THE scene now changes, and new conditions arise. This does not mean that the new world promised of God in Eden came after the great Flood. Rather, God began to make a new series of prophetic pictures brightening the vision of the new world yet to come. More than two thousand years after that typical fulfillment of the divine mandate by Noah's sons the inspired writer wrote: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13) Today unrighteousness has gone to seed, in spite of all religious reformation and all human attempts at moral reconstruction of man. Thank God that the new world, wherein dwells righteousness, does not wait for man
and does not come by man! Therefore let the lovers of righteousness not be disheartened and despair because of the present great unrighteousness which is beyond human power to remove. Let them lift up their heads and rejoice at the signs of the new world at hand.
Almighty God, ever in control of the situation, permitted the defeated Satan and his demons to remain after the Flood and to reorganize, because it was not yet God's time to settle the primary issue once and for all and to usher in the new world. Satan immediately began to set up another world with its "heavens" and "earth". His "heavens" of wicked spirits or demons he organized. Because he is a counterfeiter he, in this organizing work, mimicked the organization of the One whom he would be like, the Most High God. Therefore the apostle who was given many "visions and revelations of the Lord" writes this warning to the Christians, particularly to Jehovah's witnesses and their companions in this crucial time: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in heavenly places." — Ephesians 6:11,12, margin.
Scheming religionists maliciously say that Jehovah's witnesses are subversive and fighting against the government of men. To such
let those foregoing words of the inspired apostle be the authoritative answer that the true Christians who witness for Jehovah and His new world are not fighting men and have no fight with them or their visible governments. The fight of Jehovah's witnesses is now and ever since the days of Abel has been with the demons, the promoters of religion. Out of all creatures on earth the fight of the demons is primarily against Jehovah's witnesses. Therefore religious men and organizations and their political allies who fight against Jehovah's witnesses are wittingly or unwittingly lending themselves to the service of the demons in their crusade. — Romans 6:16; 1 John 3:12.
Before Jehovah God gave his next revelation concerning the new world of promise, Satan had gotten his dragon organization set up in heaven and also gotten the "earth", or visible part of his organization, established. As long as Noah lived he stood for and upheld the Theocratic rule respecting men. But the later descendants of Noah forsook the faithful instruction of their forefather. They turned their faces away from the new world to come. They became blind to God's promise and would not wait upon him to fulfill it in His own time and way and by the Seed of his "woman". They quickly forgot the meaning of the Flood and departed from the fear of the Almighty One, who there demonstrated his power, and they fell to the
religion of the fear of men and creatures and hence to the fear and worship of the demons. They looked to the creature instead of to the Creator. (Romans 1:21-32) Instead of waiting and looking to God to produce His Seed, the Deliverer, they yielded to the suggestions of the demons and rallied to the one whom the demons designated as the "seed of the woman", but who was no other than one of the seed of the Serpent that opposes the true Seed. There is cause to believe that the demons excited the bodies of the wild beasts and so controlled those wild animals that Nimrod was forced to the fore as a "mighty hunter before the Lord", that is to say, superior to and in opposition to Jehovah God. (Genesis 10:7-10; McClintock & Strong Cyclopaedia, on "Nimrod") Thus men put their trust in a man who could fight their battles with carnal weapons. Him they hailed and honored and worshiped as the promised seed. Nimrod dishonored Jehovah God by accepting all this worship and gave no glory to God. On this wise the demons used Nimrod to organize religion in the earth. He was canonized as a saint or deity after his death, history shows.
Having got the religious fear and attachment of the people, Nimrod next organized human government. It was under demon rule, because it was not a Theocracy but was a union of religion and the political state. It was a kingdom with religion in the saddle,
and which religion has been demonstrated to be demonism and not the worship of the Most High and Almighty God Jehovah. Nimrod dominated that kingdom. It was therefore a totalitarian government or arbitrary dictatorship with religion or demonism as spiritual guidance to bind the oppressed people to the dictator. This is clear from the record which says: "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon." (Genesis 10:10, margin) That name "Babylon" or "Bab-il" means "gate of god", certainly not meaning Jehovah God, whom Nimrod considered inferior to himself, but the demon god, "the prince of the demons," Satan the Devil. Nimrod gathered his subjects into cities, and this forced the development of commerce. Thus the commercial element or commercial traffickers came into existence and were used to enrich the political state and back it up financially and to support religion or demonism. For the advancement of political control and commercial power the "strong-arm squad" was organized, and the Bible discloses that aggressive wars of conquest were carried on.
