THE KING
(EZEKIEL, CHAPTER 17)
JEHOVAH'S kingdom is made prominent throughout the Scriptures. Following the rebellion in Eden God's first promise was that he would provide a King and a kingdom. It is the kingdom that will vindicate the word and name of Jehovah before all creation. When God dethroned Zedekiah his typical king, because of Zedekiah's wickedness, he declared that no one would again rule in his name "until he come whose right it is". After the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness Jehovah made a covenant with him that he should be the King of the world and the one "whose right it is" to rule.
During the ministry of Jesus Christ he spoke more thoroughly of the kingdom and emphasized it more than anything else, and most of his speech concerning it was in parables or dark sayings. Jehovah had likewise spoken by his prophets who preceded the ministry of Jesus on earth. To Ezekiel Jehovah said: "Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel." (17: 2) A riddle is a cryptic saying or speech. The fact that God directed a prophet to speak a riddle or parable unto the house of Israel is at least a suggestion that these things were written for the admonition of the last members of the body of Christ on earth, "the servant" class, because these are at the end of the world and earth's rightful King is here.
Mount Lebanon is the site of the famous cedar trees. It was at one time a part of the domains of the kings, David and Solomon. The house of Solomon he built of the forests of Lebanon. "Lebanon" means "white", and here pictures the self-righteous kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, to whom Ezekiel was directed to speak the parable. The riddle or parable begins thus: "Thus saith the Lord God, A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar; he cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants." — 17: 3,4.
The eagle is a bird of far sight and is also a bird of prey, and here pictures the king of Babylon. In the year 617 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who is the "great eagle" mentioned above, came to Jerusalem and seized upon the royal family of David and Solomon and took the topmost branch of the "cedar" at that time, King Jehoiachin. This was eleven years before the destruction of Jerusalem, and was the time that Ezekiel was taken away captive to Babylon. This was the first fulfilment of the prophecy, and is explained in the twelfth verse of this chapter, to wit: "Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean 1 tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon [the great eagle] is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king [the topmost branch of the cedar, the royal family] thereof, and the princes thereof [including Daniel and Ezekiel], and led them with him to Babylon." The city of Babylon was a place of traffic, or a place of merchants, and is further thus identified by the words of verse four: "He cropped
off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants."
Jehoiachin and the princes fell a prey to the "great eagle", and were carried away into this merchants' city as captives: "Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. . . . And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his [Nebuchadnezzar's] reign. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land: those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand; all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon." — 2 Ki. 24: 8-10,12,15,16.
The original name of Zedekiah was Mattaniah. His name was changed, and he became the king of Jerusalem, in fulfilment of the prophecy uttered by Ezekiel in 17:5: "He [the king of Babylon] took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree." In harmony with this it is written: "And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his [Jehoiachin's] father's [Jehoiakim's] brother king in his [ Jehoiachin's] stead, and changed his name to Zede-
kiah. Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. . . . And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done." — 2 Ki. 24:17-19.
When the king of Babylon made Zedekiah the ruler over Jerusalem, the two entered into a covenant whereby Zedekiah agreed to render allegiance to the king of Babylon. This is stated in the riddle in these words: "And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him; and hath taken an oath of him; he hath also taken the mighty of the land." (17:13) Manifestly this was done that the king of Babylon would really be in control of Jerusalem but Jerusalem would nominally have her own king. Nebuchadnezzar's purpose was to prevent the city of Jerusalem under Zedekiah from rising against him in rebellion. Therefore this covenant was made: "That the kingdom might be base [low, margin], that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand." — 17:14.
Zedekiah was not rooted and grounded in the Lord. He was exceedingly selfish and did not rise above the sins of the previous kings, but became profane and wicked and an abomination in the sight of God. Describing Zedekiah and his reign, in the parable the Lord said to the prophet: "And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him; so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs." (17:6) He was a "vine" of selfishness and brought forth sprigs or suckers that were of no good; "and he [Zedekiah] did that which
was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel." (2 Chron. 36:12,13) God sent his prophet Jeremiah to warn Zedekiah, and this the prophet did repeatedly; but Zedekiah refused to humble himself before God's prophet.
