NEUTRALITY

The WatchtowC?" of
N ovem bel' 1, 1839,
contained the follow­
ing on "Neutrality" .
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COPYRIGHT, 1939
AND PUBLISHED BY
W ATCI-ITOWER
BIBL,E AND 'l'RACT SOCIETY, INC. •

International Bible Students Association •

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Brooklyn, N. Y., U. S. A.

Made m the United States of America

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 NEUTRALITY
"They are not of the too'rld, even as 1 am not of the
world."· .John 17,' 16.
EHOV AH is the God of pl!aee: "The God of peace
be with you all." (l�omans 15: 33) "And the very
God of peace sanctify yon ",,·holly." (1 Thessalonians
5 23) Jehovah is not a pacifist, as that word is gener­
:
ally defined. In his own due time Jehovah makes war
against those who blaspheme his name and defy Him
and who oppose THE THEOCRACY. mrhc God of peace
shall bruise Satan nnder your feet shortly." (llomans
16: 20) Jehovah God is always neu t. r al in a controversy
or war between nations or peoples who are on the side
of Satan and a part of Satan':,; world.
Christ Jesns is «the Prinee of Peace", and when his
,

kingdom is fnlly in operation there will be no end to

peace. (Isaiah 9: 6, 7; Hebrews 'i': 1, 2) But Christ Jesus
is not a pacifist. In God's cine time and at. God's com­
mand he makes war upon Satnn a.nd all of his organi­
zation and will completely destroy all the wicked. (Rev­
elation 19: 11; Psalm 110: 2-4) When there is a co n­
troversy or war between those who are of Satan's org an­
ization Christ Jcsus is always llCU tral as to the contend­
ing sides.
"Neutrality" means to decline or refuse to engage in
a controversy or war which is between others, and par­
ticularly when such warring nations are unfriendly to
the neutml one. In �llch conho,'el'sies or wars the neu­
tral one does not take the part of either side, but refuses
to t(tke up the fight of one as against the othel'; a.nd
this is particularly true where lhe neutra.l one has no
just cause to interfere.
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 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
The position of Jehovah's witnesses :;;hould be clearly
and defined, and that posil i on must be fully
definitely
supported by the Scriptures Joho\";1h's witnesses are
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Christians, who follow the lead of Christ Jesus their

Head in obeying the commandmcnls of t.he Almighty
God, and who are therefore wholly nwl clltirely devoted
tothe kingdom of God, which is TJI!..: THEOCRACY, The
mere fact that one claims to be a Christian does not
mean that be is in fact a Christ i an
His course of action
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must prove his claim. A C1uiRtian

is a e wh o has fully
covenanted to do the will of Almighlj' G u and therefore
to be obedient to God's commanc1mcnts even as Christ
Jesus, the beloved and exalted Son of God, obeys Jeho­
vah's commandments. As Christ Jesus is, so are his fol­
lowers, Jehovah's witnesses, in t.his world. ·1 Jolm 4: 17.
'1'here is now war among some of (he nations of earth .
Some of the nations not actually at war have declared
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their neutrality. It will be difficult for the officials of the

nations to cl early understand the real neutrality of J eho­
vah's "'itnesses, but their position must be so clearly
stated that there may be no occa�ion 10 have any doubt
as to where they stand and no do ubt liS to the correctness
of the position they take or have taken.
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ENTIRELY NEUTRAL
The true followers of Christ Jesus mUHt follow where
Christ Jesus leads, became they are called to take that
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exact course and they must be diligent to obey his and
Jehovah's commandment�. (1 Peter 2: 21) Wherever
ther e is a conflict between the laws of the nations and
. the laws of Almighty God the Christian must always
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obey God's law in preference to man's law, All laws of
men or nations in harmony with God's law the Chris­
ti an obeys. The words of Jesus, spoken to his disciples,
apply to all p ersons who have made a covenant to be
obedient to Almighty God. Coneerning such J CSliS says:
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"They arc not of the lrorld, even as 1 urn not of lht'

\\,o1'ld." ( John 17: lG) That Jesus intclltlctj this rule
to apply to everyone who becomes a real Christian is
proved by his words, as f ol lo ws : "Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word." (John 17: 20) Jesus is sanctified
or set aside entirely to the work of his Father, Jehovah,
and concerning those who agree to follow in his steps
Jesus says: "As thou hast s en t me into the world, even
.so have 1 also sellt them into the world. And for their
sakes 1 sanctify myself, that they also might be sancti�
fied throngh the truth." John 17: 18, 19.
The world mentioned by Jesus consists of the nations
of earth under the supervision of the invisible overlord,
Satan. (2 Corinthians 4: 4; J ohn 12; 81; 14: 30) The
world of Satan, therefore, con si st s of the invisible, called
"heavens", and t.he visible, called "earth"; and which
world, in God's due ti me will be completely destroyed.
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(2 Peter 3: 7) J eh ov ah s witnesses are set aside an d

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commissioned by Jehovah God to be the representatives

on the earth of the Most High, the Great Theocrat.
Jehovah's witnesses are not a political or religions or­
ganization, and they have no part in the political affairs
of this world, not even of the nations wherein they have
their domicile. The authority for this position is clearly
st ated by Jesus, to wit: "1 have given them thy wo rd ;
and the worl d hath hated them [like aliens and stran­
geTS], because they are not of the wo1'IL1, even as I am
not of the world!'-· John 17: 14.
Further add ressin g his tnle followers, the Lord Jesus
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says: "If yo were of the world [that is, a part of an y •

of the nations participating in war with other nations],

the world [that is, the Tulers and supporters] woulcllove
his own; but because ye aTe not of the world, but 1 have
chosen you [the followers of Christ Jesus] ont of the
wOTld, therefore the world hateth you." J uhn 15: 19,

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 The :fact th atthe true followers of Chri st Jesus, real
Christians, are hated by the nations of earth is conclu­
sive proof that such Christians must be neutral and not
enter into any all iance with nations that are engaged
at war with other na tion s Some of the nations of earth ,
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such as the United States, are now neutral toward other

nations, but the United States or other neutral nations
are not hated because of that neutrality. They are a part
of the world and continue to have commercial dealings
with the nations that are at war. The position of .Teho­
vah's witnesses is entirely different from that of the na­
tions of ear t h J ehorah's witnc:'lses are entirely neutral
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for Jehovah's name s sake, and because thereof they are

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hated, as Jesus stated, "for my name's sake" and the

sake of his Father's nume. Jehovah's witnes� s are en­
tirely for the Theocratic Government of the Almighty
God by Ch rist Jesus the King. The unint.errupted r ule
of Satan has ended, and therciore great woes have come
upon the nat ions of the earth. (JIm·elation 12; 12) Con­
cerning the eUll of Satan's world the Lord Jesus says:
"N ation shall 1'i8e against nation, and kingd om against
kingdom" ; and in this connection Jesns, further speak­
ing concerning the Christian, says; "And ye [tht' fol­
lower� of Christ Jesus] shall be haled of all nat ions for
my name's sake." (Matthew 24: 7�9) Thitl alone proves
•• that J eho\,ah'8 wi tnesses are entirely separate and apart
from the nations of this world.

