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<noinclude><pagequality level="1" user="" /></noinclude>68 She WATCHTOWER, 
the King and the kingdom. (Mal. 3:1; Isa. 6: 1-8) 
It was a time of great joy and manifested zeal on 
the part of those there assembled. It was a turning 
point in the events of their march to the kingdom. 
* The dramatic picture shows the priests of Israel 
bearing the ark of the covenant upon their shoul- 
ders, and there at the river their bare feet “were 
dipped in the brim of the water”. The fulfillment 
of this part of the picture occurred when God’s 
people, assembled in convention, as above stated, 
responded to the call to advertise the King and 
his kingdom, and with a shout said, in effect, “Here 
am I; send me.”—Isa, 6:8. 
*Promptly thereafter the zealous ones went for- 
ward right in amongst the people (pictured by the 
waters of the river) and, as publishers of Jehovah’s 
kingdom by Christ Jesus, they began the work of 
advertising the kingdom and its King. It was at 
that time that the message, which proved to be the 
first of the “seven last plagues”, in the form of a 
proclamation known as “The Challenge”, was adopt- 
ed. The fact that the Jordan river was full up to 
its brim, or top of its banks, is significant. The wa- 
ters were swift and deep, which would make it 
appear to be impossible to cross the river at that 
point, there being no bridge or ferry. Added to the 
thrill that this situation would produce we must 
have in mind that the watchmen on the walls of 
Jericho could plainly see the approaching Israelites 
and therefore the enemy, seeing the high river be- 
tween them and the Israelites, would feel safe from 
any possible attack that could succeed. That part 
of the dramatic picture, which the facts clearly 
show, was also fulfilled on time. It was in 1922 that 
Ratti became Pope Pius XI; that Fascism was in 
control in Italy; that the Union of the Soviet Bol- 
shevik Republics was being completed; that democ- 
racies were disappearing from the earth; and that 
economical conditions continued to grow worse; the 
time that the “evil servant” class became active 
against the faithful servants of the Lord; and that 
all these elements here named were against Jeho- 
vah’s witnesses. All these people, like the raging 
waters of the Jordan, confronted God’s people. It 
was the time to go amongst the people and boldly 
give the witness to the kingdom. Although such work 
seemed to be practically impossible, it was a time 
particularly to go to the people with the Lord’s 
“seven last plagues” contained in the “seven golden 
vials full of the wrath of, God”. (Rev. 15:1, 7,8) 
It was God’s due time for the work to be done, and 
it must be done in the midst of much opposition 
and hindrance. Jehovah had foretold the time in 
the prophetic drama, and his faithful servants must 
act, relying entirely upon the Lord. Thus it is seen 
that great faith was required of the Israelites to 
Brooktyy, N. Y. 
march to the Jordan, and likewise full faith and 
confidence in Jehovah and his King must be had 
and exercised by his faithful servants in the ful- 
fillment of this part of the drama in going amongst 
the people with the message of the kingdom then 
due. There the Israelites could not possibly know 
that Jehovah was about to perform a miracle in 
taking them across the raging waters of the Jordan. 
Likewise in the fulfillment, the faithful servants of 
God could not possibly know what would be the re- 
sult to them when engaging in the campaign against 
the entrenched enemy, particularly the religious ele- 
ments angry against them, and their anger sup- 
ported and indulged in by the political elements 
of the world. Jehovah had told Joshua to be “very 
courageous”, and Joshua had said to the people: 
“The Lord will do wonders among you.” Likewise 
Christ Jesus had said to his followers concerning 
the enemy: “Irear them not.” The League of Nations 
had been formed, and the Devil had taken advan- 
tage of the fear of men to form the same. God had 
said to his people: “Neither fear ye their fear, nor 
be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and 
let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” 
(Isa. 8:12,13) In 1922 the antitypical march to 
the antitypical Jordan began, and from 1922 to 
this day those who have fully trusted in the Lord 
have gone forward without fear of man or devil, 
fearing only God, and trusting implicitly in him 
and in the Greater Joshua. 
*The priests of the Israelites with the ark of the 
covenant were on the east side of the Jordan, and 
the waters flowing down came from the north, or 
on the right side of the priests. “And it came to 
pass... that the waters which came down from 
above stood and rose up upon an heap very far 
from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and 
those that came down toward the sea of the plain, 
even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the 
people passed over right against Jericho.”—Josh. 
3:14, 16. 
® Jehovah then and there performed a great mira- 
cle, holding back the swift waters of the Jordan so 
that the water above the priests stood up beside 
Zaretan, which was approximately two thousand 
cubits or more than a half a mile north or on the 
right of the priests, and thus allowed a very broad 
and liberal space for the people of Israel to pass 
over and cross the river-bed, which now was made 
dry. The waters coming down from the north, and 
caused by the Lord to stand up in a wall, pictured 
the people of good will who hear and give heed to 
what the Lord is doing. In the fulfillment of this 
part of the prophetic drama, also, Jehovah performs 
a miracle. War began in heaven and on the earth 
in 1914. (Rev. 11:17,18; 12:1-12) Those days of 
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