Another bird of prey appeared on the scene, to wit, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; and in the parable Zedekiah is likened to a low vine that bent his roots and shot forth his branches toward Pharaoh. His purpose was to get sustenance and aid and comfort and strength from the ruler of Egypt, that he might stand against the king of Babylon. "There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation." (17:7) Zedekiah was looking for help from Egypt, and therefore he sent his "runners" or "branches", or ambassadors, down that way. Zedekiah concluded that he could get on better by breaking his covenant with the king of Babylon and making an alliance with Egypt, and so he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
Zedekiah was planted in Jerusalem, which was "good soil", and by doing right he might have brought forth good fruit. But he did not. In the parable the prophet says of him: "It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches,
and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine." (17: 8) Being profane and wicked and unfaithful to his word he broke his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. He sent his ambassadors to Pharaoh in an attempt to get horses and much people to engage in war; but the Lord declared he should not prosper, and therefore caused his prophet to write concerning him: "But he [Zedekiah] rebelled against him [Nebuchadnezzar], in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?" — 17:15.
In response to Zedekiah's rebellion the Babylonians [Chaldeans] besieged Jerusalem. Zedekiah accepted help from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. "Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem." (Jer. 37: 5) The Babylonians withdrew from Jerusalem, and Zedekiah was congratulating himself that his alliance with Egypt was successful and that the Babylonians would not again return to the siege. Then God sent his prophet Jeremiah to tell to Zedekiah this message: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and bum it with fire. Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten the whole army
of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire." — Jer. 37:6-10.
This parable was spoken by Ezekiel long before the fall of Jerusalem, but Zedekiah and his counselors gave no heed to it. Although the prophecy foretold that he would not prosper in his effort to obtain help from Egypt, Zedekiah pursued his own selfish course. God directed Ezekiel to prophesy that this effort on the part of Zedekiah would not prosper, and it did not. "Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power, or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew." — 17:9,10.
Covenant-breakers in the sight of Jehovah God are worthy of death. (Rom 1:31,32) Those who have made a covenant with God and who then deliberately break that covenant are despicable in his sight and worthy of death; and such is shown by the prophecy concerning Zedekiah. This profane and wicked ruler refused to keep his word with man or with God, and concerning him Jehovah caused Ezekiel to write: "As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him, in the midst of Babylon, he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh, with his mighty army and great company
make for him [success] in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape." — 17:16-21.
Jehovah by his prophet said: "Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper?" The fact that there was a miniature fulfilment of this riddle prophecy on Jerusalem, plus the fact that whatsoever was written aforetime in the prophecies was written for the benefit of the faithful people of God at the end of the world, is proof that there must be another fulfilment and that such larger fulfilment would be made known to God's people at the end of the world.
RIDDLE FULFILLED
A parallel of the first fulfilment is found in modern times. As the cedars of Lebanon pictured the royal line of Jerusalem, represented particularly in Solomon, the cedars of Lebanon also pictured the royal line that has ruled Christendom from its inception until 1914. In that period of time church-and-state systems were in vogue, and the clergy plainly taught that the rule was by divine right and authority. The nations of the earth gradually became nations of merchandise, that is to say, trafficking and merchandising, but the commercial element of the rulers became most powerful. Like the city of Babylon, it was a place of traffic. But had the clergymen of Christendom remained true to the Word and counsel of God, and informed the people concerning his Word and his kingdom; and, when the King came, had they embraced the kingdom and urged the rulers and the peo-
ple to do so, they might have had God's favor. They took exactly a contrary course. Instead of standing firm for the Lord and his kingdom the clergy openly united themselves with the commercial and the military powers of the world.
All true Christians are in a covenant with God to be obedient to his will. "Christianity" was founded upon God's covenant for a kingdom, which covenant was made with those who are in the covenant to do his will even unto death. Doubtless many, if not all, of the clergymen of Christendom agreed to do the will of God when they entered the ministry. By taking the name of the Christ of God, and by claiming to be God's representatives on the earth and ministers of his Word, all such have thereby assumed to be in the covenant with God. In the course of time that which is called "organized Christianity" or "Christendom" fell away captive to the traffickers of the world. The religious leaders or clergymen agreed with one another and with Big Business and the rulers of the world that they would reform the nations of Christendom and bring them into the church and make the world Christian. They therefore were taken captive by a part of Satan's organization, represented by Babylon. Whether their agreement to accomplish this purpose was actually or tacitly made is not of great importance; but their course of action determines that the agreement was made. There at least was an implied covenant. Following it out the clergy brought into the churches men of financial renown and political influence, and made them the chief ones of their flocks. The traffickers and the politicians and the clergymen then went hand in hand in the organization which is
called "the Christian church", with the clergymen claiming that they would convert the world to Christ. Both Catholics and Protestants then engaged in a like work, and a tacit arrangement was made among all the branches of the "church", so called, to work to one end. Such was the condition in 1914, at the end of the world and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as earth's rightful King.