Men became awed at the power of the human state and worshiped and feared it, and lost out of mind all thought of and desire for God's new world and its Government. Thus the first earthly government established by man since the Flood was set up under the influence of demons and was subject to the
invisible demon rule. But to whom have all governments organized by the will and power of man since then been subject? The decision of the Son of God authoritatively answers that vital question, and the record of that decision reads: "And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou, therefore, wilt worship me [as those kingdoms of the world do], all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. " — Luke 4:5-8; Matthew 4:8-10.
Righteous Noah, who walked with God, had no part in the exaltation of Nimrod and the building of his kingdom of Babylon. Noah kept himself unspotted therefrom and maintained his integrity toward God and his promised new world. Babylon was the foundation of that "earth" which Satan organized as the visible part of the world. Therefore Babylon became a symbol of Satan's entire organization and in the Scriptures his organization is called "Babylon". Thus from its very foundation that "earth" was subject to demon rule. The inhabiters of that "earth" have ever been overreached by the demons and subject to their superior, in-
visible power, no matter how sincere and honest the effort of well-meaning men to organize and establish better government of and by men. This Scriptural reason gives the right explanation of the continual deterioration of human government, and of the present state of government in every land, suffering "distress of nations, with perplexity". — Luke 21: 25.
Such being the origin of "this world", and its course being well known to all students of history, it has no relationship with God's "new world", but is evil and sinful. Hence concerning God's beloved Son it is written: "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." (Galatians 1:4) Its god is not Jehovah the Almighty nor his only begotten Son and has nothing in common with them, but is their adversary. Therefore the Son of God said: "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." (John 14:30) Those who are of this world are unbelievers, and the apostle explains the reason, saying: "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Therefore the apostle warns the Christians that they cannot go the way of this world which forgets Jehovah God, but that, "denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:12,13) This present world being subject to demon rule and hence ungodly, the apostle warns the Christians, the sons of God, against the demon attacks, saying: "He that was begotten of God keepeth himself, and the evil one toucheth him not. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one." — 1 John 5:18,19, Am. Rev. Ver.
In the great issue of universal domination there is no compromise between Jehovah God and Satan's world or organization. A pure and undefiled worshiper of Almighty God can have no part in the policies and schemes and purposes of this world; he must use his powers of speech to declare God's praises and purpose. To this effect are the apostle's words: "And if any one thinketh that he worshippeth God, and doth not restrain his tongue, but his heart deceiveth him; his worship is vain. For the worship that is pure and holy before God the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and that one keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:26,27, Murdock's Syriac translation) One cannot be God's friend and at the same time be the friend of God's enemy. For one who devotes himself to God to then seek the approval of
the world is spiritual uncleanness. To those so doing the apostle says: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:4) Friendship with the world means breaking one's integrity toward God. Mark now the course of Jehovah's faithful witnesses of old.
ABRAHAM
Nimrod's Babylon was built on the banks of the Euphrates river in the land which came to be called Mesopotamia and which is so called to this day. All the land and territory of Babylon later came to be called "the land of the Chaldeans", or "Chaldea". The Chaldeans or "Chaldees" appear to have been first located in the lower part or southern part of the Mesopotamian valley, and there they built a city called "Ur of the Chaldees". This city was under the power and influence of Babylon and was hence a part of the "earth" subject to demon rule. — Genesis 11:27,28.
There in Ur of the Chaldees Jehovah God found a man of faith, who believed God's promise concerning the Seed of His "woman" and His new world. Consequently this man refused to have any part in the man-made governments of this world, and kept himself unspotted therefrom. That man was not a Chaldean or Babylonian or Cushite,
but a descendant of Noah through Shem. His name was Abram, which name God later changed to Abraham.
Abraham found himself in the midst of Satan's world. The Chaldeans in Ur were demon-worshipers and deified Nimrod as the promised seed of the woman. God acquainted Abraham with the history of His dealings toward faithful men before Abraham and made known to him the divine promises concerning the Seed of God's "woman" and the coming of the new world under a new government. Abraham believed in and looked forward to the new world and took his stand for it. Therefore God instructed Abraham to move out of worldly Ur of the Chaldees and become a sojourner on earth. At the same time God made an unconditional promise to Abraham giving further information on the identity of the promised Seed and the blessings to come to faithful men through that Seed. Said Jehovah God to Abraham: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." — Genesis 12:1-3.
