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~e WATCHTOWER..

terians, and hence 59 million more of such religionists than there are witnesses of Jehovah here. That
is so, although all the religious movements represented by such populous religious bodies in America
had their origin outside of America, in Europe and
in Britain. The attitude of most Americans toward
the Kingdom truth so widely proclaimed in America
is like that of the majority of peoples in all foreign
lands. Their attitude is like that of Nathanael, when
he heard of Jesus' coming from Nazareth and said:
"Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ,"
(John 1: 46 ) Similarly, because America has been
outstandingly connected with the promoting of the
Kingdom message and the IGngdoIll work since 1879
and because America seems to be a modern, uncultured upstart among the older nations of earth, many
persons feel prejudiced against the message and say:
"Can any good thing come out of that country?"
36 However, this viewing of matters with geographicallocations in mind is wrong and misleading, and
that applies also with regard to the visible governing body of J eho"ah's organized people in the earth.
The physical or geographical location of the governing body is not at all important, neither the nationality of its members according to the flesh. In the
case of the apostles, in obedience to Jesus' command
to go and disciple all nations and be his witnesses
both in Jerusalem and in all nations and to the uttermost parts of the earth, they moved their location
from place to place as missionaries and issued organization instructions as these became necessary and
were inspired of God by his spirit. This fact in itself
destroys the figment that it is the geographical situation that determines the question. In this latest century, and particularly since A.D. 1914, the Almighty
God can operate through a central governing body in
one part of the earth as well as in another part,
because since 1914 the scripture applies in a Kingdom sense: "The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Ps.
U: 1, Am. Stan. Ver.; 1 Cor. 10: 26, 28) He declares:
"The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool"; and anywhere on his footstool Jehovah God
can locate his visible governing body and use it,
because all the earth belongs to him and is his
property, and not the property of the United States,
or the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations, or the United Nations. And if he still further
wanhl to change geographical locations it is within
his right and power to do so. He is bound by no traditions of places.
37 The hour is here of which Jesus said to the
woman at the well near Mount Gerizim in Samaria:
"Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, wor30. Why Is It wrong to view matters with geography In mind?
37. What, then, determines In regard to the governing body? Wby?

BROOKLYN,

N. Y.

ship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is.
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth." And hence wherever thesincere worshipers serve and glorify him in spirit
and in truth they are accepted of him, and nationality and national locations do not determine for or
against the individual. (John 4: 21, 23) Not nationality, then, nor geographical location, but the existence and presence of the appointed Theocraticminded, consecrated and faithful servants of J ehovah God is what determines with regard to the governing body. Such devoted followers of the Head of
the Theocratic organization, Christ Jesus, are the
ones that Jehovah God can use visibly in directing,
counseling, and serving his consecrated organized
people in all the earth.
WHERE TO LOOK

Finally, once more to the question, Where are
we to look to find the visible central governing body
of Jehovah's witnesses on earth now? The Scriptural
answer, and consequently the right answer, is, To the
Theocratic organization of which Jehovah God the
Organizer has made his King Christ Jesus to be the
invisible Head. That is the direction in which Isaiah
51: 1-3 points us, where the Lord says: "Hearken to
me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seel:
Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah
that bare you; for when he was but one I called him,
and I blessed him, and made him many. For J ehovall
hath comforted Zion." (Am. Stan. V er.) That statement means:- Look to Jehovah God, the Greater
Abraham, as the great Rock, Builder and Comforter;
and look to his Theocratic universal organization,
which is the Greater Sarah, and from which you have
been digged or produced and through which comes
your Christian existence. At Galatians 4: 22-31 the
apostle Paul refers to this antitypical Sarah, this
universal organization of Jehovah God, when he
says: "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which
is the mother of us all." (Gal. 4: 26) Hence the members of the visible governing body of God's organized people on earth must come forth from this universal Theocratic organization and must always
abide subject to its chief member and Head, Jesus
Christ the King of kings.
a~ Harmoniously with these Scriptural facts, then,
when you look for an acceptable, visible governing
body, you look to those who are part of this Theocratic organization, the antitypical Sarah, which is
not confined to anyone land on earth. Then you look
among them for wholly devoted servants of God who
3S

• See The Watchtower of January 15, 1946, pages 19-22.
38 Where do we look, then, aa directed at Isaiah :11: 1-3?
39. What do you require 8Jl regards the central governtng body?

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