God sent forth his beloved Son, his 'priest after the order of Melchisedec', to rule the world. This meant that he must begin to rule amidst his enemies, which are Satan and his organization. Immediately there followed a war in heaven, and Satan was ousted from heaven and cast down to the earth. (Rev. 12:7-12) Egypt represents Satan's organization, particularly from the viewpoint of militarism. The World War started in Christendom in 1914, and all Christendom turned to militarism (or to war), represented by Egypt. Instead of the clergy and the principal of their flocks' giving their allegiance to Christ, the Prince of peace, and directing the nations to do likewise, and instead of doing their all to turn the people to God and to his kingdom, they immediately turned all branches of Christendom, commercial, religious and political, and particularly the religious, toward war. They bent their energies in the direction of "Egypt".
The most vehement advocates of the war were the clergymen. They urged the people into war, and used their buildings as recruiting stations for soldiers, and joined in the slogan: 'The war will make the world safe for democracy.' In other words, they said war will be the salvation of the people, instead of the conversion of the world to Christ, which they had claimed
and agreed they would accomplish. Even as Zedekiah turned to Egypt for horses and men to engage in war, now the leaders in Christendom turned all their energies to war. In doing this, Christendom, and particularly the so-called "Christian church", broke its covenant with God and broke its word, or covenant, to reform the world and bring it to Christ, and adopted the World War instead.
In the World War the royal families of Christendom lost their crowns, and a new order came into vogue thereafter. One of the rulers of the world, who claimed to be a Christian, said in substance: "We are in the beginning of a new world. "Christendom was not then destroyed, but there was merely a change of surface appearance. A superficial effort was put forth to make good the principle of self-determination of races or peoples, such as the Poles, Letts, Czechs, and others. The clergy went up and down the land preaching to the people this doctrine of self-determination, as though it were a great religious revival campaign. They were urging the nations of Christendom to join in a league which would establish peace on earth. At the same time the true witnesses of God continued faithfully to preach to the people that the war and attending conditions furnish the proof of the second presence of Christ, and of the end of the world, and therefore the people should give allegiance to Christ and not to war; and for this reason they were persecuted and imprisoned, and the persecution was led by the clergy of Christendom.
When the League of Nations compact was brought forth out of "Egypt" (the military wing of the world), the clergy with great fervency and pride
pointed to the League of Nations as the arrangement by which the Lord would uplift the people. Again they 'went down to Egypt for help' and completely forsook the Lord God and their covenant to bring the world into the church. While it was claimed that a new world had begun, and the kings had lost their crowns, "the same old gang" continued to hold control of the affairs of the world. The result is that professed "Christianity", while claiming to stand for God and for Christ, failed and refused to rely upon the Word of God, failed and refused to carry out their implied covenant to reform and to convert the world, and instead forsook the Lord and turned for help to the military powers of the world; and concerning such the Lord propounds the question: 'Shall they prosper?' Through his prophet he gives the answer: "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong: but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words; but "will arise against the house of the evil doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together." — Isa. 31:1-3.
In 1926, beginning at London, England, God's true witnesses sent forth "A Testimony to the Rulers of the World", which, amongst other things, said:
"FIRST: That it is of paramount importance that all recognize that Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, is the true and Almighty God besides whom there is none other; that his purpose for man is set forth in the Bible, which is his Word of truth, and that Christ Jesus is the Executor of Jehovah's purpose; that it is now apparent to all that the nations of the world are in dire distress and perplexity, and great trouble more terrible than any heretofore experienced is now threatened; that the efforts of the rulers to establish a desirable government or world power have failed; and, now be it known unto you, that the outworking of God's purpose concerning man, and that alone, can and will stabilize the world, and bring lasting peace, prosperity and happiness to the peoples, and that the time has come for those who are exercising governing power over the peoples to recognize these great truths.
"SECOND: That the reason for the prevailing condition of perplexity and distress is because man disobeyed the true God and yielded to the wicked influence of Satan, the false god. . . .
