our behalf.” (Page 281, paragraph 3) This was addressed to more than 17,961 who had attended the Memorial or Lord’s Supper that year.a

12. How did the earthly remaining ones of Zion’s seed show that they had awakened, giving sure proof of whose fall?

¹² Truly the heavenly Zion, being represented by the ones remaining on earth of her seed, here began to “wake up” from her sorrow and stupefied condition and do as told, “put on your strength.” She shook herself “free from the dust,” not permitting Great Babylon or the rest of the Devil’s visible organization to walk over her. She loosed for herself the bands on her neck, no longer letting Great Babylon lead her around like a captive slave. Rising from the dust of deadness and weak supineness, she took a seat on a chair or throne. She was determined to be a “holy city,” through which the unclean religionists and persons with uncircumcised hearts would no more pass as triumphant invaders. She put off the dusty slave garments and put on her beautiful garments suitable for the organization to which the King of Eternity, Jehovah God, was wedded. This was sure proof that Great Babylon had fallen.

“YOUR GOD HAS BECOME KING”

13. (a) To whom was credit due for this liberation? (b) How does Isaiah describe the attitude of Jehovah toward liberating his people?

¹³ The remnant of Zion’s spiritual children on earth did not buy this liberation with money or by compromise with the enemy. It was Almighty God by his Greater Cyrus, the King Jesus Christ, who brought about that liberation, for God and Christ had gained the victory over Great Babylon. As God considered the situation of his people before liberating them, he said, prophetically: “‘And now, what interest do I have here?’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘For my people were taken for nothing. The very ones ruling over them kept howling,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and constantly, all day long, my name was being treated with disrespect. For that reason my people will know my name, even for that reason in that day, because I am the One that is speaking. Look! It is I.’”—Isa. 52:5, 6.

14. How was the depth of appreciation of the liberated remnant of Zion’s seed shown?

¹⁴ As in the case of ancient Israel so when Great Babylon had the spiritual remnant of Zion’s seed in the dust under her feet, she howled at them and treated the name of their God with disrespect. In effect, Great Babylon howled disdainfully at them: “Where is your God Jehovah?” But in 1919, in their behalf, Jehovah added to his name the glory of Liberator by delivering them from their religious oppressor. From then on they learned to know him and his unique name as never before. Their acquaintance with him went to such a depth of appreciation that in the year 1931, by resolutions adopted around the world, the remnant of Zion’s seed embraced the designation “Jehovah’s witnesses.” Jehovah had declared that this would occur “in that day.” Since 1919 this is the day that this has occurred, because He is the one that has spoken it.

15, 16. What next do we consider in Isaiah’s prophecy on liberation, and why is this of importance?

¹⁵ Now, in Isaiah’s prophecy, Isa chapter fifty-two, our attention is shifted from the mistreatment of his people in Babylon to the desolate condition of Zion or Jerusalem on her once-holy mountain. In the distance ahead someone is approaching on the mountains. It is a messenger to desolated Zion. Describing him, Isaiah, with prophetic forevision, exclaims: “How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news, the one publishing peace, the one bringing good news of something better, the one publishing salvation, the one saying to Zion: ‘Your God has become king!’” (Isa. 52:7) It is God’s messenger bearing the news of liberation.

¹⁶ The good news, the peace published, the good news of something better, the salvation published, the telling of God’s rule as king, all this was for desolate Zion. How comely the feet of that messenger must have appeared to Zion! The announcement that her God had become king meant nothing less than that Babylon the slaveowner had fallen and her Israelite captives had been given their religious liberty by Cyrus the Great, in 537 B.C.

17. At what other times were the messengers of liberation greatly appreciated?

¹⁷ Centuries afterward, in apostolic days, the feet of the Christian messengers who were sent to the remaining ones of Zion’s spiritual children looked just as comely. (Rom. 10:15) But messengers with such comely feet began to be sent again, particularly from the year 1919 forward. How comely they looked to the remnant of Zion’s seed in that year! It was because the remnant loved the kingdom of Jehovah their God, and they longed to be free to announce it. They longed for God’s visible organization to be rebuilt for announcing his kingdom worldwide.