THE THEOCRACY

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Many centuries ago JehO\'ah, the Almighty God, de­
clared h is purpose to set up the THEOCRATIC GOVElm­
}'IENT,which is his kingdom by Christ Jesus, and whi eh
kingdom sha ll rule the earth in righteousness. In the
year 29 (A.D.) Christ JeRus was anointed and commis­
sioned as King of the Theocratic Government or King­
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dom, which he declared would be set up at his second

coming. Christ Jesus was entirely neutral toward na�

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Hons when he was on earth. He did not i n struct his
followers to take sides with any government or any
nations of earth in thei r controversies, but he emphati­
cally instructed all his true followers to devote themselves
entirely to God's kingdom, THE THEOCRACY. He urged
upon them the necessity of always praying for the com­
ing and full operation of THE THEOCRACY: "Thy king­
dom come. Thy will be d one in earth, as it is in heaven."
-Matthew 6: 10,
He told his .followers that the nations of this world
seek entirely after ma terial or selfish things, and then
to his followers he said: "But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness [ t hat is, seek THE THEOC­
RACY, and not democracy, totalitarianiBm, Fascism, or
any other political governnH'nt 1 ; and all these thi ngs
shall be added unto you!' (Matthew 6: 33) The Chris­
ti a n that is to say, the true fo]lo;yer of Christ Jesus,
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who is for the government of Jehovah, could not take

sides for or against any political gove rnment now on
eari h. Great religious organizations and the F ascists say,
"We expect to rule the earth" ; while the democracies say,
"We will rule the earth"; and all of these aTe against
Jehovah God s kingdom by Christ Jesus, That his fol­
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lowers might have no reason to take a wrongful course

JeslIR instructs them to give no concem to the affairs
of this world, and then adds: "For all these things do <.

the nations of the world seek after; and your Father

knoweth that ye have need of these things, But rather
seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things s hall
be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure 10 give yon the kingdom." (Luke
12: 30-32) Here is the positive and emphatic instruction
that those who will have a part in the l'HEOCRATTU Gov­
ERNMENT, that is, in God's heavenly kingdom, mURt be
entirely neutral with Teference to earthly nations.
Every nation on the earth, including those that are
at war and those that are not now at w ar, end01'ses and

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practices religion, and religion and politics operate to­

gether, and not one of such nations is for the Theocratic
Government of ,h,hovllh, but all arc against it. The na­
tions of the e ar th pursue the selfish course for commer­
cial and political gain. Some of thcse nations call them­
Belves "Christian" nations, but they are aU opposed to
the kingdom of God by Christ .Tesus. Every religious
institution under the snn. has some part in the affairs
of this world, ana therefore constitutes a part of this
world; and that explains why the rulers of the nations
of this \I'orId do not hate the religioll � systems, as Jesus
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stated his followers are hllted for his namc's sake. That
proves 1 h" t these rdigious Aystems [lrc not for the name
· of J el10mh God no r for the name of Christ Jesus, but
against God and his king�lom. The instructions given
to those who are for the Theocmtic Government are that
their citizenship is in heaven and their duty is to be
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entirely loyal and faithful to the heavenly government
by Christ Jesus. Concerning this it is \\T' ton: " ( For
many walk, of whom I have told you oCto , and now
· tell you even weeping, that they Ilre the enemies of the
cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose nod
is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who
mind earthly things [commercial, political and religious
things].) For our cihzemhip is in heaven [A.R.V.];
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3: 18-20) Mark this strong
contra st pointed ont between those who are Christians
and those religionists, that is, who are of this world.
Does the Lord instruct his people to indulge in war
for one nation against another nation? No; but, on the
contrary, ihe cmlJhatic instruction to the Chri�tian is
stated in these words: "Thou therefore e ndure hardness,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth
. entangleth himself with the airairs of this [world] ; that
.he ,may please him who bath choson him to be a soldier."
. 2 Timothy 2.: 3, 4. '

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 One coul d not be a soldier of Jesus Christ and at the
same time a soldier of the nation that is under the super­
vision of God's enemy, the DeviL Hence the Ohristian
does not entangle himself with the affairs of this world:
"For though we walk in the fles h we do not war after
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the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare arc not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong
• holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that ex alt e th itself against the knowledge of God [t he
great THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT], and bringing into cap­
tivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [the King
of THE THEOCRACY]." (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5) Then
the Chri,,1ian is specifically instructed as to the warfare
to which he is subjected: "For ours is not a conilict
with . . flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the
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empires, the forces that control and govern this dark

world-· the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in
the heavenly warfare."· Ephesians 6: 12, Weymouth.
The war of one nation against another n a tion of the
earth is not the fight of the followers of Christ Jesus.
If the nations of this world desire to fight, that is their
. affair entirely, and it is not at all the affair of one who
has made a covenant to be faithful to Almighty God and
his King and Kingclom. '1'he Christian must not inter­
fere in the least manner with the war between the na­
tions. The Christian is not to interfere with the drafting
. of men of either nation that goes to war. 'fhat is the
affair of the nations of this world. The Christ.ian must
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be entirely neutral, and this without regard to his place
of birth or nationality. It is the privilege of each Chris­
tian to make his own position and relationship to the
Lord clearly to be understood, that he is separate and
apart from any of the nation s of this wmld. Jehovah's
wit nes se s have separated themselves entirely from thi s
world by covenanting to be faithf u l to God's kingdom,
and they have received the commission from Jehovah
God to aid and comfort the peoples of the earth who
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seek righteousness, and

that without reganl to what na­
tion such people may be s11bject to. They bring comfort
to those who are seeking the right way, by declaring
to th em the name and the kingdom of Almighty God
by ChTist J eSlls, calling their attention to the em phatic
wor d of God that his kingdom is the only l10pe for man­
kind. (I�aiah 61: 1,2; MaHhew 12 : 18-21) To tho.�e who
have covenanted to do God's will as followers of Christ
J esllS he says: "Yc are my witnesses . that I am G od " ;
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that is, t he Supreme One, and who gives peace and sal­
vation t o those who do his will. (Isaiah 43: 10, 12; Psalm
3: 8) Officiale of the nations of this world and who have
to do with t he selecting of the army cannot have a proper
appreciation of the scriptmes hereinbefore mentioJled,
for the Teason that they are of the world and have not
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devoted themselves to Almighty God. Concerning this

