CHAPTER IV
CURSE OF VENGEANCE
(ZECHARIAH, CHAPTER 5)
JEHOVAH wrote his judgments long in advance of the time of execution, and now he discloses the meaning thereof to his anointed and sends forth the anointed to make announcement of the same. Jehovah's witnesses are severely criticized because of their plainness of speech in declaring the vengeance of Jehovah against Satan's organization. The clergy and their allies, including the "evil servant", say that these witnesses should be prevented from "slandering the other religions". They do not know that the remnant represent no 'religion', as that term is understood, but that they do represent the Lord God. Those who claim to be of the truth but who oppose the witness work of the Lord now in progress on earth say that such criticism of Satan's organization is needless and wrong. The faithful will not be at all disturbed by such adverse criticism, but will see that Jehovah makes it obligatory upon his witnesses to cry out the declaration of his vengeance, serving notice upon the enemy and warning those who desire to learn the way of righteousness.
The prophet Zechariah, in the fifth chapter, records a vision of a flying roll. "THEN I TURNED, AND LIFTED UP MINE EYES, AND LOOKED, AND BEHOLD A FLYING ROLL. AND HE SAID UNTO ME, WHAT SEEST
THOU? AND I ANSWERED, I SEE A FLYING ROLL; THE LENGTH THEREOF IS TWENTY CUBITS, AND THE BREADTH THEREOF TEN CUBITS." (5 : 1, 2) A roll is a written record. (Ezra 6: 2) What Zechariah saw was a record of Jehovah's judgment against the enemy. (5:3) One side of the record is leveled against thieves, and the other side against liars. It is not stored away in some musty vault, but is flying like an airplane, swiftly to its destination. "As the swallow in her flying, so the curse that is causeless alighteth not." (Prov. 26:2, A.R.V.) But here there is a good and sufficient cause; hence the curse comes swiftly. It is a message written in God's Word called "the volume of the book". (Ps. 40:7) To help Zechariah, now the remnant, to discern the meaning thereof, Jehovah gives 'seeing eyes', that is, understanding. (Prov. 20:12) The measure of the "ROLL" is shown to be fifteen by thirty feet, which is a great size for a record. It was unrolled and spread out flat; otherwise it could not have been measured on both sides. The dimensions equal the area of "the holy" in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 40:17-28), and suggest that the message thereof applies particularly to all who profess to be representatives of God in the land of "Christendom".
CURSE
A curse is a solemn and irrevocable declaration of what shall be the fate of those who deliberately violate God's law. The "flying roll", written on both sides, contains a message of
God's vengeance against covenant-breakers. "THEN SAID HE UNTO ME, THIS IS THE CURSE THAT GOETH FORTH OVER THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH; FOR EVERY ONE THAT STEALETH SHALL BE CUT OFF AS ON THIS SIDE ACCORDING TO IT; AND EVERY ONE THAT SWEARETH SHALL BE CUT OFF AS ON THAT SIDE ACCORDING TO IT." (5:3) It could not go forth over the face of the earth until after the coming of the Lord Jesus to the temple for judgment. The facts show that it began to go forth in 1922, when there was a "great voice out of the temple", saying to the seven angels: 'Go forth, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the whole earth.' (Rev. 16:1) The religious element of "Christendom" assume to be in a covenant with Jehovah God because of their taking the name of Christ and pretending to rely upon God's Word. This particularly applies to the clergy, who have stolen the Word of God and taken away the key of knowledge. (Luke 11: 52) "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets [false preachers], saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour." — Jer. 23:30.
The clergy and their allies in "Christendom" have "transgressed the laws [of God, and] broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." (Isa. 24:5,6; Mal. 4:5,6) They have turned many people away from God, like Absalom, who stole the hearts of the people, and this they
have done in order to serve the Devil. (2 Sam. 15:6) The curse is also against the "evil servant" class, the "man of sin", "the son of perdition." (2 Thess. 2:3) These have deliberately stolen away from God's organization the weaker ones and turned them into the Devil's company. "If a man be found stealing [away from God's organization] any of his brethren of the children of [spiritual] Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die," (Deut. 24:7) This prophecy, which is a part of the covenant God made with Israel in Moab, applies specifically to those who have responded to the call to the kingdom, and this is emphasized by the fact that the kingdom covenant was foreshadowed by the covenant made in Moab. (Deut. 1:5; The Watchtower, 1933, page 163) "Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you." (2 Pet. 2:3) The "evil servant" class has formed a partnership with the clergy in opposing the kingdom message. (Ps. 50:18; Prov. 29:24) The curse pronounced against such thieves is destruction.