18. Outline some of the good things that the message of liberation contained in modern times.

¹⁸ The good news to them corresponded with the good news to ancient Zion long ago. The good news included the information that Great Babylon had fallen; also, that the Greater Cyrus, Jesus Christ, reigning since the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, had conquered her and had issued his decree for liberating the remaining ones of Zion’s seed who had been held captive by Great Babylon but who had now come under a new victorious rulership. The good news announced that something better on earth was in store; that God’s visible organization on earth was to be rebuilt and put in better condition for his service, and that the temple class, the symbolic “living stones,” were to be erected for the worship of the only living and true God in a purer way than they had previously carried on. The good news announced that Great Babylon’s fall was proof that she was no longer Mistress, at least not over them, but that their God, Zion’s God, was their reigning King. He had become King, even over territory over which Great Babylon had held sway, and now his kingdom must be preached in all the inhabited earth as a message of liberation to still others.

JOY

19. Explain how the joy of the watchmen of Zion reflects the joy of all of Zion’s exiled children.

¹⁹ Zion is joyful at receiving back her exiled children and becoming again a city teeming with worshipers of her God Jehovah, after having lain desolate for seventy years. Her own joy is reflected by that of her watchmen, those who are on the lookout for her spiritual interests. Who is it that brings the exiles back, sustaining them along the way? It is Jehovah. It is so evidently His doing that it is as if Zion’s watchmen see Jehovah face to face, with eyes looking to eyes, when the exiles returning from Babylon under his invisible leadership approach the city to within eyeshot of her watchmen. “Listen!” says Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa 52:8) to desolated Zion, “Your own watchmen have raised their voice. In unison they keep crying out joyfully; for it will be face to face that they will see when Jehovah gathers back Zion [by gathering back her exiles].”

20, 21. Since liberation was plainly from Jehovah, what became more and more prominent to those liberated, and so what action did they take in 1931?

²⁰ The bringing back of the “remaining ones of her seed” to God’s free “woman” Zion from 1919 onward was plainly Jehovah’s work by his enthroned Son, Jesus Christ, the Greater Cyrus. The governing body of the Christian witnesses of Jehovah were clear-sighted and far-sighted enough to see this fact. Unitedly these spiritual watchmen rejoiced and cried out joyfully at seeing the increasing procession of exiles returning from captivity in Great Babylon. Because they saw Jehovah’s part in the liberation, with their eyes of spiritual discernment looking to his compassionate eyes, Jehovah took on more and more prominence in the visible organization of his liberated people. His name properly took on more importance than that of Jesus his Son. He was to be honored above his Son Jesus Christ. It was His universal sovereignty that was to be vindicated, cleared of all reproach; in fact, his universal sovereignty was the paramount issue before all the living universe.

²¹ So it was that, in 1931, when Jehovah had brought back practically all the exiled remnant of her seed to Zion, they embraced the name of Jehovah’s witnesses, to distinguish themselves from all those who were merely Christian in name.—Isa. 43:10-12, 21; 44:8.

22. What divine command of Jehovah recorded by Isaiah now became the responsibility of God’s liberated people?

²² Because of Jehovah’s bringing her exiles back, Zion and her surroundings took on a different appearance. She came to be as in a paradise. There was the highest reason for everything about her to rejoice, to take on a beauteous, glad appearance. The divine command, in Isaiah 52:9, 10, is for all his comforted people, all his redeemed organization, to show appreciation for what their God has done: “Become cheerful, cry out joyfully in unison, you devastated places of Jerusalem, for Jehovah has comforted his people; he has repurchased Jerusalem [so that she is again his property]. Jehovah has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth must see the salvation of our God.”

23. How have Jehovah’s people proved they are liberated from captivity to Great Babylon?

²³ Jehovah bared his almighty holy arm before Great Babylon and all the nations by liberating his contrite, brokenhearted remnant in 1919 and thus comforting them. The faithful remnant made known this salvation of His people from Great Babylon by thereafter going to the very ends of the earth to serve as his Christian witnesses and to preach the good news of his Messianic Kingdom now reigning in the heavens since 1914. Had they continued as captives to Great Babylon they could not have done this. So in this current year of 1964 the Kingdom message is being preached in 194 lands under the supervision of this comforted, repurchased remnant of Zion’s seed. Their free action in preaching God’s kingdom everywhere is visible, audible proof that Jehovah has liberated them. In this practical way “all the ends of the earth” have seen God’s salvation of his people. He uses them as his messengers of liberation.

