Pagină:Obadiah-part-I-1936.djvu/8

184 birthright privileges << held out to and claimed by the clergy, Jesus foretaid would be taken away from them because they failed to bring forth the fruits (the truth) of the kingtum, It is only the clergy that have tried to compcte with Jchovah’s true saints for the kingdom privileges, This corresponds exactly with Esau’s rivalry tov ard Jacob for the birthright of his father. Esau tricd to kill Jacob, and the antitypical Edomites likewise now try to kill and destroy Jecho- vah’s true witnesses, pictured by Jacob. At verse seven of Obadiah's propheey it is stated that the Edomites entered into a conspiracy against the true followers of Christ. That same verse also refers to the two other elements of Satan’s organization, which form “the principal of the flock’’, all of which are falsely ealled ‘‘Christians’’) In the modern fulfillment of the propheey the Roman Catholic Hierarehy and their so-called ‘‘Protestant’’ allied clergymen lead in a conspiracy against God's ‘‘hidden ones’’, whom he has selected to be members of his holy nation, The ‘‘principal of the flock’’ have joined in this conspiracy and are now this dav committing overt aets against the people of God, and avainst his kingdom. The modern Edomites are therefore clearly identified and located by the Word of God and the indisputable physical facts, all of which exactly fit the words of the propheey. JUDGMENT TIDINGS >The prophecy indicates that it is a specific class of persons, and not just one person, that hear the “rumour’’, or ‘‘tidings’’, ‘‘We have heard a rumour ((2.V.) tidings] from the Lord.’’ (Verse 1) It is God's servant class, to whom the kingdom interests on earth are committed, that hear these judgment tidings from the Lurd. They being devoted to the Lord, their cars are attuned to the good news that proceeds from the Lord. Others do not have their ears so attuned, and because they are on the side of the enemy they do not hear, and thercfore know nothing, about the judement of the Lord. Continuing the prophet says: ‘‘An ambassador is sent among the heathen |the nations (/.V.)].’? The Hebrew word used ‘here for ‘‘ambassador’’ is tzecr, and means one who fs constrained by a principle, or God’s rule of action, and is therefore engaged in a pressing or urgent service. Mindful of his privilege and obliga- tion, the ambassador is on the alert to faithfully per- form the service assigned to him. Whose ambassador? It is the messenger or ambassador of the Lord, for the reason that the Devil would not stir up his own nations against Edom, whom the Devil has employed so well against God’s faithful people. The prophecy suggests that the ambassador is a heavenly messenger or angel, one of the ‘‘seven stars’’ in the right hand of Jesus Christ, the same as the angel of Revelation 8: 3-5, and 16:12: ‘The sixth angel poured out his vial . . . that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”’ The angel of Revelation 19: 17-21 assembles God’s She WATCHTOWER. Brooxiry, N.Y. army against the ‘‘beast’’, the ‘‘false prophet’? and the ‘‘kings’’, but not against the old ‘‘whore’’, of which Edom is the most prominent part. 26 After pereciving the call of the ambassador or angel of the Lord, then those composing the Lord's remnant on earth, his witnesses, like their prototype Obadiah, take up the judgment tidings and herald the same to others, both inside and outside of the remnant class. They speak to each other of the Lord's judgments and tell others who have the hearing car of the judgments of the Lord. Note that the amhassa- dor is not sent to the Devil’s army, but scnt to the members of God’s organization on earth, who are found seattcred amongst the nations but who are no part of the nations of this world. Jehovah is ealling or summoning his own people. It is Christ Jesus and his army that do the treading of Hdom and Bozrah. 27 The Lord’s ambassador or messenger brings these tidings: ‘‘ Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.’? The angelic army of Christ Jesus, or hosts of heaven, tv which God's remnant on earth must now be attached, is commanded to arise for battle against the enemy, The prophecy of Obadiah is fully corrob- orated by God’s propheey by the mouth of Jeremiah: “For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a eurse; and all the cities thereof shall be per- petual wastes,’’—Jer, 49:13. 78 The day of battle is nieh, and Jchovah makes known the purpose toward antitypical Hsau: “lor 1 will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him... . J have made Ksau bare, I have uncovered his seeret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself,’’ (Jer. 49: 8,10) For many years the Esau elass, and particularly the Roman Cathohe Hierarchy, has earried on its wieked work and ap- parently in secret, and in fact in seerct to many per- sons, and thereby many millions have been deceived. The wicked institution has turned the Word of God upside down by teaching exactly opposite to the true meaning of the Word of Cod. To that wiched organi- zation Jehovah says: ‘Woe unto them that secl. deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sceeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely vour turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?’’—Isa, 29:15, 16. 20That hypocritical and devilish crowd have said and continue to say: ‘‘We have made lies our refuse, and under falschood have we hid ourselves.’? But the Lord says to them: ‘‘The hail {hard, solid truths] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters {flood of God's truth] shall overflow the hiding place.’? (Isa. 28: 15-17) That the Lord says he will do in his ‘‘judement time’’. Such is not the battle of Arma- geddon, because in that scourge of Armageddon Je-