it is written : "I11It the natural man [the man dc\'oted
to the things of Satan':;; world J rcceiveth not the things
of the spirit of God; for they are fooli�hJ1ess unto him;
neither can he know them, because they are spiri tually
discerned. For what man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God."
-1 Corinthians 2: 14, 11.
that worldly men and officials do not under­
The fact
stand and appreciate the clear distinction between the
nations of this world and the great THEOCllATIC Gov­
ERN}'IENT of Jehovah Gou by Christ Jesus is n o excu�e
for a Christian to yield to the demands of worldly na­
tions. The Ch ri sti an has made a covenant to be faithful
to God and to his kingdom; and for the Christian to
willingly break that covenant means his everlasting de­
struction. The position here announced of the Christian
is nothing new, bl1t was clearly set forth in the Scrip­
tures long centuries :.:.go for the guidanee of the man
or righteousness who has agreed to be faithful to Al­
mighty God. •

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NEUTRALITY FORESHADOWED

Jehovah useo the Israelites to set up a typical theoc­

racy, which foret;lHldowed his real
and great Theocracy,
his kingdom by Christ Jesus. Ahrl'1ham, Isaac and Jacob
were faithful and they
representatives of Jehovah God,
were always neutral in the wars of other nations. Abra­
ham had nothing to do with the fight between the rulers
of Sodom and Gomorrah and their enemies. The invad­
ers ove r ran the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, and a great
conflict raged between them. Abraham and Lot, his neph­
ew, were there, but they took
no part whatsoever in that
\I·ar. (Gene�is 14; 1-3) After that war between the con­
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tending natlons was a ll Dyer and one side seized Lot and
his property an d fled with the same, Abraham did PlU­
sue the invaders, not because he wa.s au all y of the de­
feated ones, but because one of the enemy had seized
and carried awa y Lot, the "righteous man", (2 Peter
2: '1,8) 'Then Abraham pursued the invaders and recov­
ered Lot, his nephew, and not because he was his neph­
ew, but because Lot was a faithful servant of Almighty
Cod. 'Thus the divine rule is established that one of
GOlI's deyoted servants is jmtified in acti ng in behalf
of his fe1low scrvants. the servants of God. The rescue
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of Lot accomplished by the armed forces of Abraham

was fully approved by Jehovah, as shown by the follow­
ing scriptures: «And Melchizedek king of Salem hrought
, forth bread and winc ; and he was the priest of the mmlt
high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be
Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and
earth; and blessed be the most high God, which hath
deiivered thine enemies into thy haud. And he gave him
tithes of all." Genesis 14; 18-20.
Abraham's neutrality the fact that he was not ill
and
any alliance with either of the warring factions are fur­
ther proved by his refusal to accept any reward whattlo­
ever or any part of the spoils taken from the enemy.
(Genesis 14: 21-24) This proves that Abraham was not

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the servant· of any earthly king, but that he was the

SC1'vant and representative of Jehovah God, the great
THEOCRAT. Abraham's neutrality ,,;as due to the fact
that he was wholly devoted to the THEOCRATIC GOVERN­
lIIENT, and tho1'efore God addressed him as his "friend".
This is further p roved by what is w1'itte n concerning
Abraham, to wit: "By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country , d welli ng in tabernacles
with Isaac and .Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise; for he looked for a city [government] which
hath foundation�, whose builder and maker is God."�· -
Hebrews 11: 9,10.
This scripture proves that he was a stranger and did
not act as a native nationalist, plltting the state above
Almighty God. He dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
and thus showed himself separate and apart from the
others and that he was a noncombatant. He was a sheep
herder, engaged in a peaceful business, and had no part
in the affairs of the govcmmcnt in the land where he
re si ded lIe had his mind nnd heaTt set upon God'8 king­
.

dom, the GHEAT THEOCRACY; and fmther it is written

concerning him: "Therefore sprang there even of one,
and him a� good as dead, so many as the stars of the
sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea
shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not hav ing
received the promiHes, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuude(l of them, and embraced [saluted]
them, and confessed that they were st1'angers and pil­
grims on the eUT1h."- Hebrews 11 : 12, 13. (See Diaglott,
Bothc'l'han�Js, and Ymmgo's translation.)
He "saluted" and thus attributed salvation to Al­
mighty God, and hence he did not salut e the flag of
those worldly gOl'ernmcllts and dtrilmte salvation and
p r otection to them. He did not lock for protection or
salvation from an y caTthly government, and tllercforc

jt is written eOllccrninghim: "For they that say such

things declare plainly that they seek a country _ And
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truly if they had been mindful of that country from

whencE' they came out, they might have had opportunity
to ha \'e
returned." Hebrews 11: 14, 15.
He conld have returned t.o those governments whence
he came by saluting th e ir Hag, and thus denying .Teho­
vah God. And why diel he not do so? The Scriptures
answer: <'But now they desire a better country, that is,
an heavenly [that is, The Theocratic Government of
,Tehovah by Cl11'i8t .Tesus]: wherefore God is not a sh amed
to be called their God; for he hath prep are d for them
a city." Verse 16.

TYPICAL
Abraham's neutrality was typica.l, and furnishes the
true and COITect guide for the Chris1"ians, who form a
part of God's ''1101y nation"; and concerning which it is
written: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest­
hood an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should
,

shew forth the praises of him r Jeho\'[lh, the Great Theo­

crat, by faithfully repreHenling him and his government,
and not by showing forth the prnises of men] who hath
called you out of darkness into his mUfYcllous light."
-.1 Peter 2: 9.
Further showing that the trne followers of Chri"t Jesus
are separate and d.istinct from the nations o f this earth,
the scripture continues: ('Dearly beloved, I beseech you
as strangers and pilg rims [that is, not native nation al ­

ists or any part of Satan's world], . having your con­ . .

versation [behavior, course of action] honest among the

Gentiles [nations.l ; th at , whereas they speak against yo u
as evil doers, they may by your good works [of faithfully
representing Jehovah's theocratic government by always
bearing testimony to his name and kingdom by the course
of action you ta ke1, which they shall behold, glorify God
in the day of visitation [that is, the coming of distreHs
and trouble upon ihe nations of the earth at Armaged­
don]." 1 Peter 2: 11, 12. ;

