,but by telling it out that others "may recoverthemselves out of the snare of the devil,who are taken captive by him at his will" .2 Timothy 2 25, 26 To hold fast the truth, youmust "walk in truth", which means to make

374 "THE TRUTH SHA MAKE YOU FREE"progress in it and to live in harmony with therighteous precepts of God's Word of truth .The greatest truth is that of Jehovah's kingdomand the vindication of his holy name by it .His Son, the King, fearlessly proclaimed thetruth of that kingdom and he remained free,bowing in servitude to none but God . To enjoyfreedom you must do likewise. Seek companionshipwith those who study the truth and whothen publish it . Join with them in boldly proclaimingthe Kingdom truth . They are the onlyfree people on the earth, and made so by theGod of liberty. Sing forth the praises of JehovahGod and his King and kingdom, and fightfor and enjoy the liberty of His new world .

HOW TO STUDY THIS BOOKTHE truths of the Word of God towhich this book calls attention are ofsuch importance now to you that youshould fix them inerasibly in yourheart and mind . This you can do by studyingthis book regularly with your Bible, "the holyscriptures, which are able to make thee wiseunto salvation through faith which is in ChristJesus ."-2 Timothy 3 15 .You can make such a study privately by yourself.However, it would be more stimulating toyou and more broadening to your mind, andalso unselfish, if you associated others with youin this vital study . The wise proverb says "Ironsharpeneth iron so a man sharpeneth the countenanceof his friend." "Two are better thanone because they have a good reward for theirlabour ."-Proverbs 27 17 Ecclesiastes 4 9-12 .Are you a father or mother or a member of afamily Why not, then, conduct a study withinthe family circle Or, if there are no familyassociates, why not invite a friend or neighborto join you in this most profitable and excitingdigging for truthThe publishers of this book have provided avaluable question booklet for students . It containsa question or set of questions on eachparagraph herein in its order, which questionsfaithfully direct the searching mind to the vitalpoints or key thoughts of each paragraph. Alsoafter each question you are furnished one ormore Scripture texts to help you find further375

376 HOW TO STUDY THIS BOOK 40proof of what is in the paragraph "comparingspiritual things with spiritual ." 1 Corinthians2 13 This avoids all private interpretation .If studying by yourself, first read the paragraphin "The Truth Shall Make You Free" .Then test how much thereof you remember andwhether you have grasped the essential thingsby reading the question or questions on the paragraphin the booklet and seeking to answer outof your own mind . Read next in your own Biblethe texts that are cited but not quoted inthe paragraph, and then the texts given in thebooklet after the questions. Reason out whatconnection they have with the matter in the paragraph,and how they give Bible support and illuminationthereto . Having thus treated one paragraph,proceed to the next, and so on for an hour .Do this regularly each week, and mark with joyhow you grow in knowledge and understanding .If, however, you form a study group with others,the foreword of thequestion booklet outlineshow best such a group studymay be carried on . To promotesuch group and privatestudies the questionbooklet, herewith illustrated,of 64 pages and neatlybound, is offered to all studentson a contribution of5c a copy. Remit toTHE WATCH TOWER117 Adams St ., Brooklyn 1, N .Y .