"FOURTH: That divine prophecy now fulfilled, and in the course of fulfilment, bears testimony to the fact that Satan's lease of power is done, and that the old world has ended, and that the time is at hand when Christ Jesus, the executive officer of Jehovah and the rightful King of earth, will oust Satan the evil one and begin his righteous government, which shall establish God's will on earth. . . .
"FIFTH: . . . Contrary to the Word of God the commercial, political and ecclesiastical rulers attempted to stabilize the world and keep the peoples under control by adopting that makeshift which is called the League of Nations and which was wrongfully and blasphemously hailed as the political expression of God's kingdom on earth; that the real author and father of the League of Nations compact is Satan the Devil, the god of this world, which was put forward by him as his last desperate effort to deceive the peoples, turn them away from the true God, and hold them under his own wicked control. . . .
"SIXTH: That by reason of the blinding influence of Satan the minds of the rulers and the ruled are turned away from the true God, and the evil forces are gathering the whole world unto the great battle of the Lord God Almighty; that there is now impending a time of trouble such as the world has never known, during which conflict Satan's powerful organization shall fall never to rise again, and there shall be such a demonstration of divine power that all the nations will learn that Jehovah is God and that Christ Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.
"Therefore we earnestly bear before you this testimony: That Jehovah is The God, and that he has installed Christ his Son as The King of the earth, and bids you to give full obedience to earth's rightful King. Do so and use your influence to turn the minds of the people to THE TRUE GOD, that disaster may not befall you. — Ps. 2:2-12."
This testimony was declared first at the very seat of the seventh world power and of the controlling power of Christendom, and was a warning to all Christendom. Millions of copies thereof were printed and distributed throughout Christendom, and the rulers in Christendom not only refused to hear, but despised the message: (See Light, Book One, pages 137-142.) Instead of heeding the Word of God Christendom today appeals to militarism and commercialism to save the world from disaster. Particularly the great commercial power of the United States, and which is the "left wing" of the seventh world power, is relied upon to stabilize suffering and bankrupt Christendom. But militarism and commercial rivalry between the nations vigorously continue, and the military and naval and air forces of the various nations continue to be strengthened, while conferences and parleys go on and while oppression and starvation of the people continue.
Jerusalem by her royal authority, King Zedekiah, broke her covenant with God and her covenant with Babylon, and turned to the military power of Egypt for help. She seemed to have succeeded for a time, when the king of Babylon withdrew his armies; but God warned her through Jeremiah his prophet that the Babylonians would return and destroy the city, because she was a covenant-breaker.
By comparison: Christendom, which is the counterpart of Jerusalem, acting through her royal authority or rulers, broke her implied covenant with God to be obedient to his will, and broke her covenant or agreement to convert the world and bring it into the church, and instead turned to militarism for help and security,
represented by the world power of Egypt. The result of the World War encouraged her to think she had succeeded, and she proceeded to set up a League of Nations to insure her future security. She said: 'The blood of these men has been shed in vain unless we set up a League of Nations that will maintain world peace among the military powers.' By his prophets the Lord warned that the League of Nations shall not stand. — Isa. 8:9,10.
The warning which God gave to Jerusalem by the Prophet Jeremiah applies on a larger scale to Christendom now. "Thus saith the Lord [God], the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. And the Chaldeans [the Babylonians] shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire." (Jer. 37:7-10) As King Ahasuerus (Esther 1:1-5) pictured royal authority and power in the abstract, and therefore sometimes represented God's power, even so it may be well said that the ruler of Babylon (or Chaldea), who was used as an instrument to destroy Jerusalem, was, when thus acting, used to represent royal authority and power from God's viewpoint.
The judgment of Jehovah is written against Christendom, and his anointed King and chief executive officer will execute that judgment.
Christendom has despised the Word of the Lord God, even as the wicked princes of Jerusalem despised his Word. The prophecy of Ezekiel applies to both, to wit: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head." (17:19) Had Zedekiah given heed to the counsel of the Lord, sent to him by the true prophet Jeremiah, Jerusalem would have been spared: "But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings." (Jer. 23: 22; 38:17-23) Jehovah stopped the World War in order that the testimony of Christ might be given to the nations. Had the nations of Christendom given heed to that testimony, and had the clergy caused the people to hear the words of the Lord, instead of opposing it as they have done, Christendom might have been spared the great time of trouble of Armageddon. But now the die is east, and Christendom must by order of Jehovah be destroyed, and the forces are marching on to Armageddon.