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The only r e a s on true followers of Chri st

for any of the
Jesus to now be upon the earth i s that they might bear
witness to the name of Jehovah God and proclMm his
kingdom. By remaining aosolutely and entirely neutral
in the controversies and wars between the nations, these
Christians stand forth fOT the witne8s of the Most High
and thus fulfill their commission, maintain their integ­
rity, and prove their faithfulness to Almighty God and
his King.
There was a time
those who are now Jehovah's
whe n
witnesses were a part of this world, but, having made a
solemn covenant to do the will of Alm ighty God and
h avin g become the true followers of C h rist Jesus, snch
are no longer any part of the world. "'l'hat at that time
[as citizens of the world and hence a part of earthly
governments] ye were without Chrht, being aliem; from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the cove­
nants of promise, hav ing no hope, and without God in
the ,vorld; but now., in ChrIst Jesus, ye who sometimes
were faT on, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of
Cod; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles
und prophets. J eSllS Christ himself being the chief cor­
ner stone." Ephesians 2: 12, 13, 19, 20.
Being in Christ Jesus, one can no longer take sides
in the controversies a nd wars between the peoples and
which
nations, all of nationc; are against Jehovah'::; king­
dom: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand
of God. Set your affection on thing s above, not on things
on the earth. For ye arc dead, and your life is hia with
Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall ap­
pear, then shull ye also appear with him in glory,"'­
Colossians 3: 1-4.
The truly covenant people of Almighty God now on
earth are not pro-"fon:lgn power", nor hyphenated na-
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tiona lists, with a divided human all egiance ; they are

. not propagandists for either side of the warring factions.
They are separate and distinct from all such and are
sol ely the witnesses of Jehovah. Qod and bis THEOCRATIC
GOVEltNMENT, and hence the y must stand aloof from
every nation of this world. They must declare the king­
dom of God, and without doiDg so they cannot be fai t h ­

ful to God and receive his app rOval and salvation to life.
To them obediencE' to the world Il1efLnS everlasting de­
struction ; obedience to Almig)1ty n ad means everlasting
life. What, then,must they do' ? They must be witnesses
for the Lord and obey his comr)1andments by pointing the
people to his King and his KirJl.gdom.-Jl.Iatthew 24 : 7, 14.
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,
IS RAEL'S WARS

It has been that the wars or the nation of

clai me d
Israel against other nations i@ Inoor that wars between
nat ions may be properly ind.u l ged in and hence that
Christians dlOuld join '\'ith OHler nations in making war.
Such reasoning finds no SUPIJo:rt whatsoever in the Scrip­
tures. The nation of I�rael vva" not organized by any
political ruler or dictator or Uflurper. That was Go d's
typical nat i o n formed and org;arlized b y the great T H RO­
,

CRAT for the purpose of pi ctulr i:ng the re al THEOORAOY

that shall rule the world by 0 h1'i8t Jesus. Israel had no
. man-made laws and no politic.al rarties and no religious
advisers to direct the politican aJfairs.This was true a.::l
long as that nation remained :faithful to God, God chose
the earthly location for his ty pical theocratic nation, as
it is written : "A land which the Lord thy God careth
for ; the eyes of the Lord thy" C od are always upon it,
from the beginning of the yea r �\'en u nt o the end of the
year." ( Deuteronomy 11 : 1 2 ) "\Vhen the Most High
divided to the nations their ;inheritance, when he sep­
arated th e sons of
Adam, he set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the� ch ildren of Israel." (Dell-

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teranomy 32 : 8) Jeh ovah G od, the great THEOCRAT, was

the ruler of that typical nation Israel, and his will the
only law of the nation.
The land assigned to Israel was held in possession
previously by the Canaanites and others who
were de­
voted to devil-worship, and who therefore were against
Jehovah G o d '1'hat land God had given to Abraham
.

and to his seed after him. ( G enesis 13 : 14-17 ; 1 5 : 1 8-21 ;

Psalm 105 : 8-1 2) The Canaani teB, who were against God,
refused to surrender possession to G od's chosen people
and refused to come over on the side of the gre at Theo­
crat, and therefore they must be onsted. The only ex­
ception was the people of Gibeon, who voluntarily put
themselves on the side of Jehovah and who therefore
TCceived protection and deliverance at the hand of God's
chosen servant, Joshu a. Israel's wars against the Canaan­
ites were calTied on by the direction of Jehoyah God.
-Deuteronomy 7 : 1 ; Exodus 34 : 24.
Joshua, name is t.he same as Jesus amI who
whose
foreshadowed Chri s t Jesus, carried on such wars by the
direct conunand of the Almighty God, and Joshua gained
the victory for that reason.' .Joshua chapters 9 and 10 ;
Joshua 1 1 : 20-23.
Israel was the onl y nation of earth to which God ever
assigned any territ ory and authorized them to take pos­
session of it by fmce. Hence the wars of Israel for gain­
ing possession of what belonged to them by the gift of
Almighty God foreshadowed Christ JeSlls' taking pos­
session of the entire earth, a gift to
him from Jehovah
God, and Ch r i st acts under the command of the Al­
mighty. ( Psalm 2 : 6 - 1 2 ) The Israelites did not invade
that which bel onged to others. They took the land that
belongeJ to them by a gift from Jehovah. '1'heir partici­
pation in war was by the comma nd of the Almight.y God,
and their obedience to his commandment was m ore ac­
ceptable than sacrifi ce. ( 1 Samuel 15 : 20-23) Such wars

16

••

.' • ,
•
•
•
 •

were righteous; hence God heard and answeTed the

pTayers of his typ i cal people as l011g as they obeyed
him. Victory was not granted to them by reason of
their su p er ioT military equipmcnt, belt because God ex­
ercised his almighty power in their behalf. (Joshua
10: 14) King David carried out Gotfs command in tak­
ing possession of the entire domain which the gTeat
Theocrat harl assigned to His typical people. (2 >:-lam·
ueI 8; 1 Kings 4: 21) Thus he pictured the Greater
David, Chr is t Jesus, taking possessioIl of the entiTe earth.
When the Israelites violated their covenant with God
he permitted them to be puni,�hed by theiT enemie�, and
they never gaiIlcd the victory over their enemies under
such circumstances. nut when the Israelites repented
and turned to God he drove out their enemy imadeTs
and gave ISTael the victory. ( J udge s chapters 6 and 7)
All these things happened to ISTaelfor tYIJes and were
written and Tecorded for the advice and guhlance of
faithful Christians now on the eaTth. (1 COTinthians
10: 11) None of the nations of "Chlistendom" ever had
any teI'Titol'Y assigned to them by the great Theocrat,
Jehovah. The sO-ClllIed "Christian" nations have tareen
possession of land by what they call "the Tight of dis­
covery" or by purchase or by conqnert, and not by God's
will."Christendom" is the antitype 0 f un:faithful Israel,
which un faithful people lost the whole land by reason
of their unfaithfulness to God. "Christendom," that is,
•
the so-eal1ed "Christian" nations, are without any au­
thority whatsoeveT from Almighty God to engage in war
and with his approval and blessing. :I-Icnce the wars be­
tween the nations of the earth, even defensive wars; find
no support OT jllStification in the "aI'S that ISl'ael en­
gaged in. There is nothing, therefon,. that would justify
the true Christian in obeying the pol itical and religious
rulers in taking up arlllS for aggK:!8sive war or even
for defensive war of one worldly naliion against another
worldly nation. If j be nations of "Christendom" or any