Having arrived in the land God promised to give him, Abraham sojourned there in tents. He took no part in the governments of the inhabitants who dwelt in cities which had foundations built by men. Amid that worldly surrounding Abraham had no permanent settled dwelling-place. Under those
circumstances God miraculously gave Abraham a seed, a son, Isaac. When Isaac was grown to manhood, Jehovah God further tested the faith of Abraham by instructing him to sacrifice his beloved Isaac on the altar to God. Abraham obeyed to the very point of striking his son dead on the altar, when God's angel stopped the fall of the sacrificial knife and a ram was miraculously provided to take Isaac's place. Thereupon God gave Abraham further information as to the line of descent of the promised Seed, saying: "And THY seed shall possess the gate of his enemies: and in THY seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 22:17,18) There God made a living picture showing Himself as the unselfish Father who gives his only begotten Son to be the King of the new world and also to be the ransom sacrifice for those who accept and receive the blessings of life from God and through the Seed of His "woman". There Isaac pictured that only begotten Son who becomes the "seed" of God's "woman" and who maintains his integrity on earth faithfully unto the death and who offers his life as a perfect sacrifice for the blessing of all persons who have faith and who obey like Abraham. Because of Abraham's so great faith and obedience God accounted him righteous, and "he was called the friend of God". This means that the world was the enemy to Abraham.
Abraham left this present world behind and moved forward in God's service, looking always ahead to the new world and its Righteous Government. Therefore Abraham was of that cloud of faithful witnesses of Jehovah named at Hebrews, chapter eleven, and concerning him it is written: "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city [the Government of the new world] which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11:9,10,17-19) Abraham was joyful in the hope and prospect of the new world. He could endure any trials of faith and patience, yes, any sacrifice, in the hope of entering in God's due time into that new world and living under the Government of the promised Seed of God's "woman". Therefore Jesus, who became the Seed of the promise, said to that patriarch's descendants: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." — John 8:56.
SEVEN WORLD POWERS
Meantime Satan, "the prince of this world," was pushing his scheme of world domination, and he grimly carried forward the development of the "earth" or visible part of his world organization. God foresaw its full development and foretold that it would be dominated by seven world powers in succession. These correspond with the seven crowned heads of Satan's dragon organization, each one of those heads symbolizing a demon prince who should invisibly control one of those successive world powers. Therefore God prophetically pictured Satan's visible earthly organization as a wild beast brought forth by demon power and rule, and out of the sea of humanity who are alienated from God and subject to the demons. Besides combining in itself the qualities of three powerful beasts of prey, that wild beast had seven heads and ten horns. These represent the seven world powers in their order, with total [ten-horn] power to push and regiment the people and to fight against Jehovah's universal domination. That those seven world powers were not part of God's organization, but were built up by demon power and help, God's prophecy says of that beast out of the sea: "And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat [throne], and great authority." (Revelation 13:1, 2) This exposure of origins, mark you, is God's, not man's.
Babylon was the first organized human government under demon rule, but the Bible shows that ancient Egypt was the first world power of the series of seven. Therefore Egypt tried to do injury to Abraham and his descendants. Egypt was to the south of the Holy Land promised to Abraham, and so the world power of Egypt and its allies came to be spoken of in prophecy as "the king of the south". The historic facts show that the seventh world power became allied with and took over the protectorate of Egypt and hence came to be included under the symbolic name of "the king of the south". The Bible further shows the second world power was Assyria, north of the Holy Land. Then came the third world power, Babylonia, also to the north. It was overthrown by the fourth world power, Persia. This fell before the fifth world power, Greece. (Daniel 8: 20,21) This one yielded the supremacy to the sixth world power, Rome, also to the north, and a continual foe to Egypt. There the world power of Rome and its allies came to be known as "the king of the north"; and the destructive course of that totalitarian world power is foretold in marvelous detail in the prophecy of Daniel, chapter eleven. In course of time pagan Rome became papal Rome, but still totalitarian.
Papal Rome made alliance with the Germanic ruler to set up the so-called "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation".
That alliance of papal power with the German power was renewed in 1933 by the concordat made between Pius XI and the totalitarian dictator of Germany. This time the purpose is to restore the old "Holy Roman Empire", and that concordat between religion and the totalitarian state continues to this day.
The Bible does not name the seventh world power. All accurate and honest students of history agree that it is the great world-wide combine of the English-speaking peoples which have been the bulwarks of democratic and constitutional government. The British-American world combine is the seventh head that dangerously wounded the sixth head in the world conflict of 1914-1918. That wounded head was healed thereafter, and all the world has been caused to marvel. (Revelation 13:3) And now the Anglo-American combine, as the ally of Egypt and as the professed champion of democracy and the foe of the totalitarian "king of the north", bears the mantle of "the king of the south". Liberty-loving peoples watch anxiously while the duel between the two "kings" for world domination goes on.
