THE hour strikes, the curtain rises, and before our eyes are unveiled the facts fulfilling the next act of the prophetic drama of Job. "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God
came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (Job 2:1, Am. Rev. Ver.) Here again the eyes of faith are given a vision of the majestic and dignified courts of Jehovah God and what there takes place. This vision compares with like visions of things impossible for human eyes to see, of the glorious and awesome presence of the great Spirit Jehovah, and the gathering of the resplendent heavenly creatures unto him, and which visions were given to other prophets highly fa-
vored of the Lord God. (See Revelation, chapter four; Isaiah, chapter six; Ezekiel, chapter one; and 1 Kings 22:19-22.)
The assembly in Jehovah's holy presence is at his invitation and call, and at his appointed time. The angelic sons of God would not burst in uninvited upon the presence of Him "whose name is Holy". During the time in between this and the previous meeting Job had been rendered a childless and poor man and had continued in this condition seemingly smitten of God. It was sufficiently long to establish the fact that Satan could not break Job's integrity by such misfortune and calamities. Was Satan now completely answered and satisfied that his charges against God and Job His servant were false? This time Satan also came "to present himself before the LORD". This suggests that, while the controversy affecting Job is on, Satan was invited to come and present himself pending the decision and that the "sons of God" were present to hear the argument and counter-argument, and to hear what would follow when the decision was reached as to the controversy at this stage.
Again Jehovah maneuvers the Devil into a consideration of this hot matter of argument. He does not hesitate to let it be forced to the limit and brought to the showdown. The showdown comes in these "last days" of the Devil's activity. "And the LORD said
unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 2: 2) Satan does not admit his defeat in his opening test on Job. Centuries later Satan did not admit his defeat in connection with the one whom Job primarily pictured, Christ Jesus, but immediately thereafter Satan stubbornly went after Christ's followers on earth. He was determined to prevent the completion of the membership of God's capital organization, The Theocracy.
"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." (Job 2:3) Having begun to make Job his target of assault, what now were Satan's conclusions as to whether a devoted servant of Jehovah God can take it? "Hast thou set thy heart UNTO my servant Job because there is none like him in the land?" (Young's) Whatever Satan's conclusions were, Jehovah called attention to the fact that Satan was a liar respecting Job and that Jehovah was vindicated by Job's unbroken integrity.
It was the need of a decisive answer to the paramount question of universal domination that moved God to allow Satan's destructive
action against Job. This shows that "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man". Hence, "let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God," that is, tempted unto evil-doing. (James 1:13) The cause of Job's great test or temptation was not because of Job himself; for Job was perfect, upright, God-fearing, avoiding lawlessness, and of blameless integrity. It was Satan that was trying to destroy Job. The only reason why Jehovah was permitting Satan's misdeeds against Job was that the conditions affecting the great issue required that Satan be given full time and full leeway to prove his challenge before the faithful angelic sons of God. Hence Jehovah God permitted Job's almost destruction. That was a great privilege for Job, though he may not have realized it at the time. "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. ... if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing than for evil doing." — 1 Peter 2:19,20; 3:17.
Of a surety, then, as Jehovah stated, at Exodus 9:16, to Pharaoh, Satan's representative in Egypt, and hence to Satan himself, Jehovah permitted Satan to remain on the attack and continue his temptation of Job only that thereby Jehovah might show his
power over Satan and that Jehovah's name might be proclaimed throughout the earth. Therefore God saw to it that the record of Job's victory was written up and preserved and that it was spread abroad over the earth. By this means, too, Jehovah's name has been declared throughout the earth; more so now than ever before, because now the fulfilling of the drama of Job to a completion is upon us.
"And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life." (Job 2:4) Still Satan does not admit defeat, but hints that Jehovah had not yet broken down all the protective barriers about Job for a real, through-and-through test. Totalitarian dictators are willing always to give the other fellow's skin for the country's sake, and a man cannot live without his skin. A selfish man will be willing to undergo the loss of all material possessions if he can escape with his life. Satan's slur made it next in order that Jehovah set up as the final qualification for those who would meet his approval and who would silence the enemy that such ones should be "faithful unto death". (Revelation 2:10) This forced the issue to the degree that in due time Christ Jesus must be obedient unto death, even the death on the tree, in order to rebut the Devil's argument on every point. (Philippians 2:8) Hence Jesus stated for his faithful followers the only standard that could successfully answer the Devil's chal-
lenge: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children [Job had just lost all his children], and brethren, and sisters, YEA, AND HIS OWN LIFE ALSO, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26,27) Furthermore, to puncture Satan's "skin for skin" argument, Jesus said: "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." — Matthew 10:39.
In the course of the drama Job showed that Satan's argument here was not true with all men, it not being true of such persons as himself, who are wholly devoted to Jehovah God. In the depths of trial Job said: "Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope: nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him. This also shall be my salvation, that a godless man shall not come before him." (Job 13:14-16, Am. Rev. Ver.) In disproof of the Devil's charges that selfishness controls in all men Jesus and his faithful followers, including the remnant and their earthly companions, show that all that the devoted man of God has will he give for The Theocratic Government and the vindication of Jehovah's name thereby.