17
•

•
 ,

other nations of earth desire to engage in war and do so,

that is their affair and it is the duty of God's covenant
,

people to remain entirely neutral as to such wars. Reli­

gious leaders, forming a part of this evil world, insist
that Christians should engage in war between nations,
citing the experiences of IsTael as authority, The most
powerful religious organization on earth now attem pts
to justify war, that is, war now raging between the
nations, and hence the Roman Catholic HieraTchy of
Auth01'ity urges the religIonists of the various nations
to take sides and go to war. Evidently they have over­
looked their own previously announced co ncl us ions upon
tbis point. Some conscientious member of the Hierarchy
at one time wrote and published the correct position in
tbis matter, to wit: "Here, also, it is to be noted that
nations cannot draw a parallel from the Old-Testament
titles. The Isr ae lites lived under a theocracy; G od, as
Supreme Lord of all the earth, in specific instance8, by
tl1e exeTcise of His supreme dominion, transferred the
ownership of alien Lands t.o the Israelit�s; by His com­
m an d they waged war to obtain possession of it, and
their title to war was the ownership (tlLuS giv en them)
of the land for w hich they fought. 'The, privation thus
wrought upon its prior owners and actual possessors had,
moreover, the character of punishment vi:sited upon them
by God's order for offences committed against Him. No
state can find such title existing for itseH under the
natural law." The Catholic Encyclol1fcZia, Volume 15,
under the heading "V'v ar", and subtitle IV, pa ge 548,
column 2.
Contrary to their once announced coonect d octr i ne ,

the Catholic clergy in various nations now advise t.he

"Catholic popUlation" to participate in a war, evidently
reasoning that their failure to do so ,.'ould ca use the
Hierarchy to lose much fina ncial support. It is th erefore
apparent that they arc willing to repudiate their former
and once cOITect position and sacri fice human lives in
18

-
•

,
. -

-
•
 •

•
order -to maintain their own present position with the
parts oj' this wicked world.
The Scriptures fu rnish no precedent
or authority for
a Christian to engage in war for one nation as against
another, for the manifest reaSOll that all such nations
are against the great THEOCRATIC GOVERN}IENT and
hence the fightbetween the nations is not the fight of
one wIIO is in a covenant to do the will of the Almighty
God. The Israelites' wars, which Jehovah approved, were
for the purpose of taking posse�sion of their own land.
Outside of their own territory assigned to them by the
Lord they were not authorized to extend their warIare
to any more territory at any time. -See Deuteronomy
2: 1-9. 19, 37.
WhcIl. the holy land "I'as invaded by other nations the
Israelit% were authorized to fight in a defensive war
against such invaders. Specific examples arc found in
the Sc riptnrcs in reference to invasion by Egypt, Ethio­
pia, Syria and AssYTia, and in which Jehov ah not only
approv€d the action of his typical people but came to
their {te:feme and fought their battles for them. (2 Kings
18: 9-3f; 19: 1-36; 2 Chronicles 14: 9-15) When the
intern8! enemy who was against God and his people rose
up agttlUst them in war they were authorized to fight
in seli·defense
and to subdue the anti-theocratic up­
rising. Such was the rule that God gave to the Israelites.
-See Judges, chapters 3 to 16.
In the wa.rs that raged between the nations in lhe
outsid� world beyond the boundaries of the Theocratic
terriioll'y of Israel the Israelites were commanded to re­
main :rnmtral, and did remain neutral as long as faithful
to Jeh.ovah. When they violated that neutrality they suf­
fered defeat and did not have God's help. (2 Kings
23: 29'-35; 2 Chronicles 35: 20-211) This rule govern­
ing true typical theocracy fixes the rule by which those
who a:n of the real Theocracy must be guided.
19
 -

"CHRISTENDOM" NOT TIIEOCRATIC

There is no so-called "Christian nation" of so-called
"Christendom" that is a theocracy, or any part thereof,
because not one of snch nations even claims Almighty
God as the Ruler. AU these nations are ruled according
to man's law. If such nations had Jehovah God for ruler
the political power could not enforce conscription laws_
The law of the political govermnents is not theocratic.
Since God commands all of his covenant people to keep
themselves aloof from the world and thereby devote
themselves entirely and wholly to his kingdom, no per­
son in a covenant to do the will of God is un der obli­
gation to take up arms for one political government as
agn imt another political government. 'I'he i nt e r e st of
the state and the interest of God's theocratic govern­
ment are n ot common. 'I'he onlinanccs or laws of the
state do not express the will of Almighty God, because
God has not authorized any politicai nation to act for
him in declaring and making war on another nation.
Exactly the opposite is the Scriptural rule: "JeSliS an­
swered, My kingdom is not of this world [of which 'Chris­
telldom' is apart] ; if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants light, that I sh oul d not be de­
Ih-ered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from
hence [not from the source of 'Christendom']." (John
18 (36) Again says the Word of the great Theocrat:
:
"B1es8C'd is the nation whose God is Jehovah, the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalm
33: 12, A.R_ F.) Not one nation within the realm of 80-
called "Christendom" has Jehovah for its God and Ruler,
but all such nations hate Jehovah God and his govern­
ment by Ch rist Jesus and hate those who bear testimony
to his name and his government. (Matthew 24: 9) In
Germany there are some Christians that are truly and
fully the covenant people of God. Why should they fight
for Hitler and his gangsters that defy the Almighty
God and persecute those who serve J ehoyah God and
20
 •

•
Christ Jesus i' Some of these faithful Christians have
recently been, as the press announces, executed, that is,
put to death, because they would not bear arms at the
command of H itler . Thus the executed one proved his
integrity and faithfulness to the great THEOCRATIC Gov­
ERNMENT and is guaranteed resurrection and life ever­
lasting; which no gangster such as Hitler will ever get.
-llevelation 2: 10.
• -
• •
•