Christendom has walked into the snare, after having been duly warned, even as the people of Jerusalem were warned. "And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by
the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds; and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it." (17: 20, 21) The battle of Armageddon will come as a snare upon all the world, even as Jesus foretold: "For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." (Luke 21:35) The hypocritical organizations of Christendom, refusing to hear the message of truth, make themselves blind thereto, and will be destroyed; and their temple, which is the nominal church, will be pillaged and burned to the ground, because the Lord God has decreed that it shall be done. Those guilty before God cannot now escape, no matter what they do: "And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape." (Jer. 25: 35) Jehovah will thus fulfill his Word and vindicate his name.
EARTH'S RIGHTFUL KING
Jehovah then caused his prophet to foretell earth's rightful King. He is of the Davidic line, but does not descend through the lineage of the faithless Solomon. God enthrones the highest one of the royal line, pictured by the highest cedar of Lebanon, and he plants it in another mountain; and thus the parable states: "Thus saith the Lord God, I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent." (17:22) Jesus, fresh, new and green, and therefore full of life, is the one mentioned in this prophecy as the highest branch of the highest cedar. "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground." (Isa. 53: 2) "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." (Isa. 11:1) Mount Zion symbolically pictures the peak of God's organization, and it is there, on Mount Zion, that he "planted" Jesus "upon a high mountain and eminent". Christ Jesus is given the pre-eminence over all things. (Col. 1:18) The new cedar is the true and royal family of Jehovah, the kingdom of heaven; and Christ Jesus is earth's rightful King and is the head of the kingdom.
All of the 144,000 members of the Christ are taken from the antitypical twelve tribes of Israel, and constitute "the Israel of God". (Gal. 6:15,16; Rev. 7: 4-8; 14:1) "In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell." (17:23) The kingdom of heaven shall rule the world in righteousness. From its beginning the haughty and proud have despised it, but all who will ever live must come under its control. "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." — Matt. 13:31,32.
Lucifer was once the chief over all creation of earth; but he was rebellious and a traitor to God, and from him shall all be taken away. Jesus Christ the beloved Son of God is the righteous ruler of the world, and
all who live must come under his domination and under his righteous rule. "And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I the Lord have spoken, and have done it." (17: 24) God's remnant, the faithful witness class on earth, now go forth to proclaim to the people that Christ is King, that the kingdom will fill the earth and rule in righteousness, and that this will be for ever a vindication of the name of Jehovah God.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
(EZEKIEL, CHAPTER 18)
The prophecy of the eighteenth chapter of Ezekiel has its larger fulfilment from and after the coming of the Lord Jesus to the temple of God for judgment. It had its primary application to natural Israel, but the prophecy is written more particularly for those on earth at the end of the world. There was a saying or proverb in the land of Israel, the purpose of which was to shift the responsibility from one generation to the former generation. The word of the Lord addressed to Ezekiel is: "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?" (18:1,2) Be it noted that the prophecy says that this was "a proverb concerning the land of Israel". It was understood that the law of God was in operation in Israel, because to that people he had given his law. The fact that the Lord rebuked them for using this proverb shows that the saying or proverb did not refer to "father Adam"
who bad sinned and whose sins were visited upon his children by inheritance. The proverb was used by and applied to Israel, and those using it were doing so with reference to their recent ancestors who had preceded them in the land.
In Ezekiel's day the Israelites were blaming their fathers for the miseries which they as their children had to bear. It was an attempt to justify self and put the load or burden on their dead fathers. The clergy class of Israel were doing that very thing when Jesus was on the earth. (Matt. 23: 29, 30) Such an attitude prevails in this day in Christendom, to which the prophetic proverb has a wider application. Since the World War conditions grow worse, and Christendom attempts to put the blame now on those who brought on the World War, particularly on one specific ruler of Christendom and his immediate official family. One administration of a government lays the blame for bad economic conditions on the previous administration. It is a claim of self-exoneration, and an attempt to escape responsibility. Instead of looking to themselves to see whether or not they are the same as their fathers, and what they need to do to reform, they want to be freed from all responsibility whatsoever. This God will not permit.