TYPICAL THEOCRACY
While the political, religious and commercial elements of the visible part of Satan's organization were pushing their schemes for world dominance, and this by the sufferance
of God, the Lord God began to make a series of types, or prophetic patterns. These pictured in a miniature way the Righteous Government that He would set up in his own appointed time. These types served as a "shadow of good things to come", after the founding of the new world. (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:17) By the providence and leading of God the Israelite descendants of Abraham went down into Egypt. There they lived for a time, expecting God Almighty to bring them forth in his due time and to settle them in the land which he had promised to give to Abraham and his seed after him. Satan hated the Israelites because they were God's favored people and were connected with God's promise of the Seed of the "woman". Therefore Satan tried to corrupt them with religion while there in Egypt and he stirred up its Pharaohs to pass laws and to take other drastic measures of regimentation and enforced labor to destroy the Israelites. In their extremity God raised them up a deliverer, his prophet Moses, who was a prophetic figure foreshadowing the coming Deliverer, the Seed of the "woman". — Deuteronomy 18:15-18; Acts 3:20-23.
Just before their deliverance from Satan's world power Almighty God revealed to Moses his name Jehovah. By Moses and his brother Aaron Jehovah caused His name to be declared throughout all the land before showing his power over Satan, the invisible
ruler of "the king of the south" and whom Pharaoh of Egypt served and represented. (Exodus 9:16) Further, God used Moses as His mediator and brought the Israelites into a covenant with God, which covenant was made valid and binding upon them by the blood of the lamb of the Passover Feast. The Israelites agreed to the covenant and complied with the law thereof which God began to give. Thus they became the covenant people of God, His typical people. In proof of that truth the inspired apostle wrote: "Now all these things happened unto them for types: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." — 1 Corinthians 10:11, margin.
That very Passover night God showed his power over Satan's world power in fulfillment of his warning: "Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment." (Exodus 12:12) He led his people forth by the hand of Moses. In further manifestation of his power to exercise the universal domination Jehovah God cut through the waters of the Red sea and led his people across dryshod. Then he completed the execution of his judgment upon the demon world-power by there swallowing up in destruction the armed hosts of Egypt. Today the "ends of the world" are come upon us. Therefore that ancient typical event of deliverance of God's covenant people and his destruction of enemy world power should be a most forceful admonition to
all men who want to survive the coming world destruction and to live for ever free and happy in the new world.
At Mount Sinai, in the wilderness of Arabia, Jehovah confirmed his covenant with the Israelites and gave to them the full expression of his law as their protection against religion. (Galatians 3:19,24) God organized them into a typical Theocracy. Through Moses he said to them: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." — Exodus 19: 5,6.
The word "theocracy" does not occur in the Bible, but the root words of this compound term, namely, theos and kratos, do occur often in the Greek "New Testament" part of the Bible. For example, 1 Peter 4:11: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God [theos] in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion [kratos] for ever and ever. Amen." Also Jude 25: "To the only wise God [theos] our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion [kratos] and power, both now and ever. Amen." Also Revelation 1: 5, 6: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and
priests unto God [theos] and his Father; to him be glory and dominion [kratos] for ever and ever. Amen." (Note also Revelation 5:13; 1 Peter 5:10,11.) Thus "theocracy" is seen to mean "God's dominion".
The term "theocracy", theokrati'a, was first used by the Jewish historian in the first century A.D., and who wrote: "Some legislators have permitted their governments to be under monarchies, others put them under oligarchies, and others under a republican form, but our legislator [Moses] had no regard to any of these forms, but he ordained our government to be what, by a strained expression, may be termed a Theocracy [Theokrati'a], by ascribing the authority and the power to God." (From Josephus' second book Against Apion, section 17) The recognized Webster's Dictionary of today defines the true Theocracy as, "Government of a state by the immediate direction or administration of God"; and the counterfeit theocracy as, "the exercise of political authority by priests as representing the Deity." According to the Bible definition of it the real Theocracy means the immediate direction and administration of the world by Jehovah God and through his anointed King, The Seed of His "woman".
Jehovah God is therefore the Great Theocrat, and his Son is now the Theocratic King. Jehovah is the Author of the THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT under Christ Jesus his Son.
It is the only hope of humankind who desire life and righteousness and peace. God is not the Author of any other ocracy. He is definitely not the author of the religious-totalitarian autocracy of the arbitrary dictators of that "king of the north" combine. But what shall be said for democracy? Do not the religionists of the "king of the south" combine claim it is of God and is therefore imperishable and is the hope of the world?
