Chapter Nine/Holding Fast to Jesus' Name

On various occasions, Jesus had made known that Satan rules this present wicked world, but because of Jesus' integrity, Satan had no hold on him. 
 (Matthew 4:8-11; John 14:30 )  (Note: Yes, and the fact that he is perfect helps even more.)  In this 20th century, powerful nations, notably "the king of the north" and "the king of the south," have been struggling  for world domination.  (Daniel 11:40) Patriotic fervor has been whipped up, and the cult of emperor worship  has a modern-day counterpart in the wave of nationalism that has the swept the earth. Articles on neutrality in The Watchtower of November 1, 1939, and again in The Watchtower of  November 1, 1979, and September 1, 1986, have clearly stated the Bible's teaching on this issue, providing guidelines for those Christians who want to walk in the name of Jehovah and conquer the world, as Jesus so courageously did. -Micah 4:1, 3, 5; John 16:33; 17:4, 6, 26, ; 18:36, 37; Acts 5:29.  

Such counsel has been urgently needed. In the face of unreasoning patriotic fervor, Jehovah's Witnesses, both anointed ones and their companions, have had to stand firm in the faith. In the United States, hundreds of children and teachers were dismissed from schools because they did not salute the national flag, (Note: which is one of the forms of idolatry and a no no in God's eyes.) while in Germany the Witnesses were viciously  persecuted for refusing to salute the swastika.  As already noted, Hitler's Nazis killed thousands of Jehovah's loyal servants because they refused to share in such nationalistic idolatry.  In the 1930's, during Japan's heyday of Shinto emperor worship, two pioneer minister sowed much Kingdom seed in Japanese occupied Taiwan.  
The military rulers threw them into prison, where one of them died because of the harsh treatment.  The other was later released, only to be shot in the back-a modern day Antipas.  To this day, there are lands where worship of nationalistic  symbols  and exclusive devotion to the State are demanded. Many youthful Witnesses have been imprisoned because of their courageous stand  as Christian neutrals.  If you are a youth who faces such issues, study God's Word daily so that you may have "faith to the preserving alive of the soul," with everlasting life in view.  -Hebrews 10:39-11:1; Matthew 10:28-31) 

Youngsters in school have faced similar issues. In 1985, in the state of Kerala, India, three young children of Jehovah's Witnesses refused to compromise their Bible-based faith, declining to sing the national anthem. They stood respectfully  while others sang, but they were nonetheless expelled from school.  Their father appealed   this action right up to the Supreme Court of India, where the two judges decided in favor of the children, courageously stating;  "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance; our constitution  practices tolerance; let us not dilute it."  Newspaper publicity and favorable editorials resulting from this case informed the entire nation of close to one fifth of the earth's population that there are Christians in that land who worship  the true God Jehovah and that these stand loyally by Bible principles. 

Next time: Chapter Nine/Holding Fast to Jesus' Name - Corrupting Influences

From the book of Revelation