21. How was the effect of this educational work foretold in Isaiah 11:9?

²¹ This educational work along with its transforming effects is referred to in the further part of Isaiah’s prophecy, in these words: “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.” (Isaiah 11:9) The pronoun “they” in this verse may refer to the wild animals that were just referred to in the preceding three verses Isa 11:6-8. Those verses described the wolf, the leopard, the lion, the bear, the cobra, the poisonous snake as doing no harm either to domesticated animals or to innocent children.

22. Who really are the ones who, as a result of this education, no longer harm or cause ruin?

²² However, here these potentially harmful animals must be used as illustrations in the prophecy, for such animals could not be mentally affected by the filling of the earth with the knowledge of Jehovah. So the real application of the pronoun “they” is to the residents of God’s spiritual paradise for his restored remnant of spiritual Israel on earth. These intelligent God-fearing persons are the ones that would be transformed in their dispositions and pursuits by receiving the “knowledge of Jehovah.”

23-26. (a) In harmony with the prophecy, to what name did the Watch Tower publications give increasing emphasis? (b) Illustrate this from The Watch Tower of August 1, 1919.

²³ Accordingly, in Watch Tower Society publications, the personal name of the Most High God, Jehovah, began to come to the fore, so as to identify more sharply the One who had previously been spoken of under the general title Lord or Lord God. For example, in the sixth paragraph of the leading article “Blessed Are the Fearless,” in the issue of August 1, 1919, of The Watch Tower, the situation of the liberated remnant of spiritual Israel was likened to that of ancient Israel when about to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses’ successor, Joshua. The Israelites needed encouragement to go forward, and the paragraph went on to say:

²⁴ “Joshua, like Moses, was a meek man, having little confidence in his own strength, but he had great faith in God and manifested such faith by encouraging the people to go forward and possess that which God had promised them. But Joshua needed encouragement and the people whom he would lead needed encouragement to perform the deeds which Jehovah had set before them. God began such encouragement by saying: ‘Now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, . . .’”

²⁵ Paragraph eight (page 228) of the same article spoke of the triumph gained by Judge Gideon and said: “The Israelites had been slack in their faith and obedience to Jehovah, and the Midianites were permitted to come and threatened to take possession of the most fertile part of their land. Faithfulness on the part of Israel would have prevented this threatened invasion. The Midianites came in a great host, more than 200,000 strong and encamped preparatory for battle against the Israelites. Jehovah purposed to achieve a great victory over these enemies of his people and to drive them out of the promised land. . . . Jehovah afforded Gideon the great honor of being the instrument in his hand for the deliverance of Israel. . . . At the direction of Jehovah, Gideon then called for volunteers from amongst the Israelites to fight the hosts of Midian. . . .”

²⁶ Speaking about Gideon’s little band of 300 volunteers specially selected, the following paragraph says: “This little band of 300 possessed the very elements of character pleasing to Jehovah.” And so on through the article down to the last paragraph, which said, in part: “It is only the pure in heart that are perfect in love, therefore it follows according to Jesus’ words, that the fearless​—perfect in love—​pure in heart, are the ones who will be received into the kingdom and see Jehovah.”​—Page 233.

27. (a) What is “the earth” that is filled with the knowledge of Jehovah, as foretold at Isaiah 11:9? (b) With what feature of the new covenant is this increase of the “knowledge of Jehovah” consistent?

²⁷ Thus the “knowledge of Jehovah” began to spread and fill “the earth,” that is to say, the spiritual estate of the restored remnant of spiritual Israel, “the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16) This remnant is in the new covenant that was mediated by Jesus Christ between God and the “holy nation” of spiritual Israel. One of the features of this better covenant is set forth in these prophetic words: “‘And they will no more teach each one his companion and each one his brother, saying, “Know Jehovah!” for they will all of them know me, from the least one of them even to the greatest one of them,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘For I shall forgive their error, and their sin I shall remember no more.’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-12) Hence, it was only proper that the spiritual estate of the remnant of the Christian “Israel of God” should become filled with the “knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”

28. (a) How is the individual who possesses the “knowledge of Jehovah” affected by it? (b) What is represented by the “holy mountain,” referred to at Isaiah 11:9, where they cause no harm or ruin?

²⁸ The “knowledge of Jehovah” does something for its possessor. It is said to be responsible for the fact that “they will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” according to what Jehovah says in Isaiah 11:9. Since the “holy mountain” is the seat of government and was typified by Mount Zion, where King David sat on “Jehovah’s throne,” the expression “all my holy mountain” is used in a representative sense. It does not refer to just the heavenly Mount Zion, but means all the realm of spiritual Israel here on earth. It means the present spiritual estate of the liberated and restored remnant since 1919 C.E. They acknowledge and obey as the Messianic King the onetime “twig out of the stump of Jesse,” whom the Lord God has installed upon the heavenly Mount Zion, His “holy mountain.”​—Isaiah 11:1; Hebrews 12:22; Psalm 2:6.

29. Why does the “knowledge of Jehovah” transform the personalities of those who possess it?

²⁹ Why is it that the “knowledge of Jehovah” transforms the inhabitants of the spiritual paradise to be harmless and not ruinous? It is because there is much more to it than merely having information about him. Knowing him means acknowledging Him to the extent of living according to His will. “By this,” says the Christian apostle John, “we have the knowledge that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments. He that says: ‘I have come to know him,’ and yet is not observing his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love. And we ourselves have come to know and have believed the love that God has in our case. God is love, and he that remains in love remains in union with God and God remains in union with him. For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.”​—1 John 2:3, 4; 4:8, 16; 5:3.

In the spiritual paradise of today, the residents are still taking in the knowledge of Jehovah and of his Messianic King, Jesus Christ, and consequently spiritual life in the paradisaic estate of those who know Jehovah is peaceful and secure.

“A SIGNAL FOR THE PEOPLES”

35. (a) Who beside the anointed remnant are now in the spiritual paradise, and particularly since when? (b) How does the language of Isaiah 11:10 indicate that this would take place?

³⁵ At present, particularly since the marked year of 1935 C.E., the anointed remnant of spiritual Israel are not the only residents of this figurative paradise where there is no harming or causing of ruin to man or animal. Now there is also with the remnant a constantly increasing “great crowd” of transformed sheeplike seekers of the knowledge of Jehovah.