as kings with him for the thousand years.”​—Revelation 20:4, 6.

SPIRITUAL UNDERPRIESTS IN THE TEMPLE’S “HOLY”

27, 28. (a) What relationship do these anointed ones hold to the High Priest Jesus Christ, and so what location do they occupy as regards Jehovah’s spiritual temple? (b) What special privileges do they enjoy in that special area?

²⁷ Note that these faithful anointed disciples are not merely to reign with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom. They will also be “priests of God and of the Christ.” The 144,000 anointed ones are therefore underpriests of the High Priest Jesus Christ. While yet alive on earth, they hold this relationship with Jesus Christ their Head. That is why, nineteen hundred years ago, the apostle Peter wrote to his fellow anointed Christians and said: “You are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the one that called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” As underpriests they are privileged “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:9, 5) Accordingly, while yet on earth they are in a special relationship to Jehovah’s spiritual temple, the Holy of Holies of which is His exclusive residence in the holy heavens where the resurrected Jesus Christ presented the value of his perfect, human sacrifice.

²⁸ These underpriests, even while yet on earth in the flesh, are in the spiritual condition pictured by the first interior compartment of “Holy” of the temple at Jerusalem. And just as the Holy of the temple of Jerusalem held the golden tables of showbread or loaves of presentation, and the golden lampstands and the golden altar of incense, so the Christian underpriests in the spiritual Holy eat spiritual food, enjoy spiritual enlightenment and offer up the perfume of faithful prayers and zealous service to Jehovah while they are yet on earth. (Exodus 40:4, 5, 22-28; 1 Kings 7:48-50; 2 Chronicles 4:19-22) Although this may not be appreciated by persons who have no spiritual discernment and appreciation, there is a real sacred service that these spiritual anointed underpriests render in this Holy area of Jehovah’s great spiritual temple. From his exalted position in the Most Holy of this spiritual temple He can scrutinize the activities of these underpriests and can render judgment concerning them as to their service under His High Priest, Jesus Christ.​—Malachi 3:1-5.

29. (a) So, since 1919, what kind of work were the surviving anointed remnant doing? (b) How did this affect Jehovah’s spiritual temple?

²⁹ When we take these things into consideration, there is this fact that we can see: In the year 1919 C.E., the surviving anointed remnant of Christ’s disciples presented themselves for their part on earth in the harvest work under the superior direction of the “reapers,” the heavenly angels. In this way they were undertaking a work that affected the true spiritual temple of Jehovah. How so? Well, by doing their discipling work and thus collecting the “wheat” class under angelic reapers, they were working for the producing of more spiritual underpriests. They were colaboring with Jehovah God that he might put more underpriests, yes, the full complement of the spiritual underpriests, into the Holy of His great spiritual temple. They were thus working for an enlarged sacred service by more underpriests at Jehovah’s temple.

30. Was this the right time for the collecting of the wheatlike Christians, and how was this a building up of the working force in the temple “Holy”?

³⁰ Instead of this being a “gleaning work” such as followed a regular harvest in the ancient land of Israel,a this collecting work on the part of the surviving anointed remnant was the real harvest under the angelic “reapers.” The time of their doing this was the “conclusion of the system of things,” since the year 1914 C.E., and Jesus said that “the harvest is a conclusion of a system of things.” (Matthew 13:39; 24:3, 31) As a result of the spiritual harvesting work during the years that followed, the anointed remnant of wheatlike disciples of Christ grew in numbers, notably down to the year 1931 when the anointed remnant embraced the Scripturally backed designation “Jehovah’s witnesses.” Manifestly the number of spiritual underpriests in the Holy of Jehovah’s spiritual temple had increased, likely to include the full complement that was needed to complete the foreordained quota of 144,000 spiritual underpriests under the High Priest Jesus Christ. It was indeed a buildup of the working force in the Holy of Jehovah’s true temple.

31. In behalf of the temple work, how had they been liberated and restored in 1919 C.E.?

³¹ Here, then, was a spiritual temple work that began to be undertaken in the year 1919 C.E. by the surviving anointed remnant. By Jehovah’s loving-kindness through his Greater Cyrus, Jesus Christ, they had been released from bondage to Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, and its political paramours. They had been liberated and restored to their rightful estate on earth for the very purpose of applying themselves to this temple work.

32. How did what occurred in 1919 C.E. correspond with what occurred in 520 B.C.E.?

³² It was just like back in the year 520 B.C.E., when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were raised up to encourage the restored Jewish remnant to take up again their work on the long-neglected temple at Jerusalem. In the year 1919 C.E. the columns of the Watch Tower magazine were used to rouse up and encourage the surviving anointed remnant to resume their open, public service of the Most High God in a fearless manner. His Messianic kingdom had been established in the heavens at the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 and it must now be announced world wide. This sacrifice of praise to God was now due to be offered up to him even in the presence of all His enemies.​—Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 138:1-3.

33. If the anointed remnant were to imitate the course of the fathers of the ancient Jewish remnant, what was due to happen, and so what did the anointed remnant do?

³³ In this way they were able to “return” to Jehovah, in view of which he would “return” to them with divine favor. If they were to become like the fathers of the ancient Jewish remnant against whom He had had very much indignation, they would suffer calamity just as did those fathers for not listening or paying attention to the warnings and counsel of Jehovah’s prophets. They also would have the prophetic words and decrees of Jehovah against the disobedient ones catch up with them in this “time of the end” Wisely, therefore, the anointed remnant began to “return” to Jehovah in 1919 C.E.

Chapter 7

Blessings and Good Rulership as the World Rocks

1. In the month following his opening prophecy, what did Zechariah see take place, and what did this move Jehovah to do?

THE OPENING prophecy of Zechariah in the eighth lunar month (Heshvan) in the second year of the reign of King Darius I of the Persian Empire was short, yet timely and pointed. (Zechariah 1:1-6) In the very next month the prophet Zechariah saw take place at Jerusalem significant action upon which the future welfare of the Jewish nation was hinged. On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth lunar month (Chislev) “the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was laid”! Zechariah’s companion prophet, Haggai, records that momentous fact. (Haggai 2:18) That action taken in the face of an imperial ban against the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem was of such religious importance that it moved Jehovah of armies to inspire Haggai to prophesy again.

2, 3. (a) To whom was Haggai’s first prophecy on Chislev 24, 520 B.C.E., addressed? (b) What start of a dialogue does Haggai 2:10-12 record?

² The first one of Haggai’s prophecies on that historical