“And it kept getting greater all the way to the army of the heavens, so that it caused some of the army and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it went trampling them down.

11, 12. (a) What did such conduct of the ‘small horn’ mean regarding Jehovah? (b) What brief comment did the angel Gabriel make on this in explanation?

¹¹ It is easy to see that the action thus described meant invading the rightful domain or interests of the Most High God, the Creator of the “army of the heavens” and the “stars,” and even taking away sacrifices regularly offered to Him as a “constant feature” of his worship.

His “army of the heavens,” that is, Jehovah’s anointed remnant who were serving as underpriests in His spiritual “sanctuary,” these the Anglo-American World Power cast down, downgrading their being ambassadors for God’s Messianic kingdom. Even those who were like “stars” in the congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses were considered as inferior, as not being spiritual light bearers to their congregations, not as being spiritual “overseers” entitled to exemption from military conscription, but as being just earthly laymen without theocratic appointments. (Rev. 1:20; 2:1)