Pagină:Obadiah-part-I-1936.djvu/13

JUNE 15, 1906 verse, as ‘raging in the strects and justling one against another’, are in the streets or roadways inside of the city, and are therefore a part of and belong to the city which is the Devil's organization. These chariots last mentioned are therefore the military organiza- tion and machinery of Satan. The IIcbrew word translated ‘‘rage’’ in verse four of the prophecy is hallal, and means ‘‘to praise or to boast’’, and is also rendered by the expression ‘‘to show oneself foolish’’, (Young’s Concordance) Thus the ‘“‘chariots’’ of Satan’s organization that ‘‘rage in the strects’’? are the military preparations that are vainglorious and carried on in a boastful manner ; and those who are doing it swell up and bellow like bull- frogs making a great noise, while praising their own greatness, and thercby seck to impress the people by appearing in the streets and exhibiting themselves. Why all the noise in the publie press and upun the serecns of the moving pictures concerning war prep- arations? Why the great military and naval display at every national function? Why the exhibition at every moving-picture show of some politician or war- rior who ia preparing for war? It is the war organi- gations and war lords raging in the streets and making themselves foolish. Why, in all the war preparations, at the canteens, in the art gallerics, in the publie press and in the moving picturcs, is the religious clement made so prominent? It is always a pait of the same bombastic campaign that Satan himyclf is enginecring, and he is blinding the men who are really cngaved in it and using them as his dupes. These fraudulently say: ‘We are Christian, and we therefore represent “‘Christendom’’.’ But be it noted that they do not praise God nor hig King, but they praise themselves. They are hurrying in their preparations and boast of their power and make themselves mad and foolish be- fore the Lord. And the preparation goes on! One translator renders the text in Nahum thus: “They [the chariots] rush along in the broadways,’”’ (Roth.) Thus they do, because among the people they ean make better speed by boasting of their power and that they are ‘making the world safe fur democracy’. Another translation renders the text thus: ‘‘They rush to and fro in the broad ways.’’ (A.2.V.) The thought of friction, as implied in the Authorized Version, which reads, ‘‘They shall justle one against another in the broad ways,’’ is entirely absent. By means of diplomacy they avoid friction, and thereby kecp the real meaning hid from the eyes of the people. Such js always Satan’s method. Then adds the prophet: ‘They shall seem for, ag the Icviscd Version reads, The appearance of them is] like torehes.”? The word ‘‘torehes’’ in this verse is more frequently translated ‘‘lamp’’, and suggests the view that Satan’s organization-units, or his foremost agencies, will claim or appear to be as lamps, lighting the way of the people, or like torches of liberty light- ing the way for freedom and progress in the govern- he WATCHTOWER. 189 ment of the people. It is the clergy that use their pulpits and the radio to harangue the people and to tell them of the great torches of lberty that the herocs are holding forth to light the people into a desirable condition, They are really blind guides and false prophets. God foretold exactly that the condition would exist which now does exist. ‘‘For such,’’ he says, ‘‘are false apostles [preachers and teachers], dceeitiul workers, transiorming themselves into the apostles of Christ [claiming to represent Christ, and hence being called ‘organized Christendom’, or ‘organized Chris- tianity’}. And no marvel; for Satan himsclf is trans- formed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers [the clergy] also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works,’’—2 Cor, 11: 13-15. Then adds the prophet Nahum, saying: ‘‘They shall run like the lightnines.’? In other words, they are swift in the exceution of their preparations, because Satan knows he has but a short time (Rev. 12:12), and the rulers are in distress and perplexity, beeause of what they sce approaching. —Luke 21: 26. God’s prophet proceeds, saying: ‘‘Te shall recount his worthies [gallants]: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.’’ (Nah. 2:5) The word “worthies’’, or callants, in this text is in the American Revised Version vendered ‘‘nobles’’. In other texts the same Ilcbrew word in the original is rendered “‘prineipal’’ (of the flock) (Jer, 25: 34-86), and also

• • famous’’, (1's. 136:18) It is Satan's nobles or prin-

cipal ones of the flock of the religious orgunization who are here meant. He has them in mind and re- counts them, He takes a ecnsus of his ehief agencies, and measures the strength of his fighting force as well as of his bellowing ‘“‘frogs’’. Those men are of Sa- tan’s world; hence Satan gives consideration to them. —John 15:19. Those who carry out Satan’s purposes are his fa- vored ones, hence called his ‘‘worthies’’, or nobles or famous ones. This is one of his schemes to turn the people away from Jehovah God. Satan keeps before the people the ereat heroes of his organization. In the religious organizations, in the great political mectings, in meetings of the financiers, in all of these the im- portance of the principal men, as examples and heroes worthy of praise, is held before the people. The metro- politan press, which is merely the tool or mouthpicce of Satan’s organization, publishes glowing accounts of the valor of the mighty officers of war, of the power and virtue of the financial ciants, and of the greatness of the religious clement and religious leaders. Tt is a mutual admiration society; and the press and the radio, the moving pictures and the artist, are all called into aetion to glorify the names of men, all of which keeps the minds of the people turned away from Jeho- vah God. This is all in harmony with what inspired propheey foretold.