MESSENGERS OF GODLY PEACE PRONOUNCED HAPPY

The Happiness of God's Messengers

Can you picture their happiness when they realized what a privileged position they enjoyed? As a group, they echoed the words of Isaiah 6:10: "Without fail I shall exalt in Jehovah. My soul will be joyful in my God." The promise of Isaiah 35:10 was fulfilled upon them: "The very ones redeemed by Jehovah will return and certainly come to Zion with a joyful cry; and rejoicing to time indefinite will be upon their head. To exultation and rejoicing they will attain, and grief and sighing must flee away." Such was the happiness of Jehovah's messengers of godly peace back in 1919 as they set out to preach the good news to all mankind. From then on down till this day, they have not ceased to perform this task, and their happiness has increased. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: "Happy are the peacemakers, since they will be called 'sons of God.' " (Matthew 5:9,) The truthfulness of that pronouncement has been experienced by the remnant of anointed "sons of God" from 1919 until today.

As the years passed, the number of the Israel of God swelled until the 1930's when the gathering of the remaining ones of the anointed neared completion. Did the increase in the number of preacher of the good news then stop? By no means. A great crowd of Christians with an earthly hope had already started to appear, and these were joining their appointed brothers in the preaching work. The apostle John saw this great crowd in vision, and the way he describes them is noteworthy: "They are before the throne of God; and they are rendering him sacred service day and night." (Revelation 7:15) Yes, the great crowd got busy serving God. As a result, when the number of the anointed began to decrease, following 1935, the witnessing work was carried forward with increased momentum by these faithful companions.

In this way Isaiah 60:3, 4 was fulfilled: "Nations will certainly go to your light, and kings to the brightness of your shining forth. Raise you eyes all around and see! They have all of them been collected together; they have come to you. From far away your own sons keep coming, and your daughters will will be taken care of on the flank." The happiness that these developments brought to the Israel of God is beautifully described at Isaiah 60:5, where we read: "At that time you will see and certainly become radiant, and your heart will actually quiver and expand, because to you the wealthiness of the sea will direct itself; the very sources of the nations will come to you."

Next time: Jehovah Organization on the Move

Watchtower, 1997