Satan impudently calls for the pressing of his point: "But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face." (Job 2:5) Satan
remembered that in Eden Adam, being presented with a wife, said concerning Eve: "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2: 23) Hence to touch a man's bone and flesh would also mean to touch him, if married, as respects his wife as well as his very own body. "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church." (Ephesians 5: 28, 29) Satan had killed the children, but not the wife of Job. This was not out of mercy for Job, but corresponded with Satan's tactics against Adam through Eve: first, to break Job's wife due to a joint calamity with him and then to use her when desperate to bring pressure upon Job, as Eve did upon Adam.
Furthermore, Satan knew that personal physical disease upon Job not only would in itself pain and disturb him, but would suggest to the minds of suspicious persons that the diseased one was suffering from a visitation by God for secret sins committed, and so the sufferer's hypocrisy should be exposed publicly. This would be painful to the sufferer's mind. Such experience could turn many away from God if they would selfishly permit it. This was part of the strategy of Satan; and on this very outcome Satan
counted heavily in regard to Job, with whom he did not yet want to be quit.
Jehovah God saw the issue involved. He agreed to permit Satan to go the limit of trying out all his arts and exhausting them so that he had none more to use. Job was being made a theater to men and angels, and only by such extreme test could the observing angelic sons of God be finally satisfied in their own minds and also Jehovah be completely vindicated before them. "And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life." (Job 2:6) At that time Jehovah God did not purpose to demonstrate any power of raising Job from the dead. Therefore Jehovah insisted on preserving faithful Job in order that He might carry out with Job the remainder of the drama once that Satan's test of Job was finished. Thus doing, God could show what the apostle states at James 5:11: "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." However, God did permit Job to be brought almost to the point of death, even where Job might think that his course was finished and he was surely about to die.
Over fallen humankind Satan was then the invisible overlord and still exercised the "power of death". (Hebrews 2:14) In this instant case Jehovah limited the field of Sa-
tan's death-dealing power so as to protect Job from actual death. In like manner, during these perilous times, with violence rampant, Jehovah limits Satan's power of death as against God's faithful remnant and their companions, and God will do so clear down through the final conflict at Armageddon. Almighty God will not let the righteous class ever be wiped off the face of the earth, because Jehovah is supreme and all-powerful and he exercises universal dominion. He can apply it in that very area where the Devil has been wielding the power of death as man's invisible overlord. As concerns Job, the particular test was not one of ability to kill him by violence or unnatural means, but, Could Satan destroy Job's faith in God, his appreciation of God, and his understanding of his proper relationship to God? Could Satan thereby cause Job to rebel and curse God (bless God with a farewell of renunciation to His face) and turn to demonism, which is religion? Bringing Job to the point where he stared death in the face would be sufficient to test him with the terrors of death; actually killing him would not be absolutely necessary. The fact is, Job, when diseased, expressed the desire to die rather than linger on and appear to be as a reproach on God's name; but not once did Job attempt to take his own life to end the painful ordeal. He endured until God gave him the "change".
PUBLIC MISREPRESENTATION
With fiendish satisfaction and delight, and coldly hardened in his carefully schemed line of action, the adversary strode off to bring reproach on Jehovah's name. "So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown." (Job 2: 7, Am. Rev. Ver.) This ulcerous disease being not from natural causes, but being from Satan, no human physician or medical methods could counteract the Devil's power and bring relief to Job. Only the stronger power of God himself could do that in His due time. Satan rendered Job helpless and made sure that Job's disease also was a very loathsome one and humiliating. Some have diagnosed it as elephantiasis, the most dreadful kind of leprosy. It is called "black leprosy", from the dark scales with which the skin is covered and from the swelling of the legs. Just like the Devil it would be to make the disease appear as a visitation from Jehovah God betokening God's displeasure and as meant to expose Job to the people befooled till now.
Job did not at any time foreshadow "Christendom", but his condition in sickness was like that with which unfaithful Israel was spiritually afflicted and with which Israel's modern counterpart, "Christendom," is also afflicted. Says God to "Christendom"; "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye
will revolt [against God] more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." (Isaiah 1: 5, 6) As unfaithful Israel itself was, so its religionists accused Jesus of being. Concerning Israel's view of Jesus it was prophesied: "For he [Jesus] shall grow up before him as a tender [weakling] plant, and as a root out of a dry ground [rather shriveled]: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." (Isaiah 53: 2, 4) This distorted view of Jesus in the eyes of the Israelites was due to the reproaches that the Devil used the religionists to bring upon Jesus' Father, God.
The religionists falsified and misrepresented Jehovah's purpose and his motives. If the name of the Holy One, the Most High, Jehovah, was being reproached, then how could Jesus and all who uphold Jehovah's name and his Theocracy escape like reproaches? They could not and do not seek to escape such reproaches. In supplication to his Father Christ Jesus said: "For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are
fallen upon me. Reproach hath broken my heart." (Psalm 69:9,20) To his disciples, including the remnant today, he said: "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?" — Matthew 10:25; John 15:20,21.
Why, then, should not the Devil today cause the remnant of Christ's body members to have an appearance in "Christendom's" eyes like Job's diseased condition? Satan does do so, and again, as always, he uses the religionists to that end. To honest persons that still have some confidence in religion of "Christendom" it may not be pleasant reading, but sooner or later they must know the facts; and the sooner so, the quicker can they take enlightened action. The propaganda carried on by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and their "Protestant" and Jewish clergy allies, and also the garbled news by the public newspapers that are controlled by and in fear of religion, all this has made the condition of God's remnant and their companions to appear as sickening, revolting and nauseating. It has made them appear as a deadly contagious disease and dangerous to both the public and the state.