God's Holy Word says nothing about democracy. Whence, then, is it? The Encyclopaedia Britannica (eleventh edition, volume viii) says: "DEMOCRACY (Greek demokrati'a, from demos, the people, i.e., the commons, and kratos, rule), in political science, that form of government in which the people rules itself, either directly, as in the small city-states of Greece, or through representatives. According to Aristotle, democracy is the perverted form of the third form of government, which he called politei'a, 'polity' or 'constitutional government,' the rule of the majority of the free and equal citizens, as opposed to monarchy and aristocracy, the rule respectively of an individual and of a minority consisting of the best citizens. Aristotle's restriction of 'democracy' to bad popular government, i.e., mob-rule, or, as it has sometimes been called, 'ochlocracy' (ochlos, mob), was due to the fact that the Athenian democracy had in his day degenerated far below the ideals of the 5th century;"
As to the origin of that political rule of the Athenians God's record at Acts 17:22 throws revealing light. It reads: "And Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, 'Athenians, I perceive that in all things you are extremely devoted to the worship of DEMONS.'" (Emphatic Diaglott translation; also Rotherham's) Let it be borne in mind, too, that "the prince of Grecia" was the fifth head of the great red dragon in heaven. (Daniel 10:20) Also, Greece as a world power was symbolized as the fifth head of the wild beast that came out of the sea of the people (demos) alienated from God. (Revelation 12:3; 13:1; Acts 12:22; 17:5; 19:30,33) The religionists of "the king of the south" who are calling for "more religion" and appealing to the political state to protect religion are therefore correct in their catch argument to the state that one of the basic foundations of democracy is religion.
Further concerning the origins of democracy, note a textbook recently in use in American public schools, namely, "On the Road to Civilization — A World History." It says, on pages 91 and 98: "It was frequently through tyranny that the Greeks came to full democracy. When they became dissatisfied with their tyrants and overthrew them, the people undertook the work of government themselves, instead of returning to oligarchical rule. By this time the cavalry of the nobles was displaced by the phalanx as the
first line of defense. The phalanx, made up of foot soldiers drawn from the peasants, fought in solid ranks with spear and shield. The common man could now demand political rights in recognition of his military service. A form of democracy became the prevailing type in the city-states, and was one of the chief contributions of Greece to political history. . . . Sometimes the nobles lead the masses against a tyrannical dictator. Always the common man is seeking a larger share of the good things of life. Thus far in the world's history, democracy, with all its faults, has been the best answer to this problem."
On the other hand, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV, pages 708, 710, under the title "Democracy", quotes the late pope Leo XIII as favoring something which he calls "Christian Democracy", and says: "In the end the word democracy won; and Leo XIII in the Encyclical 'Graves de communi' (18 January, 1901) declared as acceptable and accepted the expression 'Christian democracy' as meaning neither more nor less than POPULAR CATHOLIC ACTION." In America "Catholic Action" is not independent, but is subject to the local Hierarchy bishops. All this, no doubt, accounts for it that certain subjects of Leo XIII and his successors refer to American democracy as "mobocracy", because there is no union of religion and state in America and American democ-
racy is not subject to the successors of Leo XIII. Further, in democratic America and other democratic lands the Bible has been most freely circulated, and also books explaining the Bible, and freedom has been granted to worship God openly according to the Bible and the dictates of the worshiper's conscience, contrary to papal likings as expressed in encyclicals from the Vatican.
Great blessings have resulted therefrom to the democratic-minded peoples of such lands, leading to the gaining of a knowledge of the new world and everlasting life. Jehovah's witnesses are grateful and they most highly respect and fight for the freedoms which democracy offers over other forms of government. Gladly they obey all laws in harmony with righteousness and the supreme law of God, and in a peaceful and law-abiding manner they carry out their commission from the great Theocrat to preach the gospel and to warn men of His day of vengeance and to comfort all that mourn. (Isaiah 61:1-3) Hence let this not be forgotten, that Greece, the home of democracy, became the fifth world power and then it brought God's covenant people in the Holy Land under its power and control, and shortly thereafter the Grecian world power was broken up and became subject to Rome, "the king of the north." When democratic governments fight against Jehovah God by fighting against his
witnesses, it will be disastrous and lead to an end like that of Greece.
"THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES"
It is an established fact, therefore, that democracy came into existence after God's typical Theocracy was set up, in fact, after that typical Theocracy was removed and the "times of the Gentiles" or "times of the nations" set in. (Luke 21:24) Jehovah God brought his covenant people, the Israelites, into the Promised Land. As the great Theocrat he was their invisible Ruler and his Theocratic laws they obeyed. Then, to foreshadow the King of the coming Theocracy, God anointed and established David as king in Mount Zion to rule as His representative over Israel. King David was therefore said to sit in the Lord's throne. Concerning David's successor in the Theocratic kingdom it is written: "Then Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him." (1 Chronicles 29: 23, Am. Rev. Ver.) As long as Solomon was a faithful ruler he foreshadowed Jehovah's Theocratic King of the new world, and the peaceful and secure conditions of the people then foreshadowed the new-world conditions. (1 Kings 4: 25) Now the time is near when the glorious prophecy shall be fulfilled: "Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall
sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it." — Micah 4:3, 4; Isaiah 2: 4.
That typical Theocracy foreshadowing Jehovah's universal domination by his Righteous Government, it became the target of Satan and the demons. They made repeated endeavors to invade the Israelites with religion and to turn them aside from keeping their covenant with Jehovah and worshiping and obeying Him. In time the majority of the Israelites went over to religion. Only a small minority or remnant resisted religion and held true to the covenant and the worship of Jehovah God and maintained their integrity. Jehovah raised up faithful judges and the faithful prophets to deliver the people from religion or demonism and turn them back to the true worship. Those faithful men of old showed great faith and faithfulness. Because of maintaining their integrity toward God and giving a faithful witness for Jehovah they suffered much, even martyrdom, at the hands of the religionists or demon-worshipers. They exposed religion and opposed it. They warned against all worldly alliances and advocated the Theocratic rule and law. Having turned their backs upon and forsaken the world, they kept covenant with the Great Theocrat. Forward they ever looked to the fulfillment of his promises of the new world and its
Theocratic Government. They were of that "so great a cloud of witnesses" of Jehovah. Concerning their faithfulness unto death and the future hope for them it is written:
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country [the new world under The Theocracy]. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned: but now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. . . . and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world [Satan's organization which persecuted them] was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some
better thing for us [the apostle and his fellow Christians], that they without us should not be made perfect." — Hebrews 11:13-16, 35-40.
The faithful course of those men under persecution by an unworthy world was a direct and roaring answer to the Devil's libelous charge that God could not put on earth creatures who under demon and religious pressure would preserve their integrity toward God. Those faithful witnesses of old were for a vindication of Jehovah's name and shall have their glorious reward on earth. The "city", or visible organization of righteousness on earth, which God prepares for them; their "better resurrection"; and their being "made perfect", all come in connection with the new world under The Theocracy.
Yielding to the 'easily besetting sin' of religion, the Israelites became hopelessly caught in its snare and refused to heed Jehovah's faithful witnesses, the prophets. They showed their contempt for Jehovah by their wicked treatment of his witnesses. "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols; which were A SNARE unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils [unto demons (Am. Rev. Ver.)], and shed innocent blood, even the blood of
their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand." (Psalm 106: 34-42) This is historic proof of the certain disaster to which religion leads a nation.
Then Jehovah God, at the end of his appointed time of forbearance, overturned that typical Theocracy. Never again did the natural Israelites have independence and an earthly king from the royal tribe of Judah. Concerning that national disaster Jehovah had warned the unfaithful king down there at the end: "Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same: ... I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." (Ezekiel 21:25-27) The Lord God used Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, as his executioner to do the overturning. That was in 606 B.C., and there the "seven times", the "times of the Gentiles", began. (Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32; Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28;
Luke 21:24) Reckoned according to prophetic time, those times were due to run 2,520 years (7 X 360 years) and hence ran out in A.D. 1914. Those Gentile powers or nations were the "earth" or visible part of Satan's world organization. Hence God's decree meant that Satan should continue to exercise uninterrupted rule over the earth until 1914; and then his world, or uninterrupted rule, would end. That is to say, his rule would there begin to be interrupted and interfered with by the establishment of the real Theocracy.
The decreeing of seven Gentile times under demon rule would mean that God had fixed a limit to Satan's world. It would mean that the promised Theocratic Government or kingdom of God by Christ Jesus could not be put in operation till that limit was reached and Satan's world or uninterrupted rule ended. Therefore the "end of the world" would mean the end of Satan's having things all his own way, and that at A.D. 1914, by the setting up of The Theocracy, Satan's organization or world was definitely "a goner", that is, as good as gone. There the "time of the end" began upon the Satanic organization, and from then on it would be going on to its FINAL END, its destruction in the "battle of that great day of God Almighty", the battle of Armageddon. Fulfilled prophecy proves beyond denial that 1914 marked the end of Satan's world or
uninterrupted rule, and there the "time of the end" of his world organization began. — Daniel 11:40; 12:4.