INDEX TO SCRIPTURES CITEDGENESIS PAGE 9 4,5 76 DEUTERONOMY 2 1-8- 242Chap. 1 68,72,138 9 12-1T 146 4 15-19 38 JOB9 18, 19 154 6 4, 5 32 1 6, 7 1301 1 25, 29, 55 9 20-22 156 7 16, 25 38 1 8-12 2511 2 61 9 23 156 8 3 192 1 19 1091 3-5 61 9 26, 27 157 18 15-19 219 2 3-5 2511 3,6,9,11,14, Chap. 10 144 29 29 41 9 9 55. 0, 24, 26 45 10 8-10 144, 158 30 19, 20 39 9 10 541 6-8 62 10 11, 12 160 31 21 159 14 4 1151 9 . 10 63 10 22 155 32 3,4 41, 269 14 13 3561 11-13 64 10 32 144 32 17 131 31 24-28 391 14-19 64 11 1-4 161 32 47 39 38 4-9 571 20,21,24,30 73 11 5-9 164 34 5,6 49, 264 38 7 621 20-23 67 11 10 144, 155 JOSHUA 38 31, 32 551 20,30 67 11 10-32 148 1 8 206 Chaps . 38-41 281 24,25 68 11 26,32 167 8 31 .35 206 41 16 1091 26-28 70 12 1-3 168 9 3-27 158 42 5, 6 281 28 78 12 1-7 148 14 5-10 149 PSA MS1 29-31 70 12 4 167 24 15 220 2 1-6 3461 30 75 14 18-20 171 24 26 206 2 1-7 225Chap . 2 72 15 2, 7, 8 32 JUDGES 2 7 2532 1-3 56,71 , 72 17 1 33 11 34-36 320 8 3, 4 282 1-4 366 18 9-14 117 13 2-5 117 8 5 3672 4 32,34 18 19 174, 204 21 25 222 9 10 882 4-6 68 22 15-18 175 1 SAMUE 16 10 262, 2632 5, 6 106 24 50,51,60 178 1 11,19,20 117 18 10 502 7 73, 108 24 66, 67 179 8 7, 8 222 19 1-6 292 8-15 74 25 21-23 181 10 1 222 24 1-4 3292 9 77 25 27-34 182 12 3, 5 222 33 6, 9 542 16, 17 75 26 1-6 182 13 13, 14 223 33 12 2202 18-25 , 78 27 27-29 183 15 29 109 Chap. 45 3552 19, 20 74 Chap. 28 185 2 SAMUE 45 16 3553 1, 2 82 35 10, 11 189 5 14 229 50 5 2523 2, 3 85 35 29 186 7 1-16 226 53 1, 2 253 4,5 86 37 35 356 8 17 207 67 6 3613 6 90 Chaps . 37-47 191 20 25 207 78 69 563 7, 8 94 46 26-30 359 1 KINGS 80 1 503 9-12 97 49 9, 10 193 4 20-25 228 82 6 473 13 90, 97 49 10 230 6 1 227 84 11 383 14 .15 97 49 28 193 6 1, 2 150 85 11, 12 3613 15 117 EXODUS 8 9-21 228 88 7 1333 16 104 3 13-15 31 11 42 150 89 6 1333 17-19 105 3 14-16 195 14 19, 29 206 90 2 263 20, 21 110 5 2 196 17 21, 22 76 91 4 823 22,23 111 6 2, 3 33 19 18 39 94 20, 21 3483 24 51, 111 9 . 16 196 2 KINGS 94 20-22 3134 1 32, 116 12 40-43 149 4 27 76 95 7-11 564 2 118 13 21,22 297 1 CHRONIC ES 96 10-13 3594 2-5 119 15 1, 2 198 14 8 159 99 1 514 16-24 123 16 26,30 199 16 31, 33 226 104 4 524 25 123 17 14 202 28 9 88 104 4-6 574 26 124 19 4-6 199 29 23 226 104 29 755 1 204 20 2-5 37 29 29 206 106 37 1315 3-5 115 20 4, 5 11 2 CHRONIC ES 110 1 2925 3-29 147 21 23,24 249 11 15 131 110 1, 2 2885 5 112 24 12 206 Chaps . 12-36 151 110 4 1715 6 123 25 18-22 51 14 10 159 -111 2,3,7,8 425 18, 21-21 125 31 17 72 15 2 88 111 10 1605 28, 29 129 31 18 37, 206 16 11 206 119 160 456 1-3 133 33 20 35 17 4 88 146 3,4 1086 3 141 34 27 202 20 12 159 PROVERBS6 4 130, 133 EVITICUS 20 15 349 1 7 266 9, 10 134 17 7 131 26 22 206 2 6 427 6 147 17 11 76 32 32 206 8 22-31 437 6, 16 138 NUMBERS 35 4 206 10 7 3647 11,24 238 1 1 149 36 19-23 151 14 27 268 1 109 4 5 518 13-16 139 12 16 149 4 8 206 17 15 3288 20,21 143 13 1-30 149 7 1, 6, 10-12 207 22 20, 21 248 22 139, 140 13 16,17 246 7 11, 12, 21 206 23 23 24, 3719 1,7 144 13 33 132 NEHEMIAH 27 17 3759 3-6 145 35 33 141 1 1-3 242 28 9 329377