They are made to appear as something to be avoided, something with which the people should have nothing to do except to try to
STAMP IT OUT and to inoculate the people against it. The misrepresentation of Jehovah's witnesses on the "flag salute" issue; the false charges that they are carrying on a "hate campaign", a "hate everything" campaign, and that they are Communists, fifth columnists, unpatriotic, and advocating the overthrow of the government by violence in favor of the Theocracy they preach; the false charge that they set themselves up as the law and as self-appointed interpreters of the Bible, and are the smallest of the sects and are a man-worshiping cult, etc.; all such malicious charges have succeeded in making the public appearance and presence of Jehovah's witnesses seem very loathsome and undesirable in the eyes of the religionists and their political, commercial and judicial allies and all dupes of religion. Honest examination of the facts will convince the unprejudiced that this procedure is not a plague from God. It is a smear campaign by Job's ancient tormentor, "the prince of the demons," and through demonized men. It is designedly done to try to make Jehovah's witnesses fear what human organizations and the public think of them, and so to make Jehovah's servants yield to the ways of popular religion, and break their integrity.
Job's own diseased fingernails must have been about gone or useless or too weak. "And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes."
(Job 2: 8) The subtle demon assaults of the present have gotten God's witnesses into many scrapes and, as the religionists rate them, they have been reduced to the level of the dust. As Job said: "By the great force of my disease is my garment [skin] changed; it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes." (Job 30:18,19) Under such circumstances, when good-will persons who possess courage and who fear only God do become the active associates of God's faithful remnant, they have to humble themselves before God, as did the king of Nineveh long ago at the preaching of Jonah; concerning which it is written: "And he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes." (Jonah 3:6) None now siding with The Theocracy can escape bearing public reproaches with God's remnant.
In behalf of Jehovah's name, which is reproached because of the enemies' action, and in the interest of honest persons seeking life and truth, Jehovah's faithful remnant have had to exert themselves strenuously and continuously to counteract the demons' smear campaign. They have had to do a lot of scraping, in the courts of law up to the highest, the Supreme Court of the nation; also by much publicity with books, magazines, and tracts, such as Kingdom News, and other like means; and especially by daily and di-
rect encounters and conversation with the people in their homes. All this keeps God's faithful covenant people busily occupied, like Job in scraping his skin with a potsherd. This is done, not to justify themselves as being self-righteous nor to curry favor with "this present evil world", but to brush away from the eyes of truth-lovers the demons' smoke-screen behind which these powers of darkness hide the real facts and the real issue from the people.
"EVIL SERVANT" CLASS
Satan then hurls a cruel dart at Job. "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." — Job 2: 9.
Yielding to demon influence, exerted particularly through religion, is what causes the victim to become a tool of the demons against God's approved class pictured by Job. Job's wife was the "weaker vessel". She here pictures a class of persons who were begotten of God's spirit and who thereafter form or make up "that evil servant". For some time these were associated with God's faithful remnant in bringing many persons to the knowledge of the truth, by which means they would come in line to be "children" of the Lord Jesus Christ, "the everlasting Father. " Due to selfishness, this "weaker" class fall victim to the influence of the demons. They yield to the fear of men and of public
opinion and turn against God's faithful remnant with complainings and with feeling of offense. They are offended at the firmness with which the faithful remnant maintain their integrity toward God and which is a condemnation of those who go the unfaithful, rebellious way to escape suffering.
Job's wife evidently used the word "integrity" sarcastically to stir up Job to revolt against God. God had pronounced Job a "perfect" man; and the word "integrity" is the noun form of that adjective "perfect". It means "innocence; blamelessness; being without fault", that is to say, in devotion to God and his Theocracy. The words of Job's wife meant to say, 'Suffering the way you are, after all this while, do you still keep on serving that Jehovah God, the very one who permits this terrible calamity or who even sends it upon you?' The class she pictures today forget Jesus' words concerning the sufferings he foretold, saying: "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended." — John 16:1-4.
Faithful activity in God's service as he commands brings a great test upon the servant and upon his associates. Preaching the message of God's vengeance against God's enemies, which message the foes of The Theocracy call a "message of hate"; also the public activity in bearing the Kingdom message from door to door, with all that it demands of the remnant's time, means, and
strength; and the reproach borne while engaging in that courageous activity in obedience to God's command and Christ's example; all such things prove to be a great test. It tests the self-sparing "elective elders" of congregations and all those who become the "evil servant" class, and these break company with the "faithful and wise servant" class like Job.
Concerning the events at the end of the world Jesus said, at Matthew 24:48, 49: "That evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken." Such ones object to going through all this suffering and reproach for the mere sake of keeping one's integrity toward Jehovah. Like Job's wife, they turn upon the active, obedient remnant and add to their trying situation. They do not appreciate, discern or care that the Lord Jesus Christ has come to the temple for judgment of the "house of God" and that this is part of the temple test. Then, too, those "elective elders" and their admirers are out for the approval and applause of men, and so they suggest to the remnant a course of compromise with the world. They advise laying off from the course of strict obedience to the word and commandment of Almighty God. They advise the course of least resistance by the complying with the selfish wishes, susceptibilities, aims, ordinances and com-
mandments of men who are of the demon-ruled world organization.
