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The Watchtower

Brooklyn, N.Y.

be changed." (Dan. 5:10) When the queen arrived at the banquet hall and beheld the troubled face of Belshazzar she greeted him in the customary and friendly way and bade him to be of good cheer, since she had something to suggest that might be of aid to him. Evidently she was not the wife of the king, but the mother queen, because the account of the prophecy says that the wives were there drinking wine. The mother queen seems to picture some men of the world friendly to the ruling element and subject to them but who are entirely separate and apart form the religious frauds who pose as the spiritual advisers of the rulers. There are some men in public office who are friendly to the ruling powers but who have no confidence in or partnership with the hypocritical religious advisers. The queen appeared before Belshazzar but offered no explanation or interpretation of the handwriting. Having heard of the disturbed condition of the king and his lords, she had come to suggest on who might be able to give the needed information. this indicates that she pictured some who are in the world who are familiar with the conditions that exists and are somewhat familiar with Jehovah's dealings with his faithful people, especially his dealings with them and their work at the time of the World War, form 1914 to 1918. It seems the mother queen was used to bring Daniel to the favorable attention of Belshazzar, thus indicating that she represents someone that brings the attention of the ruling powers to Jehovah's witnesses. At the time Daniel was approximately 100 years of age, and had previously served Nebuchadnezzar, and seems to have withdrawn from public service and was not on familiar or intimate terms of acquaintance with Belshazzar. The queen mother, knowing about this, came to bring to the attention of the king the man Daniel, and what he had done in previous years; and this shows that no one of the wise men of Babylon had recommended Daniel to the ruler. Likewise it shows that today not one of the "wise men" of "Christendom", that is to say, the clergy and their allies, would recommend anyone of Jehovah's witnesses to be called in and their advice asked as to the meaning of present conditions, not even so much as to suggest that they be asked as to whether the present-day events have any relationship to Jehovah and his prophecies long ago written. But today there are some men and women who during the World War took notice of the treatment of those who were then faithful to God; and they also observed that such faithful followers of Christ Jesus were the only ones on earth that were then or are now qualified by the Lord to give a proper interpretation of and concerning that which now threatens the world destruction. Some of such men and women are in public office and hold positions under the ruling powers. They have a kindly feeling towards Jehovah's witnesses and believe that such witnesses represent the Lord. Therefore they make an

honest endeavor to draw the attention of the high ruling element to such witnesses and to recommend that such witnesses are trustworthy and that it is advisable that they be heard. Such friendly ones may be called persons of good will who have faith in God and believe that he has some representatives on earth, and for this reason they favorably commend Jehovah's witnesses, even as the queen mother recommended Daniel to the king. In this connection we are reminded of the words of the prophet: "And kings shall be thy nursing father [margin, nourishers], and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." (Isa. 49:23) Among the ruling element there is now a division. Those of less power or importance in the world have a kindly feeling towards Jehovah's witnesses and have exercised their influence in behalf of Jehovah's witnesses that they may have opportunity to be heard and to present their testimony concerning Jehovah and his kingdom. An example of this may be found in the fact that members of Congress in 1934 saw to it that Jehovah's witnesses had opportunity to appear in person and give their testimony before the Congressional committee and to state the reason why they should be permitted to worship God in his appointed way without interference from others. The Lord will not forget such men who have shown their fairness in their desire that the truth might be heard.

²⁴ The mother queen entered the banquet hall and greeted the potentate with the words, "O king, live for ever"; which seems to say that those of the preset day whom the queen foreshadowed do not claim to be hostile to the earthly governments. They are now in position to furnish the facilities to open the way for Jehovah's witnesses to tell God's message before the rulers. These officers of good will are not seeking to overthrow the present governments of earth, but they use formal words in greeting the ruling powers of earth and ask that the powers give opportunity for the testimony of Jehovah's witnesses to be heard. As the queen mother said to Belshazzar, so these men in official positions say to the rulers of higher rank: "Let not your thoughts trouble you," but give ear to these witnesses of Jehovah and they may be able to find a solution of your difficulties.

²⁵ Daniel's past record was known to the queen; hence, addressing the king, she said: "There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and , in the days of thy father [Nebuchadnezzar], light, and understanding, and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers." (Dan. 5:11) And so today the past record of the Lord's "faithful servant" class is known by some who recommended them to the favorable con-