378 INDEX TO SCRIPTURES CITED29 25 160 21 25-27 229 13 24-30, 11 2 28430 19 84 21 27 300 36-43 282 11 52 27228 11-15 84 15 2-9 13 12 32 272ECC ESIASTES1 4, 5 56 28 13, 14 51 15 24 271 13 28, 29 3623 1 146 28 13-15 235 16 18 268 16 15 3363 19-21 109 28 19 370 16 19 271 17 20,21 2994 . 9-12 375 37 16 206 17 1-9 218 17 24 3035 . 839 Chaps . 38, 39 361 17 9 357 17 26-30 152,34112 6, 7 108 39 7 361 17 10-13 207 20 34-38 367ISAIAH DANIE 19 28 327 21 20 . 3426 1-7 51 Chap. 4 287 20 28 251 21 24 2387 14 243 1 .3 232 21 23-46 259 21 25, 26 3198 10 24610 .17 233 22 28-32 364 21 26 2918 12-14 3424 17 240 23 33 384 21 31 2878 47 .3274 26 240 23 34-36 122 21 34-36 3269 6, 7 193,3595 28-31 151 23 38 331 22 28-30 260,27213 1, 11-13 286 7 9 10 53 24 3 289 23 43 36214 4, 12 2868 19 288 24 3-14 96 23 46 109, 26214 4, 12, 9 2 206 24 3, 21, 22 50 24 36-43 26624,27 1669 25 254 24 7-9 290 24 46-48 27114 4-14 234 25 .26 242 24 9 241JOHN€ 14 12 529 26, 27 273 24 9-13 3061-3 45 . 4714 12-14 84 10 13, 21 49 24 9, 14 32810 21 206 24 278 1 3 4824 2 , 14311 27 288 24 14 309 11-13 12428 16 21 351 11 31 331 24 15, 16 332 12, 13 11728 2161 26911 40 287 24 21, 22 3411 14 48, 24528 31411 40-43 338 24 27 303 1 18 35 .4731 6-9 35532 1, 2 355 12 1 49, 50 24 29 291 1 29, 36 19740 7,8 21112 4 371 24 3 39511 4140, 41 25622540 8 204331 24 313 285HOSEA3 . 5 27S40 15-17 283 H24 33 28713 . 2 39 24 35 282 3 6 26342 28, 22 72MICAH 24 . 36 288 3 13 35, 108, 35742 1 310 4 2-5 360 24 37 324 3 16 17642 8, 6, 7 3105 1 346 21 38 . 39 138 4 23, 24 364 3 1 32 NAHUM 25 31,32 305,347 4 46-54 30243 2,12 3101 1 206 25 40 344 5 26 44, 24945 18,18 283HABAKKUK 25 46 369 27-29 36345 18562 2 206 26 38 2 .50 5 .29, 29 35846 292 14 351 26 63, 64 294 6 40 26849 9 3103 . 2-16 351 27 57-66 263 16, 17 2353 1-12 241 7 26, 37,53 12 250 EPHANIAH 28 16 .10 26640 . 41 1654 5 . 13 98 2 2 .3 32728 19 . 20 211 7 32, 45-49 1755 4-6 317 3 8 286 28 20 30324 .59 2055 8 .9 27 ECHARIAHMARK 8 . 28, 29 1759 4, 14, 15 21 14 3 349 1-13 239 € 43, 45, 47 2362 2 311 MA ACHI 7 24-30 303 8 44 88, 25862 10 317 1 2, 3 182 12 37 258 8 56 18865 15 311 3 1 300 13 3, 4 289 10 16 32265 17,18 353 3 77, 209 13 14 332 10 . 30. 5065 20-25 362 4 6 143 13 27 305 10 34-36 4766 1 284 MATTHEW 13 32 28812 31 28566 22 353 1 1 227 16 12 265 14 2, 3 294JEREMIAH 1 18-25 117 . UKE 14 9 2601 4 . 5 117 20 . 21 243 5-20 117 14 17, 26 2057 18 37 21 248 5-37 243 14 19 29510 10 53 1 22, 23 244 1 26-37 117 14 24 2323 5, 8 247 1-11 255 1 35 245 14 28 28023 24 302 3.4 192 2 9-14 245 14 30 285Chap . 25 349 4 .17 257 2 14 319 16 11 28525 9 231 5 18 282 21, 22, 31 229 17 3 2127 6 231 1-18 15 3 21-23 252 17 5 26431 31-33 208 6 9, 10 257 3 38 81 17 16-26 26033 , 16 247 7 28, 29 23 4 16-21 256 17 17 2336 2,27 206 8 11 362 4 17 207 18 36 28543 10 231 10 1-23 258 5 18-24 253 18 37 25544 17-25 37 10 5, 6 271 7 1-10 303 19 6, 15 26251 34 102 10 22 278 7 37-50 253 19 11 34551 60 208 10 28 364 8 1 257 20 17 38E EKIE 11 11 356 1-6 258 20 19-30 2664 6, 8 239 12 15-21 306 9 4-6 314 20 23 25318 4,20 12 24 .27,28 131 10 1-16 258 20 28-31 26675, 77, 107 12 42 227 10 5-9 314 21 4, 12 266