THEOCRACY
•

The THEOCHACY is the heavenly, invisible gove rnme nt

of Jehovah God by Christ .Jesus,the King, who is in­
visible to human eyes. (Isaiah 9: 6,7) rrhat government
is not allied with or represented by any religions, politi­
cal, judicial government on the earth. If the church-state
gmernments were a part of God's Theocracy, then there
would be only one government, und er one Leader, Christ
Je�\lS. Hence there could be no war between them_ There
would be no international division, and no rivalry, and
hence no conflict between the peoples of those
bloody
nations. Neither would the clergy of one of such nations
pray to some reputed "god" to favor one of such coun·
tries at war as against another nation at war. Christ is
not div i de d The Theocracy is one inseparable, righteous
.

government, always righteous. (1 Corinthians 1: 10-13;

3: 1-4) It follows, therefore, that Jehm<uh must be neu­
tral, and hemc his ear is deaf to the prayers of the clergy
of all sides of the war between the nations. J e11on].h God
hears only the prayers of th05e who are for his THEO­
CRATIC GOVERNMENT. (1 Peter 3: 12) A religious state
is anti-Theocracy, and to such state God shows no fa \'ors
over another like state or nation. J ehovah God is neutral,
and his covenant people who have vowed to serve him
and his 'l'HEOCRACY must therefore remain neutral, de­
pending wholl y and entirely upon God for prolection
and salvation_ 2 Corinthians 10: 3,4. _ . .
21
 •
SELF. DEFENSE

A "pacifist" may properly be defined as one who re­

• fuses to fight under any and all circumstances. The
CO\,�llant pe opl e of God are not pacifists, even as God
and Christ are not pacifists. God's covenant people are
authorized to defend themselves against those who fight
aga ins t the THEOCIL-I.TIC GOVERN1.IEN'I'. Nehemiah of
Judah was in times of peace the official of the Persian
gO\·ernment. He did not engage in building up military
d e fens es for Persia. Because he remained n e u tral he
was falsely accused as a seditionist. (Nehemiah 1: 11;
2: 1-20) Nehemiah devoted himself to building up and
strengthening the interest of Jeho\'ah's typical cove­
nanl pearle as against the anti-God forces. (Nehemiah
4: 7-23) His opponents conspired together to fight
against Jerusale m and to prevent God 's covenant peo­
ple from carrying out the commandments of the Al­
mighty. Therefol'e Nehemiah armed the servants of God,
who worked with him. and commanded th em to "fight
fOT your brethren". - Nehemiah 4: 1, 14.
Likewise Zerubbabel, who was commanded by Jeho­
vah to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. (Ezra 1; 1-11 ;
2: 1. 2; 3: 1-13) He did not devote himself to the build­
ing up of military defen�es of Medo-Persia; and because
he remai ned neutral as to the political state Zerubbabel
was accused of sedition, which charge was false. (Ezra
4: 6-24) But Jeho\'ah God protecteu and bl e�sed Zerub­
babel in his work in behalf of the covenant people of
God. (Ezra 5: 1-17; 6: 1-22) Thus God's rule is fixed.
Likewise ,1ehovah's witnesses today, in caring for the
interest of THE THEOCRAOY by arranging for and hold­
ing public meetings and there proclaiming the llame of
Jehovah and his King, and by advertising the kingdom
as commanded, h av e the right to defend themselves
against the assaults of the anti-God, anti- Kingdom crowd
who would hinder such work which God has commanded
th em to do; and in defending themselves they have the

22

'
.
•

.' • •
•

•
,
•

appro v al of tlle Almighty . See The Watchtower,

. "Doom
of Religion," September 15, 1939, page 279.
Being entirely neut ral as between the nations of earth
Jehovah's witnesses do not pray to God for one politica l
ruler as against another. They do not pray, as com­
manded by the ruler of any earth!y government, for the
success of the armies of one nntioll against another, but
they pray as J ehovah God, by Christ Jesus, has com­
.

manded them to pray, to wit: 'Thy kingdom come. Thy

will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.' (Matthew •

6: 10) God's people are now !iving on the earth prac-

tically under all earthly govemments, and it would be
entirely inconsistent for them to pra y for one govern­
ment as against another and particularly in view of (he
,

fact that all of such earthly governments are against

God's kingdom. Jehovah's witnesl>es pray to their Father
in heaven, and who is neutral
who is eternal, as to aU
earth ly governments, and wh o declares that in his own
due time he will by the hand of Christ J esus completely .

de�troy all government" that are opposed to and against

THE THEOCRACY, for the reason that such opposing gov­
ernments are under the hand of Satan.
Jehovah's neutraliiy is further proved by the fact that
he ordered his anointed King, following h is resurrection,
to take n o action for or against any other nation on earth
until due time for the Theocratic rule to begin. He com­
man d ed Christ ,Jesus to rem ain inactive toward all such
nations until God sellds him forth to rule ; which He
(lid in 1914: "The LORD said onto my Lord, Sit thou
at my ri ght hand, until I make t hine enemies thy foot­
stool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out
of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." (Psalm
110: 1,2; Hebrews 10: At the end of the world,
12, 13)
that is, after the time came for Satan to be onsted. God
sent forth his Ki ng to rule. That did not mean that
Jehovah was taking sides between the nations which
rise up against each other in war (Matthew 24: �, 8),

�
•

..
 nor did Jesus tell his faithful follo,,"crsto take sides,
but, on the y he commanded
con rar
t , them to go about
amongst all the nations and preach t11e go od news, giv­
ing testimony that Satan's world had eurlcd and that
the kingdom of righteousness is at hand, which shaH
vindicate Jehovah's name and bring bles6ings to the
obedient people. (Matthew 24: 14) The end of Satan's
world has come, and God by Christ Jesus takes a hand
in completely ousting Satan and all of his supporters
from the earth became the earth belongs to Christ Jesus
as a gift from Jeh oyah God. Psalm 2: 8,9.
The rule by \\' hich .1 ehO\'ah's covcnant people must
now be governed is t hat of strict nentraHty between the
nations at war. It is the privilege of all nations to fight
it out amo ngst themselves, but the Christian must not
interfere, by word or act, with the governments in any
•
action they may take with reference to the conscription
of men or material for the war. The covenant people
. of God must keep their llUnds off, because it is not their
fight and it would be wrong to try to induce others not
•

to fight. Each one must determ i ne for himself his rela­

tionship to God and his government.
Jehovah favors no polit ical nation as against another
like nation. In due time he expl'csses his wrath against
all such nations, because all are ag ainst his kingdom.
"Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people;
let the earth hear and all that is therein; the world,
,

and all things that come forth of it. For the indigna­
tion of the Lord is upon all nations, an d his fury upon
all their at·mies; he hath utterly destroyed them, he h ath
delivered them to the slaughter." (Isaiah 34: 1, 2)­
Jeremiah 25: 31, 32; Zepha ni ah 3: 8; Haggai 2: 22;
Revelation 11: 17, 18.
•

