A Prophetic Woman Sheds Forth Light

4, 5. (a) What does Jehovah command a woman to do, and what promise does he make? (b) What thrilling information does Isaiah chapter 60 contain?

⁴ The first words of Isaiah 60 are addressed to a woman in a very sad condition​—in darkness, lying prostrate on the ground. Suddenly, light pierces the gloom, and Jehovah calls out: “Arise, O woman, shed forth light, for your light has come and upon you the very glory of Jehovah has shone forth.” (Isaiah 60:1) The time has come for the woman to stand up and reflect God’s light, his glory.

⁵ The thrilling words in these three verses are both an introduction to and a summary of what the rest of Isaiah chapter 60 contains. It foretells the experiences of a prophetic woman and explains how we can dwell in Jehovah’s light despite the darkness that has settled on mankind. What, though, do the symbols in these three introductory verses stand for?

6. Who is the woman of Isaiah chapter 60, and who represent her on earth?

⁶ The woman of Isaiah 60:1-3 is Zion, Jehovah’s celestial organization of spirit creatures. Today, Zion is represented on earth by the remaining ones of “the Israel of God,” the international congregation of spirit-anointed Christians, who have the hope of ruling with Christ in heaven. (Galatians 6:16) This spiritual nation comes to have a total of 144,000 members, and the modern fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 60 centers on those alive on earth during “the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1; Revelation 14:1)

7. What was the condition of Zion in 1918, and how had this been prophesied?

⁷ Was there a time when “the Israel of God” was lying in darkness, as foreshadowed by that prophetic woman? Yes, this happened more than 80 years ago. During the first world war, anointed Christians had struggled hard to keep the witness work going. But in 1918, the final year of the war, the organized preaching work virtually stopped. Joseph F. Rutherford, who was overseeing the worldwide preaching work, and other prominent Christians were given long prison sentences on trumped-up charges. In the book of Revelation, anointed Christians then on earth were prophetically described as corpses lying “on the broad way of the great city which is in a spiritual sense called Sodom and Egypt.” (Revelation 11:8) That was truly a dark time for Zion, as represented by her anointed children on earth!

8. What dramatic change occurred in 1919, with what result?

⁸ However, the year 1919 saw a dramatic change. Jehovah shed light upon Zion! Surviving ones of the Israel of God stood up in order to reflect God’s light, fearlessly taking up once again the proclamation of the good news. (Matthew 5:14-16)