Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive
Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive
Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive
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<strong>Year</strong>book 9<br />
ciples <strong>of</strong> truth and righteousness. Even the religionists<br />
<strong>of</strong> the great Protestant and Catholic organizations,<br />
the Jewish and pagan religious orders, were<br />
involved in the affairs <strong>of</strong> the world, afterward devoting<br />
their attention to the League <strong>of</strong> Nations and the<br />
problems <strong>of</strong> this old, dying system <strong>of</strong> things. Forgotten<br />
was the statement in the Word <strong>of</strong> God: ''Whoever,<br />
therefore, wants to be a friend <strong>of</strong> the world is<br />
constituting himself an enemy <strong>of</strong> God." (Jas. 4: 4,<br />
NW) No, the nations <strong>of</strong> the earth had no time to seek<br />
the kingdom <strong>of</strong> God as the only hope for mankind.<br />
This seeking was left to a remnant <strong>of</strong> God's people,<br />
just a few faithful followers pictured by this young<br />
man in the vision <strong>of</strong> Zechariah. They were willing to<br />
use the measuring line in God's organization.<br />
This city <strong>of</strong> Jerusalem was not to be like a walled<br />
city, having limited boundaries so no one could get in<br />
or out if the gates were closed; but it would be like<br />
an unwalled village without limits. It was to be a<br />
growing city because <strong>of</strong> the mass <strong>of</strong> men and <strong>of</strong> beasts<br />
that would come to inhabit it. It would continue to<br />
spread and reach out into new fields. This is just<br />
what is now happening to God's organization. From<br />
1918 onward this little remnant <strong>of</strong> God's people persistently<br />
continued to proclaim the kingdom "f God<br />
as at hand. The nations were not interested in that<br />
kingdom. They were opposed to it. But, on the other<br />
hand, thousands <strong>of</strong> persons <strong>of</strong> good will from all these<br />
nations hearkened to the message <strong>of</strong> God's anointed<br />
and they came to God's organization, Jerusalem, this<br />
expanding city, and sought advice and instruction<br />
within it. According to the Society's own reports, back<br />
in the year 1918 there were only 3,868 persons who<br />
were proclaiming the message <strong>of</strong> the Kingdom to the<br />
peoples <strong>of</strong> the world, inviting them to seek refuge,<br />
comfort and consolation within Jerusalem. The Lord's<br />
spirit was upon this little band <strong>of</strong> faithful servants<br />
as they steadily preached and reached out to the ends<br />
<strong>of</strong> the earth with this good news. It was not long until
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