24, 25. (a) To be used as messengers of liberation, what break did Jehovah’s people have to make? (b) What did this prove concerning Great Babylon, and how was the exit from Babylon made?

²⁴ To be used worldwide as his messengers of liberation to all true lovers of religious freedom, the remnant of Zion’s seed yet on earth since 1919 were first themselves obliged to act on God’s message of liberation through his Greater Cyrus Jesus Christ. They had to obey their God’s command, in Isaiah 52:11, 12: “Turn away, turn away, get out of there, touch nothing unclean; get out from the midst of her, keep yourselves clean, you who are carrying the utensils of Jehovah. For you people will get out in no panic, and you will go in no flight. For Jehovah will be going even before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

²⁵ For such a command to be issued and to be acted upon, it required first that Great Babylon should fall, and that her Conqueror, the Greater Cyrus, should issue his decree of liberation. Great Babylon has fallen! That is why the anointed remnant of Zion’s seed began turning away from her since the year 1919 and the full number of them have now been gathered. They do not want to touch the unclean thing or be in the midst of it anymore. They want to keep religiously clean, in order to practice pure, undefiled, acceptable worship in the sight of Jehovah their God. They have carried with them, not the Babylonish religious practices and traditions and doctrines of demons, but the pure utensils of Jehovah’s worship, pictured by the sacred utensils that the Babylonians stole from Jehovah’s temple in 607 B.C. when Jerusalem was destroyed. They have left Great Babylon, not wildly and in confusion like the radical elements of this world, but in theocratic orderliness, under divine guidance. Jehovah their God has gone before them! Although the enemy has dogged their rear, Jehovah God has been a rear guard to them. That is why today they are out of Great Babylon! They are here, serving as free messengers of liberation, here in 1964!

26. Who have now joined the liberated remnant, and what are they doing to show their desire to serve God freely?

²⁶ But they are now not alone! Because they have fearlessly preached the good news of God’s kingdom of liberation, “all the ends of the earth” have seen the salvation of God in behalf of Zion and the remnant of her spiritual children. Just as, away back in 537 B.C., there were upward of 7,537 slaves and professional singers that got out of the midst of Babylon with the Israelite remnant, so there is something similar today. A “great multitude” of persons located in “all the ends of the earth” have observed Jehovah’s salvation of the faithful remnant of spiritual Israelites, and in adoration they have turned to the worship of this glorious God of liberation. They have followed the remnant of spiritual Israelites out of Great Babylon and purified themselves from all her defilements and courageously dedicated themselves to the pure, holy worship of Jehovah God. (Ezra 2:64, 65; Neh. 7:66, 67; Rev. 7:9-17) They have entered into the enjoyment of their religious freedom. They have offered themselves to serve with the remnant as messengers of liberation, and God has been pleased to send them forth.

27. How much longer will the work of liberation continue, and for whose sake is the work done?

²⁷ The fallen Great Babylon is now approaching her terrible destruction. Those who remain in her will be charged with a share in the responsibility for her sins and will be destroyed with her. Till her destruction at hands of Jehovah God, against whom she has sinned, there is a work of liberation to be done for the sake of all persons yet in her who long for religious freedom to worship the one living and true God. Their eyes yearn to see the comely feet of messengers of good news. The time is now short. To the work, then, all you free messengers of liberation!

“Unyielding Courage”

Speaking of Jehovah’s witnesses, the book God Is a Millionaire by Richard Mathison makes this observation: “During the Korean War, the products of easy Protestantism, of our military schools and our better colleges cracked by the score. . . . A Pentagon study of the problem brought forth a red-faced conclusion: Those few Jehovah’s Witnesses who ended up as prisoners of war, . . . withstood to a man the scientific, psychological efforts to convert them to Communism—better than a number of patriotic West Pointers.”