196
now be strong in faith and bold in the warfare, know-
ing for a certainty that the day of deliverance is at
hand.
5 Jchovah’s witnesses are not engaged in fighting the
battle of Armageddon, and never will be, but they are
now at war with Satan's representatives on earth, and
the faithful must and will remain firm and steadfast
and quit themselves like men who are true soldiers of
the Lord, The reinnant is now doing real battle work
by constantly declaring the judements of Jehovah,
making known his name, and holding high his stand-
ard that the people may learn that he is the only true
God and Deliverer, (isa, 62:10) By the proclamation
of the truth Jehovah’s witneses are laying bare the
frauds of organized religionists, and particularly the
Roman Catholie Mierarehy, and this God is causing
to be done by his servants under the command and
leadership of Christ Jesus that in due tine the eom-
mercial trafliekers and politicians may see through the
fraudulent claim of the elergy ; and Jikewi.e that the
common people may sce and understand how they
have been deceived and defrauded by the elerey and
rapaciously robbed of the fruits of their honest labor.
By causing his truth now to he declared, and by ex-
posing the blasphemy of the religionists, the elerey,
the Lord makes these men ‘‘ercatly despised ’?, Honest
peaple of all denominations, and regardie.s of all na-
tions or erceds, are now hearing the truth, which they
believe and accept, and they despise the hypoerites that
have slandered the name of the Lord in order to sat-
isfy their own cruel and selfish desires. Now Jehovah
and Christ Jesus make that religious oreanization
small by frustrating the tokens of the liars, and eaus-
ing them to appear in the eyes of the people of the
world as worse than nothing, ‘Thus saith the Lord,
...» Tam the Lord... that frustrateth the tokens
of the Jiars, and maketh diviners mad; that turnceth
wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge
foolish.’’—Isa. 44; 24, 25.
- The day is here when Jchovah’s chosen nation
shall stand forth and holdly battle for the truth. To them Jehovah now says: “Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord JIWTOVAII is everlasting strength: for he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he Iayeth it low; he laycth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor {the poor in spirit, the true followers of Christ Jesus], and the steps of the needy [who need and receive God’s help and protection].’”’ (Isa, 26:4-6; Matt. 23:12) Like Esau, the clergy onee had ihe oppor- tunity of partaking of the birthright and they despised the same. They refused to make known the name of God and his kingdora, and now they fight with all their power to prevent others from secing and cm- bracing the kingdom. They exalt themselves and defy the Lord and spurn his Word, and to them the Lord Jesus says: ‘‘And whosoever shall exalt himself, shall She WATCHTOWER sROOKI YN, NIX. be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted. But woe unto vou, scribes and Pharisees, hypoerites! fur ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither sufier ye them that are entcring to go in.’’——Alatt. 23:12, 13. 7 Esau went away from the land of promise and to gratify his sclfish ambition built up an inheritence at Mount Seir. The Horites were dwelling in Mout Seir when Esau went there. They were cliff dwellers. (Deut, 2:12) Hsau dispossessed those earlier dwellers. Then the Edemites, or those descendants of Usau, perehed themselves high up on the cliffs of the rocks and they beeaine cliff dwellers, Likewise the Roman Catholic Hierarchy clergy, because of selfish ambition to rule and coutrol the peoples of earth, have pu Led others aside, wrongfully taken possession of that whieh did not belong to them, and built up an inheritance for their own selfish use. They dwell hieh wp. clvim- ing that it is their pope, or head of their organization, who is the foundation rock against which the cates of hell shall not prevail, They have not built upon the true Rock, Christ Jesus, the express image of Jchoval the Grent Rock, (Deut. 82:4) Thus the Edomites foreshaduw the self-exalted clergy, parUcularly of the Hierarchy, who have ruled the people with arreoaney and have scorned the truth and defamed the name of Cod. With great pride the Roman Catholie cler y erowd have exalted themselves on hich, the claim be- ing made for the head of that organiwation that he is equal to God himself, Out of the mouth of the cleires they convict themselves and exhibit the ereatest amount of pride. The following is a quotation from one of the Roman Catholie Tierarehy, high in auther- itv in that institution. This quotation is taken from Ferraris’ Eeclestustical Dictionary, whieh appears in that book under the subtitle or article “ Papal’. Such blasphemous statements as the following ave made Tor the sole purpose of overawing the gullible pcople to compel them to render obedicnee to the devilich Hier. arechy: ‘‘The pope is of such dignity and hichness that he is not simply a man but, as it were, God, and the vicar [representative] of God... . Tenee the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as kine of heaven, of earth and of hell. Nay, the pope’s exectlenee and power are not only about heavenly, terrestrial and infernal things, but he is also above angels, and is their superior; so that if it were possible that anecls could ery from the faith, or entertain sentiments con- trary thereto, they could be judeed and excommuni- cated by the pope. ... He is of such great digmity and power that he oceupies one and the same tribunal with Christ; so that whatsoever the pope dovs seus to proceed from the mouth of God. . .'. The pope rs, as it were, God on earth, the only prince of the faith- ful of Christ, the greatest king of all kines, possessing the plenitude of power; to whom the government of a the earthly and heavenly kingdom is entrusted. V+