END OF THE EON (GREEK: AION)
Wherever the expression "the end of the world" occurs in the Scriptures from and after Christ it is always the end of "the eon", or aion (Greek). That eon means more than a time period in this Bible expression is proved by the use of the word at Galatians 1: 4, showing how the Christian's relation to this aion was changed by Christ Jesus: "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world [aion], according to the will of God and our Father." The delivered ones were still living in the same period of TIME, but what they were delivered from was the uninterrupted rule of Satan; as it is written: "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." (Colossians 1:13) Concerning those who love Satan's rule and organization, note 2 Timothy 4:10: "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world [aion], and is departed." Satan is "the god of this world [aion]"; and when the world ends it means his uninterrupted rule ends, and thereafter his wicked organization, both "heavens" and "earth", must go. The Theocracy's rule then begins, and goes on uninterruptedly forever. — Revelation 11:15.
Concerning the final end or destruction of both the invisible part of Satan's world and the visible part thereof, the inspired apostle writes: "But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up." (2 Peter 3: 7,10) This "present evil world" must end and make way for the "world to come", the "world without end".
When the typical Theocracy had served its purpose of making prophetic pictures, Jehovah God took it away and overturned the nation that had served in connection therewith. The natural Israelites were carried away from the Holy Land and interned as captives in Babylon, which had now become the third world power. There was a faithful remnant among them. Many of the captives fell away to the religion of Babylon, but the remnant kept themselves therefrom, even when it meant to suffer being cast into a supercharged fiery furnace or into the lions' den, and these maintained their integrity toward God. Then Jehovah used King Cyrus of Persia to overthrow Babylon, picturing the destruction of Satan's organization, and to let the faithful Israelites go free.
The faithful remnant went forth and returned to Jerusalem and were used of God in rebuilding the temple on Zion and rewalling the typical city. This pictured a like remnant in our period of history who are delivered by the Greater Cyrus when he comes to the temple for judgment and who then engage in the temple service of the pure worship of Jehovah God. — Isaiah 45:1,13; 10:21,22; Haggai 1:12,14; Zephaniah 3:13.
FOUNDATION OF THE NEW WORLD
In these days of great world crisis religious leaders and prominent political figures draw great public attention to themselves and also a great following after them by making boastful claims and promises of founding a "new world order", an order "founded on moral principles" according to their standards of conduct. They offer each his own program of a different number of "points", and paint a rosy picture of what it will mean to humankind to adopt and follow them. Scan every one of them, and you will find that not a single program of theirs takes into consideration The THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, which Almighty God has founded on the sure and eternal foundation. They ascribe to themselves all the ability and power and push Jehovah's purpose aside. Thereby they forget God and say in effect, "There is no God"; and they are fools. (Psalm 53:1) The wise, however, will con-
sider God's purpose, and not be deceived by mere men.
The fullness of times had come, and the time had now arrived to lay the Foundation of the new world. That Foundation must be the Seed of God's "woman", meaning God's universal organization Zion. Therefore Jehovah took one from among his holy universal organization. Whom? His pre-eminent one, his firstborn and only begotten Son, The Word. God had confidence that this ever-obedient One would maintain his integrity on earth under the most crucial test, to the very death, and thereby would vindicate Jehovah's name. This One must give up everything then possessed in heaven and later on in earth, in order to be worthy and inherit the Theocratic kingship of the new world. He must be like the man who found the pearl of great price or the hid treasure and sold all that he had to buy it. (Matthew 13: 44-46) On earth he must be a faithful and true witness for his Father and must bear witness to the truth of the Kingdom or Theocracy. Secondarily he must give his human life as a ransom or redemption price for all those who shall gain life in the new world.
During the time that the sixth world power, Rome, was dominating the earth, including Palestine, Jehovah God sent his beloved Son to earth. This does not mean that the Son of God remained a spirit creature and merely materialized in the flesh as the angel did
at the birth of the Savior of mankind, an "incarnation" as religion calls it. No, it means that the Son of God laid aside spirit existence and that his Father Jehovah transferred his life to the womb of a devoted virgin of the tribe of Judah and he was BORN, not incarnated, as a perfect human creature. The Scripture is specific on this miraculous transference of life: "And the Word WAS MADE flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Thus he was still the Son of God, though born of an imperfect woman who was a descendant of the sinner Adam. His new designation, "The Son of man," meant, not that he was a son of Adam, but that by virtue of presenting his perfect human life for a ransom he gained title to all the life rights and privileges possessed by the perfect man in Eden. — Matthew 16:13; 18:11; 20:28.