INDEX TO SCRIPTURES CITED 379ACTS 4 8-20 330 2 TIMOTHY 1 JOHN1 1-9 269 10 11 203 2 11, 12 278 1 1 481 7, 8 271 10 18 270 2 15 24 2 18-23 2801 8 211, 274 11 3 53, 179 2 25, 26 373 2 20, 27 2781 11 294 12 12, 13 278 3 7 24 3 2 2802 1-11 211 12 12, 13, 3 15 375 3 8 862 21 272 18, 27 276 TITUS 3 12 1212 24 268 14 33 27 3 5-7 278 4 13-5 16 2132 27-31 263 15 20 267 HEBREWS 4 16 392 34 357 15 21, 22 115 1 3 269 5 7, 8 2802 34-36 273 15 25-27 368 1 7 52 5 20 21, 392 41, 46, 47 273 15 28 53 2 14 351 JUDE2 46 314 15 42-54 279 3 15-19 - 56 6 vs . 1323 20-23 219 15 44, 52-54 265 4 1-11 56 9 49, 2184 8-12 269 15 47 107 4 8 220 14, 15 1264 19,20 313 15 50 263 6 7,8 106 REVE ATION4 24-28 225 15 51, 52 304 6 19,20 173 1 3 2105 29 313 16 9 275 7 1-4 173 1 5 309, 3575 39 344 2 CORINTHIANS 8 5-13 208 1 5, 18 2675 42 314 1 21 278 8 6-13 270 1 7 2966 1 211 3- 6-15 208 9 27 78 1 11, 19 2107 2-4 167 3 17 295 9 28 296 2 1, 8, 12, 18 2107 37, 38 269 4 4 230 10 1 201 2 10 278, 3307 45 220,246 5 16,17 276 10 12,13 269,289 2 17 3117 . 48-50 36 5 17 278 10 16, 17 208 3 1, 7,14 2108 26-39 211 11 3, 14 82 10 38, 39 278 3 14 49, 3099 7 295 12 1-4 127 Chap . 11 126 3 21 330, 35410 1-43 274 GA ATIANS 11 4 121 4 11 2710 36-38 254 2 4, 5 320 11 5, 6 126 5 5 19310 44-48 275 2 9 270 11 .6 26 7 4-8 180,193,27012 9 357 3 7, 8, 16 180 11 7 136 7 9-17 32313 19-22 149 3 17 149 11 8-10, 7 15 32114 27 275 3 26-29 180 13-16 188 11 3-10 33215 7-14 275 3 27-29 276 11 32-34 221 11 15-18 225,24115 21 207 4 4 , 5 146, 251 11 35 357 12 1 9917 24-30 2 6 4 16 319 11 39,40 358 12 1-10 29717 26,27 154 4 26, 28, 31 181 12 1 123, 188, 221 12 3, 4 102, 14217 29 34 4 . 28, 29' 117, 173 12 2 269 12 6, 14 23820 20, 21, 27 314 5 1 320 12 29 286 12 7-9 5020 28 248 5 13 313 JAMES 12 7-13 29220 29-31 280 6- 15, 16 270 1 18 278 12 12 30924 15 364 EPHESIANS 1 . 25 373 12 13, 17 31526 5 88 1 22,23 276 1 26,27 38,87 88 13 8 336ROMANS 2 2 304 4 4 372 13 14 . 15 3341 20 34 3 9 48 I PETER 13 15-17 3391 31, 32 278 4 14, 15 373 1 2 306 14 1 8302 6, 7 279 8 4 362 1 3 278 14 1, 3 180, 2704 16, 17 168 6 12-17 315 1 25 204 14 13 2104 17-21 117 PHI IPPIANS 2 3-10 269 16 13-16 3464 17-22 173 2 5-8 246 2 4-9 227 16 14-16 2964 24,25 278 2 6 43 2 13 312 17 1-5 3405 1, 9,12,16 278 3 10, 14 279 2 21 278 17 3, 10, 11 3355 12 91, 115 CO OSSIANS 3 18 . 19 264 17 8 337, 3386 3, 4 278 1 15 269 3 19, 20 142 17 11-14 3436 5 265 1 15 .17 48 3 20, 21 324 17 16, 17 3496 23 39, 77, 249 1 18 267,276,357 2 PETER 18 1-4 3188 1, 33 278 2 16, 17 201 1 3, 4 35 18 20 3588 16-18, 2 18 88 1 4-11 278 19 9 21028-30 278 3 1-4 280 1 5-11 330 19 11 3098 21,22 372 1 THESSA ONIANS 1 13,14 246 19 11-21 3489 10-13 182 2 12 276 1 15 209 19 19-21 3499 11 184 4 15-17 303 1 21 205 20 1-3 3509 14-16 355 4 16 50 2 1-3, 19 280 20 4, 6 330, 35510 6, 7 350 5 1-4 345 2 3, 4 132 20 5 36810 11-17 272 2 THESSA ONIANS 2 5 140 20 5,6 26711 29 355 2 1-3 280 3 5 134 20 7-10 36912 4, 5 276 2 14 278 3 5, 8 140 20 10 370Chap . 13 312 1 TIMOTHY 3 6 284 20 11 35413 1 54, 308, 311 1 9 . 10 79 3 7, 8 366 20 12-15 36615 4 202 2 5, 8 249 3 7, 10-12 283 21 1-5 35316 20 98 2 13,14 90 3 8 112 21 4 3681 CORINTHIANS 3 14-5 13 215 3 10 351 21 5 2101 9 278 3 16 247 3 13 352 21 8 3642 13 376 8 16 27, 248 3 15, 18 210 21 14 270

