Pagină:A-great-image-part-I-1930.djvu/6

230 came to his temple in 1918 that his anointed pcople began to have a better understanding of the prophe- cies, because the temple in heaven was opened. (Rev. 11:19) Since Danicl says that the vision or prophecy is to make known what is to come to pass in the ‘‘lat- ter days’’, then it must be that God purposed that his people, whom Daniel represented, would be given an understanding of the image in the ‘‘latter days’’, and not before. 21 (2) That the prophecy shows that the terrible image would be broken in pieces all at one and the same time and it follows that unless the entire image is in existence at one and the same time this could not take place. The world powers of Babylon, Medo- Persia, Greece, and Pagan Rome, have ceased to exist and the image hag not yet been broken in pieces. The ‘“‘holy Roman empire’’ does not now exist as a world power. 22 (8) It could not be literally true that Nebuchad- nezzar at the time he was king of Babylon was ruler over all ‘‘the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven’’, as the prophecy states. There is no proof that he had any more power or control over the wild beasts and the birds than any other imperfect man had. 23 (4) There is no evidence whatsoever that Medo- Persia as a world power possessed anything peculiar that could be symbolized by the precious metal silver, or that the Grecian empire was in any particular way marked so that it could be symbolized by the less valuable metal brass or copper. 24 (5) It is not true that Rome was the first world power to employ the iron military rule that ‘bruises the peoples of the earth’. Egypt existed long before the day of Rome, and Egypt was the first great mili- tary power. The world power of Assyria was before Babylon or Rome, and Assyria boasted that her armies had conquered all the nations and none had been able to stand before her military onslaughts. Only Je- hovah by his angel could and did deliver the Isracl- ites from the Assyrian iron or military hand. (Isa. 36: 17-20) Greece conquered and ruled the world by military force, and it is said of her mighty warrior general that ‘‘he wept because there were no more worlds to conquer’’. In much carlier days than that, even, the kings of Canaan had military equipment and nine hundred chariots made of iron. (Judg. 4:3) Other nations fought with military instruments of jron long before Rome existed. (1 Ki, 22:11) Other reasons appear why ‘the terrible image’ does not refer to world powers, and these will be considered as we progress, 25 The image about which Nebuchadnezzar dreamed was a terrible one. What could it picture? In order to enable the student to follow the argument here sct forth it is now here briefly stated that the terrible image represented Satan’s organization, both visible te WATCH TOWER Brooxtyn, N. Y, and invisible. Before submitting the proof in support of that conclusion consideration is first given to some Scriptural evidence concerning the greater organiza- tion. JEHOVAH’S ORGANIZATION 26 Jehovah has a universal organization which is often mentioned in the Seriptures under the symbol of ‘‘mountain’’. ‘‘So he brought them into his own holy bounds, the mountain-range which his right hand acquired.’’ (Ps. 78:54, Rotherham) ‘‘Great and high- ly to be praised in the city is our God, his holy moun- tain is beautiful for elevation, the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion on the northern ridge is the city of a king.’’ (Ps. 48:1,2, Rotherham) (Sce also Isaiah 2:2;11:9; 56:7; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 8:3.) 7 Hzekiel was caused to write down his vision of God’s organization. (Ezek. 1: 3-28) In that vision he describes four living creatures having the likeness of a man, and every one had four faces and four wings. ‘‘Their wings were joined one to another ; they tumed not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their ap- pearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.’’—Ezck. 1: 9-13. 28 There appeared in the vision also one wheel upon the earth by each of the living ercatures which had four faces. ‘‘And their appearanee and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.”’ Further deseribing what he saw, Ezckiel said: ‘‘When they went, they went upon their four sides; and they turned not when they went. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the whecls were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living ercature was in the wheels.?’—Ezek. 1:17, 19, 20. 2° There appeared over the heads of the living erea- tures a great expanse like terrible erystal to look upon. Under the expanse were the wings of the living ereatures cach having four wings, two on cach side of the body. When these creatures went the sound of the wings was like the sound of many waters. “And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of