DIVIDING THE PEOPLE

•

Jehovah assumes no responsibility for national divi­

sion, that is, for one system of government of men as
24

•
 g another system of government. On the contrary,
a a i ngt
Chri�t Jesus, Jehovah's Kinp.-, is now present, judging
and separating the people of all nations int o two classes,
that is to say, the obedient ones in one class, designated
as "sheep", and the disobedient 01' opposing ones, desig­
nate d as "goats". (Matthew 25: 31-40) The questions
or issues upon which the individual division takes place
and wh i ch all such individuals must by their course of
action answer are these: Are you for the Theocratic
rule by Ch rist J eaus the King? Do you, on the contrary,
favor the continuation of Satan's rule by the p o liti cal
and religious elements of thi s world? Each individual
must choose for himself.
Je11ovah's COYBnant people stand aloof from the na­
tions that areanti-Theocracy, and they must remain
neutral as to all such nations. There is but one nation
that has Jehovah's app roval, and that is his "holy na­
tion", composcd of Christ Jesus, the Head and Ruler,
and all those who fully support and are associated with
Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 2: 9) These faithful followers of
must prm'e their integ­
Christ Jesus, in order to live,
rity and remain true and faithful to Jehovah and his
King. Now the nations of earth, controlled by the reli­
gious and political rulers, conspire together to cause
God's covenant peo111e to be cut off from being a holy
nati o n (Psalms 83: 2-18; 2: 2-0) As to all such opp o s­
.

ing nations, they are the encmies of God and of his

covenant people, and therefore the coycn ant people m ust
not mix up with or become a part of any of such oppos­
ing nations.
What shall be the end of those nations th at oppose
the Theocracy and that persccute the faithful witnesses
and their "companions", who obey the commandments
of God by prcaching this "gospel of the kingdom"?
Jesus answers that question as follows: "And shall not
God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, thougb he bear long with them? I tell you that
25
he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son
of man cometh, shull he find faith on the earth ?"­
Luke 18; 7, B.
Even if some nations of earth have heretofore declared
that they are God's nation, it is certainly true DOW that
every nation on earth has forgotten God and now op­
poses his 'Theocratic government. Because they oppose
that kingdom and those who work under the King's
supervision, all such nations are wicked and their e1HI
is fixed. "The Lord is known by the judgment which
he executeth; the wicked is snared in the work of his
OW11 hands . . . .The wicked shall he tumed into h ell,
and all the nations [(Hebrew) goyim] that forget God."
(Psalm 9: 16, 1(1) Con cerning snch Jehovah directs hi s
covenant pco]Jle to pray: "Arise, 0 Lord; let not man
premil; let the heathen [( Hebrew) goyim nations] be "

judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, 0 Lord ; that the

nations may know themselves to be but men." (Psalm
9: 19, 20) "0 God, the heathen [(Hrbrew) goyim] are
come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple hove they
defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps." "Pour out
thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known tllce,
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon t h y
name [in spirit and in truth and withont hypocrisy 1-"
(Psalm '19: 1, 6 ; 2 Timothy 3: 5) (Isaiah G4: 1,2; Hev­
elation 11:17, 18) It would be entirely inconsistent and
in disobedience to God's commandments for any cove­
nant chil d of his who supports His TIIEOCR.-I.CY to line
up with and fight for one earthly nation as against an­
other earthly nation, boih of which nations are against
the THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. Therefore the position
of Jehovah's witnesses is complete neutrality.
Without a question of doubt every nation of earih
has violated the ewrlasting covenant of God concerninv
the sanctity of life. This they have done by wrongfully
killing human and beast creation, and particularly by

26

•
killing those who are devoted to God, and whom they
have killed because such were faithful to Jehovah God.
(Genesis 9: 4-6, 16,17 ) The only justified kiUing of
any human creature is in �dr-defense or as God's exe­
cutioner. (Exodus 22: 2) No nntion on earth has ever
claimed that it is free from the wrongful taking,of the
lives of others, and which hU8 been done in disregard
of God's law. Concerning all mch it is written: "The
earth also is defiled L1nd(!!' tlw inhabitants thereof; be·
cause they have tranHgl'PRSl'd j,\](! laws, changed the ordi·
nance, broken the everla�ting (;ovenant." Isaiah 24: 5.

UNSPOTTED

Those who are for the great THEOCRACY and who have
therefore made a solemn covenant to do the will of Al­
mighty God, the great THEOCRAT, must keep themselves
unblemished and ullcontaminated from the affairs of the
nations of eaTth, which are ag-nillst the gl'eat THEOCRAT;
as Jesus plainly declared: "They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world, Sanctify them through
thy truth; thy word is truth." (John 17: 16. 17) By
the truth of Jehovah's Word they are completely set asi(le
to bis exclusive �ervice. Therefore such are commanded
to 'keep themselves unspotted fl'om the world'. (James
1: 27) "Unspotted" means to be free from blemish and
from mixing up with the affairs of this world. Those
who worship God in spiTit and in truth must do that
the true worship of Almighty
very thing. Buch C01l5titutes
God. '1'here has crcpt into the Authorized Translation
of the Bible. in James 1: 27, the word "religion", whi('h
is imlJTOperly there. The conect translation of that text
is as follows: "For the wOTship that is pure and holy
before God the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless
and the widows in their ailli ction, and that one keep
himsclf unspotted from the world." James 1: 27, Mur·
dock's Syriac.
'2
7
 •

CONSCRIPTIOl'l

Within the realms of warring nations there doubtless

are many who have devoted themselves to Jehovah God
and h is kingdom by Christ Jesus. Those respective na­
tions by law conscript the man-power and send men to
war against other men. That is the affair and responsi­
bility of each or such nations, about which true neutrals
have no th in g to say. Public officials who have to do with
conscription and the hearing of applications for exemp­
tion from military service do not understand and appre­
"
ciate the relation of Jehoyah's witnesses and their com­
p anions", the "other sheep" of the Lord, to Jehovah,
the grea t THEOCRAT, and Christ Jesus. In order to in­
duce Christians to withdraw their a.pplicu.tion for ex­
emption from military service the conscription officer
propounds this question: "Woulcl you uefend your mother
•

from attack (" Of course, the Christian would give the

answer w hicb the Lord tl csus gave, because such is the
Scriptural answer, by which he is governed. It is not
for one person to decide for another what answer should
be given, but the Lord himself :fixes the matter. Each
person must decide fOT himsel f his own relationship
to God and Christ. Christ's definition of who is the
mother OT brut her or one of the co,'enant people of Jeho ­

vah God furni�hes the true and correct guide for all
Christians. J csus was instructing the people, and con-'
cerning those who would love him and his kingdom he
said: "He that is not with me is against me; and he
that gathereth not with me scattcrcth abmad." Mat­
thew 12: 30.
Necessarily one who is against the King is not for
•

him, and· one who is for the King cannot be against

him (Mark 9: 40) The two texts abov e referred to are
.