God is in his holy temple, and all the nations are commanded to be silent before him and to give heed. He is representatively in the temple by Christ Jesus, to whom all judgment is committed. The judgments of Jehovah are written, and the time has come for a positive and unequivocal statement thereof; and what he states will come to pass is just as certain as that God himself lives. Therefore it is written: "As I
live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel." (18:3) Attention is called by the Lord to the personal responsibility of each one before the King who is upon his throne, especially since the symbolical sheep and goats (Matt. 25: 32) are before him. A new rule now operates, and the shifting of responsibility will not be permitted. The day of judgment has begun, and the responsible ones in Christendom must give account for what they have done and are doing. "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (18:4) Each individual soul is responsible to God.
This, of course, does not have reference to the bodily infirmities that result to one by reason of inheritance, but to the great issue of life everlasting that God has provided through Christ Jesus. Every soul belongs to the Lord, because the blood of Christ Jesus is the purchase price for all. The soul of the son does not belong to his earthly father; so what that father has done or is doing could not determine the right of the son to life; and what the son has done could not affect the right of the father to life. Manifestly the sin here mentioned is that committed by one who, after having entered into a covenant with God, then fails to keep that covenant. It is unfaithfulness to God that brings responsibility. The law, or rule of action, must be the same from the time of beginning of judgment at the temple until the end thereof, because God changes not. Judgment begins at the house of God, and must necessarily include the professed house of God, many of whom have made a
covenant with God and have then broken that covenant. Therefore each one who has entered into a covenant with the Lord is personally responsible.
The statements contained in verses five to nine, inclusive, of the chapter are in substance this: That if a man be just and does that which is lawful, and has not been guilty of any of the wrongful things mentioned therein, and has walked in the statutes of the Lord and kept his judgments, and has dealt truly, he is just, and "he shall surely live, saith the Lord God". This has an application after Armageddon and after the inauguration of the new covenant. Before the inauguration of the new covenant, however, the same rule would apply to all who have made a covenant to do God's will; and, also, the Lord might be pleased to let the good deeds and endeavors of any one ascend as a memorial to him and be a basis for bringing him through the time of trouble and preserving his life to the time of the inauguration of the new covenant. This conclusion is borne out by the statements in Psalm 41:1, 2 and Zephaniah 2:1-3.
The statement of the rule of action, set forth in Ezekiel 18:10-13, is to the effect that the father shall not be responsible for the bad deeds of his son. The father's good deeds and good record will not win favor for the son who is a breaker of the law of God. If one, having once been brought to a knowledge of the truth, then commits the abominations mentioned herein, he shall die and shall not live. This does not mean that one would have to be begotten and anointed of the holy spirit, in order to be liable to destruction. It is the wilful wrong-doing of the individual, or the right-doing of the individual, that fixes the responsi-
bility. This rule shows that since the coming of the Lord to his temple for judgment those who have wilfully committed sin against the light are subject to the judgments of death written. Within that period of time there have been in Christendom a number of those who profess to be Christians and who have wilfully and deliberately persecuted and done injury to others because these latter were faithfully representing the Lord and giving testimony to his King. These are described in the parable of the sheep and the goats. — Matt. 25: 31-46.
The statement of Ezekiel eighteen, verses fourteen to seventeen inclusive, in substance is this: That if the father beget a son and the son sees all the sinful things the father has done and does not follow a like course, he shall not be responsible for what his father has done; and if the son does right he shall live. The sum total of this is that family relationship shall have nothing to do with the results. One will not be favored because some member of his family was faithful and true to the Lord, and one will not be punished because some member of his family was unfaithful to the Lord. Each one must bear his own responsibility. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." — 18: 20.
God has provided for the reformation of the world during the reign of his "King of righteousness". The King began his reign in 1914, and came to the temple for judgment in 1918. Judgment there began at the house of God, and is now upon the nations of Chris-
tendom, and will proceed until the judgment work is completed. The Lord gives an opportunity for those in Christendom who have been doing wrong to be warned, and, if heeding the warning, they shall live; but if after having been warned they deliberately and wilfully sin against light, the judgment will be adverse.
"But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him; in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live." (18:21,22) The righteous deeds and conduct alone of themselves could not earn everlasting life for any man, because no man of himself can counterbalance man's previous sinfulness. There must be a sin atonement, therefore, to cover the past sinful deeds. This sin atonement God has provided through the blood of Christ Jesus, which is presented in Jehovah's court as an atonement for the sins of the world. Therefore the rule of action here announced must have application after the inauguration of the new covenant. But regarding those who are willing to be taught and who seek righteousness even before the new covenant is inaugurated, such good deeds and acts of righteousness will be taken into consideration for the benefit of the doers during the time of "great tribulation" and before the new covenant is inaugurated.