The demon argument is: 'This tribulation will be the death of you yet. What else is there to Jehovah's service than to suffer and die miserable? Before you die, let yourself have this one satisfaction of renouncing such a God as would permit you to suffer as you do without cause. Besides, death, after such a course, would bring you relief from what you endure while you live. This question of keeping your integrity only gets you into trouble. Lay off!'
That spirit-begotten "evil servant" class put on a sanctimonious, "holier than thou" appearance, and hence do not in so many words advise the remnant to "curse God", or, politely put, "bless God" (Hebrew), that is, in a farewell of renunciation. They and other religionists do not curse God openly with their lips, but in their heart they do so, as disclosed by their course of action. How? By taking the course of compromising with the demon organization and thus bringing reproach upon God's name. It also brings themselves into opposition to the Theocratic organization of Jehovah's faithful servants. Such course of action serves to bring cursings and ill comment upon that Theocratic organization and upon the faithful ones therein who are called by the name of Jehovah. One who has entered through Christ Jesus into a covenant with God to do
His will is required thereby to be a faithful witness of Jehovah. For him to cease to act as such would indeed bring relief from the reproaches and assaults of demons and men. That, however, is a lure and a snare, because it means only the relief that spells spiritual death now and "the second death" in the end, which "second death" means destruction for ever. From it there is no arising. (Revelation 21: 8) It means perishing like the beasts! — Psalm 49: 20.
Job loved Jehovah God rather than an unfaithful wife. "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." (Job 2:10) To the class here pictured by Job's wife the Lord God gives the answer to the unfaithful argument. This answer is given in the prophecies and admonitions of God's Word, and he puts the answer in the mouths of those who faithfully study his Word. It is well known the world over that the magazine The Watchtower has for more than sixty years been publishing these admonitions and explanations of the prophecies, by the Lord's grace. In so doing, however, The Watchtower indulges in no personalities and carries on no personal controversies. That is not its mission. Oftentimes the members of the remnant and their companions do have to take a stand against individuals.
They then use these published Scripture admonitions and explanations of revealed prophecy in order that they may stop dead the arguments of former associates or of enemies who approach them with sly suggestions urging them to seek the favor, approval and nice treatment of the world instead of keeping covenant and integrity with God and continuing to suffer for doing so. The religionists cause many arrests in pushing their argument, and the police often say to those faithful witnesses whom they hold under arrest, 'If you will just promise us to quit doing this work here and never come back, we will let you go.'
Organized religion is pictured in prophecy as an unclean woman. Those who become the "evil servant" class are also pictured as the five foolish virgins that let their lamps go out for lack of oil of joy in serving the Lord God. (Revelation 17:1-5; Matthew 25:1-13) These all speak foolishly. Taking the course that steers away from suffering for righteousness means to deny God and his righteousness and to be ashamed of him. "The fool hath said in his heart [his course of action proving what his lips do not say in so many words], There is no God. They are corrupt; they have done abominable works; there is none that doeth good." (Psalm 14:1) Once Peter blundered into sentimentally suggesting the course of least resistance; and mark what Jesus said: "From that
time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, BE IT FAR FROM THEE, LORD: THIS SHALL NOT BE UNTO THEE. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." — Matthew 16: 21-25.
The foolish falsely accuse and misrepresent the motives and purposes of Jehovah's servants. The answer that completely disarms such foolish ones is for the servants to keep on doing God's work, being sure of the righteousness thereof, and not caring for what the world thinks. "For so is the will of God, that with well doing [and so keeping your integrity] ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15) The religious are horrified at the outlook that strict obedience to God's Word and commandments shall result in the becoming poor and forsaken, either materially or as to friendship with the world, like Job. So they warn the faithful of the full conse-
quences of complete obedience to the will of God and recommend the course whereby they may further enjoy the riches and selfish gain of the favor of this world. Such course leads to destruction. "But they that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money [selfish gain] is the root of all evil." (1 Timothy 6:9,10) Not for a moment do the wise, like Job, consider such foolish suggestions, but are deaf to such and forsake not the course of integrity. They identify and mark all those who encourage the course of renouncing Jehovah God and his Theocratic Government. All such they avoid as being "foolish women" and not wise in the fear of Jehovah God. — Psalm 111: 10; Proverbs 9:10; Romans 16:17,18.