God had foretold that his Son's name on earth should be called JESUS, which means "Jehovah is the Savior", because salvation is of Jehovah and by his Son. He was born of the earthly lineage of King David and in David's native city, Bethlehem. Because David had a faithful interest in God's temple and worship, Jehovah God made a covenant with David for the kingdom, meaning the real Theocracy. God promised that of David's lineage should come the one to be
the Theocratic ruler of the everlasting kingdom or Theocracy. The anointed King David was therefore himself a type of Christ Jesus. (2 Samuel chapter seven) Concerning this Jehovah said: "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven." — Psalm 89: 34-36, 28, 29.
At Jesus' birth in Bethlehem God chose not the wealthy, long-robed, high-titled clergymen of religion at the temple as witnesses to that event. He chose the honest, hard-working, God-fearing shepherds tenderly watching over their sheep by night. Jehovah's messenger materialized and announced to them the birth, the event which was the forerunner of the new world promised. Then a host of other heavenly messengers manifested their presence and sang a prophecy of the wondrous outcome of what was now in progress: "Glory in the highest unto God! and on earth peace, among men of good-will." (Luke 2:14, Rotherham) That means particularly "men of good-will" today, because we are at the portals of the new world, which world brings the highest
glory to Jehovah God and peace to all those of good-will on earth.
At his maturity as a man, at thirty years of age, Jesus, who had come to earth to do Jehovah's will, consecrated himself or entered into a solemn covenant with God to do his will, whatever God might thereafter reveal to Jesus. John the Baptist was one of the faithful men of old and was the last of that "cloud of witnesses" of Jehovah, and he was acting as a forerunner announcing the coming and work of Jesus. (Matthew 11:12,13; Luke 16:16) Therefore Jesus came to John and had John baptize him in the Jordan river in outward symbol of his consecration to be dead and buried to his own will and to be raised to life to do God's will. Jehovah accepted Jesus' consecration and took him into the covenant of sacrifice to be faithful unto God unto death and to sacrifice his human life. (Psalm 50: 5) The proof of this is the fact that Jehovah God poured his spirit upon Jesus and begot him of the spirit, unto life in the spirit as a spiritual son of God. There, too, Jehovah God the Father acknowledged Jesus as henceforth his spiritual Son, by the manifestation of the emblem of the spirit, the dove that descended upon Jesus, and by the words from heaven: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." — Matthew 3:16,17.
Being there taken into the covenant by sacrifice and being thenceforth the spirit-
begotten Son of God, Jesus was in effect there slain as a man with all human prospects for himself and he was now dead to all such. Then "the heavens were opened unto him" and he as a spirit-begotten Son of God looked forward to life in the spirit with his heavenly Father such as he had enjoyed in heaven before being "made flesh" and becoming a man. (John 17:5; 6: 62) The human sacrifice of Jesus was prefigured by that Passover lamb slain down there in Egypt. Jesus was in effect now like that slain lamb whose blood was thereafter sprinkled upon the doorways and whose flesh was then feasted upon by Jehovah's covenant people. (1 Corinthians 5: 7) Being thereupon begotten to life as a spiritual Son, Jesus was then anointed with God's spirit of power. That anointing was the designating and appointment of Jesus to be the Christ, the anointed King of the new world. He was the Chief One, the Fundamental One, the First and All-essential One, of the new world. There then was when the foundation of the new world was laid. Hence he is called "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [kosmos; the new world]". — Revelation 13: 8; 17: 8.
The prophecies which had been delivered and recorded centuries before this event showed that Jehovah God had foreordained his beloved Son to this essential role. Hence the apostle writes that the Christians are
redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world [kosmos; the new world] but was manifest in these last times for you". (1 Peter 1:18-20) Also, Jesus said in prayer to his heavenly Father: "Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world [kosmos]." (John 17:24) His human sacrifice was perfect. It was therefore fully adequate to redeem the right to perfect life and attendant human blessings which Adam had forfeited by sin. Therefore Jesus made one sacrifice and it needs no repetition as in the unscriptural "sacrifice of the mass", so called. "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world [the new world; kosmos]: but now once in the end of the world [aion] hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:12,25, 26) His sacrifice opened the Way for everlasting blessings under God's kingdom for those who become his "other sheep". (John 10:16) Hence concerning the "sheep" placed at his right hand in the present judgment of the nations it is written: "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom [blessings] prepared for you from the foundation of the world [kosmos; the new world]." — Matthew 25:34.