in exact harmony. Stated in common phrase, t.he po si ­

tion of every pel'son is either for the King and his king­ •

dom or againiSt the King and his kingdom. There is no

ml(lrlle ground. At that point of his discourse to the
28

. .
people the following took pln.r·c and these words were
uttered by Chri st .Jesus: "While he yot bIked to the
p eople, behold, his mother and his brethren stood with­
out, desiring to speak with 'him. Then one said unto
him, Behold, thy mother ant! thy brethren stand with­
Qut, desiring to speak with 111('(�, But he answered and
said unto him ilwt told him, Who is my mother? and
who Ilre my bJ'dhren? And he Htretched forth his hand
towa]'(l 11is (li.�tiph�R, 11]1(1 Hail], Brhold my mother and
my bl'elhnm I For \l'hORll(,V(H' �hn.ll do the will of my
F athe r which iH 11l heaven, tIl<! Kil/YIC is my brot.hel', and
sister, and lllotllel'."'--·l\IaH hcw 12: 4 G·50.
Further, Jesus dearly defmlld the relationship of those
who do the will of .Jehovah God: that aU who sincerely
do the ;"ill of God uy ubeying his commandments occupy
the relationship to each otlwr as brother, sister, and
mo ther, that is, the family relationship of the family of
God. TIle fact that one has a brother and sister and
mother after the flesh but who are against the Theocracy
by Chri�t .Jesus does not at all mean that the ChTistian
is undeT any obligation whai:Ro(lver to care for or protect
such opponent of the kingdom.
The Scriptural answer to the propounded question,
therciore, is this: If the one who is called "my mother"
is against the kingdom of .Jehovah by Christ Jesus, then
the only duty I have towaTd� RI1Ch is to tell her of God's
provision for mankind. If she is really devoted to God
and his kingdom, then as my real relative in C h rist Jesns
I will do whatsoever I call fol' her protection and defense;
but that docs not mean that, I must fight against the
nation or p eople that is fighting another nation, both of
which are against God and his kingdom, As to such na­
tions I am entirely neutral and cannot and will not fight
for one as against the other. If an enemy of the great
THEOCRACY and His King nttempts to do me harm and
to hinder me and my work rol' the kingdom and fights
against me and my spiritual mother or brother, then I
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have the right to defend myself against such assaults,

and the right to defend my brethren, and I will do so .

.. ..Nehemiah 4: 14.
'rhus the Christian clearly defines himself as for peace
and righteousness but not as a pacifist.

CHRISTIAN'S POSITION
The position of the true follower of Christ Jesus is
clearly set forth in the Scriptures. Such follower of
Christ Jesus cannot compromise. One is either for 'rUE
'l'HEOCRACY or against that righteolls government. If for
the THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT and His King, then he
is not going to compromise in order to escape hatre d
or punishment at the hands of enemies. He is now in a
position to prove his integrity toward God and to prove
that the Devil's challenge to ,J ehoyah is a wicked lie.
(J Db 2: 5) Therefore as a follower of Christ J eSllS he
can be faithful and true to God, and will do so, come
what may.
Jehovah the great Theocrat has now enthroned his
King and sent him forth to rule. (Psalms 2: 6; 110; 2;
Revelation 11: 17) Christ Jeslls is now at the temple
of Jehovah conducting his judgment of the nations. God's
"strange work" of exposing the fallacy and the hypoc­
risy of religion, and pointing the people to the fact that
'1'he Theocracy is the only hope for the peoples, is now
in progress, and that work will be finished in his due
time. (Isaiah 28: 21; Matthew 12: 18-21) The Lord's
"other sheep", the "great multitude" (Revelation 7: 9-
17)., are now hastening to take their stand on the side
of Jehovah and his King. The "strange work", when
completed, will be quickly followed by God's act, "his
strange act," at the battle of the great day of God Al­
mighty called "Arma geddon" , and at which hattIe all
the opponents of THE THEOCRACY will die. Only those
\\'ho have declared themselves for THE THEOCHACY and
who maintain their integrity shall live. Some of them
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may be killed by the enemy hccanse of their faithful­
ness, but such have the promi�c of resurrection to l i fe.
Therefore all who receive proh'ction and salvation fTOm
1 eh ovah must prove their i n te g r ity t.o the great Theo crat
,

and to his King. Noone who is (b'oted to the Theocratic

Government and its King wi l l [ear what man can do
to him. He will fear God and ohl\y him. (Isaiah 8: 13, 14)
Let all the faithful ones keep in mind the words of Christ
Jesus sp ok en to them: "And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not ab le to kill the soul; but raiher
fear him which ii; able to dl'�t roy both soul and borly
in helL" (Matthew 10: 28) "Bllt he that shall endure
unt o the end, the same shall be Haved." (Matthew 24: 13)
It is far belter to die faithful to God and because of faith­
fulness and receive at the hund,; of the Lord everlasting
life than to compromise with any part of Satan's organ­
iza t ion and suffer everlasting destTuction. Concerning the
faithful it is written that tho�e who now die faithful
shall have an instantaneous rClmrrection from death.
(1 Corinthians 15: 51, 52) .TdlOvah God is the foun­
t ai n of life, th e everlasting Fnllwl', and the Giver of life
to those who obey him, whidl gift he makes through
Christ Jesus, his beloved Son. (John 3: 16; Romans
6: 23) "Salvation belongeth unto J ehoyah," and not to
man nor to any organization of tnt'l!. (Psalm 3: 8) There
is no room for compromise with the enemy. Remember
that God has said to his people concerning the enemy:
"And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not
prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord,
to deliver thee." J el'emiah 1: 19.
Those who have taken thei r stand on the side of the
great THEOCRAT and his King will stand fast in that
position, trusting in and rel ying solely upon God, well
knowing that God will deliver them and grant unto them
everlasting life. Al l who are on the Lord's side will be
neutral as to warring nations, and will be entirely anrl
wholly for the great 'THEOCRAT and his King.
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