Job's use of the word "evil" as something proper to "receive", that is, to meet it when it comes and then to deal with it according to the will of God, does not mean wickedness. "Evil" here means something sore, painful, causing grief and distress and loss and discomfort. The word is so used at verse seven, which speaks of Job's "sore" boils. Job upheld and now the class pictured by him uphold the right of the great Theocrat, Jehovah God, to discipline his faithful creatures, using that which is painful and trial-some at times for a test of their devotion to God and his Theocracy. Job's words were
equal to those at Hebrews 12: 5, 6,11: "Ye have forgotten [as Job's wife did] the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous [evil]: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
The government of the nation suffering invasion by the dictatorial aggressor is not questioned, resisted or condemned because it orders its citizens into the firing line to undergo hardship, exposure, suffering, or even death. How much more true of God! Universal domination is THE ISSUE; and since to meet the full challenge of Satan on that issue requires it, then Jehovah the Universal Governor has the absolute right to require of those who shall be made members of The Theocracy or its visible "princes" on earth or the "great multitude" of "other sheep" that they shall be permitted to suffer "evil" from the assaults of the demons and demonized men. Such requirement must be made in order to test out the integrity of such favored ones and to prove their worthiness of these Theocratic blessings. Permitting them to suffer evil from the wicked challengers of God's Theocratic right to domina-
tion does not hurt the eternal interests of the ones that thus suffer as long as the test lasts. Before all other things, the name of Jehovah is thereby vindicated. That is the chief thing. It is only secondary that certain ones are to be rewarded with immortality in the Kingdom and others with everlasting life on earth and that hence such ones need to be proved concerning their faithfulness before being so highly exalted or favored with so gracious a gift. The suffering faithfully must be for an unselfish cause, and that highest cause is the vindication for ever of Jehovah's name.
What then? The situation throughout the entire universe is out of the ordinary because Satan has forced a controversy over the primary issue of universal domination. Each one in a covenant with God must ask himself, as Job did, 'Cannot I take it when Jehovah permits evil to come upon me for a trial and proof of my devotion? Do I hold on to Him only if, when, and so long as I receive good and enjoyable things from his hand?' Those in the covenant must be unselfish and put His Theocratic Government and his universal domination FIRST; only then shall they be able to endure when He permits evil to come upon them from the enemy because they are faithfully serving Jehovah God and upholding his cause.
Though urged by his foolish wife to do so, Job did not "curse God" to His face. He did
not speak evil of God, nor bring reproach upon God's name. Job did not rebel against Him because of suffering for faith in Jehovah's promise and keeping aloof from the world and holding himself in readiness for Jehovah's Theocratic Government.
Today, the Job class (that is, the faithful remnant and their companions) do not curse God because of the evil He permits to come upon them in all the nations for the sake of His name and His Theocracy. In July, 1931, when the "new name" which the mouth of Jehovah God has named was revealed, they gladly accepted the privilege of being called by His name, "Jehovah's witnesses." Especially since then they have come out for the vindication of God's name by his Theocratic Government. Secular history shows that notably after the rise of the "Catholic Action" Nazi movement under a Catholic leader in Germany in 1919 great anti-Semitism together with its great contempt and hatred for the name of "Jehovah" was whipped up on Continental Europe, where Roman Catholic forces are strong. But, blind to this and seeing only God's will, his covenant people came out boldly and identified themselves as JEHOVAH'S witnesses, proclaiming as never before his name, his purpose, and his works. Job kept his sinlessness of lip. It is likewise true of the Job class in the final fulfillment of the prophetic drama in our time, as foretold at Isaiah 6:1-11; Zephaniah 3:9; Hosea
14:1,2; and Hebrews 13:15. Jehovah God has given them since 1918 a "pure lip" or a "pure language", the Kingdom message cleansed from all religion. They no longer sin by iniquity (lawlessness) of lip due to fear of men, but now "offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness", even the calves and fruit of their lips, giving thanks and praise to His name. (Malachi 3: 3,4) This they do although affliction by the enemy continues and increases.
DEMON CONSPIRACY
Satan, and Gog, one of his powerful princes, and all the other demons were active and bent upon making Job's case notorious. They made it a much-discussed subject over a wide area, thereby intending that many heads should wag and should spread reproach upon God's name. This also caused the people to divide between themselves. This is sharply brought to notice by the division of opinion between the characters who next put in appearance upon the stage of action, three against Job and one for him. The plan of action of the demons is the very same today. The reproachful misrepresentations about Jehovah's witnesses are heralded far and wide by demon influence and operations. A comparison of the news shows that the demons use one central agency of control and distribution, namely, religion's headquarters at Vatican City, the annex of Rome.
The wicked aim is to turn the hearers against The Theocracy and the great Theocrat, Jehovah, proclaimed by his witnesses. Such false propaganda is carried on by the religionists with violent persecution, and under it Jehovah's witnesses hold fast their integrity. This causes a division, the majority against The Theocracy and the minority of persons of good-will for it.
"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him." (Job 2:11) By "appointment"? Conspiracy under demon maneuvering, so the facts expose! Job's "three friends" picture those who would disclaim all thought and knowledge of being under demon influence and guidance. All the same, they are, knowingly or unknowingly, lending themselves to the demons* work against The Theocracy. Hypocritically in public speech they pretend to be real friends of the men and women who are Jehovah's witnesses. The idea is to do the witnesses "a good turn" by trying to get them off the course of action which invites and attracts the contempt, reproach, opposition and suffering these endure.
Are they friendly to The Theocracy and the vindication of Jehovah's name, which
all-important things His witnesses believe and prove from the Bible and widely proclaim? Not at all; but they flatter themselves into thinking they are very gracious and acting most friendlily in persuading or coercing Jehovah's witnesses into the "good neighbor" policy with popular religion and religionists. In Job's time the three "friends" did not see they were being gathered together against Job by the demons under Satan so as to give Job the "third degree" to make him plead guilty to the false charges against him and thereby crack his integrity. — Romans 6:16.