This curse Christ Jesus pronounces when at the temple for judgment. (Mal. 3:5) 'False swearers' are those who have made a covenant to do the will of God and then willingly violate it. (Ps. 24:4; Lev. 19:12) False swearers have been warned by the Lord. (Eccl. 8:2) It is wicked for one to practice a religion that ignores Jehovah God; but when men claim to worship Jehovah and to follow in the footsteps of Je-
sus, and use such as a cloak for their hypocrisy, that is gross wickedness. The religion mislabeled "Christianity" or "Christendom" was adopted by the seventh world power as its religion, and for centuries the clergy of "organized Christianity" have hypocritically posed as the teachers of God's Word, have lied to the weaker ones as well as to others, and have used the texts of the Scriptures as a camouflage for their crookedness, and by this means have turned the people away from God. They well know that they have sworn falsely. Likewise those who have entered into a covenant to do God's will, and responded to the call for the kingdom, and who now oppose the proclamation of the message of the kingdom, have sworn falsely before Jehovah God, The curse will visit the habitations of these wicked ones, just as certainly as that the angel of the Lord visited each house in Egypt. — Ex. 12:23,29.
"I WILL BRING IT FORTH, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, AND IT SHALL ENTER INTO THE HOUSE OF THE THIEF, AND INTO THE HOUSE OF HIM THAT SWEARETH FALSELY BY MY NAME; AND IT SHALL REMAIN IN THE MIDST OF HIS HOUSE, AND SHALL CONSUME IT WITH THE TIMBER THEREOF AND THE STONES THEREOF." (5:4) The curse will locate the wrongdoers wherever they are, even though they may say, Who seeth us? Jehovah leaves no way of escape for them. The message of the curse reaches them by radio, telephone and in printed form, and goes into their hiding places and sweeps away 'the hiding place of lies'. The
fact that the prophet says that 'the curse shall remain in the midst of their house' shows that they are incorrigibly wicked and will be destroyed. — Jer. 23:29.
Those who oppose the truth will not believe what is here written. Only those who lift their eyes to heaven and go in faith to God and obediently follow Christ Jesus are given this vision and the understanding thereof.
"THEN THE ANGEL THAT TALKED WITH ME WENT FORTH, AND SAID UNTO ME, LIFT UP NOW THINE EYES, AND SEE WHAT IS THIS THAT GOETH FORTH." (5: 5) The angel of the Lord now discloses to the remnant the permanent place of wickedness. Satan began his wicked hypocritical religious organization on the plains of Shinar, which organization is symbolized by a woman, Satan's wife, whose name is called "Babylon". That devilish hypocritical organization has at all times stolen the Word of God and misused it, and has stolen the people away from serving God and has produced a crop of creatures that have sworn falsely before God. These religious frauds who are defamers of Jehovah's name are to be transported to their everlasting abode.
The prophet inquires of the angel, "WHAT IS IT?" and is told: "THIS IS THE EPHAH THAT GOETH FORTH. HE SAID MOREOVER, THIS IS THEIR APPEARANCE IN ALL THE LAND." (5:6, A.R.V.) The prophecy thus shows how it appears to the eyes of Jehovah who determines and metes out judgment. The ephah is a large measure and symbolizes a large measure of something. A measure denotes
judgment; therefore this prophecy means that Jehovah has measured out or judged, and that the measure is large against those denounced by the judgment.