Manifestly the purpose of setting out these truths that Christendom might understand them now is that men might see the advantage of seeking meekness and seeking righteousness before the battle of Armaged-
don, and that this will be to their benefit in passing through the time of trouble and at the inauguration of the new covenant. This is further supported by the following: "Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but righteousness delivereth from death. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness." — Prov. 11: 4, 6.
If the wicked would turn away from their wickedness and serve God they would be blessed. He has no pleasure that the wicked should die. "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" (18:23) Jehovah's name must be vindicated, and for that to be done the wicked must perish. Therefore when one knows of the Lord and his provision and then deliberately joins in with the wicked one Satan, refusing to heed the warning of the Lord, he shall be destroyed. "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." — 18:24.
The fact that one has been made righteous through the blood of Christ Jesus and the washing of the Word, and has received God's approval, would count for nothing to offset his subsequent unfaithfulness to God. "The righteous" mentioned in this verse must refer to those who have once been in the covenant with God and received God's approval, or justification,
which condition existed with some at the time of the coming of the Lord to his temple. Therefore the statement: "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev, 22:11) "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." (Heb. 10:26,27) The condition upon which everlasting life is granted is that one must first agree to do God's will and then be faithful in doing so, first, last, and all the time.
CHRISTENDOM'S WAYS UNEQUAL
The Jews complained against God, even as those of Christendom do at the present time. The complaint is that the manner of God's dealings are not consistent, impartial and just. The self-righteous Jews, particularly the Pharisees, complained against God and vented their feelings against him and charged him with being unequal in his ways. They objected that the mercy and long-suffering of God should be shown to those whom the self-righteous called "publicans" and "sinners". They concluded that their own self-righteousness was not receiving the proper recognition, hence that they were being unjustly dealt with by the Lord. (Luke 18:11-14) They were charging God with folly and thereby sinning with their lips, and were not maintaining their integrity towards God. Thereby they were proving that their own ways were unequal. "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?" — 18: 25.
"Organized Christianity" is doing the same thing today. The clergy in particular complain against God for the permission of evil, and charge God with all the pests and calamities that come upon the peoples of Christendom, at the same time claiming that their own ways are equal, that their course of action is just and right. It is Christendom that is unequal, unjust and unrighteous. Therefore God says to such: "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, 0 house of Israel?" (18:31) This shows the forbearance, long-suffering, mercy and love on the part of the Lord, and is counsel for the good of all those who will heed that counsel. Christendom is warned of her sins, even as the Jews were, and, like the Jews, has failed to give heed to such warning.
As Jehovah made Ezekiel a watchman in Jerusalem to give warning, so now God's remnant on the earth, the "servant" class, is commanded to give warning from the Lord to those who are in the way of wickedness. (3:17-21) If those warned would remove their affections from self and from wrongdoing, and would get the spirit of love for the praise and service of God, they would be pleasing to the Lord and would live. Jehovah's message to them is: "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." (18:32) This message from the Lord he sends out during the interval of peace between the close of the World War and the destruction of Christendom at the battle of Armageddon.
If the wicked do not turn, seek meekness and righteousness, and escape the great tribulation now about to fall upon and smite Christendom and all the host of Satan's organization they will bring upon themselves death. If the "servant" class, or watchmen of the Lord, fail to give warning, God will require the blood of those dying without warning at the hands of those who have been negligent. Thus it was in the days of Jerusalem's downfall, and so it is now: "And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." (Jer. 21: 8-10) Manifestly this applies to the leaders in Christendom who profess the name of God and Christ and then take a course exactly contrary thereto.
The judgment of the King will be executed impartially and fully. Position or honor amongst men will bring no aid or protection. Those who comply with the rules of judgment written will escape and be saved; otherwise, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." (Isa.
13:9,11) The righteous judgments of the Lord will be made manifest; and all who love righteousness shall see that God has not restrained evil in days past, but has waited his own good time for the vindication of his name. He has kept his hand off until wickedness has come to the full; and now he will destroy the wicked and the defamers of his name, and will preserve the righteous ones in the great battle of Armageddon, and this will be a vindication of his word and of his great name.