Introducing now Eliphaz the Temanite! He was a descendant of Teman and was the namesake of the first Eliphaz of history, the son of Esau or Edom. This made him a distant relative of Job, but not so close as were the Israelites. Since the two others gave him priority in answering Job's arguments, Eliphaz the Temanite was doubtless the oldest Of the three, hence supposed to be wise and experienced. He came from the land of Edom, hence from the west or southwest. ("Teman" means "south".) The Temanites were celebrated for worldly wisdom: " Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts, Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?" (Jeremiah 49: 7; Obadiah 8, 9) Quite in keeping with a Temanite was it for Eliphaz to put the question to Job: "Can a
man be profitable unto God, as he that is WISE may be profitable unto himself?" — Job 22:1,2.
Some authorities say the name "Eliphaz" means "God of strength", or, "God is his strength"; but another says it means "God of gold". In 1936 there appeared a series of articles in The Watchtower on the prophecy of Obadiah. It showed the doom of the Edomites, including the Temanites, and proved that they picture the religious clergy of "Christendom" under the dominance of the most powerful religious organization of all, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. The meaning of the name "Eliphaz" well befits the Hierarchy and other religious leaders. The forefather of Eliphaz was Esau (Edom), and he chose a selfish course, making his belly his god. So his descendants the Temanites missed out on the blessing of God's covenant with Abraham, which blessing went to Jacob and his descendants. Religionists lose out on The Theocracy, because they are strong for the "god of this world", their strength.
Enter next Bildad the Shuhite! "Bildad" means "son of contention". In the drama Bildad did outrightly quarrel with Job. Being a "Shuhite", Bildad was a descendant of Shuah, the son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah. After Abraham made Sarah's son Isaac his full heir, Abraham sent Shuah and the other sons "eastward, unto the east
country". (Genesis 25:1-6) Bildad was less closely related to Job than Eliphaz was. Bildad likely came from the east.
Quarrelsome Bildad pictured religious-minded persons, but those who make politics their profession. During the centuries this political element has quarreled with the religious Hierarchy as to whether religion should have the primacy over the state. Now especially the political element of "Christendom" has an internal quarrel, being divided into two main camps, that of "the king of the north" and that of "the king of the south", and on the issue of world domination. However, the most important quarrel of the Bildad class and which unites all their political factions is their quarrel with Jehovah's witnesses over the issue of The Theocracy. True to prophecy, the political rulers take counsel against the great Theocrat and against his Christ, who is anointed to be the King of The Theocratic Government. (Psalm Two) In their quarrel those two "kings" speak lies at the table of demons. — Daniel 11:27.
"Shuah," the name of Bildad's forefather, means "sunken place", or, "depression." The quarrels of the political element over world domination go to create an international depression and a lower level of living for the common people, landing them at last in the low "valley of concision". That will mean the concision or cutting to pieces
of the political rulers and their hackers at Armageddon. (Joel 3:12-14) Eliphaz the Temanite was older than Bildad. Religion is older than politics, religion having been introduced in Eden by Satan. Also, after the Flood, Nimrod seized on religion to exalt himself and to bolster and build himself up politically to kingship. — Genesis 3:1-5; 10: 8-10.
The spotlight next turns on Zophar the Naamathite. Zophar always comes in third in the drama and gives only two speeches to Job, whereas Eliphaz and Bildad each give three. The name "Zophar", according to some authorities, means "impudent"; to others it means "bird; sparrow", as twittering or chirping. Moses' wife was named "Zipporah", which is the feminine form of "Zophar" and means "little bird". (Exodus 2:21) Like a bird in a tree Zophar denied what came under his influence. So too is the effect of the course of Big Business or commercial gangsters and traffickers. Another ancient type of organized commercialism of the world is the land of Egypt, which is prophetically pictured as a great tree. Concerning this symbolical tree Ezekiel 31:6,7,9 reads: "All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. Thus was he FAIR in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his
root was by great waters. ... all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him." Like a bird the riches of commercialism can take wings and fly away, as in the great financial crash of 1929. "Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away, as an eagle toward heaven." — Proverbs 23: 4, 5.
Many regard commercialism with the tenderness that one regards a small bird or sparrow. Increasing the force of the picture, Zophar was called "the Naamathite". A nice name, derived from "Naamah", which means "pleasant". Commerce, or Big Business, has seemed pleasant to worldlings. To them it is the desirable thing. All the nations in the two combinations of "the king of the north" and "the king of the south" are entangled in war over the pleasantness or selfish pleasures of commerce. They consider that it is the river of life to the nations, just as the Nile river seemed to ancient Egypt. Addressing Egypt as picturing organized commerce, Ezekiel 32:19 reads: "Whom dost thou pass in beauty?" or, "Than whom hast thou been more pleasant?" (Young's) Like Zophar, the advantage-seeking commercial traffickers practice religion. With the religious clergy as well as with the politicians, the rich and commercial element find great favor. God's Word warns
the Job class against such showing of respect to the outward persons of men: "For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts'?" (James 2:2-4) Integrity must be kept against the lure of commerce.
