Pagină:A-great-image-part-I-1930.djvu/4

228 6 Jehovah’s purpose to destroy his enemies has been expressed from the very beginning of man’s sinful course. The secd of the woman shall bruise the ser- pent’s head.—Gen, 3:15. 7 That declaration was made more than six thousand years ago. The final bruising has not yet taken place. To Abraham Jchovah said: ‘‘Thy secd shall possess the gate of his enemies.’”’ (Gen. 22:17) Here Abra- ham represented Jehovah himself, while the ‘‘seed’’ promised stands for or represents the instrument Je- hovah will use to destroy his enemies. Jehovah caused Jacob to prophesy concerning Judah in these words: “Judah, ... thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies.’? (Gen. 49:8) ‘‘The Lion of the tribe of Juda’’ will be the One who thus performs the work here prophesied. § God’s chosen people in Canaan were led by Joshua. When he had captured the enemy kings and held them in eustody he caused his men to draw near and put their feet on the necks of these kings, and then they killed them. ‘‘And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.’’—Josh. 10: 25, ® God’s prophet, concerning the enemies of Jehovah and the enemies of those who love him, wrote: ‘‘For strangers are riscn up against me, and oppressors seck after my soul: they have not set God before them. Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: eut them off in thy truth.’’ (Ps. 54: 3-5) “Through God we shall do valiantly ; for he it is that shall tread down our encmics.’’ (Ps. 60:12) The prayer of the righteous is: ‘‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so Ict the wicked perish at the presenee of God. But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses,’’— Ps. 68:1, 2, 21. 10 Jehovah has made his beloved Son Christ Jesus his Chicf Executive Officer for ever. By him he will accomplish his purposes. He is the right hand instru- ment of Jehovah. Christ Jesus is the ‘‘seed’’ that shall bruise the head of the enemy. Christ was not permitted even to begin this work of destruction un- til God’s due time, but when that time arrived God sent him forth upon a mission, and the work is now in progress. (Ps. 110:1,2) The beginning of his reign in 1914 marks the beginning of the great King’s work and he must go forward from that time until it is completed: ‘‘The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the [nations], he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countrics,’’ (Ps, 110: 5, 6) The grcat work te WATCH TOWER Brooxiyn, N,. Y. God gives unto the hand of Christ, which includes the faithful members of his body. Concerning such it is written: 11Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy rightcousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judg- ment. He shall have dominion also from sca to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.’’ (Ps. 72:1, 2, 8,9) ‘‘The Lord reigneth, Ict the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. A fire gocth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.’’ (Ps. 97:1, 3) ‘*Tet there be none to extend merey unto him; neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off: and in the gencration follow- ing lect their name be blotted out.’’—-Ps. 109: 12, 18, 12 The above area few of the Seriptural texts prov- ing God’s purpose to completely destroy his enemies, and to do so by and through his beloved Son, We are now approaching that great battle of the day of God Almighty and it seems quite clear that God’s dus time has come for us to have a better understanding of the prophecies and that this includes an under- standing of the great and terrible image mentioned in Danicl’s prophecy. ‘TERRIBLE IMAGE’ Tn the sccond year of the reign of Nebuchadnez- zar, king of Babylon, he had a dream that troubled him, He forgot the dream, and he being unable to remember it, his magicians and astrologers, of course, could not interpret it; and they used this fact as an excuse for their inability to interpret the dream. Daniel was then a captive in Babylon, where the Israclites had been taken. Together with some of his brethren he sought the face of the Lord in prayer and then asked permission to disclose to Nebuchadnezzar both his dream and the interpretation thereof. Daniel was then brought before Nebuchadnezzar the king, and told him his dream. Be it noted that Daniel laid no claim whatsocver to any personal ability or learn- ing by which he could recall the dream or give the interpretation thereof; but when he was brought to tell Nebuchadnezzar he informed the king that his information eame from the God of heaven. Daniel said to the king: ‘‘But as for me, this scerct is not. re- vealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.’’"——Dan. 2:30. 44 Danicl was devoted to Jchovah and was much beloved by Jehovah and was used by the Most Tigh to write down the prophecy, which would be fulfilled in God’s duc time. Daniel represented that class of people who would be on earth and who would be fully devoted to Cod at the end of the world when ‘Michacl