The ephah had a lid or covering of heavy material like lead on it, and inside the ephah appeared a woman sitting, (5:7) The lid was of a base metal having the appearance of silver and therefore pictures hypocrisy, which is so successfully practiced by the Devil's religious agents; which base covering will be destroyed, (Jer. 6:29; Ezek. 22:18) The power of Jehovah lifts up this lid or covering and exposes what is inside the ephah, and therein appears a woman. This woman is evidently the Devil's wife, that is, his hypocritical organization called "Babylon". This organization gave birth to the thieves and the liars and all other lawless ones. (Rev. 17: 3, 5) Satan's organization is entirely wicked. Concerning the woman sitting in the ephah the angel spoke: "AND HE SAID, THIS IS WICKEDNESS. AND HE CAST IT INTO THE MIDST OF THE EPHAH; AND HE CAST THE WEIGHT OF LEAD UPON THE MOUTH THEREOF." (5:8) "Wickedness," in this text, means "Lawlessness" (Roth.), and particularly applies to the class whom the Lord gathers out from among his covenant people. (Matt. 13:41) This would specifically apply to the "man of sin", "the son of perdition," and all the clergy, who claim to serve God but who in fact serve the Devil. The lid was lifted up, exposing this wicked woman, and then she was pushed back inside of the ephah and the lid or
covering was closed down. Thus the Lord crates her up for transportation to where she belongs. She has no place in the "holy land", the condition of God's people, but is taken to her own place, which later the angel of the Lord explains to Zechariah.
The Lord's method of gathering out and transporting this hypocritical crowd, which is the very embodiment of lawlessness, now appears: "THEN LIFTED I UP MINE EYES, AND LOOKED, AND, BEHOLD, THERE CAME OUT TWO WOMEN, AND THE WIND WAS IN THEIR WINGS; FOR THEY HAD WINGS LIKE THE WINGS OF A STORK; AND THEY LIFTED UP THE EPHAH BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE HEAVEN." (5: 9) Undoubtedly these two women are servants of the Lord God and of the great Judge at his temple. Being females, they would be subject to the "man Christ Jesus". (1 Cor. 11:3) They therefore fitly picture the angels used by the Lord to gather out the wicked ones and to keep them away from the temple. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels [symbolized by these two women], and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things [that were in line for the kingdom] that offend, and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:41,42) The prophecy says, "THE WIND WAS IN THEIR WINGS," which signifies that the power of God was with them for the swift performance of his judgment. The wings show that they are creatures that fly swiftly before judgment. 'Having wings like a stork's' shows
that they knew the time of judgment and that the judgment time had come: "Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; . . . but my people [professed people, who are lawless] know not the judgment of the Lord." (Jer. 8:7) The stork's wings are large and able to lift heavy loads. Storks fly at a great height, and the prophecy says, "THEY LIFTED UP THE EPHAH BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE HEAVEN" and transported the old woman, the personification of lawlessness, swiftly to her everlasting abiding place.
Where does "wickedness", pictured by the occupant of the ephah, belong? This question was propounded by Zechariah, in verse ten, to which question the angel of the Lord replied: "AND HE SAID UNTO ME, To BUILD IT AN HOUSE IN THE LAND OF SHINAR; AND IT SHALL BE ESTABLISHED, AND SET THERE UPON HER OWN BASE." (5:11) The land of Shinar was the place where Satan began his organization, to turn the people away from Jehovah by means of lying and stealing; hence that land represents the beginning of lawlessness. "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Gen. 11:2,4) The covenant people of God were carried away captive into the land of Shinar, (Dan. 1:1, 2) Jehovah restored the remnant of his people in due
time, then as he has now restored his faithful remnant, taking them away from Satan's organization, and bringing them into his own organization. "In that day . . , the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people." — Isa. 11:11.
Jehovah's swift messengers, flying like storks, bear the lawless or wicked class back to the place assigned to that crowd, and that place prepared for her was symbolized by the land of Shinar. "AN HOUSE," as here used, to which the woman "WICKEDNESS" is taken, pictures a condition of perpetual death. "The grave is mine house." (Job 17:13) "All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house." (Isa. 14:18) A house denotes a place to stay, and this picture shows lawlessness assigned to a condition of everlasting destruction. The curse of Jehovah upon the wicked organization of Satan is a vindication of his holy name, and shows what shall be the result in the great war. Wickedness shall be destroyed for ever. — Ps. 145:20.