BINDING TIE
Though unaware thereof, those three representative men came together by "appointment" between themselves under the influence of Satan and his demons. They came to show off their religion, or demonism, as will be seen. This illustrates the fact that religion is the binding tie by which politics and commercial traffickers and the clergy plan and work together in mutual sufferance of one another. This is due to be shown up particularly at the coming peace conference between the powers of "the king of the north" and of "the king of the south". The Hierarchy are loudly and continually declaring in the democratic lands that the pope is the only person on earth competent to preside at that peace conference and to dictate the peace terms. Whatever the terms made, they will
be against The Theocracy. Satan purposed that Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, representing the three elements of his visible organization, should use their weight and influence against the cause of Jehovah's universal domination and against the one who was holding fast to his integrity toward Jehovah's coming Theocracy. The course their visit actually took shows they were under demon control, yes, in a conspiracy to turn Job from that Theocratic Government. They ganged up against Job to swerve him from his straight course of integrity, the course of serving the Theocratic interests.
To fulfill the dramatic picture, the three visible elements of Satan's earthly organization have come together, "by appointment," under demon influence and being drawn together by the binding tie of religion or demonism. They come against those who are maintaining their integrity toward Jehovah's kingdom under Christ. If these were merely a small religious sect, then those three worldly elements would ignore them in contempt. Since Jehovah's people represent the biggest thing in the universe, namely, His Theocracy, those three demonized elements are incited by their selfish interest in world domination to take notice of Jehovah's covenant people and to consider these a serious menace to their selfish aims in opposition to Jehovah God. (Compare Revelation 16:13-16.) What Jehovah's witnesses
proclaim directly interferes with the political dictators. Hence the religious leaders take the witnesses most seriously of all and egg on the political and commercial elements against Jehovah's servants. Like Eliphaz in the drama, the clergy start off the abuse and slander of Jehovah's witnesses, and the politicians and commercialists carry it farther and persecute.
Imagine the three heads of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar bobbing up and down. Forsooth, they came to mourn with Job and to comfort him; and "mourn", in the Hebrew, means primarily "to be moved or shaken", and hence to mourn or bemoan as by shaking the head. With comfort as their ostensible motive they justified their coming to Job and adding to Job's miseries and increasing the temptation for him. Now the three elements of Satan's visible organization justify themselves before men by professing great humaneness and big brotherly sympathies and deep consideration for the comfort of humankind. In their actions toward Jehovah's witnesses they pretend to be moved by only the loftiest of motives and thus to fulfill God's commission to "comfort all that mourn". They disclaim all persecuting spirit or motives of hate. Like the ancient trio, so these are profuse in their use of God's name on their lips.
The sensible, effective way to comfort Job would be by enlightening him on the issue at
stake rather than by "darkening counsel by words without knowledge". Instead, they condemned Job's past conduct as being the true reason for his present affliction. Hence they argued that it was wrong for him to keep on in that way or course under the delusion that it was the course of integrity. They strove to make Job condemn his own past course of service to Jehovah God, which course he had followed because of his faith in God's covenant promise. They tried to turn Job into their way of religion. This foreshadowed the action of the three elements of modern days as they strive and argue to trap Jehovah's witnesses into condemning their course up till now of diligently serving Jehovah God according to his written commandments and his commission to them. For Jehovah's witnesses to turn off from the marked-out course hitherto followed would be to stultify themselves. They will never declare God's way foolish, no matter what the suffering undergone. By heaping up arguments religionists and their allies are bent on turning Jehovah's witnesses aside from the way of integrity and into religion's way of worldly respectability.
"And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven." (Job 2:12) They did not recognize in Job one who was approved and
well thought of by the world. In the modern case, the three elements of Satan's organization see the popular contempt which Satan and his demons have stirred up for Jehovah's people and see no beauty in them nor anything desirable, no more than with Jesus. (Isaiah 53:1-4) They note that these witnesses are "hated of all nations" and condemned by all religions. They wrest the facts to make out that Jehovah's witnesses themselves are the cause of their own suffering, that God is punishing them because they are against religion, and that the religionists are rightly the instruments of God in punishing Jehovah's witnesses and are justified in violently persecuting them. Their view is that if these witnesses did not boldly and unswervingly persist in their course of action in exact harmony with the Bible they would not suffer as they are doing.
In Jehovah's witnesses those elements cannot see the likeness of religionists. They discern that the Job class are different from so-called "Christian religionists", because the Job class are suffering odium and persecution whereas the religionists are in high esteem and are not also suffering for the sake of God's kingdom. No, they do not recognize the Job class as fellow religionists. Say the modern Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar: 'Look at us: we are not suffering as is this Job class!' In their self-righteousness they take the world's respect and the escaping of
suffering for righteousness as marks of God's favor. They say the afflicted state of the Job class is the unmistakable mark of God's disfavor.
Job's three visitors loudly wept, because he was not as self-righteous and as free from persecution by the demons and their agencies as the three themselves were and are. It recalls to mind the Pharisee at the temple who prayed and thanked God he was not like the sinner publican near-by who was asking for God's mercy. (Luke 18:10-14) In "Christendom" the three dominating elements make a loud and lamentable public demonstration, deploring with tearful language that in "Christendom" such a class as Jehovah's witnesses should exist with standards of Christianity so different from those of respectable religionists and patrioteers. They deplore that these should freely engage in their activities and pursue such a way of worshiping God as brings upon them the assault of the demons and of demonized men, all of which gives them such an odious, despised and shocking appearance in the eyes of the self-esteeming, self-righteous "organized religion". To be seen of men, they are noisy in weeping openly at the fact that such a movement as Jehovah's witnesses should be further tolerated in "Christendom", and then they cry for "more religion" as an antidote.
