or organization and call it God’s kingdom will suffer severe punishment." In a speech given on 20 September 1942, Nathan Knorr, the Society's third president, claimed the newly formed United Nations was the scarlet-colored wild beast of Revelation that would be ridden by the woman "Babylon", which Knorr identified as "the religious organization with headquarters at Vatican City". 1963 resolution In 1963, Jehovah's Witnesses adopted a resolution establishing the official view of the United Nations. The resolution was published in the November 15, 1963, issue of Watchtower. At 24 assemblies held throughout the year, a total of 454,977 convention attendees adopted the resolution. Regarding the United Nations, paragraph 5 of that resolution states, "the nations further refused the surrender of their sovereignty to God's Messianic kingdom by setting up ... the United Nations, ... This international organization stands for world sovereignty by political men. For years men without faith in God's kingdom have endeavored to get all people to worship this international image of human political sovereignty as the best hope for earthly peace and security, in fact, the last hope for humanity. To date 111 nations have given worship to this political image by becoming members of it. However, we, as witnesses of the Sovereign God Jehovah, will continue refusing to engage in such idolatrous worship." Current teaching Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the United Nations is the "image of the wild beast" referred to in and the fulfillment of the "disgusting thing that causes desolation" from . Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God will use political forces including the United Nations to destroy "false religion", wherein all institutionalized religions except Jehovah's Witnesses will be destroyed, which they refer to as the beginning of the great tribulation. They further believe that after all other religions are destroyed, "a coalition of nations" will then turn against Jehovah's Witnesses to destroy them, but Jehovah will intervene and destroy all political elements. They believe this act of divine intervention marks the beginning of Armageddon. In practice, Jehovah's Witnesses "view the United Nations organization as they do other governmental bodies of the world," as "superior authorities" that "exist by God's permission," based on their interpretation of . They believe "this Scriptural position does not condone any form of disrespect toward governments or their officials," to which they are to "render due respect," and they "obey them as long as such obedience does not require that