*** jv chap. 10 pp. 139-141 Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth *** The War of the Great Day of God the Almighty The world war that began in 1914 rocked the existing system of things to its foundations. For a time it appeared that events would develop as the Bible Students had expected. Back in August 1880, Brother Russell had written: “We understand that before the human family are restored or even begin to be blessed the present kingdoms of earth which now bind and oppress mankind will all be overturned and that the kingdom of God will assume control and that the blessing and restitution come through the new kingdom.” How would that ‘overturning of kingdoms’ take place? Based on conditions that he could then see developing in the world, Russell believed that during the war of Armageddon, God would use contending factions of mankind to overthrow existing institutions. He said: “The work of demolishing human empire is beginning. The power that will overthrow them is now at work. The people are already organizing their forces under the name of Communists, Socialists, Nihilists, etc.” The book The Day of Vengeance (later called The Battle of Armageddon), published in 1897, further enlarged on the way the Bible Students then understood the matter, saying: “The Lord, by his overruling providence, will take a general charge of this great army of discontents—patriots, reformers, socialists, moralists, anarchists, ignorants and hopeless—and use their hopes, fears, follies and selfishness, according to his divine wisdom, to work out his own grand purposes in the overthrow of present institutions, and for the preparation of man for the Kingdom of Righteousness.” Thus they understood the war of Armageddon to be associated with violent social revolution. But was Armageddon going to be merely a struggle between contending factions of mankind, a social revolution used by God to overthrow existing institutions? As further attention was given to the scriptures bearing on this matter, The Watch Tower of July 15, 1925, drew attention to Zechariah 14:1-3 and said: “By this we would understand that all the nations of earth, under Satan’s direction, would be gathered to battle against the Jerusalem class, viz., those who take their stand on the Lord’s side . . . Revelation 16:14, 16.” The following year, in the book Deliverance, attention was focused on the real purpose of this war, saying: “Now Jehovah, according to his Word, will make a demonstration of his power so clearly and unequivocally that the people may be convinced of their ungodly course and may understand that Jehovah is God. That is the reason why God brought the great flood, threw down the Tower of Babel, destroyed the army of Sennacherib the Assyrian king, and swallowed up the Egyptians; and it is also the reason why he is now going to bring another great trouble upon the world. The former calamities were but shadows of the one now impending. The gathering is to the great day of God Almighty. It is ‘the great and the terrible day of the Lord’ (Joel 2:31), when God will make for himself a name. In this great and final conflict the peoples of every nation, kindred and tongue will learn that Jehovah is the all-powerful, all-wise and just God.” But Jehovah’s servants on earth were cautioned: “In this great battle no Christian will strike a blow. The reason they do not is that Jehovah has said: ‘For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” The war here being discussed was definitely not the one that was fought among the nations, beginning in 1914. It was yet to come.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 08:52:16 +0000
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