Further, they put on the act of rending the mantle and besprinkling the head with dust by getting quite violent and hysterical because Jehovah's witnesses are around, alive and active in spite of the great reproaches, persecutions and illegalities heaped upon them to keep them out or to make them hole up by themselves. By such violent actions in grief over such a source of torment to them the three elements bring upon themselves an appearance of demonic wildness and hysteria and lack of rational self-control, and they heap dirt and uncleanness and shame upon their own responsible heads. All this they do to attract religious admiration and sympathy from others. They want to appear to be so deeply concerning themselves about the righteousness, morality and patriotism of human society. Some of these three elements are honest enough to deplore the acts of mobbing and other violence that have been committed against Jehovah's witnesses. They also condemn the overstepping of the law and the denial of human rights and liberties by the mobs and local officials. However, at the same time they avoid saying anything in defense of the real issue, namely, The Theocratic Government as in contrast with demon rule. Instead, they sprinkle dust toward heaven, against The Theocracy, and also throw the dust in the people's eyes to blind them to the real
issue which they carefully side-step and avoid.
The noisy pantomime attracts the attention of the neighborhood." So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great." (Job 2:13) This certainly did not bring any relief to Job. Their outward act and posture was really to take Job under observation and investigation. It opened up their minds and hearts to the suggestions and invasion of the demons. After those seven days and nights passed, what false reasoning and twisted application of facts they expressed in their speeches! This appears as evidence that, during all that week of loafing around, those were the things they were building up and framing in their minds. During those seven days they were drawing their conclusions and getting ready to spring them just as soon as the formalism of public grief had been religiously complied with.
Not a word did they say to Job about Jehovah God and his fulfillment of his promise concerning The Theocracy in due time. Not a word exposing the operations of the Devil and exposing the power and the dangers of demonism! A word of such kind would have been timely comfort and strength to Job and would have lightened his suffering and filled him with inward joy. But no! the three "friends" must go through a lot
of public ceremony and waste a whole week, with religious punctiliousness, to satisfy the outward appearance of things and to steal the show and win the public applause.
To Jehovah's witnesses the religionists offer not one whit of help in the wrestlings and the fight against demons, against whom is the real fight of the Christians. The three elements do not say to them a word in favor of The Theocracy and the true worship of Jehovah God, whatever else such three elements may say about democratic principles, the preservation of the Bill of Human Eights, and the upholding of the nation's Constitution. They are very careful of what they print or say in public of and concerning the witnesses of Jehovah, lest it offend the spying, listening religionists who can command votes and set in motion a disastrous boycott. Hence to the suffering servants of Jehovah they say no word of true comfort from God's Word, nor do they admit that Jehovah's witnesses really have Bible backing and are worshiping God in the right way, "in spirit and in truth."
The outward cause for grief on Job's part appeared very great. Religionists, if thus afflicted, would feel unspeakable grief. The grievous things that have come upon Jehovah's faithful ones at the instance of the demons and by the instrumentality of the religious leaders have had their effect. The three elements have been made afraid to say
anything in public that might appear in favor of God's witnesses. Whatever they say about the defense of human rights, which rights Jehovah's witnesses are entitled to claim equally with all others, the ruling elements are always instant to remind their hearers or readers that they are no champions for what Jehovah's witnesses believe or proclaim or for the stand that they take on various issues of public interest.
The modern Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are witnesses that the grief, or grievous condition, of Jehovah's covenant people throughout all nations is "great". Therefore those three elements become responsible to do something about it in the discharge of the obligations of their office taken under oath. Like Job's three "friends", those elements fail to administer the real relief and comfort in their public and private capacities. To them, therefore, apply Jesus' words of judgment directed against the "goats", at Matthew 25:45: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these [my brethren], ye did it not to me." Not that Jehovah's servants want any out-of-the-way or extraordinary public favors. Their desire is that the people of good-will turn from demonism to The Theocracy and that such come out openly in favor of it and express themselves by taking part in witnessing to it in obedience to God's command. This is what gives to Jehovah's faithful Job
class the real comfort amid all their persecutions, and not the mere cold legalities which are their due.
The complete period of seven days came to an end, and the time came to speak. A young man, Elihu by name, heard of Job's physical condition and of his distinguished visitors, and he came to observe and to hear. Just before the period of silence was up he took a seat within hearing distance, prepared to hear both sides of the dispute on the pressing question. He patiently waited for the opportunity to offer something of praise and glory to Jehovah God and in relief to Job. The three "friends", so called, had weighed what had come to their notice and had now drawn their religious conclusions. They were at a unity of mind, the demons putting the same thoughts in the mind of each one. They watched the lips of Job and strained their ears to catch Job in his speech. (Mark 12:13; Luke 11: 54) Unseen, the demons were watching in eagerness for words of cursing against God. They were determined to use their three human puppets to the limit in the effort to extort from Job speeches that would bear up their side of the great controversy.
