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The Watchtower

Brooklyn N. Y.

able to ignore the notice of warning that Jehovah has caused his witnesses to proclaim before them. They have been compelled to give the matter some thought; and the facts show that they have thought, and some of them have thought seriously. They have been sobered for a time, but this has served only to harden their hearts. "Then the king's countenance [brightness, R.V., margin] was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another." (Dan. 5:6) It was in 1928 that the Lord caused his remnant to make a declaration of Jehovah's judgement which is written against Satan and all of his organization, and to give warning that all who would live must take the side of Jehovah. That message of notice and warning was proclaimed throughout "Christendom", and as to the ruler thereof it somewhat loosened their joints and caused their knees to knock together. That would sober them for a time. Shortly thereafter the great commercial crash came and Babylon to sober up a little more, and the chief ones thereof showed a dull countenance instead of a bright one. By his prophet Jehovah tells them now to howl, because their howling day are short. "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames." (Isa. 13:6-8) While they are howling evidently Jehovah laughs at them. -Ps. 2:4.

¹⁸ This corresponds to the prophecy uttered by Jesus, to wit: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them to fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:25,26) Although "Christendom's" mighty men bring forth the League of Nations compact, peace treaties, disarmament conferences, "holy year," national recovery acts, yet their howling continues. In that period the pope regains his temporal power and the other parts of "Christendom" receive his delegates or ambassadors. He declares 1933 a "holy year"; and when he sees that has failed he continues to howl with his other allies and asks them all to pray that Armageddon may be prevented. Within this same hour, with increased zeal and activity Jehovah's remnant places the message of the Lord God high up on the wall, and God has compelled the rulers in "Christendom" to read the message although they do not understand it.

¹⁹ For many years the clergy have held the position of spiritual advisers to the other ruling elements of Babylon, or "Christendom". True, some of these clergy are Catholics, some are Protestants, and some are Jews; but all are engaged in the same business for

hire. Naturally they are now being called upon to give advice and counsel and consolation to the other rulers in "Christendom". "The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof , shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." (Dan. 5:7) This description of the king's advisers given in the prophecy shows that these advisers include not only the clergy or the various religious organizations, but also the professional economists, historians, philosophers and such like in the present time, and which are designated by Babylon's publicity agents as "the brain trust", meaning of course, those that have great "wisdom". The seventh "trumpet" for Jehovah and against Satan and his organization was sounded in 1928, and shortly thereafter, as it should be expected, the ruling powers of "Christendom" pictured by Belshazzar would begin to cry out; and that is exactly what did come to pass. In 1928 a world conference was held in Paris, and another in London the next year, for the evident purpose of ascertaining the meaning of the threatening condition and of the signs, notices or declarations that had been given. That was after the "sign in heaven, great and marvelous", had appeared. (Rev. 15:1) The time having arrived to vindicate Jehovah's name, his witnesses would cause the trumpet to sound and to give notice, and discomfort came to the earthly rulers as a partial result thereof. King Belshazzar appealed to his own advisers for help, and even so the rulers in "Christendom" in modern times have assembled its "wise men" that wisdom might result from such multitude of counsel and that they might determine what to do. Of course, none of Jehovah's witnesses would be called to such a conference; for such conference is anti-God and anti-kingdom, and Jehovah's witnesses would not be wanted there, neither would they want to be there.

²⁰ The handwriting on the wall at Belshazzar's feast was in a foreign language, a language not known to Belshazzar, and, even if he could read it, he was not learned therein and was not able to interpret the same. Likewise the 'seven angels having the seven last plagues' were messengers not of a human organization, and consequently the message was not of human interpretation. The rulers of "Christendom" saw the activities of Jehovah's witnesses and heard what they were declaring, but the force and significance of their message needed some explanation or interpretation. Belshazzar wanted an explanation of what he saw on the wall, and in modern times "Christendom's" rulers want to know the meaning of the present events, including what Jehovah's witnesses declare, and to find out they ask their own clergymen and "wise men". No doubt the activities of these faithful witnesses have been frequently discussed in the secret conferences of the "wise men" of the modern day.