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Revision as of 07:45, 25 April 2020
Fespruary 15, 1954
destroyed, but that Jehovah would ereate another
overlordship whieh would guaranice to the obedient
ones of men a righteous government, under which they
might live forever. This verse twenty-six of the proph-
ecy shows that the stump is directly related to the
kingdom of Christ and that the recovery of mankind
must be by and through the redemptive blood of
Christ Jesus and his kingdom, administered benefi-
cially for the obedient ones of the race.
416 ‘‘Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee’’ further
shows that Nebuchadnezzar pictured regal power,
sometimes in the hand of the adversary and sometimes
in the hand of God’s Servant, and that at the ap-
pointed time such regal power would come into and
remain in the hands of Jchovah’s anointed King,
Christ Jesus. The Devil shall never recover his over-
lordship or be recovered from his insane total de-
pravity, any more than the original tree trunk was
to be placed back upon the old original stump, now
dead and deeayed. The new tree must grow up, which
is the organization under Christ, ‘And thou, O tower
of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion,
unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the
kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.’”’
(Mieah 4:8) That whieh is left in the roots of the
old stump pictured the men of the human race who
have a desire for righteousness and who are fecling
after God that they might find him. (Acts 17:27)
Such men of a righteous desire, like the roots of the
old stump, reach out for the life-giving waters of
truth which comes from Jehovah through Christ Je-
sus. This is in harmony with the prophetic utterance
of Joh: ‘‘There is hope of a tree, if it be ent down.
...« Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,
... yet through the seent of water it will bud, and
bring forth boughs like a plant.’’? This is a further
corroboration that these obedient ones of mankind in
God’s due time will be gathered into and form a part
of the new tree, being brought under the Mead, Christ
Jesus, who is the Head and Ruler over all. (Eph.
1:10) Now Satan, having been hurled from heaven,
together with his angels, has been foreed to know the
truth that ‘“‘the Heavens do rule’’; and so all ereation
shall know that Jchovah and his Christ ‘‘do rule’’.
17 Nebuchadnezzar, the representative of Satan, was
given counsel by the prophet Daniel, which counsel
was ignored. Likewise counsel was given to Lucifer
when iniquity first appeared in him: ‘‘Whercfore, O
king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and
break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniq-
uitics by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a
lengthening of thy tranquillity.’’ (Vs. 27) Had Luci-
fer not persisted in his iniquitous scheme to commer-
cialize mankind and oppress the people the vindication
of Jehovah’s name would not have been necessary.
Satan refused to profit by the counsel. Also his visible
representatives, the rulers of earth, have received time
and again and have ignored the counsel of the Most
She WATCHTOWER. 55
High, and that particularly given at the close of the
World War; therefore Armageddon shall sce their
finish.
FULFILMENT
18 The prophetic dream was fulfilled upon Nebu-
chadnezzar in miniature only. The major fulfilment
takes place on Satan and his organization, reaching
a elimax with the reign of Christ and the fall of the
enemy organization. (Vs.28) Nebuchadnezzar had
twelve months to consider the prophetic dream and
to reform, but he failed to do so. Probably this shows
that Jehovah gave Lucifer some time to reform, but
Lucifer did not fear God, had no respect for him,
and gave no heed to his word. (Vs. 29) To himself
Nebuchadnezzar boasted that he had built great Baby-
lon by his own power and for his own majesty. (Vs.
30) Satan made the similar boast coneerning the
world organization, that it was his own. (Ezck. 29:3)
It appears that Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed Jeru-
salem before this boastful statement was made. (Jer.
52: 12-29) Now self-eonecited, haughty and proud he
boasted of his own greatness, and ‘‘while the word
was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heav-
en, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spo-
ken; The kingdom is departed from thee’’.—Vs. 31.
The proud of heart are abominable in the sight
of God. ‘‘Every one that is proud in heart is an
abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand,
he shall not be unpunished. Pride gocth before de-
struction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.’’? (Prov.
16:5,18) When Nebuchadnezzar’s heart was lifted
up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was imme-
diately deposed. So declared Daniel at the fall of
Babylon: ‘‘But when his heart was lifted up, and his
mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his
kinely throne, and they took his glory from him;
and he was driven from the sons of men; and his
heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was
with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen,
and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he
knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of
men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he
will.’? (Dan. 5: 20,21) The kingdom was taken from
Nebuehadnezzar, even as the right of overlordship
departed from Lucifer at the time of his rebellion,
and man was then and there moved out from under
the protection of the “‘higher powers”? of Jehovah's
organization; and since only those of mankind who
have maintained their integrity toward Jehovah have
had his favor.
20 After Nebuchadnezzar had accomplished the de-
struction of Jerusalem there was not even a typical
kingdom of God on the earth. Satan beeume the god
of the entire world, but could have no part in Jetio-
vah’s organization: ‘‘I will overturn, overturn, over-
turn it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose
right it is; and I will give it him.” (Ezek, 21: 27)
The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar con-