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THE NEW WOR D describeshuman history fromperfect man's original worldthrough the present and intothe righteous new world . Italso explains the reason ofhuman suffering till now andits complete removal, by clearingup with modern detail theentire prophetic drama of Job .THE NEW WOR D is bound in peach-colored cloth,gorgeously embossed with title and design . It contains 38 1pages of reading text, a scripture index, a subject index,and artistic illustrations in color . Mailed, postpaid, to anyaddress, on your contribution of 25c a copy .CHI DREN is grand readingfor all who desire lifeeternal as childrenof theKing amid the delights of theglorious new world . Its styleis very simple, with a greatdeal of narrative, but it iseducation of the highest andmost urgent kind today .CHI DREN comes in sky-blue binding, with gold titleand cover embossing, bearing 384 pages beautifully illustratedin color, and a convenient index of subjects . Mailed,postage prepaid, to any designated address, on a 25c contribution.WATCHTOWER 117 ADAMS ST. BROOK YN 1, N . Y .

The Emphatic DiaglottWith the Diaglott, you do not need to knowGreek . The name Diaglott means "throughthe tongue" that is to say, through the originallanguage of the Scriptures from the gospelof Matthew to Revelation you can get atthe true and original sense of such Scriptures .How does The Emphatic Diaglott make thispossible Note the illustration belowWith the above arrangement you can makeyour own personal check on the new emphaticEnglish translation in the right-hand column .This translation is based on the sublinearword-for-word translation, also on renderingsof eminent critics, and on readings of the mostancient Bible manuscript in Greek, the VaticanManuscript No . 1209, and other old MSS .The Emphatic Diaglott also contains illustrative and explanatoryfootnotes, an abundant selection of Scripture references,a history of the Greek text, a history of the EnglishVersion, introductory information on the Greek alphabetand grammar, and a valuable alphabetical appendix of geographicaland proper names, apostolic words and phrases,etc ., in the Scriptures. It contains 924 pages, and is bound inblue leatherette, with title embossing in gold. Mailed, postpaid,on a contribution of 2 .00 a copy .WATCHTOWER 117 ADAMS ST . BROOK YN 1, N. Y.

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