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"evil servant" class that Jesus ioretold belongs to that
group. At Hosea 13: 12-14 the word "ransom" occurs and
the prophecy using it shows the contrast between those
professing Christians who were once enlightened but who
became unfaithful and those Christians who remain faithful
and true to God and his Christ and who are therefore
"children of Zion". A.D. 1914 Zion, which is God's universal
organization, brought forth the promised Kingdom in the
person of Jesus Christ, for him to reign as the Vindicator
of Jehovah's universal sovereignty. (Rev. 12: 1-5) But the
facts show that A.D. 1918 Zion brought forth her other
royal children who are to reign with him, these being
brought forth by their resurrection from the dead to spirit
life in company with the glorified Jesus Christ. There is a
remnant of her children yet on earth, and during the years
of World War I down till 1918 they were greatly oppressed
by worldly powers and brought into captivity to the Devil's
Babylonish world-organization. At that time the "evil servo
ant" class proved itself unfaithful, but the faithful rem·
nant remained true to their YOWS to God and consequently
Zion brought them forth as her approved children, to serve
as Jehovah's witnesses on earth thenceforth:-Rev. 12: 17.
Referring to the different destinies of these two classes
Hosea 13: 12-14 says: "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound
up; his sin is laid up in store. The sorrows of a travailing
woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for it
is time he should not tarry in the place of the breaking
forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of
Sheol; I will redeem them from death: 0 death, where are
thy plagues? 0 Sheol, where is thy destructionY repentance
shall be hid from mine eyes." (Am. Stam. Ver.) The more
modern translation of these verses by Moffatt shows that
"ransom" means "rescue" and that "Sheol" means "Deathland" or the grave of mankind. It reads: "Ephraim's
iniquity is carefully collected, his sin is kept in store for
him. The pangs of childbirth are here, but a senseless babe
is he, he will not come to the womb's mouth at the right
moment [and thus be born as one of Zion's children to a
destiny of everlasting life]. Am I to save them from Deathland? am I to rescue them from death? Nay, come, Death,
with your plagues! Come, Death-land. with your pestilence!
I have no mind to relent." (Moffatt) Whom, then, does
God deliver from Sheol or Death-land?
Hosea 13: 14, above quoted, has long been used to apply
to the ransoming of Adam's offspring from sin and death
by the precious blood of Jesus. But the apostle Paul corrects
such a wrong application and shows it applies to God's "new
creation" in unity with Christ. (2 Cor. 5: 17, Moffatt) In
confirmation of this conclusion that the ones here redeemed
are the faithful anointed followers of Jesus Christ who
become Zion's children, we quote the apostle's words at
1 Corinthians 15: 52-55 concerning the resurrection of the
144,000 anointed Christians: "The dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. But when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy victory f 0
death, where is thy sting~" (Am. Stan. Ver.) The apostle
is here borrowing his language from Hosea 13: 14 and thus

BROOKLYN,

N. Y.

shows the application of it is not to mankind in general.
At the time that they made their consecration of themselves to God, these Christians were redeemed from death
because the merit of Christ's ransom sacrifice was applied
to them and they were justified from sin, the penalty of
which is death. After their justification God begets them
by his life-giving spirit to be his spiritual children, members
of his organization Zion. Hosea 13: 14 could not properly
be applied to the ransoming of the entire human race by
Christ's shed blood, for the apostle shows the text applies
only to those who have been justified and begotten of God
by his spirit. (John 3: 3, 5) In 1918 the Devil by use of
his world-wide organization attempted to destroy these witnesses of Jehovah. The class pictured by "Ephraim" fell
away under the pressure and became the "evil servant"
described by Jesus at Matthew 24: 48-51. Theil' destiny is
eternal death, destruction. But as for his faithful, spiritbegotten servants, these were ransomed or delivered from
the power of the adversary, who had hoped to put them in
the grave, Sheol or Death-land, and to destroy them in
death, and thereby clear all of Jehovah's witnesses off the
face of the earth.
A.D. 1914 marked the time when Jesus Christ was
enthroned as reigning King and the 'rod of his strength'
was sent out of Zion and he was told to rule in the midst
of his enemies. (Ps. 110: 1,2) Immediately after this birth
of the Kingdom "war in heaven" began, accompanied by
war upon our globe. That marked the ''beginning of sorrows" upon the earth, and from then until 1919 God's
spirit-begotten witnesses were in much distress among all
nations. (Rev. 11: 18; 12: 7.13; Matt. 24: 7, 8) But in
1919 God redeemed or delivered the faithful ones from
the power of Satan's organization and thus prevented the
enemy from overwhelming them and destroying them from
the earth. This redemption or deliverance of them from
Great Babylon was foretold at ~icah 4: 10 in these words:
"Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, 0 daughter of Zion,
like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out
of the city [your home organization], and thou shalt dwell
in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt
thou be delivered; there the LORD [Jehovah] shall redeem
thee from the hand of thine enemies."
At Isaiah 35: 8-10 God tells of the "highway" by which
his redeemed or delivered ones escape from Babylon and
return to his Theocratic organization and its worship and
service. He there says: "And there shall be there a raised
way-even a high road, and the Highroad of Holiness shall
it be called, there shall not pass over it one who is unclean;
but He Himself shall be one of them travelling the road,
and the perverse shall not stray thereinto. There shall be
there no lion nor shall ravenous beast go up thereon, it shall
not be found there,-thus shall travel the redeemed; and
the ransomed of Yahweh shall return and shall enter Zion
with shouting, with gladness age-abiding upon their head,
joy and gladness shall overtake them, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."-Rotherham's translation.
Prior to their redemption or deliverance in 1919 God's
consecrated people were compelled to mingle with Satan's
organization and they were restrained under the belief that
the rulers of this wicked world constituted the "higher
powers" to whom every Christian soul should be subject.

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